LogicallyLazy

Fingers crossed, If my November cruise on Voyager doesn’t get cancelled. 

Yep, somehow I totally missed the disembarkation posts.  Thanks so much for blogging to help us enjoy it, too.  Hope you get to go back very soon.

Bye Quantum, till we meet again

Prior to disembarkation, they were calling out tag numbers to disembark at allocated times. You’d normally get your tag number the night before, but if you’re in star class, your genie will escort you off whenever you are ready. Last disembarkation time was 9.45am
 
Disembarkation was smooth. I was expecting that we were going to do an Antigen Rapid Test at the cruise centre but it seems it has been scrapped. We could leave as soon as we went through immigration. 
 
And that’s it. The end of my first cruise, first star class and first live blog all rolled into one. Hope you enjoyed following me along on this journey and maybe gave you a little bit of insight into some of the changes that may be happening when cruises restart until the end of this pandemic. 

Yep, posted it a few post ago. The one with the picture of Quantum as we drove away. 
 
Overall, the process was really smooth. At your allocated time, you head to the gangway and drop off your tracelet. Head through immigration and you’re done. No more post cruise swab test

Thank you everyone. Really appreciate it. 
 
Post cruise withdrawal has started setting in. Walked by a Starbucks yesterday and realized I couldn’t just point at what I want and get it lol. 

Thank you everyone. Really appreciate it. 
 
Post cruise withdrawal has started setting in. Walked by a Starbucks yesterday and realized I couldn’t just point at what I want and get it lol. 

What @Matt and @Lovetocruise2002 said! Thanks for the great blog!

Bye Quantum, till we meet again

Prior to disembarkation, they were calling out tag numbers to disembark at allocated times. You’d normally get your tag number the night before, but if you’re in star class, your genie will escort you off whenever you are ready. Last disembarkation time was 9.45am
 
Disembarkation was smooth. I was expecting that we were going to do an Antigen Rapid Test at the cruise centre but it seems it has been scrapped. We could leave as soon as we went through immigration. 
 
And that’s it. The end of my first cruise, first star class and first live blog all rolled into one. Hope you enjoyed following me along on this journey and maybe gave you a little bit of insight into some of the changes that may be happening when cruises restart until the end of this pandemic. 

After dinner, we came back to our stateroom to discover this lovely creature.

It was only now that I realised we didn’t get towel animals every night. But it’s a little thing so it’s not a big deal. 
 
We lazed around a little, recovering from food coma before heading for the production of Starwater at Two70. At 10.15pm, this was the last big show to take place on the ship. 
 

The show did not disappoint and it was definitely my fav of all the 4 shows. It definitely showcased all the technology that makes Two70 and the Quantum class of ships a technological marvel. 
 
Heading back to our room, one would think there was nothing more that would surprise us. We were wrong. 
 

Eli had left us an amazing package of gifts. While I know it has been done before, I really wasn’t expecting it on a 3 night cruise. We were so touched we decided we needed to up the tip we were going to give her. I didn’t have anymore spare USD on me, so I went down to the ATM to get some. It’s worth it though, with everything she has helped us with. 
 
And with that, day 3, our last day at sea, comes to a close. Le sigh ? 

Cue ‘Eye of the Tiger’ in the background. 
 
In one corner, TeamCK with their speciality dining standard food that’s actually complimentary dining. Going out of their way to prepare the famous filet mignon at lunch on special request. 
 
In the other corner, TeamChops with their signature steaks cooked to perfection. They know steaks and will do what it takes to prove it to you. 
 
Jokes aside, for dinner we of course went to...Wonderland!!! *crickets*
 
No, of course we went to Chops Grille. A few posts back, I spoke how I loved their bone-in ribeye more so than CK’s Filet. I was speaking how I was contemplating simply getting the ribeye again. Turns out, the choice was taken out of my hands as the ribeye was sold out. 
 
But if I’m going to put these 2 against each other? I have to make sure the fight is fair. So, without further ado. 
 
So, which do I prefer?
Taste wise, I would say that both Chops and CK are almost on par. Chops filet was slightly heavier seasoned, so it had a stronger flavor on the crust. The flavor of the meat inside was about the same. 
 
Cook of the meat. I would have to give this one to Chops. I eat my steak medium rare and I think Chops did a better job there. The CK filet was slightly over cooked, not enough to be bad but could tell it lost some of that moisture and tenderness of the filet. I also think that the sear was better at Chops. 
 
So overall verdict. I think I’m firmly...TeamChops. Sorry @Lovetocruise2002. Please don’t hurt me. 
 
Now that that’s done, here are some of the supporting actors. NY strip, Rack of lamb, apple pie and Key lime meringue. With a little cameo from Schooner, Peach Lava Flow
End Scene

Aww Matt, don’t worry. She’ll be back, I know it. But seriously, thank you and I’m glad you’re enjoying the blog

Good morning everybody. Taking it slow this morning with breakfast from CK in suite.

In suite dining Dinner
Now this was the absolute motherload of dinner spreads. In a way, it was our own little version of the Taste of Royal meal.
 

Firstly, an assortment of sushi sashimi and Japanese spread from Izumi. 

Supplemented by some familiar items from Chops. 

And to top it off, I saw they served the beef Wellington in the MDR on their Christmas and New Years sailing. I requested if they could have it prepared and they could. For such a thick slab of meat, it was surprisingly tender. We didn’t have steak knives, only the blunt table knifes and we had no trouble cutting through. 

To close off the meal, we wanted desert from Wonderland. This is where Eli and the kitchen staff really went above and beyond. Due to our dietary restriction of pork, we are unable to take gelatin. Consulting with Eli prior to boarding, she checked with the Wonderland staff and confirmed that it did contain gelatin, to which they mentioned they would prepare something specially for us. Come today, and I receive a message from Eli, asking if I was able to take beef gelatin instead. (Yes, by the way). So, not only were they able to accommodate my needs, but managed to give me the authentic wonderland experience as well. 

 

Fast forward to day 2. After our visit to the spa, we went for a quick (read: too filling) breakfast at CK. Here are some but not all our choices. 
 
After a quick break back at our stateroom, it seemed like too soon before we were already off to Jamie’s for lunch. You ever regret eating a good meal. Yeah that’s us in regards to breakfast. 
 
Jamie’s appetisers were definitely the stars of the meal. The pasta we ate was kinda meh but the baked mushrooms...hmm so good 
We were originally gonna head to the seaplex for some pickleball, but changed our plans on account of our full stomach. Headed up to the suite sun deck for some sun and to take some timelapse videos of the North Star.

temp_video_1614693127511.mp4 Next up, we headed to the Royal Theatre to catch the production “Sequin and Feathers” a show with lots of music, dancing and show girls. Lol
 
Speaking of North Star, I decided to go for the extended experience today. Since we saved on a few things here and there due to star class privileges, thought I’d experience this. Gave me good shots from the exterior of the ship too. 

Dinner
We headed to chops for dinner and of course, we had to do the customary star class seafood tower. Eli did mentioned that all up charges where waived for star class. While I was already aware of this thanks to the lovely people on this forum, she noted that many star guest don’t know and end up not taking things they may have wanted. On top of that we also took the mushroom soup, crab cake and beef carpaccio. 
As for the entrees, I took the bone-in ribeye, thinking that I’ll go for the filet on our second trip to chops. And I can say I was not disappointed at all. Dare I say, I prefer the ribeye to the CK filet at lunch. We also got the lobster because my dad’s a seafood fanatic. 
Now, I’m on the fence about ordering the ribeye again instead of the filet for the last night, but in the interest of science, I need to see this through. To give my take on the Chops vs CK debate 
 
Headliner Show
After dinner, we headed over to Two70 to watch headliner act Steve Rawling, who is a comedy juggler. While the show wasn’t bad, I think circumstances might have led to a less than stellar atmosphere. As a comedian, I think a lot of it depends on how the audience reacts. His show required a lot of audience participation and with it being a mainly Asian audience, who are a little more reserved, it left a lot of awkward silences. But still entertaining nonetheless. The show also started with the dancing robot screens  

 
And that concludes day 1

Okay time to catch up on our first day while I have some time. 
 
Activities
First off, we went for the bumper cars. As Star class guest, Eli brought us to the front of the line in a designated area for star guests. Before that, we also helped reserve the slots we wanted to seaplex activities like foosball, Table Tennis and pickleball. According to Eli, there is no basketball due to physical distancing. 
After that, we decided to explore the top deck a little since we were already there. Walking around the outside to snap some shots before taking a break at the Solarium. Pina Colada anyone?

 
Finally, we headed for our flight on the North Star. Let me just preface that I’m absolutely terrified of heights, but figured that I won’t be able to pass this up, so I put on a brave face and ascended to the skies. 

I’ll be covering dinner in a following post
 
 
 

Good Morning everyone. Another lovely day out at sea and there nothing quite like seeing this outside your room 
Starting off the day with a little R&R in the thermal suite 
The thermal suite pass is around $20 pppd but you do not need to get it for everyday of the sailing. However, you will be required to book a reservation. That said, the thermal suite will be private to you and your party which is kind of sweet

Bye Quantum, till we meet again

Prior to disembarkation, they were calling out tag numbers to disembark at allocated times. You’d normally get your tag number the night before, but if you’re in star class, your genie will escort you off whenever you are ready. Last disembarkation time was 9.45am
 
Disembarkation was smooth. I was expecting that we were going to do an Antigen Rapid Test at the cruise centre but it seems it has been scrapped. We could leave as soon as we went through immigration. 
 
And that’s it. The end of my first cruise, first star class and first live blog all rolled into one. Hope you enjoyed following me along on this journey and maybe gave you a little bit of insight into some of the changes that may be happening when cruises restart until the end of this pandemic. 

Bye Quantum, till we meet again

Prior to disembarkation, they were calling out tag numbers to disembark at allocated times. You’d normally get your tag number the night before, but if you’re in star class, your genie will escort you off whenever you are ready. Last disembarkation time was 9.45am
 
Disembarkation was smooth. I was expecting that we were going to do an Antigen Rapid Test at the cruise centre but it seems it has been scrapped. We could leave as soon as we went through immigration. 
 
And that’s it. The end of my first cruise, first star class and first live blog all rolled into one. Hope you enjoyed following me along on this journey and maybe gave you a little bit of insight into some of the changes that may be happening when cruises restart until the end of this pandemic. 

After dinner, we came back to our stateroom to discover this lovely creature.

It was only now that I realised we didn’t get towel animals every night. But it’s a little thing so it’s not a big deal. 
 
We lazed around a little, recovering from food coma before heading for the production of Starwater at Two70. At 10.15pm, this was the last big show to take place on the ship. 
 

The show did not disappoint and it was definitely my fav of all the 4 shows. It definitely showcased all the technology that makes Two70 and the Quantum class of ships a technological marvel. 
 
Heading back to our room, one would think there was nothing more that would surprise us. We were wrong. 
 

Eli had left us an amazing package of gifts. While I know it has been done before, I really wasn’t expecting it on a 3 night cruise. We were so touched we decided we needed to up the tip we were going to give her. I didn’t have anymore spare USD on me, so I went down to the ATM to get some. It’s worth it though, with everything she has helped us with. 
 
And with that, day 3, our last day at sea, comes to a close. Le sigh ? 

In suite dining Dinner
Now this was the absolute motherload of dinner spreads. In a way, it was our own little version of the Taste of Royal meal.
 

Firstly, an assortment of sushi sashimi and Japanese spread from Izumi. 

Supplemented by some familiar items from Chops. 

And to top it off, I saw they served the beef Wellington in the MDR on their Christmas and New Years sailing. I requested if they could have it prepared and they could. For such a thick slab of meat, it was surprisingly tender. We didn’t have steak knives, only the blunt table knifes and we had no trouble cutting through. 

To close off the meal, we wanted desert from Wonderland. This is where Eli and the kitchen staff really went above and beyond. Due to our dietary restriction of pork, we are unable to take gelatin. Consulting with Eli prior to boarding, she checked with the Wonderland staff and confirmed that it did contain gelatin, to which they mentioned they would prepare something specially for us. Come today, and I receive a message from Eli, asking if I was able to take beef gelatin instead. (Yes, by the way). So, not only were they able to accommodate my needs, but managed to give me the authentic wonderland experience as well. 

 

Haha the thing to know with my dad is he always uses vague language. Like “it’s okay” and “not bad”, but never “great” or “fantastic”. But it did seem like he enjoyed himself so I take it he liked it. 

Bye Quantum, till we meet again

Prior to disembarkation, they were calling out tag numbers to disembark at allocated times. You’d normally get your tag number the night before, but if you’re in star class, your genie will escort you off whenever you are ready. Last disembarkation time was 9.45am
 
Disembarkation was smooth. I was expecting that we were going to do an Antigen Rapid Test at the cruise centre but it seems it has been scrapped. We could leave as soon as we went through immigration. 
 
And that’s it. The end of my first cruise, first star class and first live blog all rolled into one. Hope you enjoyed following me along on this journey and maybe gave you a little bit of insight into some of the changes that may be happening when cruises restart until the end of this pandemic. 

+1 on this one!  It's been way too long.  Thank you @LogicallyLazy, I think we all needed this more than we knew.  At least I did.

Thanks so much for this live blog!
While the @Lovetocruise2002 jokes were a nice perk, I really enjoyed seeing a real cruise live blog happen again and I appreciate the insight into what's happening onboard!