Bob_KY

I knew there was something I forgot to add to my Amazon cart this morning!

2 ?s for Michelle..  

2 ?s for Michelle..  

2 ?s for Michelle..  

2 ?s for Michelle..  

Where did you hear that the cupcake decorating class and escape room were included ?  I am almost certain that the cupcake class is NOT included and I don’t believe the escape room is either but I have never inquired about either of these activities so I could well be wrong. I really have no idea about laser tag but if they are charging others for this I would expect there to be a charge for Star Class as well.
As far as priority use of the complimentary activities, the Genie will arrange this for you.  I have read that in some cases SC guests just “cut” in line but I have also read that this doesn’t go over very well so perhaps they’ve stopped this behavior.  At any rate, the Genie will work with you to arrange priority use that makes sense and doesn’t enrage the rest of the pax.

Genie will bring you one every morning at your cabin door if you ask for it.

Congratulations on your first Star Class.  If you're like us, it will not be your last !
One of the MANY things about SC that is so wonderful is that you can have any kind of event in your suite, invite ANYone from the ship, regardless of their accommodations, as often as you want.  You can serve dinner from any specialty restaurant (as long as it is during normal operating hours of the restaurant) for as many people as you want and there will be no additional charge - even for upcharge items such as surf & turf at Chops or the Seafood tower.  Your guests do NOT have to be in SC nor do they have to have a dining plan.
As far as party organizing goes, your Genie will take care of everything.  I will add that some Genies are better party-planners than others.  I will also say that I have never had a BAD party planned by a Genie.  Reyno is, hands down, the best party planner EVER.  His high energy and flair for going over-the-top are perfect for planning an AWESOME party.  Unfortunately, I think Reyno is on Symphony these days.  Part of your SC amenities is the ability to have all of the water, juice, soda, and beer you could ever want, delivered (and stocked) to your suite.  With that in mind, you have the makings for a pretty darned good party without adding ANY additional cost.  If you choose to have wine delivered, you will be charged but you will get a pretty good discount on it.  Liquor is an entirely different issue.  If you want liquor, it's going to cost you.  I have done 4 suite parties out of the 6 SC cruises I have done and I have never had any liquor served or needed a bartender.  Hey...they're getting this for free, they can be happy with beer and champagne (we did order sparkling wine a couple of times.  I think it cost us a whopping $80 total).  The Genie will order food for you...whatever you want.  We usually use Jamie's/Giovanni's b/c the appetizers and finger food from those restaurants offer the best variety.  The Genie will arrange for room service to deliver all of the plates, napkins, silverware, glasses, ice...absolutely everything.  Then, room service will come and clean everything up.  Just remember to tip well as there is a lot of coordination needed to pull this off and it's a lot of work for those who make it happen.
The cruise critic (or Facebook) cabin crawl is a great time to have a party.  It is a great way to show off your suite and people generally really love having a chance to see a SC suite.  It's good for Royal b/c it is a wonderful advertisement for their SC suites and program.  I know for sure that we have been responsible for more than 1 SC "sale".  If you are able to jump into someone else's cabin crawl, that is PERFECT.  If you have to organize one yourself, that is a bit more work but sometimes if you want to have a CC to show off your cabin, you have to be the one to organize it.  The best CC party we ever had was one where our friends also had a SC suite.  We started the CC in our suite with a party and ended the CC in their suite with a party.  It was AWESOME. Reyno and Alexandra (no longer with RCCL, unfortunately) were the party organizers for that one.  WAAAY over the top.  So much fun.
I think the best advice I can give you as a first time SC guest is....don't forget to just enjoy your suite.  I have only had 1 bad SC suite (UGH Anthem, 10720.  This room should NOT be SC) but even in that suite, take the time to just enjoy the size, the location, the ambiance, the balcony.  7 days goes by so fast (do B2B SC...that's incredible !) and you can get caught up in all of the eating and shows and forget to just enjoy your surroundings.  ...and one word of caution.  When you are SC you are VERY popular.  There are constant interruptions from phone calls to deliveries to people just popping by to see if you need anything.  It can be very annoying.  On our last SC cruises (the B2B on Anthem) we asked our Genie to PLEASE try and minimize the interruptions and she did.  I don't know HOW she did but we had very few phone calls or deliveries on the first half of our B2B.  We had a few more on the second leg but by then we were well rested and it wasn't so disrupting.
Also....unlimited laundry !  What a great perk and there is very little written about it.  If you choose, you can have your laundry done every single day.  Just beware of the little tags they put in your clothes.  They are very itchy and I STILL find them in some of my clothes.  It's so nice though, to come back home with all clean clothes instead of the MOUND of dirty clothes that we usually bring home.

My wife and I rode the Radiance from Vancouver to Seward a week or so ago. This site was very helpful, so I figured that I would return the favor with some thoughts about our cruise.
First off, we had a great time. The ship is nice and clean. The staff is great. Food was great. I probably gained 100 lbs.
We booked a Grand Suite so I was expecting some perks. We got more that expected.  We booked the starboard side thinking that we would see more than the port side since it was a northbound cruise. Maybe we did, maybe we didn't. If we ever do it again, I'll book the port side. We arrived in Seward before 4:00 am and docked on the starboard side. That is one noisy pier!
Check in at Vancouver was a bit chaotic. The lines were long at around 1:30 when we arrived. We were ushered into the regular line. After about 5 minutes (and remembering what I learned on this blog) I inquired with security about a line for suite guests. He thought for a moment then escorted us to the suite check in line where we only had to wait for the couple in front of us to finish. Check in was a breeze then. They took our pics, looked at our passports and gave us our sail cards. We later learned that the computers had been down for a few hours causing the backup. 
Next up was security. I had bought a bottle of Havana Club while in Vancouver and had it in my backpack. I had every intention of declaring it and reclaiming it at the end of the cruise. The backpack sailed right through the scanner with not a word from security. My guess is that to the scanner it looked like a bottle of wine which is allowed.
After that was US Immigration and Customs. Just used the scanners. Took like 5 minutes tops for both of us.
Walked on to the ship and quickly found our cabin. Our luggage was there. So was a plate of welcome goodies, 2 sets of binoculars (GS perks) and a bottle of sparkling wine courtesy of our TA and Royal. We spent a bit of time checking out the cabin, sitting on the balcony, and finding the bottom of the wine bottle. A note here about outlets. There are 2 110VAC and 1 220VAC outlets on the desk / makeup area. There are 3 or 4 more 110VAC outlets under the end table by the curtain. If you book a GS, bring a long extension cord. With that and the CPAP cord, the wife was able to breathe all night. There is also a very low power outlet in the bathroom for a shaver. I used it for my Waterpik.
The next morning (at sea day) we were surprised to find a note inviting us to brunch in Chops. Another perk of a GS. The brunch was quite good. Sushi, several types of finger foods, desserts, wine. All served by the officers of the ship. The Capt. even made an appearance and spoke to each guest individually.  We had dinner at Chops that night. The filet was amazing.
The following day was Ketchikan. While we were out exploring Royal left more edibles in our suite. This happened a few times during our cruise.
We hit the Concierge lounge daily even though we had the DDP. There seem to be snacks there all day, but alcohol starts at 4:30. Drink types there are limited, but with the DDP the waiter/bartender had no problem going out of the lounge to make us Mojitos. Drinks in the lounge tend to be stronger than those in the regular bars. In the regular bars the bartenders are required to measure the shot - there is no such requirement in the lounge.  Service in the lounge was impeccable. The Concierge, Ricardo, was super helpful before and during the cruise answering every request cheerfully and making reservations for us without delay.
We used room service for breakfast one morning. We ordered full American breakfasts at no additional cost. It was delivered hot and on time. We could have ordered room service dinner as well. In a GS you are provided with the full MDR menu from which to order. We never did.
On the morning of debarkation (or is it disembarkation?) we were invited to Chops for breakfast. After that we did go to the WJ to meet some friends. It was packed. The quiet Chops breakfast was a great perk.  We did not have a priority debark time only because we were traveling with a group. Had we not been, we could have left as early as 6:30 AM. 
One last thing. We had been told that we had $100.00 on board credit. On the advice of our TA, I went Guest Services the next to the last night. There I discovered that we actually had $300.00 credit. The $100 was actually per person. The other $100 was because I got a RCI Visa and used it once before the cruise. The important thing here is that the credits are assigned to individuals not cabins. I had $200; my wife $100. Mine had been used up and there was a balance due. My wife's was untouched. The Guest Services agent cheerfully connected the two accounts which lowered our bill another $100. It also turns out that there are two types of credits - refundable and non refundable. If you don't use all of your credits, make sure that you ask for your refundable credit to be applied to your CC. I'm not certain that they will do it if you don't ask.

Sneakers were totally fine, although it might matter more if you’re very early or late in the season. More likely to be a bit muddy in spots. 

So after Freedom I was able to convince my wife to cruise more. She found a deal for the MSC Bellissima from Barcelona and thought we would give them a shot since it was a brand new ship. The ship wasn't bad it just wasn't a great experience compared to Royal so we have gone back to Royal and decided it would be hard to go to another line now. Is this how people become Loyal to Royal? We just booked our next cruise (unless we book another one before we go lol) on Freedom. Looking forward to the ABC islands. 

2 ?s for Michelle..  

2 ?s for Michelle..  

2 ?s for Michelle..  

I think that the smartest decision they made regarding Coco Cay was the Daredevil slide and to build over the water cabanas.  We had a cabana and my SIL until this cruise was NCL, NCL, NCL.  She grudgingly went on Royal with us.  Got to the cabana and her view changed.  No NCL ship insight for their private island yet at that point. 9 a.m. one pulls up and she starts laughing about how they were stuck at NCLs private island and had to tender in.  30 mins later another pulls up, and now she was like OMG 2 ships, and here we are with just ours.  We laughed and said what do you think those passengers are saying as their kids see this giant water slide as they pull into their private island?  Mommy  are we going there, No, honey, sorry we are going over there, but don't worry next cruise we will go there!
Between Coco Cay and the Chefs table she has now become loyal to Royal

In contrast to these reports, there are regions where there has been an effort to welcome cruise ships.  I want to give a shout out to NZ and Australia, which we visited in January 2018.  Everywhere we went the local community literally rolled out the red carpet.  There were lots of volunteers to direct us or give us maps, shuttle buses to connect with the port, etc.  Some cities were very new to cruising, or so we were told.  Our son was attending Wollongong for a semester, and we were delighted with the welcome they provided, not to mention the free bus that circulates the city and stops near the beach.
Now the Radiance of the Seas is one of the smaller ships, and many of the environmental impact concerns seem to be targeting Oasis-class ships, but I wanted to share a short positive note.  It was my main take away from the cruise -- the friendliness of folks in Australia/NZ, and the diversity apparent in their cultures, at least in the cities we visited.
Happy cruising everyone...

Yep, It Worked!! Thanks❣️? Lol, We go in Aug….. but used to TAUCK small land tours, haven't done a cruise in soooo long!  We did Alaska, Jamaica, Tahiti & the Virgin Islands yrs ago.
 I was joking with the hubby about doing the video while on there, he just growled, lol! ?I take way to many pics & videos…. but geese I gotta take them on here! Gosh, I know I've been watching all those live blogs they look so fun! But I'm not Into rock climbing or zip lining, lol….. but  ya never know! ?

We always get a case of water.  Totally agree with BTE.  And if I need an energy drink, I add mio energy.  
 

when in doubt Google it...lol.
 
https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/05/30/530723028/how-the-u-s-military-used-guns-n-roses-to-make-a-dictator-give-up
They probably were thinking along these line on the Harmony's Royal Promenade!!!
 
 

Isn't that what the US Army played when they were trying to flush out Noriega in like Panama or something back in the 80's???
 

I was on the Anthem of the seas in July 2019. I was in cabin 11280. I found an item. I don't want to give to the staff because they told me if they don't find the owner they throw the item out which is hard to believe. I believe they would end up keeping. If you lost an item, please email me at [email protected] and describe it in detail and I will make sure you get your item back.

Hi all!
Now for the cliche line: long-time reader, first time poster ?
I was lucky enough to be on one of the first visits to Perfect Day on Navigator back in early May, and I put together this overview of the Cabanas.  I know there's a fair amount of scattered info on the forums already, and I should have thought to share it here earlier, but oh well.  Better late than never.  Hopefully this will be helpful to everyone, or perhaps to less informed friends and family ?
 

No. No. No. They're creepy and not like original cast creepy. I see the trailer and just get creeped out.
Also, this just reminds me of Barf from Space Balls.

Overall I'm pretty pleased with Royal which is why I am here.  This is how to make it better:
Keep cruising affordable.   Improve the website. Add free texting across the fleet using wifi based chat applications such as iMessage, WhatsApp or FB Messenger.  More airlines offer this now for free.  Time to allow it on ships.  Stop trying to build chat into the Royal app and let people use what they use already.  Royal talks about making vacation stress free, communicating with loved ones on board and at home makes vacations stress free. Migrate all ships to O3b Voom and leave the 1980 satellite technology where it belongs, in the past.  Add technology to allow mirroring phones and tablets to cabin TVs Eliminate the Diamond happy hour binge drinking nightly event by removing it from the Diamond Lounge.  This would solve the "How many Diamonds can you cram into a phone booth" effect in the lounge every night.  Keep 3 drink coupons but expand the hours of use and quality of choices.  Give Diamond members 30% off drink packages, move Diamond Plus to 40% off and Pinnacle to 50% off drink packages.  Even at those rates there is still profit to be had.  Currently many guests at these C&A levels don't buy drink packages or drinks at all, relying on the nightly happy hour for drinks.  These changes would increase DX revenue and reduce happy hour costs, a combined win-win.   Deal with chair hogs by actually enforcing the rules and do so consistently across the fleet Add USB outlets to all ships, add power outlets by the beds Clarify dining package rules.  State exactly what is included, apply this consistently across the fleet Make all rules consistent and apply them consistently across the fleet.  Be consistent with every thing across the fleet. Make Sea and Sky suite class available on all ships with consistent benefits across the fleet.  Star class can remain exclusive to OA/QU. Smoke free casinos across the fleet.  If Celebrity can do it, so can Royal.

We tip at he beginning and at the end.  It has benefited us well over the years. The robes are wonderful.   The wife used to pack a lightweight robe years ago. Not any more.