Rose City Cruiser

As of today, June 26, 2022, All travellers must still fill out an ArriveCAN form when crossing the border. 

What @Rose City Cruisersaid. We have booked in Canadian before (rarely) and everything was in CDN dollars in the CP. No exchange, no loss. 
 
Most of the time I book in USD so my CP items are all in USD. If I pay on my Canadian credit card and refund, yes, I will lose out on the exchange rate if it changes. That is the same for any US purchases I make at any US online store where I pay in USD, not just cruising.  
 
That is why we keep a US credit card, for cruising and shopping. 🙂

I have booked both in USD and CAD.  The refund on the Cruise Planner is exactly what was paid.  But whenever I book the cruise in USD, the Cruise Planner is in USD.  Exchange rates and Credit card Foreign Transaction Fees will apply on the credit card statement.  

I have booked both in USD and CAD.  The refund on the Cruise Planner is exactly what was paid.  But whenever I book the cruise in USD, the Cruise Planner is in USD.  Exchange rates and Credit card Foreign Transaction Fees will apply on the credit card statement.  

Hi all,
I'm going to try my hand at live blogging this trip.
Who's going: Tim (Me) and Kelli (my wife of 17 years!)
Cabin: 8330 A1: 2 bedbroom ATS
We got our Genie questioner almost 60 days out on 4/13.  I won't go over it as it has been covered countless times.
We got our Genie email yesterday at 28 days out and our Genie will be Stepan!  We responded right away and he already emailed us back this morning and seems like he will be a wonderful Genie!  (This is our second star class experience with the first one being on Oasis in December of this past year)
He did ask that we prebook Hibachi and Chef's table as he can't request until the day before.  I know some have been disappoint by this, but we just went with it and did as requested.
We are pretty easy going and this was our list of initial requests.
Dining:
We are travelling with just the two of us, so no worries about vaccination challenges. We are foodies and love everything so there is nothing we want to avoid I will leave it to you to arrange dinners as you think is best (we are morning people so we prefer earlier dining times), also we do want to do Chef’s table one evening if there is an early seating for that. Again, we will defer to you for everything, we are easy, the only thing we would prefer would be coastal Kitchen on night on after sail away. On Boarding day we would like to do Sabor for lunch  
Snacks:
We love Charcuterie type items or just plain cheese/crackers/salami etc Sushi Fresh fruits  Late night we’ve been known to eat pizza/ranger cookies etc lol  
Beverages:
We would love to have Truly (Pineapple/wild berry) heavily stocked in the room fridge and cooler if possible We love Wine and Champagne (I know you can’t stock that, but just for reference.  Also I know there is a boarding day bottle and for that we prefer thee Moet Champagne) Blue Moon (with oranges) Coke Zero/Diet Coke Club Soda Tons of water Sugar free red bull  
Coffee:
We would like a standing order of 2 Starbucks Venti blonde/light roast with cream and equal  
Shows:
We have no preference, so will leave with you We are traveling from Houston Texas and plan to fly in to Orlando the day before and stay at the courtyard in Coco Beach.
This will be my first try at live blogging, so please bear with me.  I will try to keep it entertaining as we like to have a lot of fun and enjoy being in the moment!
Here's to hoping the next 27 days go quick 🙂 

I know a few people have been wondering when Hairspray was going to return, but it looks like we finally get it back next week for our sailing! 

We would "test" her throughout the trip.  About 75/25 she would remember.  She was always accompanied by someone she is familiar with the entire time.  Only time we were worried is if she wandered off while everyone was sleeping.  It never happened.  She was exhausted after all the fun activities on the ship!  She had a great time.  She would always talk about the cruise even years afterwards.  

My TA was able to call Royal and apply my FCC to a Feb 2023 sailing.  It's worth a try.  YMMV

My TA was able to call Royal and apply my FCC to a Feb 2023 sailing.  It's worth a try.  YMMV

My TA was able to call Royal and apply my FCC to a Feb 2023 sailing.  It's worth a try.  YMMV

My TA was able to call Royal and apply my FCC to a Feb 2023 sailing.  It's worth a try.  YMMV

My TA was able to call Royal and apply my FCC to a Feb 2023 sailing.  It's worth a try.  YMMV

Depending on play, you will also receive cruise offers on select sailings/dates throughout the status year.  
I just wish these offers includes taxes & fees.  I know MSC casino cruise offer program does cover them.  

If I have to end up paying $43.50 x 2 for gratuities, I'll never use Royal Caribbean again. I got my own food (buffet) and I got my own refills (drink stations) most of the time on the boat. 

I respect the aversion some people have about mask mandates. I will continue using it in closed spaces, it doesn't hurt anyone and works for me. 

I used them as our pre-cruise testing in February.  Very simple process. Book appointment online.  Results in 20 minutes.

Prior to switching between devices, enter logoff.com on the internet browser.  Then on the device you want to access the internet, connect to the ship's wifi and enter logon.com on the internet browser.  You are then prompt to enter your VOOM credentials.

If your sailing is a "One-way Cruise from Barcelona, Spain"
https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/will-i-have-to-take-a-test-before-i-cruise

Speak to a manager/supervisor.  You may have better luck speaking to the casino host about your exprience with your Signature tier status.  Give them a chance to make it right within reason. 
With increased capacity since the restart, it is reasonable to arrive earlier to a show even with reservations.  Especially to shows at Studio B and Aqua Theatre where seats are very limited.  
Enjoy the rest of your cruise!  
 
 

Speak to a manager/supervisor.  You may have better luck speaking to the casino host about your exprience with your Signature tier status.  Give them a chance to make it right within reason. 
With increased capacity since the restart, it is reasonable to arrive earlier to a show even with reservations.  Especially to shows at Studio B and Aqua Theatre where seats are very limited.  
Enjoy the rest of your cruise!  
 
 

Was on Oasis in February.  They only had two traditional craps tables onboard.  Only one of open most likely due to reduced capacity at the time.    

We used our 2020 Annual Prime Tier complimentary cruise benefit on our Feb 12 Symphony sailing and received 14 cruise points (booked during double cruise points promo).

You can take the test on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday prior to boarding.  
Many recommend doing proctored covid tests https://www.emed.com/products/covid-at-home-testkit-six-pack

Our first full day and night on the ship continued to be great. My daughter and I woke up early and went to get Starbucks and pastries. The person tried to charge me for the pastries but I knew from this group that they should be included, so I whispered in my most un-Karen—like voice, “um, star class?” And he started apologizing. As someone who hates attention, I feel weird about all of the fawning that happens in Star class, but maybe I’ll get used to it! By then end of the week I’ll just bust into places yelling, “do you know who I am???”
Once everyone was up we went to coastal kitchen for breakfast. It was lovely if nothing to write home about. While we ate I texted with Leroy to figure out bumper cars. He told us to meet him at the seaplex when we finished and he was right there waiting for us. How does this man cover multiple suites? I feel like he’s always immediately available. It’s like an old episode of Three’s Company when Jack tries to go on multiple dates at the same time. We saw Leroy escorting a group into wonderland while we were walking to chops for dinner and he looked like we had caught him cheating 😂 But I digress- bumper cars. Leroy sent us in through the exit twice and I tried not to think about how I would hate me if I were watching that happen from the long line waiting to play. But, that’s the star class perk so I went with it. It seems my children have some issues they need to work out because they bumped me mercilessly. 

Our plan was to then hit the indoor pool, but, alas, someone puked in there and it was closed. So we decided to do the ship scavenger hunt. Leroy said he’s never seen one of his groups do it before, which is interesting. I couldn’t figure out how my son and his new friend were finding everything so easily and then I remembered I gave him Leroy’s WhatsApp in case of emergency. I guess winning the scavenger hunt by asking your genie to cheat is considered an emergency in my child’s world. Sorry, my TEEN’s world. I did finally get to meet the new friend’s mom and I asked Leroy to add them to our overwater cabana list for CocoCay so that the boys can play and I can relax. That might sound generous, but it’s actually extremely selfish, lol. 

We had lunch at Jamie’s and it was very good, though next time I probably wouldn’t do it two days in a row. after lunch we went to do ifly. I wasn’t intending to participate, but Leroy cajoled me into trying it. Let’s just say I was not good at it. I don’t think I’ll try it again. My kids loved it. 

I went after that and had my hair blown out. I pre purchased a package of 3 blowouts for less than the price of two single ones. I hate doing my hair and I decided to make it my self care gift.
We got all dressed up and took some photos before dinner at chops. They really push the private photo session but since those are not included in the photo package I purchased, i passed. Chops was quite good and they asked really thoughtful questions like whether we could eat the food on their regular plates or if we needed new ones (the answer is for us, we don’t care) .
After dinner we saw Frankie and the Dreamers, starring the guy who played Frankie Valli in the first run of the show Jersey Boys. We went in a little bummed because both spectra and we will rock you are not showing this week due to quarantined cast members, but it turns out this show is great. Even my kids liked it despite asking me repeatedly why I knew all of the words to the songs.
So now I’m up stupidly early because someone forget to tell my sleep cycles that I’m on vacation. We will see what today brings! 

TL:DR: star class is awesome and I never want to go home. 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Ok. In a word: wow. We haven’t even left the port and I already feel like it’s the best vacation ever. Leroy met us at the star class drop off and apologized for us having to wait like 30 seconds. He whisked us through the boarding process and then took us to our suite. I can’t believe how huge and lovely it is! 
I had mentioned at some point that my kids love to play roblox, and there was a roblox-themed welcome cake and sign. My kids were absolutely floored. 
We had explained to Leroy beforehand that we keep kosher, which means we only eat kosher meat when we eat meat. So on vacation, we eat veggie or fish (no shellfish). When I came in I saw a lovely tray of beef and Turkey appetizers in our suite and I thought, “wow that’s a miss.” I very politely said to Leroy that we don’t eat non kosher meat and he told me they got kosher meat to make the dish! I was honestly floored. That’s a kind of above and beyond that I wasn’t expecting. 
Leroy is absolutely lovely - funny, warm, great with the kids. 
we did our muster and then went to lunch at coastal kitchen. It was lovely. My kids started squabbling so we decided to give them some space from each other, which is how I ended up back here in the suite relaxing with my daughter while my husband and son explore the ship. I think I got the better end of the deal and I’m slowly sinking into the couch as my 3:30 am wake up starts to get to me. Heading out in a bit to register kids at adventure ocean. Will check in later!