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First Time Star Class!!!


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This cruise is going to be my first cruise in Star Class.  I have sailed on Harmony in Sky Class, which to me was absolutely awesome, now I get the privilege of traveling in Star Class.  Are there any tips that anyone can provide.  I have read several different blogs on here of similar questions, but I guess I am a little anxious for the new experience.  I will be on the 11/2 Symphony of the Seas Cruise (Booked it before they announced it would be the 50th Birthday) so I am stoked about that as well.  Also, if I wanted to do some sort of reception on in my room for my family that will be on board as well but not in star class, how would I do that?   One additional question (for now) I have read about people doing "Cabin Crawls"  What are they and if I wanted to potentially do one/participate in one how does one do that?  Thank you everyone for your input!

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44 minutes ago, SuperNinja said:

This cruise is going to be my first cruise in Star Class.  I have sailed on Harmony in Sky Class, which to me was absolutely awesome, now I get the privilege of traveling in Star Class.  Are there any tips that anyone can provide.  I have read several different blogs on here of similar questions, but I guess I am a little anxious for the new experience.  I will be on the 11/2 Symphony of the Seas Cruise (Booked it before they announced it would be the 50th Birthday) so I am stoked about that as well.  Also, if I wanted to do some sort of reception on in my room for my family that will be on board as well but not in star class, how would I do that?   One additional question (for now) I have read about people doing "Cabin Crawls"  What are they and if I wanted to potentially do one/participate in one how does one do that?  Thank you everyone for your input!

I’d recommend hiring a bartender for the reception. The complication will be if there is anyone without a beverage package. Those are apparently easier if everyone is star class as they know the beverages are included. 

Hopefully the influx of pinnacles doesn’t dampen the sailing when it comes to getting into coastal kitchen, etc..

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Congratulations on Star Class. There are many great people on these blogs that have sailed star class and can provide great information. I myself have a star class cruise coming up, but based on reading others blogs, for the reception that you are talking about, that would be something that you can discuss with your Genie once they reach out. 
 

Cabin crawls are interesting I guess. I have participated in one. The “other” cruise forum (cruisecritic.com) is where you would find that. Go to the main page, then the Royal Caribbean page. You will see something about find your roll call. That’s a group forum for your particular cruise. In there you will find out if they are doing a cabin crawl. Basically it’s an informal group that walks around the ship together and checks out each others staterooms. Whether you like it or not can depend on the people you are with, and if you are okay with a bunch of strangers checking out your stateroom

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Cabin crawls are usually organized within a group of some sort.  We did one on the RCblog Group Cruise on Symphony last November and it wasn't even an official event.  Like mentioned above, Cruise Critic Roll Calls are a good way to get one organized.  You may also want to look into a Facebook group for your particular sailing to see there's interest or already one organized you can jump onto.

As for a reception/gathering in your room just bring that up in your email to your Genie and they will work with you to get it arranged.  They can have snacks delivered and set up in your room and you can also pay extra to hire a bartender for the gathering.  If you don't want to pay extra and take advantage of only what's included, there's no reason why you can't just do the snacks thing.  Tell your Genie what you want and they should give you some options.

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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.

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On ‎7‎/‎25‎/‎2019 at 7:39 PM, Andrew72681 said:

I’d recommend hiring a bartender for the reception. The complication will be if there is anyone without a beverage package. Those are apparently easier if everyone is star class as they know the beverages are included. 

Hopefully the influx of pinnacles doesn’t dampen the sailing when it comes to getting into coastal kitchen, etc..

Thank you for the insight, my other family members that are going to be sailing with me aren't going to be SC, they are in balcony rooms, so not sure how that would work.  Don't want to make them incur fees.

On ‎7‎/‎25‎/‎2019 at 8:00 PM, emsff02 said:

Congratulations on Star Class. There are many great people on these blogs that have sailed star class and can provide great information. I myself have a star class cruise coming up, but based on reading others blogs, for the reception that you are talking about, that would be something that you can discuss with your Genie once they reach out. 
 

Cabin crawls are interesting I guess. I have participated in one. The “other” cruise forum (cruisecritic.com) is where you would find that. Go to the main page, then the Royal Caribbean page. You will see something about find your roll call. That’s a group forum for your particular cruise. In there you will find out if they are doing a cabin crawl. Basically it’s an informal group that walks around the ship together and checks out each others staterooms. Whether you like it or not can depend on the people you are with, and if you are okay with a bunch of strangers checking out your stateroom

Thank you, I am excited about it.  I did Sky Class for my 30th Birthday two years ago on Harmony and loved it, so to now jump to SC for Symphony I am excited.  I will have to take a look at that site to see if I can find anything, would possibly be interesting to take a look at some of the other rooms that I haven't seen (like the Aqua Theater Suite, Villa Suite, Star Loft, etc)

11 hours ago, AshleyDillo said:

Cabin crawls are usually organized within a group of some sort.  We did one on the RCblog Group Cruise on Symphony last November and it wasn't even an official event.  Like mentioned above, Cruise Critic Roll Calls are a good way to get one organized.  You may also want to look into a Facebook group for your particular sailing to see there's interest or already one organized you can jump onto.

As for a reception/gathering in your room just bring that up in your email to your Genie and they will work with you to get it arranged.  They can have snacks delivered and set up in your room and you can also pay extra to hire a bartender for the gathering.  If you don't want to pay extra and take advantage of only what's included, there's no reason why you can't just do the snacks thing.  Tell your Genie what you want and they should give you some options.

Perfect, I have to take a look and see what is there.  I know this is going to be a cruise with a lot of higher tiers, so to speak so hopefully if I do the Cabin Crawl it will be more than just regular staterooms.

10 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

Congratulations on your first Star Class.  If you're like us, it will not be your last !

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.

So much valuable information, thank you so much.  I agree, this is the first, not to be the last.  I have Ovaition booked for June in Alaska in an Grand Loft Suite, and then looking to do the transatlantic on Oasis 5 in 2021.  I think when I did the Crown Loft on Harmony I was spoiled by Deck 17 because of the convenience to Coastal Kitchen and the Suite Lounge, So I wanted to stay on that floor again.  Thought about doing the ATS on Deck 10, but read a few reviews about the long walk to the back of the ship down the hallway, so it swayed my decision.  I thought about the laundry piece, but I wasn't sure.  I thought about only doing things that I didn't have a real attachment to in the event something was ruined.  Have you ever had anything happen like that? 

As far as the reception in my room, that is perfect, I will make sure I mention it to the genie in the emails to see what we can do, as I want to do something for them to show them the experience, as they thought about doing SC but at the last minute changed their mind.  I still have roughly three months to go, when does the communication with the genies typically start?

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13 hours ago, SuperNinja said:

Thank you for the insight, my other family members that are going to be sailing with me aren't going to be SC, they are in balcony rooms, so not sure how that would work.  Don't want to make them incur fees.

If you decide to go this route and have liquor included in your party, you are the only one who will incur the cost.  Your guests will not be charged but trust me....you will !

13 hours ago, SuperNinja said:

I thought about only doing things that I didn't have a real attachment to in the event something was ruined.  Have you ever had anything happen like that? 

I have never had any problem with damage to clothing from the ships' laundry.  I did lose a pair of pants once but Dan gained a pair so it was an even swap !  Nothing significant so we just let it go.  I have heard of people having laundry issues but we never have (even when not Star Class) and we use the ships' laundry a LOT.

 

13 hours ago, SuperNinja said:

when does the communication with the genies typically start?

I should have better recollection of this than I do.  I honestly don't remember but it seems to me that the Genie gets in contact with you about 1 month ahead of sail date by email.  You can begin communicating your requests/concerns then.  Closer to sail date they will give you access to "The Loop" which is an app.  Actually, on my last 2 SC cruises I never even got the Loop link but honestly, it's rather useless.  Perhaps they have done away with it.  While it is a direct communication with the Genie, the Genie must be at a computer to get it (it does not go to their phone) so it's not particularly efficient.  I never used it.  Your primary communication with the Genie (once you board) will be by phone.  They will give you their personal phone number and whenever you need anything, you can call them.  It's the fastest and most direct way to get them.

In general, the Genies work from early morning (let's say 7AM) until 9PM.  Certainly you can call them at any hour, but we all must remember that they need their Genie sleep too so I always try to be cognizant of the time and never contact them after 9PM.

I think you mentioned that you will be on the 50th anniversary cruise.  This is going to be both a curse and a blessing.  The curse will be that (as you suggested) there will be lots of high level C&A members on this cruise as they love to shmooze with the Royal brass, who will, no doubt, be highly visible on this cruise.  That is going to make the Suites Lounge and Coastal Kitchen very, very busy. The good news is, when you're Star Class you don't need either of those places !  When we are SC we rarely ever see the inside of the Lounge or CK (except for breakfast) so let 'em take over.  It should not affect your experience very much.  What it WILL mean is that you will absolutely not be allowed to bring any visitors into the Lounge/CK.  That is 1 rule that I never even considered breaking (even without the mob that you will have)....I never ever asked to have any of my friends go into the Lounge or CK as guests.  Now that I think about it, I'm not sure that there is an up side to sailing on the 50th anniversary.  I don't think there will be anything but down sides to it.  Good luck !!

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Super Ninja - We are doing our very first star class - and very first cruise on RCCL - right before you on Harmony 8/18.  I heard from our genie this past Monday to get the ball rolling.  Hope that helps - happy to assist as best I can with any questions as we continue on our own star class journey!

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I  have noticed (and been chastised on a couple occasions) that I will do things/order things and then afterwards pull out my card....which affects (for example) how they ring things up a Johnny Rockets as well as when I happened to walk by guest services, noticed no line, so went over and paid off some room charges with Casino winnings....my genie mentioned to me the next day they wished I had called them so they could help handle it for me. 

So I guess that means the only advice I can give is.....and as arrogant as it sounds....keep your key card visible and just plan to call the Genie for anything you want no matter how small/mundane it may seem.

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54 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

I have never had any problem with damage to clothing from the ships' laundry.  I did lose a pair of pants once but Dan gained a pair so it was an even swap !  Nothing significant so we just let it go.  I have heard of people having laundry issues but we never have (even when not Star Class) and we use the ships' laundry a LOT.

I think you mentioned that you will be on the 50th anniversary cruise.  This is going to be both a curse and a blessing.  The curse will be that (as you suggested) there will be lots of high level C&A members on this cruise as they love to shmooze with the Royal brass, who will, no doubt, be highly visible on this cruise.  That is going to make the Suites Lounge and Coastal Kitchen very, very busy. The good news is, when you're Star Class you don't need either of those places !  When we are SC we rarely ever see the inside of the Lounge or CK (except for breakfast) so let 'em take over.  It should not affect your experience very much.  What it WILL mean is that you will absolutely not be allowed to bring any visitors into the Lounge/CK.  That is 1 rule that I never even considered breaking (even without the mob that you will have)....I never ever asked to have any of my friends go into the Lounge or CK as guests.  Now that I think about it, I'm not sure that there is an up side to sailing on the 50th anniversary.  I don't think there will be anything but down sides to it.  Good luck !!

I may have to try out the laundry idea.  It is always a bit of a "downer" to get home and then start unpacking, only to have a big pile of dirty clothes from the week long trip and various activities.  So to come home and be able to put things away knowing they are already clean should be a welcomed changed.

When I booked the cruise back in September, I didn't even know about the 50th Birthday.  Only after, did I get the notifications and thought it would be cool.  I was thinking maybe they would have some special entertainment, etc on the ship to commemorate the celebration, guess that will be announced (if at all) as time gets closer. I tried to plan around my birthday time again, but this was the week that had the destinations. (Sadly in 2017 on Harmony, due to Hurricane Damage, they completely changed the itinerary (wasn't too happy about that) so I guess it will be an experience. 

Considering the higher tiers on board, SC would still have preference over them as far as reservations, etc correct?

Also, considering you've navigated the majority of the RCCL ships, on those that do not have the Royal Suite Class, do you find that you miss the perks?  I have only done one that doesn't have it, and that was on Navigator before they revamped it, and that was prior to me jumping to Royal Suite Class.

15 minutes ago, Ne47 said:

Super Ninja - We are doing our very first star class - and very first cruise on RCCL - right before you on Harmony 8/18.  I heard from our genie this past Monday to get the ball rolling.  Hope that helps - happy to assist as best I can with any questions as we continue on our own star class journey!

Congrats on your First SC as well and welcome to RCCL lol. Harmony was amazing when I went as Sky, so I can imagine as Star.  Ok so ideally somewhere around a month out to get things going.  Absolutely, I look forward to hearing about your adventures!!!

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4 minutes ago, dodgestang said:

I  have noticed (and been chastised on a couple occasions) that I will do things/order things and then afterwards pull out my card....which affects (for example) how they ring things up a Johnny Rockets as well as when I happened to walk by guest services, noticed no line, so went over and paid off some room charges with Casino winnings....my genie mentioned to me the next day they wished I had called them so they could help handle it for me. 

So I guess that means the only advice I can give is.....and as arrogant as it sounds....keep your key card visible and just plan to call the Genie for anything you want no matter how small/mundane it may seem.

That's interesting.  Is that across the board with specialty restaurants and a la carte items?  Even in Sky class, I always kept the actual card in my pocket and did the majority of things with the band (seemed more convenient).  I think for me to let them handle it will be hard to do, as I for the most part try to stay as low-maintenance as possible and things that I can handle I try and just handle myself.  But having to give up control to someone else to handle even the small things for me will definitely take some work.  @WAAAYTOOO mentioned how popular you become with Star class and the Dark Blue Card, and I'm trying to trying my best not to draw attention (or at least try to avoid it as much as possible) I have to see how to do that (even though being escorted places or getting "special" attention in and of itself will cause people to wonder)

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As a self-reliant person I can tell you it's hard.

I still always keep it in my pocket...but I do pull it out and fiddle with it a bit when ordering or just put it down on the counter just as I am about to start ordering which seems to do the trick without being "hey look at me I'm a star"  ?

 

On the plus side...when you call a Genie for room service and say "i would like x, y and z" at 5:30...it shows up at 5:28.

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4 hours ago, SuperNinja said:

Considering the higher tiers on board, SC would still have preference over them as far as reservations, etc correct?

Honestly, I have never been on one of the "special" cruises - anniversaries or President's cruise or anything like that so I cannot say for sure.  I will speculate, however, that you will still be given the same priority as you would, otherwise.  I guess it's possible that there may be some special meals that the politicos would have that might cause reservations to be harder to get than normal but I wouldn't worry too much about it.  I think the Lounge is going to be the place where you might have the most problem so if you are planning on frequenting the Lounge during the "busy" times then it could be a problem but as I said, we frequent the lounge much LESS when we are SC than any other time simply b/c we have so many other options.

 

4 hours ago, SuperNinja said:

Also, considering you've navigated the majority of the RCCL ships, on those that do not have the Royal Suite Class, do you find that you miss the perks?

I think it's fair to say that Star Class has spoiled me.  That's a fair statement.  I do not miss Star Class on the non-O/Q ships simply b/c I know there is no SC on those ships BUT I will say that we now manufacture the Star Class environment (on any ship class) as closely as possible.  Until VERY recently, we always purchased both the Ultimate Beverage Package and the Unlimited Dining Package which basically simulates the all-inclusiveness of the SC food/beverage service.  Of course, there are still some aspects that are not equivalent to SC - you cannot get the upcharge menu items (well, you can, but you have to pay more for them) and you cannot get any specialty restaurant food delivered to your suite but it's as close to SC level as you can get.  I find the absence of the Genie to be the easiest aspect of SC to forego.  The Suites Concierge can do NEARLY everything that a Genie can do with the exception of the reserved seating.  So it's pretty easy to simulate SC on the non-suite class ships as long as you are in a GS or higher.

I will also add one more thing.  I am the SC lover in my family.  Dan couldn't care less about it.  There was a period of time where he actually discouraged me from booking SC b/c he hates all the "fuss" - particularly when we are in our suite and trying to relax.  He has quit mentioning it b/c #1 I pay for all of the cruises and #2 he knows how much I love them so he basically just keeps his preference to himself.  There are parts of SC that he really DOES enjoy like the specialty dining and having reserved seats when we want to go somewhere but he really doesn't care much for the Genie's "involvement" in everything we do. So SC isn't really for everyone.  He is quite happy to be in an inside room (although it has been many years since he's been in one !) with no frills whatsoever.  I guess I'm the Diva....and I'm not afraid to admit it. I love the pampering ! 

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On ‎7‎/‎27‎/‎2019 at 12:25 PM, dodgestang said:

As a self-reliant person I can tell you it's hard.

I still always keep it in my pocket...but I do pull it out and fiddle with it a bit when ordering or just put it down on the counter just as I am about to start ordering which seems to do the trick without being "hey look at me I'm a star"  ?

May have to try that to prevent confusion.  Quick question, in places that are a la carte, such as playmakers on Symphony, if for a game, my family and I are sitting in the restaurant, will they allow me to order food for the table and use my card as opposed to charging it to everyone?  Just trying to mentally have some idea as my cruise is in November and I may can catch some of the football games with the family there.

On ‎7‎/‎27‎/‎2019 at 4:38 PM, WAAAYTOOO said:

I think the Lounge is going to be the place where you might have the most problem so if you are planning on frequenting the Lounge during the "busy" times then it could be a problem but as I said, we frequent the lounge much LESS when we are SC than any other time simply b/c we have so many other options.

For me honestly, I don't even think I will notice the difference because, as you said, with the added bonus of being able to go to various Specialty locations, it wouldn't bother me.  When I was in the Crown Loft, I only went there to hang out during the happy hour times or early morning for before breakfast (The mornings was never an issue as I was in there by about 8am) So if anything, I would stick to just the mornings before probably going to CK for breakfast (since Im already on 17 anyway :1_grinning:)

On ‎7‎/‎27‎/‎2019 at 4:38 PM, WAAAYTOOO said:

I think it's fair to say that Star Class has spoiled me.  So it's pretty easy to simulate SC on the non-suite class ships as long as you are in a GS or higher.

I am actually trying for that not to happen, lol.  I think it has though.  After Sky, and the convenience that came along with it, it was hard for me to even think about booking a regular room.  Luckily the next 3 Cruises are going to be on ships that have the RSC and Star Class (which probably will only spoil me all the more).  Do you personally have a preference in class of ship? (I think for me Oasis is winning, especially, including the November at least 3 of the next for are on Oasis Class, and I need to book Allure now that they have the updates.

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3 hours ago, SuperNinja said:

May have to try that to prevent confusion.  Quick question, in places that are a la carte, such as playmakers on Symphony, if for a game, my family and I are sitting in the restaurant, will they allow me to order food for the table and use my card as opposed to charging it to everyone?  Just trying to mentally have some idea as my cruise is in November and I may can catch some of the football games with the family there.

 

The closest experience I can relate to this is Johnny Rockets.....where I went up to the counter and ordered 3 burgers, fries, onion rings, 3 milk shakes and a few other things.....and put it all on just my card.

 

As for Lounges....traveling Star on Anthem earlier this year, and going again in 4 days....I've never even seen the suite/concierge lounge.   With the drink packages included in Star and the distance to travel to get there....basically a mile.....walk from the back of the ship where your room is to an elevator and then walk to the back of the ship again....I just can't see any reasons.  I can get drinks anywhere a heck of a lot faster and have a full menu ?  I mean hell....I can mix 'em in my room if I really wanted to ?

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2 hours ago, dodgestang said:

As for Lounges....traveling Star on Anthem earlier this year, and going again in 4 days....I've never even seen the suite/concierge lounge.   With the drink packages included in Star and the distance to travel to get there....basically a mile.....walk from the back of the ship where your room is to an elevator and then walk to the back of the ship again....I just can't see any reasons.  I can get drinks anywhere a heck of a lot faster and have a full menu ?  I mean hell....I can mix 'em in my room if I really wanted to ?<span><span><span>

Agree, the Concierge Lounge on Quantum class is set so far back. Unless staying on deck 12 or not a member of #teamdx I have a hard time justifying a visit. I think some improvement have been made with Quantum Plus (at least Spectrum) having the lounge right off a set of elevators in the front. Plus the top tier suites are right in that area.

Oasis class and the Aquatheater suites are annoying. However the Suite Lounge is a straight shot once you hit the mid ship elevators. Plus the Suite Lounge on Oasis class at least has a "full" bar selection when open. Not the limited selection only during the cocktail hour.

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13 hours ago, SuperNinja said:

 Quick question, in places that are a la carte, such as playmakers on Symphony, if for a game, my family and I are sitting in the restaurant, will they allow me to order food for the table and use my card as opposed to charging it to everyone?  Just trying to mentally have some idea as my cruise is in November and I may can catch some of the football games with the family there.

This is one of those areas where you have to be very careful not to take advantage of being Star Class.  Technically, if the rest of your family doesn’t, either have the UDP or aren’t Star Class themselves, they would be subject to paying for their own food and drinks.  I’ll be honest and admit that there have been times when, as SC guests, we have dined with others who should have paid for their meals or drinks and did not...

But it was never b/c we tried to take advantage. Quite frankly, sometimes it’s just easier for the server to “charge” it all to the SC room (actually, no charge, but you know what I mean) than it is to try and figure out who owes what and fumble around with individual bills.  All I can tell you is, if ever in a situation like this myself (if I was with someone in SC but wasn’t SC myself),  I would make sure the server knew that I would be paying my own bill and offer up my Sea Pass card before I ever ordered anything. If the server then chooses not to charge me then so be it but I would never assume that the SC pax would be picking up the bill.  

In the situation that you described above I would probably simply tell the server, before anything was ordered, that not everyone in your party is SC and let them handle it however they choose to handle it.

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20 hours ago, dodgestang said:

The closest experience I can relate to this is Johnny Rockets.....where I went up to the counter and ordered 3 burgers, fries, onion rings, 3 milk shakes and a few other things.....and put it all on just my card.

Thanks, I may have to try it that way for small things (such as wings)

10 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

This is one of those areas where you have to be very careful not to take advantage of being Star Class.  Technically, if the rest of your family doesn’t, either have the UDP or aren’t Star Class themselves, they would be subject to paying for their own food and drinks. 

Ok.  Make sense, was trying to "accommodating" but I guess if they wanted the perks, they could have beared the expense as well.  So I wont go that route, outside of if I just ordered a larger portion of something (Such as wings, instead of getting 10 for myself alone, I get 20 and we share).  Heres a bit of a gray area for me.  I have seen online that it says that Starbucks espresso drinks are not included in the Drink Pkg.  However, I have seen others mention that they were able to go and as long as they didn't get their food there was no additional charges.  Any insights?

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1 minute ago, SuperNinja said:

Thanks, I may have to try it that way for small things (such as wings)

Ok.  Make sense, was trying to "accommodating" but I guess if they wanted the perks, they could have beared the expense as well.  So I wont go that route, outside of if I just ordered a larger portion of something (Such as wings, instead of getting 10 for myself alone, I get 20 and we share).  Heres a bit of a gray area for me.  I have seen online that it says that Starbucks espresso drinks are not included in the Drink Pkg.  However, I have seen others mention that they were able to go and as long as they didn't get their food there was no additional charges.  Any insights?

Yes, you can all the Starbucks you want with Star class. Just not the food items. My daughter took full advantage of this particular benefit. 

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Think of it this way.....

Star class

And then there is everyone else (who have to color inside the lines)

 

Not saying to be snooty, or self centered, that's just they way I have experienced it.  And honestly, you pay through the nose for it.  Dropping 20-30k on the same boat as someone dropping 2-4k doing essentially the same things....NOT getting nickel and dimed at Starbucks is part of the experience.

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Just now, dodgestang said:

Think of it this way.....

Not saying to be snooty, or self centered, that's just they way I have experienced it.  And honestly, you pay through the nose for it.  Dropping 20-30k on the same boat as someone dropping 2-4k doing essentially the same things....NOT getting nickel and dimed at Starbucks is part of the experience.

Completely agree!.  I was actually hoping that it was included.  May just be a mental thing, but even when I was Sky Class, having a latte from their café on the Promenade was disappointing so I went and brought one from Starbucks.   May have to put in a standing order for the mornings.....  I guess I will figure out how all that works as time gets closer. 

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1 hour ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

I read somewhere....can’t remember where, that the Genies had stopped delivering Starbucks to the Suites. Hopefully I am wrong about that.

Think it was a case of ship randomness. I remember hearing the same thing prior to me cruise back in November on Symphony 

On that November sailing every night when putting in the breakfast order. Our Genie asked if we wanted anything from Starbucks to be delivered aswell.

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3 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

I read somewhere....can’t remember where, that the Genies had stopped delivering Starbucks to the Suites. Hopefully I am wrong about that.

Yes. Agree with @CGTLH. Starbucks delivery is ship dependent as many other star class cruisers have already confirmed. 

Actually, I have learned that every ship does Star Class a bit differently. @SuperNinja be careful what “tips” or “pointers” you get about Star class. The basics are consistent but the smaller things that Genies do are not.

For example, some ships will deliver Starbucks and some will not. Some ships will reserve seats on the Promenade for parades and some will not. Some offering the rising tide bar for street parties, some do not.

It is best to compare apples to apples with those who have sailed star on the ship that you are doing Star on. Even then, the actual genie makes all the difference. Experiences vary even based on who the genie is. That is my two cents on what I have learned about star class.

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First time Star Class and first time Royal Caribbean cruiser here as well.   I would also like to know some of the more hidden inclusions of Star Class.  For example, I was surprised the Escape Room and the Cupcake Class were included-anything else?  We are on the “new” Oasis of the Seas this spring-so I know my kids would love Laser Tag-is it included?   I also saw on a blog where you could get Cotten Candy from the sweet shop or other snacks.  

Also, how does the “priority” for things like the Abyss or the Flowrider work?  Or do you even have priority?

Sorry to be so clueless here-we are just so excited and do not want to miss out.  

 

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18 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Yes. Agree with @CGTLH. Starbucks delivery is ship dependent as many other star class cruisers have already confirmed. 

It is best to compare apples to apples with those who have sailed star on the ship that you are doing Star on. Even then, the actual genie makes all the difference. Experiences vary even based on who the genie is. That is my two cents on what I have learned about star class.

That makes complete sense.  Thank you.  Im sure I will have more questions about expectations as I find out who my genie will be. In the mean time,  Enjoy your cruise on Symphony (I'm following along on your blog lol)  and Happy Anniversary!!!

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1 hour ago, GlassSlipper said:

First time Star Class and first time Royal Caribbean cruiser here as well.   I would also like to know some of the more hidden inclusions of Star Class.  For example, I was surprised the Escape Room and the Cupcake Class were included-anything else?  We are on the “new” Oasis of the Seas this spring-so I know my kids would love Laser Tag-is it included?   I also saw on a blog where you could get Cotten Candy from the sweet shop or other snacks.  

Also, how does the “priority” for things like the Abyss or the Flowrider work?  Or do you even have priority?

Sorry to be so clueless here-we are just so excited and do not want to miss out.  

 

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.

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@GlassSlipper and @SuperNinja you might want to have a read through this blog.  There is lots of star class info in here.

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/10695-“i-dream-of-genie”-–-star-class-harmony-of-the-seas-–-031019-031719/

In answer to your specific questions, both the cupcake class and escape room were include for us on Harmony and I know they are on Symphony too. 

By the way, welcome to the message boards! You have found a great community here and @WAAAYTOOO is Star class queen ?

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Our first Star Class was not long ago and one future is booked, can’t wait!  We were on Ovation so some similarity’s and differences so I’ll share a couple details.  There are plenty of great resources on this thread and board so I really want to corroborate some items, most of all there can be slight differences.  

About the suite lounge, it is the same location and I did go there a few times but it seem to be all that that advantageous.  We had plenty to eat and drink so there was not much use to go there for those items.  The view is similar to the Star class suites so no reason to go there for a different view.  The genie can do everything the concierge host can do, and then some.  We also had a high number of top tier guests, probably not as many as you will experience, so it never seemed too bad but the few times I did go it was early or late.

As for coffee, the Ovation does not have a Starbucks but does have the specialty coffee shop.  I never asked for morning delivery since I like to get up and get out most mornings.  We were never charged for drinks or food items.  My son even went and got stuff on his own and only had to show the card.

We did the escape room, iFly, sushi class we did not get charged for any of those items. A couple of tours were offered and we did the bridge tour.  Our sushi class ran long so our genie moved us out of the suites bridge tour and got us in with another group.  We did the climbing, bumper cars a few times and our son did the trapeze.  The genie walked us to the front of the line in each situation.  There was a sign at bumper cars for Star Class so I guess we could have just used that but it wasn’t necessary since our genie was around.  

Have fun!

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3 hours ago, ScooterScott22 said:

As for coffee, the Ovation does not have a Starbucks but does have the specialty coffee shop.  I never asked for morning delivery since I like to get up and get out most mornings.  We were never charged for drinks or food items.  My son even went and got stuff on his own and only had to show the card.

This is one of the major differences between Star class on Quantum vs. oasis class ships. Starbucks on OA class is considered a stand alone store, which is why the food items are not included. On Quantum, La Patisserie, which brews Starbucks, is not a Starbucks store so you have access to their macaroons and chocolates and other treats.

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On ‎7‎/‎30‎/‎2019 at 8:45 PM, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Yes I actually read it and followed along during your cruse (as I am on your current one).  Full of great information and insight to your experiences, thank you!!

12 hours ago, ScooterScott22 said:

Our first Star Class was not long ago and one future is booked, can’t wait!  We were on Ovation so some similarity’s and differences so I’ll share a couple details.  There are plenty of great resources on this thread and board so I really want to corroborate some items, most of all there can be slight differences.  

 

Thank you for the insight.  I have Ovaition planned for next June in Alaska, also Star Class, excited about that one as well.  So essentially it will depend on the ship the and the genie what is "covered."  I actually had in my mind to do the escape room, find those pretty enjoyable, and even if I have to pay the $20 that's fine, but if I don't have to, of course Im not volunteering, lol.

 

An aside question, check in for this cruise actually begins on the 4th (which happens to be the same day that final payments are due)  is it suggested from everyone's star class journeys that I check in on the first day, or does it really matter?

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