Rags1 Posted September 7, 2021 Report Share Posted September 7, 2021 I really appreciate you giving us your view on the effects the protocols have on your experience. We sail on Allure in about 40 days and have been wondering how different it will be. I’m glad to hear of your interaction with Alan. For me personally the Genie made the last three trips memorable. By that I mean my personal interaction with them. The times we would chat about our life and our families. I spent a lot of time laughing with each of them and felt we were friends by the end of the trip. I was having a hard time imagining Star without that special time with the Genie. im enjoying your review! Can’t wait to read more. Good luck on that birthday dinner Tiffeven, AshleyDillo and WAAAYTOOO 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drewtastic86 Posted September 7, 2021 Report Share Posted September 7, 2021 Thank you for such great information! Curious to see what changes will occur (if any) by the time of our February Star Class Cruise! AshleyDillo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyDillo Posted September 7, 2021 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2021 Despite Alan asking us what lunch plans were we slummed it in the Windjammer first. Even with access to any food on the ship at our beck and call, sometimes a visit to a buffet is best for the indecisive. Three guesses as to who the indecisive one in my party is. (Hint: It is not me or my brother.)I channeled the @PG Cruiser willpower and got some fish and tandoori chicken. We enjoyed lunch with a view. WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyDillo Posted September 7, 2021 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2021 Here's one of the rare times we have seen the pool deck this cruise ellcee 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted September 7, 2021 Report Share Posted September 7, 2021 That little swirling water thing always looks like fun to me but I'm too chicken to get in with the kids ! AshleyDillo, PPPJJ-GCVAB, SpeedNoodles and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyDillo Posted September 7, 2021 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2021 Like magic Alan appeared in Windjammer. He rounded up some Windjammer servers to sing Happy Birthday to my mother. It's amazing to see how well respected and loved the Genies are among the crew. starbrat, Jax, sammy79 and 7 others 3 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted September 7, 2021 Report Share Posted September 7, 2021 Are they offering beer, wine, sodas and water from 11-11 in the Suites Lounge or is it only during happy hour hours ? I've heard mixed answers on different ships. AshleyDillo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted September 7, 2021 Report Share Posted September 7, 2021 19 minutes ago, AshleyDillo said: It's amazing to see how well respected and loved the Genies are among the crew. Happy Birthday to your mom !! I hope she enjoyed her cake. You know what I like most about this picture ? Alan is not wearing a mask ! That is awesome !! Jax 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyDillo Posted September 7, 2021 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2021 1 hour ago, Rags1 said: For me personally the Genie made the last three trips memorable. By that I mean my personal interaction with them. The times we would chat about our life and our families. I spent a lot of time laughing with each of them and felt we were friends by the end of the trip. I was having a hard time imagining Star without that special time with the Genie. im enjoying your review! This is actually the experience our prior 2 Star Class sailings lacked. We still came back to the program despite that, so the product was good enough. But that also was taking into account the included drink/dining prices and the price differential between the Crown Loft suites my mom likes to book made the jump to Star Class a good value in the Aquatheater Suites. WAAAYTOOO and Jax 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyDillo Posted September 7, 2021 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2021 2 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said: You know what I like most about this picture ? Alan is not wearing a mask ! That is awesome !! Yes! He sat down and removed it to share the chocolate mousse cake with us. We also noticed some of the outside crew on the pool deck are being allowed to relax the mask requirement as well. I'm seeing this reported from others fleetwide too. Jax, nhilding10 and WAAAYTOOO 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyDillo Posted September 7, 2021 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2021 13 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said: Are they offering beer, wine, sodas and water from 11-11 in the Suites Lounge or is it only during happy hour hours ? I've heard mixed answers on different ships. Confirmed on Allure..for research purposes. PPPJJ-GCVAB, MamaShark, Rags1 and 2 others 2 1 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyDillo Posted September 7, 2021 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2021 There are snacks up in the suite lounge and the fancy coffee machine is on and unmanned. My personal opinion is it should always be manned due to user error alone. ellcee 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyDillo Posted September 7, 2021 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2021 Here's another non-kid pool at 1:30pm on a sea day. Count is 21 in/around the pool. 27 empty loungers. Must be Royal math at work again. MamaShark and ellcee 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CGTLH Posted September 7, 2021 Report Share Posted September 7, 2021 7 minutes ago, AshleyDillo said: Here's another non-kid pool at 1:30pm on a sea day. Count is 21 in/around the pool. 27 empty loungers. Must be Royal math at work again. Another view for an extra data point. MamaShark, Skigoofy, SpeedNoodles and 1 other 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LovetoCruise87 Posted September 7, 2021 Report Share Posted September 7, 2021 On 9/5/2021 at 2:55 PM, AshleyDillo said: And at 11:03am I had dropped off my mother and brother with the luggage at front and parked the car in the near-empty parking garage ($136 for the week). We were on Allure on Aug 22 and I loved the almost empty garage. I was able to park on the first level above drop off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyDillo Posted September 7, 2021 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2021 4 minutes ago, LovetoCruise87 said: We were on Allure on Aug 22 and I loved the almost empty garage. I was able to park on the first level above drop off. I did too..right by the elevator! But I parked on the left side instead of the right side..doh! Forgot debarkation is on the other side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted September 7, 2021 Report Share Posted September 7, 2021 Thanks for the intel on the SL beverage and food situation. I am VERY happy to hear that all is [almost] normal in that regard. I hope it stays like that !! AshleyDillo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LovetoCruise87 Posted September 7, 2021 Report Share Posted September 7, 2021 7 minutes ago, AshleyDillo said: I did too..right by the elevator! But I parked on the left side instead of the right side..doh! Forgot debarkation is on the other side. Oh dear. Yes, I parked on the right side next to the elevators. Got out of the car and was almost on the elevator when I realized my mask was still in the car and NOT on my face. lol AshleyDillo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted September 7, 2021 Report Share Posted September 7, 2021 Ashley, so sorry to ask you to do this....if it's too much trouble, don't worry.... I am reading on CC that beginning next week the 11-11 beverage service on Allure will be eliminated and the only beverages that will be available are during HH. Could you please ask Alan if this is true ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyDillo Posted September 7, 2021 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2021 The pub is allowing folks to sit belly up to the bar. AlmondFarmer and MamaShark 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyDillo Posted September 7, 2021 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2021 Since someone was asking Starbucks questions in another thread....another nice Star Class perk. SpeedNoodles, ellcee, starbrat and 2 others 3 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyDillo Posted September 7, 2021 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2021 This is the first time I have taken advantage of the fresh fruit smoothies at Vitality Cafe. They are included in the Refreshment and Deluxe beverage packages. They used fruit, ice, regular or almond milk and simple syrup if you wanted it sweeter. Also another place to get specialty coffee. Blueberry, strawberry almond milk smoothie ellcee, SpeedNoodles, IRMO12HD and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barbeyg Posted September 7, 2021 Report Share Posted September 7, 2021 Yum on the fruit smoothies. Hmmm….wonder if those would be available for the Diamond drinks? Will have to check when we are onboard. Enjoying your live blog. Thanks for sharing! AshleyDillo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starbrat Posted September 7, 2021 Report Share Posted September 7, 2021 15 minutes ago, AshleyDillo said: This is the first time I have taken advantage of the fresh fruit smoothies at Vitality Cafe. They are included in the Refreshment and Deluxe beverage packages. They used fruit, ice, regular or almond milk and simple syrup if you wanted it sweeter. Also another place to get specialty coffee. i’m so happy to see this! I have a ginger shot every morning. Seeing the ginger on the menu just made my day! IRMO12HD and AshleyDillo 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyDillo Posted September 7, 2021 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2021 We went back in the room to relax. Found a refill of drinks. Found some chips, salsa and guac as a snack. Not fresh made salsa or guac like you can find in Sabor. "I don't understand why they don't use this salsa down there. It's so much better!" And the drinks are all sugar free varieties from a Freestyle machine, since they don't have it in bottles. MamaShark, ellcee, Skigoofy and 1 other 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ampurp85 Posted September 7, 2021 Report Share Posted September 7, 2021 @WAAAYTOOOI saw that about the SL on CC but have heard on FB that it might just be for Symphony. I was also confused why they will scale down on a perk, when bookings have increased. CC has a lot of wrong information, they post 17 of the same questions even though topics exist and imho can't be trusted. @AshleyDilloI very much appreciate this blog. I am traveling with a no business person....business refers to veggies I told him that RCG is great about food preferences. All his sauces must be smooth and nary a corn, broccoli, onion, mushroom........ you get it, must touch his plate. His preferences is the main reason we plan to eat all meals in CK, they will have a handle on his likes and dislikes. MamaShark, ellcee, AshleyDillo and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FionaMG Posted September 7, 2021 Report Share Posted September 7, 2021 1 hour ago, barbeyg said: Yum on the fruit smoothies. Hmmm….wonder if those would be available for the Diamond drinks? Will have to check when we are onboard. Enjoying your live blog. Thanks for sharing! I hope they are. I will be checking too! AshleyDillo and barbeyg 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyDillo Posted September 7, 2021 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2021 10 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said: I was also confused why they will scale down on a perk, when bookings have increased. It's possibly just a staffing thing. When we were up there at the end of the lunch period the bartender was back and forth restocking bottles and disappearing from the bar. There was hardly any traffic while we were in there. He also was doing laps to the handful of folks who were sitting in the lounge and not disturbing the ones who were "just resting their eyes" at our table. Rags1 and WAAAYTOOO 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyDillo Posted September 7, 2021 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2021 5 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said: I am reading on CC that beginning next week the 11-11 beverage service on Allure will be eliminated and the only beverages that will be available are during HH. Could you please ask Alan if this is true ? @CGTLH took one for the team and asked Dexter (SL concierge)..he said it's going fleetwide to Happy Hour only for Suite Lounge complimentary drinks. Big Tule, SpeedNoodles, WAAAYTOOO and 1 other 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rags1 Posted September 8, 2021 Report Share Posted September 8, 2021 52 minutes ago, AshleyDillo said: @CGTLH took one for the team and asked Dexter (SL concierge)..he said it's going fleetwide to Happy Hour only for Suite Lounge complimentary drinks. This obviously has no monetary impact to Star sailings. But I’ve seen a lot of Sky Class folks who don’t buy the beverage package because of that perk. For us it was just handy to pop in there being on 17. For some it will be an issue! And thanks for biting that bullet @CGTLH! AshleyDillo, Jax and WAAAYTOOO 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ampurp85 Posted September 8, 2021 Report Share Posted September 8, 2021 @AshleyDilloThis means only drinks in the SL from 5-8pm are complimentary? I will admit I will be pretty pissed if this is the case. A lot of suite perks are currently nonexistent, if the rest of my traveling party can only get drinks for that short period, it makes anything under star class useless. AshleyDillo, WAAAYTOOO and Big Tule 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyDillo Posted September 8, 2021 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2021 19 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said: @AshleyDilloThis means only drinks in the SL from 5-8pm are complimentary? I will admit I will be pretty pissed if this is the case. A lot of suite perks are currently nonexistent, if the rest of my traveling party can only get drinks for that short period, it makes anything under star class useless. That's what the SL concierge said. I guess we will see what happens when the complaints roll in on the next sailing Jax 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted September 8, 2021 Report Share Posted September 8, 2021 1 hour ago, AshleyDillo said: @CGTLH took one for the team and asked Dexter (SL concierge)..he said it's going fleetwide to Happy Hour only for Suite Lounge complimentary drinks. Thank you. Please thank your brother, too. AshleyDillo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ampurp85 Posted September 8, 2021 Report Share Posted September 8, 2021 I blame the pinnacles, even when it was the bears I knew it was the pinnacles. AshleyDillo, WAAAYTOOO and starbrat 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyDillo Posted September 8, 2021 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2021 Tonight was Izumi hibachi night AND my mother's birthday. We rolled in on time and were the last people missing at a full hibachi table, so already off to a great start with us holding everybody else up. Since everybody else already did the waiting for us, we didn't have to. My mother was able to clarify to the order taker that she didn't have cross-contamination issues and they could cook the food in front of her as long as it was free of flavor..I mean free of onions, garlic and peppers. My She's a Geisha couldn't come fast enough and I braced myself for this evening. Fortunately a lot of attention was diverted thanks to Alice. A lot of the Izumi hibachi experience has to do with who you get to experience it with. Alice is from Arkansas and she was nearly as much of a star as the hibachi chef. She learned how to properly hold chopsticks, drank sake with my brother, assumed my brother and I were married and carried the evening with her engaging conversation. sammy79, Traveler, MamaShark and 10 others 5 7 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyDillo Posted September 8, 2021 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2021 Things I learned tonight: - Alice is 70. - Alice is from California. - Alice's husband won bingo on the ship. - Alice has a son. - Young ladies chase after old men because they have money. - My brother doesn't know how to properly do a sake bomb. Tiffeven, IRMO12HD, WAAAYTOOO and 12 others 1 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ampurp85 Posted September 8, 2021 Report Share Posted September 8, 2021 @AshleyDilloAlice sounds fun. I feel like I always meet amazing people on vacation....amazing in both a good and bad way Also I hate it when people assume my brother and I are a couple. WAAAYTOOO, AshleyDillo and ellcee 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyDillo Posted September 8, 2021 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2021 This is Roy. Roy is married to a waitress that my mother and brother had on a ship in year's past that they connected with. It just so happened that Roy was on this ship and was the hibachi chef tonight. This was all orchestrated because our Coastal Kitchen waiter from the first night had also been on a ship with Roy and his wife and helped my mother remember names we connected that Roy was on this ship. We spoke of it to Alan and like magic... WAAAYTOOO, Tiffeven, SpeedNoodles and 4 others 5 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CGTLH Posted September 8, 2021 Report Share Posted September 8, 2021 5 minutes ago, AshleyDillo said: Things I learned tonight: - Alice is 70. - Alice is from California. - Alice's husband won bingo on the ship. - Alice has a son. - Young ladies chase after old men because they have money. - My brother doesn't know how to properly do a sake bomb. @Matt I guess now we know who the f--k is Alice. Rags1, AshleyDillo, WAAAYTOOO and 5 others 6 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyDillo Posted September 8, 2021 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2021 The hibachi show was fun with constant interruptions from good ol Alice and my mother asking Roy about his wife and son. The food was great as always and the typical hibachi schitck was entertaining. We had dessert served and then in waltzed Alan with a birthday cake for my mother. Alan also brought in all the crew members my mom has collected so far on this ship..the suite loft attendant Eleanor and Coastal Kitchen waiter Carlos. There was singing and contraband lit candles. I will let sake bomb failure share his photos because I didn't manage to take any. Jax, starbrat, Ampurp85 and 6 others 1 6 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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