⭐️🎄🎅 Starmony “Christmas Vacation” - Harmony December 24-31, 2022🎅🎄⭐️

[Yesiamthere6]

1 hour ago, melmar02 said:

We are getting shirts made for our star class cruise (only get them every once in a while, not every trip). I mocked up a design saying something like "You are in the presence of a Star" as a joke. The family loved it.

That’s funny!  Just don’t wear that shirt when your genie is going to take you to the front of the line.   

[Jax]

Grease ️️️️️

This is the first Royal musical production I actually could follow and understand + I loved the music! That alone earns it a 5️ rating.  
No pics because on Harmony they prohibit all videos or pics. It will get you kicked out.  Same with the late night comedy last night.  

After the show we all came back to our suite.

[Lovetocruise2002]

6 hours ago, Jax said:

agree. I am getting pressured to change HM out of Galveston to Oasis. Ugh I am not sure how this will end. Lol

Or you can join us on Odyssey 12/31/2023 there is a Playmakers onboard lol

[Jax]

Day 4 late morning arrival in San Juan 

Conditions are extremely windy and expected to remain so up until time of departure.  I have a bad feeling about the aqua show tonight. And this is the night we are hosting friends and doing a birthday surprise.  Berty and I were just talking about how a change on night 1 can have a domino effect, particularly for our friends without star class benefits. We are all praying for a genie wish/miracle.  Regardless the birthday surprise will go ahead as planned. 
This is Berty’s  daily update.  I always look forward to the daily genie updates. 

[Jax]

Oh no…pools are closed due to winds. 

[Lovetocruise2002]

1 hour ago, Jax said:

This is Berty’s  daily update.  I always look forward to the daily genie updates. 

Love this! These are fun. I remember Leroy did one of these each morning as well. They don't all do it.

[FireFishII]

Following along.  I had to laugh at myself.  I thought when you said the temp was 15 degrees, you were talking about Fahrenheit.  I knew it was cold in Florida but not that cold.  Then you mentioned 22 degrees later on and it finally hit me, you are quoting your temps in Centigrade.  LOL!  

When you took pictures of the suite - did I really see box fans?  Then you mentioned issues with the thermostat - and I figured that the box fans could make sense. 

How did your laundry come out?  I have been told that items could be destroyed or not cleaned very well. 

I hope you get your Aqua show and the rest of the trip goes well for you.   

[Jax]

13 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Or you can join us on Odyssey 12/31/2023 there is a Playmakers onboard lol

Tempting 

[Jax]

4 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Love this! These are fun. I remember Leroy did one of these each morning as well. They don't all do it.

He sends a fun GIF too! 

[Jax]

3 hours ago, FireFishII said:

When you took pictures of the suite - did I really see box fans?  Then you mentioned issues with the thermostat - and I figured that the box fans could make sense. 

Yes I like a fan on when I sleep. It acts as white noise. Although the ATS bedrooms seem sound proof.  

3 hours ago, FireFishII said:

How did your laundry come out?  I have been told that items could be destroyed or not cleaned very well. 

No issues. But that may be due to my instructions on the laundry sheet (cold water, hang to dry etc) and the fact we provide our own laundry pods (due to son’s asthma) 

3 hours ago, FireFishII said:

I hope you get your Aqua show and the rest of the trip goes well for you.   

Thank you, Me too! 

[Jax]

Arrival into San Juan

In port with Odyssey and Carnival Mardi Gras. We have never been here before so we plan to explore as we make our way to El Morro. 

[Jax]

I haven’t mentioned the lines but they are noticeably longer than last years sailing because the ship is full. The elevators have been particularly bad.  Thankfully Berty bypasses most of the lines for us … a great star class perk. Picture lineups have been bad but Berty suggested a few less busy times after speaking to the photo team.  I would love if priority access extended to picture lines   

WJ at 10am.

[Jax]

We explored and headed to El Morro. This stop was a pleasant surprise! Very walkable, seemed clean and lots of security and police presence.  

[Jax]

Jaime’s Italian ️️️️

This was our first visit to Jaime’s and it was very good.  We had most of our favorites; garlic bread, Caesar salad, bruschetta, lasagna, penne alfredo and linguine Alfredo and chicken.  I really like its location in Central Park grouped with the other restaurants. We are going back for lunch and dinner later in the cruise.   
**unable to post pictures 

[Jax]

Headliner Tony Tillman ️️️️️

We saw Tony on Anthem and the show was great. One of my favorite parts of his show was when he asked the audience how many were under 21 and explained why he was not going to sing their preferred music. His answer was because your parents paid for your cruise! Or your grandparents paid for your cruise. So he was going to sing for them. Haha He said your parents really didn’t want to bring you but they didn’t trust you to stay at home.  He was a crowd favorite. He is only performing tonight and leaves the ship tomorrow so we had a busy night.  

[Jax]

The Surprise Birthday

I am sooo happy to report that the night was fantastic!!! Berty took care of all the planning and set up. I had a brief moment of panic when I arrived and there was no cake. But moments later Berty arrived with the cake. Thank god he popped by to check on everything and noticed Jessica’s name was spelt wrong.  So he quickly got that fixed. I have no idea how but he used his genie powers.  

Jessica had no idea and was totally surprised. The Fine Line show went ahead with a few changes due to high winds. But a shorter show was better than no show.  

*Not sure if it’s the Internet but having problems uploading pics. 

 

[Jax]

Dyson 

I am wondering if people have had trouble using their Dyson airwrap while cruising  This is the first time mine has acted up and it often won’t turn on.  So frustrating. Anyone have a similar experience  

 

[Jax]

One of my biggest pet peeves is leaving room service trays in the hallway. For me it is a big drawback with the ATS.  Usually I message Berty to have room service remove the trays right away. Well tonight it was late and I was not going to message Berty and there was no way I was having the food smell up our suite overnight.  So what did we do?? Put the tray in the hallway but called room service to pick it up. 

[Jax]

Good Morning from St Maarten.

Berty’s update promises to be sunny and hot. 

We are off to Maho Beach to watch planes. It’s going to be a great day! 

[Jax]

Look who we are beside today. 

[MLH]

On 12/26/2022 at 11:00 AM, Jax said:

Star class private access to the flow rider was today at 8:30am. Berty said there were about 7 or 8 guests.  The time is not the best; we were at the thermal suite so didn’t check it out. Will try to pop up there on day 6 session. (At 8:30am again) I am going to mention this on my post cruise survey.  It’s fine but I think better times could be offered. 

I agree.  The KEY may even have better times. They also put lessons in before opening for the day.  I think they are hearing concerns as they only use to offer one session on the last day, still it would be nice to go back to pre covid rules.

[MLH]

On 12/27/2022 at 9:28 AM, Jax said:

Day 4 late morning arrival in San Juan 

Conditions are extremely windy and expected to remain so up until time of departure.  I have a bad feeling about the aqua show tonight. And this is the night we are hosting friends and doing a birthday surprise.  Berty and I were just talking about how a change on night 1 can have a domino effect, particularly for our friends without star class benefits. We are all praying for a genie wish/miracle.  Regardless the birthday surprise will go ahead as planned. 
This is Berty’s  daily update.  I always look forward to the daily genie updates. 

This is so  nice to see.  Never has these before.  I am still old school and like the cruise compass hard copy, but with the app it is harder to look.

[Jax]

Maho Beach Plane Spotting 

Plane Spotting ️️️️️

Everything Else

We did this excursion last year and loved it.  This time not so much.  
The tour operator was disorganized, late leaving. On route the driver curbed a tire and a few minutes later we were pulled over so he could assess the damage.  When we arrived the beach was already packed which we expected due to Wonder being in port. What we didn’t expect was the condition of the beach. Sand has eroded resulting in a 2 tier beach area with a 2-3 foot steep drop.  It was very steep and difficult to get from one tier to the next.  Loungers and umbrellas were hard to secure. We grabbed 2 and paid $20. On the positive, the airport was busy and our expectations were more than met with many planes landing and taking off. They now charge $1 to use the bathrooms. That really ticked me off as the bathrooms are nasty. When we went back to meet our tour operator the bus driver was about 20 minutes late. I was not impressed with the tour operator. Their job is to get guests from point A to B safely and on time.  On another positive note at least no one in the seat behind us this year.  

[Jax]

5 hours ago, MLH said:

This is so  nice to see.  Never has these before.  I am still old school and like the cruise compass hard copy, but with the app it is harder to look.

Yes I really like this. Our last genie did something similar. It’s a nice message to wake up to each morning.  

[WAAAYTOOO]

Wow, that beach at Maho looks super crowded !  

[Jax]

18 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

Wow, that beach at Maho looks super crowded !  

It was awful.  Way oversold. 

[Jax]

Update on Maho Beach. Berty asked how Maho Beach was and I passed along my feedback.  Within minutes the shore excursion manager called and assured me that they would be speaking with the tour operator and reassessing the tour to address the deficiencies.  I received a 50% credit back as OBC. It wasn’t about the $$ but the gesture was appreciated. I love how quickly Berty actions everything.

[Jax]

Thermal Suite 

I forgot to mention that the hours of the thermal suite are later than on other ships.  It’s open until 9:30pm so it allows for a steam after dinner.  

[Lovetocruise2002]

24 minutes ago, Jax said:

Update on Maho Beach. Berty asked how Maho Beach was and I passed along my feedback.  Within minutes the shore excursion manager called and assured me that they would be speaking with the tour operator and reassessing the tour to address the deficiencies.  I received a 50% credit back as OBC. It wasn’t about the $$ but the gesture was appreciated. I love how quickly Berty actions everything.

Signs of a great Genie for sure. Same thing happened to us for one excursion in Norway. Totally unexpected but so impressed by the small gesture.

[Jax]

150 Central Park ️️️️️

I am so glad we didn’t cancel tonight. It ended up being one of our best experiences. Berty arranged for their best waiter to take care of us and it was amazing! I found this out coincidentally when a manager did a check in and I mentioned how great Avi was. Those genie powers are always working behind the scene to enhance our onboard experience.   The Captain (who is from Canada ) was dining with his family. The restaurant was surprisingly quiet and so relaxing.  We tried many things. 
Beef tenderloin with side of lobster, pork belly, artichoke soup, short ribs, pork belly, Caesar salad. The highlight was the deep fried cheesecake. OMG so amazing! 
Reyd ordered an alcoholic drink and Avi very subtlety whispered this to me. I guess they do check behind the scarves before serving alcohol. Lol 

*no pictures because ship Wi-Fi has been temperamental when it comes to uploading pics. 

[Jax]

Fine Line show cancelled tonight Winds have been a problem this week.  

[Jax]

1887 Journey in Time Ice Spectacular 

We needed a relaxing night and opted to go to the thermal suite instead. We have had friends over the last couple nights and we just needed a quiet night.  We will catch the iSkate ice show on night 7.  

[Jax]

Update on Fine Line 

Cruise director Dan just announced they will run 2 shows tomorrow and Friday. Really hope conditions improve and the shows can proceed.  So baby guests haven’t been able to see it yet.  

[Jax]

Berty’s update 

Hoping the rough seas don’t impact the aqua shows scheduled today.  Fine Line x2 tonight and Hideaway Heist x2 this afternoon.

More changes are expected to the remaining show schedule due to cancelled Greece and Aqua shows. 

[Jax]

Update on star class perks 

Cupcake and Sushi class are no longer star class perks; at least on HM.  Not sure about other ships.   
The second star class flow rider session was this morning at 8:30.  This time really doesn’t work well for us. 
One thermal suite day pass is included for star.  After that the cost is $34.22 per person per day and includes 18% gratuity @Lovetocruise2002

I plan to address the loss of star class Perks on the post cruise survey. 

**this is for Harmony only and may vary from ship to ship

[Jax]

Casino Smoke 

We are not gamblers but on past cruises we would go for a few minutes here and there and the smoke wasn’t bad. Not the case on this ship. It’s so smoke filled we can’t even walk through it.  Maybe the difference is ventilation. Something else for the post cruise survey.  

[Jax]

Izumi 

Food quality ️️️️️

Speed of Service ️️

This was our first visit to Izumi for lunch today followed by the bridge tour at 1:45pm.  At 12:50 when we hadn’t yet received our drinks I messaged Berty concerned that we would miss the bridge tour.  Within minutes the manager was over, drinks were served and food was delivered. I really appreciate having Berty take care of these situations. 
Will report back after the bridge tour. We are very excited about this!! 

[SweetPea]

Hi! Loving your blog! We've not sailed since Dec 2019 after about 32 Covid cancelations but finally just booked 2 SC cruises so am eagerly reading all your detailed perk changes/updates. I was panicked at first when i read that your luggage no longer follows you but 20-30 min isn't bad, especially if they kept the pressing perk intact. 

 

What are your thoughts so far on Deck 17 v. Deck 8? We just had a 68-minute lively discussion on that same topic last night so I'd love your feedback!

[Jax]

Bridge Tour ️️️️️

This is a favorite star class perk! Bridge access is on deck 12. Security did a quick security screening and we were off to the bridge. We were able to explore and take pictures. Captain Johnny is not onboard but the Captain is from Canada. No videos allowed on bridge. Then we had a chance to ask questions to a first and second officer. Very cool! A real highlight for us.  
 

**pics aren’t uploading so I will try to add one at a time. Very temperamental internet on this cruise. 

[Jax]

Some success!