Allure of the seas, star class here we come!

[texasforever]

We are super excited about our upcoming cruise in less than 2 weeks. This is our first time on an oasis ship.  After much research we booked a star loft suite.  Im hoping we made the right choice.  We are a group of 7 and we wanted one room to be big enough to host sail aways and evening cocktails.  I was a little nervous  about being on such  large ship that I think is totally sold out!  I am the most excited to meet our royal genie!  

We live north of Houston so happy we can just drive to the port and no airplanes!  Our genie sent us all the info for parking and boarding already.

Our friends traveling with us will all be in sky class so Im hoping they can coordinate all of our specialty dining reservations.  I don't know when their concierge will reach out to them but I hope they will coordinate with our genie.  

I am a planner for everything so I know I just need to let the genie do his thing! I really enjoy reading all of your posts which make me feel more at ease. 

I will do my best to share with you our experience.  Wish us luck!

[SweetPea]

How exciting!! Can't wait to follow along! P.S. driving to the port rocks!!

[JohnK6404]

Have an amazing time!!!

[WAAAYTOOO]

If your cruise is 2 weeks away, I would expect to hear from your Genie very soon.

[melmar02]

You are going to love it! We are currently on Allure in Star Class. Bring your stretchy pants...ask me how I know!

[texasforever]

Does anyone know if we will be able to stream our spotify in our cabin thru the ships wifi?  Should I bring a wireless speaker or can i link to the speakers in the cabin?

thanks we are getting so excited!

[Ampurp85]

You get one device per person in Wi-Fi, I think in most cabins they have a docking device for your phone. But if you bring your own speakers, you should be able to as long as it is a Bluetooth speaker. 

[OCSC Mike]

On 4/23/2023 at 11:37 AM, texasforever said:

Our friends traveling with us will all be in sky class so Im hoping they can coordinate all of our specialty dining reservations.  I don't know when their concierge will reach out to them but I hope they will coordinate with our genie.  

The Suite Concierges usually send an e-mail to Sky Class guests 5-6 days before sailing.

[Mrs. Sarge]

On 4/24/2023 at 9:53 AM, melmar02 said:

You are going to love it! We are currently on Allure in Star Class. Bring your stretchy pants...ask me how I know!

Can you share where you stayed the night before.   We're on the Aug 27-Sept. 3 cruise on Allure.  Some in our group are flying in so will need a shuttle from the hotel to the terminal.  We've already paid for our parking in the North lot.  Any tips or hints would be appreciated. We're in a GS on the 9th deck.

[melmar02]

2 hours ago, Mrs. Sarge said:

Can you share where you stayed the night before.   We're on the Aug 27-Sept. 3 cruise on Allure.  Some in our group are flying in so will need a shuttle from the hotel to the terminal.  We've already paid for our parking in the North lot.  Any tips or hints would be appreciated. We're in a GS on the 9th deck.

We stay in Webster at the Homewood suites because we can get a 2 br suite and finish the drive the morning of the cruise. We have not stayed on the island, but I'm pushing for it next year. There is an "All about Galveston" thread that may be able to help more than I can.

[texasforever]

Well, we are 2 days away and very excited!  Our royal genie Alan has been very helpful in coordinating all our reservations for dinner and shows.  The concierge for our friends in sky class are now all booked and aligned with us so that is a big relief.  I do have a question about laundry.  If I bring several dress shirts and pants will they have them pressed for me and are they included in our fare?  My last question which Im embarrassed to ask but I think i read it on this blog before, is the toilet paper that bad?! Lol

[SpeedNoodles]

5 hours ago, texasforever said:

  My last question which Im embarrassed to ask but I think i read it on this blog before, is the toilet paper that bad?! Lol

In my opinion, it's perfectly fine.  I guess I'm just a hard-a.... oh, nevermind.

[Lovetocruise2002]

6 hours ago, texasforever said:

 If I bring several dress shirts and pants will they have them pressed for me and are they included in our fare?  My last question which Im embarrassed to ask but I think i read it on this blog before, is the toilet paper that bad?! Lol

Yes, wash, press, steam, all dry cleaning included with Star. And yes, I hate the TP on Royal, regardless of the room lol

[Cruisin and Boozin]

6 hours ago, texasforever said:

is the toilet paper that bad?! Lol

One word yes, even  in star class it’s bad. My husband says that star class should have betterTP. This is the only thing I’m dreading on our 14 night TA in April on Oasis.

[AlmondFarmer]

22 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Yes, wash, press, steam, all dry cleaning included with Star. And yes, I hate the TP on Royal, regardless of the room lol

This question may be a little outside the box.

Has anyone utilized the wash and press program for a gentle fabric material instead of using the poor quality toilet paper?

Im asking for a friend who is nervous about the ‘plugging the toilet’ fee. 

[FireFishII]

Cruise ships have to use the thinner TP - similar to what you should use in motorhomes.  Yes, it is thin and not soft.  But I just fold it over multiple times to get the thickness I need.  Since I work in an old mill building, my company uses similar TP so they don't have plumbing problems.

Would I like better TP - of course.  But I can live with the shitty TP for a week. I don't let it interfere with my vacation. 

[Mrs. Sarge]

On 5/4/2023 at 9:40 PM, melmar02 said:

We stay in Webster at the Homewood suites because we can get a 2 br suite and finish the drive the morning of the cruise. We have not stayed on the island, but I'm pushing for it next year. There is an "All about Galveston" thread that may be able to help more than I can.

Thanks!  I'll check it out.

[texasforever]

We just got home from our cruise and I can now honestly say I now know why everyone loves to share their experience with Star Class!

To sum up our trip all I can say is that we were pleasantly surprised.

Our embarkation was a bit delayed.  We heard (rumor) that some fool jumped off the ship to avoid being arrested upon arrival in Galveston ! 

We found our star class agents in the terminal who quickly got us onboard.  We had to wait for our cabin to be ready so we had lunch at ck.  Our genie Alan was amazing.  He was there for everything and we found the whole experience to be stress free.  Trust me when I say they take care of everything snd make your journey special.  

We booked a star loft suite and really appreciated the sheer size of the cabin and balcony.  We loved that it had 2 bathrooms.  The wifi worked great and we were able to stream all our music via the sound bar that sounded amazing. 

The food!  We dined at central park and Giovanni's twice and once at Chops.  The service was excellent all all venues.  My favorite meal was the lobster at Chops!  

We ordered room service for breakfast in our cabin every morning but some of the hot entrees were a bit cold when delivered.  We never visited wj so I can't comment about that.  The hot dogs and pizza were really good after a night of drinking lol!

When they told us we had the UDP I thought how much can one person possibly drink in a day but boy we enjoyed that perk!  Starbucks and the smoothies at the vitality spa! The lavender daiquiri was delish! I can't believe how many bars are on that ship.  

We enjoyed Mamma Mia and the comedy show but found the Blue Planet a bit odd and confusing.  

Another perk that we used several times was the laundry. I think that this is a very underrated perk.  We sent our clothes out a few times and had our shirts pressed. They always delivered our clothes back the next day. 

A few things we didn't like about our cruise was how crowded the pools and hot tubs were.  We enjoyed the suite deck but it was a bit of a pain to have to go down a deck and then back up again.  I would have loved a small pool on deck 17!  

The whole genie experience was wonderful and I enjoyed the front rows seats and drinks as we sat down.  Alan was very kind and considerate and I looked forward to seeing his smiling face.  The express elevator rides were a big plus too!

Im not sure we would book star class again based on the cost but think sky class might be a better fit for us. 

One tip I would like to share is that we ended up tipping our genie via zelle instead of cash. We only needed cash for tips at bars and our loft attendants and of course the casino lol.

We look forward to our next cruise!

[OCSC Mike]

Glad you had a great time!

11 hours ago, texasforever said:

A few things we didn't like about our cruise was how crowded the pools and hot tubs were.  We enjoyed the suite deck but it was a bit of a pain to have to go down a deck and then back up again.  I would have loved a small pool on deck 17!  

I know you're getting Harmony in Galveston and I wouldn't fly if you don't have to (I won't even drive 3 hours to Ft. Lauderdale b/c PC is only an hour away but that's just personal preference). That said, check out the suite area on Wonder if you haven't. They created a "suite neighborhood" where all the GS's & OS's are located aft right by the SL/CK and, most importantly based on your above comment, the suite sun deck is also right there in the aft and it does have a small pool with some loungers that sit in shallow water.

We'll be in our 2nd ever suite on Wonder in 20 days (a GS courtesy of my generous FIL) and are very much looking forward to the layout. That said, we had an amazing time in a GS on Harmony last May/June too, the changes on Wonder are just a bonus.

[melmar02]

Aww, looks like we missed Blue Planet by a couple of weeks. Did they run both it at Oceanaria multiple nights, or just one each?

[texasforever]

im not too sure how many nights they offer the water show but think it was 2 or 3 times.  Sorry for late reply I have been working every day to pay off our cruise lol!  I really miss our Royal Genie Alan!

[tonyfsu21]

On 5/14/2023 at 10:37 PM, texasforever said:

We just got home from our cruise and I can now honestly say I now know why everyone loves to share their experience with Star Class!

To sum up our trip all I can say is that we were pleasantly surprised.

Our embarkation was a bit delayed.  We heard (rumor) that some fool jumped off the ship to avoid being arrested upon arrival in Galveston ! 

We found our star class agents in the terminal who quickly got us onboard.  We had to wait for our cabin to be ready so we had lunch at ck.  Our genie Alan was amazing.  He was there for everything and we found the whole experience to be stress free.  Trust me when I say they take care of everything snd make your journey special.  

We booked a star loft suite and really appreciated the sheer size of the cabin and balcony.  We loved that it had 2 bathrooms.  The wifi worked great and we were able to stream all our music via the sound bar that sounded amazing. 

The food!  We dined at central park and Giovanni's twice and once at Chops.  The service was excellent all all venues.  My favorite meal was the lobster at Chops!  

We ordered room service for breakfast in our cabin every morning but some of the hot entrees were a bit cold when delivered.  We never visited wj so I can't comment about that.  The hot dogs and pizza were really good after a night of drinking lol!

When they told us we had the UDP I thought how much can one person possibly drink in a day but boy we enjoyed that perk!  Starbucks and the smoothies at the vitality spa! The lavender daiquiri was delish! I can't believe how many bars are on that ship.  

We enjoyed Mamma Mia and the comedy show but found the Blue Planet a bit odd and confusing.  

Another perk that we used several times was the laundry. I think that this is a very underrated perk.  We sent our clothes out a few times and had our shirts pressed. They always delivered our clothes back the next day. 

A few things we didn't like about our cruise was how crowded the pools and hot tubs were.  We enjoyed the suite deck but it was a bit of a pain to have to go down a deck and then back up again.  I would have loved a small pool on deck 17!  

The whole genie experience was wonderful and I enjoyed the front rows seats and drinks as we sat down.  Alan was very kind and considerate and I looked forward to seeing his smiling face.  The express elevator rides were a big plus too!

Im not sure we would book star class again based on the cost but think sky class might be a better fit for us. 

One tip I would like to share is that we ended up tipping our genie via zelle instead of cash. We only needed cash for tips at bars and our loft attendants and of course the casino lol.

We look forward to our next cruise!

Next up for you should be sky class or higher on Wonder so you can access the suite neighborhood and enjoy the very laid back vibe of the suite pool. This was a much better experience than the crowded pool deck. 

[OCSC Mike]

1 hour ago, tonyfsu21 said:

Next up for you should be sky class or higher on Wonder so you can access the suite neighborhood and enjoy the very laid back vibe of the suite pool. This was a much better experience than the crowded pool deck. 

Will be in Sky Class on Wonder this Sunday. The suite neighborhood is specifically what made my generous FIL book another family cruise after we enjoyed Sky Class on Harmony last year.

Looking forward to another great suite experience before my wife and I go back to sailing frugally on our own after this (which is perfectly fine with us as we've never had a bad cruise).

[tonyfsu21]

3 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

Will be in Sky Class on Wonder this Sunday. The suite neighborhood is specifically what made my generous FIL book another family cruise after we enjoyed Sky Class on Harmony last year.

Looking forward to another great suite experience before my wife and I go back to sailing frugally on our own after this (which is perfectly fine with us as we've never had a bad cruise).

You will enjoy the suite neighborhood, it’s a game changer. 

[OCSC Mike]

8 minutes ago, tonyfsu21 said:

You will enjoy the suite neighborhood, it’s a game changer. 

My family will enjoy it even more than me. They may not leave it all that often tbh. I'm looking forward to my cabin being adjacent to the SL/CK and the suite deck being right there, I'm just not a huge pool/sun person so I'll likely go off on my own a bit more (if no one wants to tag along) but that's OK too.

I eat more on cruises than anyone in our family so a trip to El Loco Fresh or Park Cafe or wherever in between meals while they're content to stay put on the suite deck works out just fine.