Sunnymer Posted June 4, 2023 Report Share Posted June 4, 2023 We are cruising star class for the first time next month on Quantum in Alaska. Other than our excursions, is there anything that I need to reserve prior to our Genie reaching out? This is our first star class cruise so I just want to be sure I don’t overlook anything. Thank you! WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sea Squirrel Posted June 4, 2023 Report Share Posted June 4, 2023 Hi @Sunnymer The only things I can think of are the optional things such as the escape room if you want a guaranteed day/time, Chefs Table (genie should reverse charge once onboard) and any class such as sushi making class if that’s your thing (dont think genies can reverse this one). Your genie will schedule your ifly, bumper cars, North Star etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melmar02 Posted June 4, 2023 Report Share Posted June 4, 2023 Photo package if you want one. cruisellama 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted June 4, 2023 Report Share Posted June 4, 2023 That's awesome, @Sunnymer. Star Class to Alaska is going to be incredible. Have a GREAT time. Do you now who your Genie is yet ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunnymer Posted June 4, 2023 Author Report Share Posted June 4, 2023 Thanks everyone! We’re very excited! We haven’t heard from our genie directly yet, but we did receive the generic email questionnaire last week. WAAAYTOOO and Neesa 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mk-ultra Posted June 5, 2023 Report Share Posted June 5, 2023 On 6/3/2023 at 8:16 PM, Sunnymer said: We are cruising star class for the first time next month on Quantum in Alaska. Other than our excursions, is there anything that I need to reserve prior to our Genie reaching out? This is our first star class cruise so I just want to be sure I don’t overlook anything. Thank you! Just recently returned from this same trip in Star Class on Quantum. Genie (Yen) basically booked everything onboard for me ahead of time -- including dining, iFly, Escape Room, bridge tour... all the things. Honestly, my shipboard schedule was packed solid. I just reviewed the proposed itinerary and requested a couple of modifications. Let them help you. That's one of the best things about booking this category. Shore excursions are up to you, so that's what I'd concentrate on. The really good ones tend to sell out fast. WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunnymer Posted June 5, 2023 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2023 3 hours ago, mk-ultra said: Just recently returned from this same trip in Star Class on Quantum. Genie (Yen) basically booked everything onboard for me ahead of time -- including dining, iFly, Escape Room, bridge tour... all the things. Honestly, my shipboard schedule was packed solid. I just reviewed the proposed itinerary and requested a couple of modifications. Let them help you. That's one of the best things about booking this category. Shore excursions are up to you, so that's what I'd concentrate on. The really good ones tend to sell out fast. Thank you MK! We have reserved all of our excursions, so we’ll just sit back and wait for our genie to contact us. We are traveling with our 17 year old son and 16 year old daughter, so we’re looking forward to having the genie reserve some of the activities they’re looking forward to doing. mk-ultra 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mk-ultra Posted June 5, 2023 Report Share Posted June 5, 2023 1 hour ago, Sunnymer said: Thank you MK! We have reserved all of our excursions, so we’ll just sit back and wait for our genie to contact us. We are traveling with our 17 year old son and 16 year old daughter, so we’re looking forward to having the genie reserve some of the activities they’re looking forward to doing. You're most welcome. Sounds like you've already had the silly generic questionnaire. In my experience, they *do* actually pay attention to this. Some stuff on a couple of Star Class cruises was obviously tailored based on what I submitted. Genies on Quantum handle three cabins each, and only have an hour or so a day to reply to emails for future passengers prior to arrival. The level of contact will ramp up as you get close to your boarding date. Have a wonderful cruise! Alaska is amazing. If you don't have WhatsApp installed on your phone already, I'd recommend doing so. Seems to be the default method of staying in contact with your Genie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunnymer Posted June 6, 2023 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 2023 Thanks for the heads up! We don’t have WhatsApp so I’ll download that soon. How far in advance does the actual genie typically reach out? And do they already have a tentative schedule planned prior to their initial email? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F1guynz Posted June 6, 2023 Report Share Posted June 6, 2023 We had Hailey as a genie on Quantum, she contacted us 1-2 weeks before the cruise from memory. She was absolutely amazing and we have booked with her again next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted June 6, 2023 Report Share Posted June 6, 2023 My experience is that Genies usually make "first contact" at about 1 month prior to sailing....but there is no reliable pattern. Just a comment regarding WhatsApp. If you are someone who carries your device around and checks it constantly, then the WhatsApp style of comm with the Genie will work well for you. We are NOT those people. Dan never EVER carries a phone around with him and while I sometimes do, I never check it regularly. Having experienced Star Class prior to the use of the WhatsApp and after, as well....I can definitely say that I hated the dependence of the phone for comm with my Genie. Is the WhatsApp system easier for the Genie ? You betcha. They don't have to personally come and talk with you when they can just send you a message. I do not like it at ALL and when we sail in SC the next time (which won't be until 12-7-24), I will decline the use of the phone for communication entirely. Hopefully it's not such a big deal for most, but it was for us. If you do not want to be tied to your device, I recommend that you let this be well known ahead of time so that the Genie can return to the ancient skill of showing up in person to discuss daily changes in schedule, etc. Baked Alaska, Sea Squirrel, cruisellama and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sea Squirrel Posted June 6, 2023 Report Share Posted June 6, 2023 I couldn’t agree more with @WAAAYTOOO about the WhatsApp, even if you carry your phone everywhere like us. IMHO the daily personal interaction with your genie is part of what makes Star different. We’ve had it both ways…the in your face constantly when the program launched to almost strictly WhatsApp during the restart. Our last genie took a happy middle of the road approach for us. She used WhatsApp strictly for us, meaning if we needed something in the moment, text her. But if she wanted to discuss something with us, she tracked us down in person. As with what Waaaytooo said, communicate your needs up front, and that goes for everything. One of the biggest lessons we learned is not to expect your genie to anticipate your needs. Some genies are great at that and some are not but we have not had one that didn’t seem appreciative of that up front communication. They’ve all seemed to genuinely want us to have an amazing experience. WAAAYTOOO, cruisellama and mk-ultra 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mk-ultra Posted June 6, 2023 Report Share Posted June 6, 2023 Oh, I really hope I didn't make it sound like you have to use WhatsApp. It's just a convenience. I had face-to-face contact with my Genie every day. Usually multiple times. Since they know your dining and show schedule you'll typically see them at meal time and to escort you to reserved seating. Same goes for every port day when they use all of their magic to whisk you off of the ship, including crew elevators and pathways like I-95 almost nobody sees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yo2slick Posted June 6, 2023 Report Share Posted June 6, 2023 On our Star Class sailing we used WhatsApp to communicate sudden changes or if our Genie wanted to meet with us ect ect. He always met with us face to face everyday and at every lunch and dinner we had reservations for. He escorted us to shows we had reservations for as well. I think it was a nice balance between the phone and in person communication but every Genie is different it seems. Our genie emailed us 1-2 weeks out and asked about some preferences we had and he made an itinerary for us. We were able to change anything we wanted to ahead of time and once onboard. Changing things on the fly was no problem at all. Just be sure to communicate what you want. Also regarding the UDP that is included with your SC sailing...Our experience was that none of the limitations that come with the UDP existed for us. There were no al la carte pricing limits, no upcharge for Hibachi ect. We ordered anything we wanted and as much as we wanted. We were also able to order several lobster tails in CK on our second formal night with no extra charge. We even ordered sushi rolls at our Hibachi dinners with no charge. So take advantage of it while you can! Ben and Jerry's ice cream and Starbucks coffee was no charge either. WAAAYTOOO and Linda R 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunnymer Posted June 6, 2023 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 2023 Thank you all for this information! I would say we would fall somewhere in the middle as well regarding phone communication. While I’m sure my husband or I one will always have our phone (so we can also communicate with our teens), I would much prefer to not have to depend on that for the majority of our communications. Off topic question…I’m new to posting to these message boards, but have been reading the last few months preparing! I’ve read some amazing trip reports, both past and current, from many of you! Thank you for taking the time! Now the question, how do I just quote @someones name without quoting their entire post? Yo2slick 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yo2slick Posted June 6, 2023 Report Share Posted June 6, 2023 @Sunnymer You just type the @ symbol and start typing the name you want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunnymer Posted June 6, 2023 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 2023 Ohhhh!! Thank you @Yo2slick! Yo2slick 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack805 Posted June 6, 2023 Report Share Posted June 6, 2023 2 hours ago, Sunnymer said: how do I just quote @someones name without quoting their entire post? Also @Sunnymer, if you want to just quote a part of the post you can highlight it and after there should be a small box underneath that says "Quote Selection" and you can click that - but it's harder to do if using the boards on a phone/tablet versus an actual computer. But you can always take out the text in the quote box if you just click/tap the generic quote button too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunnymer Posted June 6, 2023 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 2023 Thank you for the pro tip @Jack805! I’m learning as I go haha. This forum is a wealth of knowledge. I’ve contemplated doing some sort of semi-live review, but I’m fairly certain it wouldn’t hold a candle to these amazing reviews. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack805 Posted June 7, 2023 Report Share Posted June 7, 2023 Anytime @Sunnymer! This forum has lots of knowledgeable and friendly people to help, and often can add some unique insight into things one may not have thought of before. It’s a great place to look for information, whether searching for or posting a question if what you’re looking for can’t be found right away. And while I may not see myself making a live thread, I’ve followed along on a few to gain some tips or just enjoy the adventure with the updates. PPPJJ-GCVAB, WAAAYTOOO and Linda R 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ampurp85 Posted June 7, 2023 Report Share Posted June 7, 2023 You don't have to do a live thread @Sunnymer, you could do a recap or even just a post. I feel like everyone has a different perspective and experience. I often sail solo but my solo experience differs from others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunnymer Posted June 7, 2023 Author Report Share Posted June 7, 2023 I’ve enjoyed your reviews too @Ampurp85! I’ll see how this first time star class experience goes, and maybe I can repay the favor to those of the forum by posting some things from a newbies standpoint. WAAAYTOOO, KristiZ and Linda R 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted June 7, 2023 Report Share Posted June 7, 2023 9 hours ago, Sunnymer said: I’ve enjoyed your reviews too @Ampurp85! I’ll see how this first time star class experience goes, and maybe I can repay the favor to those of the forum by posting some things from a newbies standpoint. Just a warning...when you are sailing Star Class, you are very VERY busy people. It's one of the only down sides of sailing SC. Don't let your Genie overbook you. Sunnymer, Yo2slick, Baked Alaska and 2 others 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack805 Posted June 7, 2023 Report Share Posted June 7, 2023 15 hours ago, Sunnymer said: maybe I can repay the favor to those of the forum by posting some things from a newbies standpoint. I think everyone can add value to these forums since they are coming from different perspectives and backgrounds. And there are a lot of "newbies" who come here to learn too, so if you do decide to post things from that perspective I'm sure that will help others down the road too. I'm not nearly as seasoned as some on here, but still try to add value where I can from my experiences or knowledge. Sunnymer, KristiZ, Neesa and 1 other 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3615971 Posted June 14, 2023 Report Share Posted June 14, 2023 When are you sailing? We’re Star Class on the 17 July and haven’t receive anything yet. Getting nervous. Grand Loft Suite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F1guynz Posted June 14, 2023 Report Share Posted June 14, 2023 4 hours ago, 3615971 said: We’re Star Class on the 17 July and haven’t receive anything yet. Getting nervous. Grand Loft Suite. Hi, welcome to the boards. Don't worry it is still too soon. You will shortly receive a generic questionnaire from Royal asking if you had the chance name any 3 people from history, alive or dead, who you would like to have dinner with. Our genie contacted us directly about 2-3 weeks before sailing. cruisellama 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jax Posted June 15, 2023 Report Share Posted June 15, 2023 Your first star class cruise will be so memorable! Additional purchases are limited given star class perks but could include photo packages, thermal suite, massage, mani/pedi. Your genie will take care of scheduling dining and entertainment. Wishing you a great trip! cruisellama 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunnymer Posted June 15, 2023 Author Report Share Posted June 15, 2023 Thank you to everyone for your advice and suggestions We can’t wait. Jax, WAAAYTOOO and cruisellama 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunnymer Posted June 24, 2023 Author Report Share Posted June 24, 2023 We just received our genie letter Her name is Jade. Does anyone have any insight on her or had her as a genie in the past? Just curious of her “style” as a genie. I’ve read a few reports, but don’t recall her name in any. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted June 24, 2023 Report Share Posted June 24, 2023 20 minutes ago, Sunnymer said: We just received our genie letter Her name is Jade. Does anyone have any insight on her or had her as a genie in the past? Just curious of her “style” as a genie. I’ve read a few reports, but don’t recall her name in any. Thank you! I just posted on another post earlier today that Jade, while I never her or know her, she has really good feedback from others. The whole Genie team on QN is really good at the moment, I don't think you could go wrong with any of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunnymer Posted June 24, 2023 Author Report Share Posted June 24, 2023 Thank you @Lovetocruise2002! I’ve enjoyed reading your recent blogs. We are very much looking forward to the experience. Lovetocruise2002 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted June 24, 2023 Report Share Posted June 24, 2023 15 minutes ago, Sunnymer said: Thank you @Lovetocruise2002! I’ve enjoyed reading your recent blogs. We are very much looking forward to the experience. If you meet Hailey, another Genie on QN, say hello for me. Tell her that Sabrina and family miss her a lot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunnymer Posted June 24, 2023 Author Report Share Posted June 24, 2023 I sure will! I was really hoping for Hailey! I almost requested her… Lovetocruise2002 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted June 24, 2023 Report Share Posted June 24, 2023 2 minutes ago, Sunnymer said: I sure will! I was really hoping for Hailey! I almost requested her… Jade is very well liked as well! You'll have a great time! Sunnymer 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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