Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Posted

Other rejected titles:

•    I *Still* Know What You Did Last Star Class cruise on Oasis. (That's for all you kids born in the 80s or before).

•    Yawn: Not another Star Class Blog (for a week-long cruise on a crummy itinerary). 

I should have titled it this. I could’ve just melded my previous blogs together a la Not Another Teen Movie …

•    Cruising fat (again): who cares? Fact: Star Class gets you even fatter. And how not to hire a nutritionist who's an enabler. 

I often take pics of what I am eating and text them to my nutritionist. Once it was a slice of NJ pizza with steak topping and extra sauce and a glass of wine. She responded: “good job! Cheers!” as it was the first I ate all day. I wrote back: “to be clear, this is just an appetizer...” 

To amuse myself, I may wind up texting her pics of everything I eat on the cruise so she can get a calorie count. That shouldn’t be too bad unless I wind up taking pics of every single drink ….. 

 

•    Lewis Capaldi is Amazing/No, He’s Not.

Kidding. This is just a semi-heated, semi-regular debate in our house. Tread carefully weighing in here if you want to be friends. If you wind up inadvertently being Team Batman, the blog ends here.... 😍

•    How much of a fit did my CFP/CPA pitch when we announced our possible retirement this year, coupled with a Star Class cruise that we claimed to get "for cheap?"

Hint: it was "define cheap and how many of these do i need to factor into your yearly spend, you idiots?" To be fair, 'you idiots' was implied .... 'Crazy,' on the other hand, did make its way into the convo. By me. This is when he thought $20K could get us 2-3 cruises in Star Class. Hilarious. It made me doubt the rest of his financial advice.

Bottom line, we nearly canceled this cruise 18x, until i looked at spring/summer 2025 prices. Forget that noise. It was clear this was our last chance to cruise "this cheap" for a while. Note: there was absolutely nothing cheap about PDCC prices. Even with all the ‘sales.’ And here is a good time to mention that I DESPISE Royal’s Cruise Planner and the stalking it requires. I get the economics of dynamic pricing, but I do NOT have to like it. It’s exhausting. And I will die on that hill.

But back now to the original title ….

No seriously. What WAS I thinking?

We wound up booking our last Oasis cruise (Sept ’23) and this Symphony cruise on the same day. 

Once NJ season 2024 opened, I did my due diligence and called my TA Mindy to book the best priced dates on each ship. 

Mindy asked, "You want both?" An innocent question. 

Yes, yes, of course I want both! Oasis in '23 & Symphony in '24. It seemed like a good idea at the time.

Now, all these months later, I'm hearing, "You want BOTH?! SweetPea, maybe you should sleep on this!"

That would've been the better call. 

Because I seriously did nearly cancel this cruise about 18 different times. Batman and I are both over 7-night cruises. They aren’t long enough for people like us who live our lives in 2-week increments. They almost feel over before they barely even start. Our sweet spot is 10-12 days but I’m not kicking 14 nights out of bed either.

But this is most important. Since we booked at or near open, we had a plethora of rooms from which to choose. Who thought it would be a good idea to let Batman watch some YouTube videos and choose our cabin? Who?!

WHO?!

I'd like names, please!

I was lobbying for the side-facing Star Loft of course. (I mean … c’mon … OF COURSE!!!).

"Where's the Panoramic suite like we have on Oasis?" he asked.

Well, yes, that would've been a no brainer. 

First viewing was the side/ocean facing SLS that I so DESPERATELY wanted. He made it 22 seconds into the video, spied the stairs, and announced, "Next!" (Oh, this will bode well for that 11-night Odyssey cruise in January in a GLS ...). Again, what was I thinking?

Second viewing was the A1 Brats. The A2s were all available, but if I have a choice between an A1 and an A2, well, we'll just take that as small consolation for my loss. 

He was sold on the A1. 

“But, but, but, the bathrooms!!” I protested.

“Look at that balcony though,” he countered. 

“But, but, but, we won't be near the suite lounge!” 

“We won't have stairs,” he rebutted. (He fails to understand the concept that waddling up a single flight of stairs is no different than getting your 10k steps in to go from your aft stateroom to the forward lounge, but i digress). 

I don’t know if I mentioned this in my last blog, but with the Oasis Owner’s Panoramic being right around the corner from the suite lounge, I would leave him to get ready for the evening and go sit in the lounge by myself and happily have a filthy martini. The staff all knew me and would always ask after Batman. I would tell them the truth: he’s in the shower. They literally thought I was a shower widow. (They also never understood how I could be the one who was always ready first. That’s another story for another day). One night we actually showed up together and three of them ran up to us, one of them announcing that he was glad our marriage was still intact. 

I digress …

No stairs. Huge balcony. Two (crummy) bathrooms. We’re staying in the Guam equivalent of the USA: Beautiful, but oh so far from my beloved East Coast.

And so, I “cheerily” booked the Deck 8 2BRATS because I'm clearly Wife of the Year. 

Clearly. 

I'm only consoled by the fact that we now have a "snoring room" and can watch Hiro from our balcony. (Is it even Hiro? I should probably check that. Who cares. Aqua80 HAS to be the best.).

Fast forward to a few weeks ago:

Batman: “what do you mean, we’re Deck 8 aft? You LOVE the suite lounge! Where are you going to sit and have your pre-dinner drink?!”

Literally remembered NOTHING about him choosing the room. NOTHING. 

What

The 

Actual

#&$%$#*(@#

I repeated the entire release-day conversation. He reinvestigated the (now moot) point and upped the ante. He claims he never would have chosen the SLS (awake, sober, not distracted, take your pick) due to the balcony (“look at the size of that puny thing!”). However, I did impart just enough guilt that he’s been busy watching YouTube videos on how to make the perfect filthy martini. (His idea. Totally.) So I can sit on our balcony and drink one while I am inevitably waiting for him to finish getting ready. He insists that he will make me one before he showers. Every night. Did I marry a keeper? Jury is still out. I predict this is a fleeting idea, and I will be waiting for him at the Trellis Bar or Dazzles. If you have better ideas, let me know. Seriously. 

Bygones.

But, I AM hopeful that our weather will be much better than our last 2 cruises and that perhaps we will finally get to sit in Playmakers at the bar since our cruise departs on a Friday and it's not football season. #LifeGoals

I honestly debated on whether to blog this one since, if you can't tell, my heart's not really in it.  But, if you've read my last blog, you've lived inside my head enough to know that something ridiculous or stupid is bound to happen. And I'm more than willing to share those moments when they happen, even risking my healthy marriage to do so. You're welcome. 

The "Adventures" of SweetPea & Batman aren't exciting, but maybe more like an episode of The Office … or Superstore, if that's your type of thing.

So watch this space for terrible pics (me), decent pics (Batman) that I make up excuses to get from him, a full Deck 17 v. Deck 8 smackdown, and, undoubtedly hiding in a closet to blog so Batman never knows I’m blogging and nothing i post will require pre-approval ... or a divorce 😉

So Symphony, and all the Gloriousness that is the Legend of Genie Shane, like it or not: here we come!

Posted
9 minutes ago, SweetPea said:

I *Still* Know What You Did Last Star Class cruise on Oasis. (That's for all you kids born in the 80s or before)

9 minutes ago, SweetPea said:

Superstore

Everyone else can focus on the Star Class stuff. The only part I can relate to is wanting to be near the SL... 5 steps from the entrance on Wonder in that one freeloading GS was glorious!

Until the shenanigans start... I'm here for the references that speak to me, lol.

Glad you decided to blog. Has Bayley responded to your e-mail yet? I have to plan my embarkation day MOM!

Posted

I'm on Symphony for the first time in Jan. I trust your judgement......for the most part 🤣...........so I am looking forward to your blog, even if it is just food, a small Hiro review and the suite. 

I say pack red, green and purple panties for the casino gods, according to your CFP/CPA you needs all the cash monies for retirement and the suite life. 

Posted

First...all those back up titles?! LOL! In the words of @asquared17 Goodbye!

5 hours ago, SweetPea said:

Hint: it was "define cheap and how many of these do i need to factor into your yearly spend, you idiots?" To be fair, 'you idiots' was implied .... 'Crazy,' on the other hand, did make its way into the convo. By me. This is when he thought $20K could get us 2-3 cruises in Star Class. Hilarious. It made me doubt the rest of his financial advice.

This sounds all too familiar...

5 hours ago, SweetPea said:

Mindy asked, "You want both?" An innocent question. 

 Personal experience tells me she knows you well enough that was a redundant question haha.

5 hours ago, SweetPea said:

Our sweet spot is 10-12 days but I’m not kicking 14 nights out of bed either.

OY has a good one in November 2025 that is 10 nights I think, out of NJ. Did you book that one? I cannot remember.

5 hours ago, SweetPea said:

with the Oasis Owner’s Panoramic being right around the corner from the suite lounge, I would leave him to get ready for the evening and go sit in the lounge by myself and happily have a filthy martini. The staff all knew me and would always ask after Batman. I would tell them the truth: he’s in the shower. They literally thought I was a shower widow. (They also never understood how I could be the one who was always ready first. That’s another story for another day). One night we actually showed up together and three of them ran up to us, one of them announcing that he was glad our marriage was still intact. 

My friend, we totally need to sail together because this is also me! I am always in the SL alone with my lemon drop martini, except I used be a shower widow, but now I am a flow widow.

5 hours ago, SweetPea said:

I honestly debated on whether to blog this one since, if you can't tell, my heart's not really in it.  But, if you've read my last blog, you've lived inside my head enough to know that something ridiculous or stupid is bound to happen. And I'm more than willing to share those moments when they happen, even risking my healthy marriage to do so. You're welcome. 

I am happy you are blogging! We all need a good laugh! I have already laughed so hard at your one post.

5 hours ago, SweetPea said:

“what do you mean, we’re Deck 8 aft? You LOVE the suite lounge! Where are you going to sit and have your pre-dinner drink?!”

I will be honest...The two times so far that we have had the Villa and ATS (on WN), I did not visit the SL as much as I usually do for pre-dinner drinks. And on Quantum class ships, I barely set foot in the SL.

Posted
28 minutes ago, Mrs. Regular said:

a little hesitant about the size

Don't be. I always tell people to think of it as Freedom class with added areas. Get off at Deck 8 and you'll be in Central Park. Get off on Deck 6 aft and you'll be by the Boardwalk. The rest is mostly just bigger versions of stuff you're likely used to and extra food venues.

Posted
14 hours ago, SMOKEY0202 said:

Let's Go and is Batman wrapping suitcases again in plastic?

Sure hope he remembers to pack underwear

Funny you should ask this. Hand to God he announced about 25 minutes ago that he checked the weather for Friday and says we should be clear and sunny so no need for waterproofing. We all know what havoc that caused last time ...

He SWEARS his undies are packed this time. He SAYS he's bringing 8 pairs but will probably only wear 4 (i  didn't ask ....). I'm thinking of packing a few for him, just in case ....

 

11 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

I trust your judgement......for the most part 🤣......

🤣🤣🤣🤣 i get it. I totally get it!

10 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

OY has a good one in November 2025 that is 10 nights I think, out of NJ. Did you book that one? I cannot remember.

We *almost* switched to this one when it was released for booking, but we are sticking with the Jan 5, 25 11- night sailing (Batman's birthday is Jan 6). The price we paid was actually less than this 7 night. 

10 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

I will be honest...The two times so far that we have had the Villa and ATS (on WN), I did not visit the SL as much as I usually do for pre-dinner drinks. And on Quantum class ships, I barely set foot in the SL.

IKR?! We are actually eating in CK twice just so i get my fix. Shane says we'll try a few places and see what works for my pre-dinner martini. 🤣🍸

 

8 hours ago, Mrs. Regular said:

I'm on SY in September from NJ so I've very interested in following along about your experience. This will be my first Oasis class and I am pumped but a little hesitant about the size. 

Oasis in September was our first time on a ship that large. And we too were a bit nervous but needn't have been. You're going to love it! The only thing i will say is that there is so much to do, a week isn't long enough! But the crowds are well managed, which was my primary concern!

Posted

Well way Batman is thinking on retirement sailing Suite Life, obviously his financial eyes and calculation hasn't looked at those god awful rates even for the bunker.  Maybe he is planning to keep working while you sail the high seas in retirement.   

Just was over at Next Cruise and literally almost choked on rates for a sailing.  Even picking a cabin down in drenches was outrageous.  Just to do a sunset Aft vernada, will need to sell a kidney and God knows what else when add airfare for across the pond .....

Posted
10 hours ago, SweetPea said:

Batman and I are both over 7-night cruises. They aren’t long enough for people like us who live our lives in 2-week increments. They almost feel over before they barely even start. Our sweet spot is 10-12 days but I’m not kicking 14 nights out of bed either.

i feel this. we just booked our first 11 night on ascent for december 2025 and i couldn’t be more delighted. if we didn’t hate quantum class so much, we would be more apt to a royal 8+ nighter. but we prefer newer ships and so it’s off to celebrity we go. 

10 hours ago, SweetPea said:

Aqua80 HAS to be the best

oh yes it is!!!!! the power of love!!!!!!!

10 hours ago, SweetPea said:

Fast forward to a few weeks ago:

Batman: “what do you mean, we’re Deck 8 aft? You LOVE the suite lounge! Where are you going to sit and have your pre-dinner drink?!”

Literally remembered NOTHING about him choosing the room. NOTHING. 

What

The 

Actual

#&$%$#*(@#

perhaps this is a condition not dissimilar from Male Refrigerator Blindness.

it strikes often when you convey that there is food in the fridge STARING THEM IN THE FACE….. and yet. it cannot be found. (until you come along and reveal it with a quick vanna white showing of jazz hands. 

10 hours ago, SweetPea said:

I will be waiting for him at the Trellis Bar or Dazzles.

VINTAGES!!!!!!!!!!

10 hours ago, SweetPea said:

and, undoubtedly hiding in a closet to blog so Batman never knows I’m blogging and nothing i post will require pre-approval ... or a divorce 😉

we go AGAIN!!!!!!

9 hours ago, SMOKEY0202 said:

Sure hope he remembers to pack underwear

you and me both, pal 😂🤣🤣

9 hours ago, SMOKEY0202 said:

Currently on Celebrity and it's become a swingers invasion heading to Bermuda

remind me to hide away when we’re on ascent….. 😅

6 hours ago, Sweety said:

When did green panties get in the mix???????

MY QUESTION EXACTLY!!!!

(thankfully @Ampurp85 to the rescue, as always)

5 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

First...all those back up titles?! LOL! In the words of @asquared17 Goodbye!

HONESTLY THOUGH!!!! 😂😂

3 hours ago, SweetPea said:

Hand to God he announced about 25 minutes ago that he checked the weather for Friday and says we should be clear and sunny so no need for waterproofing. We all know what havoc that caused last time ...

batman NO. DO NOT FALL TO A FATE OF OVERCONFIDENCE!!

repeat after me: IN UNDIES WE TRUST!!!!!!!

 

i am HERE FOR THIS!!! my favorite royal ship and my NJ twinness (just not in bedtimes and drinking habits; where we are polar opposites 😂🤣)

AND AWAY WE GO!!

Posted
42 minutes ago, LandstromCruise said:

Odyssey isn’t a bad ship. I did an 8nt southern on it and enjoyed. Still prefer Oasis class, but felt Odyssey was a good option. 

let me rephrase: odyssey is GORGEOUS. 

270 was our favorite place aboard! and our ocean view balcony was well appointed with storage and the unique location had staggered our neighbors on one side so it was very quiet  — we were spoiled in that regard.

however the bulk of our experiences aboard her were not great. 

also we are sunseekers and found the upper pool deck to be much like the esplanade; crowded and hectic. 

not having central park to get from one end to the other was brutal especially during peak times. 

she’s a one and done for us. 

 

17 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said:

I believe @asquared17 called OY the demon ship .........so goodbye forever........on that front😂😂.

GOODBYE FOREVER INDEED!!!!!!!

she is truly our demon ship* 😂😂😂 

but! i recognize that class and ship is a favorite of so many among the boards and i love that. something for everyone!!

 

* (official disclaimer: demon ships may vary for each cruiser. no demon ship experience is created equal, and as such, should be considered a highly subjective experience.)

Posted

Cruise Planner stalking:

Lowest drink package went was $72.99. Don't ask about the refreshment package. Do i look like a smoothie person to you?!

I'm not sure about the dining package. I tried to find anything on the FB group i made Batman join. We're T minus 48 hours and the page is nothing but pictures of ducks, ducks, and more ducks.

Here are PDCC fluctuations:

Not doing so well on sales Screenshot_20230312_203614_Freespoke.thumb.jpg.ef5119900aaea4d5fb7b4b5cf532c544.jpg

Obviously that didn't work out so well. I'm wondering if they actually sold one or just made the inventory look like they did. We made fun of this price on our Haven cruise. Some would-be Haven to Star converts literally LOL'd (do you rent that for the month?).

Screenshot_20240411_132444_Royal.thumb.jpg.050db4516c801d7175230adbea25aedd.jpg

 

Finally not terrible at this price but it didn't last long

Screenshot_20240522_142526_Royal.thumb.jpg.80f576634c5622e10948510889a7d1ff.jpg

They had one left and it went up again when the CP closed 

Screenshot_20240527_123017_Royal.thumb.jpg.ea2fefb8ae4e6be550ff1b3cb9119549.jpg

Posted

Yes, at one point the Hideout Cabanas were more than the OTW:

Screenshot_20240506_204310_Royal.thumb.jpg.c7c7b1f20e2e277b4e584e7e02a0aaf4.jpg

Fortunately we did not pay this price; it had gone up since we purchased it. 

I almost switched to the OTW cabana then, but we did that last time and i wanted to try something new, though i can't say that I'm THAT excited about it! Ideally, the heated pool would've been great in September but Hideaway wasn't open then. I can't see us going back to PDCC any time soon so i wanted to see it. I'm sure it's a once and done!

Posted

My sailing mid-September is maybe $10-$15 less for a Hideaway day pass and the beverage package was $69.99 in the Memorial Day sale. Day beds are at $399 and not on sale (remember when they used to be $149!?!?) and the Hideout cabanas are somewhere in the neighborhood of $2100. I'm looking forward to Hideaway since we have also done PDCC several times and this is something new.

Posted

Ok all, we here at Team Batman & SweetPea are limping along in our prep.

Current sitch: trying to convince Batman that he also brings a rolling carry on. He's complaining about running out of room (good grief, i don't even have room for treat bags!) but he's insisting that that we bring just one rolling bag to carry on. I'm going to win this in the end. Watch me!

Up next: cat wrestling  ...

Posted
4 minutes ago, SweetPea said:

The price i posted for the Hideaway passes are the lowest they went on our cruise

No matter how familiar I am with the pricing, the disparity between the deals I saw/see and the prices you did is still crazy.

Eagerly awaiting the cat wrestling even though I'm very unsure of what that entails, lol.

Posted
18 minutes ago, SweetPea said:

Day beds were also $399 and pretty much all of them sold out!

The price i posted for the Hideaway passes are the lowest they went on our cruise, so if yours are cheaper, I'd jump on it!

Oh I did! $30 for a day pass over the weekend. We are just going to grab the complimentary chairs and umbrellas on the beach somewhere between the cove and the pool and chill. We've done the beach beds in the past and I'm irritated Royal has caught onto how popular they are and jacked up the price. They only became popular because they set their regular cabana prices so high the beach beds were the next best option 🙄 I'm looking forward to reading your impressions of Hideaway!

Posted
36 minutes ago, SweetPea said:

trying to convince Batman that he also brings a rolling carry on. He's complaining about running out of room (good grief, i don't even have room for treat bags!) but he's insisting that that we bring just one rolling bag to carry on

sir. LEST WE FORGET. 

it was this flagrant overconfidence that resulted in a lack of undies for the week!!!!!!

pride goeth before the fall, and all that 😂

Posted

Cats have been wrestled. @Ampurp85, you must be lucky with Senator M! Our 2 are awful. We've had to cancel vet appointments because we couldn't get them into their carryalls. It's a 2-person job in this house, but it's done!

They are safely at my sister's. Safe, yes.  Happy? Well, the first 2 days she has them is always drama and then they don't want to come back home when we go pick them up. As Batman always says, "sigh!" 🐺🐺

I'm about to start cooking. Hmmph. This time tomorrow i should be about ready to have my filthy martini cocktail and i won't have to cook for a full week.  I think this alone is making me excited! 😍

Also, i just realized that i packed 2 pairs of shorts but no t-shirts. I'm thinking we should play what will SweetPea forget since i trusted Batman to pack everything i gave him ....

Posted

That’s still higher than my 5% off non-sale price ($31.99). My low for this one was $22.99 (and it was $19.99 in March). Craziness.

You lied about sending that letter to Bayley, didn't you? I’m not looking for deck 8 aft anymore.

Can’t even trust people you meet on Internet forums anymore… sad.

Posted

I'll have you know, despite marking my email as high priority and indicating 'URGENT' in the subject line, MBayley@rccl.com failed to respond ...

Maybe Shane can use his Genie  powers! 🤞

I have every intention of following your blog when you embark, but may not be real time. What time are you embarking? I'll have to see where we are both docked and hope for the best! I *will* find a way to wave to you. Too bad we aren't in PDCC together. Plenty of room in our cabana! 

And for the record, i do think we should've done a joint blog! Staggered embarkation. Different ships. What could go wrong?!

 

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...