My Odyssey into Fat Pants: The Final Frontier. 11 nights. Star Class. NJ weather in January. Every girl’s dream. (1/5 – 1/16/25)

[Lovetocruise2002]

1 hour ago, GatorCruiser said:

#GenXforlife

+1!! 

[OCSC Mike]

6 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

+1!! 

I’m sticking with xennial!

Gotta love the landline comment.

[InmyElement]

On 1/15/2025 at 10:30 PM, SweetPea said:

If you're GenEx like me and Batman and you were beaten and don't remember why half the time ... you can relate. (1969 and 1972 here. We remember the beatings well, but hardly ever what for.). If you're also GenX, do you find it frustrating like we do that your parents treated you as an obligation when you were growing up, but now that you're an adult, they can't get enough of you? Maybe it's just us. It's hard to balance sometimes.

+1 that was my childhood..

19 hours ago, SweetPea said:

Probably wasn't the best idea to get a brand new puppy on disembarkation day, but here we are.

How's it going with the puppy? I thought about it..we lost Buddy (hound lab mix) last year and I don't know if the the freeloaders could keep the new dog alive, while we travel   We (pending) or I want to do the Great Loop eventually ..a lot of people take their dogs along.

https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/great-loop.html

Enjoy Retirement!

@Lovetocruise2002's signature quote describes it perfectly...

[PPPJJ-GCVAB]

12 hours ago, OCSC Mike said:

I’m sticking with xennial!

Gotta love the landline comment.

I love this title!  Guess I can start calling my kids this!  They were born 1980…1981…1982!  
 

[Cactus527]

1 hour ago, PPPJJ-GCVAB said:

Gotta love the landline comment.

I can remember our first cordless phone - it had an antenna that was (I SWEAR) 2 feet long. It was AMAZING so I could talk to my friends away from my parents. I can't imagine trying to explain that to my kids now, LOL. 

[SweetPea]

Here's what I've learned in the past 24 hours. 

1) cats are way easier than dogs

2) male yorkies aren't the easiest to potty train

3) puppies prefer cat food, which presented its own issues since Silas (cat) is a grazer.

4) my first run at crate training for sleep time was at least a success. We got Emmet a canvas crate to put on our bed with a pee pad inside. Little guy slept through the entire night without a peep.  We were exhausted so were grateful for that. Pray for my night 2 attempt. 

5) we're dumber than i ever thought. We could've at least waited a month to finish unpacking, finish recovering, and completing the last of our exit work checklist.

Anyway, just received our survey and i did a copy and paste of the answer i provided them, when they wanted to know why i gave them a "4" for recommending Royal to a friend, and i thought I'd paste my thoughtful commentary here

 

Our friend and family group tends to prefer suites. You have to know that Royal Corporate has taken Star Class to new lows, and your Sky Class program does not compare to the Haven. Please know that everything I'm about to say is directly attributable to Royal CORPORATE and has nothing to do with the ship Genies who try so hard to work within CORPORATE direction. 

First, the Shoreside Genie was a disaster from our experience. We heard from our Shoreside Genie Jerryme exactly once. We'd never received our pre-cruise survey. We received our welcome email from Jerryme asking us to complete the survey if we hadn't  done so already, and to indicate our preferences for shows and dining.  Since this was the first time we saw the survey link, we completed it at that time and then responded with our preferences the next business day via email to Jerryme. Jerryme ghosted us and we never heard from him again after he made the initial contact. And yes i checked SPAM as well, even though i received the first email just fine. 

Thankfully, our Ship Genie was Rafael who called us to sort everything 5 days before our cruise. Rafael was great. Rafael had confirmed he received nothing about us from Jerryme. I would hope Jerryme doesn't treat all his guests that way, and i also hope you realize that this is not what your experienced Star Class cruisers have to come to expect. However, CORPORATE seemed to say, oh, you think the Shoreside Genie program is bad? Here, hold my beer, because as of November 1, 2024, Star Class guests are going to be treated the same as everyone else with the Unlimited Dining Package. CORPORATE has shown its true color of greed with this circus because you're diminishing perks while at the same time escalating prices no longer commensurate with the experience. We will NOT be booking another Star Class cruise while that new policy is in place. Charging an extra $15pp for Izumi for Star Class guests? Are you insane? We got a sneak peak at that when our Izumi waiter was new and not familiar with Star Class, and i assure you, it was NOT a good look. Rafael addressed that for us while onboard. 

Our next several cruises are in the Haven as a direct result of our Shoreside experience and the new changes to the Dining program. The ship Genies do everything they can to make things work the best they can, but CORPORATE seems to be gleefully tying one hand behind their backs. Your Sky Class program is not our cup of tea and we will never willingly choose that over the Haven.  Ever.  We are Royal Star Class or bust with Royal, and based on current downward trends, we see no reason to book Star over the Haven. 

Also, can we talk about the upstairs outlets in the Grand Loft? They are USELESS for any modern hair appliances as the plugs don't fit. This ship was designed in 2021 ... how do you not have outlets that can accommodate even your own provided hair dryer without a 90-degree adapter?

 

@Jax at least received a call. I've never received one and i don't expect to. But at least I've said my bit. I'm hoping others are drawing their line in the sand and determining when enough is enough. Otherwise, your Genie becomes nothing more than a personal assistant onboard who can save your seats.  

[GatorCruiser]

The haven is NCL? Or celebrity ?

[SMOKEY0202]

Its sad how Royal has shafted the perks so much but hikes the rates to God awful rates.

Glad you are home.  Picture of puppy?

With Haven, which ships on NCL do you recommend?  Need crash course in their classes of ships

[SweetPea]

Just now, GatorCruiser said:

The haven is NCL? Or celebrity ?

NCL Haven,  Celebrity Retreat. 

 

But good point. I'm assuming anyone worth their weight working for Royal would know the Haven. I hope!

[Lovetocruise2002]

3 minutes ago, GatorCruiser said:

The haven is NCL? Or celebrity ?

NCL

[GatorCruiser]

So how does NCL compare to celebrity ? 

[Lovetocruise2002]

@SweetPea we must have posted that at the same time lol 

While I was reading your last post, I was wondering if you and Batman had ever considered the Retreat. Surprisingly or not surprisingly, we really enjoyed it in August. And our experience was not even on an Edge class ship. The only thing that holds us back is no FlowRider but you don’t have that problem.

[SweetPea]

1 minute ago, SMOKEY0202 said:

Its sad how Royal has shafted the perks so much but hikes the rates to God awful rates.

Glad you are home.  Picture of puppy?

With Haven, which ships on NCL do you recommend?  Need crash course in their classes of ships

Emmet! 

 

 

Here's your crash course on the Haven:

No Haven: Star, Dawn, Sun, Sky, Pride of America. I would still sail any of these over Royals older ships because at least when NCL refurbs, they actually include staterooms in the upgrades. Also if you book a suite, you still get a butler, just no Haven access. 

Haven lite (no Haven lounge, restaurant, or bar, just a Courtyard): Jewel class, Jewel, Gem, Jade, Pearl. We here at Team SweetPea and Batman do not recommend this Haven unless you are booking an OS, DOS, or the Garden Villa which puts any Royal suite to shame. 

Then you have the Epic. Sadly all our Epic cruises have been canceled either due to lockdown or repositioning. But this is one of a kind and people seem to enjoy the Haven, but not so much the ship. 

Breakaway Class: Breakaway and Getaway. These have nice Havens, but they aren't as nice as Breakaway Plus class which is our sweet spot.

Here in the Breakaway Plus class, you have the Escape, the Bliss, the Encore, and the Joy. 

The Escape is the first in the class and is a bit different in that it has staterooms on the forward section of Deck 17 whereas all the others have an Observation Lounge just for Haven guests (Horizon Lounge). This is like 270 with all the windows, but forward.  Always snacks, coffee machine, bar service, comfy chairs. We will book Breakaway Plus whenever possible. The Haven will also have its own restaurant, bar, courtyard, sundeck, and sauna. 

Then you have the Prima and Prima Plus class which turns the Haven concept on its ear. All Havens are forward except for these classes (Prima, Viva, Aqua), which moves the Haven aft. However in doing so, there are no rooms within Haven proper. You must take an elevator to the Haven area. On Breakaway Plus, you can walk right outside your room to get to the Haven bar/ lounge/"pool", etc.  That takes the cake for us. In the Prima/Prima+ class you might be staying on decks 12-15 while the Haven starts on Deck 16, for example. We're not exactly eager to try these. 

There is just something about leaving Batman to get ready in peace in the room while i exit the stateroom and am 15 paces away from the lounge. We never set our to cruise to make friends, but somehow in the Haven we always meet our people. Our next cruise is on the Escape with all the families we met on the Joy last August. 

If you are seriously considering, please reach out. I'm happy to walk you through anything. 

 

 

 

 

[SweetPea]

26 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

@SweetPea we must have posted that at the same time lol 

While I was reading your last post, I was wondering if you and Batman had ever considered the Retreat. Surprisingly or not surprisingly, we really enjoyed it in August. And our experience was not even on an Edge class ship. The only thing that holds us back is no FlowRider but you don’t have that problem.

Ha, you're right about the FlowRider!

We're waiting for a decent ship to come to Bayonne (ain't nobody got time for the Summit), and then we're all over it. I'd love for them to send Edge to NJ for a few sailings. 

[GatorCruiser]

4 minutes ago, SweetPea said:

Emmet! 

 

 

Here's your crash course on the Haven:

No Haven: Star, Dawn, Sun, Sky, Pride of America. I would still sail any of these over Royals older ships because at least when NCL refurbs, they actually include staterooms in the upgrades. Also if you book a suite, you still get a butler, just no Haven access. 

Haven lite (no Haven lounge, restaurant, or bar, just a Courtyard): Jewel class, Jewel, Gem, Jade, Pearl. We here at Team SweetPea and Batman do not recommend this Haven unless you are booking an OS, DOS, or the Garden Villa which puts any Royal suite to shame. 

Then you have the Epic. Sadly all our Epic cruises have been canceled either due to lockdown or repositioning. But this is one of a kind and people seem to enjoy the Haven, but not so much the ship. 

Breakaway Class: Breakaway and Getaway. These have nice Havens, but they aren't as nice as Breakaway Plus class which is our sweet spot.

Here in the Breakaway Plus class, you have the Escape, the Bliss, the Encore, and the Joy. 

The Escape is the first in the class and is a bit different in that it has staterooms on the forward section of Deck 17 whereas all the others have an Observation Lounge just for Haven guests (Horizon Lounge). This is like 270 with all the windows, but forward.  Always snacks, coffee machine, bar service, comfy chairs. We will book Breakaway Plus whenever possible. The Haven will also have its own restaurant, bar, courtyard, sundeck, and sauna. 

Then you have the Prima and Prima Plus class which turns the Haven concept on its ear. All Havens are forward except for these classes (Prima, Viva, Aqua), which moves the Haven aft. However in doing so, there are no rooms within Haven proper. You must take an elevator to the Haven area. On Breakaway Plus, you can walk right outside your room to get to the Haven bar/ lounge/"pool", etc.  That takes the cake for us. In the Prima/Prima+ class you might be staying on decks 12-15 while the Haven starts on Deck 16, for example. We're not exactly eager to try these. 

There is just something about leaving Batman to get ready in peace in the room while i exit the stateroom and am 15 paces away from the lounge. We never set our to cruise to make friends, but somehow in the Haven we always meet our people. Our next cruise is on the Escape with all the families we met on the Joy last August. 

If you are seriously considering, please reach out. I'm happy to walk you through anything. 

 

 

 

 

Thank you for taking time to give me an in service, much appreciated 

[Sweety]

7 minutes ago, SweetPea said:

Emmet! 

 

 

Here's your crash course on the Haven:

No Haven: Star, Dawn, Sun, Sky, Pride of America. I would still sail any of these over Royals older ships because at least when NCL refurbs, they actually include staterooms in the upgrades. Also if you book a suite, you still get a butler, just no Haven access. 

Haven lite (no Haven lounge, restaurant, or bar, just a Courtyard): Jewel class, Jewel, Gem, Jade, Pearl. We here at Team SweetPea and Batman do not recommend this Haven unless you are booking an OS, DOS, or the Garden Villa which puts any Royal suite to shame. 

Then you have the Epic. Sadly all our Epic cruises have been canceled either due to lockdown or repositioning. But this is one of a kind and people seem to enjoy the Haven, but not so much the ship. 

Breakaway Class: Breakaway and Getaway. These have nice Havens, but they aren't as nice as Breakaway Plus class which is our sweet spot.

Here in the Breakaway Plus class, you have the Escape, the Bliss, the Encore, and the Joy. 

The Escape is the first in the class and is a bit different in that it has staterooms on the forward section of Deck 17 whereas all the others have an Observation Lounge just for Haven guests (Horizon Lounge). This is like 270 with all the windows, but forward.  Always snacks, coffee machine, bar service, comfy chairs. We will book Breakaway Plus whenever possible. The Haven will also have its own restaurant, bar, courtyard, sundeck, and sauna. 

Then you have the Prima and Prima Plus class which turns the Haven concept on its ear. All Havens are forward except for these classes (Prima, Viva, Aqua), which moves the Haven aft. However in doing so, there are no rooms within Haven proper. You must take an elevator to the Haven area. On Breakaway Plus, you can walk right outside your room to get to the Haven bar/ lounge/"pool", etc.  That takes the cake for us. In the Prima/Prima+ class you might be staying on decks 12-15 while the Haven starts on Deck 16, for example. We're not exactly eager to try these. 

There is just something about leaving Batman to get ready in peace in the room while i exit the stateroom and am 15 paces away from the lounge. We never set our to cruise to make friends, but somehow in the Haven we always meet our people. Our next cruise is on the Escape with all the families we met on the Joy last August. 

If you are seriously considering, please reach out. I'm happy to walk you through anything. 

 

 

 

 

Emmet looks like my Sweetie. He is handsome.

[MaryS]

17 minutes ago, SweetPea said:

We're waiting for a decent ship to come to Bayonne (ain't nobody got time for the Summit), and then we're all over it. I'd love for them to send Edge to NJ for a few sailings.

Summit was okay for my very first solo cruise to Bermuda back in 2018.  Now I want an Edge class for Bayonne too after going on the Ascent last January!!

[asquared17]

@SweetPea cannot have summit as her entry into celebrity, she’ll curse us all

13 minutes ago, MaryS said:

Now I want an Edge class for Bayonne too after going on the Ascent last January!!

gosh i should probably start my ascent blog one of these days….

[InmyElement]

Wow..great insight..Thanks! We've never experienced a Genie or Haven. I guess we have a lot to do..

Bring some of those ships to BAYONNE!!!

[WAAAYTOOO]

 

For @SweetPea.  On Wonder 

[asquared17]

i’m cackling!!!

[PPPJJ-GCVAB]

too funny!  Love the blue nails Raye!

[SweetPea]

2 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

 

For @SweetPea.  On Wonder 

I LOVE it!!!! Did Dan take that for you? Did he ask why?!

[WAAAYTOOO]

1 hour ago, PPPJJ-GCVAB said:

too funny!  Love the blue nails Raye!

Thanks…but they are waaay overdue to be “done”.  I had them done on 1-10 just before we boarded OA and haven’t been back to the nail salon since !   I just didn’t have time before we left on Wonder…and I only have 1 night between Wonder and UT so they’re probably going to have to wait until 2-14.  We board EX on 2-16 so I will have to diddy it up to the salon as soon as we get home.  This pace is really starting to get to me…

[WAAAYTOOO]

1 hour ago, SweetPea said:

I LOVE it!!!! Did Dan take that for you? Did he ask why?!

Yes and yes.  I showed him your pic…he howled !

[GatorCruiser]

Simply amazing how much you cruise. What a life. I need to retire early. 

[Lovetocruise2002]

37 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

Thanks…but they are waaay overdue to be “done”.  I had them done on 1-10 just before we boarded OA and haven’t been back to the nail salon since !   I just didn’t have time before we left on Wonder…and I only have 1 night between Wonder and UT so they’re probably going to have to wait until 2-14.  We board EX on 2-16 so I will have to diddy it up to the salon as soon as we get home.  This pace is really starting to get to me…

JEALOUS! Not of the overdue visit to the salon, but of the pace! I want to be like @WAAAYTOOO!

33 minutes ago, GatorCruiser said:

Simply amazing how much you cruise. What a life. I need to retire early. 

YES! +1

[OCSC Mike]

36 minutes ago, GatorCruiser said:

I need to retire early.

+1000000

[Ampurp85]

Raye, I love the little paw print on your Pinnacle pin. Also, my brother ate that olive spread up every time we were in CK. I thought it smelled funny 

[Pooch]

18 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

 

For @SweetPea.  On Wonder 

OMG we have the same haircut!!  6 more weeks!

[Saiwung]

Thank you for this blog. We will be on Odyssey next winter in the same room. Sad to hear about the cutbacks to Star Class; hopefully things improve.

[SweetPea]

10 hours ago, Saiwung said:

Thank you for this blog. We will be on Odyssey next winter in the same room. Sad to hear about the cutbacks to Star Class; hopefully things improve.

Hi! Oh my, even though we're retired, we're busier than ever and I've lost touch for a bit!

But since you are staying in this same room, let me offer two pieces of what to bring along. 

1) 90-degree outlet adapter for upstairs (because the upstairs outlets are ridic.). Seriously terrible.  

2) Motion sensor light like this for the upstairs bath.  This mirror is above the bed upstairs.

 

It's the back half of the bathroom light and does light up when you put the bathroom light on.  It has the ability to wake up your partner if you need the bath in the middle of the night, so i wound up using my cellphone light. However, we have the light linked above in our bath at home and i wish we'd have brought it. 

 

 

[InmyElement]

On 3/3/2025 at 11:10 PM, SweetPea said:

Hi! Oh my, even though we're retired, we're busier than ever and I've lost touch for a bit!

 

So, hows retirement??? Isn't it crazy?? I still can't explain what a relief it is..and you stay busier than ever..I even got a "fun" retirement job...hope all is well.

[SweetPea]

1 hour ago, InmyElement said:

So, hows retirement??? Isn't it crazy?? I still can't explain what a relief it is..and you stay busier than ever..I even got a "fun" retirement job...hope all is well.

Hey! What kind of fun job did you get?! I keep telling Batman that he needs to go work at the local liquor store for the discount.

Retirement is great! No regrets! We've just been busy with all the admin stuff that comes with retirement... insurance changes, 401k rollovers, etc. 

And Emmet who is quite the ladies man in our neighborhood. He's a handful. 

But sadly, we've been mainly busy because my FIL had a stroke and he lives in TN alone (his choice. He moved away from Batman and his sister 35 years ago or so). So we've been back and forth from NJ to TN. We're actually on our way to TN again now. Thankfully, Emmet is great in the car! We left right at 10am and only have 2 hours, 45 minutes to go. My butt hurts.

 

But i also haven't been around much since we don't have a single Royal cruise on the books! But i do need to catch up on everyone's adventures!

[WAAAYTOOO]

1 hour ago, SweetPea said:

My butt hurts.

 

[asquared17]

EMMET

[Pooch]

@SweetPea sorry about your FIL.  Hubby’s mom has been in a nursing home since the pandemic (we lost his father to it) and she’s been overall good.  Physically well but she has dementia.  Roger goes to see her every week and we bring her home for the holidays but it’s been getting much harder.  Last week we were told to be sure arrangements were in order as her decline is getting worse.  She’ll be 92 next Sunday.  I am (selfishly) hoping she doesn’t pass while we’re on the cruise.

On a brighter note, @asquared17 will be so proud of me!  5 dresses and a new bathing suit for the cruise!!  I’m gonna be old lady styling!!!  10 day @WAAAYTOOO.  See you at Chops!

[WAAAYTOOO]

1 hour ago, Pooch said:

  10 day @WAAAYTOOO.  See you at Chops!

Can’t wait !

[Pooch]

Hubby asked why Pinnacles would want to slum with us lowly Diamonds

[WAAAYTOOO]

3 minutes ago, Pooch said:

Hubby asked why Pinnacles would want to slum with us lowly Diamonds

Because we all used to be Diamonds, too !