spooky981

I had the unlimited dining plan on Wonder and ate at Coastal Kitchen four times total. The breakfasts were better than the dinners. It ranked towards the lower half of all the restaurants on the ship in my opinion. Still good and worth visiting, but not as tasty as places like Izumi or 150 Central Park. The only meal we regretted during the entire trip was Hooked. Maybe we just ordered the wrong food because some people swear by it.

I think it has more to do with your class than it does your room. As star class back in 2022 we just walked past every single line we were faced with. It was incredible.

You purchased trip insurance specifically for this reason. As far as I'm concerned, that passport was stolen until you discover otherwise.

We sleep with white noise and couldn't hear any of the shows. If there was no white noise, we would be able to hear it, but we would probably be able to sleep through it. If there is no show on, noise is not a consideration at all.

Time is the most valuable resource. I have more money than I have time to spend it. Two kids at home, a half dozen games and practices every weekend, we get about one date night per month and that's it. We also spend a lot of our vacation time caring for sick kids, attending their field trips, and taking a friday off for a long weekend at the shore. We get one major vacation per year, and the kids are the perfect ages for cruising. So we go big, and usually spend about $30,000 to be Star class in a very spacious and comfortable suite with separate bedrooms. The two bedroom aquatheater suite has been a big hit for us, but we're trying the royal loft suite for the first time next year, and an Icon Loft suite in 2025. It is the only seven days of real vacation I'll take all year so there's no point in cutting corners. We don't deserve pity for our situation. Lots of parents are in the phase where kids overwhelm their time and don't leave room for much else. We're lucky that our jobs pay so well that we have no financial concerns. In the absence of children we would probably go on a vacation every three months, and probably make them a bit more modest as a result.

This is actually the case FOR having a Genie. Without a Genie you've got to make reservations and stick to a general itinerary. Having a Genie means you don't need to have plans at all. The moment you're ready to do something, you send a text to them, and it's done. You have the maximum flexibility.

You can pretty much buy everything Star Class gives you a la carte except for the Genie. There is an incredible premium to be paid over the standard cruise fare, but some people are fortunate enough where TIME is the most valuable resource. A few thousand dollars extra on a cruise is nothing because there's only enough time for one or two vacations per year. With the Genie you don't have to make any plans at all. We had a couple drinks at Happy Hour and decided suddenly that instead of Giovanni's we wanted to do Izumi Hibachi which was booked solid for the entire cruise. Our Genie escorted us to the best seat in the house with about five minutes of warning. We really wanted Johnny Rockets milkshakes but the comedy show was starting too soon to get them. Our Genie gave us front row seats to the show and about ten minutes later an employee brought us those milkshakes. The next morning my kids really wanted to ride the Ultimate Abyss. Our Genie arranged employees to be at the top and bottom about five minutes before the published opening time so they could ride it twice. A similar thing was done for us on the Flo Rider. We were personally walked onto and off of the ship at every single port, skipping very long lines. The Monkey and Sloth encounter had been sold out for six months. One word to our Genie and the entire family was able to go. Somehow an appetizer and two drinks were charged to our room. The Genie was auditing our statements every day and had those removed without even telling us. I reiterate: The Genie allows you to go on these trips without making any plans at all. Every moment of the cruise is spent on enjoyment because everything else is taken care of for you.

If I recall there were two or four units. At least one was available at all times. I don't remember any type of reservation system. I was not visiting the gym during peak times though. As an actual Peloton owner I know there are 2-3 classes preloaded on to the machines so they can be used even without internet access. But I also suspect Royal Caribbean will have a special commercial application running on these machines instead of the residential one. I suspect you'll be able to walk up and start using it just fine. Suggestion for first time user: Do at least a 30 minute class, possibly even 45 minutes. You can't get a workout in 20 minutes. Everyone has their own likes and dislikes but the best teachers are generally the ones that have been around longest: Alex Touissant, Cody Rigsby, Robin Arzon. Don't do a Power Zone class, you don't know what your power zones are yet so none of it would make sense to you.

The lower the floor, the larger the suite and the balcony become. Matters more for the 2BR suites than the 1BR suites, but it still matters.

So people who have done new ship bookings before, does this become live at midnight tonight or at like 8am EST tomorrow morning?

So people who have done new ship booking before, does this become live at midnight tonight or at like 8am EST tomorrow?

Suites with multiple bedrooms get you Sky and Star class though. I'd be fine with standard connecting rooms but we would lose all those perks.

Precious few options available for two bedrooms. That is crippling for a family ship.

I've poured through all of the details but I can't find information on what rooms will be available. I'd like to pre-plan in anticipation of booking on Monday.

You're Star Class dude. Don't make any reservations, just give your Genie a heads up an hour before you want to eat dinner and choose anywhere you want. Reservations are for people who aren't Star Clsas. You paid a ton of extra money for that flexibility. Use it.

I don't think there was any option at all for full meals for the kids. If we had a date night we would just order room service for the kids so they were fed before drop off. My trip was in March when they were still taking COVID very seriously so there was no travel around the ship at all. That could have changed by now though. I know long before COVID the kids would leave the room for different events or trips. We didn't use daycare for port days so I can't answer your last question.

Just show up during one of the sessions and they'll take your kids. You just register on the first day and that allows you to come as many times as you want. The 8 year old is not going to want to be in Aquanauts, and even if you were able to get an exception I think a 4 year old is too young to be in the 6+ age group. So it is both very unlikely that you'll get an exception and probably not a good idea even if you could. On the Wonder of the Seas I got a phone when I dropped the kids off. I mostly just got a couple texts asking if they could have snacks, and otherwise they never called it.

I have a document that says long Caribbean cruises would be released this week, but it has disappeared from the website I got it from. I am starting to suspect that nothing is going to be released this week.

If you like light beer then Royal Caribbean is the place for you. They have a great selection of beers that unfortunately are only very subtly different. Blue Moon is about as dark and flavorful as their selection gets though. You have to go to Playmakers where they have a bunch of fun stuff on draft to find anything interesting.

I did but I had a Genie who probably had something to do with it.

Don't pay all that money and not take advantage of the Genie's benefits. My Genie escorted my family all over the ship, we hardly ever waited in line, and most importantly it was never obvious that we were being treated special. I'd probably say we dodged a total of eight hours of standing in line. There was only one time where things got uncomfortable. Our Genie escorted us off the ship in Honduras past what must have been close to 500 passengers who were lined up. When we got to the front there was a brief stop because somebody had fallen down, and it was just enough time that people started to accuse us of cutting the line (which I guess is true). Our Genie immediately defused the situation by saying she was an employee and that we were instructed to follow her. The only other time you can tell someone is star class is when they sit in reserved seats. But that only lasts a moment, because as soon as you arrive the "RESERVED - STAR CLASS" towel is removed from the seat. You're paying a lot of money for Star Class, use it to the fullest or drop down to Sky Class.