Royal Suite - Star Class Benefits Shrinking??

[RFerrington]

I just returned from a Star Class cruise on Harmony and my experience was - that no amenities have been removed from the Star Class program. If anything, there were more than I expected. While the "new" Star Class brochure indicates only 1 day of Thermal Spa access, our Genie told us to go to the Thermal Spa as often as we wanted and that he would take care of any charges that might appear. We did NOT do this...we just went 1 day...but we could have gone more often had we wanted to do that.

 

Everything at Starbucks was included except for the pastries. Wine-by-the glass was included at Vintages. We were told that if we ordered any beverages that exceeded the $13 threshold we would be charged for the excess but that never happened even though we ordered numerous drinks that exceeded $13.

 

The one and only shortcoming that we noted from our Genie was the fact that he did not even discuss or mention Luggage Valet to us. Had we not known, on our own, that we needed to get our paperwork in by a certain deadline (in our case, it was Wednesday, noon) we would have missed this perk entirely. The form never appeared in our Suite. We had to go and get it at GS. When we approached our Genie about LV he seemed to know nothing at all about how it works or how he could have assisted with getting our reservation finalized. This was a serious problem, IMO. The Genies should be familiar with the LV program and know how to get their customers signed up (if they are interested). He also did not mention in-suite movies, but we didn't use any of those so it wasn't a problem for us. The Genie should (IMO) go over every amenity that the Star Class guest is entitled to and make sure that the guest is able to take advantage of any that they are interested in.

 

We were traveling with a couple of friends who were also staying in a Star Class Suite and the most impressive part of our Star experience was how the 2 Genies worked together to make all of our cruise such a pleasure. We called their Genie and number of times and they called our Genie a number of times and everything was always 100% coordinated. It was masterful. What a wonderful week we had !. And OBTW, their Genie also did not know about the LV program but luckily we got them all signed up so everyone was A-OK with the luggage issue.

 

Not sure I will cruise again unless I am in the Star Class. It was THAT good.

[JBC11]

This thread has been so useful, would love to see more reviews. I am sailing on Symphony in September SC from Barcelona, now really looking forward to it.

Thanks

John :):D:p

[RocketMan275]

I just returned from a Star Class cruise on Harmony and my experience was - that no amenities have been removed from the Star Class program. If anything, there were more than I expected. While the "new" Star Class brochure indicates only 1 day of Thermal Spa access, our Genie told us to go to the Thermal Spa as often as we wanted and that he would take care of any charges that might appear. We did NOT do this...we just went 1 day...but we could have gone more often had we wanted to do that.

 

Everything at Starbucks was included except for the pastries. Wine-by-the glass was included at Vintages. We were told that if we ordered any beverages that exceeded the $13 threshold we would be charged for the excess but that never happened even though we ordered numerous drinks that exceeded $13.

 

The one and only shortcoming that we noted from our Genie was the fact that he did not even discuss or mention Luggage Valet to us. Had we not known, on our own, that we needed to get our paperwork in by a certain deadline (in our case, it was Wednesday, noon) we would have missed this perk entirely. The form never appeared in our Suite. We had to go and get it at GS. When we approached our Genie about LV he seemed to know nothing at all about how it works or how he could have assisted with getting our reservation finalized. This was a serious problem, IMO. The Genies should be familiar with the LV program and know how to get their customers signed up (if they are interested). He also did not mention in-suite movies, but we didn't use any of those so it wasn't a problem for us. The Genie should (IMO) go over every amenity that the Star Class guest is entitled to and make sure that the guest is able to take advantage of any that they are interested in.

 

We were traveling with a couple of friends who were also staying in a Star Class Suite and the most impressive part of our Star experience was how the 2 Genies worked together to make all of our cruise such a pleasure. We called their Genie and number of times and they called our Genie a number of times and everything was always 100% coordinated. It was masterful. What a wonderful week we had !. And OBTW, their Genie also did not know about the LV program but luckily we got them all signed up so everyone was A-OK with the luggage issue.

 

Not sure I will cruise again unless I am in the Star Class. It was THAT good.

 

Is it correct that Star class also allows for in suite delivery of any specialty restaurant during the hours that restaurant is open?

[MadamG2U]

This thread is so helpful. Thank you to all. We are sailing Star Class in Nov. would love to read more about others experiences.

 

MadamG2U

[irishgal432]

Is it correct that Star class also allows for in suite delivery of any specialty restaurant during the hours that restaurant is open?

 

Yes. The only issue may be embarkation day. We were told no to having Sushi in our room upon arrival, but after clarification we had it delivered around 1 after we ran and unpacked. you can also have drinks delivered. we ordered vintages and I had Cava delivered with it. I ordered Sabor and had a magarita delivered from there.

[RocketMan275]

Yes. The only issue may be embarkation day. We were told no to having Sushi in our room upon arrival, but after clarification we had it delivered around 1 after we ran and unpacked. you can also have drinks delivered. we ordered vintages and I had Cava delivered with it. I ordered Sabor and had a magarita delivered from there.

 

Thank you for your reply. We're really looking forward to specialty dining room service.

Were the items with an upcharge (sea food tower, etc.) included?

Were there any charges for the drinks?

Were you able to order wine by the bottle?

[CruiseRook91]

While I only read most of the pages of the thread, I see that there is a lot of "they didn't do their homework before making changes" and what not and you have to remember a few things (coming from a Director at a Luxury Hotel)...

 

1) Eventually with major changes, you have to just cut off the benefits. If you keep grandfathering in and making exceptions, it will never stop. People who are cruising star class and haven't in 5 years will ask for the benefit and get it and then 2 years later say "well they made the exception last time, why is it different now?" Eventually you have to just go cold turkey even if it pisses people off. Also, this is a multi-billion dollar company, they've done their research and know what they are doing. There are always going to be leaks and tough ones who don't read their emails; it often takes 6 months to a year to get some minor information consistent throughout all associates.

 

2) In hospitality, very few things are black and white. Things like smoking fees, taxes, etc. there isn't much that can be done. But for loyal members or suite level guests, there are definitely exceptions that can and will be made. At the end of the day, we want guests to be happy and if there is a rule that can be bent or an exception that can be made, we will do our best to make it. The important thing is to be kind, calm, and courteous. The second you come storming up and throwing a fit over something that doesn't necessarily require it, you have lost the battle and will get far less good treatment than you want or expect. People come up to the front desk throwing around bad language and screaming and they expect the team to treat them like this is normal behavior. You will get a lot farther with sugar than with salt.

[RFerrington]

Thank you for your reply. We're really looking forward to specialty dining room service.

Were the items with an upcharge (sea food tower, etc.) included?

Were there any charges for the drinks?

Were you able to order wine by the bottle?

 

Yes, the seafood towers are included but beware. They are HUGE. 3 of us (adults) didn’t even make a dent in the large one. All upcharge items in all restaurants are included. I think the single exception is the wine pairing at Chops but I haven’t even seen that offered recently so I’m not even sure that’s still a “thing”. The pastries at Starbucks aren’t included but all beverages are. To my knowledge those are the only things not included for SC. And yes, anything you want can be delivered to your suite during normal restaurant operating hours. They are hesitant to bring orders from more than 1 specialty restaurant at a time but they have done it on a limited basis for us.

 

All beverages are included at no additional charge up to the beverage package limit. Truth be told, we have never been charged for drinks that exceeded the limit but I know that some have, so I would expect that anything over the package limit would be charged.

 

Oddly, you can have liquor drinks delivered to your suite but they will not bring you bottles of liquor (at least, not for free). That makes no sense to me but those are the rules. Bottles of wine can be purchased with the same discounts applicable that those with the PDP receive.

 

The truth is, there is almost nothing that you cannot have and it can all be consumed anywhere on the ship that you want it INCLUDING other specialty restaurants. Routinely we get some cream of mushroom soup with our meals at either Giovanni’s/Jaimie’s or 150 CP and we always ask for red velvet cake from Chops for dessert no matter where we’re dining. You can do this anytime, not just when you’re SC.

[RocketMan275]

Yes, the seafood towers are included but beware. They are HUGE. 3 of us (adults) didn’t even make a dent in the large one. All upcharge items in all restaurants are included. I think the single exception is the wine pairing at Chops but I haven’t even seen that offered recently so I’m not even sure that’s still a “thing”. The pastries at Starbucks aren’t included but all beverages are. To my knowledge those are the only things not included for SC. And yes, anything you want can be delivered to your suite during normal restaurant operating hours. They are hesitant to bring orders from more than 1 specialty restaurant at a time but they have done it on a limited basis for us.

 

All beverages are included at no additional charge up to the beverage package limit. Truth be told, we have never been charged for drinks that exceeded the limit but I know that some have, so I would expect that anything over the package limit would be charged.

 

Oddly, you can have liquor drinks delivered to your suite but they will not bring you bottles of liquor (at least, not for free). That makes no sense to me but those are the rules. Bottles of wine can be purchased with the same discounts applicable that those with the PDP receive.

 

The truth is, there is almost nothing that you cannot have and it can all be consumed anywhere on the ship that you want it INCLUDING other specialty restaurants. Routinely we get some cream of mushroom soup with our meals at either Giovanni’s/Jaimie’s or 150 CP and we always ask for red velvet cake from Chops for dessert no matter where we’re dining. You can do this anytime, not just when you’re SC.

 

Appreciate the additional information. Question: would the seafood tower be sufficient for four adults?

 

We are cruising with the wife's son and his wife. The wife wants this to be very special for them. We had originally booked two one bedroom suites when I noticed that we could combine the booking into one two bedroom suite and reap the star class benefits for a very modest increase. ($68 total)

 

We're not excited about the MDR or even CK. The two kids are more the dining out kind. Step son will bring his tuxedo so I think he and his will be doing the formal night thing while us old folks will enjoy a quiet room service evening with a good wine on the balcony.

 

Mother and son are already talking about enjoying breakfast on the balcony.

 

It will be awhile but can't wait for the Genie to contact us. Need some recommendations for the kids on formal nights and a recommendation for celebrating our anniversary which isn't on a formal night. (good for us.)

[RFerrington]

Yes, IMO the large seafood tower plus some small sides would be more than enough for 4 adults. Beautiful thing is, if it starts to look like it won’t be enough, just order more !

 

You got a GREAT deal if you upgraded 2 Sky Class suites for a SC suite for $68 ! I can’t even tell you how much MORE you will be getting for $68. The only downside is that the second bedroom is pretty small and there are no windows so it’s rather dreary but the rest of the suite more than makes up for it. Be sure and take advantage of the balcony for dining. Breakfast is especially nice out there since it’s still relatively cool. It can get pretty toasty out there on the evenings/afternoons. We had a standing breakfast order every morning. It acted as a kind of wake up call and allowed us to utilize the balcony a lot which was a win-win. Remember that the Genie can throw a heck of a party out there. The Genie will order whatever food and drinks you want and room service brings everything you need (plates, silverware, napkins, glasses) and then comes and cleans it all up !

[irishgal432]

Appreciate the additional information. Question: would the seafood tower be sufficient for four adults?

 

We are cruising with the wife's son and his wife. The wife wants this to be very special for them. We had originally booked two one bedroom suites when I noticed that we could combine the booking into one two bedroom suite and reap the star class benefits for a very modest increase. ($68 total)

 

We're not excited about the MDR or even CK. The two kids are more the dining out kind. Step son will bring his tuxedo so I think he and his will be doing the formal night thing while us old folks will enjoy a quiet room service evening with a good wine on the balcony.

 

Mother and son are already talking about enjoying breakfast on the balcony.

 

It will be awhile but can't wait for the Genie to contact us. Need some recommendations for the kids on formal nights and a recommendation for celebrating our anniversary which isn't on a formal night. (good for us.)

 

Did you have lose the deposit and/or have to pay the 100.00 change fee since you were cancelling a reservation to go into the Star Suite.

[RocketMan275]

Yes, IMO the large seafood tower plus some small sides would be more than enough for 4 adults. Beautiful thing is, if it starts to look like it won’t be enough, just order more !

 

You got a GREAT deal if you upgraded 2 Sky Class suites for a SC suite for $68 ! I can’t even tell you how much MORE you will be getting for $68. The only downside is that the second bedroom is pretty small and there are no windows so it’s rather dreary but the rest of the suite more than makes up for it. Be sure and take advantage of the balcony for dining. Breakfast is especially nice out there since it’s still relatively cool. It can get pretty toasty out there on the evenings/afternoons. We had a standing breakfast order every morning. It acted as a kind of wake up call and allowed us to utilize the balcony a lot which was a win-win. Remember that the Genie can throw a heck of a party out there. The Genie will order whatever food and drinks you want and room service brings everything you need (plates, silverware, napkins, glasses) and then comes and cleans it all up !

 

I was surprised too at the extremely small price difference. I'm not concerned about the smaller bedroom. I'm paying so I get first choice.

 

We're thinking it would be great to have dinner on the balcony while watching the water show.

[RocketMan275]

Did you have lose the deposit and/or have to pay the 100.00 change fee since you were cancelling a reservation to go into the Star Suite.

No, forfeiture. You can upgrade a reservation without penalty. RCCI considered this was 'upgrading' not 'cancelling'. When you consider the advantages of SC, I would have been willing to pay the change fees.

[Ourusualbeach]

Did you have lose the deposit and/or have to pay the 100.00 change fee since you were cancelling a reservation to go into the Star Suite.

As long as you don’t change ship or sail date there won’t be a fee. A reservation is not cancelled, just changed.