Benefits of Star

[Smooth_J]

So this is not the normal question related to the differences between Sky and Star, however I am looking for some convincing/justification as I personally don’t see the added benefits of Star.

 

Complimentary Specialty Restaurants - family is perfectly fine at the MDR or even Costal.

 

Complimentary Ultimate/Refreshment Beverage Package - we don't drink, and we are diamond plus anyway.

 

Royal Genie - while having someone you can personally contact is nice, we found the concierge pretty helpful.

[Spurschick]

Honestly from our experience it’s a waste of money. Been there done that won’t do it again unless we get a Royal up. Our genie was not interested. Priory’s seating at comedy show was her idea of giving is the most uncomfortable bar seats ever. 
 

We have had far better suite experiences on Celebrity and MSC.

 

My honest opinion is get Sky class (better than sea due to internet and CK access) and pay for the UDP or any other dining package and save the money.

 

that’s our thoughts based on our experience.

 

hope that helps

 

Edited March 1, 2023 by Spurschick

[Coralc]

@Spurschick Thanks! That is an interesting perspective. We could never afford to book Star Class, and it wouldn't be worthwhile for us. 

[Big_G]

Sailed Oasis in January in an L1 and the Royal Up minimum bid for 2 bedroom AS was less than the drink package. We didn't bite because we really enjoy the ocean facing L1 but it probably could have been worth it economically. 

[CruisinSinceIwasBorn]

I think the answer to your question is highly dependent on what your needs are. I have three young children, so the ease of not having to make reservations, not getting to things early to get good seats, having dinner and snacks delivered whenever, no waiting in lines....those are big things to us. We sailed in the RLS on Oasis and really enjoyed quality family time together that our Genie (Derek Martis) made extra special for us. He went above and beyond to ensure my kids had a great time. So was the price very high? Yes. I have also sailed many times in 2BR GS (Sky), which we also really enjoyed. The genie is just that extra special treat that when my wife and I work many late hours and don't get to relax as much as we hope, we find it worth it. We are sailing in the A1 on HoS in April and really looking forward to fully relaxing. 

[twangster]

When I book Star it is generally for the cabin.  The genie is a side benefit. 

 

Sometimes, Star is better deal especially with larger groups where adding UDP, DX and gratuity on a per person basis adds up quickly with more people involved.  

 

For a solo or a couple it can be harder to make Star numbers work purely on the basis on what's included.  

[topnole]

We have done Star several times.  It is fantastic.  Don’t try to justify it economically, but even still sometimes it is justifiable per one of the posts above.  You do save on tips too as they are included.  But you’d probably tip the genie that much anyhow.  We also do sky class.  We love both and are happy with sky.  We look for “good” star prices.   We aren’t gonna pay 30k for our family.  But if one is at 10-12k  I’ll bite.  
 

A lot of folks criticize Star class who have never done it.  I’d tune that out.  We’ve only ever paid for ours.  No Royal ups for us and will do Star class again.  But mostly we will do sky because Star is more expensive and we also very much enjoy sky class too.  

[RobInMN]

On our first cruise on a Royal Suites class ship after Royal Up was introduced, I figured there's about $150pppd (or $1050/person for 7 days) of intrinsic value in Star Class, when deciding on Royal Up bid value. (didn't win my bid 😉 ). Might be more now based on current UDP/DBP prices.

However, I was looking at cruises for Fall '23 when they were released and I was able to snag a 2 bedroom Aquatheater suite for 4 people at $2100/person on Allure (7-night), so went for it. Based on current prices for even the cheapest Start Class suites on any ship I've looked at since, I don't know if we'll ever justify doing it again, but $2000-$2500/person seems worth it to me. At that price, it's still a small splurge, but not outrageous.

I'm never going to spend $15K a person for Star for 7 days. I'd rather put that towards an Australian/New Zealand/Transpacific B5B when we retire. Or maybe a 3-week African Safari River cruise combo.

But that's us.

Edited March 1, 2023 by RobInMN

[lovescats5]

Only you can know if Star Class is right for you.  If you have never tried it then you don't know how you would like it.  It can be more expensive but if you watch prices there are good deals.  We have done SC since it has been introduced but we can only do two cruises a year because we have to fly everywhere and had decided if we fly we want a great room.  We love the A1's and would stay in those even if not Star Class.  I know the internet is nice to have since we sail as a family and have my now 16 yo with us and she needs internet for school.  Enjoy the drinks but being D+ now the 5 per day is enough.  We will always purchase specialty dining as we like the less crowded atmosphere of the restaurants instead of the MDR.  So up until now SC has been a good deal for us. 

So, you can check prices, room locations, and then decide for yourself if you think it is a good deal.

[acuprulez]

Genie is not the same as the concierge. 

 

Genie gets you private scheduled times for ship tours, ifly, flowrider, etc. 

 

The seats you want at shows reserved.

 

Food and drinks in the room whenever and usually before you even have to ask.

 

If you don't use UDP or DBP then I see it has less value for you. Personally my family does coastal like 2 nights on a 1 week cruise and tries to hit every specialty. 

 

I personally don't see the difference between sea/sky and a Jr or balcony room.  

 

 

 

 

 

[reallyitsmema]

11 minutes ago, acuprulez said:

Genie is not the same as the concierge. 

 

Genie gets you private scheduled times for ship tours, ifly, flowrider, etc. 

 

The seats you want at shows reserved.

 

Food and drinks in the room whenever and usually before you even have to ask.

 

If you don't use UDP or DBP then I see it has less value for you. Personally my family does coastal like 2 nights on a 1 week cruise and tries to hit every specialty. 

 

I personally don't see the difference between sea/sky and a Jr or balcony room.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are big differences between sea and sky class.  

 

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/what-are-the-benefits-of-royal-suite-class

[spooky981]

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.

[topnole]

18 minutes ago, reallyitsmema said:

 

There are big differences between sea and sky class.  

 

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/what-are-the-benefits-of-royal-suite-class

Agree.  Huge difference between sky and sea.   Internet included, CK/SL access which means beer and wine for 12 hours a day.  Access

to the suites sun deck.  Walk off from the concierge at the end of the cruise.  All these make a huge difference.  As D+, we go sky and never need to buy a drink or a drink package.  Sky is no where near comparable to sea class.  

[Smooth_J]

Thank you for the input everyone. As stated above, my thinking is based on perceived value and price. My family and I are frequent cruisers, and we sail at least once if not twice per year. It seems to me, that besides the room, the genie would make or break the experiences.

 

Another thing I thought of just now is usually the genie would be waiting for us, and have a set schedule to do XYZ. My family tries to avoid static schedules, mainly due to having multiple children (11 and 2). Even for dinner at the MDR, we rarely arrive at the 5:30PM mark. Maybe when they get older (more so the 2 year old) it would be better, but not now.

[topnole]

2 minutes ago, Smooth_J said:

Thank you for the input everyone. As stated above, my thinking is based on perceived value and price. My family and I are frequent cruisers, and we sail at least once if not twice per year. It seems to me, that besides the room, the genie would make or break the experiences.

 

Another thing I thought of just now is usually the genie would be waiting for us, and have a set schedule to do XYZ. My family tries to avoid static schedules, mainly due to having multiple children (11 and 2). Even for dinner at the MDR, we rarely arrive at the 5:30PM mark. Maybe when they get older (more so the 2 year old) it would be better, but not now.

Definitely more value when they are older.  But honestly the beauty of a genie is you can change things at any time if needed.  Want to change dinner by an hour.  One call and it’s done.  It isn’t a fixed schedule you have to follow.  They just schedule events for you.  If you can’t make them (like a show), no biggie.  They will make sure you can see the next one.
 

The pure gold of Star is showing up 5 minutes before a show and being escorted to the best seats.  That is invaluable when you have a 2 year old.  Otherwise you are showing up early and waiting which can be torture for young kids.  So there are many benefits no matter the age.  

 

One memory was having a second night at CP 150 during the week for whatever time it was on the schedule.  Wife and I decided we wanted to just do CK, but I wanted lobster with my steak.  I called the genie about 30 minutes before our reservation to see if we could switch. The response was a simple “done” and our reservation was set for CK just like that.  My requested lobster was there just like I asked for on the call.  That was probably one of our more needy requests, but many are far more up there in the neediness department and mostly everything gets accommodated.   

[acuprulez]

1 hour ago, reallyitsmema said:

 

There are big differences between sea and sky class.  

 

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/what-are-the-benefits-of-royal-suite-class

I know what the differences technically are, I guess I phrased it badly.  

My point is that if you're going to pay for a suite, it isn't usually that much more to go star, so why wouldn't you?

[ajtaylor29]

As others have pointed out, everybody has an opinion based on their individual needs, so it's hard to say whether it's worth it to you or not, only you can decide that!

MY opinion, tho - is that we've done Star class once and loved it, and i wasn't sure i would?! We royal-up'd a bid to go from our grand suite to a royal loft suite on Odyssey and we won the bid. We were happy paying the cost since it cancelled out the need to buy UDP or UBP. We really were excited about the cabin, and i wondered whether the Genie would drive me crazy?!? However, i will say that our genie was great! He helped us with dinner and show reservations, always showing up and escorting us to a great table or seats for the shows. He arranged special times for us to do many on-board activities (i-fly, virtual reality, North Star, etc.) - some of which i would not have done if he hadn't encouraged me to, and i ended up having fun! If we decided not to attend something, we let him know and he cancelled for us. He arranged a taxi pickup in ports and escorted us off the ship first so my husband could make a tee-time! One night we had a football playoff game to watch and he reserved a prime table in playmakers for us. We tipped him generously for his great service that week (as others have mentioned, the regular tips are included in star class but definitely you'll want to tip your genie and room stewards specifically). 

We cruise often and love the suite life! I'm sure we'll do Star class again when the right deal comes along, but i also know i can be happy cruising without it. Just get me on a ship and i'm happy!

[reallyitsmema]

7 minutes ago, acuprulez said:

I know what the differences technically are, I guess I phrased it badly.  

My point is that if you're going to pay for a suite, it isn't usually that much more to go star, so why wouldn't you?

 

If you consider $10K more as not "that" much more, go for it.  We don't buy an alcohol package as we get way more than enough from loyalty drinks and the suite lounge.  We enjoy Coastal Kitchen and only do a few nights in specialty restaurants or the Windjammer.  We are just fine with getting our own seats at the shows.  We don't need a lot of extra stuff delivered to our cabin, we use room service if we need something or just go get it ourselves.  The two of us are quite happy in our sky suites and do not see the need to spend a lot of extra money.

[spooky981]

3 hours ago, Smooth_J said:

Another thing I thought of just now is usually the genie would be waiting for us, and have a set schedule to do XYZ. My family tries to avoid static schedules, mainly due to having multiple children (11 and 2). Even for dinner at the MDR, we rarely arrive at the 5:30PM mark. Maybe when they get older (more so the 2 year old) it would be better, but not now.

 

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.

[topnole]

56 minutes ago, spooky981 said:

 

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.

This!

[Guest phd1003]

Had to convince my wife that we were getting a good deal on a 2 Br ATS. Here is how it broke down. The numbers were for 8 guest for 8 days so I will show my cost of said item and then the full week value for the room.

 

Gratuities: $18.50 - $1184

Drink package: $75 - $4800

Dining package: $35 - $2400

Ship tour: $150 pp - $1200

 

Total: $9584

 

That does not include the things that don't have a price tag like the genie and the great room.

 

Cost for the cabin was under $13k

 

 

[topnole]

2 minutes ago, phd1003 said:

Had to convince my wife that we were getting a good deal on a 2 Br ATS. Here is how it broke down. The numbers were for 8 guest for 8 days so I will show my cost of said item and then the full week value for the room.

 

Gratuities: $18.50 - $1184

Drink package: $75 - $4800

Dining package: $35 - $2400

Ship tour: $150 pp - $1200

 

Total: $9584

 

That does not include the things that don't have a price tag like the genie and the great room.

 

Cost for the cabin was under $13k

 

 

Is that 8 adults in that suite?   I’m all for

SC, but 8 adults in the 2Bdr ATS is not going to be a luxurious experience for at least 6 of the adults. If it works that’s great, but I’m not sure I’ve ever heard anyone having 8 adults in that cabin.  
 

The ship tours are take or

leave it for us.  We would only do them if included, so it’s not like it’s 1200 we’d pay otherwise.  And they aren’t always a guarantee.  Even before Covid we had one trio where they had to cancel them for varying reasons. 
 

You may want to add wifi to your total. That’s about 1200 give or take. 

[ownedbypets]

17 minutes ago, topnole said:

Is that 8 adults in that suite?   I’m all for

SC, but 8 adults in the 2Bdr ATS is not going to be a luxurious experience for at least 6 of the adults. If it works that’s great, but I’m not sure I’ve ever heard anyone having 8 adults in that cabin.  
 

The ship tours are take or

leave it for us.  We would only do them if included, so it’s not like it’s 1200 we’d pay otherwise.  And they aren’t always a guarantee.  Even before Covid we had one trio where they had to cancel them for varying reasons. 
 

You may want to add wifi to your total. That’s about 1200 give or take. 

Need to add laundry too!

[Guest phd1003]

10 minutes ago, topnole said:

Is that 8 adults in that suite?   I’m all for

SC, but 8 adults in the 2Bdr ATS is not going to be a luxurious experience for at least 6 of the adults. If it works that’s great, but I’m not sure I’ve ever heard anyone having 8 adults in that cabin.  
 

The ship tours are take or

leave it for us.  We would only do them if included, so it’s not like it’s 1200 we’d pay otherwise.  And they aren’t always a guarantee.  Even before Covid we had one trio where they had to cancel them for varying reasons. 
 

You may want to add wifi to your total. That’s about 1200 give or take. 

Forgot about wi-fi. Agreed about room size - got it covered: 9 adults, 6 kids. We got 2 ATS and a Jr. Suite. Our ATS will have wife and I in the master. 3 daughters and one of their friends in Br2 and son on couch. ATS 2 will have Brother in law and wife in one of the rooms, Inlaws in other bedroom and nephew on couch. In the Jr. Suite wil be daughter with her hubby and 2 toddlers. Her hubby will be registered in the ATS so he gets the perks. 

[Guest phd1003]

15 minutes ago, ownedbypets said:

Need to add laundry too!

 

33 minutes ago, topnole said:

Is that 8 adults in that suite?   I’m all for

SC, but 8 adults in the 2Bdr ATS is not going to be a luxurious experience for at least 6 of the adults. If it works that’s great, but I’m not sure I’ve ever heard anyone having 8 adults in that cabin.  
 

The ship tours are take or

leave it for us.  We would only do them if included, so it’s not like it’s 1200 we’d pay otherwise.  And they aren’t always a guarantee.  Even before Covid we had one trio where they had to cancel them for varying reasons. 
 

You may want to add wifi to your total. That’s about 1200 give or take. 

Would have been easier to convince her with the added help. 🤣