Sky vs. Star Class "Savings"

I gave up trying to assign a value to it. We just went with the YOLO mentality and booked it.

 

 

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I'm kinda OK with just doing to YOLO thing once and deciding afterward if it was worth it. I'm also the kind of person that (especially being solo = 2x the cost) is going to really think about this. It would be a much easier decision if I could pair-up with a friend in something like a 2BR Aqua A2 suite. I snore, badly, so there needs to be some kind of physical barrier between me and my cabin mate if I want to survive the cruise without being strangled.

What ship is this for?

 

 

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Numbers are based on Allure 12/9 2018 sailing.

I'm kinda OK with just doing to YOLO thing once and deciding afterward if it was worth it. I'm also the kind of person that (especially being solo = 2x the cost) is going to really think about this. It would be a much easier decision if I could pair-up with a friend in something like a 2BR Aqua A2 suite. I snore, badly, so there needs to be some kind of physical barrier between me and my cabin mate if I want to survive the cruise without being strangled.

This is exactly what my husband and I agreed on. Try it and analyze it after. We booked it back in January when it was 30%off for all and an additional $1000 off for Star Class. That, combined with TA incentives, we got a decent deal since we're sailing in March. But yes, solo booing requires more thought for sure.

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Financially I would find it hard that to think you could justify it as a solo traveler. But not all decisions are financial and not all budgets are the same. I would go sea or at most sky class as a solo if I wanted a suite.

RFerrington you mention that you were never charged for the drinks that were over the limit, did this include the premium wine by the glass? Something over $20 a glass? Thanks!

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I'm kinda OK with just doing to YOLO thing once and deciding afterward if it was worth it. I'm also the kind of person that (especially being solo = 2x the cost) is going to really think about this. It would be a much easier decision if I could pair-up with a friend in something like a 2BR Aqua A2 suite. I snore, badly, so there needs to be some kind of physical barrier between me and my cabin mate if I want to survive the cruise without being strangled.

Too bad CC doesn't let people pair up this way -- my son is going off to the military this summer, and I'm losing my cruising partner. Paying twice as much as everyone else is a slap in the face to solo travelers.

I understand the concept of double-occupancy, but not offering a suitable option for solos is just a bummer. (And no, the "single studio" rooms are not a suitable option -- they often cost as much as a regular room for two!)

RFerrington you mention that you were never charged for the drinks that were over the limit, did this include the premium wine by the glass? Something over $20 a glass? Thanks!

 

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We don't drink much wine so I cannot really quantify this. We had wine with our embarkation lunch at Giovanni's and all I remember is that it was a Napa red. I never looked at the menu or price so I can't tell you how much it was. I just know that we were never charged. I wish I had looked at the price but I did not.

RFerrington you mention that you were never charged for the drinks that were over the limit, did this include the premium wine by the glass? Something over $20 a glass? Thanks!

 

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We were star class so on oasis a year and a half ago and they did charges us for any overage on drinks. Ours was for hand crafted martinis in the champagne bar. It was a few bucks over and we just paid it. I never said anything to our genie as I assumed we were responsible for the overage but now I’m wondering if they often waive the extra charges. We are star class again soon and this would be nice to know.

Our Star Class on Oasis last year did not include the $199 ship tour and the Chef's Table was $25 instead of the $100 charge for regular passengers. We were not interest in the Thermal offerings. We were in an A1 ATS and had at least one meal every day on the balcony at no extra charge and when we wanted to change our plans and go to Chops one evening we had no reservations it was only a genie phone call away and we had seating at whatever time we wanted. The best was already mentioned, the debarkation with the help of the genie. Allan took us to the front of the line and we were thru customs in less than a minute. Honestly, 2 years with a genie has really spoiled how we choose our rooms. 2 years on Oasis and the next 2 sailings will be on the Anthem, also with a genie. Once you have one it will be hard to go back to a regular balcony room.

We were star class so on oasis a year and a half ago and they did charges us for any overage on drinks. Ours was for hand crafted martinis in the champagne bar. It was a few bucks over and we just paid it. I never said anything to our genie as I assumed we were responsible for the overage but now I’m wondering if they often waive the extra charges. We are star class again soon and this would be nice to know.

You ARE supposed to pay for any drinks over the drink package threshold. I think we just got very lucky. If they HAD charged us, I would never have asked my Genie to remove the charges as we knew, going in, that we should be charged for anything above the drink package limit. I think it was just a function of being in the right place at the right time and for whatever reason, the server just didn't want to be bothered. But I will also say...we have been in SC 4 times - 3 times on Harmony and once on Allure and we have never been charged for a drink overage. IF we drank expensive wine, I think we would have had a different outcome. It's entirely possible that we never even had a drink that DID exceed the drink package price ! I really couldn't tell you. Neither of us are big drinkers anyway. I can probably count on 2 hands the total number of drinks that we ordered "out" on those 4 cruises. On non-SC cruises we have never purchased a beverage package b/c we drink for free in the casino, drink for free in the C/DL and don't really drink much of anywhere else on a cruise.

You ARE supposed to pay for any drinks over the drink package threshold. I think we just got very lucky. If they HAD charged us, I would never have asked my Genie to remove the charges as we knew, going in, that we should be charged for anything above the drink package limit. I think it was just a function of being in the right place at the right time and for whatever reason, the server just didn't want to be bothered. But I will also say...we have been in SC 4 times - 3 times on Harmony and once on Allure and we have never been charged for a drink overage. IF we drank expensive wine, I think we would have had a different outcome. It's entirely possible that we never even had a drink that DID exceed the drink package price ! I really couldn't tell you. Neither of us are big drinkers anyway. I can probably count on 2 hands the total number of drinks that we ordered "out" on those 4 cruises. On non-SC cruises we have never purchased a beverage package b/c we drink for free in the casino, drink for free in the C/DL and don't really drink much of anywhere else on a cruise.

Most drinks are under the threshold so that is probably why. We were charged the $2-3 extra a few times and no biggie. It is just kind of funny that they ding you a few bucks for a chocolate martini. They were included in the SL but in the champagne bar we paid extra.

We are a family of 7 taking an Allure cruise in Sept. We got a 2br ATS for the 7 of us for less than 10k. It was pretty damn close to that for 3 balconies.

When you factor in beverage packages for the 5 of us over 21, internet for the 7 of us, specialty dining (we typically eat at least 3 meals in the dining and my 7 year old can out eat everyone at Izumi's Sushi), it was a no-brainer to upgrade. We'd be hard pressed to not do star class as a family given the benefits.

We typically pay 4-5k in "extras" beyond the base cruise fare, especially when we all go.

When it's just my DH and I, while we love the luxury, unless we get an amazing deal, it typically doesn't make sense.

When star class on oasis are all laundry services complimentary (dry cleaning, wash, press, etc)?

When star class on oasis are all laundry services complimentary (dry cleaning, wash, press, etc)?

Unlimited laundry and pressing were complimentary on our 4-15-2018 Oasis sailing. Can not remember if dry cleaning was also included.

Dry cleaning is included. We did not iron anything before we went and had it all sent out for pressing on Day 1. You have to fill out the sheet for dry cleaning and pressing however, so it doesn't get washed.

Dry cleaning is included. We did not iron anything before we went and had it all sent out for pressing on Day 1. You have to fill out the sheet for dry cleaning and pressing however, so it doesn't get washed.

Tnx. I couldn’t remember. Packing will be pretty easy!

Unlimited laundry and pressing were complimentary on our 4-15-2018 Oasis sailing. Can not remember if dry cleaning was also included.

How was your trip with Smitha? Any suggestions? We will be enjoying our ATS soon and Smitha has our schedule set up perfect so far. Can’t wait.

This thread Made me smile because we just went through the same drill! We sailed in a Crown Loft last July on the Oasis. Shortly after coming home we booked the Allure for this year, July 8th. We booked cabin 12648 a two bedroom Grand suite. Then a couple of months ago decided to take one of our daughters school friends with us. When I looked to add our 4th person I saw a A Star loft, 1720 available we changed to that! We added another person and Star class for what I thought was a reasonable amount considering the "savings " you list!! (Which means I probably paid too much for the first room!). Fast forward to last Saturday when our other daughter decided she and her boyfriend would like to join us on the cruise. Back to my TA's web site to find a balcony for them since the Star Loft only holds 4 people. And then I see cabin 1740 the Royal Loft suite is available and can accommodate 6 people. So of course stupid here changed us into that suite and spent more money! But in reality this last change almost made sense! A balcony was about $2500 for the two of them. Then add drink package and all the rest it added up. Was able to add them to our room for $2000. And our TA increased our OBC which helps. Im not looking at any more web sites until after this cruise! We do one vacation a year so I guess I'm in the YOLO crowd. We're looking forward to having us all together in one cabin and having a place for our other family who are in two balcony cabins to come and hang out. Hope you enjoy your cruise!!

How was your trip with Smitha? Any suggestions? We will be enjoying our ATS soon and Smitha has our schedule set up perfect so far. Can’t wait.

Smitha was excellent. We used her for making 4 specialty restaurant reservations. We did not go to the shows as we have seen them many times. She met with us every day to see if we needed anything. We chose to walk off with the concierge, suite guests and pinnacles at 7:45 AM on Sunday.

I just did Star Class 3 weeks ago on Harmony. I did the same analysis as you did and you typically won’t be able to justify Star Class just based on cost unless you got a great deal on your suite. For us, it was so much more about the suite and balcony in our ATS 2 compared to the Star Class and genie perks.

 

 

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We looked into this. We book Owner's Suites and feel on Oasis/Allure they have the best balconies on the ship, very large and quiet with great views. We are not drinkers so free booze isn't a big deal to us, nor is the genie. Like everything cruises its all a matter of individual likes and dislikes.

is there a list anyplace that shows EVERYTHING included free of charge for star class rooms?

47 minutes ago, jeeppartsman said:

is there a list anyplace that shows EVERYTHING included free of charge for star class rooms?

I have never seen such a list.  I think they shy away from making those kinds of lists b/c they want to be able to change what is included when it suits them.  Also, I think some of the smaller things seem to vary from ship-to-ship such as how much complimentary time you get in the Thermal suite.  I guess there must be some discretion with the individual ship programs.

http://creative.rccl.com/Sales/Royal/Suites/17056423_STAR_Royal_Suite_Class_Consumer_Flyer.pdf

Here is a baseline.  Some ships have added extras, such as Starbucks Delivery to your room, engine control room tours, etc. 

You can pretty much have anything with exception of food from Starbucks, and Shop items.  Ben and Jerry's is included.

Each time I sailed, I was told by the genie I could use the thermal spa one day and she would take the charge off.  We found a bartender that made his own specialty drink called Tiramisu Martini.  We ordered a pitcher the late the last night in the Suite Lounge to share with our friends, that the genie delivered.  

12 minutes ago, irishgal432 said:

http://creative.rccl.com/Sales/Royal/Suites/17056423_STAR_Royal_Suite_Class_Consumer_Flyer.pdf

 

Here is a baseline.  Some ships have added extras, such as Starbucks Delivery to your room, engine control room tours, etc. 

You can pretty much have anything with exception of food from Starbucks, and Shop items.  Ben and Jerry's is included.

 

Each time I sailed, I was told by the genie I could use the thermal spa one day and she would take the charge off.  We found a bartender that made his own specialty drink called Tiramisu Martini.  We ordered a pitcher the late the last night in the Suite Lounge to share with our friends, that the genie delivered.  

 

 

 

 

that drink sounds amazing!!! which ship were you on?

We were on Harmony.  Rendi is the bartender who created this drink and it is not a standard.  It hd fireball whiskey, baileys, some type of vodka and lots of other things. 

It was the best drink I have ever had on a ship!