Our Genies have been fabulous on each and every cruise. We have recently had Alexa( Anthum of the Seas), and Wendy Zhang (Symphony of the seas). Loved them both and thought long and hard on how to use them best to make our experience a delight for our family. For the abyss dry slide we found that just showing our bands let us cut the line without involving the genie. Also very helpful in laser tag and escape room. WE even had a surprise ice cream party set up in our room once with all the toppings and all! My genie even printed off my airplane boarding pass and brought it to my room. Worth every penny!
I've been working hard paying extra to get our house paid off early, within the next 12 months, which will be several years early. Our 30th anniversary was last year so I splurged and got us a Sky Class suite, which was great. Once I get the house paid, the reward is going to be a Star Class Suite, so I'm hoping sometime next year. It will be hard to get used to, I'm not sure what I will ask for.
Have just received notification we have been accepted for a Royal Up upgrade to a Star Class suite which I’m super excited about after watching your vid! Even happier to learn that RC are crediting us for all the specialty restaurant bookings we had previously made, due to Specialty Dining being included in Star Class… Best news is the credits will cover the cost of upgrading 😜 #Winning
I was wondering if it was even possible to "Royal Up" to Star class... we have 2 upcoming cruises in Sky Class and would love to win those bids. Still over a year away so I will see😂
The complimentary laundry service is awesome! Our Genie recommended we send laundry out daily & we did. It was incredible to come home & have very little laundry to do because you can not send laundry out the last night of the cruise. We have had 2 Genies & both were wonderful.
The male Genie in your video is Reyno Varkevisor from Cape Town, South Africa. He has been a personal friend for many years. Reyno and my late wife were the best of friends and emailed everyday. We have stayed several times in the Loft Suites and enjoyed the stay, perks and Genie. As our Genie told us if you want something ask for it because chances are we can do it. A very informative video.
I did Start Class once, and my genie was horrible. Never around and never asked if we needed anything. Didn't book a damn thing for us. I complained and nothing. SO i went on Facebook, and we were called into some office behind guest services. Got a new Genie, and he was excellent. He remembered us we went went on another cruise. Loved the second genie.
Wow hoping to get a Royal up this cruise this is something I’m sort of concerned about. On our last cruise HOTS we had a terrible cabin Steward we were in. GS 1 BDR first time ever too. Paying up for Star suite is fine but if we get a bad genie I’d just be devastated. Thanks for your honesty.
Matt, we have stayed in Star class in August 2021 on our Family Cruise and we had 3 2bed Aqua Class rooms and 20 people in our party. Romina on the Allure was great. She was actually too good. She had afternoon snacks delivered everyday for us and set us up with everything. I am like you and slight control freak. I was tough to let her set everything up for us. The best part was getting all the front row for shows. We also had her cut the lines on formal night for photos. It was great for 20 people get photos done in 30 min. Hope this helps other people with a couple more things we got out of our genie.
star class is amazing experience in my eyes the only way to travel the 7 seas. My first Genie Allan on the Oasis of the seas was Awesome he was like im here to do whatever you want. he always brought us breakfast and lunch to our suite. and i thought the Aqua suite was nice tell i got a great deal on the Symphony for the star loft suite 744 to be exact omg . and the genie was incredible we had dinner brought to us he made sure we could watch sunday night football in the suite he had on cooler stuff full of sodas another with water and beer . i forgot his name but he was wonderful . and i truly believe this is the only way to sail don't pack a lot of clothes you get free laundry.your treated like Rock stars .
My first ever cruise with my wife coming up this Saturday! Symphony of the seas!! Star class sounds amazing def super expensive but hey!! Maybe one day! Thanks for the video !
The video was so helpful. Just did a cruise with Star class a couple of weeks ago. The only way I will cruise moving forward. The Royal Genie is awesome. Already have cruises book for 2023 and 2024.
Great video Matt. My wife and I are diamond plus members and very experienced cruisers. We have always traveled Sea and Sky Class. We have six cruises booked through 2024 and five of them are Star Class. I'm used to doing everything myself so I've been thinking about how best to use the Genie. I'm sure it will be an adjustment as it was for you but I'll take stock in your "ask for everything" suggestion and try and let go and learn on the fly. Thank you also for the guidance on tipping for the Genie. I haven't been able to get a good answer about that and your info was as good as I think as anyone can get. I'm very excited about the whole Star Class experience with the rooms and new perks!
Thank you Matt!! We are embarking on our first Royal Caribbean cruise 7/23/22 on the Allure of the Seas as Star class. We are so excited about the Royal Genie services we will receive! I loved the video, we definitely want to have the Royal experience..
First cruise ever for me and my daughter booked for April 2023, star class on the Odyssey. A once in a lifetime splurge, it is not normally in our budget. Really looking forward to it! I wish I could fast forward time a year and then press the pause button once we are there!
Since it's going to be your first cruise here's a couple handy tips: 1- fly to the embarkation port the day before and stay the night in a local hotel 2- spend the time to research everything now before your trip, the cruise ship and onboard activities, as well as any excursions you want to do 3- When you are dining in any restaurant if you want a 2nd serving of anything - don't be afraid to ask - want an extra side of mashed potatoes? want both the chocolate cake and the cheesecake for dessert? It's almost always going to be free! 4- watch more of RCB's videos
Love Coastal Kitchen, but I agree - we have had our best meals in the specialty dining venues, and the atmosphere is more intimate too. Oh, and having a genie is great!
Great information. We would love to do this on a future cruise. All the perks make it more reasonable than the initial cost might indicate. Perhaps on a cruise that has a bunch of sea days...
Thanks for the information Matt. We will be trying Royal Caribbean for the first time May 14 on Symphony in a 2 bdrm ATS. I am also very much a planner so this trip should be a challenge for me. (In a good way 😊)looking forward to the genie experience!!
Howdy RCB Team - thanks for this video. 2 of 3 Star Class bookings completed so far this year. Very true that each Genie is very unique and the list is short where they are alike and the list is long where they provide unique experiences. Shout to Genies Wendy and Dexter for awesome service and looking forward to meeting Jay and Smitha on upcoming trips.
I am sailing for the first time in star class on the Harmony in 50 day! (2 bdrm Aqua theatre suite) very excited. I was told the one night I should do coastal kitchen is the first night in Filet Night. Is this a good plan or should I skip it for a specialty restaurant? I already have my other 6 hopeful specialty dining picks as: 1) central 150 2) chop 3) Izumi hibachi 4) wonderland 5) Jamie’s 6) chefs table And filet night at coastal kitchen? But open to other ideas too if this isn’t a good plan :)
A lot of good information there. We have an aquatheater suite next year and will be trying out the genie for the first time. I think the hardest part for me will be letting them do all the planning as that is usually my department. But I'm really looking forward at giving it a try.
Hey Matt this video came at the perfect time as I literally just had a question about this today we just recently came back from a two-week back to back on Odyssey of the seas had the most incredible genie that we used in the best way possible and got the most out of the question is really again around the tip what would you suggest as a possible average for two people for 14 nights just to get an idea and gauge if we were in the right zone
It saddens me so much people pay for 2 weeks of a star-class suite and they have to even THINK and get anxiety over what they are going to tip. That is the only thing I hate about the cruise industry. Tipping shouldn't even be expected, if they have to raise rates, raise them. It just just too much money for people to have to wonder if they should be tipping extra and how much.
@@puthyx hey William good morning let me just clarify we paid exactly what we wanted to for our cruise and loved the whole experience so much that we absolutely wanted to go above and beyond for our genie you have no idea just to what extent he went above and beyond not only did we tip we also bought him a gift as appreciation for all he did for us I just was asking for an average just to gauge whether or not we were in the ballpark of what others would pay as a tip for their genie that's all nothing sad about it I'm sorry you misunderstood
omg you literally hit ALL the nails on the head! However I think there's no way to accurately describe the nonstop special feeling of being completely taken care of. Oh and you have to describe the NONSTOP EATING EXTRAVAGANZA that is star class.
Hey Matt, I’ve just bid on a royal up but didn’t receive an email confirmation saying I did so. Do they send me an email after I’ve bid or only if I get the upgrade?
when We Retired C- HIT and have been Land Lock 1 1/2 Years ...We started Thansgiving on The Lady and have been on 3 Cruises to date .. Thinking hard on these Suits on Royal But We think it would be a LOST on Us as not being in the CABIN much ...Maybe just an upgrade or 2 from a Balcony would be better for Us ....
Great video!!! We have a 2bdr Aquatheater suite booked for next year. Since Star class gets the internet package; does that include the surf and stream or just surf? And if it’s just surf I wonder if we could pay the difference for surf and stream? Can’t wait to go!!!
Going on star class at the end of the year!! I was disappointed to find out that the royal genie are not your own personal genie for your suite/family however, they manage a few different suites at a time. Our suite has 8 people. If they have 3 versions of my suite then that is around 24 people they have to manage. I don't expect them to be able to manage that many people?? Any thoughts on this?
Hi! Just a question (not about genie), if I get an aqua theatre suite, does it come with free wifi? I looked on RC’s official website and asked but they never got back to me. Could you please answer? Thanks ♥️♥️♥️
It sounds amazing, thank you for the advice. Does the gratuity package include the genie, I'd imagine so, but I'm sure for all their services, they'd expect more? Coming from the UK, we always find tipping a difficult one. Mx
Don't know why they said yes, but no you don't have to. Everyone is going to say "it's expected" but every single person on that ship is "expecting" more money. He said in the video they are paid officer pay, and don't get any "percentage of your daily gratuities" so they are paid a flat rat, and some people tip extra on top of that. Just like a server in the main dining room.
Haha, speaking from first-hand experience, no! Unbeknownst to me, my travel buddy packed a clothes steamer because he had no clue laundry was included with SC. 🤣 You go through screening with your checked bags. The steamer was taken and receipted and we had to pick it up from the naughty room at the end of the cruise. Never again! 😆
Our Genies have been fabulous on each and every cruise. We have recently had Alexa( Anthum of the Seas), and Wendy Zhang (Symphony of the seas). Loved them both and thought long and hard on how to use them best to make our experience a delight for our family. For the abyss dry slide we found that just showing our bands let us cut the line without involving the genie. Also very helpful in laser tag and escape room. WE even had a surprise ice cream party set up in our room once with all the toppings and all! My genie even printed off my airplane boarding pass and brought it to my room. Worth every penny!
We had the privilege of enjoying Star Glass in November 2022. We were really spoiled and didn't want to go back to reality! Our Genie was the best!
I've been working hard paying extra to get our house paid off early, within the next 12 months, which will be several years early. Our 30th anniversary was last year so I splurged and got us a Sky Class suite, which was great. Once I get the house paid, the reward is going to be a Star Class Suite, so I'm hoping sometime next year. It will be hard to get used to, I'm not sure what I will ask for.
How was the Sky Class suite?
Have just received notification we have been accepted for a Royal Up upgrade to a Star Class suite which I’m super excited about after watching your vid! Even happier to learn that RC are crediting us for all the specialty restaurant bookings we had previously made, due to Specialty Dining being included in Star Class… Best news is the credits will cover the cost of upgrading 😜 #Winning
How much did you bid?
I was wondering if it was even possible to "Royal Up" to Star class... we have 2 upcoming cruises in Sky Class and would love to win those bids. Still over a year away so I will see😂
The complimentary laundry service is awesome! Our Genie recommended we send laundry out daily & we did. It was incredible to come home & have very little laundry to do because you can not send laundry out the last night of the cruise. We have had 2 Genies & both were wonderful.
The male Genie in your video is Reyno Varkevisor from Cape Town, South Africa. He has been a personal friend for many years. Reyno and my late wife were the best of friends and emailed everyday. We have stayed several times in the Loft Suites and enjoyed the stay, perks and Genie. As our Genie told us if you want something ask for it because chances are we can do it. A very informative video.
Reyno is a great person!
I did Start Class once, and my genie was horrible. Never around and never asked if we needed anything. Didn't book a damn thing for us. I complained and nothing. SO i went on Facebook, and we were called into some office behind guest services. Got a new Genie, and he was excellent. He remembered us we went went on another cruise. Loved the second genie.
Would you mind sharing who each genie was?
Wow hoping to get a Royal up this cruise this is something I’m sort of concerned about. On our last cruise HOTS we had a terrible cabin Steward we were in. GS 1 BDR first time ever too. Paying up for Star suite is fine but if we get a bad genie I’d just be devastated. Thanks for your honesty.
Matt, we have stayed in Star class in August 2021 on our Family Cruise and we had 3 2bed Aqua Class rooms and 20 people in our party. Romina on the Allure was great. She was actually too good. She had afternoon snacks delivered everyday for us and set us up with everything. I am like you and slight control freak. I was tough to let her set everything up for us. The best part was getting all the front row for shows. We also had her cut the lines on formal night for photos. It was great for 20 people get photos done in 30 min. Hope this helps other people with a couple more things we got out of our genie.
I had her on a cruise as well….. she was great!!!
star class is amazing experience in my eyes the only way to travel the 7 seas. My first Genie Allan on the Oasis of the seas was Awesome he was like im here to do whatever you want. he always brought us breakfast and lunch to our suite. and i thought the Aqua suite was nice tell i got a great deal on the Symphony for the star loft suite 744 to be exact omg . and the genie was incredible we had dinner brought to us he made sure we could watch sunday night football in the suite he had on cooler stuff full of sodas another with water and beer . i forgot his name but he was wonderful . and i truly believe this is the only way to sail don't pack a lot of clothes you get free laundry.your treated like Rock stars .
My first ever cruise with my wife coming up this Saturday! Symphony of the seas!! Star class sounds amazing def super expensive but hey!! Maybe one day! Thanks for the video !
Enjoyed watching and absorbing this genie information in case I ever win the lottery and can afford star class: I will be ready. Love your content.
Thanks for watching!
The video was so helpful. Just did a cruise with Star class a couple of weeks ago. The only way I will cruise moving forward. The Royal Genie is awesome. Already have cruises book for 2023 and 2024.
Great video Matt. My wife and I are diamond plus members and very experienced cruisers. We have always traveled Sea and Sky Class. We have six cruises booked through 2024 and five of them are Star Class. I'm used to doing everything myself so I've been thinking about how best to use the Genie. I'm sure it will be an adjustment as it was for you but I'll take stock in your "ask for everything" suggestion and try and let go and learn on the fly. Thank you also for the guidance on tipping for the Genie. I haven't been able to get a good answer about that and your info was as good as I think as anyone can get. I'm very excited about the whole Star Class experience with the rooms and new perks!
Thank you Matt!! We are embarking on our first Royal Caribbean cruise 7/23/22 on the Allure of the Seas as Star class. We are so excited about the Royal Genie services we will receive! I loved the video, we definitely want to have the Royal experience..
First cruise ever for me and my daughter booked for April 2023, star class on the Odyssey. A once in a lifetime splurge, it is not normally in our budget. Really looking forward to it! I wish I could fast forward time a year and then press the pause button once we are there!
Since it's going to be your first cruise here's a couple handy tips:
1- fly to the embarkation port the day before and stay the night in a local hotel
2- spend the time to research everything now before your trip, the cruise ship and onboard activities, as well as any excursions you want to do
3- When you are dining in any restaurant if you want a 2nd serving of anything - don't be afraid to ask - want an extra side of mashed potatoes? want both the chocolate cake and the cheesecake for dessert? It's almost always going to be free!
4- watch more of RCB's videos
@@newsalemcemetery2634 Thanks for the tips!
Love Coastal Kitchen, but I agree - we have had our best meals in the specialty dining venues, and the atmosphere is more intimate too. Oh, and having a genie is great!
Absolutely!!
First time star class oasis from NJ oct 9…can’t wait!
Hope you love it!
Great information. We would love to do this on a future cruise. All the perks make it more reasonable than the initial cost might indicate. Perhaps on a cruise that has a bunch of sea days...
Perfect timing! We won a RoyalUp bid for Star class sailing tomorrow!
Loved this video. Made my mind up
Glad you liked it!
It's on my bucket list. Nice different content
Thanks for the information Matt. We will be trying Royal Caribbean for the first time May 14 on Symphony in a 2 bdrm ATS. I am also very much a planner so this trip should be a challenge for me. (In a good way 😊)looking forward to the genie experience!!
Have fun!
Had a genie and it was amazing, they know what you want before you want it.. its uncanny at times!
Howdy RCB Team - thanks for this video. 2 of 3 Star Class bookings completed so far this year. Very true that each Genie is very unique and the list is short where they are alike and the list is long where they provide unique experiences. Shout to Genies Wendy and Dexter for awesome service and looking forward to meeting Jay and Smitha on upcoming trips.
We Had Dexter on Ovation of the Seas he was awesome
I am sailing for the first time in star class on the Harmony in 50 day! (2 bdrm Aqua theatre suite) very excited. I was told the one night I should do coastal kitchen is the first night in Filet Night. Is this a good plan or should I skip it for a specialty restaurant? I already have my other 6 hopeful specialty dining picks as:
1) central 150
2) chop
3) Izumi hibachi
4) wonderland
5) Jamie’s
6) chefs table
And filet night at coastal kitchen? But open to other ideas too if this isn’t a good plan :)
A lot of good information there. We have an aquatheater suite next year and will be trying out the genie for the first time. I think the hardest part for me will be letting them do all the planning as that is usually my department. But I'm really looking forward at giving it a try.
Glad it was helpful!
Yes yea nice
You're right, Matt. If you have Star Class, all of the specialty restaurants are essentially your MDR.
Hey Matt this video came at the perfect time as I literally just had a question about this today we just recently came back from a two-week back to back on Odyssey of the seas had the most incredible genie that we used in the best way possible and got the most out of the question is really again around the tip what would you suggest as a possible average for two people for 14 nights just to get an idea and gauge if we were in the right zone
It saddens me so much people pay for 2 weeks of a star-class suite and they have to even THINK and get anxiety over what they are going to tip. That is the only thing I hate about the cruise industry. Tipping shouldn't even be expected, if they have to raise rates, raise them. It just just too much money for people to have to wonder if they should be tipping extra and how much.
Glad it was helpful!
@@puthyx hey William good morning let me just clarify we paid exactly what we wanted to for our cruise and loved the whole experience so much that we absolutely wanted to go above and beyond for our genie you have no idea just to what extent he went above and beyond not only did we tip we also bought him a gift as appreciation for all he did for us I just was asking for an average just to gauge whether or not we were in the ballpark of what others would pay as a tip for their genie that's all nothing sad about it I'm sorry you misunderstood
omg you literally hit ALL the nails on the head! However I think there's no way to accurately describe the nonstop special feeling of being completely taken care of. Oh and you have to describe the NONSTOP EATING EXTRAVAGANZA that is star class.
Agreed!
Hey Matt, I’ve just bid on a royal up but didn’t receive an email confirmation saying I did so. Do they send me an email after I’ve bid or only if I get the upgrade?
Where do you go to book star class suites??
when We Retired C- HIT and have been Land Lock 1 1/2 Years ...We
started Thansgiving on The Lady and have been on 3 Cruises to date ..
Thinking hard on these Suits on Royal But We think it would be a LOST
on Us as not being in the CABIN much ...Maybe just an upgrade or 2
from a Balcony would be better for Us ....
Great video!!! We have a 2bdr Aquatheater suite booked for next year. Since Star class gets the internet package; does that include the surf and stream or just surf? And if it’s just surf I wonder if we could pay the difference for surf and stream? Can’t wait to go!!!
Yes, Star Class includes surf and stream
Thanks so much!
We received surf and stream on sky class on Symphony. We were in the loft suites but it was still considered sky class.
For the Ultimate World Cruise, how much is the price range to book a Royal Loft Suite? Can a solo traveler book a Royal Loft Suite?
Going on star class at the end of the year!! I was disappointed to find out that the royal genie are not your own personal genie for your suite/family however, they manage a few different suites at a time. Our suite has 8 people. If they have 3 versions of my suite then that is around 24 people they have to manage. I don't expect them to be able to manage that many people?? Any thoughts on this?
Not every suite has 8 people in the room. I think you'll find the genie does a really good job managing the rooms they handle
is it OK if I brought my drone camera to the cruise ?
You can bring the drone, but can't use it onboard. Only in port, where permissible
Hi! Just a question (not about genie), if I get an aqua theatre suite, does it come with free wifi? I looked on RC’s official website and asked but they never got back to me. Could you please answer? Thanks ♥️♥️♥️
Yes
If you book the Aqua theater 2 bedroom, the 1 bedroom is Sky Class
Just curious, how much do you tip a Genie?
$100 per person staying in the suite (including children) per 7 nights.
@@luvvtotravel thanks! I’ve never had one so I have no clue.
It sounds amazing, thank you for the advice. Does the gratuity package include the genie, I'd imagine so, but I'm sure for all their services, they'd expect more? Coming from the UK, we always find tipping a difficult one. Mx
No. It does not include the Genie. Please tip Genie separately.
Does star class pay for escape room?
You know, I'm really not sure
@@RoyalCaribbeanBlog thanks for the reply. I will let you know once I sail!
No escape rooms are free for star class
Important Q's from a non American: do you have to tip the genie????
Yes
Don't know why they said yes, but no you don't have to. Everyone is going to say "it's expected" but every single person on that ship is "expecting" more money. He said in the video they are paid officer pay, and don't get any "percentage of your daily gratuities" so they are paid a flat rat, and some people tip extra on top of that. Just like a server in the main dining room.
@@puthyx You don't "have" to wipe your ass or brush your teeth, either but if you don't do it other people will notice.
Yes
Haha, so if the porter brings your bag directly to your room you can fill it with contraband then because no one is going to check it? Lol
Haha, speaking from first-hand experience, no! Unbeknownst to me, my travel buddy packed a clothes steamer because he had no clue laundry was included with SC. 🤣 You go through screening with your checked bags. The steamer was taken and receipted and we had to pick it up from the naughty room at the end of the cruise. Never again! 😆
If I could afford a Star class room I don’t think I would be sailing with RCL. Just saying…
I would be on a chartered yacht, instead. I can't see the point of segrating myself from everyone else on a huge vessel..
Tipping in general is very stupid.