First time is star class: can we invite people over for in room specialty dining?

[topnole]

11 hours ago, dleahy4444 said:

We just won our Royal Up from a crown loft suite to a 2bedroom aqua suite on Oasis of the seas sailing in 5 days! Don’t know when we will hear from our genie. It’s just the hubby and I in the suite but we are part of a larger group which are not in star class. I know that my husband and I can order dinner from specialty restaurants to be served in our suite. But I think I read somewhere that we can have others join us for special dinners in the suite even though they are not staying with us. Is that correct? Is there a charge for their dinners? 
 

I know the genie takes drink orders throughout the day as well. Can our friends who visit our suite order drinks as well if they have the drink package? 
 

any helpful tips? Thanks 

Which cabin do you have?   Deck 10 is much smaller than 8.  How many guests are you talking about.  
 

Fyi.  The genie just organizes.  You will literally text them your order and they send it to the restaurant.  They don’t deliver or cook it obviously.  Many guests travel with non SC friends or family and genies know how to say yes or no to requests.  They are highly trained officers of the ship and they know guests will occasionally have friends over to have dinner on the balcony.  But they do require them to have the UDP.   They will not do this if they don’t in my experience, but non SC guests over for dinner on a SC balcony is very common.  
 

As far as drinks.  If you request drinks, the genie will organize them being delivered.  How the charges work, I have no idea.  But if your friends have the drinks package I’m sure the genie doesn’t care.  Again, the genies just pass on the info. They aren’t delivering.  You will likely text them your order so 8?drinks for 2 people will likely raise an eyebrow.  A couple extra likely no big deal.  Now if it many complicated drinks every day, that might get you a NO.  If it is a bottle of wine and a few mixed drinks, I’m sure it is no big deal.  
 

Our friends on our last SC cruise had dinner on our ATS balcony twice.   The genie was happy to include them since they had the dining package.  The other nights they are with us at the restaurants.  The genie arranged all reservations.    They also had the drink package and often came over and had beers from our daily delivery.   Who cares, they already paid for them too.  In fact one night the genie personally delivered glasses of wine to us and them without us even asking.  Just wanted to surprise us.  
 

Don’t t take all the comments too seriously.   The genies are seasoned pros and know what is appropriate and inappropriate.  My advice is don’t ask for things for your friends other than the genie arranging dinners.  I think they do appreciate the respect extended when you don’t and sometimes the genie will surprise you and include them.  We have only ever asked for help with dinners for Non SC.  

 

 

[Guest 4-2-N-8]

10 hours ago, NaplesGoBlue said:

Just throwing this out there to other CC'ers:  Have you ever been at a party or a networking group and stumbled awkwardly into a conversation that you felt like you shouldn't be involved with on any level?  I welcome you all to the "internet message board" version of that right here.  ***Casually and discretely saunters away and heads over to the hors d'oeuvres table*** ......

Good take on this discussion.

 

If a question of opinion is asked, and I have an opinion on said question, I have no problem chiming in.

 

But, I try always to be respectful. 

 

In this case, to be fair to others who pay for genie services, I chose to pay for the same level of service for everyone in my group. Simple as that.

 

The thought never occured to me of how to use the genie services (or any services) for others in my group if they aren't in Star class. I'll pay for what I use. That's all I'm saying.

 

Some might call it fairness, or respect, for others.

 

This is but one opinion.

 

Peace

Edited May 2, 2023 by 4-2-N-8

[dleahy4444]

51 minutes ago, topnole said:

Which cabin do you have?   Deck 10 is much smaller than 8.  How many guests are you talking about.  
 

Fyi.  The genie just organizes.  You will literally text them your order and they send it to the restaurant.  They don’t deliver or cook it obviously.  Many guests travel with non SC friends or family and genies know how to say yes or no to requests.  They are highly trained officers of the ship and they know guests will occasionally have friends over to have dinner on the balcony.  But they do require them to have the UDP.   They will not do this if they don’t in my experience, but non SC guests over for dinner on a SC balcony is very common.  
 

As far as drinks.  If you request drinks, the genie will organize them being delivered.  How the charges work, I have no idea.  But if your friends have the drinks package I’m sure the genie doesn’t care.  Again, the genies just pass on the info. They aren’t delivering.  You will likely text them your order so 8?drinks for 2 people will likely raise an eyebrow.  A couple extra likely no big deal.  Now if it many complicated drinks every day, that might get you a NO.  If it is a bottle of wine and a few mixed drinks, I’m sure it is no big deal.  
 

Our friends on our last SC cruise had dinner on our ATS balcony twice.   The genie was happy to include them since they had the dining package.  The other nights they are with us at the restaurants.  The genie arranged all reservations.    They also had the drink package and often came over and had beers from our daily delivery.   Who cares, they already paid for them too.  In fact one night the genie personally delivered glasses of wine to us and them without us even asking.  Just wanted to surprise us.  
 

Don’t t take all the comments too seriously.   The genies are seasoned pros and know what is appropriate and inappropriate.  My advice is don’t ask for things for your friends other than the genie arranging dinners.  I think they do appreciate the respect extended when you don’t and sometimes the genie will surprise you and include them.  We have only ever asked for help with dinners for Non SC.  

 

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to write this helpful post. We will not be utilizing the genie for very much since we expect to have most dinners with our group at either the MDR or specialty restaurants. We would also prefer to sit in the “nose bleed” section at entertainment venues with our friends than be escorted to priority seating. We will be with mostly first time and solo cruisers so we have no intention of leaving them to fend for themselves.  As far as drinks if they stop by to enjoy the show from our balcony, no one drinks anything harder than beer or wine.  I might try to arrange for a dinner on the balcony one evening, of course paying what ever fees are incurred and giving a nice tip to whoever serves it.   
 

we are on the 8 the eighth floor. The larger group is 22 people but the only people that may visit our room are family, a total of 8. I don’t think they would drop by at the same time or day, maybe one or two occasionally 

[alfaeric]

For dinner...  about a decade ago, we were in a GS, and hosted family who were in a JS for Thanksgiving dinner in our cabin.  There were no issues, as we just ordered the whole menu ourselves.

 

So you should be able to order everything for everyone.  Don't really need a genie to even do that, so I honestly would dismiss any concerns for others about a delay in their service.  

And if you get a bottle of wine or two delivered to your cabin for dinner, would it even matter if it was for 2 or 4?  Again, for that, I would dismiss others concerns that you would be hogging the genie's time.  

 

To me, your request is pretty darned trivial in terms of the work a genie has to do- call them, they enter it, and their work is pretty done.  If they personally deliver wine, the time it takes to deliver 2 bottles vs. 1 is exactly the same amount of time.

Edited May 2, 2023 by alfaeric

[alfaeric]

oos

Edited May 2, 2023 by alfaeric

[Orsino]

We were on anthem in star class in March. After two days of in restaurant dining, we tried in room dining and found that to be much smoother for our party and we had all meals in room from then on. We were four in the star class room and two not in the room. Genie was fine with it.

We had bought the dining package for the other adult as well as drink package. 

i think it boils down to numbers. A few extras isn’t going to be a big deal. I mean, the room sleeps 6 and the TABLE seats 8 so I think they are kind of inviting extras. 
mat some point though, too many would be too many. 
 

I think that as long as the food order fits on one cart, no one is going to care since the effort required is the same. That and having the dining package for non star guests if ordering from specialty.

[Big_G]

1 hour ago, alfaeric said:

For dinner...  about a decade ago, we were in a GS, and hosted family who were in a JS for Thanksgiving dinner in our cabin.  There were no issues, as we just ordered the whole menu ourselves.

 

 

Have done the same when our grandson was feeling under the weather. His mom and dad were in a JS. It was lobster night so we invited them up. He slept while we ate.

[teddie]

13 hours ago, NaplesGoBlue said:

Just throwing this out there to other CC'ers:  Have you ever been at a party or a networking group and stumbled awkwardly into a conversation that you felt like you shouldn't be involved with on any level?  I welcome you all to the "internet message board" version of that right here.  ***Casually and discretely saunters away and heads over to the hors d'oeuvres table*** ......

You had better not eat more than your fair share of hors d'oeuvres!  What is the going number of canapes per event?  I am paying good money to be at that table, and there will be hell to pay if there is no more caviar 🙂

 

[Guest 4-2-N-8]

That's it! I'm moving my whole family to steerage, while I lord over the ship from my Star class balcony, all as I gobble spoonfuls of Grey Poupon mustard from a gallon size container! And drink a Pepsi. No coke.

 

I shall wave to all and everyone.

 

I just need to sort out getting food to my family on deck -1!

[gkbiiii]

Perhaps you should in the future, go on a ship with the Grand Villa for 14, or charter a private yacht, which I suggested before.

[RFerrington]

@dleahy4444, as with all things, it is about being reasonable.

 

Many times, as a Star Class passenger, I have hosted others in my suite both for food and drinks.  It is not an unreasonable request and should be honored by your Genie so long as you do not go overboard.  Should you expect to do it every night ?  No.  Once, during a 7 night cruise, I would think it would be reasonable to host 3-4 others for dinner.  If you make it out to be a "big deal" then your Genie will think it's a big deal.  If you just matter-of-fact-ly let the Genie know that you will be hosting a couple of people for an evening, then it will be low key for everyone.

 

There are a couple of rules that have been in affect for as long as SC has been a "thing". 

 

(1)  You can only have room service from 1 specialty restaurant at a time.  So, if you are getting food from Chop's for dinner, everyone's orders will need to come from the Chop's menu, for that meal.

 

(2)  You must get your room service delivery during normal operating hours.  So, if you want a midnight lobster from Chops, you're out of luck.  Just ask for room service during the restaurant's normal operating hours and you'll be fine.

 

(3)  Water, soda, juices and beer are complimentary for suite delivery.  There are limited situations where liquor can be delivered but for the most part, if you want liquor or wine delivered, it's going to cost you extra.  That makes no sense....I completely understand that....since you can get any drink you want (for the most part) at any bar, it makes no sense that you would have to pay for wine and liquor deliveries, but that's the way it works.  You CAN have fully-prepared mixed drinks delivered (mimosa, bloody mary, etc.) but bottles of liquor, no - with a few exceptions of liquors that are available to anyone who wants to pay the outrageous cost that they charge !

 

Your Genie should (and almost certainly, will) handle all of this for you.  As I said above, be reasonable and keep it all low key.

 

The same goes for having reserved seating for yourself and others at the entertainment venues.  A couple of extra people ?  No problem.  I have never been denied this request.  6, 8, 10 others ?  Oh yeah...that will be a problem.

 

Another one of the unwritten rules - your Genie will never respond in writing or over the phone with an answer that contradicts the official policy.  So, if you write to your Genie before you board and ask them to please reserve seats for your non-SC family members, your Genie will almost certainly quote the rule that SC service is only available for SC passengers.  That's a CYA thing.  Wait until you are in personal direct contact with your Genie before discussing anything that may "bend" the rules.  I've never known a Genie to say "no" to a reasonable request.  Be respectful to them and they will be respectful in return !

 

Enjoy the ATS.  We have had them many times. They are absolutely unique.

[dleahy4444]

1 hour ago, RFerrington said:

@dleahy4444, as with all things, it is about being reasonable.

 

Many times, as a Star Class passenger, I have hosted others in my suite both for food and drinks.  It is not an unreasonable request and should be honored by your Genie so long as you do not go overboard.  Should you expect to do it every night ?  No.  Once, during a 7 night cruise, I would think it would be reasonable to host 3-4 others for dinner.  If you make it out to be a "big deal" then your Genie will think it's a big deal.  If you just matter-of-fact-ly let the Genie know that you will be hosting a couple of people for an evening, then it will be low key for everyone.

 

There are a couple of rules that have been in affect for as long as SC has been a "thing". 

 

(1)  You can only have room service from 1 specialty restaurant at a time.  So, if you are getting food from Chop's for dinner, everyone's orders will need to come from the Chop's menu, for that meal.

 

(2)  You must get your room service delivery during normal operating hours.  So, if you want a midnight lobster from Chops, you're out of luck.  Just ask for room service during the restaurant's normal operating hours and you'll be fine.

 

(3)  Water, soda, juices and beer are complimentary for suite delivery.  There are limited situations where liquor can be delivered but for the most part, if you want liquor or wine delivered, it's going to cost you extra.  That makes no sense....I completely understand that....since you can get any drink you want (for the most part) at any bar, it makes no sense that you would have to pay for wine and liquor deliveries, but that's the way it works.  You CAN have fully-prepared mixed drinks delivered (mimosa, bloody mary, etc.) but bottles of liquor, no - with a few exceptions of liquors that are available to anyone who wants to pay the outrageous cost that they charge !

 

Your Genie should (and almost certainly, will) handle all of this for you.  As I said above, be reasonable and keep it all low key.

 

The same goes for having reserved seating for yourself and others at the entertainment venues.  A couple of extra people ?  No problem.  I have never been denied this request.  6, 8, 10 others ?  Oh yeah...that will be a problem.

 

Another one of the unwritten rules - your Genie will never respond in writing or over the phone with an answer that contradicts the official policy.  So, if you write to your Genie before you board and ask them to please reserve seats for your non-SC family members, your Genie will almost certainly quote the rule that SC service is only available for SC passengers.  That's a CYA thing.  Wait until you are in personal direct contact with your Genie before discussing anything that may "bend" the rules.  I've never known a Genie to say "no" to a reasonable request.  Be respectful to them and they will be respectful in return !

 

Enjoy the ATS.  We have had them many times. They are absolutely unique.

Thank you so much for taking the time to write this! We are very low key and undemanding people. We are very appreciative of anyone that is providing us with service and anticipate not asking for much at all. We are just excited to sit on that balcony!!

[dleahy4444]

4 hours ago, alfaeric said:

For dinner...  about a decade ago, we were in a GS, and hosted family who were in a JS for Thanksgiving dinner in our cabin.  There were no issues, as we just ordered the whole menu ourselves.

 

So you should be able to order everything for everyone.  Don't really need a genie to even do that, so I honestly would dismiss any concerns for others about a delay in their service.  

And if you get a bottle of wine or two delivered to your cabin for dinner, would it even matter if it was for 2 or 4?  Again, for that, I would dismiss others concerns that you would be hogging the genie's time.  

 

To me, your request is pretty darned trivial in terms of the work a genie has to do- call them, they enter it, and their work is pretty done.  If they personally deliver wine, the time it takes to deliver 2 bottles vs. 1 is exactly the same amount of time.

Thank you!!! 

[RFerrington]

23 minutes ago, dleahy4444 said:

Thank you so much for taking the time to write this! 

You betcha !

[cynt]

@dleahy4444 ENJOY! ENJOY your suite. It sounds amazing!!

[dleahy4444]

5 hours ago, cynt said:

@dleahy4444 ENJOY! ENJOY your suite. It sounds amazing!!

Thank you. I’m still pinching myself! 

[Guest 4-2-N-8]

7 hours ago, gkbiiii said:

Perhaps you should in the future, go on a ship with the Grand Villa for 14, or charter a private yacht, which I suggested before.

They're my family, not my spouse. 

 

Being on the same ship is one thing, but same stateroom, no way. 😅

[gkbiiii]

31 minutes ago, 4-2-N-8 said:

They're my family, not my spouse. 

 

Being on the same ship is one thing, but same stateroom, no way. 😅

The Grand Villa, is 4 bedrooms. 

[Guest 4-2-N-8]

9 minutes ago, gkbiiii said:

The Grand Villa, is 4 bedrooms. 

Yes, I know, and all within one stateroom.

[PWP-001]

7 hours ago, dleahy4444 said:

Thank you. I’m still pinching myself! 

I hope you have a great time.  I am just off Oasis (not in Star Class) and on several occasions got to see a Genie hard at work.  Whether it was seating his guests at the Aqua 80, making them comfortable as he signaled for a cocktail server to come take their order, or getting them to their table in a busy CK with menus, I could see in his interactions and smile that he seemed concerned with nothing other than making sure his guests were happy and well looked after.   

 

Please come back to this thread and update us after the cruise, letting us know how you enjoyed the suite and what you ended up doing when you hosted your friend.  

 

 

[dleahy4444]

3 hours ago, PWP-001 said:

I hope you have a great time.  I am just off Oasis (not in Star Class) and on several occasions got to see a Genie hard at work.  Whether it was seating his guests at the Aqua 80, making them comfortable as he signaled for a cocktail server to come take their order, or getting them to their table in a busy CK with menus, I could see in his interactions and smile that he seemed concerned with nothing other than making sure his guests were happy and well looked after.   

 

Please come back to this thread and update us after the cruise, letting us know how you enjoyed the suite and what you ended up doing when you hosted your friend.  

 

 

Thanks, I will. The genie has already emailed me. I’ve asked him some questions and he responded immediately. I don’t think I will have the full genie experience because we will be going to shows and most dinners at  complimentary venues with our group, so we will be sitting with them. It’s sort of a shame to waste  having the genie at our disposal, but the reason we upgraded to the 2 bedroom aqua suite even though it is just the two of us, was for a cabin big enough so that other members ( some that are inside) can spread out and enjoy the balcony. Even so, it will be an amazing experience and I’ll be sure to report back😊

[topnole]

18 hours ago, RFerrington said:

@dleahy4444, as with all things, it is about being reasonable.

 

Many times, as a Star Class passenger, I have hosted others in my suite both for food and drinks.  It is not an unreasonable request and should be honored by your Genie so long as you do not go overboard.  Should you expect to do it every night ?  No.  Once, during a 7 night cruise, I would think it would be reasonable to host 3-4 others for dinner.  If you make it out to be a "big deal" then your Genie will think it's a big deal.  If you just matter-of-fact-ly let the Genie know that you will be hosting a couple of people for an evening, then it will be low key for everyone.

 

There are a couple of rules that have been in affect for as long as SC has been a "thing". 

 

(1)  You can only have room service from 1 specialty restaurant at a time.  So, if you are getting food from Chop's for dinner, everyone's orders will need to come from the Chop's menu, for that meal.

 

(2)  You must get your room service delivery during normal operating hours.  So, if you want a midnight lobster from Chops, you're out of luck.  Just ask for room service during the restaurant's normal operating hours and you'll be fine.

 

(3)  Water, soda, juices and beer are complimentary for suite delivery.  There are limited situations where liquor can be delivered but for the most part, if you want liquor or wine delivered, it's going to cost you extra.  That makes no sense....I completely understand that....since you can get any drink you want (for the most part) at any bar, it makes no sense that you would have to pay for wine and liquor deliveries, but that's the way it works.  You CAN have fully-prepared mixed drinks delivered (mimosa, bloody mary, etc.) but bottles of liquor, no - with a few exceptions of liquors that are available to anyone who wants to pay the outrageous cost that they charge !

 

Your Genie should (and almost certainly, will) handle all of this for you.  As I said above, be reasonable and keep it all low key.

 

The same goes for having reserved seating for yourself and others at the entertainment venues.  A couple of extra people ?  No problem.  I have never been denied this request.  6, 8, 10 others ?  Oh yeah...that will be a problem.

 

Another one of the unwritten rules - your Genie will never respond in writing or over the phone with an answer that contradicts the official policy.  So, if you write to your Genie before you board and ask them to please reserve seats for your non-SC family members, your Genie will almost certainly quote the rule that SC service is only available for SC passengers.  That's a CYA thing.  Wait until you are in personal direct contact with your Genie before discussing anything that may "bend" the rules.  I've never known a Genie to say "no" to a reasonable request.  Be respectful to them and they will be respectful in return !

 

Enjoy the ATS.  We have had them many times. They are absolutely unique.

A genie including non SC guests in front row seats used to be a big fat no from what I know.  It seems more common now, but still hit and miss and should in no way expected.  I personally wouldn’t even ask for that as it absolutely has the potential to infringe on other SC guests.  I have had SC several times with just my immediate family (wife and kids) and have been on a few trips with my folks who were SC and we were in a regular cabin.  We didn’t get perks on those.  No front row with my parents or whatever else.  
 

As far as dinner on the balcony, in my experience the genie will communicate that any guest joining you for dinner will need the UDP or they can’t include them.  They communicated this in email before

the cruise.  Also, when ordering onboard,

if you want the meal at a specific time (and particularly if you want it on the early side like 6), you need to have the order in by mid afternoon so the chef can prioritize.  
 

You send this to the genie via text.  The menus are in the Royal App.  We had 5 of us and hosted 4 on our balcony. Two were babies so really only 7 meals.  The genie had zero issues doing this.  All they are doing is forwarding a text message with the order to the restaurant.   This is nothing for them and it is 100% reasonable for a SC guest to have friends join them for dinner.  SC guests pay for that balcony and the other guests pay for the UDP.   There is zero taking advantage here and it creates more reservation space in the restaurants.  They probably like it this way.  
 

It is very difficult to find SC cabins, so the assertion that every one of your friends or family have to be in a SC cabin for them to join you on the balcony for a meal is not even reasonable.  Plus, that is a ridiculous expectation.  Just like any other guest, SC guests may know others on board and will do things with them.  The genie knows how to give them the SC treatment while the mix

in with others.   Meals on the balcony with others is fine and a common practice.  If Royal drew hard lines on and isolated SC guests, it would reduce the benefits of being SC for anyone that cruised with others.   Again, the genies are professional and officers of the ship.  They know what to allow and when to politely say no.  
 

This post is a reply to you, but directed at the OP fyi.  

[gkbiiii]

16 hours ago, 4-2-N-8 said:

Yes, I know, and all within one stateroom.

All 14 get Star Benefits!

[topnole]

16 hours ago, 4-2-N-8 said:

Yes, I know, and all within one stateroom.

Yeah.  14 would be more

cozy than most would want.  At that number, not even everyone would have a bedroom with a real bed.  And that is 3.5 people per bathroom.  So realistically two groups of four are sharing a bathroom.  Not exactly first class sharing a small bathroom with 3 other people.  I wouldn’t want more folks than there are real beds and only that many if some are kids who share the non-master baths.   If all adults, 8 would be max I’d go for a Villa.  2 adults per bath, max.  

[dleahy4444]

On 5/3/2023 at 9:42 AM, topnole said:

A genie including non SC guests in front row seats used to be a big fat no from what I know.  It seems more common now, but still hit and miss and should in no way expected.  I personally wouldn’t even ask for that as it absolutely has the potential to infringe on other SC guests.  I have had SC several times with just my immediate family (wife and kids) and have been on a few trips with my folks who were SC and we were in a regular cabin.  We didn’t get perks on those.  No front row with my parents or whatever else.  
 

As far as dinner on the balcony, in my experience the genie will communicate that any guest joining you for dinner will need the UDP or they can’t include them.  They communicated this in email before

the cruise.  Also, when ordering onboard,

if you want the meal at a specific time (and particularly if you want it on the early side like 6), you need to have the order in by mid afternoon so the chef can prioritize.  
 

You send this to the genie via text.  The menus are in the Royal App.  We had 5 of us and hosted 4 on our balcony. Two were babies so really only 7 meals.  The genie had zero issues doing this.  All they are doing is forwarding a text message with the order to the restaurant.   This is nothing for them and it is 100% reasonable for a SC guest to have friends join them for dinner.  SC guests pay for that balcony and the other guests pay for the UDP.   There is zero taking advantage here and it creates more reservation space in the restaurants.  They probably like it this way.  
 

It is very difficult to find SC cabins, so the assertion that every one of your friends or family have to be in a SC cabin for them to join you on the balcony for a meal is not even reasonable.  Plus, that is a ridiculous expectation.  Just like any other guest, SC guests may know others on board and will do things with them.  The genie knows how to give them the SC treatment while the mix

in with others.   Meals on the balcony with others is fine and a common practice.  If Royal drew hard lines on and isolated SC guests, it would reduce the benefits of being SC for anyone that cruised with others.   Again, the genies are professional and officers of the ship.  They know what to allow and when to politely say no.  
 

This post is a reply to you, but directed at the OP fyi.  

 

On 5/2/2023 at 2:26 PM, RFerrington said:

@dleahy4444, as with all things, it is about being reasonable.

 

Many times, as a Star Class passenger, I have hosted others in my suite both for food and drinks.  It is not an unreasonable request and should be honored by your Genie so long as you do not go overboard.  Should you expect to do it every night ?  No.  Once, during a 7 night cruise, I would think it would be reasonable to host 3-4 others for dinner.  If you make it out to be a "big deal" then your Genie will think it's a big deal.  If you just matter-of-fact-ly let the Genie know that you will be hosting a couple of people for an evening, then it will be low key for everyone.

 

There are a couple of rules that have been in affect for as long as SC has been a "thing". 

 

(1)  You can only have room service from 1 specialty restaurant at a time.  So, if you are getting food from Chop's for dinner, everyone's orders will need to come from the Chop's menu, for that meal.

 

(2)  You must get your room service delivery during normal operating hours.  So, if you want a midnight lobster from Chops, you're out of luck.  Just ask for room service during the restaurant's normal operating hours and you'll be fine.

 

(3)  Water, soda, juices and beer are complimentary for suite delivery.  There are limited situations where liquor can be delivered but for the most part, if you want liquor or wine delivered, it's going to cost you extra.  That makes no sense....I completely understand that....since you can get any drink you want (for the most part) at any bar, it makes no sense that you would have to pay for wine and liquor deliveries, but that's the way it works.  You CAN have fully-prepared mixed drinks delivered (mimosa, bloody mary, etc.) but bottles of liquor, no - with a few exceptions of liquors that are available to anyone who wants to pay the outrageous cost that they charge !

 

Your Genie should (and almost certainly, will) handle all of this for you.  As I said above, be reasonable and keep it all low key.

 

The same goes for having reserved seating for yourself and others at the entertainment venues.  A couple of extra people ?  No problem.  I have never been denied this request.  6, 8, 10 others ?  Oh yeah...that will be a problem.

 

Another one of the unwritten rules - your Genie will never respond in writing or over the phone with an answer that contradicts the official policy.  So, if you write to your Genie before you board and ask them to please reserve seats for your non-SC family members, your Genie will almost certainly quote the rule that SC service is only available for SC passengers.  That's a CYA thing.  Wait until you are in personal direct contact with your Genie before discussing anything that may "bend" the rules.  I've never known a Genie to say "no" to a reasonable request.  Be respectful to them and they will be respectful in return !

 

Enjoy the ATS.  We have had them many times. They are absolutely unique.

I just wanted to get back to both of you because you were so kind in your responses to my original post.  We had an amazing time!!! It was, for us, the trip of a lifetime since we don’t anticipate getting that room again. The genie was wonderful! It turned out that we never had dining on the balcony, as most in our group preferred to eat at the specialty restaurants themselves and had reservations, but the genie did arrange for us and the guests with the dining package to sit together at the restaurant a few times. We didn’t ask for anything in the room other than refills on water. But it was all he did, than we hadn’t asked for that made the experience special such as making sure that we had breakfast if we forgot to order, or arranging great seats for the hubby and I at the shows. We made sure to tip him above and beyond, for his kind attention. Now I just have to hit lotto to do it again! Happy cruising everyone!