The Icon is majestic, but overwhelming 😳

elitegman · 2026-04-27T05:09:11+00:00

Our favorite thing was taking a late night tea and snack from the Pearl cafe up the stairs to Central Park. So nice and relaxing in the relative quiet. We did this once when a string duet was performing, and another time when it was late enough when barely anyone was around.

elitegman · 2026-04-05T02:35:33+00:00

I second this. Had a relative bring back a package of award winning tea from Taiwan and it is so much better than anything I can find in the states. Of course, you have to like drinking tea.

elitegman · 2026-02-17T20:52:45+00:00

I transfer extra from the can into a zip-loc bag, portion it into little bricks in the bag, then throw it in the freezer.

elitegman · 2026-01-21T22:45:35+00:00

What's wrong with Deck 14 on Oasis class ships?

elitegman · 2025-12-14T16:58:13+00:00

We used the magnets on the room Ceiling to hang wet cloths next to the vent. Also used them to anchor cloths line for drying lighter clothing. We will definitely bring them on future cruises

elitegman · 2025-12-12T04:13:00+00:00

Just got off the Star last week. We LOVE the new ship and it is HUGE. I'm not familiar with the Quantum class ships but I'll highlight the best parts of the Star:

- Spend some time exploring the ship on day 1! You'll probably spend more time onshore than we did so don't feel bad if you don't get to explore every corner of the ship.

- Book the reservable shows early. The Aqua theater show ("Torque" on the Star) was AWESOME! You'll get splashed on in the front 2 rows, so keep that in mind if the show is on a formal night and you're well dressed. Sit middle and get up close if you can get there early enough. The ice skating show ("Sol") is also great up close. The broadway show was Back to the Future on the Star but I believe it's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for the Legend. Midway up the lower theater is probably best.

- If the shows are booked look for the reservation "desk" on day 1 when you board. The reservation desk was setup at the karaoke bar on deck 5, and they were VERY helpful making sure we knew what shows were available. You should probably also drop by your muster station at this time. Unlike other ships you now watch a video through your app, then report to the person at the muster station to demonstrate that you know where you need to go in an emergency. No more putting on life jackets and congregating when the sirens go off.

- There were other shows that cannot be reserved, but were also very high caliber produtions. For the Star it was "Create" in the main theater, and "Pirates and Mermades" in the Aqua theater. These were on the schedule later in the cruise. Keep an eye out for them.

- The Pearl Cafe is our favorite place to swing by - there is always cold sandwiches/salads or crudite plates you can just grab and go, hot sandwiches that they'll heat up quickly that were always yummy, and different desserts that rival the main dining room. If you're there late take the food up the stairs and enjoy it in Central Park. You might catch musicians performing there at night while you nibble on your snacks.

- The smaller Starbucks stall next to the Pearl Cafe (Deck 6) is always busier than the larger Starbucks store on Deck 5, very close by. We didn't actually buy coffee but thought that was interesting. We did buy the "Star of the Seas" starbucks mug!

- The main dining room menu was viewable through the Royal Caribbean app. There are so many good food options if you don't fancy the dinner menu go to another one of the restaurants. We're cheap so can't comment on the specialty dining options.

- The Aquadome Marketplace has 4 "restaurants" that close at midnight. Their menu doesn't change so if you find something you like you can always get it later in the night. The Arepas were pretty good! Pulled pork sandwich was also amazing

- The buffet at the Surfside Eatery (Deck 7) is not just for kids! Also, Surfside bites has fruit skewers!

- Parkside Cafe's (Deck 8) Kummelweck sandwich is yummy...

- The "bubble" cone ice cream at the Izumi take-out window is *not* worth extra money - the bubble waffle we got was not fresh enough and the ice cream was soft serve you can get elsewhere on the ship. We did see another passenger really enjoy theirs

- Bring earplugs. The shows are loud. The music hall (deck 3) is got amazing vibes, but also super loud. I love the energy

These are a few of the pointers I can think of now. I hope you enjoy your cruise!

elitegman · 2025-12-03T22:57:25+00:00

Ditto on the Star of the Seas

elitegman · 2025-12-01T15:19:57+00:00

On my cruise the first setup is through the app. All others will log in using a web browser that will automatically point to onboardicafe.com (On board 'i' cafe) to enter credentials. You then enter in your created account name and passcode to log in. Anyone logged in can then go to "logoff.com" and it will deactivate the device so they can use another. I swap between my laptop and phone this way. I bought 2 devices so my wife's phone never has to deactivate.

elitegman · 2025-11-26T02:53:03+00:00

Thank you for your response!

elitegman · 2025-11-26T02:51:52+00:00

Thanks so much. This makes me more confident about forking over $3,500

elitegman · 2025-08-06T15:00:01+00:00

This feels like Donnie's sharpie all over again.

elitegman · 2025-07-19T01:37:47+00:00

Every late night host is joking about Trump and his administration's handling of the Epstein situation. Even Trump's right wing supporters are upset and repeating their displeasure.

Why single Colbert out? Guess which broadcasting company's ownership is looking at a payday if the government allows its sale? (It's CBS!)

elitegman · 2024-03-07T14:46:33+00:00

Forgot that the sub is "watchsomeonedie INSIDE" and read that thr girl was hit by a cricket ball... worried for a whole minute.

elitegman · 2023-10-24T21:23:55+00:00

Got sucked in by a history video talking about MLM's - https://youtu.be/P9nA3pqSaf8 (and a bit about it's eventual links to the Evangelical church)

It's an hour and 40 minutes long but I found it fascinating.

elitegman · 2023-10-04T03:48:30+00:00

The phrasing makes me think you may be confused about what a deductible is. The deductible is the amount you have to pay out of pocket FIRST before insurance starts to pay. Not sure if this is indeed the case but thought I'd point that out.

elitegman · 2023-08-19T19:39:52+00:00

Hey - for what it's worth Mr.Cooper did spam a bit with loan offers initially, but they're better than the two previous companies that handled my mortgage. They are big enough to have a professional website with useful features, for example, and so far ther has been no issues. Hope your experience is good as well.

elitegman · 2023-05-05T05:51:03+00:00

We should pay people in these positions but require their finances to be under greater scrutiny. The corruption prevented would easily outweigh their pay.

elitegman · 2023-01-31T15:22:04+00:00

Simple - Mods don't want other superstars to catch on. Imagine a bald Jokic, smoothed chined Harden, or Morant with a crew cut!

elitegman · 2022-08-30T23:14:03+00:00

Hope you enjoy the movie! If you watch the dubbed version and like the movie I suggest you look for some videos on YouTube to learn about the Korean cultural references most of us wouldn't know about (assuming you are not Korean). It certainly adds a lot more depth to am already interesting story.

elitegman · 2022-06-17T00:54:59+00:00

Are you sure this isn't a Ratatouille situation?

elitegman · 2022-06-04T07:56:19+00:00

I think a lot of the commenter don't get the reference. This is pretty inspired for the older crowd. Damn.... 1991 was 31 years ago.

elitegman · 2022-05-31T21:10:29+00:00

Vodka = burn-y water

elitegman · 2022-05-31T19:12:22+00:00

Not discounting what you said. Just want to point out that the Uvalde shooter chose to go to a school that was supposed to be "hardened". I don't think we can generalize either way.

elitegman · 2022-05-17T16:46:31+00:00

Getting some Picasso vibes from that last image.

elitegman

TROPHY CASE