rayandshirl

:oWe've never seen our steward when we arrive at our cabin. We just drop off our jackets and carry on bags and start exploring the ship.

I always leave a note on the bed that requests a top sheet and like magic, that evening, it's there!

Port side it is. Thank you all for your information. I really appreciate it.

Is a port or starboard balcony the one you'd choose? Does it really make a difference?

Thanks!:)

Thank you so much for your reply. We really appreciate it.

:) We are sailing on the Star Princess on December 19th to Hawaii for the holidays. We've always booked through our travel agent a midship balcony cabin. We've only been able to secure a cabin in the forward area, B319.

There are several unsold cabins beginning with cabin number B631.

My husband was in the merchant marines years ago and loves a big swell and storms at sea! My stomach doesn't feel the same.

Do you think we're too forward?

I must be the only cruiser who finds all the separate accommodations for suite owners a bit confusing on the Allure of the Seas.

One aspect of cruising that we have always enjoyed is the social aspect of passengers talking to each other on the ship. With all the separate entrances for entry, concierge lounge for breakfast and lunch and a private dining area adjacent to the buffet, it seems like only suite owners will see suite owners.

Recently off the Star and the lobster tail and 2 shrimps were served on the 2nd formal night. The shrimp were good but the lobster tail was not.:( But the company at our table (anytime dining) made up for it!

:)

We took the Vallejo ferry into the city on Sunday morning, July 6 and walked with our 1 suitcase each (there were 3 of us) to Pier 35. Our boarding time (we are platinum) was listed as 1:00 pm

We had eaten lunch on the ship by 12:30 pm

It was a very easy board.

Our cabins were on Carribe deck with a large balcony. We were on the Star last fall for the Wine Country Coastal Cruise and for the San Francisco to Hawaii trip last spring.

We like the Star!

There were a lot of 3 generational families on board and everyone was excited about seeing Glacier Bay. We have cruised out of Seattle and Vancouver to Alaska but it was wonderful not having any airplane or hotel reservations to make for this cruise.

We ate breakfast in the dining room and the Horizon Court and had room service in the mornings as well. This trip was all about scenery and variety.

I ate fish every day and it was very good. My husband had a coffee card and used it every day.

For the first time in 8 cruises on Princess, I could order a gluten free pizza and only have to wait 15 minutes -- in the past I had to order it 24 hours in advance!

Enjoyed movies under the fog several times. The fog was thick (you couldn't see over the railing on promenade deck) cruising up and back BUT IT WAS SMOOTH AS ICE. NO ROCKING.

There were 3 comedians on board and we enjoyed the one that was a math professor at UCLA who juggled as well.

The naturalist on board, Shari, is fantastic. She started her first lecture with...Alaska is about more than jewelry stores!

Her lecture on humpback whales bubbling was just what we saw on an evening excursion. The herring are back in numbers and so are the whales and orcas.

All in all it was a grand cruise. The Star Princess looks great, the working crew were always enthusiastic and pleasant to talk to.

Can't wait to go back!:)

Got off the Star last Thursday. We were up early every morning and out and about the ship and on excursions. I don't remember seeing carts when we left for breakfast and only a few late in the evenings.

The ship sparkled, the seas were calm up to Alaska and back and the staff was terrific. I'd hate to spend my cruise time cruising the hallway and monitoring hte carts....

:)I will write a review of our 7/6 to 7/17 cruise from San Francisco to Alaska and back on the Star soon but just wanted to say that Princess did it again -- another perfect cruise from start to finish.

:)

Thank you for your prompt replies. It's appreciated.

Is the "adults only" pool on the Sun Deck free or is it part of the Sanctuary charge?

Also can any passenger use the steam/sauna for free as well?

Thank you very much.

:eek:

Boarding the Star in San Francisco on Sunday.

If the longshoremen go on strike, will it affect our cruise?

Thank you very much but I just discovered Holland America lines allow smoking on balconies so we will not consider this cruise after all.

We are up early and out on deck a lot. Have never sailed on Holland America but are considering an itinerary that calls to us but the available cabins (we've always booked balconies on Celebrity and Princess) on this cruise are on the promenade deck.

Do you feel a loss of privacy with people walking by your cabin? What about in the evening when you're in your cabin with the lights on?

We're used to not seeing anyone from our balcony.

Thank you so much.

Pam, you have cruised both Holland America as well as Princess and I have a question for you. It's not about food!

A couple of years ago we were on the Hurricane Sandy cruise on Princess from Quebec to Ft. Lauderdale that ended up sailing up and down the St. Lawrence which kept us out of harm's way.

We're itinerary focused when we choose a cruise and Holland America has a 14-day Canada and New England cruise with overnight stays in Quebec that calls to us.

We know that non-Princess people tend to say Holland America is "dead" after 8:00 pm and just wonder what your take is on it.

Thank you advance for your thoughts.

:)I have Celiac disease and am a regular Princess sailor (our 8th cruise on Princess is on July 6) and the gluten free/wheat free choices are varied and tasty. You will be pleasantly surprised.

Last year we did a back to back out of Vancouver and never made it to the dining room to eat. We were always too involved in watching for wildlife, etc.

Is the lobster dinner really good and worth making the time for?

We're returning to Alaska with Princess in July.

Thank you.

:)Princess does a great job for those of us with Celiac disease. You can have pizza but have to order it 24 hours ahead of time.

Every day in the Horizon Court there is 1 gluten free desert; same in the International cafe.

Tom, I can't wait to read your review. We board on July 6th! :p

We have had many family members and friends "share the savings" and have always used a travel agent that books lots of cruises with Princess. We and our family and friends have never had a problem with the pricing.

Find a good travel agent.

I am so sorry for the unfortunate accident that has left your father in such peril. We too have had to cancel a Princess sailing due to my husband's reoccuring cancer but have never experienced anything on the scale of your experiences.

We booked Princess insurance, filled out the forms, our doctor completed the forms and we received our money back. We did ask for a voucher for another cruise at a later date but that was not permissible. We took the money that was returned to us and applied it for a cruise the following year.

Again, our sympathies to you and your family.

It is a tough decision to make whether to sail or not but I'm sure your father is in good hands and he doesn't want you to miss out on this planned vacation.

Good luck to you all.

On our early May glacier cruise out of Vancouver, we stood in the Sanctuary area for a bit and there was no one in it during the glacier viewing. We spent time on the deck and on our balcony.

Everyone on deck was accommodating to each other to take pictures and there was no problem. There was no need to pay additional money for the sanctuary.

My husband and I have taken that same exact cruise twice. Once at Christmas 3 years ago and last April from San Francisco. Both of those Hawaiian cruises were full of people in scooters and wheelchairs.

On all of our Princess cruises, we have never experienced the sheer number of mobility challenged passengers.

One evening there was a very frail gentleman pushing his wife in a "temporary looking" wheelchair to the Princess theater. He was struggling to get over the hump into the room.

I have very little upper body strength and my husband has macular degeneration so I need to keep a hand on his arm.

I helped that man and pushed his wife into the theater while hoards of people moaned as they pushed by us.

I have to say that those 2 cruises are my least favorite in terms of memories. The wheelchairs in the Horizon court were a problem for the people in them and the crowds trying to get around them.

My husband and I did our best to avoid the elevators and the hallways were always full of laundry carts. I don't know why but the ship on both Hawaiian cruises seemed to small to accommodate everyone's special needs.

I am so sorry for your loss.