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Review: Alaska B2B Vancouver-Whittier-Vancouver Star Princess


ceilidh1
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As promised, I will write up my thoughts/experiences on our recent B2B. We embarked August 4th and disembarked August 18th. It was booked as two 7 day cruises, though it was also offered as a 14 day (but was sold out when we booked last minute). I literally booked on a whim simply because the price was good and we had nothing else going on - 3 weeks prior to sailing I was able to grab an inside room (same room for both legs) at a steal. We live in Vancouver so no flights to factor in...why not, right?

 

 

BACKGROUND:

We have taken 20 Princess cruises and have tried out Carnival, Holland, Disney, and Royal Caribbean. We have never not had a great time, but Princess has been the one we come back to - initially for the youth programs, but now because we just enjoy the product more. Sailing this time was myself, DD (11) and DS (7). I have never taken a longer cruise with just myself and the kids so was a little apprehensive. I have also never sailed an inside for that length of time, but figured I should give it a try. I was not disappointed.

 

 

 

EMBARKATION:

We live in Vancouver, about a 10 minute easy walk from Canada Place. We walked to the port and arrived around 10:30am. I used to work as a port agent and still have friends that work there so they had already given me approximate times to get there. I dropped my bags and then went upstairs to Hall C to check in. We are elite so get priority check-in but there was no line anyway. We were through the process in less than 10 minutes and then went back downstairs to go through security screening. A bit of a line here but no more than 5 minutes - most of the hold up was due to passengers going through the metal detector with their phones in their pockets! One couple had to go back to try to hunt down their checked bags as their passports were inside...yikes! Once through security we encountered our first line - US CBP. Anyone sailing who has their first port in the US must pre-clear immigration at Canada Place. This is beyond control of the cruise line or the staff and moves as fast or as slow as the officers decide to. No amount of complaining will change this aspect. We were in port with Holland America and one of the smaller ships, too, so the line wasn't as crazy as it could have been. They do have Nexus/Global Entry that would have saved some time but we just joined the US/Canadian passport line (there is a separate line for foreign passports that was far longer). The line moved steadily and we reached the machines in just over 10 minutes. For some reason, these machines always get the better of me (partly because I refuse to accept that I can't see without my glasses on and try to do it "blind"). As usual, I asked the 11 year old to take care of this bit and she really does excel at it - what is it with kids these days and their natural ability to handle anything with a screen? The nice machine spat the pieces of paper at us and we rejoined the line for the officer. Maybe another 7 minutes passed and we were finally on our way to the ship! Vancouver did have an elite lounge set up but we didn't need it because the ship had just started boarding!!! YAHOOOOOO! After the compulsory embarkation picture we were heading on to our home for the next 2 weeks. It was 11:15am. Not bad. Not bad.

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THE SHIP:

Star is one of my favorite ships. We sailed on her right after drydock in December 2017 and spent 18 wonderful days going from Vancouver to LA and LA to Hawaii and back. I was very excited to be going on again! Since we were allowed to board so early, we were not able to go to the rooms (they gave us a card at check in to say they would be ready at noon). We headed up to deck 14 and I had my first drink of the cruise - Alaskan White (my new go to beer)! The kids had their first choco-banana mocktails and we sat out on deck and relaxed. The ship was still pretty empty at this point so it was nice to just enjoy the beautiful weather and scenery.

 

 

The ship itself is still beautiful and I never noticed any areas that looked worn/old. I love the fact that it has an indoor pool (very convenient for Alaska) and we walked around the outside deck testing the water in the pools and hot tubs. The pools were "warm" and the hot tubs were a decent temperature. There is a pool at the aft for adults only, along with a bar and smoking area, and a pool at the front (also adult only) which is part of the spa area - not sure if you need a pass to use this pool as I have never been "kid-free" long enough to try it out! In addition to the spa, there is a small (ish) fitness centre and the Sanctuary - an adult only retreat that you pay for by the day/half day. I always stare longingly at it but, once again, the kids always spoil my fun! My most favorite feature of Star is right at the front of the ship - they open up the space above the bridge and you can stand up there for viewing - in Glacier Bay it was stunning! The other upper deck features are the youth clubs - Lodge/Tree House/Beach House (I will talk more about these later), a sports court with basketball and soccer, a golf green, two ping pong tables, and a basketball shooting game. And, of course, the most important areas - the buffet, pizza place, grill, ice cream place, and bars!

 

 

Inside the ship, the action is pretty much on decks 5/6/7. Deck 5 has the piazza with the International Cafe, Vines, Art Gallery, Internet Cafe, and tiny library (good section of take a book/leave a book). Deck 6 has the casino, Shooters Bar, guest services, and boutiques. Deck 7 has the Princess Theatre, shore excursions, future cruise sales, captains circle host, more boutiques, Crooners, Explorers, Wheelhouse, photo gallery, and Vista lounge.

 

 

 

The most important features of course....Capri dining room on deck 5 mid ship, Amalfi on deck 6 aft (this is the weird ship style where you can't walk forward to aft on deck 6 - you have to go up to 7, walk aft, then down to 6), Portofino and club class dining deck 6 mid ship. Specialty restaurants are Crown Grill on deck 7 mid ship, Sabatinis also deck 7 inside the photo gallery, and the Crab Shack (which takes up a portion of the buffet on deck 14 at night).

 

 

I'm sure I have forgotten places that I never went to - feel free to add if I have! More to come....

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THE ROOM:

As promised, the room was ready at noon. We were booked in an inside on Dolphin deck - the very first room at the front of the ship on the starboard side. Room D103. I have sailed in everything from an inside to a suite but had never spent 2 weeks alone with 2 kids in an inside. I had also never sailed without a balcony in Alaska, so I admit to being a little nervous!

 

 

The first thing I always do on entering my room on Princess is drop my bag and collapse on the bed. I LOVE the Princess beds - the most comfortable beds I have ever slept in. This time, when I collapsed on the bed, I didn't sink into it as I normally do...it was HARD! This room must have missed the upgrades during drydock because both twin beds had a standard mattress, sheet, and duvet. No fluffy mattress mad, and no luxury bed. The bunk that my daughter slept in was even worse - the mattress was the thickness of a sleeping pad you would use for camping and the duvet may well have been a duvet at some point in its life but by this time it was little more than a blanket. All 3 of us slept really badly (which is so unusual for us as we are great sleepers), waking several times a night and tossing and turning. My daughter woke every morning with a sore back - she is only 11 so I can't imagine how an adult would have fared.

 

 

The other upgrade our room missed was the lamps with the USB chargers. We got the standard two old lamps, one of which was so bent it resembled one of those flexible reading lamps. I love the chargers as I can have my phone charging overnight but still have it close enough to check the time if I wake without having to turn on lights or fumble in the darkness. The drawers in the desk were also broken and barely opened or closed. The bathroom was fine - standard, no complaints there. We got the elite amenities but didn't use any of them.

 

 

The elite mini bar was set up and I called and had the alcohol switched out to all beer, which was done pretty much immediately. The room wasn't really clean by my standards (and they are pretty low, with 2 kids...) - we kept finding things that were from previous occupants - including dental flossers, toothpicks, jellybeans (??), Go-Pro instructions, a cute drawstring bag....all of which indicated that it hadn't really been cleaned that thoroughly!

 

 

 

Our steward was ok - pleasant and friendly, but really just did the minimum. There were none of the standard things I have come to take for granted - a bathrobe for instance. I kept expecting one to turn up but it never did so on day 3 I asked for one. I got it without problem, but I shouldn't need to ask! Towels - you would think that if there are 3 people in the room, 3 towels would be standard, right? Nope. Two towels. Everyday. I got another if I asked, but I shouldn't need to ask. I ended up just grabbing the pool towels everyday and using those for the kids! We did get ice everyday - the irony of which is that I never had any need for it since the mini bar was all beer now?! The bunk bed was left set up the entire time for 2 weeks - had we spent more time in the room this would have been a problem as it meant that we all would have had to sit on one bed. Other cruises, the bed has always been put away and then remade at turndown...not a big deal but, still! There were no towel animals, no cookies at turndown, just the little things that really make a positive impression and the kids look forward to....

 

 

The room itself was amazingly quiet - no one walking past, no slamming doors. We heard nothing while we were in there (including any announcements from the bridge). We didn't feel any movement other than when we were docking at the ports - then you could hear and feel the vibrations from what I assume were the lines or the anchor. I actually enjoyed the location - it was far enough away from everything to be private but a nice, easy walk to midship dining areas and bars. What killed us was the walk from the youth program on deck 15 aft - that is one long hallway from back to front! To be honest, we spent so little time in the room that the cons were not an issue at all (apart from the beds). I must admit, though, I did miss the balcony for the scenic portions of Alaska - simply because I like to sit out and just watch the scenery and the kids are not always interested in that. On other cruises, I have bribed them into "resting" while I sat on the balcony (aka playing on their electronics for half an hour) but I couldn't really do that this time as it was too cold for them to sit outside and I didn't want to leave them inside while I was on deck. Other than that, the room was fine for our needs!

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MUSTER DRILL:

Pretty standard - I love not having to take lifejackets, but must say the whole Love Boat theme song thingy is kind of cheesy! I'm sure no one even listens to it! Our muster station was in the Princess Theatre and was pretty well organized and on time. It took a little while to get out with everyone filing out row by row, but was a necessary evil. We only had to do the drill once, even though we were on B2B sailings - apparently the law is that the drill is done in your port of embarkation and, since we embarked in Vancouver and were in transit for Whittier, we did not have to attend again! Yay!

 

 

SAILAWAY:

The kids and I LOVE sailaway - the cheesy line dancing, the singing, the drinking (well, maybe that's just me....). This sailaway was a bit of a flop in my opinion! The weather was glorious and we had even spent an hour or so in the pool earlier. We went straight up to deck 14 after muster drill and was surprised to see that there were no cruise staff or music/DJs next to the pool (the usual place for sailaway). After about 15 minutes or so, the cruise director and DJ showed up and positioned themselves on deck 15 underneath the movie screen. They said a few words, played a few songs and we noticed a few of the cruise staff dressed in red and black plaid shirts doing some dancing on deck 15. It was weird as, instead of being in that one area near the pool and having passengers come to join in they were moving from one spot to another on deck 15 and no one was really dancing or even sure what was happening. At first, I thought it was just a group of passengers that had worn matching shirts as they really weren't doing the all out "Get into party/cruise mode" thing that we have seen on every other sailing. Since there wasn't too much going on and it was almost our dining time, we decided to head off to the dining room - after all, we hadn't eaten for at LEAST 40 minutes!

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There is a pool at the aft for adults only, along with a bar and smoking area, and a pool at the front (also adult only) which is part of the spa area - not sure if you need a pass to use this pool as I have never been "kid-free" long enough to try it out!
No pass needed. It is free for all adults.

 

We only had to do the drill once, even though we were on B2B sailings - apparently the law is that the drill is done in your port of embarkation and, since we embarked in Vancouver and were in transit for Whittier, we did not have to attend again!
It is required once every 30 days. Some cruise lines require you to do it each segment even if it has not been 30 days.

 

Thanks for your report.

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DINING:

I will try to cover all of the dining (that we encountered) in this section. Our assigned dining was early seating (that we had requested) in Portofino. We were given a table for 4 (as requested) and assigned table 132 at 5:15pm for the whole two weeks. This can be fantastic or awful depending on the wait staff you get. We totally lucked out and from the first minute at our table I knew we would be eating there every night - and we did! Our waiters were Francisco and Nikson - the best team we have ever had and we have had some really good ones! These guys were literally on top of everything. They had the timing of food to perfection - not an easy task when you have two kids and one adult and the kids don't order starters! They never got an order wrong and, my favorite thing of all, my glass was NEVER empty!!!! Lately I have commented on here that since I started getting the beverage package I have noticed that it is harder to get decent drink service - this was NOT our experience anywhere on this trip and the dining room, in particular, was top notch. I like to drink wine at dinner and every night there was a glass waiting for me and no sooner had I finished my last mouthful, another was placed in front of me! Bravo!

 

 

 

The menu was very good with choices that suited all of us. The food was obviously repeated on week two but I was never at a loss to find something that appealed to me. My particular favorites were the pork belly and the pesto linguine. I don't eat seafood so the lobster, shrimp, clams, etc were wasted on me. There was never a time when I didn't enjoy the meal I had ordered. My kids are not the easiest when it comes to food but on the ship they tend to stick to what they know they like - usually spaghetti and cheeseburgers off the kids menu. This time round, the head waiter approached and asked my son if he liked mac and cheese as the chef was going to make it just for the kids the following night. This isn't a dish that is on the menu other than in the specialty restaurants and my son was literally beaming as it his favorite meal....True to his word, next night a plate of delicious mac and cheese (I tasted it and even to me it was delicious) appeared in front of my son. I have never seen him eat so much so quickly and with so much pleasure! Afterwards he told the head waiter that it was the best mac and cheese he had ever tasted and he wished he could eat it every night. The head waiter promised that he would put in a standing order and any night he wanted it he could have it. Well, guess what my child ate for 13 nights straight???? And he never got tired of it.....

 

 

The desserts were also excellent - the chocolate journeys are always really good and Love Boat Dream is one of my favorites. My son ate vanilla ice cream every night (have I mentioned how he likes to stick to what he knows?) and my daughter really liked the apple pie. Most nights, the waiter also brought out a plate of cookies to share. If you get the chance, try the ones that look like cornflakes with chocolate on them. They were the most delicious little mouthfuls ever!

 

 

We did lunch a few times at Portofino, too. This was the only dining room open at lunch time and not when we were in port. The lunch service was fine but nothing compared to the dinner service - until out very last sea day when Nikson was our server at lunch. We were so happy!!! The food choices at lunch were not that varied - burgers, sandwiches, soup, but they tasted fine. The desserts were the biggest let down at lunch - one time I ordered a trifle (I'm a Brit and I LOVE trifle). This one was the furthest thing from a trifle I had ever encountered - the custard was frozen solid and jelly was liquid. Needless to say, I did not eat it. My daughter ordered an apple pie (did I mention she loves apple pie?) that turned out to be an egg custard pie with slices of apple in it. Tasted fine to me, but she hates custard so was not impressed! My son stuck to the vanilla ice cream and seemed to do just fine....

 

 

We only made breakfast in the dining room twice in the two weeks - it was served until 9am and, since we slept so badly at night, we usually didn't wake up until that time. Once again, the dining room was Portofino. Both times the service was fine and the food choices were decent. Both kids enjoyed the bagels with salmon, though the amount of salmon they give was beyond excessive. I felt so bad that it was going to waste but not even an adult could have eaten that much smoked salmon with one bagel! I had a full English breakfast one morning and an omelette the next. Both were good.

 

 

 

 

The buffet was everything you would expect a buffet to be. Crowded, busy, loud. It was very tough to find a table and I find it next to impossible to navigate with two kids in tow. We tended to hunt down a table and I would sit with DS while DD got her food. When she got back, I would go to get food for myself and DS while she sat with him. This meant that we were all eating at different times from one another. Not ideal, but we really didn't go that often. Drink service in the buffet was very inconsistent - most times there were too many passengers and not enough staff. It was all the staff could do to clear the tables and clean them off in between people leaving and arriving. I just don't think there was time for them to add in drink service as well. We usually just got drinks at the bar ourselves.

 

 

 

Breakfast at the buffet was the standard breakfast foods. Eggs, bacon, pancakes, waffles, french toast, sausage, cereal, oatmeal, cheeses, fruit, yogurt, made to order omelettes, pastries, etc. There was always one or two non-standard dishes - such as rice and a something to go with it. The food was usually lukewarm but decent enough. Lunch tended to be sandwiches, salads, cold cuts with bread, and then some hot (aka warm) food such as pasta, rice, meat, potatoes. The Indian dishes were usually pretty good and seemed to vary each day. Desserts fell down again - they look so impressive but the taste is often bland and disappointing. We never ate dinner at the buffet so can't comment on that.

 

 

International Cafe - by far one of my favorite places on the ship, though even here I noticed that things are slipping. It used to be that the cafe had different sandwiches, salads, and desserts throughout the cruise. While they still offer all of these things they tend to stay the same each day so there was not much variation or choice. If you get the chance, try the chicken panini and the chocolate mousse. Both amazing. We ate here a few times for lunch and also just to grab a snack. Most breakfasts we had here as the breakfast muffins are really good (though twice in the 2 weeks we had some that were so hard that they were not edible) and DS is a bit of a doughnut fanatic. I like my chai tea in the mornings, so this was the obvious choice! For those of you who are new to this - the drinks in the International Cafe are not free - I saw so many people wait in line and walk away looking confused when they ordered coffee and were asked for their cruise cards! Hot chocolate is free with the soda package - not sure if it is free for everyone, but I didn't see hot chocolate anywhere else on the ship...

 

 

The pub lunch held in the Crown Grill is another favorite of ours and we went to both offerings in the two weeks. We were pleasantly surprised that, unlike on other sailings, there weren't huge line ups before the doors even opened. In fact, there was no wait at all and the dining room was only half full. Strange. As always, the three of us had the fish and chips which did not disappoint. We skipped the bread pudding for dessert - the only one on offer. We have had trifle in the past but not this time....

 

 

The pizza place and Trident Grill on deck 14 are firm favorites for the kids. They LOVE the cheese pizza and the cheeseburgers and fries. I'm not a huge fan of that kind of food but must admit that when I did a taste test (got to check it's ok for them to eat, right?) I did think it all tasted rather delicious! The fries in particular are quite addictive. The ice cream bar also got many visits from my kids - it's soft serve so not my first choice. Once again, the taste test got approval!

 

 

We didn't do room service at all this cruise on account of being in an inside room and having nowhere to sit and eat! We also didn't do any of the specialty restaurants as the kids are not big fans of them and I didn't want to eat alone! The one thing I really missed this cruise was afternoon tea. I LOVE afternoon tea and would have gone everyday but it always seemed to either clash with something else we wanted to do or we just didn't want to eat so soon before dinner - one downside of having early dining!

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DINING:

I will try to cover all of the dining (that we encountered) in this section. Our assigned dining was early seating (that we had requested) in Portofino. We were given a table for 4 (as requested) and assigned table 132 at 5:15pm for the whole two weeks. This can be fantastic or awful depending on the wait staff you get. We totally lucked out and from the first minute at our table I knew we would be eating there every night - and we did! Our waiters were Francisco and Nikson - the best team we have ever had and we have had some really good ones! These guys were literally on top of everything. They had the timing of food to perfection - not an easy task when you have two kids and one adult and the kids don't order starters! They never got an order wrong and, my favorite thing of all, my glass was NEVER empty!!!! Lately I have commented on here that since I started getting the beverage package I have noticed that it is harder to get decent drink service - this was NOT our experience anywhere on this trip and the dining room, in particular, was top notch. I like to drink wine at dinner and every night there was a glass waiting for me and no sooner had I finished my last mouthful, another was placed in front of me! Bravo!

 

 

 

The menu was very good with choices that suited all of us. The food was obviously repeated on week two but I was never at a loss to find something that appealed to me. My particular favorites were the pork belly and the pesto linguine. I don't eat seafood so the lobster, shrimp, clams, etc were wasted on me. There was never a time when I didn't enjoy the meal I had ordered. My kids are not the easiest when it comes to food but on the ship they tend to stick to what they know they like - usually spaghetti and cheeseburgers off the kids menu. This time round, the head waiter approached and asked my son if he liked mac and cheese as the chef was going to make it just for the kids the following night. This isn't a dish that is on the menu other than in the specialty restaurants and my son was literally beaming as it his favorite meal....True to his word, next night a plate of delicious mac and cheese (I tasted it and even to me it was delicious) appeared in front of my son. I have never seen him eat so much so quickly and with so much pleasure! Afterwards he told the head waiter that it was the best mac and cheese he had ever tasted and he wished he could eat it every night. The head waiter promised that he would put in a standing order and any night he wanted it he could have it. Well, guess what my child ate for 13 nights straight???? And he never got tired of it.....

 

 

The desserts were also excellent - the chocolate journeys are always really good and Love Boat Dream is one of my favorites. My son ate vanilla ice cream every night (have I mentioned how he likes to stick to what he knows?) and my daughter really liked the apple pie. Most nights, the waiter also brought out a plate of cookies to share. If you get the chance, try the ones that look like cornflakes with chocolate on them. They were the most delicious little mouthfuls ever!

 

 

We did lunch a few times at Portofino, too. This was the only dining room open at lunch time and not when we were in port. The lunch service was fine but nothing compared to the dinner service - until out very last sea day when Nikson was our server at lunch. We were so happy!!! The food choices at lunch were not that varied - burgers, sandwiches, soup, but they tasted fine. The desserts were the biggest let down at lunch - one time I ordered a trifle (I'm a Brit and I LOVE trifle). This one was the furthest thing from a trifle I had ever encountered - the custard was frozen solid and jelly was liquid. Needless to say, I did not eat it. My daughter ordered an apple pie (did I mention she loves apple pie?) that turned out to be an egg custard pie with slices of apple in it. Tasted fine to me, but she hates custard so was not impressed! My son stuck to the vanilla ice cream and seemed to do just fine....

 

 

We only made breakfast in the dining room twice in the two weeks - it was served until 9am and, since we slept so badly at night, we usually didn't wake up until that time. Once again, the dining room was Portofino. Both times the service was fine and the food choices were decent. Both kids enjoyed the bagels with salmon, though the amount of salmon they give was beyond excessive. I felt so bad that it was going to waste but not even an adult could have eaten that much smoked salmon with one bagel! I had a full English breakfast one morning and an omelette the next. Both were good.

 

 

 

 

The buffet was everything you would expect a buffet to be. Crowded, busy, loud. It was very tough to find a table and I find it next to impossible to navigate with two kids in tow. We tended to hunt down a table and I would sit with DS while DD got her food. When she got back, I would go to get food for myself and DS while she sat with him. This meant that we were all eating at different times from one another. Not ideal, but we really didn't go that often. Drink service in the buffet was very inconsistent - most times there were too many passengers and not enough staff. It was all the staff could do to clear the tables and clean them off in between people leaving and arriving. I just don't think there was time for them to add in drink service as well. We usually just got drinks at the bar ourselves.

 

 

 

Breakfast at the buffet was the standard breakfast foods. Eggs, bacon, pancakes, waffles, french toast, sausage, cereal, oatmeal, cheeses, fruit, yogurt, made to order omelettes, pastries, etc. There was always one or two non-standard dishes - such as rice and a something to go with it. The food was usually lukewarm but decent enough. Lunch tended to be sandwiches, salads, cold cuts with bread, and then some hot (aka warm) food such as pasta, rice, meat, potatoes. The Indian dishes were usually pretty good and seemed to vary each day. Desserts fell down again - they look so impressive but the taste is often bland and disappointing. We never ate dinner at the buffet so can't comment on that.

 

 

International Cafe - by far one of my favorite places on the ship, though even here I noticed that things are slipping. It used to be that the cafe had different sandwiches, salads, and desserts throughout the cruise. While they still offer all of these things they tend to stay the same each day so there was not much variation or choice. If you get the chance, try the chicken panini and the chocolate mousse. Both amazing. We ate here a few times for lunch and also just to grab a snack. Most breakfasts we had here as the breakfast muffins are really good (though twice in the 2 weeks we had some that were so hard that they were not edible) and DS is a bit of a doughnut fanatic. I like my chai tea in the mornings, so this was the obvious choice! For those of you who are new to this - the drinks in the International Cafe are not free - I saw so many people wait in line and walk away looking confused when they ordered coffee and were asked for their cruise cards! Hot chocolate is free with the soda package - not sure if it is free for everyone, but I didn't see hot chocolate anywhere else on the ship...

 

 

The pub lunch held in the Crown Grill is another favorite of ours and we went to both offerings in the two weeks. We were pleasantly surprised that, unlike on other sailings, there weren't huge line ups before the doors even opened. In fact, there was no wait at all and the dining room was only half full. Strange. As always, the three of us had the fish and chips which did not disappoint. We skipped the bread pudding for dessert - the only one on offer. We have had trifle in the past but not this time....

 

 

The pizza place and Trident Grill on deck 14 are firm favorites for the kids. They LOVE the cheese pizza and the cheeseburgers and fries. I'm not a huge fan of that kind of food but must admit that when I did a taste test (got to check it's ok for them to eat, right?) I did think it all tasted rather delicious! The fries in particular are quite addictive. The ice cream bar also got many visits from my kids - it's soft serve so not my first choice. Once again, the taste test got approval!

 

 

We didn't do room service at all this cruise on account of being in an inside room and having nowhere to sit and eat! We also didn't do any of the specialty restaurants as the kids are not big fans of them and I didn't want to eat alone! The one thing I really missed this cruise was afternoon tea. I LOVE afternoon tea and would have gone everyday but it always seemed to either clash with something else we wanted to do or we just didn't want to eat so soon before dinner - one downside of having early dining!

 

 

 

Thank you so much for all the good info.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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BARS:

As I have mentioned, I have noticed on our past few cruises that, as soon as the bar staff/waiters realise you have a drink package they have tended to back off and not offer as much drink service (or at least that's how it felt to me). This trip was not that way at all. I cannot tell you how impressed I was with all of the bar staff. I wrote more commendation cards and tipped more staff this cruise than I have done on any of my previous cruises! I have already spoken about the drink service in the main dining room and how pleased I was with that, so I will detail the bars that I visited.

 

 

Explorers - this really became our "local" simply because there was always something going on that we wanted to see. The bar stewards got to know us and greeted us by name. They knew exactly what drinks we wanted and, most impressive of all, they knew the folio numbers so we rarely even had to show our cards! Particular kudos goes to Grace and Rowyn in this lounge - if you are sailing Star anytime soon and run into them, be sure to tell them how great they are!

 

 

Wheelhouse - I didn't visit the Wheelhouse as much as I usually do due to the fact that I was sailing solo with the kids and it's not really the sort of place that I think kids should be in (not to say they aren't allowed in there, but as a parent I am conscious that it is a small and intimate place and other people may not wish to hear about the latest Beyblade movie)! I did duck in a few times while the kids were in the youth programs and had fabulous service again. The bartenders went out of their way to chat to me when they saw that I was sitting alone and really made me feel welcome. I also went to a couple of the happy hours - 10pm to 11pm buy one, get one $1. I didn't make a difference to me as I had the drink package, but I was at a loose end so stopped in. It was pretty quiet both times but still fun and great service. There was a band playing in there most nights that were pretty good - Charade Trio (I think).

 

 

Crooners - Crooners had a piano player that was quite entertaining and apparently was a prodigy of Liberace (I had already had a few drinks by the time he told this story so it might not be totally accurate). They also had a guitar player/singer called Philly who was wonderful. The service here was a little less impressive but only because it was much busier at the times I was there. At the bar, there didn't appear to be any form of serving those who got there first and I stood there for some time waiting to get my drink, watching others walk up and get served right away. Once again, it seemed to be a case of too many passengers and not enough staff!

 

 

International Cafe - as well as the cafe and coffee bar, there is also an actual bar. I grabbed a drink there a few times if I was heading to dinner or just to sit in the piazza. Once again, cannot fault the service. Liza was wonderful - like a breath of fresh air, always cheerful and positive!

 

 

Princess Theatre - not a bar, but they do have bar staff coming around taking drink orders. This is usually one of the hardest places to get drinks because there are around 700 passengers and usually 4-5 bar staff. This time, no problem! The waiters would appear pretty much as soon as I sat down, take my order (along with about 15 other orders), take my card and disappear. I had visions of either never seeing my card again, having else's drinks charged to my card or, worst case scenario, never getting my beer. No need to worry - they appeared very quickly with trays full of drinks and always knew which drink went to which person and which card belonged to who. Amazing! Sometimes they had their ipads and could just order from these and swipe the cards, but most times the wifi didn't work in the theatre so the ipads didn't work either...

 

 

Skywalkers - another of my favorite places on the ship. I should add that I was NEVER here when the bar was open but we spent a lot of time here during the day just hanging out, playing games, and enjoying the view. It was pretty much empty all the time. This is where they hold the elite reception each night but I never attended - did I mention that I was travelling solo with 2 kids. Sigh. We were in there a few times before the reception and saw them setting up - I was tempted to stay and see if they would kick us out when the 5pm reception time came around. Anyone know what happens in that case? I'm elite so I guess they couldn't kick us out, but someone that wasn't elite that had been sitting up there for an hour or so? Do they just get turfed out? Hmmm.....Anyway, this is the place to be if you want peace and quiet and views - I think at least half the ship didn't even know this place existed!

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CRUISE STAFF:

When we sailed Star over the holiday the cruise director and staff were fantastic. I was hoping it would be at least some of the same faces, but sadly not!

 

 

 

Cruise Director on this ship was Steve, from England - a big black guy that I had some trouble understanding (not because of the accent - I'm a Brit so I usually do ok with that). Steve was ok but didn't strike me as someone who loved what he was doing - in my opinion, to be in this role you have to really enjoy it or at least be convincing enough that passengers think you really enjoy it. Steve seemed to just be going through the motions - not that he was bad. We still enjoyed him for the most part, but there was no spark. He had a very dry humor and there was a lot of sarcasm that seemed to be lost on the majority of passengers, so at times I felt he came over as rude.

 

 

Cruise Staff were made up of Aaron (Babyface Bingo) from England, Mark from Canada, Vanessa from Chile, Marianna from Italy, and Laura from Mexico. Aaron was by far the stand out of the crowd. He was so personable, so funny, and very engaging. Mark was also great and we enjoyed all the activities he hosted. Both of them always had a smile and always greeted us if they saw us around the ship. Vanessa was stunningly beautiful and her smile lit up the room, but otherwise there was nothing stand out awesome about her. Once again, it seemed like she was just going through the motions and getting her job done. Marianna and Laura were not as personable, in my opinion, and the fact that their English was difficult to understand due to their heavy accents meant that activities they hosted were actually hard to follow and enjoy. I felt that there was a sense of "team" missing from these guys - on other sailings it has really come through how close the cruise staff were but not this time. Once again, not saying they were bad - we enjoyed them and loved Mark and Aaron, just saying that we have definitely had better!

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YOUTH PROGRAM:

Sailing with two kids from the time they were 6 months old, the youth programming has been very important to us and is one of the reasons that we keep returning to Princess. Both of my children have really enjoyed the programs and there have been many times when I have literally had to drag them out of the kid clubs. Now that they are older, they like to pick and choose their activities, rather than just spend the entire time in the club - as my daughter pointed out, you can only colour so many t-shirts in your life!

 

 

Star is one of the ships with the new, revamped programs. To be honest, I don't see anything different besides the names of the clubs and the nicer kids areas. The program/activities appear to have been the same for the past 11 years! Star hoouses the youth programs on deck 15 aft - the Beach House for teens, The Lodge for ages 8-12 and the Tree House for ages 3-7. Children under 3 are welcome but an adult must stay with them. Children in the Tree House need to be dropped off and picked up by an adult and parents are given a pager in case they need to be contacted. Children in The Lodge are allowed to sign themselves in and out if the parents allow this. The exception to this is for port days, when there are no sign in/out privileges. Tip to parents who are signing kids out - they require picture ID so take a photo on your phone and then you don't need to worry about running back to your cabin to grab your license or passport every day! As a last resort they will try to scan your cruise card but there is usually no wifi up there so the scanners rarely work!

 

 

 

The Tree House has a soft play area, a tv/movie area, a very small climber/slide, and tables for arts/crafts. There is also an outside play area with bikes, etc. The Lodge is made up of two rooms (on the cruise at Christmas they split the 8-12 year olds into two groups with the older ones in one room and the younger ones in the other - they did not do this for the Alaska cruise and only used one of the rooms). The Lodge has video games, skeeball, air hockey, tv/movie area, arts/crafts area and an outside play area with basketball hoops. My kids have not yet made it to the Beach House so can't comment too much other than to say that it appears to be more of a meet-up area where the teens then go off to do their own thing together.

 

 

 

My kids didn't go to the club as much as they have done on other trips - I think partly because they really have done it all so many times and they are both getting to be at the upper ages of their groups. There were 114 kids total on the first leg of the cruise and 97 on the second leg. As always, the club offered lots of art and craft projects, movies at night, free play, educational sessions (learn about sharks, turtles, eagles, etc), and competitions. For the formal nights there was kids dinner in the Horizon Court - this doesn't work if you have early dining as it starts at 7pm and you have already eaten dinner at 5:30pm! There was also an ice cream party one afternoon on each of the weeks. At Glacier Bay the park ranger spent an hour in the youth programs talking to the kids and they each got a work book, ranger badge, and patch. The last night is pajama party night so you can pack those clothes and put them away! The club was closed one afternoon on both legs of the trip for a family fun fair - this was parent supervised but the youth staff did face painting, tattoos, balloon animals, button making, and games. We didn't go the first week when it was held in the piaza but the second week it was held in the kid clubs and we went - it was fun for the kids and the parents got to really see the facilities (usually you are not allowed in other than to sign at the door).

 

 

 

The hours for the clubs were 9am-12pm / 2pm-5pm / 7pm-10pm. There was late night kidsitting from 10pm to 1am for $5 per hour per child and you needed to sign up in advance. During days in port, the club was open from 9am to 5pm and there was an option for the kids to go for lunch with the staff if signed up ahead of time. We didn't sign up for port days but two of the days we were on board and the kids wanted to go so we stopped by and they were happy to let them stay - I'm guessing it depends on number of kids/staff. On port days all of the kids from Tree House and Lodge are together in the Lodge - my son loved this as it meant he got to play on the video games!

 

 

The staff in the clubs were great, as always. I honestly don't know how they do what they do! In all of our cruises we have only ever had one bad youth leader (and she was AWFUL) so Princess obviously does a good job with recruiting for this area. Even though the kids didn't go as much as they usually do, when they did go they enjoyed themselves and made friends. My daughter was sad that they didn't have the Lodge groups split again, particularly as she preferred the room they weren't using to the one they were in. She had also been looking forward to Chefs at Sea again but it wasn't offered on either leg - if you are travelling with 8-12 year olds and have a chance to do this, I highly recommend it!

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ACTIVITIES:

I had assumed that the activities offered the first week would all be repeated the second. For some this was the case, but others were completely different - which was nice as we got to do twice as much! On the Northbound leg we often had so much we wanted to do that it was hard to fit it all in or decide which to choose. The Southbound leg had less that interested us but there was still more than enough to keep us busy. I will comment on the activities that we actually participated in!

 

 

Liars Club / Cuckoo Game Show: Going North this game was called Liars Club and going South it was called Cuckoo. The Northbound version was far funnier, though we did enjoy both. For the Northbound the panel were Steve, the cruise director, Dan, the band manager, Ian the tech manager, and Bernie, the entertainment director. Each would give a statement and the audience had to ask questions to decide if they were telling the truth. All four of them were so funny and the audience really got involved. The Southbound was exactly the same premise but the panel was made of the three cruise staff - Mark, Aaron, and Vanessa. Their stories were not as funny or elaborate and the audience really didn't ask any questions so the game wasn't as entertaining. Still enjoyable, though!

 

 

Passenger Feud Game Show: This was only offered on the northbound leg, much to my kids' dismay. It was held in Vista Lounge and was a packed house. So many people signed up that we didn't even get picked to play - much to my kids' dismay (though I was secretly relieved)! The game was hosted by Mark from the cruise staff and was pretty much just a play on the Family Feud game show. He did a really good job and the audience (again) made it even funnier with some of their comments and answers.

 

 

Family Karaoke: There was a definite lack of karaoke on both north and south voyages. The family karaoke was only offered on the northbound and there was only a handful of people in the lounge. I persuaded my kids to sign up but, unfortunately, right before they were called the machine froze and they had to cancel the rest of the show. I like to tell them it was because no one wanted to hear them sing!

 

 

Ye Olde Pub Night: This was only offered on the southbound version. I have seen this a few times and, being a Brit, really enjoy singing the songs. This was hosted by Aaron, who was a great choice given that he was British. It was the usual cheesy singing, dancing, bad jokes - all of which make up a good pub night. I'm sure much of it was lost on the audience, though! The evening includes an audience sing along and is meant to be rowdy and raucous. I think my kids and I were the loudest there and certainly had the most fun!

 

 

Arts and Crafts: The kids and I love to do the arts and crafts projects that are hosted by the cruise staff. On our holiday cruise we made cards, did quilling, origami, leis, etc. We were excited to see that the first arts and crafts session was to make a Klondike bracelet and we went along to Sabatinis and got a spot first in line. Vanessa was hosting and when she came to bring the supplies she told us that all of the activities in the Patter were for adults only. I was stunned - in ALL of our cruises we had never heard this. Princess markets itself as a family line and of all activities, I would think that arts and crafts are the MOST family friendly! By this time, other families had joined the line - ironically it seemed that every person there had a child with them! When we went inside, Vanessa handed out kids to the adults and said again that ONLY adults could participate. So, what happened with us is that my daughter made "my" bracelet while my son and I sat and did nothing. We saw families with 2 adults and 2 kids who had 2 bracelets, we saw families with 2 adults and 1 kid who had 2 bracelets, and then we saw teens with no adults who were given bracelets. It was, in my opinion, very poor and did not leave me feeling very welcome! I get that they may have limited supplies but it should be first come/first served. I get that kids shouldn't be allowed to participate without an adult but if you are there with kids then there is no reason the kids shouldn't be allowed to participate!

 

 

Wii Bowling / Golf: This was offered both weeks in the piazza and was hosted by cruise staff. My kids love Wii and were first in line to sign up. Once again, we heard those dreaded words "activities in the Patter are only for adults". For bowling, there were 3 kids and a parent in line. The kids were told that adults would get priority. No adults came to sign up so the kids and two teens were allowed to sign up. After the bowling started and was about 5-7 minutes in, a few adults arrived and wanted to play. Even though they were late and the kids had already started they were signed up and tagged onto the kids games. This made the whole score keeping thing impossible as two players were bowling under each name. The kids still had a lot of fun, but it was another thing that didn't sit well with me!

 

 

Dicey Horse Racing: This was held in the piaza on both north and south bound. It was hosted by Mark with a couple of the casino staff. It is basically 6 wooden horses with numbers and 3 dice. You can bet on the horses ($3 a bet - it used to be $1 not too long ago) and if the number of the horse is rolled the horse moves a space. First horse to the end wins and anyone who bet on that horse gets a payout! My kids particularly enjoyed the northbound version as Mark made them "jockeys" and they were in charge of moving the horses. We bet on each round and won NOTHING! My math whizz daughter quickly figured out that if we had bet on all the horses at the start we would have doubled our money - the payout for the first round was $36 for the winning horse. If only she had told me before the race was over.....

 

 

more entertainment stuff to come....

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A pool at the front (also adult only) which is part of the spa area - not sure if you need a pass to use this pool as I have never been "kid-free" long enough to try it out!

That pool only LOOKS like it's part of the spa or sanctuary...it's not. Great place to relax sans kids. Really nice loungers and because many are confused about whether it's part of the spa or sanctuary, it's often empty.

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That pool only LOOKS like it's part of the spa or sanctuary...it's not. Great place to relax sans kids. Really nice loungers and because many are confused about whether it's part of the spa or sanctuary, it's often empty.

 

Good to know! If I ever manage to ditch my kids long enough I might have to try it out!

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I totally agree with you on the cruise director, but I even had a hard time understanding him. Was Captain Tuvo on your cruise? He's been MIA for a while now.

 

No he wasn't. I think our captain was Manfuso but since I barely heard anything from him or about him in two weeks, not sure. I heard Tuvo disembarked about a month ago but will be rejoining Star in the fall. I LOVE sailing with him! "Bye-Bye"

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MORE ACTIVITIES:

 

 

Production Q&A/Tour - This was offered on the last day of the northbound version and was well worth attending. Ian, the tech manager, Dan, the band manager, and the manager of the dancers were on stage talking about what goes on behind the scenes and how they manage to pull shows together, etc. There were questions and answers from the audience and I learned lots of things about just how much it takes (time, money, rehearsals, etc) to put these shows on the stage. It really was interesting. Afterwards, we were invited backstage to look at the dressing rooms and costumes, meet some of the dancers, and generally just wander around in an area that is usually off limits. The icing on the cake was when the sound/lighting guy invited my kids up into the booth at the back of the theatre and literally told them to press any/all the buttons they wanted to! I honestly think they would have stayed there all day given the chance!

 

 

Culinary Demonstration - This was offered in the theatre on both legs. We didn't attend on the northbound but checked it out on the south. It was more a "show" than anything culinary so if you go there expecting a cooking demo you will be disappointed. There were two of the head waiters hosting, the head chef and the hotel general manager. They performed a comedy routine with lots of banter, jokes back and forth and some really bad cooking that was quite amusing. Waiters from each dining room sang and danced and some were outstanding!

 

 

Musical Bingo - This was offered on both legs and was basically a free game of bingo. Instead of marking off numbers, you marked off song names as they played them. This would have been fine if I had actually known any of the songs - lol. They did have a 3 song reveal so you would see the name of the song after the next two played. Needless to say, I didn't win (or if I did, I didn't know it!). The prizes were Princess souvenirs and they also gave everyone who attended a free ticket for the cash bingo the following morning. I never did make it to real bingo in the whole two weeks. Kids spoil my fun!

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PRODUCTION SHOWS:

 

 

Born to Dance - This was offered on both north and south. I'm slightly biased as it is my favorite Princess show. As always, I was mesmerised by the dancing. Singing was ok, but it's all about the dancing. One dancer, in particular, was outstanding - I don't know his name but he was obviously trained in ballet.

 

 

British Invasion - I believe this was only offered on the northbound. If it was on the south then I obviously missed it that time! Another one of the better shows (maybe because I'm a Brit) that highlights all of the songs from the UK. Again, dancing and costumes were outstanding. Singing was ok. I really don't like the female Freddie Mercury - just doesn't sound right!

 

 

Motorcity - This was only offered on the northbound, though the southbound did have a little showcase of it in the piaza that was one song from the show. Motorcity was in Vista rather than the theatre and it's not my favorite, simply because it's not my kind of music. It was ok, though, and we enjoyed it.

 

 

Stardust - This was the welcome aboard show on the northbound and I don't recall seeing it advertised on the southbound. We didn't see this one as I didn't enjoy it on other sailings. Just not my kind of music!

 

 

The Voice - Not technically a production show but it is in the theatre and was offered on both north and south. It is a variation of the tv show - passengers "audition" by singing in karaoke and other passengers vote for the best 6 to go through to the finals. These 6 have to get up on the stage in front of a packed theatre and sing. They have three judges, complete with the turning chairs, who either like them and turn their chair or don't like them and keep their chairs facing the audience. At the end, the judges narrow it down to three and the audience votes with devices that are collected on the way into the theatre (FYI - you have to leave your cruise card in exchange for the device so get your drinks beforehand as you can't order them without your card!). The northbound version had Philly (the guitarist/singer from Crooners), Todd (a guest singer who I will talk about later), and Laura, the band manager. It was highly entertaining and the two singers were making fun of Laura the whole time (all in good spirits). The singers were good and the winner was excellent. The southbound version had Philly, Dean (the crew manager), and Teacake (the soul singer). The judges weren't as funny but still very entertaining. The singers weren't great, apart from one of them who literally blew everyone away! He got a standing ovation from the entire theatre and, needless to say he won. When they announced he was the winner he got another standing ovation. Dean, one of the judges, told everyone that in 3 years of doing the show, this was only the second standing ovation he had ever seen or heard about!

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