Star 1/30-2/6 Western Caribbean Review

[jennymcc]

Sorry it took a while to get this posted! We had a great time on the Star Western Caribbean 1/30-2/6. The ship is beautiful and we had perfect weather. Here are a few observations:

 

Embarkation: Painless and fast. We arrived at 11:30 and were onboard before noon.

 

Entertainment: Best entertainment we've seen yet on a cruise. The production shows were amazing and the singers and dancers were all very talented. Comedian, Scott Wyler was hilarious! Didn't care for comedian, Sarge, but everyone else seemed to like him. Passenger talent show was GREAT! (boy, did we have some talented fellow passengers!!)

 

Staff: Cruise Director, Neil Roberts, didn't have any enthusiasm and gave me the feeling that he would rather have been just about anywhere else. Made me really miss our favorite CD, Alastair Greener. The rest of the staff was good, except that one staff member who did trivia contests and had such a thick accent that nobody could understand the questions (even after they were repeated many times) - it was so bad that it actually got funny after a while. Also, I don't understand why they are so cheap with the prizes at their games (I mean, I don't expect anything big, but Princess luggage tags?!?! Sheesh!)

 

Casino: I love to play blackjack, but didn't spend much time in the Casino this trip. The casino staff was very unfriendly, with a few exceptions. Cigarette smoke was more annoying than usual. It's a shame that they can't have more control over that (maybe have smoking and non-smoking tables). They would have made more money from me that way!

 

Ports: Loved Cozumel! We did the Snorkeling at Palancar Reef excursion - Highly Recommended!!!. The fish and coral were plentiful and amazing, the water was beautiful and clear, and we had a nice close encounter with a very large sea turtle! Then we were offered unlimited refreshing cold beer (Dos Equis with fresh lime) and rum punch afterward. The guides were great, if a bit-over-the-top (my only regret: they got a little "R" rated on the way back, offering Tequila shots and displaying some very lewd behavior, which wouldn't have been so bad if there hadn't been children onboard). Tendering at Grand Cayman was VERY slow and the port was WAY too crowded (5 ships at anchor!!) We were told that they were overbooking ships to make up for lack of tourism after the hurricanes. However we had a nice time on the Reef and Wreck Snorkeling excursion (though it was not as good as the one at Cozumel - not as many fish, water not as clear, guides not as good, and no free beer!). Jamaica is pretty from a distance, but we didn't enjoy our time there. We did the White River Valley excursion and thought it was a waste of time and money. A bumpy ride in a small bus with limited views. White River Valley park is great, but we needed more time there to explore and could have done without the second stop, Harmony Hall (which is a tourist trap/art gallery with not much else). Skip this tour!! Princess Cays is in great shape after the repairs and is as beautiful as always!

 

Food: Good, but not great. We are vegetarian and find that the offerings in the dining rooms are very limited. However, they are very good at getting us most special items we request (i.e, we asked for fresh asparagus on the last night which was not on the menu and got it!). Horizon Court has nice selections, but I found that the food was sometimes not very fresh if you visited during off-peak periods. And the veggie burgers at the pool-side grill were weird and awful! However, we found more than enough to eat!

 

Well, that's all I can think of for now. Any questions, I'll be glad to try and answer them. I have all the Patters, so I can look things up if needed.

[Geezer Jim]

Jenny, I enjoyed meeting you and your husband on the cruise. I'll just add a simple WE HAD A GREAT TIME to your review. I spent even less time than you in the casino, no Holdem, but showed a small profit at 21. Jim