Star Princess Cal Coastal Review

[Jim Avery]

This is our first Princess cruise so forgive me if I repeat a lot of things that others have already covered. We have sailed many times on Cunard as well as the small ships of SeaDream and Seabourn. So, off to California! We live outside Phoenix, AZ so the most cost/time effective way to get to LA was to fly. Southwest was as usual, friendly and on time. As good as it gets these days. At LAX, we were assigned a Prius taxi. We thought it would be a slow trip to San Pedro but this NASCAR guy topped 85 (in a Prius?) several times and we were ship side in 20 minutes! We booked the Montego Bay Suite on the recommendation of many on this board and it is great. From entering the pier, we were treated very special. From cab to suite took exactly 10 minutes! I don't know how you could do it better. Our suite is at the stern on the starboard side and the views are incredible. Eduardo from Acapulco is our Steward and is proving yo be as good as we have had on any ship. The suite is spacious with separate tub and shower and another room with a sink and the WC. A bar area, 2 flat tvs and a sitting area complete the interior. The large covered veranda is accessed by two sliding glass doors and has two padded teak loungers, a drinks table and a table and 3 chairs, all teak. The ship is beautiful. More later. Just arrived in San Francisco. Just out our window is Alcatraz. Golden Gate just to starboard. Going Walkabout.

[Zimmy]

Thanks for checking in, Jim. The suite sounds fabulous.

[cnd crsr]

We will be sailing on the Star this winter. Sounds like you are off to a great start! Enjoy your cruise:)

[JES4845]

Thanks Jim. I was in SF a few weeks ago and caught some of the America's Cup action well before the amazing comeback. There was a Princess ship in port then so I can visualize where you are. Enjoy the beautiful city by the bay! Let us know about ship size, meals and so on when you can. And of course we would be interested in any families and kids but I hope there are few to none given the time of year.

[frequent traveler]

well, we've been waiting - such a short post but its better than nothing :). Accomodations sound great. Tell us more.

FT

[Jim Avery]

Ok, there are a fair amount of families with kids on board. You almost never see them. Absolutely no problems with kids yet. So, on to details. Sail away was from San Pedro (aka the Port of LA) and was viewed from our veranda with the provided bar setup. Perfect weather. I could see the Queen Mary in Long Beach in the distance. Nostalgia for when I sailed on her as a kid. Some swells in the Pacific but a good ride so far. First night was complimentary I the Crown Grill. Great steaks but basic steak house menu. Normally a $25 p/p cover charge which we think a bit pricey for what it is. On Cunard, for &10 p/p, you get a much more interesting dining experience (just my opinion). Many places to eat. All good so far. Sabatini's is available for suite passengers daily for breakfast (like Cagney's, FT) and I had my Eggs Bennie. Very good and excellent service. So far all the crew in all areas have been very friendly and very good at their jobs. No complaints so far. Well, maybe one. For a large suite there are very few power outlets. Two at the dressing table, one Euro type shaver point under the bar (??), and one in the sink room. Getting tired now. Am lying in the sun at The Sanctuary overlooking San Fran & the Golden Gate after a tour of SF. Weather is perfect and Madam wants a drink. More later

[EatPrayCruise]

This is our first Princess cruise so forgive me if I repeat a lot of things that others have already covered. We have sailed many times on Cunard as well as the small ships of SeaDream and Seabourn. So, off to California! We live outside Phoenix, AZ so the most cost/time effective way to get to LA was to fly. Southwest was as usual, friendly and on time. As good as it gets these days. At LAX, we were assigned a Prius taxi. We thought it would be a slow trip to San Pedro but this NASCAR guy topped 85 (in a Prius?) several times and we were ship side in 20 minutes! We booked the Montego Bay Suite on the recommendation of many on this board and it is great. From entering the pier, we were treated very special. From cab to suite took exactly 10 minutes! I don't know how you could do it better. Our suite is at the stern on the starboard side and the views are incredible. Eduardo from Acapulco is our Steward and is proving yo be as good as we have had on any ship. The suite is spacious with separate tub and shower and another room with a sink and the WC. A bar area, 2 flat tvs and a sitting area complete the interior. The large covered veranda is accessed by two sliding glass doors and has two padded teak loungers, a drinks table and a table and 3 chairs, all teak. The ship is beautiful. More later. Just arrived in San Francisco. Just out our window is Alcatraz. Golden Gate just to starboard. Going Walkabout.

 

Hi Jim, thanks for starting the review, sounds wonderful! Just curious, we were on the Star in May and had a gentleman steward by the name of Eduardo. Is he on the short or vertically challenged side? If so, he is probably the same steward that we had and LOVED. He was very attentive and ahead of the game most of the time. Enjoy your cruise!

[Jim Avery]

First full day was a sea day. A leisurely cruise (10 knots) from LA to San Francisco. A good day to explore the ship. There are food venues everywhere and all good to very good. Even the pizza.:D If you go hungry it is your own fault. I have found 4 pools so far, one is adults only. 4 nice pool bars so far. Yes, it is a pain to actually pay for each drink each time. The all inclusive ships will spoil you for that and yes, it really does make a difference. Last night we ate in one of the anytime dining venues. Walked up, asked for a table for two, were seated promptly and service and food were very good. We had lamb, medallions of beef, Caesar salad, the Princess alfredo pasta, and all the other trimmings. Loved the rolls and butter. Ate so we. We skipped dessert and stopped by the International Cafe and took several cake and pastry goodies back to the suite for later.:eek: now sitting on "our" deck drinking a vodka & tonic or two and trying to decide what to have for dinner. Just had tea,scones, and pastry at the Sanctuary so it just might be room service and a movie. Hard choices. Sailing is at 10pm so sailing under the Golden Gate should be spectacular with all the lights. Tomorrow is Santa Barbara.

[Jim Avery]

Hi Jim, thanks for starting the review, sounds wonderful! Just curious, we were on the Star in May and had a gentleman steward by the name of Eduardo. Is he on the short or vertically challenged side? If so, he is probably the same steward that we had and LOVED. He was very attentive and ahead of the game most of the time. Enjoy your cruise!

 

You have "our" Eduardo pegged exactly. He is as good as we have had on any ship. Very personable and the room is always spotless. Just one quick example, when we boarded, our bAr had the usual thimble for an ice bucket. Being warm clime people, we put ice in just about everything. No comments FT.:eek: we asked Eduardo if we could have a larger ice bucket. In no time flat, he returned with a trash can sized bucket of ice. We have not been short of ice since.:D

[Pamster]

Ok, there are a fair amount of families with kids on board. You almost never see them. Absolutely no problems with kids yet. So, on to details. Sail away was from San Pedro (aka the Port of LA) and was viewed from our veranda with the provided bar setup. Perfect weather. I could see the Queen Mary in Long Beach in the distance. Nostalgia for when I sailed on her as a kid. Some swells in the Pacific but a good ride so far. First night was complimentary I the Crown Grill. Great steaks but basic steak house menu. Normally a $25 p/p cover charge which we think a bit pricey for what it is. On Cunard, for &10 p/p, you get a much more interesting dining experience (just my opinion). Many places to eat. All good so far. Sabatini's is available for suite passengers daily for breakfast (like Cagney's, FT) and I had my Eggs Bennie. Very good and excellent service. So far all the crew in all areas have been very friendly and very good at their jobs. No complaints so far. Well, maybe one. For a large suite there are very few power outlets. Two at the dressing table, one Euro type shaver point under the bar (??), and one in the sink room. Getting tired now. Am lying in the sun at The Sanctuary overlooking San Fran & the Golden Gate after a tour of SF. Weather is perfect and Madam wants a drink. More later

 

Our suite on the Coral also had a couple of power outlets above the drawers next to the desk in the bedroom. Didn't see them at first (or the light switch) because we had something sitting in front of them.

[lovevacadays]

Ok, there are a fair amount of families with kids on board. You almost never see them. Absolutely no problems with kids yet. So, on to details. Sail away was from San Pedro (aka the Port of LA) and was viewed from our veranda with the provided bar setup. Perfect weather. I could see the Queen Mary in Long Beach in the distance. Nostalgia for when I sailed on her as a kid. Some swells in the Pacific but a good ride so far. First night was complimentary I the Crown Grill. Great steaks but basic steak house menu. Normally a $25 p/p cover charge which we think a bit pricey for what it is. On Cunard, for &10 p/p, you get a much more interesting dining experience (just my opinion). Many places to eat. All good so far. Sabatini's is available for suite passengers daily for breakfast (like Cagney's, FT) and I had my Eggs Bennie. Very good and excellent service. So far all the crew in all areas have been very friendly and very good at their jobs. No complaints so far. Well, maybe one. For a large suite there are very few power outlets. Two at the dressing table, one Euro type shaver point under the bar (??), and one in the sink room. Getting tired now. Am lying in the sun at The Sanctuary overlooking San Fran & the Golden Gate after a tour of SF. Weather is perfect and Madam wants a drink. More later

 

First full day was a sea day. A leisurely cruise (10 knots) from LA to San Francisco. A good day to explore the ship. There are food venues everywhere and all good to very good. Even the pizza.:D If you go hungry it is your own fault. I have found 4 pools so far, one is adults only. 4 nice pool bars so far. Yes, it is a pain to actually pay for each drink each time. The all inclusive ships will spoil you for that and yes, it really does make a difference. Last night we ate in one of the anytime dining venues. Walked up, asked for a table for two, were seated promptly and service and food were very good. We had lamb, medallions of beef, Caesar salad, the Princess alfredo pasta, and all the other trimmings. Loved the rolls and butter. Ate so we. We skipped dessert and stopped by the International Cafe and took several cake and pastry goodies back to the suite for later.:eek: now sitting on "our" deck drinking a vodka & tonic or two and trying to decide what to have for dinner. Just had tea,scones, and pastry at the Sanctuary so it just might be room service and a movie. Hard choices. Sailing is at 10pm so sailing under the Golden Gate should be spectacular with all the lights. Tomorrow is Santa Barbara.

 

Jim. I am really enjoying your thread. While I have not been as fortunate as you to sail the lines you have or in a suite I am really enjoying your take on your sailing. I hope you enjoy the rest of your cruise.:)

[KruzPrincess]

Thanks for posting. I'm booked in that same cabin for a future cruise, so I loved reading about it. Hope you continue to enjoy your cruise.

[frequent traveler]

JIm,

hope you get a chance to tell me more about your luck with the adults only pool.

I take it Princess doesn't have a drinks package?

[EatPrayCruise]

You have "our" Eduardo pegged exactly. He is as good as we have had on any ship. Very personable and the room is always spotless. Just one quick example, when we boarded, our bAr had the usual thimble for an ice bucket. Being warm clime people, we put ice in just about everything. No comments FT.:eek: we asked Eduardo if we could have a larger ice bucket. In no time flat, he returned with a trash can sized bucket of ice. We have not been short of ice since.:D

 

Oh, very nice. He was very personable with us as well and knew our names as we got to our cabin for the first time. We've only been on three cruises with Princess and so far he out shined the others all around. How quick about the ice/trash can! I'll bet your beverages will be cool the rest of the cruise. Enjoy... :p

[EileenN]

Looking forward to more as our local port is San Francisco and your trip sounds like a dream...

[Jim Avery]

Jim. I am really enjoying your thread. While I have not been as fortunate as you to sail the lines you have or in a suite I am really enjoying your take on your sailing. I hope you enjoy the rest of your cruise.:)

 

Hi Michelle. Thanks for the good wishes. You are probably younger than I :eek: but keep on sailing and you will end up on lots of good ships. When I was first traveling on ships, "Steerage" was all I knew.:D

[Jim Avery]

JIm,

hope you get a chance to tell me more about your luck with the adults only pool.

I take it Princess doesn't have a drinks package?

 

Hi FT. I know you are referring to a booze drinks package and no, other than daily specials or buying 6 beers at a time for the price of four. The Sanctuary is very nice with the individual or double sun beds but the weather (temp) has limited our use. Remember, we are desert lizards and recently were in triple digit temps. Some hardy (Yankee) types have been in the pool, but not us. The pool at the Sanctuary is in a well area and is protected from most wind. A bit larger than on SeaDream and it has a flow mode to swim against the current if desired. Also two tent like private massage areas. Nice. Had afternoon tea and scones served while on our sun beds overlooking San Francisco and the Golden Gate. Not bad.:D

[Jim Avery]

Backtracking a bit, I forgot to mention an important event Monday, the Cruise Critic meet and greet! 1029sharon put this together and did a fine job. As a retired teacher, she couldn't help herself and gave us a pop quiz.:eek: even had prizes! I did not win due to my bad grade. That takes me back to school days.:eek: Sharon told us that around 60 cc members had signed up and 35 or so attended. We had the event in Skywalkers which is the late night Star Wars themed disco 18 decks up!:eek: it was a nice private space for the event with spectacular views! A nice bunch of fellow passengers several of whom we have seen again.

That was Monday, a sea day. Tuesday was San Fran. Beautiful sunny weather just cool enough for good walking. We had pre booked tickets for Alcatraz and went to the next pier over to board. Gee, our Government had closed the park (Alcatraz). That makes sense right? Close places that make lots of money but keep Washington bureaucrats on the payroll.:eek: hundreds of people from all over the world were turned away. Not that big a deal for us as we live not that far away so we got on the hop on, hop off bus and toured SF. Great way to see the city and we ended up at Fishermen's Wharf for a fish lunch washed down with a couple of Anchor Steam beers. Just what we needed, more food and drink.:eek: I am on schedule for my pound a day weight gain!

[Jim Avery]

Wednesday was another lazy sea day. We love sea days and are sleeping so we'll.I could really get used to this. Went shopping as I had misplaced my light jacket so replaced it. Lois found some goodies too.:rolleyes: a Bloody Mary and then a movie in the theater. Went through the large Casino to get to the Theater and it is one of the few smoking areas. If you are sensitive to smoke smell, avoid the casino. Very strong smoke smell. Ok, smoker rant over. Absolutely no other smoke smell anywhere else. Tuesday we did something we have never done on any ship in over fifty cruises/crossings, booked another one. We took advantage of Princess's Forward Cruise Credit program and booked Pacific Princess (approx 670 passengers) for Alaska next May.:D with only $100 deposit, hard not to book one. Yes, we are enjoying this cruise that much. Well, it is now Thursday and we are anchored off of Santa Barbara. Sun is out, sea is calm, and we have priority tender boarding. Just plan to walkabout today and see what turns up.

[frequent traveler]

We took advantage of Princess's Forward Cruise Credit program and booked Pacific Princess (approx 670 passengers) for Alaska next May.:D with only $100 deposit, hard not to book one. Yes, we are enjoying this cruise that much. Well, it is now Thursday and we are anchored off of Santa Barbara. Sun is out, sea is calm, and we have priority tender boarding. Just plan to walkabout today and see what turns up.

Glad you are having fun . . . does your May itinerary include Sitka? Its my favorite port in Alaska.

FT

[whatnot]

Wow is this a busy board! Had to go to the second page to find you! Thanks for the reports Jim. Sounds like you are having a wonderful time and loving the suite life! You will love Alaska. Are you going to do the suite there too? When we did Alaska on Regent they were all suites but not as nice as yours . We did concierge level so we got priority choice of tours and early choice for dining reservations in the specialty dining restaurant. Do you get those types of perks on Princess? The Sanctuary sounds fabulous! Looking forward to more reports!

[Jim Avery]

Wow is this a busy board! Had to go to the second page to find you! Thanks for the reports Jim. Sounds like you are having a wonderful time and loving the suite life! You will love Alaska. Are you going to do the suite there too? When we did Alaska on Regent they were all suites but not as nice as yours . We did concierge level so we got priority choice of tours and early choice for dining reservations in the specialty dining restaurant. Do you get those types of perks on Princess? The Sanctuary sounds fabulous! Looking forward to more reports!

 

Hi Whatnot. Yes, we have an aft suite booked for Alaska and yes, similar perks. They really make you feel special in a suite. Yes, you can get lost on this board quickly. Lots of activity here. What impressed us is that with all this volume of posts, it is impressive how little complaining there is. Went ashore in Santa Barbara and just had a good walk and admired the views. SB is a beautiful place with lots of expensive shopping, expensive bars, and expensive restaurants. Great buildings with lots of Spanish influence. A word about tendering. This crew has it very well organized. Even though we have priority tendering, we did not need it. Very short wait at both ends. They had three large fairly fast tenders in continual operation through three entry ports on the ship. They moved a lot of people in a short time. When we got back on board, we parked it at the Sanctuary for sun time with a great view of SD and the mountains. Had tea and scones again before heading "home" to get ready for Italian night. The food was good, not wow, but good. Today is San Diego. We are docked next to the aircraft carrier USS Midway. Near to downtown. It is a beautiful So Cal day. More later.:D

[melody hounddog]

Hi Whatnot. Yes, we have an aft suite booked for Alaska and yes, similar perks. They really make you feel special in a suite. Yes, you can get lost on this board quickly. Lots of activity here. What impressed us is that with all this volume of posts, it is impressive how little complaining there is. Went ashore in Santa Barbara and just had a good walk and admired the views. SB is a beautiful place with lots of expensive shopping, expensive bars, and expensive restaurants. Great buildings with lots of Spanish influence. A word about tendering. This crew has it very well organized. Even though we have priority tendering, we did not need it. Very short wait at both ends. They had three large fairly fast tenders in continual operation through three entry ports on the ship. They moved a lot of people in a short time. When we got back on board, we parked it at the Sanctuary for sun time with a great view of SD and the mountains. Had tea and scones again before heading "home" to get ready for Italian night. The food was good, not wow, but good. Today is San Diego. We are docked next to the aircraft carrier USS Midway. Near to downtown. It is a beautiful So Cal day. More later.:D

 

Welcome to San Diego! It is a beautiful day here today. Just came back from my usual morning walk on the beach. Have fun!

[Jim Avery]

Welcome to San Diego! It is a beautiful day here today. Just came back from my usual morning walk on the beach. Have fun!

 

Thanks. We love it! Planning to return format least a week. Had beer at the "Top Gun" bar. Loved Coronado.

J

[whatnot]

Did a big ship Mexican Riviera cruise out of San Diego about 12 years ago. Our embarkation was to a ship docked next to the Midway. Not sure I remember whether that was Princess or Holland America. Anyway it was before we discovered small ships! We toured the Midway that morning before boarding. We spent a couple of days in San Diego (in the old town area and went to the zoo) pre cruise and really loved the city! Would love to go back!

 

Jim, I hope you enjoyed San Diego!