Star Princess North to Alaska! Sept 10 2016

[Jasperdo]

I was just on their web site looking at the Radiance for a possible Norway cruise next August. They need to let Princess remodel their hokey website.

 

How is the food on Royal compared to Princess?

 

I haven't been on a Radiance Class ship, but I know they'll well loved on the RCCL forum. They would be similar to the Coral and Island at Princess. And you're right about their hokey website. It's pretty bad, but it's still better than Celebrity:)

 

As for the food, we really enjoyed it. We're definitely not foodies, so my opinion probably isn't worth much. But I thought the MDR food was very good, similar to Princess. I enjoyed everything I had in the MDR. I know you like Specialty restaurants, and there were 4 on our ship, a steakhouse, an Italian restaurant, a sushi place and Johnny Rockets. I'm not sure how many the Radiance has. We didn't try them, but they seemed popular. We did like the Windjammer Buffet. It's larger and better laid out than the Horizon Court, and had a good variety. They usually had a "make your own" station, such as tacos, pizza, etc. We had half of our dinners there.

 

But Princess wins hands down with pizza and hamburgers. There was no hamburger grill poolside on the Explorer. They were only in the buffet. The patties were pre-cooked and sitting in a pan. The Trident Grill on Princess is far better. And the pizza! We all know how great Princess pizza is. Terrific New York Style. I tried a "slice" of pizza at Cafe Promenade, which is the 24 hour equivalent to the International Cafe. Gad - it was horrible. The only thing on the cruise I couldn't eat. But aside from the pizza and hamburgers, we were very satisfied with the food on RCCL.

Edited October 17, 2016 by Jasperdo

[Bimmer09]

Here is a short video

 

[YOUTUBE]ZOpRm9fH9ls[/YOUTUBE]

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

The Park Ranger returned to base after keeping us all informed during our Glacier Bay visit.

 

 

We had enjoyed a nap while it was softly raining outside and our balcony was unusable. Tonight we had a show and then Formal Dinner. We would attend the 7.45 show and then dinner at 9, our usual pattern on this sailing.

 

We walk through the photo gallery

 

 

There are signs warning you that taking photos of the photos is prohibited. No doubt in the past people have avoided paying by using their phones or cameras to copy the Pro pics or have been taking photos of other people's photos, maybe for sexual reasons.

 

This is tonight's show

 

 

Once again, Standing Room Only and waiter service for those who arrived early like us-fuggedaboutit. The room only holds 700.

 

 

 

We were treated to a fast-paced song and dance show with familiar hits from the 60's and 70's. Rapid costume changes, ditto scenery and lighting. Live singers but pre-recorded backing music with a lot of energy. A complex show to stage but as usual flawlessly executed. Professionalism of a high level. We were surprised they had a Queen section and even moreso a Beatles section including Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.

 

Swinging London was well represented

 

[Bimmer09]

 

 

 

 

 

A fantastic show!

[Bimmer09]

The festive balloons are already in place for the Balloon Drop we wouldn't witness later

 

 

 

Onward to deck 6 and our last dinner in Portofino. As before our waiter Gen was there to greet us and escort us to our table. Let's get to the food!

 

My veal ravioli with porcini mushrooms

 

 

Carol's endive salad, followed by fettuccini Alfredo (not shown)

 

 

I can never resist Beef Wellington!

 

 

Pan-seared Rockfish with creamed potatoes and leeks for Carol

 

[Bimmer09]

For dessert- Norman Love Pistachio Dome

 

 

Another great meal from a galley on top of its game!

 

Over a Sambuca and espresso I made up some cash tip envelopes for our stellar wait team who hadn't put a foot wrong all week. Nice people too. I just left them on the table with a short message of thanks for each.

 

Romar, Carol and Gen

 

 

The happy diners

 

 

As a foot note (typed using my toes) Gen's husband is a waiter in the Capri Dining Room.

[Bimmer09]

We took a few last looks at the dining room which had emptied out during the course of our meal

 

 

 

As it was Formal Night there were Portrait Stations set up by the Photographers along the walkways

 

 

We heard the piano playing and singing of Funch (odd name) as we passed by Crooners each night. He always drew a crowd. Tonight we would stop in Explorers as there was Karaoke, something we have enjoyed since first coming across it on the Diamond Princess. We didn't stay more than 5 minutes as there was an Asian man who was hamming it up and had maybe enjoyed too many cocktails. He sang and then joined another man onstage. We're not looking for great singers, just people who love to sing and can hold a tune and their place in the music. We've come across some very talented passengers and some who could move us to tears with their passion. We fled.

 

 

A walk on Promenade Deck brought another great day to a close.

[Bimmer09]

Much earlier I had said I'd show photos of our bathroom in our cabin. Here it is.

 

No vanity to store things under the sink as it is wheelchair accessible

 

 

Handheld shower head

 

 

Drainage grid in the floor-no step into the shower

 

 

Unlike most mini-suites, no tub

 

 

We had no plumbing problems all week. There are signs reminding you not to flush foreign objects down the toilet (things like towels, furniture, pillows etc)

[morbihan]

Sitting here wondering why I am not on a cruise.

 

Rats!

 

Loved the colour of the glacier. Just fabulous.

 

Is the water there very deep?

 

Ooh. Forgot. Taking a ferry Sunday😁 Have to do until I read the cruise offers in the paper and cave in.

[Bimmer09]

Sitting here wondering why I am not on a cruise.

 

Rats!

 

Loved the colour of the glacier. Just fabulous.

 

Is the water there very deep?

 

Ooh. Forgot. Taking a ferry Sunday😁 Have to do until I read the cruise offers in the paper and cave in.

 

I had to dig up some of my sea charts and the answer is 66 Fathoms where the ship was sitting-so 400 feet deep. Further back 114 Fathoms or 700 feet deep.

 

Norris

 

[Hoosier-Cruiser]

We had no plumbing problems all week. There are signs reminding you not to flush foreign objects down the toilet (things like towels, furniture, pillows etc)

 

Souvenirs from far-away lands (or the made in China stuff from the shops on board)

[morbihan]

Thanks Norris.

 

I assume that the glacier goes right down to the bottom.

[RetiredNTraveling]

Hi, thanks for coming aboard!

 

I'm glad you are liking what you see.

 

Norris

 

Norris, you had the best of both worlds: 1. Alaska cruising (we loved the pictures and comments. 2. The Star Princess which is our favorite ship! We will be looking to book the Star Princess for Alaska after our upcoming 28 Day cruise to Hawaii & South Seas.

 

Just Mike

[Bimmer09]

Thanks Norris.

 

I assume that the glacier goes right down to the bottom.

 

No there's just 200 feet below water and 250 above. 12 miles long, 1 wide.

 

It's a shrimp compared to the Hubbard at 76 miles long and 6 wide. Yikes!!

 

Norris

 

[Kybabe]

Norris, I have really been enjoying your posts. We did an cruise/land tour the end of May into June this past year. I was confused at first why your "coming into ports" pictures were so different from mine until I realized that it was already light at the time of year when we were docking! So strange having so much daylight! Also I loved your pictures of the John Hopkins.

[JimmyVWine]

 

My veal ravioli with porcini mushrooms

 

 

A double order makes for a mighty fine entree, (or a robust appetizer)!

[Bimmer09]

Norris, I have really been enjoying your posts. We did an cruise/land tour the end of May into June this past year. I was confused at first why your "coming into ports" pictures were so different from mine until I realized that it was already light at the time of year when we were docking! So strange having so much daylight! Also I loved your pictures of the John Hopkins.

 

Donna, welcome to my little corner of CC!

 

We are coming near the end as I only have about 300 or so photos left to show (LOL)

 

I love coming into port in the dark and seeing the towns still asleep so September was a good month for me to practice night shots.

 

Johns Hopkins was good but we have the Harvard coming up next and it was better, I think ....we can judge when I put the photos up...it just had so many shapes in it's leading edge and was carrying a lot of crushed-up debris, which I like in my glaciers.

 

I'm glad you have found your way here and hope you'll sample some of my other reviews.

 

Thanks for the comments!

 

Norris

[cruisehappy001]

I remembered that I had the Go Pro running on the starboard side and went back to the cabin as I couldn't operate it from my phone due to the wi-fi connection not being effective 2 decks below. I went up to the cabin on Dolphin Deck (#9) to turn it off.

 

 

It's attached to the balcony railing.

 

 

Norris,

 

What Mount do you use here? Is it a Joby Gorilla Mount by Chance?

 

I just got a Joby GorillaPod Action Tripod Flexible Arm Mount (JB01300-BWW) meant for GoPro but it also works with Standard 1/4"-20 Standard Camera Mounting since I do not have a GoPro. It looks pretty similar to the mount in your picture, so I thought I would ask your opinion on these types of mounts. I plan on maybe using it with a small lightweight Panasonic Camcorder as it is supposed to be good for 2.2 lbs. I will have a safety tether on the camera just in case.

 

I want to put my extra camcorder on the balcony rail for unattended recording of the Panama Canal Lock Transits for our upcoming cruise, but wonder about these types of mounts. What do you think?

 

Happy Cruising!!!

 

Mark

 

BTW,

 

Thanks again for the review, I am really enjoying it!

[Bimmer09]

A double order makes for a mighty fine entree, (or a robust appetizer)!

 

Indeed Jimmy- this is a stellar simple dish, cooked perfectly. The Exec chef was Sicilian and every pasta dish I had was great. It helps that I love veal.

 

We were both impressed by the quality of the MDR food on the Star.

 

Happy to see you are still reading along!

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Norris,

 

What Mount do you use here? Is it a Joby Gorilla Mount by Chance?

 

I just got a Joby GorillaPod Action Tripod Flexible Arm Mount (JB01300-BWW) meant for GoPro but it also works with Standard 1/4"-20 Standard Camera Mounting since I do not have a GoPro. It looks pretty similar to the mount in your picture, so I thought I would ask your opinion on these types of mounts. I plan on maybe using it with a small lightweight Panasonic Camcorder as it is supposed to be good for 2.2 lbs. I will have a safety tether on the camera just in case.

 

I want to put my extra camcorder on the balcony rail for unattended recording of the Panama Canal Lock Transits for our upcoming cruise, but wonder about these types of mounts. What do you think?

 

Happy Cruising!!!

 

Mark

 

BTW,

 

Thanks again for the review, I am really enjoying it!

 

Mark it's exactly what you think it is and I love it.

 

I recently used it wrapped around a thin metal pole (shepherd's crook) in my garden to film birds and it held firm-I basically tied it in a knot as it is so flexible.

 

A testimony to it's strength- I left it attached to the balcony railing on Celebrity Silhouette for three days at speeds up to 22 knots and it didn't budge.

 

Believe in Joby!

 

Norris, happy to see you still here.

[cruisehappy001]

Mark it's exactly what you think it is and I love it.

 

I recently used it wrapped around a thin metal pole (shepherd's crook) in my garden to film birds and it held firm-I basically tied it in a knot as it is so flexible.

 

A testimony to it's strength- I left it attached to the balcony railing on Celebrity Silhouette for three days at speeds up to 22 knots and it didn't budge.

 

Believe in Joby!

 

Norris, happy to see you still here.

 

Thanks! I have always wanted one like this! I have to admit that, even before my previous post, I also ordered another one tonight that i think may be a little smaller (?) but it has strong magnets in the ends of the legs and I saw someone on a YouTube video review pick up a 5 lb weight with it!

 

I snagged it at Fry's electronics for $9.90 while supplies last! (They may be clearing them out as other sites including Joby were out of stock) It is the GorillaPod Magnetic GPM-A1EN and it is good for half of the weight of the other and might be great for little point and shoots??? The price was incredible even with $2.99 for value shipping! I thought that I should share the info just in case anyone is interested.... :)

 

;););)

 

Regards,

 

Mark

[Bimmer09]

 

 

Time to grab a cup of coffee in the buffet which hasn't opened for food service yet. It opens at 6 a.m

 

 

 

 

It was (a) dark and (b) windy so there was some movement in the ship as we were out on the open sea.

 

As I walked through the indoor pool area with my coffee I was surprised to see the pool wasn't wearing a net and there was someone swimming. The motion of the ship was causing a swell in the pool...

 

[YOUTUBE]pFL7mCYK4F8[/YOUTUBE]

 

A quick bathroom break

 

 

It was windy up at Tradewinds so I decided to smoke indoors and took the elevator down to deck 6 to Shooters, the bar for smokers, next to the Princess Theater lobby and Casino....

[Bimmer09]

 

 

Besides the Grand Casino, this is the only indoor smoking venue on the ship. It is very popular with Officers and Entertainers.

 

Pool Tables hang upside down which makes a game more challenging

 

 

There are autographed tools of the sporting trade-Oscar de la Joya in this case

 

 

Charles Barkley

 

 

Deion Sanders and Dan Marino

 

[Bimmer09]

 

 

It has its own bar

 

 

 

[Bimmer09]

 

 

 

Passenger Services deck 6, open 24 hours

 

 

Shops