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Just Off The Star Princess

Woobstr112G

By Woobstr112G,
in Princess Cruises

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Woobstr112G "Live from...." Rare

Woobstr112G

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Below is the review I just submitted for my recently completed Hawaii cruise on the Star Princess.....😊😊😊

 

DW & I just returned from a 15 night R/T Hawaii Cruise (San Pedro) onboard the Star Princess.  This was our 18th cruise overall and 12th in a row on Princess.  It was also the third time we did this itinerary which has a lot of what I like; "Sea Days."  Prior to the cruise we had an active Cruise CriticRoll Call which is in my opinion a great way to get to know your fellow cruisers and plan things. 

 

Even though we only live 92 miles away from the cruise terminal, we did a two night pre-cruise stay at the Hilton Doubletree in San Pedro. For the two days we just hung out and got more motivated for the cruise.  The night before embarkation, we dined at a wonderful nearby restaurant called "22nd Street Landing."  As far as the Hilton DoubleTree goes, I would highly recommend it for anyone thinking of a pre-cruise stay for a cruise out of San Pedro.  The hotel also offers a free shuttle to the cruise terminal which is a relatively short distance from the cruise terminal.  

 

On embarkation day we arrived at the cruise terminal before 1130 and were onboard fairly quickly.  I did however experience some contradicting and confusing information from two terminal employees.   Since we are quite familiar with the Grand/Crown class ships, we had no problems finding our way to our cabin.  For this voyage I treated DW to the Grand Suite (B748).  When we arrived at our cabin, we were immediately greeted by our cabin steward Gerardo from Mexico.  We were also able access our cabin despite the early hour.  During the entire voyage Gerardo did a good job in attending to our needs and keeping our cabin clean.

 

What else can I say about the Grand Suite other than wow!  This was our second time staying in the GS and we loved the tons and tons of space.  I also spent a great deal of time on our expansive balcony to include a sail away party that I hosted and a wonderful Ultimate Balcony Dinner with my DW.  Only downer with the eventual transfer of the Star & Golden to P&O, there will only be four ships left with the GS.

 

I must say, I was very impressed with the Star Princess.  Everything was pretty much spotless and I always saw crew members cleaning. Sure there was a little rust on the ship but this 16+ year old gal is in the water 24 hours a day 365 days a year.  I enjoyed having a ship with Crooners and Explorers.  I spent many evening there talking with fellow passengers.

 

As far as entertainment goes, we did not attend any production shows.  We like to eat late and the Princess Theater show times (1900 & 2100) made it very difficult for late eaters to see a show.  We were able however to enjoy a comedian in the Vista Lounge on one particular night.

 

As far as service goes, I must say that this was probably the most friendliest crew we've ever had.  I can honestly say that I had zero experiences of poor or rude service.  Captain Tuvo was our captain and he is by far the best Captain we've ever had the pleasure to sail with.  

 

For the subjective area of food, we only dined in Club Class a couple of times.  The food and service were adequate.  I honestly would not book CC unless I was in a suite.  Way too overpriced for what is received.   I had our suite perk embarkation dinner rescheduled for the second night in the Crown Grill.   DW had the Surf & Turf that she said was quite good.  I had the porterhouse that was really nothing special.  What I really enjoyed, as far as food goes, what I really enjoyed was the newly redesigned Sabatini's restaurant along with the new menu. The food was excellent in every detail and the service was amazing.  We ended up dining three times in Sabatini's.  We also enjoyed the suite perk of breakfast in Sabatini's.  Headwaiter David along with his staff (Marius, Romell, and Ricky) were over the top excellent.  They were also our staff for dinner in Sabatini's.  We ordered a couple of times from the MDR menu for dinner in our cabin.  While we got the food all at once, it was still  tasty.  

 

As far as the buffet goes, I found items for breakfast items very repetitive.  I also noted a number of hot items not warm enough for my liking. The temperature issues were also present for lunch and dinner.  

 

For shore excursions, we did a helicopter excursion on the big island and a sunset dinner cruise on Oahu. Both excursions were enjoyable.  On Kauai, we had originally planned a flight excursion in an open cockpit bi-plane.  We ended up canceling due to the plane going down for maintenance.  On Maui DW and I met a former co-worker, who had moved to Maui after retiring, for lunch.

 

Sea days going to and coming from the islands were my favorite.  Weather was good for the most part during the entire cruise. 

 

In closing, I'd have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this cruise.  Next up, hopefully a Cali coastal in March 2019 and a T/A on the new Sky Princess in November of 2019.  Princess, at least for me, continues to provide a great experience for a competitive price. Sure there are some hiccups every now and then but overall it remains my line of choice for the foreseeable future.

 

Bob

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LarryL

LarryL

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Thanks for your review. Your experience was just as we remember (less the suite, of course :classic_smile:). I think some of the magic on this ship and itinerary is due, in part, to the remarkable Captain Tuvo. We have booked a PH for 2020 to Vancouver in part to wish her a farewell and to enjoy one last sailing on the Star before she leaves the fleet. I expect Capt. Tuvo will have moved on but we love the ship as well.

 

So glad you enjoyed your cruise. I followed your posts and enjoyed reliving the cruise through you.

 

Safe and happy travels to you.

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Woobstr112G "Live from...." Rare

Woobstr112G

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3 hours ago, LarryL said:

Thanks for your review. Your experience was just as we remember (less the suite, of course :classic_smile:). I think some of the magic on this ship and itinerary is due, in part, to the remarkable Captain Tuvo. We have booked a PH for 2020 to Vancouver in part to wish her a farewell and to enjoy one last sailing on the Star before she leaves the fleet. I expect Capt. Tuvo will have moved on but we love the ship as well.

 

So glad you enjoyed your cruise. I followed your posts and enjoyed reliving the cruise through you.

 

Safe and happy travels to you.

He will be taking command of the Sky, from Lisbon, as it begins the T/A next November.....:classic_smile::classic_smile::classic_smile:

 

Bob

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azbirdmom Great Review Rare

azbirdmom

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Thanks for sharing!  We've had 7 cruises on the Star and have always found the staff and service a notch above the other ships.  We've also observed that they are always cleaning / refreshing / varnishing etc., they really seem to take pride in this ship and it shows.  It's sad that the Star will be leaving the fleet but am glad to hear that Captain Tuvo will be given a brand new ship as his next assignment.

 

Edited to add:  We love the Doubletree and 22nd Street Landing too!

Edited by azbirdmom
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caribill

caribill

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19 hours ago, Woobstr112G said:


😊😊😊

 

On embarkation day we arrived at the cruise terminal before 1130 and were onboard fairly quickly.  I did however experience some contradicting and confusing information from two terminal employees.  

 

Any details?

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treesah

treesah

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12 minutes ago, Woobstr112G said:

One insisted we get to one line while the other told us to get in another line.....😊😊😊

 

Bob

 

This has happened to us on a couple of occasions.  Annoying but easily forgotten.

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Lucky TGO

Lucky TGO

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Posted (edited)

Hi Bob & Holli,

Bob I hope your feeling better today. I just like to say Wow!! What great photos what time of the day did you take them on the ship?  There’s no one in most if them. Also great review. Holli I know you like this picture the best...🙂🙂🙂

Tony

 

 

592CC7B3-D278-40AB-8B07-4A10EAC67879.jpeg

Edited by Lucky TGO
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