Review Star Princess 3/10/07 Very Long

[moomoosmom]

As a summary the cruise went very well and a good time was had by all in our family; from our children up to the grandparents.

Embarkation: The Princess staff met us at the airport and when enough people were gathered we were put on a bus and taken to the port. We were at the port at about 1:30 and embarkation went very smoothly. Lots of staff on hand to get people booked in. The line up may have peaked to 2 people waiting in line while we were processed.

Ship Impressions: It's a very large ship! There was NO smell on board and we walked throughout the ship going from stateroom to stateroom and to the Kids Clubs. It's a good walk going from one end to the other and then multiply that by the number of decks! The ship was completely full but it didn't feel overcrowded. Lounge chairs became scarce fast on sail days but you could always find a quiet spot on the ship. The ship was tidy and clean and staff were always tidying up and doing regular maintenance. Some nights at sea were rough and even though the ship is big, you could feel it rocking. I get sea sick on a sailboat but I had no problems while on board.

Meals: We chose the any-time dining and it worked out well for us. Reservations can be made for early or late dinners. Wait staff were always polite and professional. Some were more friendly than others but that is to be expected no matter where you go. The meals were good, meats were cooked as requested and each course was served without any big waits. There was always a variety of items to choose from for each course. Kids were always served first at the table and treated very nicely, so it made for a nice relaxing meal.

The Horizon Court buffet also had a large selection of meats and vegetables. The line ups were never very long and we always found a table.

The food was good but not exceptional and the seasoning was a little on the bland side for our tastes. For another opinion, my parents, who were on board, have sailed with Royal and said the Princess food was way better. Bottom line, no one will go hungry on the ship.

Ports: We were lucky and made it into all of our destined ports.

Ochos Rios: About 27C and partially cloudy. From the second you step off the ship someone will be trying to get your business. The people were aggressive, never rude, but it became tiresome very quickly. The people gave up quicker when we told them we were just walking over to the beach and at that point helped to guide us there. It's about a 10 minute walk, keep on the main road and to the left and across the street from the KFC. Our day was spent at the beach just relaxing and getting some sun. The beach was nice white fine sand and the water was calm, great for the kids.

My brother and his wife did the biking excursion and thoroughly enjoyed it. Word of caution, there was only one bicycle that was small enough to accommodate one of the children in the excursion group.

Grand Cayman: 29C, sunny but windy. DW and DS (11) went for their open water PADI certification dives while I took DD to Seven Mile beach. Our excursion to Stingray City, which I believe is different than Stingray reef, was cancelled when we went to tender off the ship so we ended up on the beach with our snorkel equipment in hand. DD enjoyed the snorkeling, saw lots of fish and even saw a spotted Stingray. Nice beach, narrow stretch of sand and gets very crowded by 11:00.

Cozumel: 29C, sunny. My brother took DD on the 4WD excursion. This excursion was the highlight of DD's trip. They had a blast, drove through the jungle and ended up on Passion beach, where they shoot the Corona ads. Lunch buffet and cold Coronas. After the last open water dives we spent the afternoon being tourists and walking around Cozumel. Very nice little town. Cheap cold beer and Coke at the Seven-Eleven.

Princess Cays: 29C, sunny. From the beaches I managed to get to on our trip, this was the nicest beach. Soft fine sand and beautiful turquoise water. We just found some lounge chairs under some shade and just flaked out and enjoyed the water and sun. Yes the beach gets crowded and the waterline is rocky, the water was little rough too but I wish we could have stayed past 3:00. Others on the list have pointed out that the other side of the beach area was less crowded and not so rocky, we just never managed to motivate ourselves to leave our spots.

Kids Clubs: Each of the 3 kids, DS (11), DD (7), DS (3) spent some time in the Kids Clubs on board. The staff were very friendly to the kids and kept them entertained. The clubs ran from 8:00 to 5:00 and then 7:00 to 10:00. There are three different rooms for the three age groups with games, crafts and Playstation 2 available. There is even a child psychologist on staff.

Other: Daylight Saving Time did not occur on March 11 while on board although they may have changed the ship clocks for this weeks voyage. We changed times before Cozumel and before Princess Cays.

If you enjoy sleeping in and want to join planned excursion you need to change one of your plans. Planned excursions leave the boat between 8:00 and 9:00 and if you want to grab some breakfast before heading out you need to wake up an extra 30-45mins earlier!

This was our first cruise and we had a great time. From the friendly Princess staff to the ports of call this was a wonderful vacation. On our last night on board, DW grabbed several cruising brochures to start planning for our next cruise.

[Coolmama_1]

Sounds like you all had a great time! Thanks for sharing.

[JustaTrace]

Sounds like you guys had a blast! WE loved the Star..she was just beautiful.

 

Glad you made it to Grand Cayman. The water was too rough when we went so we spent a lovely sea day instead. The weather was about the same the week before too.

 

I agree about the kids club...it's awesome and my son had a wonderful time there.

 

Great review!!! :)

[Solo Cruiser]

Thanks for sharing your experiences. The Star was my first cruise and I love her too. The indoor pool onboard was terrific during my AK cruise.

[Cathy p]

The anticipation that I have is killing me. We will be on her April 14th and after reading your review I want to go now. Great review and we are glad that you had a wonderful time. Thanks again for the review, they really mean alot t to us waiting in the wings.;)