Live Star Princess Nov 10 - 20, 08

[vickie_bernie]

Vickie - Enjoying all the live posts here! We are in Z Christmas week and want to go to La Ropa Beach. Where on the beach did you go? Do you remember name of the restaurant? Did you like the beach - nice sand, clear water, snorkeling??? Thanks for your help.

 

There are numerous restaurants on La Ropa, can't even remember the name of the one we were at.... the water was so so in the clear department. I don't know how the snorkeling would be here, there certainly wasn't any reefs that I could see. The sand was like powder!!

[vickie_bernie]

Wow this trip is GREAT -- sorry haven't been posting every day seems that the day just flies by and I am glad Sharon is adding to the thread too.

 

Yesterday was PV - we got off the ship walked to the main road and stood in front of the wal mart and caught the bus to Bucerias $1 each. It then was a two block walk to the beach and where we grabbed a chair, umbrella and a few buckets of beer (there were 8 of us in total). The water was very nice, the waves were really crashing here though and we did a little body surfing!

 

PV has grown since we were here last... there is a big grocery store right near the port which came in handy for some last minute items.

 

Dinner last night was Italian night, not usually one of my favorites but I still found something to eat.

 

We are anytime dinning and usually head to the dining room around 7:30 and we have never had to wait, in fact the dining room seems deserted! Maybe it is because of age of the passengers - as the waiters say it is packed as soon as the dining room opens.

 

There was a comedian last night Casey I believe was his name. We stopped in and stayed for a some of the show but realized we had just seen him on our Sept trip.

 

Yesterday they showed football on the MUTS.

 

Today is Cabo - and there were three other ships in port with us, needless to say it was a zoo! We wandered around for a while and then got back on the ship three hours later. We just had lunch in the Horizon Court.

 

We got another invite to the CC party for tomorrow and since we didn't attend the last one we will probably go to this one. It is also our 2nd formal night.

 

We have two more sea days left before it is back to reality but I am not thinking of that yet.

 

My observations so far:

 

We purchased a beautiful bouquet of flowers that are being enjoyed and the smell is wonderful -- however the flowers certainly are not holding up as well as they have in the past.

 

The staff are out of this world! i work with the public and I don't know how they do it... every staff person just seems to give 150%.

 

Anytime Dinning on this sailing is so great! Never a problem with getting a table, the services is so good too.

 

Head Waiter has been very accommodating -- we have pretty much eaten all our meals in the Capri Dining room.

 

The coffee bar is very busy here and of course you will find me there almost all the time. They are accepting the old coffee card there as well as all other areas on the ship wtih no problems.

 

Our cabin steward is so fabulous! He has gone over and above ! He will be hard to beat.

 

The TV reception has been poor with many channels out of commission. Today I was all ready to watch Juno this morning at its scheduled time but the channel was out.... oh well.

 

The ship is pretty much deserted after 10 pm, everyone is in bed! There is a great band in the Wheelhouse, I believe it is Pinachle.

 

We both are finding most of the food items to be very salty.... that may be because we have cut salt out of our diet completely. Maybe that explains why I feel so bloated :D couldn't be all the food I am eating.

 

Internet seems to be working great... faster than when we were on the Emerald in the Carribbean.

 

Well I am signing off until tomorrow --

[Louise Fournier]

Hi Vickie! :)

Thanks for taking the time to post! Really enjoying them! Glad you're having a great cruise, having lots of fun!!

Your getting me excited for our Jan. cruise! Hey we're under the 2 month mark :D Still waiting for docs!

[crusdiva]

Hi all,

 

As Vickie said, the ship and crew are fabulous. Seas have been dead calm and we've had sun and high temps everyday.

 

Ports were great - yesterday Bruce was on a private scuba charter out to Land's End where they dove with the sea lions! He said it was incredible! I watched safely from the dive boat.;)

 

Our roll call ringleader, David hosted a cocktail party in his cabin last night, he has the infamous wrap-around balcony mini-suite on Emerald so we all fit very nicely. It was great to re-connect and swap stories.

 

Tonight is formal and is the Captain's Circle Party we'll have dinner at Sabatini with friends afterward.

 

Till next time..

[mollyanne]

Hi all,

 

 

Our roll call ringleader, David hosted a cocktail party in his cabin last night, he has the infamous wrap-around balcony mini-suite on Emerald so we all fit very nicely. It was great to re-connect and swap stories.

 

Dearest Diva:

Hope you got some pics of that...;)

Sounds like you've had a great time....sorry it is coming to a close.

It's really snowing here now...

Have a good trip home!

[vickie_bernie]

One more day of bliss --- :o

 

David hosted a cocktail party last night on his balcony... it is on Emerald deck the last one on the starboard side. It is a huge balcony; you will hear the noise from the Vista Lounge when they are doing the Motor City -- we heard them practicing at first David thought it was a neighbour and then it dawned on me where it was coming from. We had the exact same problem when we were over the Princes theatre once. David commented that he had heard the performance the night before even in the cabin -- note it ends early enough so no worries.

 

Today I slept in, and watched Horton Hears a Who! That was enjoyable. We then proceeded to the santuary. It was a little cool and windy and we did notice that on this day the service was way down compared to the other two times. We originally were charged for two full days, and I had to have him correct it. Then we were not asked for drinks or any other item again the entire time. Not a big concern as we know the service on the other days was top notch, but if the service today would of been like that on the first day we would not have gone back.

 

The coffee bar first thing in the morning is very very busy, there was actually a line up for drinks. I sat down and just waited for a server to come by, and got my coffees to go (in all it took over 20 minutes to get to latte) then desperately need a third server or extra barista at the busy times.

 

I booked a massage up on deck in the santuary. Oh my god, my body felt like butter afterwards! The masseuse - her name was actually Princess from Thailand was a tiny thing. But those hands worked magic. And to lay there listening to the waves... heaven. The cost was $119 for 50 minutes but it actually ended up being 70 minutes! Then I took advantage of the sauna and the large showers in the spa.

 

Should also note that the price of gym classes like yoga and spinning have gone up they are $12 each.

 

Just walked thru the Casino and man I think I could count the people in there on one hand and it appeared to be like that all day.

 

It is 6:30 and there is no one around... am I missing something ... is there a party I am missing.

 

Tonight there is a Captain Circle get together -- there is a group of us going.

 

Last night was the Captain's Gala Menu and of course we had the crab legs.... yum. Loved the aspargus and puff pastry as the appetizer. The pesto pasta was also good and we had a small portion of it for an appetizer.

 

We dined with our roll call friends and we laughed our heads off. Great group and we are planning on doing the same tonight.

 

We hope to have a group luncheon tomorrow.

 

The gym is well equiped it looks like new stuff too -- and each has it's own screen.

 

Now as we wind down this trip, we start counting the day until our next trip

[vickie_bernie]

last night was a lot of fun (again thanks to our roll call)

 

We attended the Captain Circle party and the Captain had a few extra prizes thrown in -- a dinner at Sabatinis or Crown Grill on the Captain and a private tour of the bridge as a second prize.

 

Didn't win :(

 

it was our second formal and the lobster was on the menu. Again we found it very salty - and confirmed that yup we are not the only ones that find that our table mates agreed. No wonder I feel bloated. :eek: yup blame it on the salt, that is my story and I am sticking to it.

 

Saw the hypmotist, she is always good, especially when you know someone up on stage.

 

Today is our last day at sea, the weather is cool and we are going to relax.

[Solara]

Thanks for posting live again. I always enjoy reading your posts.

[BalconyBumz]

Oh man, I just hate that last day at sea. It's so depressing!

[vickie_bernie]

:Dwell the halls have never been busier, too cold for the passengers -- I guess -- but it is nice to see everyone. We had a quick little gathering of our roll call again.

 

Had lunch with John and Karin from these boards and check out the pictures. Normally we don't buy any but we had a free photo coupon and ended up buying one of our table last night that we got in between all our laughs -- GREAT group! The 8X10 are $20 but we got $10 off.

 

Went to watch the movie in the Princess Theatre called What Happens in Vegas but about five minutes in I realized "I've seen this movie".

 

I am quite impressed with Princess -- here in the internet cafe they have a laptop the the visual impared can use with earphones and braille keys. The seeing eye dog is laying at my feet, want to pet but I know he is working so I will respect that.

 

Filled out the questionnaire today and check the bill and boy we haven't spent much so off to the jewlery store and hubby bought me a lovely watch... early Christmas present. :D

 

I just love the Captain he is so personable and actually look forward to his daily announcements from the bridge.

 

The coffee bar is a hot spot! Usually there are line ups and the Atrium is packed so there is no place to sit. See you create a good thing and they will come.

 

We love the Mexican Riviera and the people there.... certainly will miss it.

 

Our Captain Circle Host Anita is very funny and so very helpful, I guess there was a mix up with the invites, some people got more than one (like us) and some didn't get one at all but she happily cleared up any confusions.

 

We are the first group off after Express debarkation tommorow as our flight is early. Since there are so many platinum and elite we think we may just go to the designated lounge for our color have a feeling it will be less crowded than the Wheelhouse bar (the designated lounge for Elite/Platinum) which is quite small allready.

 

Well I will sign off now from the lovely Star Princess -- thanks for sharing in my cruise... I hope I helped someone as I know so many before me assisted me.

 

bye from the Pacific -- just south of SF, soon to be from the Pacific but Vancouver....

[LARGIN]

Welcome home.. If you run into Sharon and Bruce say hello..

[senior lady]

Hey Larry,

 

We just had our last CC get together:( and said hi to Sharon & Bruce for you. Jayne was there also, so we had a good laugh and commented on what fun you and Ginger are to cruise with.

 

I agree with everything that Vickie has said. This has been a great cruise, perfect weather and a great ship. Now I'm really looking forward to spending 30 days on the Star for our Austalia cruise next October:D

 

Other than our "not so special" dinner at the Crown Grill, this has been perfect.

 

I've never been on such a smooth cruise leaving Cabo and heading up the coast.

 

We've had such a fun CC group on this cruise. We sure hope to cruise together again soon. We've collected everyone's e-mail addresses and have decided that when ever any of us book or plan a cruise we'll send out an "invitation" to everyone.

 

Well, must go and finish packing, and get ready for our " last supper";) Then it's back home and having to do everything for myself again ugh!!!

 

Anyone heading out on the Star tomorrow will have a great South American cruise.

[vickie_bernie]

I am home, and I will do up a review (well it is more observations).

 

The cruise was great --

 

any questions, post away and I am sure someone can answer.

[mgregg]

Hello! New here so bear with me.

 

My wife and I just returned home this morning from our cruise aboard the Star Princess to Mexico for 10 days. We had a great time! The ship was nice and we had fun at the 4 stops along the way.

 

Some quick observations:

 

1) The changes made to the Atrium/Piazza area looked really nice. The wine shop area seemed to be neglected for the most part, but the rest of the area always had a lot of traffic throughout the day. The entertainers that performed each afternoon were fun and seemed to create a bit of traffic on their own. We're not wine or coffee drinkers, but we enjoyed the cookies and some of the sandwiches offered in the International Cafe.

 

2) The entertainment on this cruise was pretty good. We had terrible entertainment on our last cruise with the Dawn Princess (09/24-10/26) so it was a nice change. Each of the entertainers were enjoyable, with the only exception maybe being the hypnotist. It's not my thing and just seemed to drag on. Everything else was really good. The best for me was Chip Romero the Illusionist, and the production show of "Destination Anywhere".

 

3) We don't eat in the dining room, so the buffet is where we could be found each day getting our meals. The food was okay, but nothing special. There were times we didn't see much that we wanted to eat, but we understand that comes with the territory of eating in a buffet. It did what it was supposed to do and I can't complain about that.

 

4) The Captain, Todd McBain, was the same captain we had on our sail with the Dawn Princess two months ago. We were fortunate enough to meet him on a bridge tour and were surprised to see him again so quickly on this trip. On the previous cruise he had two lectures, one on the night sky and the other on Antarctica, that were very entertaining. Due to the short itinerary of this cruise he wasn't able to do anything like that.

 

5) The weather was great all the way through. Considering the bad weather the ship had coming in the night before we left it's hard to believe that we had such smooth sailing. I had to laugh a bit when I saw passengers wearing their patches. I can't imagine anyone getting sick in such calm seas.

 

6) The airlift of one of the passengers was an event to remember. The circumstances which caused it could be done without, but witnessing the procedure was quite a sight. The skill of the pilot of the helicopter and the crew helping out were excellent.

 

7) Having the dogs onboard was nice. We'd been on a cruise before that had about the same number. The only negative was that the "play time" was off limits to the passengers. On our previous cruise there was time set aside for the passengers to pet, play and meet the dogs. This time we had to stand a deck or two above behind a barrier and just observe the dogs with their handlers/owners. I think some of the passengers were disappointed that they couldn't interact with the dogs. After spending 10 days respecting their space and duties, it would have been nice for some to be given the opportunity to play with them.

 

8) We've had problems in the past with the passengers that MUST be the first ones on and off a tour bus, the first ones in and out of an elevator, etc. We didn't have too much of that on this cruise. For the most part everyone was on their best behaviour. There were a few stick-in-the-muds, but you'll get those with 2,000+ passengers.

 

9) My wife and I are quite a bit younger than the average passengers we see onboard. We don't mind and actually enjoy talking with most of the people we meet. They have some great stories and it's fun to hear where they've been. Sometimes, though, we get a bit snubbed. An older couple that had been on 5 cruises spoke as though they owned the ship and we should be impressed by their move to Platinum level. Well, we're just a couple trips short of Elite, so we've probably got a few things we can teach them. It's not a big deal, but it's a downer when snobbiness comes into play.

 

It's getting late and my mind is going blank. If I've missed something feel free to ask. Below is a link to some photos I took while on the trip. I have a lot more that I haven't gone through yet, but it's a start. Give the page some time for the photos to load.

 

http://www.mikeandcindysplace.com/samples/StarPrincess.html

 

Enjoy!

 

Mike

[twocats]

Your photos are exceptional. I felt as I was right there on the ship. Thank you for your review and for posting, I will be waiting anxiously for any more photos you will post. Glad you enjoyed your cruise.

[mii]

Your photo's are just like a professional. Wonderful pics. What kind of camera do you use.

 

Marilyn

[TM]

I was also on this cruise. There was an opportunity for interacting with the guide dogs. They and their owners were set up next to the pool at the rear of the ship. Unfortunately that area is very small. Passengers were allowed to walk around and pet the dogs and talk to the owners. Unfortunately this only lasted about 20 minutes. I think because there were so many people the staff felt the dogs and owners were being overwhelmed and cut the session short.

 

Tom

[senior lady]

wow Mike, what great pictures. I'm with Marlyin, what camera do you have. My pictures sure don't turn out like that.

 

It was a great cruise, and would do it again in a hearbeat!!!

[Bucky3]

What gorgeous pictures! We look forward to more! We'll be sailing the 30-day cruises to/from Australia next year, so we look for all the reviews of this ship.

 

kpalmer - We look forward to meeting you on Star next fall.

 

Happy Thanksgiving to all !

[mgregg]

Thanks for the compliments on the photos. I use a Canon 40d with various lenses. The equipment is good, but I like to think I had a helping hand in there somewhere. ;)

 

Here's a photo of the Star Princess docked in San Francisco as seen from Treasure Island:

 

 

Mike

[SFParrtHd]

Excellent photos Mike. Will look forward to seeing more and appreciate your review.

[crusdiva]

Greetings all,

 

Bruce and I arrived home last night just before midnight to balmy ;) 28 degree (F) temperatures. Talk about a reality check!

 

What a fantastic cruise - we commented to friends that no two people should be allowed to have so much fun!

 

Thanks to everyone on our roll call that helped make this such a special cruise. Meeting you onboard, seeing you in the ports and just hanging a Las Caletas was just amazing.

 

I have started the photo upload process and at the moment it's complete through PV - they're not all labeled yet - I'll do that when I get back to work. :D

 

I've done a separate album for San Francisco.

 

Follow the link below - it's the first two albums there, I'll be updating it all weekend.

[catmand]

Thank you for posting and sharing your adventures. We were on the cruise of the 21st and just loved it. There really seems to be a consensus that the space devoted to Vines and the Vines Store is overkill. One of these days (SOON) I hope we sail another ship with the Piazza, just so we can compare the area..:D

 

Going back to look at the pictures, thanks again, Chuck

I had to get in here while I could still do an edit......WOW, Mike, your photos are without question THE best I have seen posted here in the five years I've been around. There was a fellow on one of our Alaska cruises named Chris who held that distinction (big of ME isn't it) until now. I have been looking at a new Kodak but am thinking, why bother.

[catmand]

Sharon.....thank you as well. It looked like a very nice day in Acapulco. When we were there it was very, very hazy, hot, and humid.

Chuck

[California Native]

Mike...

Gorgeous Photos! Just WOW!

K.