Home from the Star 4/27-5/7

[Blondilu]

We left San Francisco on 4/27/2009. It was freezing at the Sail Away party. But, what the heck, we knew we were headed for warmer waters. I’m sure everyone knows we never made it. Instead we sailed around in circles off the Southern California coast. Our new ports were San Pedro (Long Beach), Santa Barbara, Santa Catalina, and San Diego. It was sunny but chilly at our first two stops, but warmed up eventually, and the day we spent on Catalina Island was the kind of day people move to California for. Absolutely beautiful.

I was told that about 400 people were so upset over the changes that they got off the ship at San Pedro. Call me Pollyanna or maybe I’m just lazy, but I have trouble working up a sweat over what coulda, shoulda, woulda been. We had a marvelous time in spite of the itinerary change or maybe because of it.

I thought the crew handled the whole thing very well. Lots of smiles and lots of “No worries” handed out everywhere.

Some personal observations:

Princess will never win any awards for their food. And there wasn’t much variety, but I’m not complaining. It was so much better than what I normally eat, I never had any trouble cleaning my plate. For a real treat, the International Café on Deck 5 put out hot cookies all day long. Very yummy.

The service was, IMO, excellent most of the time. There were one or two people who were less than on top of their game, but since it wasn’t consistent it could be chalked up their being tired or not feeling well. We especially loved our cabin steward Norman.

I loved the décor of the ship, but not the layout so much. Our dining room was the Amalfi on Deck 6 and it was a little complicated to get there. Sort of like that saying “You can’t get there from here”. And it was very noisy. The Piazza, which is the atrium and lobby area was a little too small for all the activity that went on there, and there were very few places to sit. I loved the covered pool area. Our mini-suite was great and I personally had no trouble with the bed. Especially since I never had to make it up.

The entertainment boggles the mind. You may not like every show, but you have just got to appreciate the amount of talent on board.

This was certainly a very memorable trip. There were other things going on besides the itinerary change that I have not experienced before:

A “Man Overboard” alert was announced while we were anchored off of Catalina. I jumped up to see, and apparently some guy had fallen off the tender while it was letting people onto the ship. It was kind of funny.

There was a fire alarm. I didn’t hear the actual alarm, only when they called it off. They said that there had been smoke coming from one of the TV sets in someone’s cabin. Not so funny.

One night the bridge called for an “Assessment Team” to go to a certain cabin on Deck 2 which I know is a crew deck. Maybe someone here knows what an Assessment Team is? Security maybe?

All in all it was a wonderful vacation, memorable, interesting , relaxing. I ate too much, drank the biggest margarita I have ever seen, and visited places in my own home state that I just never got around to seeing before. And as if that wasn't good enough, they gave me (and everyone else) a discount towards a future cruise worth 50% of the fare I paid for this one. I'm not complaining about this either, but they had me at "Welcome Aboard".

[Toto2Kansas]

I love to cruise with those who make the best of a situation. Glad to hear you had a good time on your cruise. Hopefully, these changes in itinerary will end soon, now that the threat seems to have subsided a bit. Thanks again for the review! ;)

[Woodmnky]

Thanks for the review. I guess some people can't fathom how a week at see anywhere is better than a week on land. I am glad to know that they gave a 50% compensation to those that sailed, it shows that Princess is also trying to make the best of a bad situation.

I will be sailing the star next week and can't wait, unfortunately I will not be as warm as you were.

[DrivesLikeMario]

Is an "Assessment Team" the ones that go to clear up a possible Norovirus incident? :confused:

 

Sounds like you had a great attitude! :) I think you were probably better off with those 400 people off the ship. Let them complain & whine at home and not ruin your cruise. ;)

[Coolmama_1]

Glad you had a good time! 50% on the next cruise would work for me too!

[LARGIN]

We were on the same cruise and had a great time... The crew was outstanding and where else could you see some great California ports, hear a man overboard alarm, fire alarm, and medical emergency alarm and enjoy the company of some great people and then get back 50% of what you paid for the cruise.. As for the food, outstanding.. As for the wait staff, fantastic..

[crusdiva]

We were on the same cruise and had a great time... The crew was outstanding and where else could you see some great California ports, hear a man overboard alarm, fire alarm, and medical emergency alarm and enjoy the company of some great people and then get back 50% of what you paid for the cruise.. As for the food, outstanding.. As for the wait staff, fantastic..

Larry, once again you slay me.:D;)

Welcome home my friend.

[sherman931]

Enjoyed reading your review....thank you.

[Bob Winters]

Being one who enjoys the thrill of cruising even more than the ports, I welcome some changes. We Califonians have wanted more choices for a long time. I have been to all those ports before but not always on a cruise chip. I am not happy that it took the Swine Flu to see changes but I am hoping that some of the cruise lines would look at these new itineraries and consider adding them in the future.

Loving all cruises

Bob

[Blondilu]

I was also thinking they should add this itinerary to their line-up. Maybe on a smaller ship. The people in the ports were certainly glad to see us, so good for our economy as well. If it weren't for that stupid passenger act thing, I really think it would work. Anyway, back to real life. I already miss those cookies. Does anyone else think they should play the Love Boat theme during embarkation?

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for the review.

[mariakitty]

Princess will never win any awards for their food. And there wasn’t much variety, but I’m not complaining. It was so much better than what I normally eat, I never had any trouble cleaning my plate. For a real treat, the International Café on Deck 5 put out hot cookies all day long. Very yummy.

 

Thanks for posting your review! Could you elaborate more on the food? Were you referring to the buffet or the dining room? I just saw the thread on the new DR menus and I thought the variety was better than ever, so I am curious. Also, did you go to the specialty restaurants on the Star?

 

Thanks again!!

Maria

[Blondilu]

MariaKitty, thanks for giving me the opportunity to elaborate. Looking back at my original post it would seem that I didn't like the food. Not so. In fact, the assistant waiter teased me because I left my plate so clean every time I ate there!

I would rate the food in the dining room as very good. I love being able to order something I wouldn't have otherwise. Like the cold avocado soup which was so yummy. The presentation was excellant, the waiters were great. The selection was OK, 2 or 3 soup choices, 3 salads and maybe a half dozen entrees. They did repeat some of the same dishes, but with a different sauce.

The food in the buffet is mostly good. But, it was almost always the same exact thing every day. I usually ate breakfast and lunch there, and on port days, a late dinner. I didn't like some of the meats, they seemed to me to be of a cheaper cut. And, let's face it. It's a buffet. The food sits under warming lights and that doesn't always make food look all that good. However, unless you are a real picky eater you won't go hungry. I would rate their breakfast as the best meal, except for the orange juice which was more like flavored water.

I wished I had eaten more in the dining room, and less in the buffet, but it never quiet worked out that way. Next time I will choose AnyTime dining so I can do that. And I never made it to the speciality restaurants, though I would have liked to. Next time I will make a point of doing so.

[SFParrtHd]

Also just back from this cruise. Our food and service was just outstanding but that could be because we were with LARGIN :D:D Seriously, we have no complaints on the food, service and the crew, it was one of the best cruises we have had.

 

We have done Mexico and this coastal cruise before, so the ports didn't matter to us, but I can understand why some were disappointed. I think Princess handled the situation to the best of their ability and certainly can't complain about the discount they gave.

[Cruisin Sal]

I was also on this cruise. My only complaint was that I didn't bring warm clothes. I did buy a fleece jacket so that some days I could sit on the balcony. The shore excursions were very reasonable. The photographers were obnoxious at the tender ports - they delayed people getting on and off the tenders. Some of the new menus are ok, some not so. I think Princess was very generous with their 50% off a cruise.

Dona and Larry - sorry I didn't get to meet you. I just discovered the dchip lives one block from me!

I have a cruise that leaves Acapulco in Feb. Wonder if it will be a go.

 

Sally

[NH Cruisers]

I am glad to see these post from like minded cruisers like I. I too feel the ship is the detination, the ports are a bonus.

 

A few years back we took a cruise out of New Jersey, the ship stopped in Boston (pretty much our home city). What a rush to see Boston from a beautiful giant cruise ship. It didn't matter how familiar the place was.

 

Thanks for the reviews, I will be onboard Star in 8 days!!!

 

Jon,

[cflutist]

... except for the orange juice which was more like flavored water.

 

We were just off the Star recently ourselves. If you had eaten in the dining room during breakfast, you could have ordered fresh squeezed orange juice for no charge. Others at our table were wondering why ours looked so good while theirs didn't ... they quickly learned :D

[SFParrtHd]

I was also on this cruise. My only complaint was that I didn't bring warm clothes. I did buy a fleece jacket so that some days I could sit on the balcony. The shore excursions were very reasonable. The photographers were obnoxious at the tender ports - they delayed people getting on and off the tenders. Some of the new menus are ok, some not so. I think Princess was very generous with their 50% off a cruise.

Dona and Larry - sorry I didn't get to meet you. I just discovered the dchip lives one block from me!

I have a cruise that leaves Acapulco in Feb. Wonder if it will be a go.

 

Sally

 

Sally, we are sorry too! Small world about living so close to Denise. I am looking forward to her pictures. I am sure that by Feb everything will be OK. Hope to meet you someday.

[jsiegel]

I was also on this cruise. My only complaint was that I didn't bring warm clothes. I did buy a fleece jacket so that some days I could sit on the balcony. The shore excursions were very reasonable. The photographers were obnoxious at the tender ports - they delayed people getting on and off the tenders. Some of the new menus are ok, some not so. I think Princess was very generous with their 50% off a cruise.

Dona and Larry - sorry I didn't get to meet you. I just discovered the dchip lives one block from me!

 

 

Sally

 

 

I agree with everything. I went shopping in Long Beach for long pants and a long sleeved top. I did enjoy adding to my wardrobe. An outfit from Ross Dress for Less is not your usual cruise souvenir, but I'm happy.

 

I noted on my comment form that they should not have the photographers and the stupid costumed characters right at the gangways. It's a safety hazard in addition to being very annoying. The security people at the Santa Barbara pier were really upset. One guard yelled at another one to get the bears and the duck (eagle) to move. And what was with that? Bears and an Eagle for a Mexico cruise? And don't get me started on the pirates at the exit to the dining room. They were trying to startle passengers. What with the age of the average passenger it's a wonder there weren't heart attacks that night.

 

I enjoyed chatting with you Sally in the various lines.

 

I'll get my review written hopefully soon.

 

Jackie

[firefly4423]

thanks for the review!