hilcadon

We just got off of the Breakaway yesterday. I also had read a lot of bad reviews and though that I would regret my decision. It was fantastic. Food was great, waterfront was really nice and the specialty restaurants were worth the extra money.There was so much to do and was surprised that for such a big ship we did not experience any long lines or wait times. Enjoyed the shows and the staff was very friendly and did their jobs well. My wife, daughter and son in law were also pleased with the ship. Get the Ultimate drink package. Its worth the money.It also helped that the weather was great and Bermuda is one of my favorite destinations!!!

Thank you

There are four of us traveling. Can you buy a number of dinners for different people or does each person have to have their own?? Can I buy 8 and use them for two nights 4 people??

We were on the same cruise and the Star was fantastic. We were in the Cabo San Lucas suite and it was incredible. The room was really nice with a huge bathroom and tons of storage space. The deck furniture was extremely comfortable and the deck was enormous.

We did the all inclusive drink package and thought it was worth the money. We were celebrating our 30th anniversary and enjoyed "Vines" before dinner. Chris and Valeria were the best. Crooners "Martini Bar" was packed every night. You will totally enjoy "Mar" the bartender. I think that Princess lost some money on us!!!

We also did the Chefs table that was one of the best dining experiences that I can remember on a cruise ship. Please remember to sign up as soon as you get on board as there is limited space. On the 15 day I believe that there were only three groups of ten total (30 passengers).

We also did the Ultimate Ship Tour and really enjoyed the experience. The robes are really nice and heavy so pack lightly so you can bring them home. We had to pay 285.00 in luggage fees to get home!!! Both bags were over 50 lbs.

Weather was fantastic and service was the best of any cruise line I have been on. I will be sailing on Princess again.

Just got off the Star before the dry dock and did the 15 day Hawaii. What a great ship!!!! They were replacing carpet and doing a lot of cleaning while we were on board. Enjoy her after the dry dock.

I have read many of the posts here and the one that I agree with most is that you have made a big mistake. My wife and I had our first suite for our 25th anniversary on the Explorer of the Seas in their Grand Suite for a 10 day Caribbean cruise . Everything about it was wonderful. Even though we sailed out of New York harbor in a blizzard and 300 of our fellow passengers missed the ship sailing due to weather. We even hit a squall in the middle of the night that caused the ship to list and caused a lot damage to anything that was not held down (especially in the dining rooms). The extra room and benefits made it one of the best cruises we had taken to date.

We then have sailed in a suite ever since!!!!!

Once on Carnival Valor in an Ocean Suite (not that great for perks) and then once again the week after my daughter's wedding we sailed on HAL in their Deluxe Verandah Suite (extremely large balcony and fantastic perks, suite lounge, fantastic service, etc).

We look forward to our next cruise on November 24th on the Star for a 15 day to Hawaii and will be in their PH suite on Caribe deck. Looking forward to many of the perks with Princess.

Just enjoy and know that you will always try to find a way to be in a suite after the first time.

My wife and I are sailing on the Star Princess to Hawaii for 15 days in three weeks and are going to get the package. The first benefit we see is not having to sign all of those individual receipts. When you include the coffee, juice and especially bottled water it all adds up. My one question is whether we can still get buckets of beer with the package. We like to have BOB (buckets of beer) while on deck, we also like to have wine with dinner and have martinis at night. If someone has been able to get BOB please let me know. :p:p

Though I prefer to have a suite, I do understand that if I traveled more than once a year I would most likely downgrade to a balcony cabin. My wife and I spend a lot of time on the balcony and like to sit in the room before dinner. It all depends on your priorities when on vacation. When we were younger we agree that we spent very little time in the cabin because there was so much to do and see and an inside or OV cabin made sense. Life is short, ENJOY!!!

I have never enjoyed a review more!!! You have a wonderful family and I was able to relive our TA/Mediterranean cruise through your pictures. We had our computer crash and had not backed up yet and lost all of them.

You have a great way of looking at the world and it came through in your review and pictures, especially the comment about fresh fruit and how it looks outside of Canada. We were able to do our trip of a lifetime in 2001 with a group of family members and need to do another one soon. Thanks again for taking the time to write the review.

In the early years when traveling with our daughter we had inside or OV cabins. When she was older we booked a balcony cabin for our TA/Mediterranean cruise so that we could enjoy the views as we cruised. Once we went to the balcony cabins we could not go back. It is so nice to be able to sit outside whenever you feel like it, especially at night.

The last four cruises have been in suites and we enjoy the extra room and some of the perks. When they travel with us, my daughter and her husband will book a balcony or suite depending on their budget. Some cruise lines treat suite passengers a little better than others so it is worth the extra money. This will be our first time cruising with Princess and we will be in a PH suite for the 15 day SF-Hawaii this November on the Star.

On the Star to Hawaii for Thanksgiving and am happy to hear there will be a decent turkey dinner to enjoy!!

The best part of cruising is that you put your luggage in your room and you are done. Everything you need is within walking distance. On any other vacation you spend more than half of the time negotiating what you will do next. It is even worse if you travel with a large group. You have to decide when and where you are all going and it makes you crazy!!!! Get on a ship and you choose when and where you will eat and everyone can go wherever they want and you can all meet up later. If you want to get away from the crowds it is easy.

We are booked on the Star for the SF to Hawaii cruise in November. We will be staying in the Cabo San Lucas Suite on Caribe deck. Love reading the posts from everyone who has sailed and have enjoyed the "perks". Got a suite five years ago on RC-Explorer of the Seas (Grand Suite) and have had a suite ever since. Once on HAL-Veendam (Deluxe Verandah Suite) and Carnival Valor (Ocean Suite). As everyone says "Once you have had a suite it is hard to go back to any other cabin. On a long cruise it is nice to spend time in the suite just relaxing by ourselves and spending a lot of time on the balcony. With so many sea days it is very nice to spend time by ourselves and perhaps do an afternoon tea, enjoying meals on the balcony or whale watching. We have noticed that there is a big difference between suites on different cruise lines. The best so far was RC because they really catered to suite guests and the perks were really nice. I am surprised that Princess does not have a Concierge lounge for suite guests as most other liners have. We are really looking forward to this cruise because of the positive reviews of the Star princess.

Your review is greatly appreciated. My wife and I will be taking this cruise on the Star to Hawaii in November.We are booked in a Penthouse suite and have been reading the boards. You have confirmed that we made the right choice.

I am not expecting that they will have that perk. I thought that I would mention it in case anyone from Princess is reading. It was a great perk from RCCL and I thought that I would let people know. I have been reading on this forum and see that people are willing to pay for their seats in the Sanctuary so there is a chance that Princess might decide to add this to their suite "perks".

We are booked in a full suite for the RT Hawaii out of SF in November. The suites are already sold out. I agree that mini suites are nothing more than a ploy to get people to believe that they will get all of the full suite perks. Some lines are better than others in how they treat their suite guests. RCCL was perhaps the best, they had a private lounge near the Grand suites for their suite guests and had full services for preferred dining options, excursions and there was always an array of food and drinks available. They also had separate seating near the pool for suite guests only. Their suites were also very spacious and had all of the amenities. HAL was a big disappointment when we were in their Deluxe Verandah Suite. The cabin was huge and the balcony was enormous. They has a private lounge but that was it. Service was okay but not great. Carnival's suites are okay but then there really were no other perks except the larger cabin and balcony. I am hoping that Princess will be as good as RCCL and any perk that gives you separate seating is always going to be a benefit so you don't have to get to the pool early to get a seat. I know there is the Sanctuary but cannot bring myself to pay another $100 per day for 15 days to get a seat. Enjoy your cruise.

Thanks for your review. We are booked on the Star in November and are really looking forward to sailing out of SF. Just hoping that the weather will be good and we will not have rough seas. Had a crazy experience five years ago on the Explorer of the Seas and had a really bad list during a 100 mph gale. Lots of broken glass and the dining rooms were a mess. Calm seas would be a blessing.

We looked at both and decided to cruise on the Star. We booked a Penthouse suite and liked the idea of sailing out of SF. We have been on a lot of cruises but this will be our first cruise on the Pacific Ocean and our first with Princess. I read many reviews of both ships and it seems that most people prefer the Star.

It really is unfortunate that there are people who believe that they are being "smart" by saving seats for people who are not even near the pool area. One of the best "perks" of being in a suite on Explorer of the Seas was that they had a separate seating area for suite passengers. This way you could relax and enjoy breakfast instead of heading to the pool area so you could get a lounge chair. We have been on other lines in suites and they have not had this perk. We are booked on the Star in November for the 15 day Hawaii cruise and since there are so many sea days we hope there is not going to be a lot of "chair hogs". If so we will simply find an area to sit away from the pool so we can relax. I have a nice memory of our first cruise on the Oceanic when we had deck chairs with our names on them and you did not have to worry about getting a chair. Common courtesy seems to be a thing of the past.