The "No Promises" Live From- Star Princess- January 30, 2013. 'Round the Horn

The "No Promises" Live From-- The Star- January 30, 2013

Hi All-

I am titling this thread as a "No Promises" Live From, as there are no promises that I will actually be able to post daily. I do, however, promise to try really really hard. I absolutely love "live froms", so I feel that I should pay it forward a bit.

First off, the demographics... I am traveling with my mother. She and I are celebrating big birthdays. She turned 75 and I will let you guess my age. Anyone???? Ok, big hint--- rhymes with thrifty or gifty. And you thought I didn't look a day over 49. Thanks for that. We live in Charlotte, North Carolina. We take at least one big trip together each year, normally to Asia. I am a planner and tend to plan extensively and exhaustively. I am totally type-A, so every detail must be address. My mom i s a "go with the flow" type of girl and she just goes where the color-coded spread sheet dictates.

We left Charlotte for Buenos Aires on Monday evening. We flew through Dallas, and our long flight to BA was actually pretty uneventful. Because my mom has some mobility issues, we had a wheelchair waiting for here upon arrival. That made negotiating the madness in immigration and customs a breezes. There were very long lines for both. We booked ground transpo and our car was waiting. It was a 40 minute ride to the center of BA.

We stayed at the Sheraton Liberator. We booked the Club Floor and the hotel and room were very nice. The only real comment was the hotel was the selection for Holland America, both incoming and out-going, so the lobby was a zoo at times, with long lines of weary travelers. The folks were super nice- just tired.

We took a 3 hour city bus tour that drove us around Buenos Aires. I would like to pretend that I will remember every detail, but I might have fallen asleep ones or twice. We did see Eva Peron's grave which was much tinier than I expected. We ate in the lounge and were in bed by 8 pm.

I will tell you a bit about an adventure that I had. The exchange rate for USD to Argentine pesos is officially about 4.9:1 right now, but there is some type of black market for USD, so if one is really daring (or a little stupid), they can do a street exchange and the rate can be as high as 8:1. That is a significant difference. Near the banks, there are plenty of guys who state in low voices "Cambio". These are the intermediaries for the illegal money-changers. I am always up for an adventure (and maybe a bit of the second attribute listed above), so I decided to go for it. When approached, I asked in my bad Spanish "How much?" and he told me 6.5:1 and I countered with 7.5:1. We settled on 7.1:1. Fine with me. He took my to a small restaurant, where I had a brief meeting with the money changer. Exchange done. The caveat to this is you can get mugged or robbed. There is also, reportedly, a high rate of counterfeit bills in circulation, so this comes with a "buyer beware". I knew all of this in advance, and after a 30 second risk assessment, decided to go for it. It worked for me, but there are probably 20 more people who did not have a great experience.

Boarding:

In One word- NIGHTMARE

In Four Words- Grateful for preferred status.

We arrived at the port after seriously overpaying the cabbie (No fault of his- ran out of pesos and threw a $20 bill at him for an $7 cab ride.) There were no lines for luggage when we arrived, but we were there at 11 am.

We were directed to a waiting area. There were three big ships in that day, the Star, the HAL Veendam, and some Costa ship. The port personnel had cordoned off separate sections to waiting area for each of the ships, and Princess got the short end of that stick. I stood for an hour while waiting to be called. I did find a seat for my mom.

Once they called for Preferred (all Platinums, Elites, and Suites), we were escorted upstairs to receive our cruise cards. As a note, there were only about 50-75 people in this group. And then we went to another area and waited. Finally, we were escorted to a shuttle bus that took us to the ship. I have never seen such a set up. All told, it took us about 2 hours to get on the ship. I spoke to others who said it took them 3.5 to 4 hours to board. Crazy.

On Board:

We are in E-722 which is a mini on the port side/ aft. We have a fully covered balcony. Our room steward is Fidel. As we were one of the first on board, I handed him our list of 11 items that we need to make us happy (e.g. extra hangers, extra glasses, empty fridge, shower gel...) and a little incentive e.g. $), and he set about fulfilling our wish list. Upon boarding, I am really, really, really high maintenance. But once I have the cabin settles, one might have to check for a pulse, as I want nothing. Another side note, luggage did not make it to the room until after 8 pm. I was just happy to be reunited with my ratty luggage.

Another side story, I am usually super efficient when it comes to packing. I have done an number of 3 week tours in China, Nepal, and Tibet with 22 pounds of luggage (total), but for some reason I could not get it together when it came to packing for this trip- so I ended up with 2 coffin sized suitcases and a whopping 13 pairs of shoes. This comes with an explanation, but the true reasoning is I was out of control. There, I admitted it.

We were initially assigned traditional dining in the Amalfi Dining Room, but this was a table for 8. My mother and I prefer to dine alone, so I set off to find the maitre 'd to beg for a change of table. We were granted a permanent table for 2 in the Portifino Dining Room, which is really an anytime dining room. That word fine for us. Our waiters are Napoleon (yes, I resisted the opportunity to say something really stupid like "Larry, get your own tots!) and Denis. Both of them are super nice and attentive, and we were out of there in just about an hour! Score!

We attended the One Night Only Show in the Princess Theater. Our cruise director is the one and only Billy London <insert grimace here>. The talent of the performers is... well... (something about if you can't say anything nice). They did have a couple who danced Tango and they were super fun to watch.

I wandered; my mom gambled. We went to bed by midnight.

Some side notes:

• There are lots of people on board from all over the world. This is maybe the most international passenger make-up I have ever seen. Lots of folk from SA, Australia, UK, and two large tour groups from Germany and China. All announcements are in both English and Spanish.

• The MDR was open for lunch, but the menu was limited.

• The oldies, but goodies menu is back with beef tenderloins offered every night.

• The last cruise missed the Falklands, due to weather, not politics.

• In walking around on the the ship, there are lots and lots of "blue cards" on the name plates. Not so many silver and very few black. (Still,I don't think I will make the Most Cruised Lunch with my 74 days--- hahahaha!)

OK, that is enough for this moment. Feel free to ask questions, and I will try to answer them.

Thanks for cruising along-

Tracie-Lynn

Tracie,

I always love your descriptive and entertaining trip diaries. Am looking forward to reading your Horn adventures.

Cheryl

Tracie-Lynn,

We will be traveling on the Star in March and I would be interested in your evaluation of the ship itself? thanks, Nancy

Looking forward to following your adventures!

Thanks for doing a "live from" :) I love your descriptions and how you explain things. Will be following you with envy...

Enjoy your cruise!

Love your writing style. You girls have a great time! Thanks for sharing your adventure.

This is going to be fun to follow, We were on the Star a few years ago out of Rio and it sounds like you have a similar make up of passenger demographics, though I'm guessing fewer Brazilians and more Argentinians.

Enjoy the cruise!

Looking forward to this as we are on the cruise following

Terry

Thanks for the "live" Tracie-Lynn :D

Happy Birthdays to you & your mom...hope y'all have a fabulous cruise !!!

Excellent! We like Billy. :)

Looking forward to your ongoing reports , The Star is one of our favourites.Have a wonderful time, Commiserations on the cruise director; can't win them all.

Tracie, thanks so much for the "Live From"! BA has got to be the worst embarkation port in the world. You have to have a lot of patience.

I was delighted to see you started a live from thread. We will be taking this cruise next Feb onboard the Golden, really looking forward to your posts. Have wonderful birthday celebrations and lots of fun. :)

Thanks for doing the "Live From..."! We'll be boarding in Valparaiso (when you depart) so I'll be eager to read all of your posts.

Happy Birthday(s) and I hope you and your Mom have a terrific cruise.

Hi Tracie

looking forward to your posts. One question: did you see the " wine" police?

Apparently the new luggage tags have the wine policy imprinted on them.

We sail the end of February.

Thanks

Sharon

Hi again-

Thank you for the nice comments. You might want to think twice about all of this flattery. I may never go away. You have been warned.

We are in Montevideo today. The weather is hot. Seriously, HOT. I live in North Carolina. I know hot. I am qualified to determine when we officially move from really warm to uncomfortably hot. Now that we cleared that up.

Geek Alert!!! Geek Alert!!!

My husband and I geocache. If you don't know what that is, here is the 30 second explanation--- Geocaching is a world-wide treasure hunt. All across this great big world, there are over 2 million hidden treasures. In order to find them, you get the gps coordinates and a couple of hints. Once you find said treasure, you write in the log. The best souvenier I can bring my husband is a geocache in a new country. I am telling you this because in all of Uruguay there are only 3 geocaches. One is 3.5 miles from the dock; one is 7 miles, and the last one is 32 miles. In spite of the searing weather (did I mention it was hot????), I decided that I would find the closest geocache. So I set out on foot and started to walk up a hill. And I might have been grumbling a little bit. Well, I was no more than a half mile from the dock when a vision appeared--- yep, you guessed it! A bike shop! 4 hours for $10 USD and a map (even though I have a hand-held GPS). So I rode to the designated spot and after much looking (AND touching icky things- don't ask- ugh), I found the treasure. Back on the bike and back down the hill. On my way back, I guess I found the main drag, because I spent most of the ride avoiding really big buses. FYI, Public Transportation is alive and well in Montevideo! And the bus drivers handle the buses like they are driving cars. I did stop to take pictures. I also found some beautiful glasswork. And I survived!!! (This would be evidenced by the fact that I am writing this and not my evil twin- StacieABD).

I got back on the boat tired and sweaty and dirty and hungry. Luckily, all of those malidies can be remedied right on the boat. And they were.

When I got back to the room, there were balloons and a sign on the door! This is one of the reasons I love Princess-- the festive door markers! I hope there is cake at dinner tonight and I hope it is the good one.

Had a shower and lunch in the IC- sammich and soup and a pot of tea. Oh and mousse- you know the white and dark chocolate kind. I only eat the white chocolate half. My mom ate the other half. That is why we get along so well.

I needed a nap so I sacked out in the Thermal Suite. It is a little brighter on this ship. Oh, and they are still giving intro tours. But this is my gift to me. I have had a super stressful couple of months. It is amazing how all of that stress just sort of disappears when the big horn blows. Poof! Stress gone!

One other note-- and this is not a complaint. We booked an AE GTY and landed in an AD mini on the Port side of the Emerald Deck. We are getting a bit of vibration from the bass in our room from the Vista Lounge, but we can deal with it. The lounge closes around 11 each night, so no worries. For those folk who are a bit noise sensitive, you may want to think about the location of this room though. Just a hint.

I am on my way to see the Captain's Circle Host to get the vital stats for those who like that sort of thing. Questions welcomed...

Pam- Thanks for the photos and pictures of the cabin. You are right. It is great.

Sharon- We don't drink wine, so I am not sure of the wine police.

Hi All-

First off, I would like to apologize for all of my spelling errors. That is what I get for not editing. And, yes, I do know better... Shhhhh, Don't tell my mom.

I spoke with the Captain's Circle Hostess, Graziella, from Brazil. She was super friendly. I asked her for the stats, and here they are...

Drumroll, please!

Total passengers: 2665

First cruise- 1404

Gold- 814

Platinum- 368

Elite- 79 (this is not a typo!)

The most traveled passengers have a whopping 1577 days! (That is pretty getting close to 5 years at sea. Which, by the way, is longer than some of my friends own their cars-- or stay married!)

The cut-off for the Most Traveled Luncheon is a mere 184 days.

I am still waiting to see how many children on board, but I bet there are under 200.

Someone asked about the shape of the ship. It is in good order. Our furnishings don't look their age.

We have the blue mats back on the balcony and we have the new balcony furniture. I know that this is heresy, but I don't find it uncomfortable.

Also, we celebrated my birthday tonight in the MDR. Yay! Cake! The DR was pretty empty so lots and lots of table staff sang including the Maitre' d. Good harmonies and lots of volume! It was sweet and felt very special.

Now, I must grab a seat for the ventriloquist. Joy.

Thanks for riding along!

TL

Happy Birthday to You!

Happy Birthday to You!

Happy Birthday Dear Tracie,

Happy Birthday to You!

Not exactly the same thing as large numbers of staff harmonizing for you, but sincere.

Thank you for posting live. We will be on 2/25 for BA to LA.

Yes Happy Birthday!!

What was the treasure?

And oh those IC sammich's. :D

Great live from so far! You do a great narrative! I love your sense of adventure with the black market currency exchange and the impromptu bike ride for geocaching. Looking forward to continuing along with you.

Happy Birthday to You!

Happy Birthday to You!

Happy Birthday Dear Tracie,

Happy Birthday to You!

 

Not exactly the same thing as large numbers of staff harmonizing for you, but sincere.

 

Thank you for posting live. We will be on 2/25 for BA to LA.

Of course, with the waiters singing, it probably sounded a bit different.

My hubby put this itinerary (with a side trip to Iguazu Falls -- he loves waterfalls) on our dream list.

Can't wait to hear more -- hope it's all good.

Dear Tracie,

Thank you for your Live from....

We will be on the next cruise and are looking forward to not having to fly home! We have been to Iguassu Falls previously, and I have been to Macchu Pichu, so no need to go back.

Thanks for the statistics. I am surprised that were so few Elites.

P.S. Happy Birthday!

Tracie!!! I'm so glad you're doing a Live. It all sounds wonderful so far. Black market currency exchanges -- you're my hero! Can't wait to hear more, especially penguin stories.

Tracie, I'm enjoying your "live from". Great stories!! Keep them coming. Are you going out to Volunteer Point in the Falklands? :rolleyes:

Happy Birthday Tracie

THanks for the Live and all the answers

Sharon