***LIVE from the Star Trans Atlantic Garden Villa***

[SuiteCruiser]

Okay, not just yet, but we set sail in two sleeps :)

 

For those of you who don't know me, I am a mid-forties woman, very happily married with twin 15 year olds. Last year I did a crazy thing and sailed on the Epic transatlantic cruise in a studio all by myself. It was a crazy fun ride and I met so many amazing people. Two of my new best friends, Scott and Allen along with a friend from home are doing another transatlantic this year on the Star and we snagged the Garden Villa!

 

We are all so excited and cannot wait to see each other again. Last time the boys and I laid eyes on each other was last November 2nd, the night before we docked in Miami and the whole group of us was in tears. We've kept in close touch all year and the plan was to have myself and my husband, Scott and Allen and another couple we became close with Eric and Erik share the Garden Villa...then Erik and Eric couldn't make it and my husband was told he couldn't take vacation at this time. He's a news anchor on radio, and it's ratings season. :(. He told me to head off and hopefully he can join us on our next escapade.

 

I spent the last week with my best girlfriends in Germany for 3 days and Paris for 3 days, where my brother and sister-in-law joined us for two days, one of which being my birthday, so it was an amazing birthday. Thanks to Facetime, also got to spend some time with my husband and my kids who I miss dearly.

 

This afternoon I arrived in Copenhagen and the rest of the gang arrives tomorrow. My friend Judy is staying with another friend outside of the city, arrived a few days ago, and they are both coming in tomorrow, and I will be shown around the city by someone who actually lived here. So far it's beautiful. I'm staying at the Admiral Hotel for the next two nights, an awesome spot along the river.

 

If you remember my "blog" from last year, you know I give you a play-by-play of my day. If it's boring, skip past it. I have a new camera for the adventure, but don't have a way to upload pictures as I go, so you will need to use your imagination. When I return home, I will upload some so you can see what I'm talking about.

 

Hopefully you won't be too bored, goodnight and I will report back tomorrow :)

[RJ2002]

Thanks! Really looking forward to your reports. I was just on the Star earlier this year. Great crew.

 

Enjoy your time in Copenhagen. It's a great city.

[Single Cruiser]

Hope you have a great time. I'm sure the boys will look after you :) oh and win big!!

[SuiteCruiser]

Hope you have a great time. I'm sure the boys will look after you :) oh and win big!!

 

Thanks Craig! Wish you were joining us!

[SuiteCruiser]

Thanks! Really looking forward to your reports. I was just on the Star earlier this year. Great crew.

 

Enjoy your time in Copenhagen. It's a great city.

 

Thanks so much :) Really looking forward to all of it!

[Single Cruiser]

Thanks Craig! Wish you were joining us!

 

I'll be with you in spirit (vodka probably :) ) and watching for your blog entries..

 

My adventure starts 3 weeks today :)

[SuiteCruiser]

I'll be with you in spirit (vodka probably :) ) and watching for your blog entries..

 

My adventure starts 3 weeks today :)

 

That's right, you can read about mine, then I can read about yours :)

[aussie cruzer]

I'm following along too.

 

Enjoy that Garden Villa, it's awesome up there.....the huge upper deck is amazing,I read the Star/Dawn garden villas are the largest suites at sea.

 

Which villa did you get,we liked the one with the bar 14500......enjoy those six bottles of booze that are included.

 

Villa will be similar too this one,but has the huge upper deck instead.

 

 

I hope you get Arnie as your butler,he is the best.:)

[SuiteCruiser]

I'm following along too.

 

Enjoy that Garden Villa, it's awesome up there.....the huge upper deck is amazing,I read the Star/Dawn garden villas are the largest suites at sea.

 

Which villa did you get,we liked the one with the bar 14500......enjoy those six bottles of booze that are included.

 

Villa will be similar too this one,but has the huge upper deck instead.

 

 

I hope you get Arnie as your butler,he is the best.:)

 

Thank you! I loved reading your blog last year! We're so lucky to have it for 12 nights, and we'll make the best use of it and the 6 bottles of booze :) We also are in 14500. The other GV was already booked when we decided to go for it. I was surprised they took 14000 as we've heard port is the side to go on heading west and the bar is really nice. When out and about tomorrow I will try and get the adapter so I can load my pictures onto my iPad. I really loved all of your photos last year, we truly felt we were cruising right along with you.

[aussie cruzer]

I started using Photobucket to load photos.....seems too work well with good quality pictures uploaded.

 

Worked well with ships wifi....but only load a few at a time.

 

Look forward too reading your blog.:)

[toyotaford]

Okay, not just yet, but we set sail in two sleeps :)

 

For those of you who don't know me, I am a mid-forties woman, very happily married with twin 15 year olds. Last year I did a crazy thing and sailed on the Epic transatlantic cruise in a studio all by myself. It was a crazy fun ride and I met so many amazing people. Two of my new best friends, Scott and Allen along with a friend from home are doing another transatlantic this year on the Star and we snagged the Garden Villa!

 

We are all so excited and cannot wait to see each other again. Last time the boys and I laid eyes on each other was last November 2nd, the night before we docked in Miami and the whole group of us was in tears. We've kept in close touch all year and the plan was to have myself and my husband, Scott and Allen and another couple we became close with Eric and Erik share the Garden Villa...then Erik and Eric couldn't make it and my husband was told he couldn't take vacation at this time. He's a news anchor on radio, and it's ratings season. :(. He told me to head off and hopefully he can join us on our next escapade.

 

I spent the last week with my best girlfriends in Germany for 3 days and Paris for 3 days, where my brother and sister-in-law joined us for two days, one of which being my birthday, so it was an amazing birthday. Thanks to Facetime, also got to spend some time with my husband and my kids who I miss dearly.

 

This afternoon I arrived in Copenhagen and the rest of the gang arrives tomorrow. My friend Judy is staying with another friend outside of the city, arrived a few days ago, and they are both coming in tomorrow, and I will be shown around the city by someone who actually lived here. So far it's beautiful. I'm staying at the Admiral Hotel for the next two nights, an awesome spot along the river.

 

If you remember my "blog" from last year, you know I give you a play-by-play of my day. If it's boring, skip past it. I have a new camera for the adventure, but don't have a way to upload pictures as I go, so you will need to use your imagination. When I return home, I will upload some so you can see what I'm talking about.

 

Hopefully you won't be too bored, goodnight and I will report back tomorrow :)

The Star GV is the best. You are going to love it. The upper deck is amazing. We always choose 14000 because we prefer the galley to the bar, but that is just personal preference. The GV's on the Jewel class ships are great but you definitely get spoiled to the deck space on the Star. Have a great trip.

[WaldosPepper]

I can hardly wait to read your daily installments. I thoroughly enjoyed following along with your last TA. So sorry hubby is not able to join you - I know you were so excited at the prospect of having him with you on this sailing, but I know you'll have a fantastic voyage nonetheless.

 

Enjoy every single moment, tell us all about it, and WIN BIG! :D

[SuiteCruiser]

The Star GV is the best. You are going to love it. The upper deck is amazing. We always choose 14000 because we prefer the galley to the bar, but that is just personal preference. The GV's on the Jewel class ships are great but you definitely get spoiled to the deck space on the Star. Have a great trip.

 

Thanks! I really enjoyed your past reviews and information. I picked the Star because I wasn't sure we'd get a chance to do this again, and wanted the whole experience with the upper deck :)

[SuiteCruiser]

I can hardly wait to read your daily installments. I thoroughly enjoyed following along with your last TA. So sorry hubby is not able to join you - I know you were so excited at the prospect of having him with you on this sailing, but I know you'll have a fantastic voyage nonetheless.

 

Enjoy every single moment, tell us all about it, and WIN BIG! :D

 

Thanks Barbara!

 

I know it's a drag, and he's really bummed about it. We'll have to plan something at a different time of year. I really wanted him to experience a TA and I can't get away in April as it is year end for most of my clients, so maybe we'll do a different repositioning cruise. I love the relaxation of so many sea days, but it can be devastating to my pocketbook with the casino open all of the time!

[cruitenn]

Hello,

 

I will definitely be one of your followers on your next adventure on the high seas!

 

Too bad that your hubby and your friends Eric(k) will not be joining but I am sure your other friends will make it up for you.

 

Glad you are doing well! DH is getting stronger everyday, we have been able to enjoy a few cruises since our 18 month hiatus. Next on our agenda, we will be sailing on the Dawn's 14 day repositioning cruise next month, 11/1/13.

 

Have a great time and enjoy your Garden Villa, Thanks for taking time and sharing your trip with us,

 

Lita

[bean24]

Enjoy the Star GV. We were in the Dawn GV a few years ago. There is an amazing amount of space.

[SuiteCruiser]

Thanks guys, and great news Lita! Enjoy your cruise next month!!

 

Today was fun, just wandering around Copenhagen with my friend Judy and her friend Chantal. We ended up eating lunch in a really nice department store. The girls shared a "snack plate" full of danish specialties like smoked salmon, herring, shrimp, various pickles, breads, cheeses, etc. I had a prosciutto and cheese sandwhich on pumpernickle that was crazy good.

 

We walked along the shopping streets, dropped Chantal off at the train station so she could head home and stopped at a cafe for a beer. I love the European way of providing a square where there is music and a spot to have a drink.

 

We then walked to the hotel where the guys were staying, just to see if they were around. They had arrived at around noon and I knew they had some shopping to do before we set sail, so didn't expect to see them until tonight.

 

As we walked into the hotel, I saw Scott walk by so we screamed and hugged and didn't want to let go and it was really great. I introduced him to Judy and they hugged and I know it will all be great. Allen was down at the lower level, so we went through it all again. It was so great to see them! We headed out to another cafe and had a bottle (or 2 ;) ) of prosecco to celebrate.

 

We sent the boys off to a romantic dinner as they've both been insanely busy and haven't had any time to themselves for the last month, and Judy and I headed back to our hotels for the last night.

 

I decided to have some dinner in the hotel bar again. I overheard the neighbours trying to decide what to have. One wondered what the pulled pork would be like, so I told her I'd had it the night before and it was really good. They said "You're not on the ship tomorrow too, are you?" and Iaughed and told them I was. We chatted throughout dinner and I took down their names because we want to have a sailaway party in the Garden Villa when we leave the Azores. They are the first invitees.

 

Back to the room to write this up, then to bed, and onto the ship in the morning. So excited!!!

[russianmom]

The suspense is killing me!

 

Can't wait to read the rest!

[SuiteCruiser]

Woke up with a feeling of anticipation and a sore throat. I'm thinking it might be the feather duvets and pillows. Will ask for synthetic on the ship, hopefully that will help.

 

 

 

Judy came to my hotel to meet me and we grabbed a cab and headed to the port arriving at 11:30. There were hardly any people in line, the platinum, CAS and Suites lines were empty, there were many people seated with their numbered slips and as soon as we walked in, they started boarding. We were standing at the podium when the suites area set up within the main room emptied, then others were called to board. We were led to the suite area, where we were approached and welcomed and asked to take a seat and have a drink or some food. Our butler came and introduced himself and he asked where the guys were, we said they were heading over around noon. We waited quite a while and the whole place pretty much emptied out and Gary, our butler, came over an asked if everything was okay. I said "I just wondered when we would be able to board?" He looked at his watch and said he thought he could take us right now. It all seemed very strange.

 

 

 

We followed the line onto the ship and then the elevator bay was totally packed, so he led us back through a crew area up their elevator and into the suite.

 

 

 

I turned on my camera to "video" mode

 

 

 

It is as amazing as I had imagined! I worried a bit that she might be worn and tattered, but she's still beautiful. We first walked into the living room with the white leather curved sofa and the two comfy chairs, a huge dining table that seats 8, black baby grand piano full bar and a view looking out over the pool deck. Catches your breath, it's so amazing.

 

 

 

We then wandered into my room, which is the first master, next to the living room. It is huge, and comfy with floor to ceiling windows looking out to the dock, okay to the sea as I actually write this :) Bathroom is bigger than I thought it was even though I'd looked at every scrap of information I could find on the suite beforehand. Huge shower, curved tub looking out over the pool deck. (blinds need to be closed a night for sure!), a separate WC and then a big walk in closet. I don't travel super light, but I only filled about 1/4 of the closet.

 

 

 

The next room, which is Judy's is the exact same as the aft penthouses. She has a table for four, plush chair and her bathroom is the same as the mini suites/penthouses with a shower/tub combo on one side, sink then WC on the other side.

 

 

 

The boys' room is another master suite. They also have the huge bathroom with square tub and massive shower, practically the same as the first master. They have the door that leads directly to the garden as well. Many prefer this one to the other master, but I felt better without the door to the garden because I'm a wuss.

 

 

 

We then headed out to the garden, which is crazy huge. It has a huge hot tub, dining for 12, lounges galore and a little pagoda. Plenty of space sheltered, and open to match your every whim. Just amazing! We took the stairs up to the top deck that stretches out for ever and back over the living room to look down on the pool area. The top deck is somewhere in the 2500 SF range.

 

 

 

We then went back to the living room for a soda, where we found a fully stocked fridge in the bar. We ran around taking pictures of everything while waiting for the guys to arrive.

 

 

 

We heard their voices, so we did the full tour again and loved their reaction to the garden area "Is this ALL for us??!" Really really fun.

 

 

 

We did our muster drill, outside for the first time in a very long time, and then back to the suite for sailaway and champagne. Our butler came by as did the concierge to sort out our liquor order (the suite comes with 6 1L bottles) and managed to exchange one for what we wanted that wasn't on the list. The rest we couldn't upgrade, but that was fine.

 

 

 

We decided to hit the casino for a bit before dinner and played Let It Ride for about half an hour with no luck. The boys went to the Friends of Dorothy meeting and Judy and I moved over to the 3 card poker table. One new friend from Let It Ride came by and I showed him how to play 3 card. One hand I saw two 7s so didn't look at the third, and the dealer had a seven, so I knew I had 3 of a kind on the 6 card bonus spot, which was cool. She then checked my hand and I had three 7s :) So 4 of a kind up top and 3 of a kind. So awesome. Jeff, the new friend jumped up the chair in between us went flying and he hugged me, so funny, I think he was even more excited than I was :) About ten minutes later I saw two 3s and didn't look and when she flipped over my cards, there were three 3s. Never had that happen! Trips come few and far between, so ridiculous. About twenty minutes later, I saw a king, so didn't look. When she flipped my cards, you got it, there were 3 of them. Unbelievable. We had dinner reservations so had to leave, but I left the casino up $1,100.00. I only play $10 bets, so it was pretty sweet!

 

 

 

Off to dinner at Ginza which was really great. We had the crab wontons, salt and pepper calamari, and the Kung Pao chicken. The others also had hot and sour soup and it was really good. I've found the chinese restaurant kind of hit or miss on the ships. Some ships it's all good, other ships, not so much. The Star knows how to do chinese. The place was pretty empty so we had all of the staff chatting with us and checking in with us. I don't know if it was because it was so empty or the cabin number that drew them, but we had amazing service. I picked up the dinner and drinks with my casino winnings and left a nice extra tip for the great service.

 

 

 

Back to the casino where we had a lot of fun, won some, lost some. Did well at the craps table for awhile, and then it went sour and we left and went to Ultimate Texas Hold 'Em for a while and then we were all turning into pumpkins. Scott had gone to the Blue Lagoon, so I joined him there and had a tomato soup. I had lost my voice, so the soup was fantastic. Allen arrived a the table after having left to go to bed and he couldn't get in. Our keys wouldn't work! It's 1:00 AM, they are tired and cannot get in. Judy called reception and they told her to call someone else. They waited for a while and then called the concierge and it went to voice mail. We still haven't heard back from Omar yet. Someone finally arrived, brought all 4 cards. That meant they had to find us because our old cards still wouldn't work, so Allen was a little annoyed at all the running around that late when he just wanted to go to bed.

 

 

 

Judy and I decided to have a hot tub, so put our bathing suits and went to the garden area and the tub was freezing. We tried to start it up, but no dice, so we just went to bed.

 

 

 

Woke this morning, Gary the butler had left pastries, coffee, orange juice and fruit for us. Beautiful sunshine and chatting and coffee and amazing company. Love it.

[boopsahoy]

Enjoying your review-the suite sounds awesome, cant wait for pictures.:D

[RJ2002]

Thanks for your continuing reports.

 

Is Omar still the concierge? He had just joined the Star when we were on our Baltic cruise in May.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[sjnyc323]

Thanks for your continuing reports.

 

Is Omar still the concierge? He had just joined the Star when we were on our Baltic cruise in May.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

Omar will be there until 10/13/13 then David Contreras returns as concierge

[jaja]

So glad you are having a great cruise..:) (Take care of that sore throat!)

Love following your trip !

[Single Cruiser]

That suite sounds wonderful. Can't wait to see your pics of it! :)

[RJ2002]

Omar will be there until 10/13/13 then David Contreras returns as concierge

 

Thanks. Boy, that is a long stint, unless he had a break somewhere along the way.

 

SuiteCruiser, you will be in good hands with Omar. He did a great job when we were on the Star.