back from the STAR

[winny63]

well we are back and want to go back NOW.... We are already talking about another cruise.. I can see now how addictive it is...

first night or two was chilly and quite rocky but smooth sailing from then on.

got to learn to cook again and clean for myself was i ever spoiled.

coffee was strong but hey i like it that way.. so it was not as bad as i thought .. although i did bring bailys creme with me and it helped out a lot.

the upgrade we got was fabulous.. went from ocean view to a balcony on the aft. wonderful sunsets..

steward out did himself.. added allil more tip for him..

chair hogs galore.. but always a place to relax in the opposite side of ship.

ran into some real grumpy people and some down right rude ones.

but i have to say most were very friendly and made some new friends to boot. more to come....

[Colo Cruiser]

Glad you had a great time and welcome back to the real world. :D

[wasup254]

We are on the transatlantic in May, for 15 days, we have an aft cabin on caribe, looking forward to it

 

Marlene

[LARGIN]

Welcome home.. Glad your cruise was enjoyable

[SJACPA]

Yes, It is very addictive. We're scheduled to cruise the Star on 3/12. I'm already researching the '07 cruise.

[snowbegone]

Glad you liked the Star. We're going (our lst cruise) on the 03/12, Was the ship full? Can't wait.

[Coolmama_1]

Glad you had a great cruise! We were on the Star in January and had a great time.

[sunprincess]

Welcome Home

Reality does suck - try to ease back into it:) & book your next one ;)

[winny63]

yes the ship was full... snowbegone.. i have some awsome pictures of the cabin we were in if anyone wants to see them let me know i will send them.

e731

[Bookbug53]

yes the ship was full... snowbegone.. i have some awsome pictures of the cabin we were in if anyone wants to see them let me know i will send them.

e731

 

Leaving on the Star this Sunday for my first Princess cruise. Would love to see the pictures! Anything that we MUST see or do on board?

[inncntman]

Leaving on the Star this Sunday for my first Princess cruise. Would love to see the pictures! Anything that we MUST see or do on board?

 

My wife and I were on the Star Princess cruise last week, for our first ever. I enjoyed it much more than I expected, although some of the excursions were a bit harrowing (one driver was literally driving on the sidewalk), and all of them seemed rushed.

 

Some of my suggested tips:

 

1. When leaving port in Ft. Lauderdale on the first day, grab a seat in the Skywalker lounge (the protruding lounge high above the ship, in the rear). It's a great, relaxing view through smoked glass, and you can sip a drink and watch the landlubbers wave goodbye (although they can't see you wave back through the darkened glass).

 

2. On the second day, your room steward will leave an order form for a bowl of fruit; order enough bananas to last you for the rest of the week. We ordered two bananas a day, but after the first few days the bananas weren't ripe, and were solid-green and inedible for the last four days of the cruise. If we had ordered several bananas at the beginning of the cruise, they would have been ripe for the last four days.

 

3. Try to get to Princess Cays early; we loved the island, but the last tender left at 2, and we didn't get enough time to enjoy everything.

 

4. When you get to Princess Cays, turn left and keep walking. You will reach a spot that has numerous hammocks, which are so great to lie on and enjoy the tropical breeze and sun. Most people never saw hammocks, and were jealous when we told them about it afterwards. There are also waiters to bring you drinks. (The BBQ/Cookout buffet lunch on the island made me slightly ill, however; I wish I would have brought some sandwiches from room service instead.)

 

5. Everyone raved about the banana-floats on Princess Cays (which are pulled behind motorboats); we wished we had tried it. However, there was one person who said that it hurt his back.

 

6. As numerous people have suggested on this board, get the egg-crate mattress top for your bed. They are about 3-4 inches thick, and make a world of difference.

 

7. Get your picture taken. Get your picture taken. Get your picture taken. The photographers do a very good job, and you should have several good photos to choose from. We didn't get a set of black-and-white formal photos taken until the end, and then didn't like any of the results. If we had the photos taken in the beginning of the curise, we could have tried again with a second set later on.

 

8. Also, get your photos taken with all of the different backgrounds, even if the backgrounds look cheesy. The resulting photos actually look a lot better than you would expect.

 

9. On our cruise, they ran a special on purchasing five "formal" photos on the last day. They take the formal photos during the two formal nights, and you can wait until the last day and choose a selection from both days. (Most people bought a few photos after the first formal night, then a few more after the second night. If you wait until the last day, you can get the discounted price, and choose from two days worth of variety.)

 

10. DON'T BUY THE COKE CARD/STICKER. My wife bought one, and then hardly used it. She never used it for breakfast (naturally), and didn't use it for dinner, as she usually drank wine. The only time to drink Coke is during the day, when you are usually off the boat on excursions. Also, Princess doesn't accept the card on their Princess Cays private island, which annoyed me (LOL). Also, it usually took 15-25 minutes to get a Coke after we had ordered it.

 

11. Wine Tasting - Don't expect to learn anything about wine; the overview is very simplistic. You get to sample five wines (for $9.95), so use that to determine if it's worth it to you (you also get a free V-Ball shot glass). Also, our waiter signed us up for the tasting at the dinner on Sunday night; when we received the Princes Patter the next day, we saw that the tasting conflicted with other activites that we would have preferred. You can always wait and sign up for the tasting right before the class.

 

12. Internet usage is now $.35 a minute, which isn't too bad. Simply swipe your Princess card in a card reader next to the keyboard and you are on your way.

 

13. Don't try to move the cocktail tables in the Vista Lounge. No, really. Don't. They weigh approx. 2,800 pounds each, and are a guaranteed hernia. Or so I am told.

 

14. If you eat at Sabatinis, be prepared for the waiters to appear offended if you refuse one of the seventeen courses that they offer as they go from table to table. They may be disappointed; you don't have to be.

 

15. Don't expect to eat on your balcony (if you have one). The ship is going approx. 30-40 miles-per-hour when it's cruising, so the wind is whipping past your balcony at the same speed, and thus is very noisy as well as blustery. While in a port, the ship usually docked alongside rusted tankers and shipyards; hardly conducive to a romantic meal.

 

16. If you you have anytime dining and eat early (5;40 at Capri and 6:10 at Portofino), you can almost always get a table for two. Also, that gives you plenty of time to catch both the Princess Theater show, and the Vista Lounge show. If you eat late, (7:00 or later), you will only get to see one of the shows. Eating early also gives you plenty of time to get your photo(s) taken before the shows start.

 

 

17. Tips on not gaining weight during the cruise:

 

A. Eat a late breakfast, an early lunch, and an early dinner. By eating your meals so close together, you won't be as hungry at each meal.

 

B. Eat a cereal-and-fruit breakfast, delivered to your cabin. (The Horizon Court and the Portofino dining room offer too many sweets/pastries/pancakes/french-toast/fried-potatoes/carbos.)

 

C. Skip the dessert at lunch. You can do it. You know you can.

 

D. Even though each meal offers an appetizer and a soup and a salad, it doesn't mean that you need to order all three. Choose one. Or two, for those of you who must. You know who you are.

 

F. Those big-as-your-head Pina-Coladas? No. They have more calories than a Big-Mac dipped in chocolate. I think.

 

G. Ignore all previous advice if you are offered a souffle for dessert. Always, always take the souffle; you're on vacation. Or, preferably, mail the souffle to me. Don't forget to include the custard-cream.

 

 

18. If you are on a Princess-organized excursion, the boat won't leave without you, so don't worry if your excursion is running late (it's hard not to worry, but force yourself). The excursion busses, however, will leave you without a second's hesitation, so don't leave your group. Two of our group were ten minutes late returning from the Mayan ruins, and the bus left them. Two others fell asleep at Xel-Ha (on the same excursion), and the bus left them, as well. (They had to take a taxi back to dock; a one-hour drive).

 

19. Don't expect to snorkel during the Stingray City Snorkel excursion. There are too many boats and too many people at the sandbar, and no room to truly snorkel. They should rename it the Stingray City Stand In Water Up To Your Knees excursion. Also, if you get to the sandbar after lunch, there are not that many stingrays visible, because they have been fed by tourists all morning, and are no longer hungry and looking for food. The only way to feed them is by sticking an IV tube into them.

 

20. It's the middle of winter, you're in the Caribbean, and you are white as Caspar; WEAR SUNSCREEN THE FIRST DAY!!!!!! I saw too many people (and entire families) who were fried on the first day (or on their first excursion), and were in extreme pain the rest of the week. Furthermore, all of their photos looked terrible, because their faces were bright, bright red.

 

21. The prices at the boutiques weren't too bad. I bought a Fossil watch at $10 below the price listed on the Fossil website. I bought several pieces of Swarovsky (sp?) crystal jewelry at cheaper prices than I paid in Paris two years ago.

 

22. Dunn's River Falls - You can rent water-socks there for $5, or buy them for $15. The Star's boutique sells them for $20. (Wait; does that negate my previous comment?)

 

23. Mayan Ruins - Your bus will stop at a rest area enroute to the ruins, and you will be told that this is the ONLY place to buy food/water/souvenirs, and that there is no place at the ruins to make such purchases. THIS IS A LIE, repeated on every bus (I confirmed this with tourists on other buses). There are a multitude of shops at the ruins.

 

24. Mayan Ruins (Part II) - You will be offered a tram ticket for $2, which will take you down the "one-mile walk to the ruins". This walk is actually only 1/3 of a mile, and there is no need to waste $2. The walkers actually beat the tram to the ruins.

 

25. If you order a room-service breakfast, the milk will invariably be lukewarm by the time the meal delivered to your cabin (as will the juices, etc.). Order extra quantities on the first day, and store the leftovers in your refrigerator. The next morning, again order milk and juice, but use the cold milk/juice from the refrig, and store the lukewarm ones for use the next day. Repeat when necessary.

 

 

Have fun; do as much as you can do, but also relax and de-stress.

[winny63]

if you are doing any excrsions in montego bay the country side tour is cheap and its absolutly great....

you get a wonderful lunch and free drinks of punch plus you get to taste test pina coladas and rum different ones..

the raft is wonderful i loved that excursion the best..

i will post pics just figuring out where to post them..

i will definitly be going back on another...

[inncntman]

Glad you liked the Star. We're going (our lst cruise) on the 03/12, Was the ship full? Can't wait.

 

Yes, the ship was "sold out".

 

However, there were very few waits or lines that I experienced (I don't suffer delays well). The longest wait was approx. 30 minutes for a tender to the Caymans; I don't believe I had any other wiats longer than ten minutes. However, I did try to time things in order to avoid delays, such as eating early, before the crowds.

 

We arrived at the dock at 12:15, and embarkation was a breeze (15-20 minutes from taxi to cabin, including buying the useless Coke sticker).

 

Disembarking was also easy; once our group was called, we were at the airport within 25 minutes (10 minutes spent finding the bags). The Star docked at 8:00 A.M., and my group was about 3/4ths of the way down the list, yet we were at the airport by 10:00 A.M.

 

 

 

A tip that I forgot to share: As others have suggested, TIE A BRIGHTLY-COLORED RIBBON/SCARF TO YOUR LUGGAGE. When you disembark, you will be confronted with 1899 pieces of black luggage, just for your group alone, and they all look alike.

[edwar2cf]

yes the ship was full... snowbegone.. i have some awsome pictures of the cabin we were in if anyone wants to see them let me know i will send them.

e731

 

We' re cruising on the Grand in e731 next spring. I would love to see the pictures!