pacific star - call for recent reviews

[basejump]

i'd be interested in get some concise reviews from recent passengers on the pacific star, we r travelling in october and am keen to ensure we have realistic expectations as we have been on several cruises previously.

 

bottom line is the cruise was VERY cheap and my expectation is that we will get what we pay for - that said, it will be nice to hear the cabins were clean, the food of decent quality and the kids club of a high standard.

 

so were u satisfied?

what was really good?

was there anything that was bad?

would u go again?

anything else that sticks in your mind

[LouLou28]

i'd be interested in get some concise reviews from recent passengers on the pacific star, we r travelling in october and am keen to ensure we have realistic expectations as we have been on several cruises previously.

 

bottom line is the cruise was VERY cheap and my expectation is that we will get what we pay for - that said, it will be nice to hear the cabins were clean, the food of decent quality and the kids club of a high standard.

 

so were u satisfied?

what was really good?

was there anything that was bad?

would u go again?

anything else that sticks in your mind

 

Hi basejump

 

We were on the Sun in Feb/March this year with our children (daughter then 6 and son then 9).

 

It was my first cruise (my husband sailed on the Oriana back in the early 80s). So we didn't really know what to expect either.

 

To answer your questions ....

 

We found the kids club excellent for the 6 year old daughter (Turtle Cove) - she loved it and spent nearly all of every sea day and every evening happily there. We had a pager with us so that the kids club could contact us if she wanted us to come and get her.

 

The 9 year old had 'privillege' - once we gave him permission at Shark Shack he could sign himself in and out ... has its obvious advantages and disadvantages!!! He handled it very well. Because we weren't sailing in school holidays there weren't too many other children on board (probably still 20-30 in his kids club each day). He would go down for a while each morning and see what was happening, then would come and find us wherever we were (we had to make sure we told him where he could find us). We set up a system for him so that if he couldn't find us, he was to go back to the kids club or to the cabin until we came there. Anyway, we're taking walkie talkies with us on the next cruise so that we can get around this.

 

He finally made a friend on the second last day ... we hardly saw him after that!

 

We were very satisfied given what we had paid for our seven night cruise. We equated it to a week at the the Gold Coast in peak time ... and found that it was good value for money for the four of us. And certainly less stressful for the parents! We didn't have to take the kids to the beach and sit or swim with them then take them to to pool or take them anywhere really. We felt comfortable giving (especially our son) some freedom as he was quite responsible. (The six year old we couldn't give much freedom to as she couldn't remember which was the front/back of the ship and kept turning the wrong way to go back to our cabin!!!!):)

 

We found the food in the dining room good ... certainly not the Sheraton, but nice. Better than the local pub ... but not five star. But we couldn't complain given it was laid on morning noon and night (and to my husband's delight mid-afternoon as well when he discovered afternoon tea!!).

 

The staff and service generally were FANTASTIC!!! I don't think I have ever experienced customer service like it. I travel a bit for work, and have stayed in many and varied places, hotels, motels and this was one thing that was faultless on our cruise.

 

Our cabin was 'neat' (both in size and cleanliness) -- actually the cleanliness was impeccable. Certainly couldn't fault it. We had a four berth inside cabin --- (it was very very cheap!!!). When we first boarded my husband was determined to see if we could get moved to a cabin with a window ... but after seeing it and being there for a while, it didn't bother him (or any of us) at all. I thought I would get claustrophobic, but didn't (and believe me you slept in because it was sooo dark). Although, we have booked an outside cabin for our next cruise!

 

The cabin staff were great ... nothing was too much trouble. And just to have your room serviced, cleaned, etc twice a day was delightful! Beds made, or turned down at night ... clean towels whenever you turned around basically (although we did have to ask for fresh swimming towels once or twice as they just don't dry in the cabins even if you hang them up).

 

The waiters in the dining room were also faultless and a lot of fun.

 

The one thing that impressed me across the board was how well the children were treated. The staff were truly fantastic with them. In the dining room they happily served my daughter chips and tomato sauce every night and quickly so that I could take her back to Turtle Cove between my courses!

 

Would we go again??? You betya!!! We're booked again for February 2008 and because we raved about it so much, my sister and her family are coming with us!

 

I honestly found it one of the most relaxing, enjoyable holidays I have ever had. You literally unpack once and forget about everything. You can relax as much as you want or do as much as you want. I actually had to make a concerted decision NOT to do any shipboard activites one day, because I hadn't even started to read the book I had brought with me ... so found a deck chair and watched the sea go by and read for a few hours! Truly a wonderful experience.

 

Our dining companions were pleasant. Another family with two teenage twin girls (two weeks off being 18). They were a lovely family. The girls took a shine to my daughter and even turned up to see our kids perform in the talent show the kids clubs put on at the end of the cruise.

 

Now ... we had great weather! (It was rough the first night out ... the Captain came over the PA and apologised for the weather) - but after that it was smooth sailing. (We had another rough night coming back to Brisbane) --- but we medicated well and none of us were sick (Actually my husband didn't need any medication ... ).

 

All in all a fun, memorable holiday and we can't wait for the next cruise!

 

I guess in summary, if you haven't been on P&O Australia before, and depending on who you've cruised with before, you may find it more toward the lower end of the market when it comes to prestige and 'extras' - but as is often said on these board ... a cruise is really what you make of it!:D

[dogboy53]

Great review Linda, you should get a PR job with P & O. We are on the Pacific Dawn on th 9th Nov and know it will be a great trip...always wanted to go on a cruise.

 

Don

[LouLou28]

:D Of course ... I may just be easily impressed!!!!! (or my expectations may not be as high as others!)

[SouthAussie100]

A "concise" review....I guess that let's me out :rolleyes:

 

Great job Linda ! Agree with all you said. The cabin was kept spotless. I thought the food was fabulous ! A good variety and serving size. The buffet selection was excellent as an alternative. The crew were excellent. Friendly +++ . One of our onboard buddies did the galley tour and said that on the wall next to the door coming out of the kitchen there is a sign that says "Smile...you are entering a passenger area" and "If you see a passenger without a smile, give them one of yours"...how cute !

 

Some have said the Star is looking old and tired. We thought the facilities were lovely, clean and comfortable. Haven't cruised with anyone else so again, maybe I'm not used to the 'high falootin' standards of some of the other lines. We absolutely enjoyed ourselves. And yes, either you can be as busy as you want or do nothing !

 

have a great time

cheers

ness

[Guest012]

 

bottom line is the cruise was VERY cheap and my expectation is that we will get what we pay for - that said, it will be nice to hear the cabins were clean, the food of decent quality and the kids club of a high standard.

 

so were u satisfied?

what was really good?

was there anything that was bad?

would u go again?

anything else that sticks in your mind

 

Hey basejump welcome.....okay here goes we cruised on the Star in April for the second time and paid $640.00pp twin share for the week...with cabin to be confirmed at last minute....for that price we thought we were guaranteed of at least a double lilo tied to the back of the ship:). Surprise surprise we were alloted an outside forward cabin on Baja Deck....5015 for memory....no complaints here cabin clean and tidy a little jaded as is most of the ship but more than adequate.... Food onboard was great...good selection in dining room we ate all our meals there great service no queues.....we never use the BUFFETS....paranoid bout the lurking nasties...but thats just us..... all in all for the price it was a bargain holiday and if we were offered that price again yes we would grab it..Only annoying thing was the number of workmen working during the day.. welding decks:eek: .....fixing the electrics etc etc.....but I guess at least they were doing the maintenance......

Just remember the ship is only a 3* ship....cheap and cheerful but you should have a great relaxing time...... cheers shiona

[basejump]

thank u for those who have replied so far - pls keep the reviews coming.

 

food and service seem to be consistent pluses so far.

 

how have ppl found the onboard prices for drinks?

 

is the steak house still to be recommended?

 

how were the pools?

[LouLou28]

Basejump - someone on these boards has a scanned copy of the drinks list somewhere ... perhaps do a search for it? (or whoever it is may reply to your request).

[SouthAussie100]

Drinks were about front bar pub prices. Carona beer $5. Most cocktails ranged from $5.50 to $12.50. Wine prices were pretty reasonable. We bought a nice chardy for $18/bottle. Some higher end Penfolds reds were around $50 - $60/bottle. We lashed out on formal night with the Beef wellington...yum !

 

The pools looked nice but I didn't brave the cool conditions ! But, quite a few people did and the spas looked pretty popular. Most days at sea the Lido pool was emptied because when the swell whipped up the water kept shlooshing (techincal term) out onto the deck.

 

We tried to book in to the steak house one night, but it was booked out. Good sign ? to be honest, we enjoyed catching up with our onboard 'family' at dinner time anyway so ate in the main dining room every night except when were late back on board from Noumea. Pizza night :D Only $7 ea. Pretty basic selection but nice !

cheers

ness

[Shoesandhandbags]

Hi Basejump. I was on board the Star same time as Southaussie (first week in Sept) and agree with her fantastic review!

The food and entertainment were superb and I was really impressed with how good the ship looked - was probably expecting a slightly haggard interior with things dropping off outside!

Our cabin on Aloha deck was excellent - big comfortable bed and plenty of wardrobes, drawers etc.

We ate at the Bahia Club one night and were happy to pay the $20 per person extra charge. The steaks were HUGE and tasted great. There was a group of us (9 in total) travelling together and I don't think anyone in the group could actually finish their meals - we gave it a good go though.

You must try the blooming onions entree - excellent!

We all loved Adam the cruise director - a very talented and funny man who kept us amused for the entire cruise. (He told us some of the questions he'd been asked on the ship.....

1. Do the crew stay on board at night?

2. Why doesn't the microwave work in my cabin - "because it's a safe!"

3. Has this ship ever sunk?

4. Does the ship generate its own electricity? "No we have a very long extention cord plugged in at Brisbane"

5. Are those islands surrounded by water?

6. How far above sea level are we? etc etc. (apologies if those were asked by any CC'ers !! - I seriously doubt you would!!)

 

I enjoyed our short time in Noumea, was slightly dissapointed with the snorkling in Lifou and didn't particularly like Vanuatu (reminded me of Nadi in Fiji) but only went to the shops in town - would travel further afield next time as I'm sure it's lovely.

 

I was impresssed with the shopping on board the ship - duty free cosmetics and perfume were excellent value and cheaper than airports. Seemed to acquire a reasonable amount of jewellery in the sales too.:p

 

Drinks prices not too bad - we drank sav blanc / chardonnay and this was $18 bottle which was quite OK, pina coladas (my new addiction) were $6.50 and hubbys beers 4x gold cans were $4.50.:D

 

Overall we had a great time - would do it again in a heartbeat.

I actually didn't think it was very rough - we rolled a bit in the swells but then again I'm a Kiwi and once you've crossed the Cook Strait in NZ nothing else seems too bad.

I really missed being rocked to sleep once we were back on dry land! I took sea sickness tablets for most of the cruise - one tablet morning and night and didn't suffer a moments nausea and I tend to get to feel sick in the bath.:( :)

Hope you have a great cruise in October - I'm sure you will.

[basejump]

thank you "Shoesandhandbags" for the great review!

[goin' cruisin']

Hi Basejump,

 

I was on the same cruise as South Aussie and shoesandhandbags as well and would agree with everything. The cabins were much nicer than I had expected and were in much better condition and actually larger than I expected as well. This was my first cruise so didnt have much to compare it too though. I found it to be a little more rocky than I had anticipated but also took medication the whole time and was fine although our dining companions did not fair so well with the seasickness and ended up having the injection several times. I would definitely recommmend getting some medication slightly stronger than Kwells before you go. There was heaps of food we ate at the buffet or near the pool on the Lido deck most lunches and found there to be a good selection. There was always heaps of fresh fruit available which was great. The meals in the restaurant were of a reasonable standard definitey edible. Unfortunately Adam the cruise director that was on our cruise will be finished by then but hopefully you will have someone with just as good a sense of humour!! I thought there was a good selection of different things to do. Our kids (aged 7 and 10 boys) absolutely loved kids club and even when were doing the shore tours wanted to know if they would be back in time to go to kids club. We had an early sitting for dinner and they would be served their main meal at the same time as our entree and we would take them up to kids club before our mains arrived and so enjoyed some of the meal child free which was good. I would definitey go again at the drop of a hat!!