Star Refurb---This just in

[vickie_bernie]

Wow...MUTS is one of those renovations (not necessarily an improvement) I thought. Perhaps you might suggest what we should discuss? Anyone see any changes forward for Sanctuary?

 

Sanctuary, now that is one thing I don't like -- it takes a whole area of the deck that I use to like to lay at and use the pool.

 

Okay let the debate continue!

 

Muts, I like it, haven't seen it on a retrofitted ship though so I will let you know after i sail on the Star. But will it stop me from sailing on Princess no!

[bdjam]

tucson rick.....i so agree with you! i'm almost fed up with this thread.

 

if a person likes muts, sail on princess. if you don't like muts, choose another cruiseline. it seems so simple. why waste all this energy on something you can't change? i'm sure i'll get slammed for this opinion.

Oh come on - it's not that bad. Talk about some other part of the rennovation then - come up with something else to discuss. How about that Crown Grill?

 

As for choosing another cruiseline, I happen to like Princess and I'm of the opinion that MUTS is not good for their product...when I run out of Princess ships to sail without MUTS I just might choose another cruise line - in the meantime I've let them know my opinon...hopefully I'm still allowed to state it here on Cruise Critic.

Sanctuary, now that is one thing I don't like -- it takes a whole area of the deck that I use to like to lay at and use the pool.

 

Okay let the debate continue!

 

Muts, I like it, haven't seen it on a retrofitted ship though so I will let you know after i sail on the Star. But will it stop me from sailing on Princess no!

Sanctuary will mostly be located where the current deck tennis and basketball courts are, I think. Are you talking about the forward sun deck area near the jogging track? It seems that some of that area will remain...

[Travelrd]

i joined this thread to learn about the rennovations to the star since i'm saling on her in november. i didn't realize it would become so much about muts which i find tiresome after all this time. i'll learn about the rennovations when i get onboard the ship.

 

so, i'm otta here.

[roudy1]

I have a question and may have already been asked and answered and if so my apologies.

 

Does anyone know if they are going to upgrade the beds while the Star is in dry dock? I have heard that they tend to be hard and uncomfortable without an egg crate on top.

 

Thanks.

[crusdiva]

roudy1,

Chris just returned from the last sailing before dry dock and mentioned the beds - here's her post. Unfortunately it's mentions bedding not beds ;)

 

DH and I were on the last cruise of the Star prior to dry dock. Ship was to remain in Seattle for three days before sailing down to SF. Replacement of carpet in some areas had begun the morning we disembarked the ship.

 

Based solely on information gleaned directly from staff, the scope of renovation is much less than originally reported. Head Waiter, Douw, told us that menus had arrived prior to our sailing, so it seems a sure thing that Tequila's will become the Crown Grill. Star will also get new dinner menus that we've already had on CB and Emerald.

 

Internet staff person told a group of passengers, including us, that the Internet Cafe would relocate to the card room.

 

Sheets and duvet on Star were new but pillows and old bedspreads will be updated, according to our cabin steward. Hopefully, flat screen TVs will be installed in all staterooms.

 

At the Captain's Circle Cocktail Party, Captain Ed Perrin mentioned only the new Piazza that would include International Cafe and Vines and the Sanctuary near Lotus Spa. Perrin made no mention of MUTS but other staff seemed to think it was a done deal.

 

Passengers on the first sailings of the Star following dry dock will likely be our best source of accurate information when they are onboard and can report firsthand how the ship has been updated.

Chris

[roudy1]

roudy1,

Chris just returned from the last sailing before dry dock and mentioned the beds - here's her post. Unfortunately it's mentions bedding not beds ;)

 

Thanks Sharon...is some help. I guess we will just ask for an egg crate if the bed feels too hard. Had to do that on an NCL ship once and slept fine after that.

 

Really looking forward to sailing on the Star. :p

[saturngazer]

Roudy1, Though I have not had the need for an eggcrate topper on any of the beds, I have heard that you should order one ahead of time in case they don't have enough. Just food for thought!

[JLC@SD]

.......due to immigration issues with the laborers.......

 

....can't be in California....:rolleyes:

[rdsqrl]

roudy1: I think even if they're replacing the mattresses, they're still going to be pretty hard. Er, firm! Yep, the fine people at Princess don't believe in coddling their sleeping customers. No lolligagging in a comfy bed for you. Seriously, you'll probably want an eggcrate if you don't like extra-firm mattresses. (As an alternative, I've always found that one extra martini does the job just as well.) Enjoy your cruise on the Star!

[Latitude 20]

(As an alternative, I've always found that one extra martini does the job just as well.)

 

AHA! Now I know why I've never understood the "hard bed" issue :D!

[rdsqrl]

AHA! Now I know why I've never understood the "hard bed" issue :D!

Ha! Yep, not until reading about it here on the boards, after I'd already taken four or five cruises on Princess, did I know the beds were alleged to be hard. I made a mental note to notice it when I boarded the Dawn last March -- I bounced down it as soon as I boarded (pre-martini!), and yep, sure enough, pretty darn hard. Ah, the powers of Tanqueray!

[h3rjp]

Sanctuary will mostly be located where the current deck tennis and basketball courts are, I think.

Does that mean the tennis court gets deleted, or is being moved elsewhere?

[CL-JW]

(As an alternative, I've always found that one extra martini does the job just as well.) Enjoy your cruise on the Star!

 

Oooooh, you're speaking our language!:D

[CL-JW]

Does that mean the tennis court gets deleted, or is being moved elsewhere?

 

That's been a question a few of us have had. We didn't see where the jogging track or basketball court would be post-refurb.

 

Hopefully one of the folks on the 11th cruise will post "live" and give us some insight.

[cruzinchris]

... How about that Crown Grill?

 

Crown Grill will replace the current Tequila's Sterling Steakhouse, and, since the Internet Cafe is being relocated to the Card Room, additional space will be gained for Crown Grill. I don't recall a Card Room on the Emerald, and the Library isn't much more than a long, narrow closet.

 

When DH and I first sailed on the Star in 2002, we enjoyed the southwestern cuisine in Tequila's. On our next sailing, the restaurant had morphed into Sterling Steakhouse. While the food and service was superb in both cases, having passengers "cut through" the restaurant on their way to/from Princess Theatre was distracting and an unwelcome intrusion into a fine dining experience.

 

While we didn't dine here during our most recent cruise, we noticed that the doors near the theatre were closed during the evening hours when there were patrons having dinner in the steakhouse. Presumably, the "traffic" issue will be eliminated with the layout of Crown Grill.

Chris

[TorontoTL]

That's been a question a few of us have had. We didn't see where the jogging track or basketball court would be post-refurb.

 

Hopefully one of the folks on the 11th cruise will post "live" and give us some insight.

 

In the newest ships designed from the start with these upgrades they have the tennis court up behind the stacks. I don't think they can move them there on the Star.

[catmand]

I'm sorry if this info has been posted:

You can go into "My Princess" and download a 2009 interactive Alaska brochure, pages 98-99 have the "new" Star deck plans. Sports Deck #16 where the center court was, is now Sanctuary. The "paddle tennis court" and track that were there (pre refurb) are not shown at all on this new plan.

[49er]

From the Bridge Cam

 

BTW, this post sure wandered all over the map as to topics!

 

49er

[bdjam]

so, i'm otta here.

Sorry...

While we didn't dine here during our most recent cruise, we noticed that the doors near the theatre were closed during the evening hours when there were patrons having dinner in the steakhouse. Presumably, the "traffic" issue will be eliminated with the layout of Crown Grill.

When I sailed on Golden Princess and ate at Desert Rose (a.k.a. Sterlings) I noticed the same thing - the doors that access the theater were closed so there was no traffic on that side of the restaurant. The deck plans for Star Princess still show the Casino/Steakhouse deck switch, so we can't really tell what Crown Grill will look like in its finished incarnation...will be interesting to find out.

[cruzinchris]

...When I sailed on Golden Princess and ate at Desert Rose (a.k.a. Sterlings) I noticed the same thing - the doors that access the theater were closed so there was no traffic on that side of the restaurant. The deck plans for Star Princess still show the Casino/Steakhouse deck switch, so we can't really tell what Crown Grill will look like in its finished incarnation...will be interesting to find out.

 

I noticed that, too (H/T to catmand for the tip on the brochure download). The new deck plans also show the new suites adjacent to Crown Grill but no mention was made of this by any staff/crew on our cruise.

 

Since the Star was our first Princess ship, I think Mike and I will have to sail her again at some point so we can see the changes for ourselves ;)

Chris

[vickie_bernie]

we sailed on the Diamond just after they had all their mattresses changed the day prior, steward proudly showed us the nice mattresses, with tags on (we were so tempted to pull off) and that bed was hard as a rock (felt like I was traveling in Mexico again)... egg crate was necessary.

 

thanks for the tip about the deck plans that are updated.