Notes on Star Cruise Oct 21-31 and why I lost my temper.

[shawilson]

Great pictures Chuck!

 

I was so confused that our passports were not checked when we got off in SF. Our notice said to have passports ready. Last time we were on Princess, they checked passports in our muster station lounge.

 

When we got off in LA last March, an immigration offical grilled me for 5 minutes. Asked me what states I have lived in, in my entire life. I have only lived in 2 states in my life. He insisted that I have lived in Kentucky. Uh, nope (probably didn't even spell it right).

 

Hope this is new ploy to catch those terrorists that cruise Princess.

[andio2of5]

Great pictures, Chuck. The problem was that prices for these trays was not posted!!! I think quite a few people were surprised after they ordered them.

Andi

[JWJs]

catmand ~ thanks for your cruise notes and pictures.:) :) :)

Sounds like the people pushing and shoving to get on the elevators were just a mess. Sometimes I think people are afraid the elevator doors will close before they get on...therefore they push and shove their way on the elevator before the exiting passengers have a chance to get off. I hate it when they do it...but it sure happens.

Sounds like you had a wonderful cruise with some wonderful CC cruise buds.

[4cats4me]

The sad thing about that is that it was Sr. Citizens who were the pushiest and I can safely say that because I am a senior citizen and I have never seen such rude people in my life as on the elevators and by the pool area.

On this trip the kids were just fine but there were not very many of them on board. So the problem was senior citizens. Whew.

 

Marilyn

 

LOL! This is starting to sound like the infamous "Seinfeld Cruise" out of

Ft. Lauderdale last year on the Emerald!!

We experienced this rudeness once before, but it was on a cruise out

of Ft. Lauderdale during the first week of December.

It's been our experience that the young kids are usually very well

behaved, the children in general, but the "older" kids can sometimes

be a bit cranky:D ;)

[Cruisin' Chick]

Thanks for the review, Chuck. Wondering about the "street" performers. Were they musicians or some other type (mime???)? Were they doing their thing in the library, the atrium???

Thanks (hubby wants to try to get gigs on cruiseships playing guitar after he retires from his current job)

[SFParrtHd]

Chuck, thanks for the review and the pictures. Your elevator marauders were also on our cruise (10/11) - they are getting worse or are more of them......or I am getting older and just losing patience. I agree about the wasted space with Vines and the almost non-existent library. Glad you all had a good time - Dona

[shawilson]

Question: On our way to the future cruise desk, I thought I saw a really big game room. It looked really nice. Was this the game room or something else? They were four people playing mah jong (sp?). I didn't have time to venture in, so would like the scoop. Thanks!

[andio2of5]

Sha....that area is actually the Crown Grill...it is used as the game room during the day. They also had the computer courses in there during the day.

Andi

[caribill]

Great pictures, Chuck. The problem was that prices for these trays was not posted!!! I think quite a few people were surprised after they ordered them.

 

Andi

 

Some prices shown in the picture below (from the Crown Princess).

[California Native]

Hi Everyone!

I too was on the cruise, as mentioned in the other Star thread..

This mal de disembarkment is doing me in today and I finally went to pick up the sea bands...

Pictures and Report will be forthcoming as soon as the room stops spinning for more than 10 minutes

This was my 4th cruise onboard the Star specifically, now totaling 40 days.

Everything was PERFECT, besides the elevator monsters...my mom said ...what is up with these rude, OLD people..(she's 73)

However I have a few thoughts on the changes :mad:

I must say I did NOT like the Piazza, I think it works on the larger ships but this retrofit has become a loud noisy EATING VENUE...not the serene, sophisticated lobby it was.

The acoustics have changed dramatically

Also, it is a matter of time before someone slips on that uneven stone work and breaks a hip or cracks their head open..mark my words on that

Now the whole Vines area looks pretty enough, but it just doesnt fit in overall...like someone had a face lift but forgot that their neck and hands would truly date them!

Don't even get me started about the CRAP of a Internet/LIBRARY which isn't a library it's a book nook.....pictures in the next couple of days...

3 chairs to sit in, but lap top users are sitting in them because there's no where to sit in ATRIUM because it's become an EATING VENUE! Also, people seem to have little respect about lowering their voices in what is suppose to be a library.

so the lap top users invade Vines to pick up the signal...

Here's a tip for laptop users...go to the Crown Grill and find a corner during the day..after all that's where you play cards now, check out games and pick up your quizes because....oh yeah and the computer classes are there too.

THERE'S NO MORE CARD ROOM or LIBRARY as we knew it...

and yet they kept the joke of the wedding chapel which is really just a meeting room!

You have to wonder ....what interior designer in the home office that has never cruised before came up with this whole concept

anyway... just a few of my observations

Overall everything was great..we used the spa extensively as this was a girls getaway for my mom and me...

We didn't make the Captains Lunch...the highest ranking Elite on this cruise had over 1500 days and the next was 779...serious competition with our only almost 300 hundred days!!!

oh, and NO limoncello this cruise...:eek:

am I whining too much...don't mean to...

the service was phenomenal, we were in heaven with all of our spa treatments, the food fantastic...new menus but all of my favorites are still there...

we were fortunate enough that our bill was almost correct, our drycleaning came back on time, and express disembarkation was simple...

gotta go for now...the spinning has returned

[caribill]

Some prices shown in the picture below (from the Crown Princess).

 

 

Hopefully you can see them better in this view.

[Ldybandt]

Chuck, great review as I and DH was one of those CC buddies with our 2nd cruise. First on Princess. The Star was beautiful and the food was excellent.

 

I totally agree about the elevator situation. I think alot of it came from frustration of having to wait so long for one and people gathering and next thing you know there are more folks waiting for an elevator that it will hold. It was just a sad situation and I felt sorry for those trying to be courtous.

 

The door signs for the elevators hadn't been changed yet and it did cause us to get off on the wrong floor a few times, but not too big of a deal.

 

Our favorite was the Crown Grill....yummy. Was looking forward to the lobster for the additional fee I had read some where about but it wasn't an option on the Star yet.

 

After the first couple of days we tried to avoid the atrium area especially during lunch time. The area was way too crowded. The panini's, shrimp and chicken salads were wonderful as well as the cookies.

 

The best part of the cruise for us though was our CC buddies.

 

Joan

[snowman]

We were on the Diamond a few years and taking the elevator up when we stopped on a few floors up. We were packed solid. A lady about 75 (guess) I told the lady that we were full and she said "no your not" and proceeded to push us all back. Some one pushed the close door button, this lady put her cane through the opening. I told her that her cane was in the door and she she knew that and was waiting for her husband. I asked where he was and she said that he would be there in a few minutes becasue he had to use the bathroom in their cabin. True story. I just off and walked up 2 floors.

[cruzinchris]

...After the first couple of days we tried to avoid the atrium area especially during lunch time. The area was way too crowded...

 

Were there frequent "table sales" in the already-congested Piazza? I noticed this on the Emerald in February. Whenever the boutique sales were going on, there was barely enough room for two people to walk shoulder-to-shoulder, let alone trying to pass others :(

Chris

[mii]

Were there frequent "table sales" in the already-congested Piazza? I noticed this on the Emerald in February. Whenever the boutique sales were going on, there was barely enough room for two people to walk shoulder-to-shoulder, let alone trying to pass others :(

Chris

 

Chris I was on this cruise too and the "table sales" wwere held in the Capri dining room and as I understand it was a zoo in there. Very long lines to be checked out. I never went in there but friends did and let us just say it was crowded. To add to the Piazza/Atrium area in my opinion it used to be a nice quiet place to sit and relax and people watch. Not any more. It is now used as an above poster mentioned a place to sit and have coffee and goodies from the International Cafe. Once my DH and I just wanted to sit and have a cup of coffee and there was virtually no room to do that. It was all filled up by people snacking on the goodies or taken up by laptop people.

 

Marilyn

[crusdiva]

Were there frequent "table sales" in the already-congested Piazza? I noticed this on the Emerald in February. Whenever the boutique sales were going on, there was barely enough room for two people to walk shoulder-to-shoulder, let alone trying to pass others :(

Chris

Chris,

I know the table sales you're referring to - the ones with the watches, loose gemstones and inch of gold? I don't think you'll find them on deck 5 (the Piazza) at least we never did on the Crown or Emerald. They tend to be outside the shops on decks 6 & 7. I too hate the way that cloggs up the area. :(

I do love to walk through the "Big Final Sale" in the dining room though. ;)

[cruzinchris]

Chris I was on this cruise too and the "table sales" wwere held in the Capri dining room and as I understand it was a zoo in there. Very long lines to be checked out. I never went in there but friends did and let us just say it was crowded. Marilyn

 

Isn't the dining room "garage sale" toward the end of the cruise and just one day? Were there no nightly or sea day "inch-of-gold" or featured jewelry, watches, apparel, Bijou-Ternier, etc. sales in the Piazza? This is what I was referring to; it was a mess in the Piazza during our Emerald cruise.

Chris

[Rob & Beckys mom]

Yes - some of the rude mannerless types don't get it!

 

Glad the other parts were good.

 

I get this same feeling after being in Las Vegas for a few days. Seems I spend most of my time getting out of the way of others. By the end of those few days I am ready to start pushing people LOL. Time to go home:rolleyes: , but it is so maddening. Plus on a cruise, it seems like you keep running into the same ones over and over.

 

Jan

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for the review. :)

[Colo Cruiser]

I just remembered another little tidbit of info. Since the Star was one of the ships that always kept your cruise card upon disembarkation I can say that on the Oct. 21st cruise we got to keep the card. I was very much interested in this as a lot of threads about cruise cards being returned to you or taken away and the Star seemed to have a history of this on prior cruises I was really watching what they were going to do. Well, I got to keep the card. It really made no difference to me but I know that a lot of people were interested in that information.

 

Marilyn

 

 

Thanks for the card info Marilyn, interesting isn't it? :confused:

[mii]

Isn't the dining room "garage sale" toward the end of the cruise and just one day? Were there no nightly or sea day "inch-of-gold" or featured jewelry, watches, apparel, Bijou-Ternier, etc. sales in the Piazza? This is what I was referring to; it was a mess in the Piazza during our Emerald cruise.

Chris

 

Soory about that, yes the inch of gold, watches, jewwely etc was still on the 6th floor. They had two garage sales one about the middle of the cruise and the day before we got off. They used different names for it but was basically the same form of sale. On the Star at least there was no tables set up for selling items in the Piazza area at all.

 

Marilyn

[mii]

Thanks for the card info Marilyn, interesting isn't it? :confused:

 

Yes it was interesting because of all of the threads about the Star keeping the card I was really curious to see if it was Princess's doing, the San Franciso Port Authority etc. Obviously since I got to keep the card it was neither. Who knows.

 

Marilyn

[andio2of5]

Hopefully you can see them better in this view.

 

Carabill....is this picture from the Star??? They did have prices posted, but only for the coffees. However, after the firsts night, I never looked at it again, so they may have posted the special items. But....we were never offered the items in your picture....bag of goodies, caramel apples, gelato :(

As part of that large CC group, I also felt the same way about the new Piazza....The new Vines is a waste of space, the library is pitiful and the atrium area was anything but relaxing. I think they purposely make the (few) chairs uncomfortable just so people will not park themselves there.

Like Chuck said though....we all had a fabulous time and wouldn't hesitate to go on the Star again.

Andi

[Pia1913]

Carabill....is this picture from the Star??? They did have prices posted, but only for the coffees. However, after the firsts night, I never looked at it again, so they may have posted the special items. But....we were never offered the items in your picture....bag of goodies, caramel apples, gelato :(

 

As part of that large CC group, I also felt the same way about the new Piazza....The new Vines is a waste of space, the library is pitiful and the atrium area was anything but relaxing. I think they purposely make the (few) chairs uncomfortable just so people will not park themselves there.

 

Like Chuck said though....we all had a fabulous time and wouldn't hesitate to go on the Star again.

 

Andi

 

The picture Caribill posted was from the Crown. The price of Gelato (3 scoops for $1.50) was always posted, but never the price for the jelly/caramel apples. I never had a clue as to their price, but didn't ask because I wasn't interested. As for the tapas specialties at night, those prices were always posted; i.e. 3 for $3.00. You couldn't get one; only in threes.

[cruzinchris]

Here's a recently-posted review of the post-drydock Star Princess:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=48259

 

Chris