STAR PRINCESS REVEW by a Holland America cruiser

[dresch25]

PREFACE:

As most of you are aware Ruth and I are avid Holland America cruisers. We have tried to write this review in an impartial manner and not compare it to HAL. At the end we will put in one section as a comparison.

 

Overall the true test of a cruise line is “Will we cruise on one of their ships again?” YES we will and have purchased a couple future cruise deposits while on the cruise.

Princess Star Antarctic’s Jan 17 thru February 02, 2009

 

Staff Captain……..Mark Waugh

Cruise Director…..Lee Childers

 

EMBARKMENT (BUENOS AIRES):

We arrived at the docks in Buenos Aries around 12:30 and entered the terminal. There were no lines at any of the stations and we went from one to the other and were in our cabin by 1:00 pm. Our luggage arrive at about 2:00 pm and it did not take us long to unpack and get organized. This is one of the better embankments that we have experience.

 

DISEMBARKATION (VALPARISO):

All the information about disembarkation and the tags arrived at our cabin the day before and the information provided was detailed and very understandable. We put the tags on and set our suitcases out the night before per instructions. We went to the Casino at the designated time and disembarked on schedule and found our entire luggage without any problems. It appears that we were one of the lucky ones.

 

On of the ladies in our group put out her two bags and they were not in the luggage area when she looked for them. She reported it and she was told that she was not the only one with that problem. We met our tour bus and went on the tour. She checked periodically throughout the day and they eventually found one of the bags but told her that they WOULD NOT DELIVER IT TO THE HOTEL. SHE HAD TO RETURN TO THE TERMINAL AND PICK UP THE BAG---BAD PRINCESS --. Our tour bus from Santiago took us back to Valparaiso to pick up err bag the next morning. They eventually found the second bag as it had been sent to the Hyatt Hotel by mistake. They would not deliver it to the airport so the tour operators went by the docks and picked it up and brought it to the airport for her.

 

Princess is the one that hired this Port Services Company and is ultimately responsible for the delivery of the luggage to the passenger. It found the attitude of Princess and the Port Services Company to be RUDE, INSENSATIVE, AND LACKING IN BASIC CUSTOMER SERVICE.

 

ACTIVITIES:

There was an abundance of activities scheduled by the entertainment staff during the cruise. There was everything from dancing classes to origami and napkin folding. From what we could tell these classes were well attended during the cruise NICE JOB PRINCESS.

 

BARS:

Most of the bars have a small smoking section. The Shooters Bar is the sports bar and allows cigar and pipe smoking there. Overall we found the prices of drinks fair and the service in the bars excellent.

 

There was a nice selection of wines available on the ship and the members of our group seemed to be pleased with the wines and the pricing of them.

 

CABIN E723:

Our cabin steward, Theodore III, came by to introduce himself and collect out passports.

He asked if we had any questions about the cabin or how things worked. We requested 4 extra pillows and they were delivered that day. They also provided Ruth with a shower chair.

 

We were in a mini suite with a nice balcony toward the stern of the ship. The room is neat, clean and well laid out. One of the nicer things is that it has two (2) independent televisions. One of the televisions faces toward the bed and the other television faces toward the sofa/love seat. NICE TOUCH PRINCESS. Our cabin Stewart put the ice bucket in the refrigerator and it did increase the lifespan of the ice. NICE TOUCH.

 

The bathroom is small but adequate. The balcony is another nice feature as it is deeper and has four (4) regular size chairs and a table on it. There are six (6) drawers in the cabin and one closet section is set up with shelving and there is an approximately twelve (12) foot of hanging closet. We found it very adequate for the clothing we brought with us. There was a shortage of hanger so we are going to ask the steward to bring some more hangers and he did. There was a consistent lack of hot water at the sink BAD TOUCH PRINCESS. There was adequate hot water in the shower.

 

The Cabin Steward was excellent and more than fulfilled our wishes.

 

We did have a problem with Ruth’s ships card and had to have it replaced 3 times.

 

DINING FACILITIES:

Amalfi Dining Room: Our cabin cards stated 7:45 but we were not let in until 8:15 as there was a printing error on the cards. We had a table for ten (10) that accommodated our whole group. One of our groups is on a special diet so they brought her tomorrow’s menus so she could gear the menu towards her diet. NICE TOUCH PRINCESS. Overall the food was good and the presentation good to excellent. The service was good to excellent. One night when Ruth was not feeling well they volunteered to take a tray to our room NICE TOUCH PRINCESS.

 

Horizon Court & Terrace: This is their version of the self service restaurant. The food was laid out nicely and there was a good lunchtime selection. The seating areas are broken up with partitions but it was laid out nicely. There were more than enough attendants present and they always assisted Ruth as she went through the line. NICE TOUCH PRINCEEE.

 

Went to the Horizon Court & Terrace for late night snack and the selection was good. There were salads, sandwiches, soups, and fruits available.

 

Ice Cream Bar: There were 2 attendants and a nice selection of flavors of regular and soft ice creams. There was a charge of $3.75 for ice cream. Between 3:30 and 4:00 pm there was free ice cream and cookies in the Horizon Court.

 

CHEF’S DINNER: We purchased reservations for the Chef’s Dinner and it was one of the highlights of the cruise. It started out with a tour of the kitchen by the chef with hourderves and champagne in the kitchen. We had a special table and each course was explained to us and accompanied by an appropriate bottle of wine. The food, the presentation, and the service were excellent. The desert was served on a plate made out of hard candy. So we were able to eat the plate. It was truly a memorable experience.

 

INTERNET CAFÉ & SERVICE:

Several of our group had the internet service for the cruise and experienced a lot of problems with getting on line with their own computers. There were a lot of problems with the server and the person in charge of the Internet Operations was less than useless.

They chose to do a system upgrade in the middle of the day on a sea day. Not a good idea. NOT GOOD SERVICE PRINCESS.

 

MEET & GREET:

The cruise Critic group met in Skywalker lounge on the first sea day and then went to lunch at the Portofini Dining Room. There were about 50 of us at the meeting and everyone got a chance to meet people that they had talked to on the boards. The ship did not provide any refreshments or snacks for the meet and greet.

 

SHOPS:

All the shops are positioned around the atrium on decks 5, 6, and 7. They were well laid out and nicely merchandised. They did not look like junk shops. There was a nice selection of clothing geared for the weather that we will encounter during this cruise. The staff was pleasant and very helpful when asked questions. Most of the attendants there we bi lingual as we have a heavy Hispanic attendance on this cruise.

 

GENERAL:

Hallways: They seem to be a little narrower than other lines as Ruth and her walker could not pass by the housekeeping cart without moving it into one of the door alcoves. I know a wheelchair would not fit by the housekeeping cart. This does create a safety hazard for the passengers.

 

There is a real problem with vibration and noise when the thruster’s are in use. We had to tender into two ports and when the ship was stationary in the harbor the thrusters were used a lot to keep the ship stationary. Our cabin was on deck 8 almost directly above the thrusters. When they were on the noise drowned out the television and glasses on the coffee table would vibrate across the table. I addressed this problem with one of the engineer’s and he gave me some lame excuse about the thruster system and that the nose and vibrations were normal BAD PRINCESS. We are very experienced cruisers and know what thrusters are and what they should sound like.

 

BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA:

We arrived at the airport and got through customs without a problem. There is a nice shopping area there and the prices were good. Most of the staff spoke English and they were very helpful but not pushy. Watch out for the JYPSY cab drivers at the airport. We found out later that we paid a ridiculous rate to get us to the hotel. Don’t mind getting screwed but do like to get kissed while they are doing it…..

 

We had a group tour the next day and this is a beautiful town with an abundance of parks. We did get out at several spots and the tour guide did a fantastic job. We went to supper that night and then to a Tango show afterwards. The food was great and relatively inexpensive and the show was good. We arrived back at the hotel at approximately 11:00 pm.

 

MONTEVIDEO, URAGUAY (Day 02):

The seas were very rough and it created a safety problem for the ship entering the channel so the ship stayed outside the port all day and used its thrusters to maintain its position. The Captain came on the PA system early in the morning and explained the situation. He did comment that all booked shore excursions would be automatically refunded.

 

We finally were able to dock around 4:30 pm and allowed to go into town. It was imperative that we get into this port as they took on fuel here. We went into town and Ruth proceeded to purchase the Leather Warehouse. $1,000.00 plus dollars later we returned to the ship when I was not capable of carrying another bag. The prices were fair and the quality of the leather goods was excellent. I did get a Crystal and Onyx statue that I liked.

 

STANLEY, FALKLAND ISLANDS (Day 05):

We had a tour scheduled to go to Volunteer Point to visit the Penguin colony there. We traveled in SUV’s and Land Rovers as the last hour of travel was over very rough tundra. If you have problems with your back you need to seriously think about it before you go on this tour. Ruth did o but paid for it that night. Overall it was a great experience and worth the two hour drives each way. It was very cold and a 40 knot wind was blowing but it was worth the experience.

 

ANTARTIC PENINSULA (Days 07 thru 11):

This is one of those trips that you need to do at least once in your lifetime, if you can afford it. There were naturalist speakers on board and they did a fantastic job explaining about the areas we were viewing and a lot of historic information. They had spotters out to advice of areas of interest and wildlife within viewing range. The trip to and from the peninsula was rather rough with 12’ to 15’ waves and up to 40 knot winds. During some of the rougher spots the bow was moving 20+ feet up and down. One of our group who had a cabin in the front part of the ship said that she was airborne several times during these days. The scenery was breathtaking and made us realize how beautiful raw nature can be.

 

CAPE HORN (Day 12):

The weather at the cape was beautiful and the seas were calm. The trip through Magellan’s Passage to the Horn was another thing. We had 40+ knot’s winds hitting the ship on the side and the seas were 12’ to 15’+ for most of the day. It was a rough ride even in a ship this size.

 

USHUAIA, ARGENTINA (Day 13):

We had scheduled a private tour to visit several of the islands where seals and birds frequented. The captain of the ship did a fantastic job getting us close to the colonies and providing us with great views of the colonies. We saw enough seals to last a lifetime. If you ever visit this port make sure you take one of the boat tours to these islands. There was a tour to go to the Penguin colony but it required a one (1) mile walk on a boardwalk from the parking lot to the Penguin colony. We ate lunch at a local restaurant that specialized in King Crab dishes and were not disappointed with cuisine.

 

PUNTA ARENAS, CHILE (Day 14):

This is a tender port and the weather in the morning was miserable. It was cold windy, and raining. We tendered in and did some shopping at the port shops and then returned to the ship when it did not appear that the weather was going to be the same all day. When we got back to our cabins we looked out and the sun was breaking through the clouds and it eventually became a nice day. We decided not to return to town.

 

The big problem this day was that the thrusters were used very frequently to keep the ship in the required position. The thrusters on this ship are out of balance and need to be repaired or replaced. Our cabin was on deck 08 and a glass would slide across the coffee table when the thrusters were on from the vibration and the noise would drown out the television with the sliding glass doors to the balcony closed.

 

AMALIA GLACIER, CHILE (Day 15):

This glacier reminded me of the glaciers we saw during our Alaska cruise. While at the glacier and the cruising for the rest of the evening we witnessed several spectacular waterfalls and some breathtaking scenery.

 

SEA DAYS (DYS 16 & 17):

Lot of ships activities and preparation for departure and the tours in Chile.

 

VALPARISO, CHILE (Day 18):

The tour bus met us at the dock as requested and they were well organized. The guide spoke good English and did a good job throughout the tour. One of the highlights was a cable car ride to a hill overlooking the city and the harbor. Like the other cities in this country there is an abundance of parks and statues that add character to the city. The seemed to be well maintained and heavily used by the citizens.

 

SANTIAGO, CHILE (Day 19):

The tour bus picked us up at the hotel on time and the guide spoke very good English. The highlight of the day was a tour of a vineyard and lunch there. It was very interesting and the wine tasting was per protocol (I think). The food was good, the presentation was great, but the service was lacking as few of the servers understood English. We were dropped off at the airport about 5m30 pm and our flight left at 10:30.

 

 

RECAP:

The true judge of any cruise line is the question “Would we ever cruise on Princess Cruise Lines Again?” The answer to that question is yes! As a matter of fact we purchased some future cruise deposits so when we schedule our next cruise on Princess the deposit will only be $100.00.

 

Overall we found the service comparable to HAL’s service. There were a lot of minute differences but they did not add up to much. No Hourderves in the bars prior to dinner, no bar nuts in the sports bag, charges for a lot of things the HAL does for free, etc. We did not feel that these differences made a whole lot of difference. The crew is was makes the ship and their crew was polite, courteous, always helpful, and overall fantastic.

 

We will be booking on Princess in the future as Holland America is making its smoking policies so restrictive. One of the few ways that we can voice our opinions is how we spend our money and we choose to start doing more land based vacations or cruising on other cruise lines, such as Princess.

 

Ruth & Jim Vrhovac

 

Jim-

 

Welcome to Princess and I loved your remark about BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA,

 

Vicki

[JudithLynne]

My husband and I like both Princess and HAL. We have enjoyed our cruises on both. I think Princess is our favorite for one reason. You can get a balcony room without having to book and pay for a mini-suite. HAL really needs to get some ships that have a standard stateroom with a balcony. One of our favorite things with HAL is the Crow’s nest. What a wonderful place to experience a cruise!

 

Thanks for the review and happy cruising….

 

Judith

[jhannah]

Howdy, Jim and Ruth! Glad you enjoyed your Princess cruise. We've sailed them before, and will again in 4 months. They have a fine cruise product. (Don't worry. I won't "out" you over on the HAL forum!!!) ;)

[RickEk]

Ruth and I would like to thank everyone for their responses.

 

One thing that we have noticed over the years is that the passangers perception or "unrealistic expectations" in a lot of ways determines their overall outlook about a cruise.

 

There are so many people that watch the commercials and think they are the reality of what a cruise is and when they don't get that romantic drink on formal night on the back railing of the ship while there is a gorgous senset feel that the trip was not successful.

 

And then there are the passangers that got mad when they were born when someone slapped them on the butt and have been mad ever since. We have all cruised with these type of people and just think "No wonder they will not have a good time.".

 

Most of us that have cruised a couple times just roll with the punches, or the problems, and just say to outselves "S... Happens" and then go on with the day and do not let it get to us.

 

We sincerely hope that your next cruise is as great as the one we had in Antartica or the one we leave on May 1st.

 

Ruth & Jim

 

My attitude exactly! :)

[Pirkko]

Jim, you crack me up. I hope I meet you on a future cruise.

 

Rebecca

[bermuda triangle]

I think you mean my slipper holder.

 

Get the ones at Target or Wal Mart as they have four (4) hooks and eyelets agross the top to hold them up. The pictures are bolted to the steel wall so they will support the weight. Actually we used two the hang up all our slippers.

 

We gave our Penguin slippers to members of the crew

 

Ruth & Jim

 

Jim and Ruth,

I am so happy you enjoyed your Princess cruise. I agree with many points you made. How many bags did you have this time? What airline did you fly and was there room for other passengers luggage on the plane?;)

Happy Sails!

Laura

[Coral]

I am a Princess cruiser who tried HAL last year and had a positive experience on HAL. I like both lines and think there are pros and cons to both.

 

Glad you enjoyed Princess.

[JimVrhovac]

We flew American Aurlines on all 4 legs. Orlando to Miami to Argentina. Chile to Miami to Orlando and were very satisfied with all the services.

 

On the way there we put 6 baghs in the hole and had 2 carry on's. I just said YES DEAR and paid for the extra bags. Coming back I got luckg. There was an older lady in front of us having trouble with her luggage so I helped her get all hers to the check in counter and then put them on the scales for her. When we got to the ticked counter the lady cut us a break because I was a good samaritan and did not charge us for the 8 overweight bags we put in the hold. I did have to pay for the extra four bags though. Fortunately I was able to talk Ruth out of the Dolphin states so that saved about $500.00 as it weighed over 200 lbs.

 

Talking luggage to her is a losing battle so I just san YES DEAR an pay the bill

 

Ruth & Jim