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Princess Cruise Line

MS Star Princess

Your Rating:
Reviewed by:Joan Fleser
Date of Trip: February 15, 2003
# previous cruises: 10+
Itinerary: Mexico-Western

Everything about this ship and the cruise overall was excellent. Bare with me while I go into a bit of detail regarding the service we received.

Embarkation: Traveling with my husband, myself and our 9 year old daughter we had 3 grandparents who ranged in age from 79 to 86. From the minute we stepped out of the car in front of the cruise terminal until we got into the van to bring us back to the airport the staff was there doing everything for us and anticipating every need. Two of the grandparents needed wheelchairs to cover any distance and it wasn't 2 minutes from the time we asked for them until they were delivered with escorts in tow. As we walked into the main terminal we were immediately directed around those waiting in line to an empty elevator. As we arrived around noon time the lines were enormously long but our escorts took us over to the window labeled "Special Needs", which thankfully had only one group ahead of us. After we were all checked in our escorts once again took us around all the lines and we were on the ship in 2 minutes. As a Platinum card member I normally wouldn't have had to deal with the long lines but nothing could compare with the service we had that day. Once on the ship our escorts took us directly to our cabins. While I don't think Princess had staff to take each passenger directly to their cabin, they did have staff in the elevators and at all strategic locations showing you the way to go.

Disembarkation went equally as smooth. We were asked if we needed wheel chairs. We told them yes and the night before docking we were told to go to the Painted Desert Restaurant. Here is where everyone needing assistance disembarking were waiting. When it was our turn to leave our old waiter George was there with and one other staff member came with wheel chairs and took us once again around all the lines to the gangway. From there 2 other Princess staff members took us straight to immigration and customs and on to our luggage. Each colored luggage tag had it's own room, plus on the tag it told you what row your bag would be in. Disembarkation was never easier.

It never ceases to amaze me that something this huge with as much granite and marble in it can float. The interior spaces of the ship were beautiful with soft colors and light woods. This ship never seemed cavernously big, except if you entered your cabin deck either fore or aft and got a good look down that very long hallway. We ate in the Amalfi dining room which was all the way aft . My mother who needs a walker to get around would need a 15 minute head start in order to get to dinner on time.

I personally liked the Explorers Lounge with the leather chairs and the dark woods. It had a very cozy, warm feel to it. I tried to check out the whole ship and I think I did make it everywhere. The Internet Cafe was always busy even late at night. There were other terminals in the library so you had a choice of two locations where you could log on. Of the 4 pools we tended to use the one under the retractable roof the most. It's not that the weather was unpleasant, it was beautiful but since that's where most of the kids hung out , that's where my daughter wanted to go. It had a nice solarium feel to it plus it was right next to the Horizon Court and the pool bar. So while the kids were splashing it up we could eat, drink, sit in a comfy lounge chair or even play ping pong.

We're not big users of the casino but while the rest of us were at the pool my husband took his father, who had never been to one before, to the casino. They got a $20 roll of quarter tokens to use on the slot machines. My husband was showing my father-in-law how to use the slot machines, a.k.a lose money. With the 4th token he put in the bells started to ring and the coins came pouring out. $150 worth of coins. Big gamblers that they are the boys took the money and ran..... good boys!

We choose traditional late seating for our dining option. We always like being able to get to know the waiters and them getting to know us and our likes. Our waiter and asst. waiter Alex and Nic were very good. They only had 3 tables to take care of and on some nights only 1 1/2 or 2 so service was very attentive. The food for the most part was excellent. I had fish, veal, lamb, steak and lobster and I can't complain about any of it. On the passenger profile I listed my mother as needing a low sodium diet. On the second night our head waiter came over to let us know that there was a separate menu my mother could oder from. She never did bother but it was good to know that what you're actually putting down in your profile is making it to the ship.

Except for the last morning we always had breakfast at the Horizon Court. The menu always changed and had several non-American traditional items which was a pleasant change of pace. We never had lunch in the dining room. Usually it was in the Horizon Court or the pool grill. Again everything was always appropriately hot or cold and always fresh.

We did go to Sabatini's for Brunch. Although there was a cover charge, for brunch they served unlimited mimosas, bloody mary's or wine. After 2 1/2 hrs there we certainly drank our $15 worth if nothing else. The food though was excellent, as was the service. There was a sea food buffet for appetizers, That included lox, smoked mahi mahi, crab legs, and sushi. There were at least 4 other courses after that which included a delicious oso buco.

An extra special treat for us was our old waiter George, from the Crown Princess was now our waiter here. It was like seeing an old friend. He also helped us out with a minor emergency. My mother has tennis balls on the feet of her walker. They make the walker much quieter and smoother to push. Unfortunately, the baggage men at the airport managed to rip one off. We had an extra tennis ball but nothing sharp enough to cut it with. I asked George if he could get me a sharp knife so I could cut the tennis ball. Instead he took the ball and did it himself and fixed my mother's walker. I submitted his name for employee of the week for going above and beyond the call of a waiter.

We also went to the Mexican restaurant twice. Not only did they make excellent margaritas, which were included with lunch but the food was excellent as well. For appetizers, I had black bean soup with chunks of lobster the first time and the second time I had brie quesadillas. The only real complaint we had on this ship was making reservations for this restaurant. It was open till 2 PM for lunch. In any normal restaurant if it's open until 2 that means orders are taken up until 2 PM. It doesn't mean that the restaurant is done serving and everyone is cleared out by 2. Since we had a late breakfast that day we wanted to have a late lunch as well and the maitre'd didn't want to accept a reservation at 1:45. We finally agreed on 1:15 but I wasn't happy about it and the service was rushed on top of it. I understand we might be cutting into some of the staff's free time, as was told to me by our assistant waiter Nic, but that shouldn't have to be my concern and that's not how a restaurant should work.

My mother and I went to tea one day and it was lovely. They had someone playing a baby grand piano while we were served scones with clotted cream by white gloved waiters. It was very relaxing.

We did order room service several times and they were always very prompt and our orders were always correct. Normally, we left the order card out on our door the night before but one morning I got up early and felt like having something but hadn't ordered it the night before. I figured if I ordered it then it would take forever but I did anyway. I don't think it was 5 min. before the steward was there with my order. I was most pleasantly surprised.

As we had late seating, usually around 6 PM either I or my husband would go up to the Horizon Court and make up a tray of hors d'ourves. We'd bring it back to the cabin, open up a bottle of wine or make some rum and cokes and everyone would go out on the balcony and we'd drink and snack and watch the sunset. That was one of the nicest times of the day. I do have to repeat how fresh the food was at the Horizon Court at any time of day. The night before we docked back in LA we went up there around midnight to get some goodies that would hold us over while at the airport. I know taking food ashore is a no-no but that's beside the point. Everything there at that time of night was just as plentiful and fresh as it was for prime dinner or lunch time, which included rare prime rib. It made great sandwiches.

We had a balcony cabin located amidships on Baja deck and it was lovely. The bed was already configured into a queen. I had requested this on my profile which I had filled out online. The ice bucket was already filled and in the fridge. It was nice that the fridge wasn't filled with supplies stocked from the ship. That way we didn't have to empty it in order for us to fill it with our own supplies. On the bed was a schedule of the children's activities for my daughter's age group and all the information we needed about signing her up. This is the first time we've had a balcony and it will be tough going back. While they weren't very deep we had 3 connecting cabins and therefore 3 connecting balconies. That made a great spot for sitting before dinner and having some snacks and drinks.

The bathroom wasn't huge but it was adequate and fully stocked with shampoos, soaps and moisturizers. The shower was small though. My elbows stuck out when I washed my hair but you deal with it. If you need a large shower get a bigger cabin or use the showers in the spa.

While this was only a 7 day cruise the closet and draw space was more that enough for a trip more twice that length. It was also nice that you could fit all your luggage under the bed. That didn't happen on the Crown Princess. We didn't have any problems with outside noise. Obviously, when you were out on the balcony you could hear other people but no one was ever loud or out of line. Thankfully, no one forward of us smoked so that was never a problem as well.

This ship has 5 decks of balconies and the bottom 3 of them are tiered. That's because they were bigger. As we were on the deck second from the top we didn't have anyone looking down on us although we could look down on others. There never seemed to be a lot of people leaning over the railings. I guess that's because there is so much to do on this ship most people didn't take advantage of this luxury. It was kind of neat one day though when I was looking out over the railing. I looked over to the bridge and saw one of the officers standing out on the wing. He saw me too and waved.

The only time I had to look for the cabin steward was in the beginning to ask for bath robes and anything that resembled a feather pillow. The bathrobes came instantly and the pillow came shortly thereafter. Other than that he was quick, silent and efficient. What else could you ask for.

We did attend the two big production shows and for the most part they were very good. I personally have a thing when these entertainers start doing contemporary rock and roll such as Bruce Springsteen. Once they got past that though and back into "show tunes" they were great.

Since we are from the east coast it took us a few days to get over jet lag. Therefore, staying up late and partying really wasn't in the cards for us until almost the end of the trip. We did make it up to Skywalkers, just to look around. The view is quite spectacular from up there.

Of course the photographers were out in force. Several times we didn't even bother with them. One night though they were doing B&W portraits. It was more like a real sitting. My daughter and I had gotten dressed early, casually, for dinner and went down to the stores to look around. We saw them doing these shoots and decided to have a set taken. It took quiet awhile and we were a little late for dinner but when the proofs came back these ended up being some of the nicest pictures we've ever had taken. Out of the 19 there were a couple I really liked and there were a couple my mother wanted as well. As far as I was concerned though the proofs which were 3 X 5 were just fine. As we were trying to keep the extra costs down on this trip, I really didn't want to spend a fortune on pictures. So I took my proofs to the photo desk and asked them if they'd sell me some of the proofs. Oh, no!, I was told. I could buy them for $40 if I bought some 8 x 10 but I couldn't buy them alone. I told her, look you can make $20 by selling me half of these proofs or you can make nothing. She said she couldn't do that but would ask her boss. Amazing as it was, the boss called right back. Obviously, he realized $20 in the hand is better than all the proofs in the waste basket, and I got my 9 proofs.

I should mention the on board movies. Some were in the Vista Lounge as well as on the TV. Harry Potter, Lord of The Rings, My Big Fat Greek Wedding plus many others. The TV programing was excellent as well. If you're one of those folks who's glued to the TV you would have been in heaven.

Our ports of call were Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and Cabo San Lucas. We didn't take any of the ships tours on this trip. We did lots of research before we left and knew what we wanted to do. We've been to Mexico many times before and we felt perfectly safe going off on our own. In PV we took all the grandparents to the Crystal Vallarta Hotel. There we spent a half a day by the pool just relaxing. We fully expected to pay the hotel a small fee for use of their facilities but we never had to. As we got out of the cabs the door man called a golf cart over and they took us right over to the pool. I guess they figure you're going to buy drinks and food and it's good customer relations. A lot of the crew was there as well, including our waiter, Alex. Poor fellow, talk about pasty white. He needs more beach time. We also met the art auctioneers, Billy and Brie and along with hotel staff , guests, and ship passengers we had a great water volley ball game. The grandparents were starting to fade so we took everyone back to the ship for lunch and then the 3 of us walked across the street to where else, WalMarts. You can't get away from it. Anyway, we got some sun screen and ear drop medicine. With lidacane and other goodies it's great for swimmer's ear . There's no way you can get this stuff OTC in the States so whenever we're in Mexico we get another bottle.

The next port was Mazatlan. My daughter and I went horse back riding with Randi's Happy Horses. For the most part these horses did look good compared to a lot of the sorry creatures you see down there. She met the 3 of us right at the end of the gangway. She called a cab and we went to the fishing pier where we took a water taxi over to Stone Island. From there we hopped on an old hay wagon to her stables. It was a nice ride through the coconut and mango groves. The final bit of the ride was down the most gorgeous beach. It reminded me a lot of Daytona Beach, just because it was so white and wide. The ride ended up at Victors Restaurant where we met my husband and one other non-rider. We had drinks and nachos which were supplied by Randi and then ordered lunch as well. After the delicious lunch we took a long walk on the beach. We were there for about 2 hrs. so we had a nice relaxing afternoon. Randi took us back to the ship and from there we and another couple headed to Sr. Frogs. These folks had never seen anything like Frogs before and didn't stay too long. It can be a bit over whelming if you're not up to the pounding music and balloon hats. We on the other hand had a great time.

Our third port of call was Cabo. The scenery there is just breath taking. Again, just the 3 of us went ashore. We hired a water taxi right there on the dock to take us to Lover's Beach with a little detour to the Arc and where the sea lions hang out. We were so close to them we could have petted them... but choose not to. We got dropped off at the beach with arrangements to be picked up at 11 AM and strict instructions from our taxi driver not to swim on the Pacific side. We snorkeled a bit. The water was a little cool and the fish weren't many or very colorful but it was still fun. We took a walk on the beach and climbed the rocks and all in all had a very relaxing morning. At 11 AM on the nose our ride arrived and took us back to the docks. The taxi ride and mini-tour cost us $12 EA US for 2 of us and $18 for the 3rd because we rented a snorkle/mask and fins set. My husband went back to the ship after buying his customary shot glass which left my daughter and I to shop for an hour and a half before we had to be back on board.

Princess had a wonderful children's program. We did sign our daughter up but in the end she decided not to go. Her age group was from 6-10 yo and as she's 9 1/2 most of the activities were a little young for her. I suppose I could have had her moved to the older group but she was content to swim during the day and loved going to the shows at night.

On the ship there were 4 pools, one under a dome and one was a lap pool. They also had something like 7 lg. hot tubs, so they were never crowded. Actually, none of the pool areas were ever crowded even on sea days. I guess there were so many activities going on you never had to worry about getting a deck chair. The Lotus Spa had all the usual services available. I used the lap pool and the sauna... as well as the large shower! I didn't make use of any of the other services though. I did make one big mistake though. On one of the days we went ashore without the grandparents I made appointments for the grandmas to have their hair done. When we got back aboard I found out that my mother had been sold over $200 of anti-wrinkle cream, hair moose etc, etc. I though selling anti-wrinkle cream for almost $100 a jar to a 79 year old woman had really hit bottom and I was mad. I took the bag of goodies back up to the spa and told them I wanted to return them. They looked a little taken aback. They told me that my mother just bought them. I told them that I knew that and selling anti-wrinkle cream to a 79 yo woman was ridiculous. Plus the fact that my mother would by the Brooklyn Bridge if you tried to sell it to her. I think the sarcastic reference went over their heads as both women were Australian. After a short conference they took all the items back and I went and took a sauna to relax. This had to be my only real negative comment about this cruise (the restaurant was annoying but this made me mad) and it's not just this ship. The company that runs these spas, Steiner's ( I think) are very high pressure and it takes much of the enjoyment out of the experience.

Who goes on this ship? Everyone. The ages in our group ranged from 9 to 86 and so it was on the ship as a whole. There was something for everyone to do. I only gave this cruise 4 stars instead of 5 because of the 2 annoying incidents plus I did notice that in the Horizon Court, what while there was plenty of staff filling food stations and cleaning tables, never did one of them take a tray for a passenger. None the less it was an excellent cruise and I would recommend it to anyone and I would go back right now if I could.