Star Princess review, Jan 23-30

Sailed on the Jan 23 Star Princess, Eastern Caribbean itinerary. Four of us traveling together, myself and DW and another couple who are friends of ours. Overall it was a great cruise; probably equal to the Grand, our first with Princess, but maybe a notch below the Sea Princess, our second (I think because we really love the Sun class ships).

Weather was a little rough first and last days around the Bahamas. The wind was really whipping at times and if the sun ducked behind a cloud, it would get chilly if you were topside.

Pre-cruise:

Flew into FLL a day ahead on the 22nd, one of the few flights that made it out of Chicago that day I think! There must have been people who didn't make it out at all since we saw pax with suitcases boarding in San Juan. If we cruise again in winter, I think we'll go down 2 days ahead, just in case. But will stay at a different hotel...

We stayed at the Comfort Inn Airport/Cruise Port Hollywood and would not recommend it. Check-in time is 3 p.m., we arrived at 3:30 and the front desk said it would be a 30 minute wait for rooms to be "ready". They said the rooms were clean, but didn't have any towels and so they couldn't let any guests in. The lobby, bar and pool area were full of other people waiting for rooms. They wouldn't call out when your room was ready either, you had to keep checking at the front desk which meant the check-in process for other people just arriving was even slower. They said this happens "every weekend", which would tell me that something needs to be done to change how they turn rooms around.

The luggage storage area was full by the time we got there, so the only option offered by the desk staff was to leave our bags unsecured in the lobby; they assured us that "nothing will happen" if we left our bags there. Finally, after a full hour of sitting in the crowded lobby with our bags and repeatedly checking if our room was ready as instructed (while the other 3 people in my group sat poolside sipping cocktails -- I'm such a great guy!!!), I told the desk staff that I didn't CARE if the room had towels or not, just let me in to drop off my bags. They said then our room was ready, but when we got there we still didn't have towels!! Called housekeeping and within a few minutes they came by with a cart dropping off towels to all the rooms. I probably should have told them more forcefully that I wanted in without towels as soon as we arrived, but they repeatedly insisted they "could not let guests in" without them.

The hotel otherwise was pretty nice, I think, but would not stay there again because of the check-in mess.

(As a side note, while sitting and waiting for our room we overheard several groups of people trying to check in whose reservations weren't in the hotel's system at all. These people had apparently booked via the Choice Hotels toll-free number, but were told by the desk staff that they had "no connection" with that reservation system, whatever that means, and they were booked solid and couldn't help them. I may have been missing some crucial details but that's what it sounded like. Not sure how it played out for those affected.)

Embarkation:

Embarkation was a breeze, as had been our past Princess experience. Arrived at the terminal building at around 11, were let inside to sit down and wait not too long thereafter, and we were among the first dozen or so cabins in line. Lines opened by 12, check-in took 5 minutes and then onboard.

Bought 2 Coke stickers and the only choice now is $25 with the small-ish insulated tumbler thrown in "free". No more $22.50 sticker, with the tumbler optional, they're now $25. Still a good deal if you drink lots of Coke.

Upon embarking we went to the Purser's desk with our return flight details as we had a pre-noon flight home. We got put on the list for early disembarking and got tags a couple days later for the 4th group off. We disembarked at 8:30 and were checked at the airport for our 11:10 flight by 9 a.m. We also tried to make a reservation first thing for Sabatini's for sea-day brunch, but were told they only do dinner now, which was disappointing. (They also gave us our regular deck disembarkation group tags which we just threw away.)

Cabin: (in praise of the "open" balconies!)

We had Dolphin 631, one of the uncovered mini-suite balconies and loved it!! On the first 3 days sailing south-southeast we had mostly beautiful sunny days to enjoy the balcony. It looked like those on Aloha and Baja didn't get much sun as they're covered by the Lido deck overhang. Even when you don't get direct sun it's still really nice not having anything directly above you and you get a 90-degree view from the horizon straight up into the sky. It drizzled a bit in San Juan, but we had a terrible view of the salvage yards opposite the dock anyhow, so didn't miss anything. Yes, those above can see down onto you, but you can also see up into their balconies, so it's even!

One day we did have cigarette ashes on one of our balcony loungers, don't know if that was from above or next door. I suppose if you have complete idiots above you intentionally dropping things on you, it could make for a really unpleasant trip...

DW reserved in advance via our TA an "egg crate" mattress which our steward delivered and put on the bed while we were at lunch. She loves a really mushy bed. I, on the other hand, need a rock-hard firm bed for my back. And the fold-out loveseat sleeper was just the ticket!! This thing has a relatively thin mattress on firm wooden slats which provided great support; I think it was better for me than our bed at home! This bed could be a few inches longer, though.

Food:

We thought everything was up the usual standards we've come to expect from Princess, we detected no decline as some reviews have noted lately. Had late traditional seating for dinner, did Horizon Court mostly for breakfast and lunch. The prime rib and lobster were incredible, my all-favorite cream of porcini mushroom soup was as good as I remembered from two years ago. And I still love the variety of sorbets for dessert. The one thing I wish they'd get right is the Louisiana "crayfish" dish. I love a well-prepared crawfish dish, but this one thing is always disappointing when I've tried it. Thank goodness for two entrees at dinner!! :D

We mostly did Continental breakfast via room service. They always arrived exactly at the requested time window, so if you mark 8 a.m. be prepared for a knock on the door at 8 a.m. The pastries were usually a bit on the dry (stale??) side. The oranges were really good, but the melon was slimy the one day we got that. (Later getting some in the buffet it was better.) You have to mark on the order specifically everything you want; butter, jam, salt, pepper, cream, sugar, or you won't get it.

People we were with got the burgers and fries from Trident and loved them. The pizza I tried from Prego (1 slice each of fungi-prosciutto, and pepperoni) was too thin, limp-crusted and not impressive at all, I thought; but then I'm from Chicago, self-proclaimed pizza capital of the world and as pizza snobs, we have pretty high standards. :cool:

The omelet station is alive and well in Horizon Ct!! Got a couple during the week and they were awesome. Pre-made omelets sitting in the warmers were typically rubbery and very unappealing. There was a notice one day in the Patter that there was an omelet station somewhere forward; I think it was the Trident Grill?? Don't know what else was there to eat during breakfast, or why you'd go there for an omelet when you can get them in the Horizon Ct. Maybe they're planning to do away with this convenience.

I bought the cheapest and lightest coffee maker Wal-Mart carries -- a $14 no-frills Black & Decker 12-cup model (yes, a 12-cup -- I love my coffee!!) with just an on-off switch, that fit in one of our carry-ons no problem, and we left it behind. (Our cabin steward said one of his friends loves to make coffee and was looking for a new one.) That of course left space for more souvenirs (read: duty-free booze) in that bag coming home! We ordered room service tea-for-two every morning as DW likes her tea, and that left plenty of cream and sugar for both of us. I did give the coffee at the buffet another shot, and it's still terrible!

(Continued)

Service:

We thought service throughout was excellent!! We were a little concerned reading all the recent so-so reviews but nothing to worry about here. Everyone everywhere we encountered was very friendly, with "hello", "good morning/evening", and (sincere-looking) smiles all around. Wait staff in Horizon Ct was attentive at removing dirty plates and at taking and filling drink orders, even non-tip Coke cards!

Our room steward was Andrrew from the Philippines and he was very prompt at making up the cabin and filling requests. Waiter in the Amalfi dining room was Alex, also from the Philippines, and Asst waiter was Adison from Thailand and they were both excellent. The head waiter for our section didn't come around and introduce himself as they've done on previous cruises with Princess. He was seemingly rather tied to a very large group in our section and was continually doting on them. We didn't miss him really, just odd that he didn't "make the rounds" more than he did.

Ports (San Juan, St. Thomas, Tortola, Princess Cays on this itinerary):

No abducting of any alcohol at either San Juan or St. Thomas. Walked right on with several bottles at both ports, nobody even at the gangway to box up your booze for last-night delivery. Prices for super-premiums were a few dollars lower at the dockside booze shop on the 2nd floor at San Juan, as compared to any shops in St. Thomas or onboard. A 1 liter of Maker's Mark was $20!! That's half the price of a 750ml bottle in the States!! No reason to bring your own hooch from home if you're stopping here.

In St. Thomas we just shopped downtown a little, and then at Havensight mall. The tent market area on the outskirts of downtown has a little better prices on some jewelry, like Larimar (a cool, turquoise-like stone native to the Caribbean.) Car traffic coming back from town to the ship dock was terrible! Don't try to cut it close with boarding if you do your own thing while in St. Thomas or you might get stuck. Our friends traveling with us bought an in-laid, semi-precious stone globe which was really cool!! But they bought at a big shop and paid $650, then saw the same thing at a small shop later for only $450, so shop around if you're buying big-ticket.

At Tortola we did the afternoon Princess excursion to Virgin Gorda. The waves at the beach were really rough that day and the resulting undertow was at times a bit frightening. Most people found it too rough to even go in the water at all. We were there in 2002 as well and the ocean was as smooth as glass.

Walked into Road Town from the pier in the morning and it's a bit bleak. Back onboard in the elevator after our excursion, an older lady was complaining about "what a dump it was", and "the shopping was no Macy's, that's for sure!" Makes you wonder why people like that would even bother leaving home...

Really enjoyed our day at Princess Cays. The cabanas at there are for two beach loungers each. Shorex desk called us upon embarkation to clarify this, so we released two of the four we were holding for us and friends. The charge is $8 per person, not per cabana. This is not communicated very well at all reserving them on the Princess website. I thought they were worth it, we'll probably get them again for our June cruise.

Which cabana you actually get is first come, first served. The people who had cabanas (and beach loungers, for that matter) right in the middle of the beach nearest the BBQ area looked like they got totally smoked out as the wind was blowing very hard from the other side of the island. So as the cooking staff did their BBQ-ing, thick black smoke was blowing right over where people were lying on the beach.

I'd recommend getting there early and going to the far right-hand side of the line of cabanas so you're out of possible smoke range, and nearer the bar (if that's important to you). We were at the first few cabanas on the near side, closest to the docking area, and the roaming wait staff didn't ever come down the beach near us (that I saw) to take drink orders. They stayed nearest to the bar only, which sort of defeated the purpose of having them there.

I didn't think there were nearly enough wait staff or bartenders on hand. There were only 2 bartenders at that end of the beach and any time I went there, there was a long back-up to get drinks and the bartenders were hurrying as much as they could, but most people were getting blender drinks (daiquiris, etc) which take longer to make, and there were only 2 blenders anyhow.

Still don't understand why Coke stickers are no good on Princess Cays -- aside of course from the obvious reason that they want to make more money I suppose...

Entertainment & Cruise Director staff:

Neil Roberts, an Aussie, was CD and Kelly from the UK was Deputy CD. Nothing memorable about any of the staff that we encountered, and I don't think we saw Neil anywhere but on stage or TV. His "morning show" is just him reading the Patter. Zzzzzzzzz. We can't wait to be back on "Graham's boat" in June!

We've seen Scott Wyler perform before and saw him again this cruise. I think he's great! He's supposedly the highest-rated comedian in the Princess fleet and I believe it. Also saw the comedian-juggler -- sorry, don't recall his name -- and he was very good, too. DW saw the first night Vegas-style review, said it was good. Scott Wyler did a short set and said I would have liked the showgirls' costumes (or lack of costumes).

I guess we don't "get" James Michael, the comedian-magician, and we usually like weird and "edgy". We only caught his shortened act on the last "variety" night, and so may have been missing something...

We also made our own entertainment (get your mind out of the gutter!!). I brought my loaded iPod and a set of great sounding little Sony "travel" speakers, and we played our own music out on the balcony! (DW played the role of "conscience" and made sure the volume was always low so as not to disrupt others around us.)

Fellow pax:

Median age from what I saw was probably early 50's. As it's right after the holidays there weren't many kids onboard at all that we saw. Naturally, there were 2 pre-school age kids in the cabin next to us and by 6 or so every morning they were bouncing around their cabin (sounded like they were literally) and Cartoon Network was playing very loudly on their TV. Then the family sat on their balcony for breakfast and there was a great deal of scolding/yelling, and threats from mom to never take them anywhere again. On the other side of us (the up-wind side, of course) was a chain smoker.

Dress "guidelines" definitely not enforced in the dining room for dinner (they are only "guidelines" after all). On the formal nights there was a table of 20-somethings who just did smart casual (or their version of it), but they were the exceptions. On non-formal nights there were a few people dressed really sloppy. A family from New York had kids who did jeans, sneakers and Yankee caps. (I know they were from New Yawk, or Joisey, because they sat near us in the Vista Lounge for one of the shows and were pretty disruptive throughout -- the parents as much as the kids, predictably enough. I guess you can't expect much, letting their kids wear baseball caps in a dining room.)

Disembarking:

As noted we got early disembarkation for our early flight. Off the ship just a few minutes after being called, found our bags quickly and out we went; plenty of taxis outside. (Don't understand why Princess allows pax to congregate around the deck 5 Grand Plaza near the exit ramp, when they repeatedly request via the PA that people not do so. But they don't do anything to keep them out of the way. There were lots of people who hadn't been called just standing around and they were blocking others from getting off.)

Flying out of FLL, the TSA guy at the metal detector "recommended" I remove my sneakers (standard issue New Balance) and put them through the X-ray before going through the metal detector. I assured him they wouldn't set off the detectors and started to walk through. He stopped me, and again "recommended" I remove my sneakers. As I was removing them, I asked the guy whether he was "recommending", or "demanding", and he just repeated that they "recommend" I remove my sneakers before proceeding. The guy in the couple we were traveling with had the same thing happen with another TSA agent in another security line. This was the first time in all the flying I do that this has happened. Don't know if some alert was issued or what, and why they didn't just say all shoes had to be removed when that's what they meant, instead of "recommending" it. Maybe trying to be more customer-service oriented?

Overall we loved the Star!! We'll be sad to see it lose the Conservatory to MUTS, though, because it's nice having the shaded and wind-protected swimming area as an option.

Great review, Tom! We were in Dolphin 735 and probably passed you in the hallway a time or two and didn't even know it.

My sister loves omelets and found the pre-made ones sitting in the warming tray in Horizon Court a disappointment. She then discovered that Trident Grill is turned into a fresh 'made to order' omelet station during breakfast hours. There was a sign posted listing all ingredients available and the omelets she had there (3 days) were wonderful. There is also bread, bagels, and English muffins off to the side and a two-slice toaster. There was a large tray of butter but no cream cheese, jelly, etc.

I, like you, was disappointed that the dress code was not enforced on formal night. We were in Amalfi, second seating, and the table next to us was a family of six. The father wore a suit and the mother wore a nice dress, but the 4 kids looked like they...oh well, never mind, I don't have my flame-proof suit on this early in the morning. ;)

We will be on the Star this Sunday thanks for your review...one question where is the Trident Grill? Love fresh omelettes and too lazy usually to get to the dining rooms for breakfast!

Thanks!

Thanks for the very imformative review & glad you enjoyed your cruise. We are on the 3/6 sailing and was wondering if you remember the order of the menu "themes"??? Which night was French, Italian, etc. Also, who was the Maitre"d?? Did they have an "Island Night" party on deck??

Hi, thanks for the wonderful review. Cannot wait to get on the STAR come April 3rd. DH and friends will probably love the omlette idea at the Trident Grill. :) I do love going down to breakfast tho - put on my bathing suit under my clothes and then ready to hit the pool area right after breakfast. Sorry to hear about MUTS. I thought this was not going to happen, but I guess I was wrong. We bought the coke cards last time + the tumbler. I guess that the powers to be have made it a combo at $25. We do enjoy our coke products so get our moneys worth. They will also add limes or lemons to the drinks if you ask.

The lady that thought Road Town was no Macy's should see the one here in Beatown, especially at Christmas time and big sale times. You have to step over the clothes to get from one aisle to another :D I just don't understand how someone can experience something different and then relate it to their "normal" at home. :eek:

We have been taking off shoes, sneakers, etc. at Logan airport for over a year now. They don't even have to recommend it, people just automatically do it. You are brave, speaking up to the TSA guys, my hubby was asked to take off his belt which was making the screening thingy scream, and he asked them to wand it, the screening person said - "If I tell you to drop your pants, you will do so in private or you don't get on the plane." Would you believe this was BEFORE 9/11. :D He took off the belt......

Well it sounds as tho we are going to have another great cruise. Is it hard not to compare one cruise to another?

Thanks, Tom, great review. Even if MUTS is installed, you won't lose the conservatory, no worries there.

Great review.

The reason the soda cards don't work on Princess Cays is that they don't have the soda "gun" there. All they have is canned stuff.

Ah, the shoes thing and the TSA. I fly almost every week for work and here's the deal with the shoes. The TSA doesn't "recommend" that you take them off at all airports. They definitely do in Chicago. You can opt to keep them on, but once you go through the scanner they're going to put you in the "penalty box" and they'll do a hand search of your person which will include having you take your shoes off (anyway). At this point, I always take my shoes off, any cardigan or jacket off, too. I have certain jewelry I don't fly in, too. Oh, and some airports want your boarding pass in hand when you go through the scanners, others don't. I think FLL is one that wants you to have it in hand.

With our new "normal" we all need to get used to it. I try and wear easy outfits when I fly now. No heavy jewelry - my watch always seems to make it ok - shoes that slip off and on easily, lite jacket under my coat and ALWAYS make sure my change is put in handbag that goes thru the scanner.

By the time I make it to the scanning process I am a TSA good doobie :D

No matter what airport, I keep boarding pass and ID in hand while I walk through....My worst airport so far - Philadelphia - long security lines, almost missed a connecting flight because I went outside for a breath of "fresh air" with 1 1/2 hours between connections. I had to beg people to let me go through ahead of them. Nice people travel thru Philly :) but I will avoid any connection thru there, if possible from now on. :(

tom-n-jules, do you remember who was playing in the Wheelhouse - late set?

Type of music, etc.

I'm not Tom but I was on the same cruise and I can answer some of the questions asked, in case Tom gets busy and doesn't get back here for awhile. I finally got unpacked and have all the Patters sitting right in front of me.

Theme nights: they went right in a row, Italian on Tuesday, Island Night on Wednesday and French on Thursday. There was a Tropical Deck Party on Wednesday night.

Wheelhouse Bar: Pete Nilson Duo, and Tito Cruz Quartet. They alternated early and late - one played 5:15-9:00 and the other 9:15 till closing - Pete Nilson had the early shift on Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Tito Cruz had the early shift on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

One interesting note about the FLL airport. The TSA folks were telling people what to take out of their bags and put thru the scanners separate. Laptops, cell phones, ok I'm used to those items. Then he also said "video cameras". I've travelled all over and it's the first time I've had to take the camcorder out of my carry-on bag and put it through the scanner in a separate container.

For Tom - is the duty free store in San Juan nearby the Star dock? Did you openly carry booze on board?

We are on the Feb 6 and Feb 13 sailing

Ron

TxGal,

We will be staying in "your" cabin in March! I would love to know what you thought of it. What is on the balcony?

Can't wait to hear the details!! Thanks.

For Tom - is the duty free store in San Juan nearby the Star dock? Did you openly carry booze on board?

 

We are on the Feb 6 and Feb 13 sailing

 

Ron

Hi Ron-

There was a 2 story shopping mall as soon as you exited the ship; we bought our booze on the 2nd floor liquor store. They put our bottles in a bag, but it was not concealed in any manner and we brought it right back to our rooms! :D

Julie

Thanks so much for the review. We are sailing on the Star 2/20/05 and are in room D621! Did ya'll do any snorkeling? We are traveling with our 3 teenagers and I for one am looking forward to the formal nights. Just can't wait for some warm air. On the formal nights did most gentlemen wear dark suits or tuxedos? Were any of the ladies in long dresses or just cocktail? Thanks.

Kären Baker

tom- n-jules Thanks so much for your great review - it was so helpful!

Northender - it's sad to think that if all airport screeners were as thorough as yours was - there probably would not have been a 911.

We were also on the Star 1/23 and thought it was a great cruise. We stayed at the same Comfort Inn as Tom-N-Jules and didn't have any trouble checking in, but we weren't there until after 5:00. I like the way they take names for the free shuttle service to the pier instead of everyone having to stand in line. Their complimentary breakfasts are very nice...especially the made to order oemlets. I thought the breakfast area could use some cleaning up though!

I agree that the cruise director and assistant left a lot to be desired. Also have to agree with you on the entertainment. I saw Scott Wyler before and think he's one of the best. The magician was nothing to write home about. Wish we would have seen the show with Live Wire....onnly caught their performance on the last night.

As for the food, I enjoy anything that I don't have to cook!! I enjoy the Horizon Court more than the dining room only for the variety. We did go to the dining room a few times... more to meet new people than for the menu.

Prego Pizza is my favorite food on the ship, but then pizza is my favorite food:-) Ice cream on the ship is homemade by Princess and one of my favorites too. It was offered from 5:30-9:00 every evening in the Horizon Court.

Peggy

Thanks so much for clarifying the elusive cabana caper, booze shopping in SJ and all of the other info.............before long, it will be our turn, too! Yippeeeeeeeee!

We will be on the Star this Sunday thanks for your review...one question where is the Trident Grill? Love fresh omelettes and too lazy usually to get to the dining rooms for breakfast!

 

Thanks!

As TxGal said you can get omelettes apparently at the Trident Grill, I never ventured there. It's on Lido deck, just forward of Neptune's Reef pool.

But you can also get them in the Horizon Court at the unofficial, undocumented "omelette station". It's the circular area in the middle (between the port and starboard sides) of the buffet line, where there are cooks manning the griddles/grills there. There's no signage denoting it's there. You just lean in between the buffet stations and shout out your order! They make them to order and they were fantastic the times I got them.

I have had three knee replacements and find the airport screening really fun. I no longer fly in slacks since my one trip to "the booth in the corner, in the dark as Flip Wilson used to say" will definitely be my last. I carry photos of my x-rays, letter from MD, but it didn't matter they had to see the scars so I had to go with a female screener (I am female) to be observed. Now I always wear a skirt and have had to raise the hem two out of the last three flights. As slow as I walk I want the process to go really quickly and the skirt keeps me out of the "private" area.

Thanks so much for the review. We are sailing on the Star 2/20/05 and are in room D621! Did ya'll do any snorkeling? We are traveling with our 3 teenagers and I for one am looking forward to the formal nights. Just can't wait for some warm air. On the formal nights did most gentlemen wear dark suits or tuxedos? Were any of the ladies in long dresses or just cocktail? Thanks.

Kären Baker

Karen - no, we didn't snorkel but the couple were went with did at Princess Cays, and we have previously there, and it's fun. Mostly clown fish, a few bigger ones can be seen. People tried to snorkel at Virgin Gorda but the water was much too rough.

I'd say men were split half-and-half tuxes and suits generally. (A number of guys were wearing non-dark suits that still looked great.) The only real "sore thumbs" were the completely non-formal group; they looked very out of place, but I'm sure they still enjoyed themselves. Women were probably evenly split between fancy cocktail, longer dresses and dressy suits; again, most everyone looked very nice. DW can probably fill in the fashion details better than I. :cool:

There was one guy on the first formal night that I thought for sure was a costumed character on the ship's crew, but he was a passenger. He was maybe in his 40's; wore huge oversized glasses on a "librarian chain", hair very shaggy and disheveled, a light blue short-sleeved shirt, gigantic wide tropical print tie, too-short navy pants and sneakers. I really figured he was there as part of the photo staff to appear in wacky candid passenger formal pictures...

Will I really be frowned out of dining room if I don't dress really formal. I don't frequent places where I would dress formally so don't have any of such clothes. I have desperately been trying to find something I can afford to buy and never wear again...no such luck. Boo Hoo!! I may be the one dressed as formally as possible.

Tom-n-jules:

When we were on the Grand in '03, they gave out little green cards. On one side, it listed the names of all of the bars and the hours of operation. On the other side, it listed the same information for dining options........was called "Quick Reference"..........did they give one of those out on the Star? If so, could you please email it to me? We're trying to plan a pub crawl for Thursday during our 2/20 cruise and this would be MOST helpful!

Thanks so much!

Will I really be frowned out of dining room if I don't dress really formal. I don't frequent places where I would dress formally so don't have any of such clothes. I have desperately been trying to find something I can afford to buy and never wear again...no such luck. Boo Hoo!! I may be the one dressed as formally as possible.

It's up to you, Bubble, and your own comfort level. Nobody will stone you or throw rotten tomatoes at you!! :D

If you think you'll feel self-conscious by not dressing "to the nines", then you can always do the Horizon Court; they serve the same menu as the dining room. If you won't be self-conscious, then I wouldn't sweat it! Just enjoy yourself.

Tom-n-jules:

When we were on the Grand in '03, they gave out little green cards. On one side, it listed the names of all of the bars and the hours of operation. On the other side, it listed the same information for dining options........was called "Quick Reference"..........did they give one of those out on the Star? If so, could you please email it to me? We're trying to plan a pub crawl for Thursday during our 2/20 cruise and this would be MOST helpful!

Thanks so much!

Nope, sorry!! We tend not to save those types of things. They do provide them in your stateroom, though.

You can view all the bars on the Princess website, and most of them are open by 10 or 11, and stay open until the wee hours.

Thanks, Julie.........just thought I'd try........on the Grand Princess, a slew of bars closed at 7:00 pm for the day (Seabreeze, Mermaid's Tail 8 pm, Alfresco, Oasis 6 pm).........just trying to "chart our course" ahead of time........we'll figure it out once onboard!