Star Princess and South America opinions please

I have just received a brochure from Princess. They are promoting some specials. If you book an ocean view you will receive a Balcony for the same price. However, several web sites are showing the ocean view cheaper than the special promotion.

We are interested in South America January 4, 2013 on the Star Princess. This ship has had several unfortunate mishaps in the past. Has anyone cruised on her recently? And if so, how was she?

Just on her in March from Chile to San Francisco and she was wonderful. One of my favorite ships.

Dottie

This ship has had several unfortunate mishaps in the past. Has anyone cruised on her recently? And if so' date=' how was she?[/quote']Several? There was the fire, of course, and one time, the ship needed to dock in Victoria to disembark a patient with a serious medical condition in spite of high winds which blew the ship into the dock. But those were years ago. What other mishaps are you referring to? I was also on the Star last month from Valparaiso to SF. No mishaps unless you count the fog delay in Lima which closed the harbor for hours or the awful disembarkation in SF due to US security. Other than that, she was terrific. Not sure what information you're looking for.

I guess I was concern about the fire. But then Star was refurbished in 2008.

Glad to hear that she is in tip top shape and ready to sail to South America in January 2013. We are waiting for our TA to give us the low down on the pricing and the promotional special.

Thank you for the update on the great ship.

...We are interested in South America January 4' date=' 2013 on the Star Princess. [/quote']

 

This cruise has been sold out for almost a year. We commenced our waiting list place at the 532 mark. I would suggest you review the situation before setting your heart on this cruise.

I have just received a brochure from Princess. They are promoting some specials. If you book an ocean view you will receive a Balcony for the same price. However' date=' several web sites are showing the ocean view cheaper than the special promotion.

We are interested in South America January 4, 2013 on the Star Princess. This ship has had several unfortunate mishaps in the past. Has anyone cruised on her recently? And if so, how was she?[/quote']

 

We sailed on the Star Princess in Dec/Jan10/11 from Rome to Rio to Buenos Aires for a total of 36 days and we had a wonderful time. In fact we are planning to sail the Star this December again from SF to Buenos Aires (30 days) arriving on Jan 4th and then spend some time in BA. We booked a balcony (only two left) and are happy with the price. The captain is not the same as we had, but the Cruise Director, Sammi, is great. We had her on a recent cruise to Tahiti. She just transferred in January so she should be on board for awhile. She is a previous entertainer on the ship so she has the personality to do the Cruise Director thing. Go for it!

We were recently on the Star and not the best Princess ship on which we have sailed. While there were many great things about the ship, mainly better service from the tour desk, room steward and deck attendants, there were also several disappointments.

For the most part, the food was just awful -- especially in the buffet. I have written a long review on the review boards about this. Princess used to have the best food at sea but they quickly lost that badge -- maybe due to the cost of the fuel, they might be trying to decrease the quality of the food. Not sure -- but there was just nothing great to say about that buffet area. Pizza was just ok, Trident grill was good but just how many hamburgers, hot dogs and fries can you eat without getting really tired of it.

The dining room was good some nights but never got what we ordered -- always waiting on someone's meal to be delivered as it was wrong or simply missing altogether.

Room service got our orders wrong and served some substandard food some mornings. They ran out of English Muffins, thus I got a hamburger bun. If they ran out, shouldn't they have called to see if there is something else that might have been of interest to me.

Maybe this was an anamoly, but embarkation was a nightmare and the reps just didn't seem to care at all. Even caught them laughing at us after waiting to embark for nearly 6 hours. Infuriating...the line was bad enough but then to be made fun of was just too much to bear. In writing to the Princess offices, they pretty much gave me a 'better luck next time' response.

The internet was the worst seen since the early 80's -- there is something wrong on that ship with the internet service. (yes, yes, sailed on dozens of cruises, same itinerary as well as others -- never that bad) The employee that had to sit there hearing everyone complain never really lost his cool, though. You ask how slow? Well, it took about 30 minutes to open 1 e-mail.

This is not my favorite Princess ship of all times -- and yes, there have been some mishaps on the Star lately -- namely, that disembarkation and embarkation nightmare. I hear we made the news that day. Plus, those poor kids on the fishing boat out of Panama? What happened there.

We were recently on the Star and not the best Princess ship on which we have sailed. ...

We think it somewhat unfair to specifically earmark the Star Princess for these many discrepancies for, to us these days, they are fleet wide. We can all speculate as to the cause of this downward trend but there is little we can do but acknowledge this reality.

Huh, that's definitely not the Star Princess I was on back in December/January. Other than agreeing that the buffet food hasn't been all that great on in my opinion *any* of the Princess ships, everything else went pretty well. It was a little different of a cruise because of the large number of non-US passengers, but it was a neat cruise that I certainly would be interested in doing again.

I've sail the Star 3 times, and most recently South America and Antarctica in 2010, also sailed on her right after the fire refurbishment in 2006 in the Baltic's, and having sailed on almost all of the different classes of Princess ships , and some ships many times, the Star remains one of, if not our favorite Princess ship.

So not to worry, not only is she a great ship, but SA is a great itinerary (Book it Danno !! :))

Srpilo

Food is very subjective. My friend and I ate dinner every night in the buffet on our Star cruise last month and had some great meals. We never made it to the dining room, it was so good. I thought the pizza was good and loved the bratwurst from the Grill. The Pub Lunch was outstanding. To me, the ship was in great shape. Didn't experience any problems other than disembarkation.

This cruise has been sold out for almost a year. We commenced our waiting list place at the 532 mark. I would suggest you review the situation before setting your heart on this cruise.

Goodness I will wait to hear from my TA then. Why would they put out a brochure with a special if they are sold out? My sister and I will not accept a guarantee balcony cabin. This is the only sailing date that is good me because my husband and are leaving for a month in Pompano Beach on January 31 so I need for the cruise to be early January. Another cruise line may be the answer.

Thank you for the input everyone. Food and good coffee have gone downhill on most cruises now. It the food is o.k. then I am o.k. If the food is good to very good then I consider that a cruise bonus. I travel to see the world. You cannot go wrong with salad and a sandwich. I know Princess does up escagot very well and I can get it every second night. Hooray!

Our recent Feb/March cruise from Rio to San Francisco was our 4th cruise on the Star and to us, everything was just fine. We found no fault with anything except the disembarkation, which was the worst ever.

We were on the Jan/Feb 2012 Star Princess cruise around the Horn from Rio to Santiago. The Star had just had her drydock and I thought she was in great shape. It was my 3rd Star Princess cruise and I thought that the food and the service were just fine. The Captain was very good to turn the boat to both sides to show us the glaciers and we even had pretty wonderful weather:o The cruise before us was a total disaster with bad weather, snow, norovirus, and missed ports. That was sad but sometimes it is just luck when a cruise goes well and when one is less enjoyable -- Sad but true! Many Many times the cruise line gets blamed for things not in their control and that includes nightmare embarkations and disembarkations where they have to "dock" where told and share facilities with 6 other ships docked that day. What can Princess do about that?

Food -- well that is to taste for sure. I thought that it was very typical of the excellent food usually served on Princess. If you eat in typical restaurants at home (and I for one do not get stars on my restaurants but still find the experience pleasant since I don't have to cook or do dishes:p) you will not have a problem on Princess.

I often wonder with the comments on the food here on the CC boards what people eat at home and in their home communities. I though I eat well and have the fluffy body that shows I know my way around the table and then I find that the food was "terrible". From people on my same cruise.

Perhaps if folks take a look at the ships and they have 3,000 people on the ship and then figure out that maybe because you paid a fare that is "discounted" from the "published price" by many % points and averages as low as $75/day pp -- maybe you are not in a 5 star food experience. Just saying.

We too were just on her around South America Rio to San Francisco. We loved the ship, thought she looked great, the crew are amazing and especially loved sailing with Captain Perrin. I can highly recommend the voyage and the ship. Like others have said sure the Star has had a few mishaps but all the ships in all the lines do.

I have written extensively about our cruise around SA in my blog _ link below for it and pics

Vickie

My TA and I are working diligently to get the best deal. The promotional price on my special offer was sold out. Yes 2 days after I get the special in the mail the price offer of book an ocean view get the balcony upgrade for the same price. The listed price in the brochure were all sold out. Mmm I wonder if this is not a come on. The next price was about 150.00 more. No big deal. So we have put a hold on it. It has been difficult getting a starboard cabin. Since going down and around Cape Horn we want to be on the land side of the ship. even though we may not even get close to land until we dock. We are looking into other cruise lines. But Princess has been one of my favorites for years now.

The Agent would not give my TA our wait list number. I guess it was higher than the one we have posted on the thread.

I will review, investigate and try and make a decision very soon since the January 4 cruise is selling very fast.

This cruise has been sold out for almost a year. We commenced our waiting list place at the 532 mark. I would suggest you review the situation before setting your heart on this cruise.

I believe you are referring to the three-leg 'Circle South America' running at the same time on Grand Princess. I just checked the website for this Star Princess sailing and while the promo the OP is hoping for is sold out, there is a guarantee BE at a reasonable rate--or you can choose a cabin in a BA or BB on Caribe deck with the larger balcony for a bit more.

I just came off this itinerary on another cruise line and while I deeply regret straying from Princess (link to my review below) you will be enthralled by Patagonia even if you don't get your preferred cabin--I would take this every year, even in an inside cabin.

EDIT: I do understand your preference for starboard side balcony for this westbound voyage, but the only time that will make a difference will be for the few hours Cape Horn is in view--sailing through Tierra del Fuego and the Chilean fjords the view will be breathtaking from both sides. (And depending on the weather and the timing, the captain may do a 180-turn off the cape giving everyone a prime view!)

I believe you are referring to the three-leg 'Circle South America' running at the same time on Grand Princess. I just checked the website for this Star Princess sailing and while the promo the OP is hoping for is sold out, there is a guarantee BE at a reasonable rate--or you can choose a cabin in a BA or BB on Caribe deck with the larger balcony for a bit more.

 

I just came off this itinerary on another cruise line and while I deeply regret straying from Princess (link to my review below) you will be enthralled by Patagonia even if you don't get your preferred cabin--I would take this every year, even in an inside cabin.

 

EDIT: I do understand your preference for starboard side balcony for this westbound voyage, but the only time that will make a difference will be for the few hours Cape Horn is in view--sailing through Tierra del Fuego and the Chilean fjords the view will be breathtaking from both sides. (And depending on the weather and the timing, the captain may do a 180-turn off the cape giving everyone a prime view!)

Well if that is the case then there are better mid ship balcony cabins on the port side. I will investigate

Thanks

We were on the Star cruise in February from Santiago to Rio and had cruised her two other times. We've had many wonderful experiences on the Star and thought the food was fine. We had dinners most nights in the dining room, but the times we ate at the buffet, we found that the food was quite good - better than the lunchtime offerings. If the internet was misbehaving, we just tried it another time with better success.

We were on the port side which was great when we went down "glacier alley" and around the horn. But there were other times when the better views were on the starboard side. I'd go for the guarantee if you can clear the waitlist as you can always go on deck if you find yourself on the "wrong" side at any point.

Good luck to you - this is an amazing itinerary!

I just came off this itinerary on another cruise line and while I deeply regret straying from Princess (link to my review below) you will be enthralled by Patagonia even if you don't get your preferred cabin--I would take this every year, even in an inside cabin.

I've done the "around the Horn" cruise twice before; once on the Golden, the second on HAL's Amsterdam. When planning my Santiago to San Francisco cruise last month, I considered taking the Star from Rio to Santiago for about half a second. My experience on HAL was FAR better than on the Golden; light years better. So much better that I couldn't in good conscience recommend Princess over HAL on this itinerary. We all have different experiences and expectations so take this with a grain of salt. Two things about the HAL cruise made it better: a better itinerary with an extra day cruising between Ushuaia and Punta Arenas, and the fact that only about 1,300 passengers descended on ports with limited resources rather than 2,600 (not including crew.) While that might not seem like a big deal, I found it made a huge difference in the Falklands, Montevideo, Ushuaia and Punta Arenas. Fewer buses, fewer people competing for the same space.

We did the Feb 18 Rio-Valparaiso sailing on the Star Princess... our third time on this ship and second time in six months. We thoroughly enjoyed everything about it and would happily sail on this ship and with Captain Perrin again. It was a fantastic itinerary and the scenic cruising was a highlight as well as the ports we went to. I wouldn't hesitate to book with Princess again and would be delighted to go back on the Star. Princess has always taken very good care of us. Embarkation was probably the worst we've ever experienced, but I blame the port of Rio for that... Total chaos and disorganization. Once on board, it was Princess as usual.

On our voyage last summer we spent half the cruise with no bags, thanks to Lufthansa Airlines, and the Purser's desk could not have done more for us. We truly felt cared about and looked after and Princess went out of their way to reunite us with our missing baggage, even though it wasn't their fault it didn't make the ship.

Really, can't say enough about Princess or the Star... This is a very popular voyage, as you're finding out, and I hope you get to do it. We had a great time!

I believe you are referring to the three-leg 'Circle South America' running at the same time on Grand Princess. I just checked the website for this Star Princess sailing and while the promo the OP is hoping for is sold out, there is a guarantee BE at a reasonable rate--or you can choose a cabin in a BA or BB on Caribe deck with the larger balcony for a bit more.

 

I just came off this itinerary on another cruise line and while I deeply regret straying from Princess (link to my review below) you will be enthralled by Patagonia even if you don't get your preferred cabin--I would take this every year, even in an inside cabin.

 

EDIT: I do understand your preference for starboard side balcony for this westbound voyage, but the only time that will make a difference will be for the few hours Cape Horn is in view--sailing through Tierra del Fuego and the Chilean fjords the view will be breathtaking from both sides. (And depending on the weather and the timing, the captain may do a 180-turn off the cape giving everyone a prime view!)

Captain Perrin did this for our cruise. My very favorite activity was the scenic cruising down by the glaciers and in the fjords area. I had an obstructed view cabin mid ships on Emerald. We spent most of our scenic cruising time by tender number one where the stairs come up from the seventh deck. Perfect place to watch the beautiful glaciers and gives some protection from weather. We had great weather but it still is not warm on the moving ship. Don't worry about the side. Plenty of places to be amazed by the beauty.

:p

Thank you one and all. I am beginning to feel comfortable in this investigation for our cruise to South America. We will have to pay for transfers to and from the ship. The cruise ship port is not very close to the airport in both ports. I do not mind taking a taxi when we sail from US ports but this is different. Since we do not know the language the transfer is our safe bet.

I hope we can enjoy the balcony during our days at sea. We get mesmerized by the flow of the sea against the ship's hull. I trust it will not be too cold. Temperature should be high low 80 and low mid 60.A sweater and or light jacket or even a blanket will do us fine.

So it does not matter whether we are port or star board we should be able to view the wonderful sites.

My sister and I are still waiting to hear form our TA. I just wish that the cruise companies would be more straightforward, direct and just plain honest in their supposedly promotional specials.

Well let us wait and see.