ColoradoMom!!

KL, 

I am so sorry you have to worry about all this when you had planned this huge trip to be a much needed break from worry!!

We were on this Star Hawaii cruise from Jan. 13 - 28th, last month. ( I wonder if this is the same as nbist)  It was a great cruise.  

I am extremely paranoid of becoming sick, and yes, there were people coughing, but what can you do? 

I can't tell you how incredibly careful I was, and ended up with some stuffiness on Day 11.  I was not coughing, no fever, and didn't feel too bad.  Hubby started coughing the day after we got home, and although not as bad as Elliair posted above, it took him a while to kick it.

If I can answer any questions about the cruise on the Star, let me know.  I keep meaning to post a review, but haven't found the time.

I am so happy they got you a cabin with the offer !!

I'm just happy for you, as I would have felt the same way!

Hope you enjoy your cruise - and it will help with the $$$ 🙂

2 minutes ago, nf5894 said:

 

We pretty much left on time everywhere except Maui. The captain said there was a tour that was late getting back and we had to wait for them (so it must have been a Princess tour). I think we were about 2 hours late leaving on that day.

 

Thanks!  I just wanted to make sure it wasn't earlier than posted 🙂

Sorry for another question  (Quoting Columbo - "just one more thing....")

Any surprises on the "all aboard" times?

This is what is listed on our itinerary :

HILO - 9 -6pm

Honolulu 7 - 11pm

Kauai 8 - 5pm

Maui 7 - 6pm

I have heard that the tenders back to the ship in Maui have really long lines toward the end of the day.

Thank you for your review !

I watched all your videos as well.  We leave in a few weeks on the same cruise!

I have 2 quick questions.  In Kauai, where were you able to rent those kayaks?

Also, how do you locate the spray paint artist in Ensenada?

Thanks!

23 hours ago, Vic The Parrot said:

I'm glad I rented a car ...   

 

 

Last time I rented a car at LAX, it took the shuttle bus a very long time to get to the rental car lot, so be prepared for that. I’d like to know if it is any faster than the shuttle to the Uber lot.

Are you using Enterprise and dropping your car in San Pedro?

Can anyone speak to using Ride share after the cruise back from San Pedro to LAX? I assume they can drop you at the terminal for departures.

I am debating the Princess transfer vs Ride Share. Flight isn’t until 1:00 pm

4 hours ago, frugaltravel said:

How is that a "downside"?  Would you rather pay for bags or pay much more for a ticket that includes "free" bags?  That is the deception with Southwest that many people (fortunately not you!) often miss.  They see "FREE BAGS" with Southwest and don't look at the total cost, which with Southwest can sometimes be more than another airline if one considers both price and bag fee.

 

Frugal Travel - love your name.  Actually if I was given the option to use SW by EZAir, I would be way under my $250 RT fare allowance from DEN - LAX - guess I should have put it that way.  Free is free - but having traveled DEN to LA area so often, if you plan ahead, you can score some great deals on SW.  While I always price out the competition, I find that SW usually is the best rate for me.  I am flying one way for example next month for $65, so adding the free bags is truly Frugal Travel! 

We are using EZair for the first time as it was included ($250 per person) in our cruise fare for our LA departure trip to Hawaii in Jan 2020.

I found it very easy to use, and rebook as my itinerary changed.  We decided to fly into SNA a few days early to go to Disneyland.  The fare has been under the $250, so I haven't spend any money.  The only downside is paying for luggage which we normally don't do because we would use Southwest for CA airports with free bags.

My question is, when should we request seats?  We are on United.

The Alaska Port of Call board is an excellent source of information.  We researched there and were thrilled with our excursion choices.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/33-alaska/

As mentioned above, the Skagway train is very popular.  However, we did a private tour which had the option of doing the train one way, with the benefit of seeing other stops via small tour shuttle.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60877-d1556687-Reviews-Chilkoot_Charters_Tours-Skagway_Alaska.html

Thanks for some Star info!  We are scheduled to board her to Hawaii in Jan.  I believe we will miss the wonderful Capt. Tuvo however 😞

We were on the Coral in July 2018 - it's around the same age I believe- and didn't see any leaks - so not sure if age is to blame or not, but it is concerning.

I fear that if the Star is scheduled for some upkeep in April, she'll be pretty ignored until then, including our Jan cruise - oh well - Hoping for the best!

What did you think of the Horizon Court?  Glad to hear ATD was a good experience ! We may try that.

The A/C not working is one of my biggest concerns since we can never seem to get it cool enough (to our liking) even without issues.

Thank you! This helps!

There are still balconies available on deck 10 that are the regular price because they are forward. Are these balconies still larger than normal because they’re on deck 10? I thought you had to pay for premium balconies to get the larger balcony on deck 10.

I have truly googled and searched, really!  Star, Deck 8 forward balconies...........

I saw mention of people from the walking track being able to see you.  This must be the Promenade - unlike the Coral because it sticks out??

Also, one cannot look down from these balconies to the water.

Can't quite picture this.  Help please. 

Thank you!

This isn't exactly what I was looking for, but skip down to post #19 for a picture

Hi Milo,

I imagine the reason the Alaska Railroad office doesn't offer any baggage advice is because it is not handled by them, and they don't want the liability of suggesting anything.  Also, perhaps the phrase "check baggage in Anchorage" didn't make any sense to them because they don't check baggage.

This is a cruise ship deal set up for those who primarily are on the land and cruise tour is my guess.

However, if your luggage has it's ship tag displayed, it won't be a problem.  I learned about this on this board before I left, and confirmed it with my own experience last summer.  However, like you said, worse case is you haul your suitcases on the train and off again in Whittier.  Let me see if I can find the older thread about this and post a link....

Hi Milo,

I think it was Budget Queen who first suggested I look into this when I was researching, and I am so glad I did.  I posted in another thread about taking the train also, so I am going to copy and paste it here:

OK friends - I did this EXACT thing before I boarded the SB Coral on June 27th 2018!

I researched a number of ways to get to Whittier, and the answer for  me was ......THE TRAIN!

It was awesome, and the best part was you leave your Princess luggage tagged bags at the train depot in Anchorage, and you won't see them again until they are waiting for you outside your cabin door on board the ship!

I booked the 26 Glacier Cruise separately with Phillips, and booked the Train myself: https://www.alaskarailroad.com/ride-a-train/buy-tickets

You'll want the one way Glacier Discovery from Anchorage to Whittier - departs at 9:45 am and is $89.

It arrives at 12:05 - but wait you say......will I be on time for the 26 Glacier cruise?  YES you will because they are waiting for this train as many of their cruisers are on it as well.

When you return, just walk just steps to embark, and there's no line!

Best part - the 26 Glacier cruise was fantastic !  You will see the Glaciers much more upfront and closer than you will on the rest of the cruise.  The lunch was great, and our Park Ranger was better than the one we got for Glacier Bay National Park Day.

I really enjoyed the train ride as we did not do any land package before.  The scenery on the way there is great - down Turnagain Arm and through the tunnel.

NOW - a note on the luggage.  This was a big concern for my non-cruise critic traveling friend, but I had read on here how this works, and it did - seamlessly.  When you arrive at the train depot in Anchorage, and you are facing the building and its front door, to the right is a tented area of pavement - like a small parking lot with white tents.  This is where you will give your luggage to the porters who will load it on to a truck and it will go to the ship.  I don't think they technically work for the railroad, but for Princess.  As long as you have your Princess tags attached you are good to go!

We enjoyed the card room on the Coral!

After our early dinner - we would often end up in the buffet around 8-9 for a cookie, coffee,  some cards and a great view - just four of us - 2 couples.

2 hours ago, Hitchens97 said:

Thanks Colorado Mum. That was the option I was leaning to. Did you consider doing a one way drop of a car (I think Avis is the only option). I figured I could stop a couple of times if I did that, but wasn't sure what I'd do about the luggage.

Yes - in full disclosure, we came in early and rented a car from Avis in Anchorage (cheaper for us) that we returned to the same downtown office the next morning and then walked down to the train depot.  (Dropped the luggage at the depot before we returned the car!)

With this extra day with the car preceding our cruise day, we drove down Turnagain Arm and visited the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center and made a few stops along the way.  It was beautiful, and we enjoyed an extra day.  Denali was way too far and out of the question, but this gave us a little extra time.  

We took the free shuttle to our hotel from the airport the evening of our arrival, and then the same shuttle dropped us off in downtown Anchorage the next morning where we walked to the Avis location. So we technically flew in on Monday night, did our extra day touring on Tuesday, and returned the car Wednesday early - the day of our cruise - and took the train out to Whittier.  Our car rental was therefore a 24 hour rental, and not too expensive.

The cost of returning in Whittier was high, and I was a bit chicken about timing the drive through the tunnel.  

OK friends - I did this EXACT thing before I boarded the SB Coral on June 27th 2018!

I researched a number of ways to get to Whittier, and the answer for  me was ......THE TRAIN!

It was awesome, and the best part was you leave your Princess luggage tagged bags at the train depot in Anchorage, and you won't see them again until they are waiting for you outside your cabin door on board the ship!

I booked the 26 Glacier cruise separately with Phillips, and booked the Train myself: https://www.alaskarailroad.com/ride-a-train/buy-tickets

You'll want the one way Glacier Discovery from Anchorage to Whittier - departs at 9:45 am and is $89.

It arrives at 12:05 - but wait you say......will I be on time for the 26 Glacier cruise?  YES you will because they are waiting for this train as many of their cruisers are on it as well.

When you return, just walk just steps to embark, and there's no line!

Best part - the 26 Glacier cruise was fantastic !  You will see the Glaciers much more upfront and closer than you will on the rest of the cruise.  The lunch was great, and our Park Ranger was better than the one we got for Glacier Bay National Park Day.

I really enjoyed the train ride as we did not do any land package before.  The scenery on the way there is great - down Turnagain Arm and through the tunnel.

NOW - a note on the luggage.  This was a big concern for my non-cruise critic traveling friend, but I had read on here how this works, and it did - seamlessly.  When you arrive at the train depot in Anchorage, and you are facing the building and its front door, to the right is a tented area of pavement - like a small parking lot with white tents.  This is where you will give your luggage to the porters who will load it on to a truck and it will go to the ship.  I don't think they technically work for the railroad, but for Princess.  As long as you have your Princess tags attached you are good to go!

I had heard about the dining times changing once you are aboard, and at least wasn't surprised when my confirmed 5:45 early TD (never changed on the paperwork) was indeed 5:15 on the SB Coral Alaska June 2018.

Bottom line is you won't know for sure until you are on board (for TD) which makes planning much more difficult.

I would like to see a thread listing confirmed vs. reality once aboard.

Luna L

Welcome!! I hope you enjoy all the great info on Cruise Critic. It was always my guilty pleasure - unwinding at the end of a long day to read and plan for my cruise here.

Can you tell us the ship and itinerary - that may help us narrow down the likely timing of the first seating.

What time would be your preference if you were able to chose? The reason I ask is that if you are flexible, then Anytime dining may be the way to go.

The other restaurants besides the MDR (main dining rooms)on the ship are the specialty dining venues, and they take reservations and are an additional cost.

Have you cruised before? For example, on Disney - every night was a different restaurant on a rotation - so I can see the confusion there.

Congrats on your upcoming cruise!!

Too bad the Head Waiters didn’t have the cajones not to allow this. Assigned pax should have been sent to the buffet.

Yes, but......

You said assigned Pax. They were assigned to 6:00 and signed up to eat in the MDR.

If your assigned dining time changed by an hour, what would you do? Especially if you had excursions, etc.

Also, does AT have a sign up limit? I mean if everyone signed up for AT from the get go, would they eventually place them in Late TD?

We had our first balcony ever on our Alaska Coral SB June 27 - July 4th this year.

We enjoyed it, but weren't out there as much as I thought we would be. When you are in port - you are out doing excursions. On our glacier days, we really loved the viewing from the "secret door" decks at the front. Also, it was a bit chilly on those days, so lounging around the balcony was not really in the cards. And since you are going in May......Chilly may be in your experience too.

You will have an amazing time - take the $$ and tour a bit around Alaska apart from your cruise. We only had a day in Anchorage - but loved driving down Turnagain Arm on our own. Wish we had done Kenai. Denali was just too far and too much $$ for us to include unfortunately.

Thank you SO much everyone. All of your responses are very helpful. I now think we may go to the dining room more than I had expected.

Allow me to encourage you to try the MDR. Once seated, you are served! I would imagine the Buffet would be harder to manage.

We were just on the Coral SB Alaska in July, and I felt comfortable in my choice of attire which only included a dress on formal night. I didn't wear jeans, but capri's , black pants, a very casual skirt - I think you will be fine! It is just so nice to sit and be served!

Awesome!! Take a bungee cord to wrap completely around the swinging balcony divider door. Worked great for us :)

Yes, the port side is given a slight edge in desirability.

The bank space across from E212 is nothing - just a wall.

The Princess theater is below, not above E212 - and we never heard anything.

Rebooking after final payment is much trickier. YMMV - according to who picks up the phone when you call. They would not rebook for us as they insisted the fare was for new bookings only. It was NOT listed that way, and I finally got a supervisor to agree with me. They offered additional OBC - $150 each. We took that instead of a free category upgrade since we were right next door to our friends. Also, be careful about losing any promotions from your original booking if you rebook.

Before we left, I could not tell if the OBC was refundable, and from what I gathered here on CC, it wasn't . However, when we boarded, it showed as refundable in our porfolio, and we did indeed get a check back 4 weeks after the cruise.

I was all set to not like the cabin, and I have to say I would rebook it again. Being lower to the water is great for viewing from the balcony, which was covered, the bed was super comfortable, the AC worked, and the shower pressure was GREAT - made up for the tiny, tiny shower space! (True of all regular balcony rooms, not just ours)