STAR CRUISES - General Info

To anyone who has sailed Star in Asia, could you please answer a couple of basic questions for me please...

What is the onboard language? Is everything in English, or is it like Costa where they do everything in 28 different languages?

Does anyone know where I can get a scan of any of the daily programs from ANY Star Cruises ship, just so that I can see the kind of things they do and how dining etc. works. I have looked on cruiseclues.com but have found nothing.

Any help would be appreciated.

Hi

Check out the Gemini,Libra,Aquarius,Virgo threads and you will find an encyclopedia of information.

Cheers

Les

English is the principal language spoken on SS GEMINI & VIRGO ex Singapore .

To anyone who has sailed Star in Asia, could you please answer a couple of basic questions for me please...

 

What is the onboard language? Is everything in English, or is it like Costa where they do everything in 28 different languages?

 

Does anyone know where I can get a scan of any of the daily programs from ANY Star Cruises ship, just so that I can see the kind of things they do and how dining etc. works. I have looked on cruiseclues.com but have found nothing.

 

Any help would be appreciated.

hi,

just got back from Aquarius , very different from any other that we have been on. focused very much on the asian market and gambling.

lots of restuarants, but once again very asian, only the internatinal bufe was a option for us.not as many activities as on other lines most people just gamble , but if just relaxing is your thin then its fine.overall the trip is made by the destinations and the staff . the staff even thou the english is not thet good , go out of their way to please.all and all still a very good cruise.

regards,

b

According to info posted on STAR website they have sold 50 % share of NCL to Apollo Equity a private equity investor for $ 1bn US . Star will still retain 50 % ownership. The investment by Apollo will allow STAR to expand / concentrate on its STAR CRUISES operations in Asia of which it will still be 100 % owner . Further info here :

http://www.starcruises.com/News/2007/20070819-factsheet.pdf

Star website reveals that third quarter results for STAR show a loss owing to adverse currency exchange or something like that, and NCL is looking brighter with things turning around especially in Carribean and vast improvement in Hawaiian operations too . Full details under Press Releases on Star website .

Whilst the Home Page has not had a makeover yet a lot of other pages have been updated . New info includes Cruise Director info, Price Deals and much more . (Links on the price deals do not work as yet though.) Itinerary pages have been re-formatted too . Overall the revamp which would appear to be on-going is very much more promotional/sales oriented (whereas the old format was largely just info.) .

Although the itinerary pages have been re-formatted they are certainly not up to date. The contain a lot of what is now history, and by base port all vessel sailings are not displayed as yet . Also a lot of the history of Star has not been updated, viz: still talks of Marco Polo when it is as good as history, still talks of Norwegian Wind being part of NCL etc .

Also a lot of the links do not work at all as yet, hopefully a work in progress, but much better than the old .

Overall a vast improvement, and hopefully Star will devote the resources to keep it up to date so that the public can use it as main source of info .

NCLA have announced Pride of Aloha will be withdrawn from US operations and transferred to Star Asian fleet in May 2008 .

Hopefully Star will get the conversion right this time and we will not end up with a gross over supply of Casino space which has ruined the attractiveness of SS AQUARIUS to the majority of cruisers as distinct from gamblers .

With the expected tranferal of Norwegian Dream also late this year, coupled with the simultaneous departure of Gemini Star will have net gain of one vessel in Asia.

Interesting to see what new itineraries, what names given to the two (2) new vessels, and which large vessel is based in Singapore still Virgo or Aloha ?

NCLA have announced Pride of Aloha will be withdrawn from US operations and transferred to Star Asian fleet in May 2008 .

 

Hopefully Star will get the conversion right this time and we will not end up with a gross over supply of Casino space which has ruined the attractiveness of SS AQUARIUS to the majority of cruisers as distinct from gamblers .

 

With the expected tranferal of Norwegian Dream also late this year, coupled with the simultaneous departure of Gemini Star will have net gain of one vessel in Asia.

 

Interesting to see what new itineraries, what names given to the two (2) new vessels, and which large vessel is based in Singapore still Virgo or Aloha ?

Well, it's offical, the Pride of Aloha, ex Norwegian Sky, is heading to Star Cruises this summer. It'll be interesting to see what Star will name it, where Star will sail her, and how they will refurbish her. A casino was once place where the Hawaii Learning Center is located today.

I guess they could also expand the casino aftwards.

The Pride of Aloha should do well for Star cruises, being between the ages of the ex-Leo and Virgo, and approximately the same size. It's lack of mini-suites, as compared with the Sun, means it wasn't as profitable as the Sun and NCL's newer ships.

Surprisingly, the Aloha will join Star's fleet earlier than the Dream and Majesty, both of which are older than the Aloha.

Thanks Ron for the info.

Looks like reinstalling the casino on the ship would be an easy job.

But ideally for the Asain market the casino should be slightly larger like the purpose build ones like the Leo and the Virgo.

But as you said it could be extended aft for a larger or high roller room.

With the expected tranferal of Norwegian Dream also late this year, coupled with the simultaneous departure of Gemini Star will have net gain of one vessel in Asia.

True, a net gain on just one ship. But, two much larger ships will be replacing the Gemini.

Gemini at ~20,000 tons, Dream at ~50,000 tons (2x the size of the Gemini), Aloha at ~77,000 tons (almost 4x the size of the Gemini).

77k + 50k = 127K. 127k / 20k = 635%.

That like 6 more Gemini sized ships. ;)

Of course, increased passenger capacity will not be as large. But still significantly more, over 4x.

Gemini at 788 passengers, Dream at 1520 passengers, Aloha at 2002 passengers. 1520 + 2002 = 3522. 3522 / 788 = 447%

The add the recent addition of the Superstar Aquarius earlier this year, another 50,000 tons and another 1520 passengers, the growth of Star is even more astounding. And don't forget, late 2009 or early 2010, the Majesty should come available, at 40,000 tons and 1462 passengers (about the same size as the Superstar Libra).

That's a lot of growth in just a few years. :cool:

Does anyone know when Star will announce where they will sail the ex-Pride of Aloha? I assume from some Chinese home port, as 2008 seems to be Star's year for China. But I could be completely wrong.

At the Star web site, there hasn't been any new news posted since October 2007. Don't they update their news more often than every 6 months?

Does anyone know when Star will announce where they will sail the ex-Pride of Aloha? I assume from some Chinese home port, as 2008 seems to be Star's year for China. But I could be completely wrong.

At the Star web site, there hasn't been any new news posted since October 2007. Don't they update their news more often than every 6 months?

Ron, what are you doing loofing in this part of the world again.

We here in Asia and Singapore in particular are watching this news very closely.

I don't think it will be some Chinese port as they have tried many times before. In fact not many countries will accept their ships as they are casino ships and the governments don't want them to take their local citizens out to sea to gamble.

There was a close decision by the Tiawanese government to allow gambling similar to the Singapore model but it was rejected eventually rejected by the govenment.

Their website has not been something which they pay much attention to. But as we write they are remodelling their website on a dailly basis.

Watching out for any news of the Pride of Aloha here on a dailly basis.

SSV indicates elsewhere on another thread that he feels home base will NOT be Singapore, and that ties in with VIRGO returning to Singapore late October, 2008 .

So that makes it either Hong Kong or Shanghai surely ? with perhaps Aloha in HK and Aquarius based in Shanghai .

Will be interesting to see what new itineraries are offered as whilst Star claim to be the leading cruise line in Asia - there is a lot of Asia that still offers as growth markets as ports of call - Shanghai, Manila, Japan, Taiwan etc.

Word is that when Aloha arrives from Hawaii in late May it will only be in dry dock for a few days prior to entering service as Superstar Whatever, which indicates minimal conversion if any initially .

Pride of Aloha (SuperStar_________?) will be in Singapore dry-dock for 2 weeks. We cannot underestimate Star Cruises and their plans and thinking. There is no reason to believe that SuperStar_____? will not be homeported in the "greater China" area.

Mike

It would also make a good choice for sailing during the southern hemisphere's summer months near Australia later this year. It'll be as large and as modern as P&O's new Pacific Dawn (ex-Regal Princess). Homeport it in Melbourne vs Sydney. Just an idea that came to mind. Then reposition her north for the northern hemisphere's summer months.

Don't forget, the Dream is headed Star's way later this year.

I foresee the "ex-Dream" positioned full time in Singapore, the Aquarius in Hong Kong to accomodiate mostly gamblers. Have the Virgo and "ex-Aloha" doing both short and long more "western style" cruises, with a casino sized like what's on the Virgo now. And last have the Libra being a smaller version of the Virgo, sailing from Taiwan and new homeports in China, like Shanghai for example. Of course, the "ex-Dream" could be Shanghai's gambling ship instead of Singapore's gambling ship. And I haven't accounted where the Star Pieces will end up at.

Changes are on the way for Star. It'll be interesting where they place all these newly acquired ships.

Ron, what are you doing loofing in this part of the world again.

We here in Asia and Singapore in particular are watching this news very closely.

I'm just keeping one eye on what's happening to some of my old favorite ships. It's interesting to see what Star does to these ships, as it was interesting to see what NCL has done to the Spirit (ex-Leo).

I'm just keeping one eye on what's happening to some of my old favorite ships. It's interesting to see what Star does to these ships, as it was interesting to see what NCL has done to the Spirit (ex-Leo).

Ron, you are a frog. You croak too much.

You have to know the politics and government policies in this part of the world to try and figure out things. The Chinese govenment have a very strick no gamling policy, exception is Macau. I think for historic reasons. Also they have self government. Anyway the Chinese govenment can turn of the tap off on the chinese gamblers who make up 50% of the Macau gamblers or regulate the flow into Macau.

The Gemini in this Australian summer season did bombed out. It started off with 50+% occupancy and dropped off to about 25% at the end. The Australian govenment also did not allow them to operate their casino for most of their time there.

Just like to switch topic.

Star Cruises lost US$123M in the last quater of 2007. They lost a total of $200M in 2007 and $147M in 2006. The third and last cruise ship has to come out of Hawaii. Or else the company will not turn around. NCL is still profitable but now 50% of the profit will go to Apollo.

Shows that they should stick to their core business of gambling and casino ships.

The company can do whatever they want to the ship. In the case of Aquarius' fiasco, they altered her too much and now seeing the effects.

You might want to find out revenue and profit by ship. See how Virgo is more profitable than some of her NCL counterparts.

The world has changed, US IS still the leading consumer, economy and will be for a long time HOWEVER, companies no longer need to depend on the US for profit and neither do they need to cater to your demands.

Having a large casino caters to the Asian crowd, hence the Leo's larger casino while she was in Asia waters. Expect more changes and (possibly unexpected)fleet deployment/transfers within the next 2 years!

Further to my previous info in response to another CC'ers query :

Star Info Booklet advises no vaccinations required for any Asian country unless the traveller has arrived from Africa (34 countries listed) or South America ( 10 countries listed) wherein such travellers must have current vaccination certificate for be vaccination against YELLOW FEVER for entry into Thailand and/or Malaysia .

The company can do whatever they want to the ship. In the case of Aquarius' fiasco, they altered her too much and now seeing the effects.

 

You might want to find out revenue and profit by ship. See how Virgo is more profitable than some of her NCL counterparts.

 

The world has changed, US IS still the leading consumer, economy and will be for a long time HOWEVER, companies no longer need to depend on the US for profit and neither do they need to cater to your demands.

 

Having a large casino caters to the Asian crowd, hence the Leo's larger casino while she was in Asia waters. Expect more changes and (possibly unexpected)fleet deployment/transfers within the next 2 years!

I'm not surprised the Virgo is Star's most profitable ship. It is their newest and largest ship after all. The "Aloha" is just as new and large, has a few more cabins, and could be just as profitable as the Virgo.

The Gemini is much older, about the same age as the Pisces, Aquarius, and is much smaller. I'm just suggesting that Star use their older ships as gaming ships, and it's newer ships for "western" style cruising. The Aloha is just as nice as P&O's recent addition Dawn Princess, possibly better, and could complete in Australian seas much better than the Gemini, with or without a casino. It will arrive in Asia debt free, with no liens on it.

Macau isn't the only place with casino/casino ships in China. Don't the Star Pisces and Superstar Aquarius sail from Hong Kong daily?

And I agree Star enlarged the casino spaces on the Aquarius too much. But that mistake wasn't made by NCL. Star can easily undo some of that too.

I don't know which ships in any fleet are making profits or losses. Few cruise lines report profits by ships. You reply was the first hint I've read that the Gemini was sailing half full this year in Australia seas, and I didn't know the casino was closed in Australia either.

electricron - Wrong quote for most of what you are replying to.

Well, lets just say that Virgo is more profitable than some of her NCL family's cousins.

I was hoping a ship ala Virgo/Aloha will be based in Singapore with the new transfer as Aquarius.....isn't my favourite member of the fleet.

I am a gambler and I would compare going on the Virgo and the Aquarius as going to a 5 star resort and a 2 star resort

Well, it depends on where you go yes? The casino on Aquarius is IMO, better than Virgo.

Rooms are good except the bathroom.

1. The Casino on SS GEMINI was not open within Australian territorial waters, but was open when in International waters on the Australian deployment . This is normal International practice with cruise ships. (Also Australian GST applied to all on-board purchases whilst SS Gemini was within Australian territorial waters . )

2. The Australian season for SS GEMINI had mixed results primarily because the marketing by Star was virtually non existant in Australia, and left to local Travel Wholesalers . Also who wants to go to Queensland at the hottest time of the year ? A lot of things were far from ideal , both timing and itinerary wise . There were also many booking problems the way Star does it in Aus through Wholesalers . For example many pax reported being told by TA that cruises were fully booked, when in fact plenty of berths were available. People were refused better class berths when they were still available . Star would do well to conduct a thorough post mortem before any new Australian seasons . Other lines are booking decent loads out of Aus - (and more Cruise ships keep coming) so the business is here if the itineraries, pricing and marketing are all gotten right .

2. Star realize that there is a cruise business outside of their primary business which appears to be short duration cruises focussed on attracting gamblers . With SS GEMINI there were 2 x 21 day round trip itineraries in 2006, upped to 3 in 2007, and now this year 2008 there will be 6 . Star would not be doing this unless it were not a good business proposition . Word I got is that the longer itineraries are booking well for 2008 .

The arrival of Aloha and Dream later in 2008 will offer Star scope to expand the field of operation for both their core business as well as expand the range of longer cruise type itineraries and hopefully new ports of call like South Korea, Japan, Phillipines .