Star Princess review, Jan 23-30

[tom-n-jules]

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.

 

Bubble-

try finding a simple long black skirt and pair it up with a nice blouse you can wear again in everyday life. The long black skirt will come in handy at some point other than the cruise. Here's one I ordered and wear all the time for a reasonable $23!

http://www.qvc.com/asp/frameset.asp?nest=%2Fasp%2FIsItemNumberRedirect.asp&search=SQ&frames=y&referrer=QVC&txtDesc=A0199&SearchClass=&Submit4=Go

 

You can also rent formal wear if you don't think you'll ever wear it again. My husband rents his tux from this place and they deliver right to the ship. I noticed they also rent women's formal clothes:

http://www.cruiselineformal.com/

 

But perhaps if you buy more formal wear, you'll be FORCED to take more cruises???!!! :D :eek: :D

[DOTTYCAN]

I am interested in all the Princess reviews. I wonder if the Sea Princess is the way to see the Mediterranean. We have been on the Regal several times and plan to return this summer to Alaska.

 

dottycan

[DOTTYCAN]

Hos long does it take to get "Elite" status on Princess. We have "Platinum". It is great for embarcation and debarcation.

 

dottycan

[TxGal]

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.

 

Sorry, Cybercsp, I didn't see your post until just now. We loved the cabin, and the balcony was fantastic. There was a table and 2 chairs by the railing--great for eating. There was also 2 full size loungers with thick blue and white pads on them and a small square table between them. The cabin had plenty of storage (more than enough for 2 women who tend to overpack) and all of our luggage easily fit under the beds with room to spare. The only problem we had was noise. With so much water churning below us, it was pretty noisy on the balcony and very hard to carry on a conversation. We ended up yelling at each other to be heard. We were amazed, though, at how sound-proof the sliding door was. Be sure to close the door very tight and lock it--you'll have the scenery but not the noise! Cabin steward was Jerry and he was definitely one of the best cabin stewards I've ever had. Enjoy your cruise!

[Cybercsp]

TxGal,

Thanks for your response. It sounds great!! As I am watching the snow fall this morning, I am dreaming of lounging on that balcony with a good book and a glass of wine!

[fuzzywuzzy]

Is there a formal rental store onboard where you can rent tuxedos online? I know that the Carnival line has this option. Does the Star? thanks

[ghgeckos]

Yes, you can rent formal wear on the ship or preorder it. check out the brochures they send you.

[tom-n-jules]

Is there a formal rental store onboard where you can rent tuxedos online? I know that the Carnival line has this option. Does the Star? thanks

Reserve online in advance at Cruiseline Formalwear. It's a great site, we've used them 3 times now. First two times the fit was perfect, this time the pants were too short (try stuff on as soon as they deliver it to your cabin). I called our steward who picked up the pants and a few hours later dropped off the new ones!

[Terre]

Thanks for your review. DH and I will be on the Star in October -- first time on Princess. I may have missed this in your review and sorry if you mentioned it, but I'm wondering about midnight buffets. Carnival and some other lines we've been on recently, seem to be phasing them out. How about the Star?

Are there "real" midnight buffets or just "snacks" at the grills and bars?

 

Thanks.

[nschurr]

The Horizon Court is open 24 hours a day. No midnight buffet.

[Terre]

nschurr, thanks for the quick reply!

[powers64]

hello everyone, i am new here. just did my first cruise in april on carnival triumph and am ready to book princess star on 10/16, tomorrow if all goes well. i would like to ask what is the afternoon tea like? where and when and is it just tea or is there also food or pastries with it? thanks, i am finding out so much about princess from you all, i really appreciate all of your opinions and experiences. thank you, sharon

[samjj]

I believe afternoon tea started at 3:00 or 3:30 and lasted about an hour. They served it in the Capri dining room, if my memory serves me. This was a really nice break in the day. A good reason to get out of the sun and cleaned up.

 

They serve an assortment of sandwiches (really good), really great scones, and desserts (pastries, cookies, bars). And tea, of course!

 

The service was great, too!

 

ENJOY!

 

Jaime

[powers64]

thanks for the reply jaime. It sounds really nice, and your right it is a good break in the day from the sun. have you been on many princess (star) cruises? my first was the triumph,carnival last month, now i am hooked on cruising. i had the two kids with us, they all but ruined it for me and hubby, they were just horrible, thats why i am doing another one for just me and hubby. and princess seems perfect for just the two of us. and an adult only pool? is it really true? it sounds wonderful, i just cant wait until october, i am booking it today. thank you again for the reply and if anyone wants to tell me anything about the star and princess i am all ears. i am going for the balcony room, it says room square footage is like 230 to 280 feet or there abouts, is that including the balcony or is the balcony footage added on to that number? and now that i think about it i have a ton of questions. with the personal choice dining, is it the same dress code or is it more lax? i would never want hubby to wear bluejeans if it is not in the accepted dress code, but what about dressy black denim pants and a button down shirt, would that be ok in the traditional dining during casual nights and the pers.choice dining areas? and the pools look way bigger than the carnival pools, which is one of the reasons i am booking with princess, are they as big as they look in the pictures? does anyone have an approximate length and width of the pool? and are they salt water pools? are they warm or is the water changed everyday and they are sterile and freezing. i cant seem to get into a cold pool no matter how long i stand in it. well this has turned into 20 questions and i am sorry for that, am just soooo excited. any answers at all will be greatly appreciated, thank you, sharon

[samjj]

The Star Princess was my first cruise on Princess. My only other cruise was on Carnival, a couple of years ago. That cruise was with my family and other relatives. Boy, was that ever a lot of work - trying to coordinate everyone for dinners, shore excursions, shows, etc. etc. Not very relaxing for me! My Star cruise was just girls only. What a difference in cruising experience! Much more relaxing. I only had myself to worry about. As a mom, I'm sure you can relate to that!!!

 

Never did make it to any "adults only" pool. But when I cruised, there were only 13 kids enrolled in the kids program, so there weren't really any kids in the main pool anyway. The pool is fresh water. Yes, the pool is bigger because a section is not roped off for a water slide. Which I actually missed having on Princess. At 46, I still like to slide on water slides!! The pool was on the chilly side and it took me quite a while to actually want to go under.

 

I had personal choice dining, which was great! The same dress applies as in the traditional dining room. Same meals are served, as well. Dressy black jeans should be okay. I saw quite a few men with regular jeans on.

 

As far as the square footage of your cabin, it depends on where you are getting your information. Some sites give the total area (including balcony) and others don't. The Princess brochure gives the area including the balcony.

 

Jaime

[LeaninLeeward]

Welcome Powers64-

There are a bunch of us Cruise Critics going with you on Oct 16, come on over and drop in on our roll call post if you want. We have a few experienced cruisers posting and a bunch of us newbies too! Glad to help answer questions too!:)

Roll Call link is beow:
[url="http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=107230&page=11&pp=30"]http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=107230&page=11&pp=30[/url]

LL.