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If You Like To Think Of The Star As A Good Ship...Do NOT Read This Review

SailorJack

By SailorJack,
in Princess Cruises

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Minoushka

Minoushka

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THank you Thank you for my morning chuckle I love your style

I'm so glad you included Liz Taylor as a queen of Egypt !!!

Pleae keep sharing your adventures ..just love them ..I still think your South American adventure HILARIOUS!!!Wonderful narration and not fiction to boot!!!

Looking forward to your pix

 

Michele

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DougH

DougH

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Another fanastic read! Glad you had fun, I was on the Star with you for the Brazil cruise earlier this spring. (I boarded in Buenos Aires, was supposed to be on in Santiago)

 

Like you I'm hooked on those incredible cookies. Princess would have a real profit if they provided them free the first week to get us hooked then gradually increase the price as the cruise goes on. By the end of the trip passengers would be trading in cars, kids and houses for more hot cookies :) Sometimes I think there were more people lined up there than for bingo

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SailorJack

SailorJack

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Another fanastic read! Glad you had fun, I was on the Star with you for the Brazil cruise earlier this spring. (I boarded in Buenos Aires, was supposed to be on in Santiago)

 

Like you I'm hooked on those incredible cookies. Princess would have a real profit if they provided them free the first week to get us hooked then gradually increase the price as the cruise goes on. By the end of the trip passengers would be trading in cars, kids and houses for more hot cookies :) Sometimes I think there were more people lined up there than for bingo

 

That was an incredible cruise. However, don't give Princess an idea about charging for the cookies.:eek:

 

THank you Thank you for my morning chuckle I love your style

I'm so glad you included Liz Taylor as a queen of Egypt !!!

Pleae keep sharing your adventures ..just love them ..I still think your South American adventure HILARIOUS!!!Wonderful narration and not fiction to boot!!!

Looking forward to your pix

 

Michele

 

You remember the Dream review.:D That was also quite a cruise. In fact it turned out to be one of our favorites. And how can one discuss Egyptian history without Liz!:)

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SailorJack

SailorJack

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A great story teller. Hope you have some things to tell about the crew... :)

 

Actually, we had some great crew members on this cruise and had a lot of fun with several. One of the servers had an excellent sense of humor and in the morning up at the buffet I would walk towards an empty 6 top table and she would head me off and tell me the seats were all taken. Then, when SailorJill appeared she would remember that one seat was still available.:)

 

The main dining room where we ate also had a terrific maitre d' - he always had time to stop by and share stories of his adventures. The first night in Alexandria so many people spent the night in Cairo that there were only 100 passengers on the ship for dinner. We were one of two couples in the dining room and we nearly had the entire dining room staff around our table sharing jokes and stories.

 

While we have always had great experiences with the crew on all of our cruises, the crew on this ship was one of the best we have ever had.

 

Bravo, Jack! Did you know that Gamal was the first name of an Egyptian president? Do you think mayhaps that the camel's name was a political statement, or even a karmic reincarnation?

 

Great review, as always. Glad to see your ship avoided all Japanese barges this time.

 

Glad you enjoyed it. And you are right - no barges or Grand Vitara's on this cruise.:D

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SailorJack

SailorJack

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Inside the Coluseum. A partial floor has been reconstructed and the rooms underneath the floor are where the gladiators and lions were kept.

 

2866565110106582660S600x600Q85.jpg

 

 

Trevi Fountain - throw a coin in over your shoulder and you are guaranteed a return to Rome!

 

2226837420106582660S600x600Q85.jpg

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wavefairy

wavefairy

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This report had us laughing like crazy...nevertheless a great report!! We appreciate this information since we will be sailing the same route you took on November 22nd.

 

Can you tell us if you disembarked the ship near the International lounge on deck 5 when you returned to Civitavecchia? What time did Princess let passengers off on the return and did it run smoothly?

 

 

 

Thanks again for the update on this cruise route Sailor Jack!!

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SailorJack

SailorJack

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This report had us laughing like crazy...nevertheless a great report!! We appreciate this information since we will be sailing the same route you took on November 22nd.

 

Can you tell us if you disembarked the ship near the International lounge on deck 5 when you returned to Civitavecchia? What time did Princess let passengers off on the return and did it run smoothly?

 

 

 

Thanks again for the update on this cruise route Sailor Jack!!

`

 

It is a great itinerary. We missed Kios because it is a tender port and the water was too rough. We had a great time in Istanbul, but if I had put it in my review it would have been to long.:(

 

People who were walk-offs (like us) were told to meet in the lounge near the IC between 5:30 and 6:30. We then had a short walk to the stairwell past the IC and went down a flight of stairs to get off the boat. We were off the boat by 6:00 AM. Obviously, deboarding went very smoothly.

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SailorJack

SailorJack

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Thanks , love reading all of your reviews! I'm just wondering why Cruise Critic or another site hasn't hired you yet - love your style!

 

Good hearing from you again.:) Cruise Critic did give an award for my Dream review, but I am happily retired and not looking for anything more strenuous than looking for good cruise deals.:D:D

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lhall85917

lhall85917

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Good hearing from you again.:) Cruise Critic did give an award for my Dream review, but I am happily retired and not looking for anything more strenuous than looking for good cruise deals.:D:D

Hopefully we'll meet up again on another cruise - what do you have planned next? We are also recently (and happily) retired and trying to figure out what we will do for our next adventure...

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SailorJack

SailorJack

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Hopefully we'll meet up again on another cruise - what do you have planned next? We are also recently (and happily) retired and trying to figure out what we will do for our next adventure...

 

Nothing booked yet, but we will be booking a Viking river cruise on the Yangtze River in the fall and a 7 day get-a-way cruise in the Caribbean at the end of January. We will probably also be looking at another Med cruise later in the Spring.

 

You?

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wavefairy

wavefairy

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Thanks for the update on disembarkation...we will also have to do walk off with our luggage since our flight at FCO leaves at 9:45 a.m. We have Rome Cabs picking us up at the dock at 6 a.m. When we were on the Star for the Antarctica trip in January 2010...disembarkation was also done in that area....but every port is different.

 

We really appreciate your reminder about the pick pocket situation in Rome since we will be there for a few days before the cruise. Loved your pictures of the Coliseum and Trevi Fountain. Did you go with a specific tour group to see these sites?

 

Best Regards,

 

 

Wavefairy --Max and Mary

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lhall85917

lhall85917

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Nothing booked yet, but we will be booking a Viking river cruise on the Yangtze River in the fall and a 7 day get-a-way cruise in the Caribbean at the end of January. We will probably also be looking at another Med cruise later in the Spring.

 

You?

We've been considering a river cruise, never done one, but like the idea of getting inland a bit more. Its on our radar for next spring or summer if we find a good deal. We are doing Panama Canal in January. We also looked at African Safaris - that is on our to-do list at some time. I'll keep an eye out for your next trip...

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SailorJack

SailorJack

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Thanks for the update on disembarkation...we will also have to do walk off with our luggage since our flight at FCO leaves at 9:45 a.m. We have Rome Cabs picking us up at the dock at 6 a.m. When we were on the Star for the Antarctica trip in January 2010...disembarkation was also done in that area....but every port is different.

 

We really appreciate your reminder about the pick pocket situation in Rome since we will be there for a few days before the cruise. Loved your pictures of the Coliseum and Trevi Fountain. Did you go with a specific tour group to see these sites?

 

Best Regards,

 

 

Wavefairy --Max and Mary

 

Everybody warns you about pick-pockets in Rome - especially in crowds and public transportation. Jill was stopped by several people as we walked around and told to be careful about her purse.

 

We had a very well located hotel and were able to walk to almost all the venues we wanted to see. There is a Rome Pass good for three days for around 30 Euros that gives you unlimited use of public transportation as well as entry to many of the things (like the Coloseum) that you may want to see. Once you get in line at the Coloseum you will be approached by guides who will let you join a group for 4 Euros. We never felt the need for an organized tour.

 

We also took Rome Cabs to FCO and they were very prompt. The driver was there 30 minutes before the scheduled pickup time. We were on a 12:20 flight and the security line at that time of the day was nearly 45 minutes - hopefully not that long for you.

 

Bonus picture.:) We stumbled upon a reenactment rehearsal at the Circus Maximus. There was a battle between the Roman Legion (pictured here) and a tribe of Barbarians.

 

2334931200106582660S600x600Q85.jpg

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BurBunny

BurBunny

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Darn you, SailorJack! I have been hooked on your reviews since the Nightmare Dream, but I'd overlooked the fact you were on the Star's last sailing. I'm embarking on the same itinerary on November 22, and you've totally ruined it for me! I will be looking out for Gamal, so thank you for that, but otherwise every place I go will pale in comparison to your adventures. I can't possibly hope to have nearly as much fun. I'm thinking I'll leave the guide and books behind and just print out your review to tell me what I should be experiencing... You are no gentleman, SailorJack! :D

 

You are, however, a man of great gifts. Thank you for sharing yet another of your adventures with us. I know I will be giggling frequently during my upcoming cruise thinking of your missive.

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