Overview of 15 day hawaii cruise star princess

[Arwen]

Hello All!

 

We were on the Star Princess for a 15 day Hawaii cruise from Jan. 23, '17 to Feb. 7th, '17. We sailed out of LA for Hawaii. We encountered an "atmospheric river" which describes storms in other areas that affected swells (left over from storms). For two days, we were rocking and rolling and it was tiresome walking around the ship with the floor moving beneath, LOL.

 

I don't get seasick, but obviously some activities had to be curtailed due to that. It was also cooler out on deck and while at sea, not warm enough to be outside for too long. There were some "moments", maybe a couple of hours where it was warm enough for sunning.

 

Just some of my opinions and thoughts (for what they are worth!)

 

Balcony Stateroom Baja 230 (11th deck). Room was fine, but we had issues with our climate control. As others have reported here, it seems that there isn't much AC flow during the night.

 

I run warm, and sleep better when the room is very cool. That was a problem for me. Fortunately, I brought along a special cooling neck towel and portable fan.

 

I literally did not have time to report the climate control problem until days before the cruise ended. A technician came up, could not get a "reading" of the room temp and realized that the entire thermostat/control had to be replaced. He did that, and while it seemed to work better during the day, I did not notice improvement of cooling at night.

 

The Star Princess is an old ship. We had a standard balcony stateroom and with that category, the teeny tiny shower, LOL. I am a tiny person, 5'0, and 107 lbs! and yet I found it to be a tight space. Oh well.......I know I could always move up a category or two if I could get my hubby to spring for the extra cost!

 

For the first several days our shower ran hot/cold/warm. I suspected the blender as we had that problem with our own shower at home one time.

Indeed, after calling #6000, the plumber/technician came up and replaced the blender. Nice hot showers after that!

 

The bed: the mattress: awful!!!! I used to have back issues, now resolved, but hubby has been dealing with a sore shoulder and found the mattress to be very uncomfortable.

 

Honestly, the mattress had about a 2" dip and when I placed my hand on it I could feel the coils.

 

I LOVE Princess, but for them to not change out these old flophouse mattresses is shameful! An egg crate can only do so much for a mattress that should have been discarded years ago (as we discovered on a Diamond Princess cruise back in '12!)

 

I know that Princess has a schedule for switching out the old mattresses, but they need to speed up their schedule (IMHO). I have stayed at 3 star hotels where the mattresses were absolute luxury compared to the one in our stateroom.

 

Note to Princess CEO: Get going on getting ALL of your flophouse mattresses replaced....like ASAP!

 

DINING: we had early fixed dining in the Portofino Dining Room. Though we had a table for six, we ended up with just one other couple to share dinner with.

 

Service was excellent.

 

The best meal I had was on the last night, mussels prepared in white wine, herbs, and cream...........Pure Heaven!

 

Horizon Court food: okay to good. Hubby loved the food options, but I am more limited due to gluten intolerance. Nevertheless, there was always fresh fruit, salad fixings, cheeses, and a variety of items. At lunch time, I noticed more carb filled choices.

 

On formal nights in the Horizon Court, nothing special was offered. I think I remember on past Princess cruises that the offerings were usually better there on formal nights or even matched what was served in the MD. So that was a bit of a disappointment for us.

 

Our Favorite Place on the Ship: The Piazza!!! The International Cafe was wonderful with their food choices and they also offered gluten free desserts. Hubby bought a coffee/beverage card and we spent a number of afternoons there on the sea days. BTW, tea is free if you have a beverage card and I highly recommend the "Mighty Leaf" teas, especially the "White Orchard Green Tea"! It can be a bit tricky to find a table in the Piazza, but if you get there at least a half hour before the entertainment, you can usually find a spot.

 

I was charmed by the "tea service". Of course, with the To Go service you get your paper cup and lid, but if you ask for the tea to be served at your table, then the server brings a lovely ceramic teapot, cup, and little stirrer. Nice touch!

 

ENTERTAINMENT: was often the "Imperial Trio" in the Piazza, consisting of a pianist, violinist, and cello player, all from Hungary. They were just simply amazing (it takes much to impress me).

 

Sadly, there were no CD's to purchase as I desperately wanted one to take home. I never tire of hearing "strings".

 

We went to a number of the shows in the Princess Theater. The "Born to Dance" musical/dance show was our favorite. This musical chronicled the history and development through the decades of choreography.

 

Carlos Oscar, comedian, appeared on two different nights and was excellent. He is one of our favorites, having seen him several times before on previous Princess cruises.

 

We had to show up 45 minutes early to be sure to get a seat for the early shows. The second show seating was not a problem (9:45).

 

Side Notes: Captain Michele Luvo was wonderful! He was so funny. He always ends his daily announcements with a cute "bye-bye". And, Captain Luvo seemed to be everywhere on the ship! He showed up a number of times to call out Bingo numbers!

 

Out of 21 cruises, he certainly gets the award for being the most friendly and visible ship's captain.

 

FAVORITE SEA DAY OFFERINGS: We enjoyed the enrichment series about flying. A retired Irish pilot presented talks about the various aspects of flying, the ins and outs

 

Most interesting was his "take" on whether or not Captain Sully Sullenberger (Miracle on the Hudson) was really a hero. He offered an interesting perspective regarding that event.

 

And we learned lots of little details like why there is a need for a plane's heated windshield. The heat makes the glass less brittle so that if there is a bird strike or other compromise of the windshield, ..it won't shatter which would be very dangerous for the pilot/co-pilot.

 

Since this was a Hawaii cruise, lots of Hawaii culture activities were offered. Leialoha (sp?) taught Hawaiian dance/hula. The lessons were held in the Vista Lounge. We ladies (and men) loved it and Leialoha was an amazing instructor. What was annoying is that as the class went on and word got out about how fun it was, it became too crowded.

 

Towards the end, I found my own space to dance behind the last row of seats in the Vista Lounge. I wish the class had been "closed" after four dance sessions were held. The size of the class just kept growing which made it difficult for many of us to find enough room to move :-(

 

Our dance instructor also held lei making lessons, sign up only and limited.

 

And indeed, for the ukelele lessons (taught by Tiki Dave), one had to sign up and class size limited.

 

SHORE EXCURSIONS: I am not going to detail each one except to say they were all fine, except for one.

 

We went on the ship's "Maui Ocean Center" visit. We had been there before back in '98 (land vacation)

 

We chose the morning tour instead of the afternoon one offered. We had to get up very early to meet as a group in the Princess Theater at 8:15. Then when our group number/color was called, we headed for the tenders.

 

Once the tender arrived we waited to board the tour bus. Upon arrival at the Maui Ocean Center, an employee came aboard to tell us how to pick up and use our audio guide device.

 

 

Then...after close to three hours of hubby and I getting ready for this ship shore excursion (from time we woke up to the time we actually arrived at the Ocean Center), we were told we had 90 minutes before needing to be back on the bus.

 

That was not enough time for us to fully enjoy the interactive whale/shark display that you encounter upon first entering.

 

The water tunnel is the main feature of the Ocean Center and that is where we spent most of our time.

 

But we were not able to see a few of the other outside displays nor make it to their little cafe.

 

The upside was that it was not crowded there and allowed for good viewing in the water tunnel (Stingray swimming overhead as well as other large fish).

 

CREW AND STAFF: The best! We were very impressed. Everyone was friendly, helpful and seemed to enjoy themselves. That is not something I have experienced on every cruise. Kudos to management, crew, and staff of the Star!

 

Below are two links: the first one is a video hubby made on our Maui Ocean Center adventure:

 

 

 

The second link is to a VERY impromptu video that we made on what to take on a cruise. There are many Youtube videos about what to bring on a cruise, and I thought, heck, I will just add one more.;)

 

Edited February 18, 2017 by Arwen

[FritzG]

Thanks, we're on the same cruise departing March 13th, and while this will be our 3rd Hawaiian cruise, it's our first cruise on the Star.

[ansoninc]

Hello All!

 

We were on the Star Princess for a 15 day Hawaii cruise from Jan. 23, '17 to Feb. 7th, '17. We sailed out of LA for Hawaii. We encountered an "atmospheric river" which describes storms in other areas that affected swells (left over from storms). For two days, we were rocking and rolling and it was tiresome walking around the ship with the floor moving beneath, LOL.

 

I don't get seasick, but obviously some activities had to be curtailed due to that. It was also cooler out on deck and while at sea, not warm enough to be outside for too long. There were some "moments", maybe a couple of hours where it was warm enough for sunning.

 

Just some of my opinions and thoughts (for what they are worth!)

 

Balcony Stateroom Baja 230 (11th deck). Room was fine, but we had issues with our climate control. As others have reported here, it seems that there isn't much AC flow during the night.

 

I run warm, and sleep better when the room is very cool. That was a problem for me. Fortunately, I brought along a special cooling neck towel and portable fan.

 

I literally did not have time to report the climate control problem until days before the cruise ended. A technician came up, could not get a "reading" of the room temp and realized that the entire thermostat/control had to be replaced. He did that, and while it seemed to work better during the day, I did not notice improvement of cooling at night.

 

The Star Princess is an old ship. We had a standard balcony stateroom and with that category, the teeny tiny shower, LOL. I am a tiny person, 5'0, and 107 lbs! and yet I found it to be a tight space. Oh well.......I know I could always move up a category or two if I could get my hubby to spring for the extra cost!

 

For the first several days our shower ran hot/cold/warm. I suspected the blender as we had that problem with our own shower at home one time.

Indeed, after calling #6000, the plumber/technician came up and replaced the blender. Nice hot showers after that!

 

The bed: the mattress: awful!!!! I used to have back issues, now resolved, but hubby has been dealing with a sore shoulder and found the mattress to be very uncomfortable.

 

Honestly, the mattress had about a 2" dip and when I placed my hand on it I could feel the coils.

 

I LOVE Princess, but for them to not change out these old flophouse mattresses is shameful! An egg crate can only do so much for a mattress that should have been discarded years ago (as we discovered on a Diamond Princess cruise back in '12!)

 

I know that Princess has a schedule for switching out the old mattresses, but they need to speed up their schedule (IMHO). I have stayed at 3 star hotels where the mattresses were absolute luxury compared to the one in our stateroom.

 

Note to Princess CEO: Get going on getting ALL of your flophouse mattresses replaced....like ASAP!

 

DINING: we had early fixed dining in the Portofino Dining Room. Though we had a table for six, we ended up with just one other couple to share dinner with.

 

Service was excellent.

 

The best meal I had was on the last night, mussels prepared in white wine, herbs, and cream...........Pure Heaven!

 

Horizon Court food: okay to good. Hubby loved the food options, but I am more limited due to gluten intolerance. Nevertheless, there was always fresh fruit, salad fixings, cheeses, and a variety of items. At lunch time, I noticed more carb filled choices.

 

On formal nights in the Horizon Court, nothing special was offered. I think I remember on past Princess cruises that the offerings were usually better there on formal nights or even matched what was served in the MD. So that was a bit of a disappointment for us.

 

Our Favorite Place on the Ship: The Piazza!!! The International Cafe was wonderful with their food choices and they also offered gluten free desserts. Hubby bought a coffee/beverage card and we spent a number of afternoons there on the sea days. BTW, tea is free if you have a beverage card and I highly recommend the "Mighty Leaf" teas, especially the "White Orchard Green Tea"! It can be a bit tricky to find a table in the Piazza, but if you get there at least a half hour before the entertainment, you can usually find a spot.

 

I was charmed by the "tea service". Of course, with the To Go service you get your paper cup and lid, but if you ask for the tea to be served at your table, then the server brings a lovely ceramic teapot, cup, and little stirrer. Nice touch!

 

ENTERTAINMENT: was often the "Imperial Trio" in the Piazza, consisting of a pianist, violinist, and cello player, all from Hungary. They were just simply amazing (it takes much to impress me).

 

Sadly, there were no CD's to purchase as I desperately wanted one to take home. I never tire of hearing "strings".

 

We went to a number of the shows in the Princess Theater. The "Born to Dance" musical/dance show was our favorite. This musical chronicled the history and development through the decades of choreography.

 

Carlos Oscar, comedian, appeared on two different nights and was excellent. He is one of our favorites, having seen him several times before on previous Princess cruises.

 

We had to show up 45 minutes early to be sure to get a seat for the early shows. The second show seating was not a problem (9:45).

 

Side Notes: Captain Michele Luvo was wonderful! He was so funny. He always ends his daily announcements with a cute "bye-bye". And, Captain Luvo seemed to be everywhere on the ship! He showed up a number of times to call out Bingo numbers!

 

Out of 21 cruises, he certainly gets the award for being the most friendly and visible ship's captain.

 

FAVORITE SEA DAY OFFERINGS: We enjoyed the enrichment series about flying. A retired Irish pilot presented talks about the various aspects of flying, the ins and outs

 

Most interesting was his "take" on whether or not Captain Sully Sullenberger (Miracle on the Hudson) was really a hero. He offered an interesting perspective regarding that event.

 

And we learned lots of little details like why there is a need for a plane's heated windshield. The heat makes the glass less brittle so that if there is a bird strike or other compromise of the windshield, ..it won't shatter which would be very dangerous for the pilot/co-pilot.

 

Since this was a Hawaii cruise, lots of Hawaii culture activities were offered. Leialoha (sp?) taught Hawaiian dance/hula. The lessons were held in the Vista Lounge. We ladies (and men) loved it and Leialoha was an amazing instructor. What was annoying is that as the class went on and word got out about how fun it was, it became too crowded.

 

Towards the end, I found my own space to dance behind the last row of seats in the Vista Lounge. I wish the class had been "closed" after four dance sessions were held. The size of the class just kept growing which made it difficult for many of us to find enough room to move :-(

 

Our dance instructor also held lei making lessons, sign up only and limited.

 

And indeed, for the ukelele lessons (taught by Tiki Dave), one had to sign up and class size limited.

 

SHORE EXCURSIONS: I am not going to detail each one except to say they were all fine, except for one.

 

We went on the ship's "Maui Ocean Center" visit. We had been there before back in '98 (land vacation)

 

We chose the morning tour instead of the afternoon one offered. We had to get up very early to meet as a group in the Princess Theater at 8:15. Then when our group number/color was called, we headed for the tenders.

 

Once the tender arrived we waited to board the tour bus. Upon arrival at the Maui Ocean Center, an employee came aboard to tell us how to pick up and use our audio guide device.

 

 

Then...after close to three hours of hubby and I getting ready for this ship shore excursion (from time we woke up to the time we actually arrived at the Ocean Center), we were told we had 90 minutes before needing to be back on the bus.

 

That was not enough time for us to fully enjoy the interactive whale/shark display that you encounter upon first entering.

 

The water tunnel is the main feature of the Ocean Center and that is where we spent most of our time.

 

But we were not able to see a few of the other outside displays nor make it to their little cafe.

 

The upside was that it was not crowded there and allowed for good viewing in the water tunnel (Stingray swimming overhead as well as other large fish).

 

CREW AND STAFF: The best! We were very impressed. Everyone was friendly, helpful and seemed to enjoy themselves. That is not something I have experienced on every cruise. Kudos to management, crew, and staff of the Star!

 

Below are two links: the first one is a video hubby made on our Maui Ocean Center adventure:

 

 

 

The second link is to a VERY impromptu video that we made on what to take on a cruise. There are many Youtube videos about what to bring on a cruise, and I thought, heck, I will just add one more.;)

 

 

 

 

Lip stick style sun screen. That is a great idea. I also pack a small flashlight.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[easyboy]

Thanks for sharing your experience.

[Colo Cruiser]

Great review and videos! :)

[Italy52]

Thank you for your review of the Star I appreciate it very much especially since we will be doing a B2B cruise to Alaska on the ship.

 

I am also a short person (5 ft. 1 in). I am concerned about the shower head being stationary and not moveable like other ships I have been on. Was it a problem for you when washing your hair? Other ships I have been on have adjustable heads so there was never a problem for me.

 

Sorry to hear about the bedding -- good thing I ordered the egg crate -- realize it might not be of much help --- hopefully, our bedding won't be too bad for a 14-night stay.

[NavySis]

I was on the same cruise. Luckily I had no problems with my bed. I agree with you about the captain. He was great. I saw him serving passengers in the international cafe on a couple of sea days. I did have a great time on the cruise.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Astro Flyer]

We enjoyed the Star's Hawaii cruise before you & enjoyed reading the overview of your cruise.

 

Our crossing was mostly smooth but crew said the holiday cruise before us was quite rough & that your cruise would be the same thing. With all of the West Coast rain this winter, sailing the Pacific was bound to be "lumpy" as a British captain once described conditions on our cruise.

 

Thankfully our cabin steward had a good pillowtop mattress pad on it when we arrived which are much better than the old broken down eggcrates. I agree that Princess needs to speed up their bedding replacement schedule although they have sufficient mattresses to sell for use at home. It's wrong to sell us one but not to give us one on our cruise.

 

We had an Emerald deck mid-aft obstructed view cabin & also had a shower temperature problem. We reported it to our great cabin steward & he got maintenance to quickly fix it. The room was a little bit warmer (even during the cooler crossing) but it wasn't bad enough for us to request maintenance.

 

Thanks again for sharing your experiences. :)

[Arwen]

Thank you for your review of the Star I appreciate it very much especially since we will be doing a B2B cruise to Alaska on the ship.

 

I am also a short person (5 ft. 1 in). I am concerned about the shower head being stationary and not moveable like other ships I have been on. Was it a problem for you when washing your hair? Other ships I have been on have adjustable heads so there was never a problem for me.

 

Sorry to hear about the bedding -- good thing I ordered the egg crate -- realize it might not be of much help --- hopefully, our bedding won't be too bad for a 14-night stay.

 

I did not find the shower head position a problem. It is a just a "little bit" movable and was not an issue. But it was tricky keeping stuff from falling onto the shower pan because there is a teeny tiny shelf for your bar soap and maybe a razor, etc.

 

I failed to mention that the shower does have two dispensers, one is a shower gel and the other is a shampoo/conditioner combo.

[Arwen]

We enjoyed the Star's Hawaii cruise before you & enjoyed reading the overview of your cruise.

 

Our crossing was mostly smooth but crew said the holiday cruise before us was quite rough & that your cruise would be the same thing. With all of the West Coast rain this winter, sailing the Pacific was bound to be "lumpy" as a British captain once described conditions on our cruise.

 

Thankfully our cabin steward had a good pillowtop mattress pad on it when we arrived which are much better than the old broken down eggcrates. I agree that Princess needs to speed up their bedding replacement schedule although they have sufficient mattresses to sell for use at home. It's wrong to sell us one but not to give us one on our cruise.

 

We had an Emerald deck mid-aft obstructed view cabin & also had a shower temperature problem. We reported it to our great cabin steward & he got maintenance to quickly fix it. The room was a little bit warmer (even during the cooler crossing) but it wasn't bad enough for us to request maintenance.

 

Thanks again for sharing your experiences. :)

 

Thank you! I truly want to sail with Princess again because I do love "their product". I did not know that I can request a pillowtop pad! That would have been helpful for sure.

 

I want to choose our next cruise keeping in mind which ships have had the mattresses replaced.:-)

[Arwen]

Great review and videos! :)

 

 

Thank you!

[Arwen]

Thanks for sharing your experience.

 

 

 

You are welcome! I love being a member of Cruise Critic because, for over 11 yrs this site has been a wealth of information and help to me and my husband.

[Arwen]

Lip stick style sun screen. That is a great idea. I also pack a small flashlight.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

Yes, you are right about a small flashlight! Forgot to mention that one. I always have a key chain (very tiny) flashlight permanently attached on the outside of my Nike Tote Bag. I remember back in '11, on our Med Cruise, and while on a 12 hr shore excursion (Alexandria, Cairo, pyramids, Museum of Antiquities, etc) that on the way back to the ship....(3 hr ride!), that I had to use the bus' potty.

 

On that tour bus, the potty was located "below" and not in the back of the bus. The bus was very dark and there was no light down those few steps to the lavatory. Thankfully, I had that little flashlight with me. :-))

[Arwen]

Thanks, we're on the same cruise departing March 13th, and while this will be our 3rd Hawaiian cruise, it's our first cruise on the Star.

 

 

 

Wishing a wonderful cruise for you and lots of pleasant weather!

[Arwen]

Great review and videos! :)

 

Thank you!

[Woobstr112G]

OP;

Thanks for taking the time to post your review.....:):):)

 

Bob

[clan]

Thanks for your review. We leave Wednesday on the Star to Hawaii. Can't wait!

[Italy52]

I did not find the shower head position a problem. It is a just a "little bit" movable and was not an issue. But it was tricky keeping stuff from falling onto the shower pan because there is a teeny tiny shelf for your bar soap and maybe a razor, etc.

 

I failed to mention that the shower does have two dispensers, one is a shower gel and the other is a shampoo/conditioner combo.

 

 

Good to know, thanks.

[pascalburns]

enjoyed the review.thanks.:cool:

[Astro Flyer]

Thank you! I truly want to sail with Princess again because I do love "their product". I did not know that I can request a pillowtop pad! That would have been helpful for sure.

 

I want to choose our next cruise keeping in mind which ships have had the mattresses replaced.:-)

 

In about 2013 when the Royal had all "new" pillowtop beds (better for me but hopefully the new luxury beds are better), the pillowtop pads became available on all ships. It's not possible to preorder them like previously for the eggcrates. There's not enough for every bed so I always immediately check my mattress & request a pillowtop pad when necessary. It greatly helps with my spinal problems to get a good nights sleep. :)

 

They only come in queen size but a steward folded one in half the time we had twin beds to reduce the risk of hitting my head on the quad upper bunks that protrude from the wall even when closed. :eek:

[kitegirl]

Great review... and thank you for the vid of the Ocean Centre tour. That is one must do for us. I guess we will just have to make due with only 90 minutes...

Could you answer a few questions as I will be on this cruise April 2018.

Can you get dropped off in town after the tour or will we need to take a taxi to go shopping and to Bubba Gumps?

 

What other tours did you do on the other islands? I really look forward to hearing what you did.

 

Thank you again

[ar1950]

Thanks for posting your review. Sorry to hear about the beds. When we were on the Star in the fall of 2015 they had just gotten new pillow top beds and they were very comfortable. Incredible that the beds don't even last two years. :(

[riclop]

Thanks for the report.

[Adanac16]

Side Notes: Captain Michele Luvo was wonderful! He was so funny. He always ends his daily announcements with a cute "bye-bye". And, Captain Luvo seemed to be everywhere on the ship! He showed up a number of times to call out Bingo numbers!

 

Out of 21 cruises, he certainly gets the award for being the most friendly and visible ship's captain.

 

I took this cruise last Oct and agree Captain Tuvo was wonderful.

 

 

First time we saw him he had some tools in his hands and we thought that he was the maintenance manager.:o A crew member told us who he was.

 

 

Several other crew members in different departments told us stories of how he was always asking his crew how things were going and did they need anything. They said that he was in areas of the ship that Captains rarely if ever go, and that the crew members in those areas couldn't get over how he took a personal interest in them and their duties and they loved it.

 

 

I think his friendliness and personalbility reflects on the crew and made a great cruise even more enjoyable.

[satxdiver]

Side Notes: Captain Michele Luvo was wonderful! He was so funny. He always ends his daily announcements with a cute "bye-bye". And, Captain Luvo seemed to be everywhere on the ship! He showed up a number of times to call out Bingo numbers!

 

Out of 21 cruises, he certainly gets the award for being the most friendly and visible ship's captain.

 

I took this cruise last Oct and agree Captain Tuvo was wonderful.

 

 

First time we saw him he had some tools in his hands and we thought that he was the maintenance manager.:o A crew member told us who he was.

 

 

Several other crew members in different departments told us stories of how he was always asking his crew how things were going and did they need anything. They said that he was in areas of the ship that Captains rarely if ever go, and that the crew members in those areas couldn't get over how he took a personal interest in them and their duties and they loved it.

 

 

I think his friendliness and personalbility reflects on the crew and made a great cruise even more enjoyable.

 

 

I have never had Captain Luvo but he sounds like a lot of fun. Indeed a manager who takes the time to talk to his workers and understand what it is they do is a valuable asset. To see a captain walking around with tools who likes to get his hands "dirty" is great. I am sure it reflected on his crew all the way down to the lowest person on the totem pole. A happy crew makes for happy pax and a delightful cruise.