Star Princess-Alaska-8/24-notes and other ramblings

[mcbain]

First, I want to thank all of you who responded to several questions I posted before my cruise. A special nod to Seattlecruiselvr who really helped us squeeze in the most we could get out of our 20 hours in Seattle. Breakfast recommendation if you do a pre-cruise stay over in downtown Seattle: The Andelucan in the Mayflower hotel. Very expensive but very good if you like hearty breakfasts. Our cruise was fantastic. The weather, the service, and the sailing were wonderful.

 

Anyway, probably not much that hasn’t been said before but figured I’d share some of the “little things” I experienced on this cruise, or at least the things I was not able to learn about given the few days I have been a member on these boards. I know Alaskan cruises will be ending soon so hope this helps someone the next couple of weeks:

 

1) Learned the morning of our sailing you are allowed to bring one bottle of wine, per person, on board. No hard liquor. Must have missed it on the website. We had time to buy some wine and It helped us save on the bar tab a bit.

2) We did a one day pre-cruise stay over through Princess and learned pre-registering at the hotel with the Princess reps the morning of the sailing does nothing to expedite your embarkation, even though the reps told us it would. They told us by showing our id, etc. to them would place us in a separate line at the port and we could embark quicker. This was false; we had to repeat the whole process at the port. I imagine it is best to check in with the reps anyway; just don’t expect it to save you time at the port. The important point was boarding went very quickly anyway.

3) Bring your own 120 volt adapter. To you electrical novices like me, that means before you pack anything that plugs in, check the size of the prongs. If they are the same size, you are probably okay for the ship’s sockets. But if they are two different sizes with one a bit bigger than the other, best to run to your local hardware store and ask for an adapter. We were told by our steward the cruise ship does not provide them and the gift shop did not sell them either. We bought one at our first port. By the way, you ladies were right - the blow dryer on the ship did not give my wife the power she needed.

4) What follows is the only “blemish” in regards to Princess. But for me, it was a big one and something I am still angry about. The first day at sea, they promoted a 10 AM presentation that was worded to sound as though it would help you navigate walking around in the port cities. Here are the lies: A) you are told the presentation is the “only place you can get maps of the port cities.” B) You are told the jewelry vendors are special, the prices will be second to none, and some of the jewelry is unique to Alaska. C) You are told to buy a coupon book for $25 dollars that will ensure “special” discounts and free stuff. Wow, am I a sucker. What a waste.

 

I mean I have no problem with the cruise line selling you on something and attempting to make money. Where I have the problem is being lied to in order to get it. The statement about this being the only place to get a port city map is a lie; maps are delivered to your room at evening turndown. The “special” coupons in the $25 book are a lie; the same coupons are found in the free coupon book you are given at embarkation time. And the jewelry being “unique” to Alaska and the prices being “second to none” is a lie. I will tell you that according to someone on the ship we met who sells jewelry for a living, the quality is fine. But the idea the prices can not be matched anywhere else or the jewelry being “special” to Alaska is a lie. Note the vendors who sell “Alaska only jewelry” from May thru September are the same ones who then sell “Caribbean only jewelry” from October thru April. As a way to confirm this lie about pricing is that we were in a store and the people actually called the cruise line rep, Jennifer, while in the store, to complain that the coupon was not helping and the price was matched by their retail store at home. They did this right in front of a packed store. The lesson learned was do not think you get a price first and then the coupon kicks in. Finally, the free stuff coupons in the $25 book are mostly junk. I mean I did not expect the crown jewels but a free necklace handed out was the same exact necklace, elastic neck band and all, my daughter received in her “party favor” bag when she attended a 5th birthday party 14 years ago. Well, maybe it didn’t have the microscopic yellow diamond the vendor told us it contained.

 

The point is this presentation is not something to benefit the passengers as much as the vendors in town. My suggestion is avoid this presentation and coupon book purchase; it is 100% unnecessary and a big rip off. Note many other passengers complained also.

 

5) Service for us was impeccable.

6) Be prepared for time changes. Some people were not. Alaska is four hours earlier than EST, not three. We witnessed people who neglected to listen or read about this. One couple walked in to one of the specialty restaurants an hour earlier than their reserved time and someone showed up at an art auction (these auctions were exposed on “60 Minutes” several years ago so enter at your own risk) to complain about it starting early was embarrassed since he did not set his watch forward during the latter days of the cruise.

7) If you are a sports junkie like me and head down to the sports bar on the Star Princess, don’t get your hopes up. It does not have a satellite to broadcast a variety of events as I heard other cruise ships do, it only has ESPN. Weird to see a sports bar with about 10 televisions broadcasting a single station. Maybe it is different when this ship sails in places other than Alaska.

8) I have no complaints about the food yet I can see why some people here posted that the buffet was not so good. I tend to say it is more a “hit and miss” type of thing. Most things were either very good or downright excellent, but some stuff was not so great. For example, a chocolate chip muffin in the morning was almost inedible. Though our stomachs were happy, several people said Celebrity had the best food.

9) If you get a chance, go to the “tea party” held daily. Not only are the snacks terrific (and they are included in the cruise price!!) but the people at the table, especially the elderly experienced cruisers, are a crack up with their stories about past cruises and they may share with you a helpful tip or two.

10) I did not get motion sickness but, as some have mentioned, the boat rocks a bit in the open ocean from Seattle to Ketchikan and back from Victoria, B.C to Seattle. I had no issues but several women claimed queasy stomachs. If you are prone, try the Bonine or ginger pills.

 

Thanks again to all of you that helped our trip go smooth.

[sultan_sfo]

Nice Analysis!

Those port maps -- Grrrr!

[lel5344]

We have yet to go to a port where we have not been able to print a quality map off the Internet prior to sailing. Sometimes it takes a bit of searching, but usually, you can Google the city name and "free map" and you'll find something.

 

For our next cruise, I've already found self-guided walking tours with maps for Puerto Vallarta and Zihuataneo and I'll be lloking up Acapulco and Cabo San Lucas shortly.

 

And if you go to the port boards here on Cruise Critic, I guarantee you'll learn everything you ever wanted to know...and more!

[LARGIN]

Thanks for the review.. We will be on the Star next month.. Do you remember the name of the Maitre D'?

[mcbain]

Sorry, Largin, I can not recall any names except for our room steward, Dixon. We only ate in the sit-down dining three or four nights and all our other meals were at the buffet. However, our service was wonderful no matter who it was.

 

One afterthought on my original posting that I left out-If you bring U.S. dollars to Victoria, B.C. and pay cash, most places of business will only give you Canadian dollars as change(Starbucks, 7-11, where we made pit stops for under-$5-purchases). Credit cards are fine but for tiny purchases, bring some silver so you can get exact totals. I don't know if others agree but for a town that gets a lot of business from the cruise ships, the attitude of the residents/shop owners towards passengers seems somewhat cold(pun intended) when compared to the Alaskan ports. I can't explain it, it was just the way my wife and I felt. Maybe Canada just doesn't need the seasonal $$ like the Alaskan ports do.

[Hulagirl]

My daughter and I were also on this sailing of the Star Princess last week. We had a wonderful cruise.

 

Largin: The Maitre'd is Salvio. We did the Chef's Table and he was fantastic.

 

The Chef's Table on the Star was exceptional. When we boarded I did was everyone has said and called the DINE number right away. Well that is great, but they didn't open up the number until 1:00 PM, so I kept getting a recording. Called at 1:30 and was happy to get through. I put in a request for my daughter and myself for this and was told that we were the first to call and would be hearing from them if it happened. On Tuesday we were happy to get a letter in our cabin saying that we would be included, and had to agree to some of their stipulations. Well, that was no problem, so Thursday night we met at 7:00 PM and off our group of 10 went with Salvio. The food, champagne, and the entire dinner was excellent. We couldn't have been more pleased. We were told at the end of the dinner that for any of us that wanted, Salvio and the gentleman who is the head of the food and beverage department(I'm so sorry I can't remember his name) would meet us at 11:15 Saturday morning and take us of a personal tour of the kitchen and down to the areas of the ship where the food is stored and also prepared. We all showed up and it was fantastic. Lasted about 2 hours and we were thrilled to see the inner workings of the ship with the food storage and get insights to how it all takes place. Truly gives you a different perspective to the food that is at the buffet and is brought to the table. What a job and a huge task that is accomplished for each cruise. We all were truly impressed.

 

The time change should have not been a surprise to anyone who went back to their cabin or read the Patters. It was listed in the Patter and the cabin stewards put a card on the beds to remind anyone to set their clocks back and hour and also in the end to change them forward. This is something that always amazes me on cruises. I just don't know how much more the ship could do to let anyone know.

 

We thought the food was quite good on the ship. Had been reading the negative reviews and really don't know what they were eating. This was our 4th time on the Star and my 26th cruise with Princess, so we aren't novices to the Princess food. Yes, there are always some menus that really don't thrill me, but what we were served was always quite good. No complaints here for this ship and cruise.

 

Embarkation in Seattle was typical. There is no separate area for Elite or Platinum passengers. I think we were the first to even use the Elite line as nobody was there for that particular line and we stood there for a few minutes. When a Princess employee, behind the desk, saw us, he came over to that area and checked us in. We then went into the next room which is another holding area after waiting in the original area for about 15 minutes. We stood in here for another 20 minutes or so and then it was off through the scanners and then onto the ship. We boarded right after the wheelchairs were pushed on and then in our cabin. Luggage was outside our door sometime before 12:45 this time. I've never had our luggage delivered so quickly and we were totally unpacked by 1:30. This was so nice.

 

Alaska weather wasn't bad for this cruise. Weather in Juneau was beautiful and actually pretty nice and warm. Skagway was windy, but at least it wasn't pouring rain.

 

The cruise was great and I would also be happy to answer any questions.

[mii]

Regarding the Chefs table on the Star. Do you happen to know if they have 2 for a ten day; I know they would have one for a 7 day. Just curious.

 

marilyn

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for the review. :)

[Solara]

We were told at the end of the dinner that for any of us that wanted, Salvio and the gentleman who is the head of the food and beverage department(I'm so sorry I can't remember his name) would meet us at 11:15 Saturday morning and take us of a personal tour of the kitchen and down to the areas of the ship where the food is stored and also prepared. We all showed up and it was fantastic. Lasted about 2 hours and we were thrilled to see the inner workings of the ship with the food storage and get insights to how it all takes place. Truly gives you a different perspective to the food that is at the buffet and is brought to the table. What a job and a huge task that is accomplished for each cruise. We all were truly impressed.

 

I loved that they had an extra 2 hour tour. Is that something new they are doing?

[Hulagirl]

As for 2 Chef's Tables for a 10 day cruise, I can't say for sure if they would do this on the Star or not. Truly though, I would be surprised if they didn't. This has become so popular and they did such an extraordinary job with it. We were all so impressed.

 

Solara: This extra tour was only for the people who had done the Chef's Table and is only on the Star. I asked Salvio about it because I hadn't read anyone else commenting on this. He said that this is something they only do on this ship because they like doing it. I was truly impressed.

 

Two other things I forgot to mention above. My daughter and I were in a Vista Suite and we are both Elite. When we met our cabin steward he apologized for not having to mini bar setups in the room yet. I looked at him like a deer caught in the headlights and told him we had only gotten one, no matter what cabin we were in, including the Grand Suite last year on this same ship. He told me that he had talked to his supervisor and we were entitled to 2 setups. Well, about 2 hours later there was a knock on the door and there was our second setup. I was very shocked and don't expect this to ever happen again, but it was nice. He said we should have one for being Elite and the other for a full suite. Now this is something that I've thought should be anyway, but was always happy with the one. So that was a nice extra.

 

Also it had been talked about on a thread a couple of weeks ago that those in a full suite being able to have room service that last morning before disembarkation. Last night we had a breakfast slip to fill out for that last morning. Decided to ask for bagels and coffee to see if it really would show up. There it was at the time I had asked for. The nice room service guy had been there several mornings for us and I told him I was surprised to actually have it delivered. He said they only do this for full suites. Was glad to see him the one last time. Such a nice young man.

 

Hopefully I haven't forgotten anything else. If I have, will post later.

[cdngrl]

I don't know if others agree but for a town that gets a lot of business from the cruise ships, the attitude of the residents/shop owners towards passengers seems somewhat cold(pun intended) when compared to the Alaskan ports. I can't explain it, it was just the way my wife and I felt. Maybe Canada just doesn't need the seasonal $$ like the Alaskan ports do.

awww my feelings are hurt. you unfortunately REALLY must have come in contact with the wrong people. our tourism department would have a conniption. and yes we need the tourism dollars. do let the businesses know. hope next time is better for you.;)

[Lony]

Thanks for the review.

 

One thing that might have made the Canadian retailers a little cold would be if you asked for your change in American dollars. Our change is in Canadian dollars. Just like change I receive when I am down in Seattle is in American dollars. But if that's not the case and you received coldness without cause, I second the last poster. We do need the tourist dollars and are more than happy to have you come again! :) I think most of us enjoy meeting people from other countries (and slightly different cultures). Please come again. :)

And thanks again for taking the time to do the review.

[Hulagirl]

Correction on the name of the Maitre d'!

 

His name is Silvio Zampieri. I misspelled his name above.

[Colo Cruiser]

Correction on the name of the Maitre d'!

 

His name is Silvio Zampieri. I misspelled his name above.

 

 

We had Silvio on the Emerald last October, great guy. ;)

[quanmama]

My daughter and I were also on this sailing of the Star Princess last week. We had a wonderful cruise.

 

Largin: The Maitre'd is Salvio. We did the Chef's Table and he was fantastic.

 

The Chef's Table on the Star was exceptional. When we boarded I did was everyone has said and called the DINE number right away. Well that is great, but they didn't open up the number until 1:00 PM, so I kept getting a recording. Called at 1:30 and was happy to get through. I put in a request for my daughter and myself for this and was told that we were the first to call and would be hearing from them if it happened. On Tuesday we were happy to get a letter in our cabin saying that we would be included, and had to agree to some of their stipulations. Well, that was no problem, so Thursday night we met at 7:00 PM and off our group of 10 went with Salvio. The food, champagne, and the entire dinner was excellent. We couldn't have been more pleased. We were told at the end of the dinner that for any of us that wanted, Salvio and the gentleman who is the head of the food and beverage department(I'm so sorry I can't remember his name) would meet us at 11:15 Saturday morning and take us of a personal tour of the kitchen and down to the areas of the ship where the food is stored and also prepared. We all showed up and it was fantastic. Lasted about 2 hours and we were thrilled to see the inner workings of the ship with the food storage and get insights to how it all takes place. Truly gives you a different perspective to the food that is at the buffet and is brought to the table. What a job and a huge task that is accomplished for each cruise. We all were truly impressed.

 

The time change should have not been a surprise to anyone who went back to their cabin or read the Patters. It was listed in the Patter and the cabin stewards put a card on the beds to remind anyone to set their clocks back and hour and also in the end to change them forward. This is something that always amazes me on cruises. I just don't know how much more the ship could do to let anyone know.

 

We thought the food was quite good on the ship. Had been reading the negative reviews and really don't know what they were eating. This was our 4th time on the Star and my 26th cruise with Princess, so we aren't novices to the Princess food. Yes, there are always some menus that really don't thrill me, but what we were served was always quite good. No complaints here for this ship and cruise.

 

Embarkation in Seattle was typical. There is no separate area for Elite or Platinum passengers. I think we were the first to even use the Elite line as nobody was there for that particular line and we stood there for a few minutes. When a Princess employee, behind the desk, saw us, he came over to that area and checked us in. We then went into the next room which is another holding area after waiting in the original area for about 15 minutes. We stood in here for another 20 minutes or so and then it was off through the scanners and then onto the ship. We boarded right after the wheelchairs were pushed on and then in our cabin. Luggage was outside our door sometime before 12:45 this time. I've never had our luggage delivered so quickly and we were totally unpacked by 1:30. This was so nice.

 

Alaska weather wasn't bad for this cruise. Weather in Juneau was beautiful and actually pretty nice and warm. Skagway was windy, but at least it wasn't pouring rain.

 

The cruise was great and I would also be happy to answer any questions.

 

We did the exact same thing the week before you guys. It was AWESOME!!

There were only six of us since one couple couldn't make it the last minute (we were told they could only take 8 people). Silvio is the best! I believe the other guy's name is Nando who is the head of the food and beverage department. We really enjoyed the tour of the galley and the storage areas. The pictures they took for us turned out nice and I love the recipe book that they gave us!!

[Hulagirl]

Quanmama: Thank you for Nando's name. I just couldn't remember it for the life of me. Wasn't that a fun tour? We all were just thrilled to have that opportunity. They did take all 10 of us, which was interesting they said only 8 the week before. There was no way we were going to pass this opportunity by.

 

Silvio is the best, I agree. All the dining room staff was wonderful. We only ate in the Capri dining room because we knew one of the waiters from last year. He is so good and we were thrilled to be at his table again.

 

Fun cruise.

[quanmama]

Quanmama: Thank you for Nando's name. I just couldn't remember it for the life of me. Wasn't that a fun tour? We all were just thrilled to have that opportunity. They did take all 10 of us, which was interesting they said only 8 the week before. There was no way we were going to pass this opportunity by.

 

Silvio is the best, I agree. All the dining room staff was wonderful. We only ate in the Capri dining room because we knew one of the waiters from last year. He is so good and we were thrilled to be at his table again.

 

Fun cruise.

 

I agree it was such a fun cruise. When we did the tour, Nando kept saying he has to keep an eye on Silvio all the time, otherwise Silvio drinks too much:-) The food serve at the Chef's table were excellent and the overall dining room food were good as well. However I found the dining room service hit and miss. There was one waiter in Capri that we really didn't care for but we got him twice....he was just cold and not very friendly. We should have paid more attention when we got seated at the same area the second time. It didn't spoil my mood though.

[mcbain]

sorry cdngrl and lony, if my note seemed to "diss" the locals in Victoria. Actually, change for our dollars had nothing to do with it since at the one little store we bought some souvenirs from, the man had a tiny basket with U.S. currency in it from which he counted out our change. It had to do with our pit-stops at Starbucks and 7-11. At Starbucks, the clerk was a bit over protective of the restroom key and seemed to only hand it over when my wife pointed out me in line to prove we were really customers. At 7-11, it had to with a second cashier opening up as we were next in line and a guy behind us not showing the proper "cash register etiquette" by jumping in front to pay exact change for his one item(we had about 4 things and his transaction took about five seconds). We were prepared for the currency exchange "issue" at these places by bringing lots of $1 bills and lots of nickels and pennies.

 

Of course, no biggie and these things happen everywhere, let alone Victoria. It was just that with a camera hanging around my neck and my wife wearing her Alaska shirt, which was equivalent to us screaming "HEY, CAN ANYONE TELL US THE BEST PLACE TO BUY A REFRIGERATOR MAGNET?", we got the perception locals looked at us as facheux. :D

[neecee23]

Mcbain, you are funny! We solved the cash "problem" in Victoria by getting a little cash at an ATM. Only paid $1.50 for the transaction and actually cost me $59.26 for the $60 I received in CDN. Had some souvenir money left over.

 

Hi, Quanmama, it was nice to meet you on the train in Skagway, hope you enjoyed the rest of your cruise! I agree with you about the service in the dining room at times. I think I like having traditional dining better as far as having the same servers every night, seems more personal.

[dforeigner]

Thanks for taking time to write a review.

[h3rjp]

One thing that might have made the Canadian retailers a little cold would be if you asked for your change in American dollars. Our change is in Canadian dollars.

They were my thoughts too! :)

 

However thanks for the interesting review and the notes of caution.

[slr6670]

We are sailing on the Star this Sunday!! Our first cruise!! I am SO excited. What is the situation with water on the ship? I drink mostly water. Can I bring some on board? Can I get ice and water in the Horizon?

[mcbain]

Yes, there is a water dispenser and ice in the Horizon buffet, 24/7 plus you will have an ice bucket always filled up in your cabin(assuming, of course, your steward keeps it that way as ours did!). A tip is bring your own covered plastic/metal mug or sipper so you can fill up and carry it around with you if needed. It came in handy and was better than juggling the little plastic glasses on the deck.

 

Actually, I can not recall ever seeing any bottled water in the hands of anyone but I figure if wine and soda are allowed to be brought on, water won't be a problem. My suggestion is leave the bottled water at home if you are looking to save packing space. First, some post on here mentioned the tap water on these ships is as good as bottled water so we bought into that. Second, one excursion we did, the WHite Scenic pass railway trip on Skagway, had free bottled water on the train plus you can always buy it at the ports. When we re-entered with the bottles in our knapsack, no one said anything. Third, though we never ordered any, I believe Perrier is offered at the sit down restaurants, in addition to the waiters keeping your water glass full, but not sure if there is a charge for the Perrier. And the bartenders never hesitated to pour a glass if we needed it. The service was wonderful.

 

Bottom line, you will be "swimming" in drinking water, I'm sure.