Note: This page contains multiple reviews.

Name: Randall Ponik
Email: randyp@groupz.net
Age: 46
Occupation: Engineer
NumberOfCruises: 4
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Princess-Star
SailingDate: 11/24/96
Itinerary: Eastern Caribbean
FoodDiningRoom: 80
CruiseDirector: 80
CabinComfort: 100
FoodRoomService: 75
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 100
FoodLidoDeck: 80
DiningRoomService: 75
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets: 80
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 80
FoodVariety: 80
DeckService: 80
ShoreExcValue: 80
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland: 100
GoodForFamilies: 50
LoungeService: 80
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff: 90
EntertainmentLounges:
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 95
EntertShowLounge: 80
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 80
CruiseActivities: 80
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs: 80
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 80
ShopsOnBoard: 80
SpaceRatio: 80
OverallCruiseValue: 83
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 14 Nov 1997
Time: 22:50:54
Remote Name: 208.138.66.35
Remote User:

Comments

MS Star Princess (now P&O Arcadia) November 24, 1996 Eastern Caribbean

While now part of the P&O (parent company) fleet and renamed 'Arcadia' I would expect many of these comments to
still apply.

This being the third of our four family cruises to date, and having only Carnival to compare with at the time, we had
high expectations when we boarded the Star Princess. Some of our expectations were not met.

The ship itself was superb, extremely well maintained, clean, and spacious. Close to perfection. The facilities were well
above what we had expected. The cabins on board we the best of all of our cruises to date being large, with
refrigerators, and having nice touches like heavy terrycloth robes for each passenger. Our Cabin Stewardess was the
best of all our cruises also. The ship had excellent exercise and spa facilities, unlike most ships however, they were
located far down in the bowels of the ship (lowest deck). They were behind watertight doors which were closed off at
8pm, so hours of use were limited. The staff at the pursors office were very friendly and helpful.

Dining on board was a disappointment. The kitchen staff was Italian, so there were numerous pasta dishes served
everynight, some prepared at tableside. For the most part, despite the hoopla with it's preparation, the food was
somewhat bland. At best, the food was good as Carnival's. Since Princess is supposed to be a cut or two above
Carnival, we expected better. The dining room staff was very friendly and tried to be attentive, but they were
overworked, having too many tables to serve. On all our other cruises, our staff had two tables to serve (three if they
were small tables). On the 'Star' our water and assistant had four rather large tables to take care of and our service
suffered. I think that Princess had just put one of their new megaliners on line and raided the staffs of the rest of the
fleet to support the new ship, leaving our ship and others short of help. Our 'Headwaiter', who prepared the tableside
dishes was charming and thoroughly Italian which made the atmosphere plesant despite the food. Midnight buffets
were typical - cold dishes with a hot pasta dish or two. The Grand Buffet followed suit. The pizzaria up on the Lido was
quite good, but had limited hours. Room service was at best 'adequate'. I would expect under it's new owners the
service will improve, but the food..... kippers anyone? I hope they keep the cabin stewards.

Entertainment was also a bit of a disappointment. The shows were geared for the older passengers onboard - our kids
found little entertainment main lounge. The Broadway reviews and stage shows were well done but ho-hum for the
younger set. The rest of the entertainment included jugglers that dropped things a lot, and a hypnotist that managed
to put out two passengers out of about 16. (Not too gooda ratio). Fortunately, the kids did find some solace in the
movie theater with recent popular movies. We took our daugher (12 at the time) to the kids program, but she dropped
out almost immediately because she didn't like it. Our son (16) spent a lot of time in the cabin watching movies, or in
the theatre because there just wasn't anything geared toward him.

The preponderance of the passengers on the 'Star' were above 60 and many were downright rude. I hope this is not
typical or other cruise ships with older passengers.

The shore excursions for the Eastern Caribbean were typical with those offered by any other line except they seemed
to be priced a bit higher than I had encountered before. The highpoint, however, was the stop at Princess Cay, their
'private island' on the southern tip of Eleuthera. This stop was thoroughly enjoyable with excellent beach and facilities,
and excellent (but expensive) rental equipment like jet skis, banana boats, snorkel equipment, etc. Snorkeling was
good for the beginner, but would disappoint an intermediate or higher. A very nice barbeque was served with
hamburgers, dogs, chicken, salads, and desserts. I've been told that Princess Cay is the best of the private islands. I've
nothing to compare it with, but it wouldn't surprise me if it was.

I was also a bit surprised that the ride wasn't a bit smoother. But, this WAS the Atlantic Ocean instead of the
Caribbean, and there WAS a tropical storm 400miles or so south. Nevertheless, I was surprised that a 63,000 ton ship
wasn't smoother. We did have one 'bad' night which resulted in some seasickness predominently IN THE
CREWMEMBERS, not the passengers. Our cabin stewardess was definately green in the morning and had to get a shot
from the doctor who was also reportedly seasick, but to her credit, she never missed a beat in her duties.

Overall, for me it was a nice cruise, because I like to kick back and relax. But for the family as a whole - well they don't
want to go on Princess again.

Name: Barry Bowers
Email: globaca2@worldnet.att.net
Age: 55
Occupation: Engineer at Boeing
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Princess-Star
SailingDate: May 13, 1996
Itinerary: 7 Days to Alaska
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 85
CabinComfort: 85
FoodRoomService: 88
CruiseStaff: 85
CabinAmenities: 85
FoodLidoDeck: 79
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 85
FoodMidnightBuffets: 80
CabinSteward: 85
ShoreExcVariety: 83
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 85
ShoreExcValue: 88
GoodForHoneymoon: 80
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 75
LoungeService: 85
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors: 90
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 85
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 85
OverallPortsofCall: 89
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 89
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 88
EmbarkDisembark: 80
DiscoNightclubs: 85
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 85
ShopsOnBoard: 85
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 01 May 1999
Time: 14:15:02
Remote Name: 166.seattle-03-04rs.wa.dial-access.att.net
Remote User:

Comments

We cruised for the first time on the Star Princess, leaving Vancouver, B. C. on Monday, May 13, 1996 for a 7 day cruise up
the Inside Passage to Seward, Alaska. We booked this cruise on January 2, 1996 and were scheduled to ride a bus from
Seattle to Vancouver, BC, but when our tickets came, we got to fly, an unexpected bonus. Princess Cruise Lines had people
at the airport to assist in taking us to the ship. They were very helpful and courteous. When we got to the ship, we were
shown to our cabin and our luggage was delivered shortly thereafter. Since it was close to sailing time, we hurried to find our
way up to the top deck to watch the activities. Other than a loud blast on the ships horn to announce we were leaving, there
was no ceremony, no streamers, or anything. This was the our first Alaska sailing I was a bit disappointed. Sailing from BC
Place on the waterfront, the ship passed under Lions Gate bridge after we were seated at the dinner table in the main dining
room, the Fountain Court. Every night they announced the opening of the dining room for dinner, followed by Bon Appetito!
The flavor was strongly Italian. The Fountain Court was the equivalent of a very nice restaurant, in the $25 to $40 a plate
category. The food was always good and the menu was different every night. We ate with the same people every evening
after the first night. Two nights dinner was formal, one was semi-formal, and three nights were casual. We were told to bring
proper clothes for those evenings. The last night was fantastic as the chefs went overboard creating artistic displays that
were almost too beautiful to eat. During the night the Star Princess continued up the Discovery Passage and reached
Seymour Narrows at about 3 am. Ripple Rock used to be in the middle of Seymour Narrows and claimed many a ship until
Canada blew it up. I got up to take a look, but it was too dark out. When we arose the next morning the ship was already in
the Queen Charlotte Sound, north of Vancouver Island. The sea was open to the west and rollers about 5 or 6 feet high
were causing a fair amount of pitching motion and a picture we took shows the swimming pool on the top deck with quite a
wave going back and forth. However, because the ship has stabilizers it was not rolling much at all. Still, a number of people
got seasick. We saw porpoises come near the ship and cavort for a while. There were not very many people out on deck
and we discovered just how big the Star Princess is as we walked all over. After dinner on the second evening, we went to
the first nightclub show, a tribute to the movies, and then to the movie theatre. Wednesday came early and the ship picked
up an Alaskan pilot at about 4:30am. By 6:30 we were docking at Ketchikan having covered 525 nautical miles. I enjoyed
being able to keep track of the technical aspects of the cruise via the charts posted on the upper deck and the daily ships
newsletter. The weather was cloudy and cool, but not raining. My wife, Carolyn, and I proceeded into town, actually, we were
docked right down town, so it was not a long walk. We prowled the stores and shops, even finding our way to Creek Street,
an infamous street that used to cater to quite different tastes. The addition of local flavor by ships personnel and public
announcements made each visit more enjoyable. There are many activities going on all over the ship and the daily
newsletter told of the shows, movies, games and stuff that you can do. We departed Ketchikan at 2pm, proceeding on up
the Tongass Narrows into Clarence Strait. The water was calm even though there was a stiff breeze blowing out of the west.
There was increasing activity among the passengers as many of them were getting over jet lag on the first day. Instead of
dinner Wednesday evening, we went to the lounge show featuring a guy from the old TV show 'Fame'. We found the live
entertainment, well, entertaining, even if some of the performers were no longer top notch personalities. Princess tries to suit
the performers to the population of the cruise and this was definitely an older crowd. If it is Thursday morning, it must be
Juneau. We had breakfast at the buffet (wow, what a feed they put on). After shopping around, we got on a tour bus to the
Mendenhall Glacier. The price of the tour was reasonable, the tour guide perky, and the glacier impressive. We returned to
the Red Dog Saloon, a ‘do not miss’ spot, for lunch. After dinner back onboard, we took in a comedy show in the lounge
followed by a movie we hadn’t seen. The ship has a restaurant above the bridge with windows all around and a live band.
Late in the evening we would go there for hot chocolate & live music. With the average age of the passengers being about
50+, the music was what we like. The band was good, but they really wanted to Rock & Roll. The youngest couple at our
dinner table, besides us, celebrated their 38th anniversary. There were a few young couples on board, including a
honeymoon couple, but few teenagers or small children. . We enjoyed the maturity of the crowd and the absence of small
children, one of the realities of an early season cruise. We both got up at 6:30 to watch the Star Princess dock at Skagway.
We were the first ship that year so everyone in the shops were in a good mood. We walked around town prior to taking a 4
hour train tour up to the famous White Pass. The price was reasonable and the trip was worth it. One visual bonus for
cruising early in the season is the snow. While doing that, however, we missed the humpback whale who came up to the ship
and put on an unscheduled ten minute show. In the morning, some park rangers joined the ship for the tour of Glacier Bay.
The weather was clear, calm and warm. Princess claimed credit for the good weather, but I think we were just lucky. The
captain took the ship to within about 1000 feet of Marjorie Glacier and we sat there for an hour or so, listening to the ice
crack and pop like thunder. Every now and again ice would fall off the face of the glacier into the water. Near the entrance to
the bay we stopped at another big glacier and could hear ice popping and cracking on the glacier up on the side of a
mountain. The mountains lining Glacier Bay go up to 15,000 feet and the snow was all they way to the water. We sat there,
still and quiet, on perfectly flat calm water for over an hour before heading out to the Gulf of Alaska.. While we were stopped
to drop off the rangers, we saw some bears near the water on an island. It was awesome. This was the highlight of the cruise
and even though everyone was up on deck, we did not feel crowded. There was enough space to get a good view of the
glaciers from many points on the ship. We never had a problem finding a lounge chair, but then this was May, and it was
cool most of the time. After dinner we strolled around the ship, stopping to watch Karaoke in one of the lounges, shopping at
the multilevel atrium, before get our swimming stuff on and heading for the hot tubs at 11:30pm. We were the only ones
there and afterwards, it was so warm outside that we stood on the deck over the bridge wearing only swimming togs and
bathrobes while we tried to see the northern lights. We found that we could be as alone or as busy as we wished on any
particular time. It was lovely. In the morning we were well across the Gulf of Alaska headed towards Prince William Sound. At
about noon the ship entered into College Fjord. It was cloudy and rather chilly but the decks were full of folks watching the
goings on. We saw a killer whale and some sea otters with pups. The glaciers were not as active as in Glacier Bay but it was
very beautiful nonetheless. After dinner we strolled about the ship, catching a singer/impressionist in the lounge. The
weather was gradually getting worse as we headed for the final Gala Buffet in the main dining room at 11:15 pm. They had
all the food set up like works of art. So well known is this event that there were two lines, one for those who wished to eat,
and one for those who only wanted to take pictures. The next morning we docked at Seward and were off the ship by 6:45 to
catch a bus to Anchorage. The bus driver made the 3 hour trip very interesting, stopping twice so we could look at a moose
beside the road. The baggage situation at the airport in Anchorage was a bit chaotic and could be better organized. All told,
we cruised 1746 nautical miles in 7 days, met some nice people and enjoyed it all immensely. Ours was an inside cabin and
next time we will go for an outside cabin with a window. We felt that the cabin was of adequate size since we did not spend
much time there. Room service was available at all hours. We would do it again in a minute and would not hesitate to use
Princess Cruises.

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