If we had to use just one word to describe this cruise, the word would be AWESOME! It is difficult to give a review because of the unique nature of the cruise itself. Visiting the Falkland Islands, observing all of the wildlife throughout our travel, seeing the magnificent icebergs and glaciers, experiencing Antarctica, sailing the Drake Passage, rounding Cape Horn, and visiting Tierra del Fuego made the cruise AWESOME. The guest lecturers were outstanding and provided insight into the areas we were visiting. These experiences made it easy for us to overlook the "less then excellence" of the Star Princess.

We arrived a day early to Buenos Aire and stayed at the Wilton Hotel. The hotel was very economical,a great location, and the personnel were extremely helpful. We enjoyed our stay both before and after our cruise. Embarkation was something else. The terminal is definitely not set up to handle large ships. It lacked air conditioning or even enough electricity to run both overhead fans or Princess computers. No one assisted you with your luggage. It was just thrown on a mound of other suitcases. Before you knew it, the piles were more then twelve feet high. Once passengers were registered, they were made to wait in a holding area until buses could transport you to the ship. On the other hand, when we had to disembark at the end of the cruise, things were done very efficiently and quickly....at least for those disembarking early.

Having sailed with Princess on twelve previous cruises, we definitely would not give the Star Princess a rating of excellence as we have done on all our other cruises. The ship's staterooms, lounges, dining rooms, and other areas were clean and well kept. The food in the dining rooms was very good. However, the Horizon, was less then desirable, especially in comparison to all other Princess ships. Stewards, waiters, and assistant waiters, were very professional. However, the Purser's Desk seemed cold and indifferent. Read more