Review of Star Princess November 6-11, 2006 Captain: Tony Herriott Cruise Director: Kelvin Joy Maitre d Hotel: Elia Tinonin Itinerary (5-nights): Sailing from Fort Lauderdale to Nassau, At Sea, Grand Turk, Princess Cays This was our sixth Princess cruise, second time on the Star, first time doing less than a 7-night voyage, first time in an inside stateroom. This review is a joint effort with DH (GoBlueCruiser). As a former educator, I will use a traditional grading system for each category. Embarkation: A- The ship was late arriving from New York. Boarding was delayed 30 minutes, but once embarkation commenced, it was very efficient. We were onboard within 15 minutes. When our number (1) was called, we proceeded to the Platinum/Elite line but noted that there was actually faster service at the Baja counter. Luggage was delivered within one hour. Stateroom: B+ As this was an extra cruise for us this year, we opted for an inside stateroom and found it adequate but smaller than we'd anticipated. The large mirror above the desk enhances the size of the cabin, storage space is sufficient, the bathroom is fine for us but we missed having an easy chair in which to relax. We had one balky drawer and a slow shower drain but the stateroom was essentially in good condition. No upscale designer bedding but we slept comfortably. Ship: A The Star is as beautiful as when we sailed her in March, 2002. There is no evidence of the fire, the ship is clean and well-maintained and shows no signs of wear. We appreciate the understated elegance of Princess vessels. Having most recently sailed on the Caribbean Princess (2005 and 2006), we've determined that Vista Lounge is a more desirable venue than Club Fusion. Food: B We enjoy breakfast in the dining room and are happy to sit at a large table with other passengers. The menu offers eggs and omelets cooked-to-order along with the usual breakfast accompaniments. There is a daily special that is usually worth trying - Eggs Benedict to die for! Coffee in the dining room is fine and we didn't have it in Horizon Court. We don't do lunch and rarely visit the buffet but stopped by Horizon Court at least once daily for purposes of this review. Quite frankly, the selection was limited and unappetizing. At lunchtime there was a beverage cart that offered wine splits, beer, soda and bottled water. We never had anything from Trident Grill, but the pizza at Prego is awesome! We had room service only once - our late-night order of chips/guacamole/salsa arrived promptly and was very good. The spicy snack mix served in the bars is fabulous! We like anytime dining and always request a table for two. Most dinners were very good with a few outstanding items including Eggplant Parmesan, French Onion Soup, Creamy Asparagus Soup, and Minestrone. The Caesar Salad was wimpy but Princess' Rack of Lamb is absolutely exquisite. DH liked some of the flavorful fruit sorbets while I enjoyed the nightly selection of cheeses. Head Waiters recommended some very fine wines. Service: C+ Our stateroom steward was friendly and efficient. Special requests received immediate attention. Dining Room service (Capri) was not up to previous Princess standards and was often slow, disorganized, and understaffed. Breakfast service in Portofino was similarly slow and disorganized. We interacted with several excellent Head Waiters who recommended wines and appreciated our comments regarding food and service. Miglena from Bulgaria is a fabulous bartender. Besides being fluent in four languages and a nurse, Maggie makes the meanest Margarita on the high seas and created a knockout Bulgarian Cocoa especially for us - the recipe remains our secret. Maggie is now sporting a Detroit Tigers cap that DH gave her prior to departure. Bar waiters were available in lounges and near pools but were never aggressive. Our limited contact with Purser's Staff was fast, friendly, and helpful. Entertainment: B+ We like watching fellow passengers perform and are more likely to attend these shows than lounge or production shows. So You Want To Be a Rock Star and the finals of Princess Pop Star were especially enjoyable and an outlet for some fine onboard talent. Motor City was energetic and entertaining, and Sarge doesn't disappoint. Good pre-dinner piano/keyboard in the Atrium. Activities: A Princess ships offer a myriad of choices and something for everyone. We like intellectual challenges like Trivia, Jeopardy!, and Scavenger Hunt. These daytime activities are always fun and an opportunity to meet wonderful fellow passengers. The Star Cruise Staff was energetic, enthusiastic, hard-working; we enjoyed our chats with Adrian and ACD Kristen. Ports of Call: B The ship is our destination, and we don't choose a cruise based on itinerary. We didn't participate in any ship-sponsored shore excursions. We had visited Nassau previously and disembarked for less than an hour. Many passengers were very impressed with Atlantis, so if we visit Nassau again, we'll be sure to visit the impressive resort. The pier at Grand Turk and Margaritaville is new and beautiful with a lovely beach, massive shallow pool, shops, restaurant, swim-up bar. We stayed for about 90 minutes that was long enough to visit the shops, have a Margarita (me), a Corona (DH), chips & salsa  breakfast of champions! We left before the Zuiderdam docked; Margaritaville would be overly crowded with two ships in port. We always enjoy a day of fun in the sun at Princess Cays and were happy to find the water temperature about 10* higher at this time of year (we usually visit there in late January). There are many more clamshells than on our visit in January actually looks a bit cluttered. We didn't see the new bungalows but were able to get information from a passenger who rented one of these 8x8 air-conditioned structures ($200) that includes priority tendering and bar service but no mini-fridge as has been reported. We waited about 40 minutes for a tender to the private island but had no wait for the return trip. Onboard Shopping: B+ On this cruise, there was no pushing of soda cards, coffee cards, photos, cookbooks, after-dinner drinks. No garage sale or tee-shirt blowout. I received helpful service for a watch purchase in Facets. Shopping venues are somewhat limited compared to the Caribbean Princess. Disembarkation: A Easy and efficient. Platinum/Elite disembarkation lounge a nice perk. Please be advised that passengers who opt for Express disembarkation (carrying off luggage on their own) are not first off. They are given Navy Blue tags and must wait for their color to be announced before they can leave the ship. General Comments - Taxis readily available at airport and pier. - Internet painfully slow & continually locking. $.50 per minute. - Dining room attire loose; jeans, shorts, tees at dinner. Little formal attire on formal night. - No Captain's Circle Cocktail Party on this short voyage. - Alcohol openly carried onboard in FLL and in port. - Waits for anytime dining and reservations necessary during peak times. - We left the Discretionary Hotel Charge in place and tipped stateroom steward and bartender additionally. Please feel free to ask questions if we haven't covered something that you'd like to know. Either I or DH will do our best to provide further information or details.