My wife and I enjoyed our Dec 15 to 22 cruise on this new ship. There were no problems caused by engine malfunction which occurred earlier this year when the Star stranded approximately 600 passengers in Tallin Estonia or the following cruise when the Star limped into Lisbon on one propeller.

Service was excellent until we arrived in Palma de Majorca Spain for a port call. That evening dinner service in the main restaurant was a bit disorganized either because new wait staff came aboard or because of the late departure time the dining room staff expected many guests to eat at restaurants on shore.

Speaking of new staff, there was at least one new person in guest relations who could not answer the following questions for me shortly after embarkation (1) Was there a charge for using the self service laundry directly across from our cabin (2) how late was the self service laundry open and (3) was there a charge for using one of the four computers next to the Explorers Desk. I can only assume this young woman must have joined the staff in Civitavecchia because she could not answer these simple questions without asking her supervisor and even then told me the ship did have laundry service for a fee. (I can wash my own underwear and knit shirts.) However, I did learn the self service laundry was free (extra points) it was available 24 hours and -- surprisingly and happily-- I did not have to purchase a computer time package: (many extra points). Read more