Star Princess Review

4.0 / 5.0
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May 2017 Star Princess

Review for Alaska Cruise on Star Princess
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ckroy
6-10 Cruises • Age 60s

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Additional details

Sail Date: May 2017
Cabin: Mini-Suite with Balcony

We are 30 year Alaska residents and live in the Interior. We chose this cruise to explore the Southeast part of the state as we have never visited it before. We arrived on our first visit to Vancouver the day prior and explored the Stanley Park and downtown area that day as our hotel was near the port - I would have loved to spend more time there. There were 3 ships leaving the day we did and it was very busy. We did a recon of the terminal early that morning and expected it to be very congested. It went fairly smooth, considering the amount of people they were dealing with. This was our first Princess cruise and we were very impressed with the ship and our cabin. We were in a mini-suite and upgraded to Club Class Dining. We used that dining room for every meal except the first and last ones. The meals and service were great. For shore days, we had early tours and did not attend the entertainment venues the nights before. The last 2 days, sea days, we did go to a couple of events and were very pleased with the performances. The chef's demonstration/comedy show was very funny and the tour through the kitchen after was interesting. The naturalist talks and author (Nick Jans) presentations were very interesting.

We did excursions in Ketchikan and Skagway. You can't do anything about the weather. We went sea-kayaking in Ketchikan, even though it was a wet day, it was a good experience. In Juneau, we had access to a car and drove out to Mendenhall Glacier and went to a few other places that were recommended to us by a local. The hike out to the falls was not too long or difficult. We finished up the day with the Tram ride which gave us a great view of the area. In Skagway, we took the bus up to Carcross, with a stop for lunch and some sight-seeing along the way and the train down. We were disappointed in that the train left late and was delayed by other trains in front of us, which caused us to return more than hour late. I would recommend taking the train up and the bus down to others. The remaining 2 day trip to Whittier was relaxing yet, beautiful. The glacier viewing was amazing, even though it was overcast part of the time. We got close enough to see the glacier calving. I appreciated the disembarkation being quieter than I am used to. Having a detailed list of where to be and when, instead of constant announcements beginning early in the morning was great. As a previous customer of other lines, I liked the fact that it was a more international crowd on the ship and there were fewer children. We are definitely Princess converts.

Cabin Review

Mini-Suite with Balcony

Cabin MD

The extra space of the mini-suite was good. Storage for clothes and other things was more than adequate. The mini-fridge came in handy. I didn't use the tub, though the extra space in the shower, because it was a tub, was nice. Plenty of counter space in the bathroom.

Port Reviews

Vancouver

We arrived in Vancouver early in the day, took the light rail to the Waterfront district and walked to our hotel - the light rail was very easy to navigate. It was too early to check in, but we hoped to drop off our bags so we could do some sight-seeing. Fortunately, the hotel (Auberge) was able to check us in and we dropped our bags in the room. Wandered to the cruise terminal area and then rented a couple of bikes to ride to Stanley Park. It was a good day and we rode for some time, I highly recommend that, if you have some time, to visit the park. Returned to the hotel and decided on where to have dinner. Went to Steamworks Brewery and Restaurant, another short walk, and had a great meal and good beer. Called it an early night, we got up early the next morning and went to Tim Hortons for breakfast - there were 2 in the area of the hotel. Went down to the cruise terminal to see where we would drop off our bags when we returned. Returned to hotel and hung out until just before checkout at noon.

Juneau

Extended family member loaned us a car. We drove to Mendenhall Glacier, walked out to the falls and then visited the Visitor Center. Then drove to a recommendation - St. Therese's Shrine, quaint little old chapel, north of Auke Bay. Drove around a bit more and had lunch. Visited the Alaska Brewery location and then returned to the city, parked and walked around the downtown area. Purchased tickets for the Tram as it was the last thing we wanted to do. When we returned the car, the family member took us to Douglas for some views and pictures from the other side. Final stop, the Tram. It was approaching 5:30 and we got up top quickly, however the trip down took much longer. When we got there, the line for the return trip extended through and around the gift shop, out the door and down and around a second gift shop. It took almost an hour and a half. I explored while my husband stood on line. It would have been nice to know that when we went up.

Glacier Bay

Great views of the glacier and good information provided by the Park Rangers that boarded the ship early that morning.

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