Star Pride Review
You get what you pay for, just manage your expectations
Rating by category
Additional details
Having done this exact cruise last year, albeit a little later in the Spring, and enjoyed it so much we booked it again when offered. In full disclosure we got an AMAZING deal that we couldn't pass up. The crossing was originally scheduled for the end of March but was moved up two weeks. We found out at the end of the crossing that it was to complete a 10-day dry dock before SP began her Med season.
Only 62 people were onboard compared to 168 last year. Did it make a difference? Yes, in that there wasn't enough for the crew to do, and it seemed they got a little bored. Can't blame them. With the exception of the trivia games and "name that tune" the guests didn't seem to want to participate a lot - maybe they were a little bored too. The Spa was rarely used as was the gym. Several times on leaving the gym in the late afternoon the hair salon area was dark and there was no one at the front desk. Rarely saw anyone in the casino (which we heard is being eliminated during the "stretching").
Cruiselines use the days at sea to get done repairs, both cosmetic and mechanical, that couldn't be completed during the ship's Caribbean season. This resulted in some noise, loud at times, that really bugged some people - us not so much. After receiving complaints the ship did the best they could to complete the repairs when guests weren't on deck.
Cabin Review
Balcony Suite
We loved the cabin last year and did so this year. Good space and we loved sleeping with the balcony door open. Our cabin attendant though was really weak: a popcorn kernel sat under one of the side chairs for 4 days and we think (due to a specific tear on the top sheet) that our sheets were never changed the entire time. We are environmentally conscious so it didn't bother us - and we didn't ask to have them changed - but even though we hung up our towels every night they were still replaced, so there was a disconnect there. We could only attribute it to the fact that it only takes 30 seconds to replace towels, a minute to remake a bed and several minutes to change the sheets - so maybe he took the easy way out thinking that if we saw clean towels we would assume clean sheets. We didn't.