Roy Funk

Age: 44
Occupation: Info Services (computer nerd)
Number of Cruises: 12
Cruise Line: Princess Cruises
Ship: Star Princess
Sailing Date: March 13th, 2002
Itinerary: Los Angels to Ensenada and back

First Impression: Wow this is a big beautiful new ship!

Embarkation: Not Great. The ship is new, the staff is still figuring out how to move things along, and Los Angeles Harbor’s facilities and parking are not very modern or efficient. We passed by a Princess staffer at curbside who looked at our luggage, and said our things didn’t need to be checked with a porter because they looked small enough. I was skeptical, and would have gladly off-loaded two of them. We stood in line for the usual eternity, then when we got up to the x-ray machine the guy told us one bag would have to be checked. Back to curbside of course, then back to x-ray.

The guy put little dots on our papers for express check-in, because we had filled out things and mailed them in prior to the cruise (btw, I tried filling them out online and the Princess web site was not working properly). We were then directed into a long snaking line of people, again. When we arrived at the counter where you’re given your room key-cards, the lady staffer said, “oh, you have express check-in, you could have avoided this line”.

This ship, and this port, need to get their act together on embarkation better. On the plus side, there were Mariachis performing, which lent some festivity obviously designed to lull you into forgetting your aching feet.

Food: I thought the food overall was very good. I’ve had better, but only slightly, and you have to marvel that a ship this large can mass produce this good quality of food for every meal. We used Personal Choice dining. We ate at both main restaurants and the Horizon buffet. This was a short 3 day cruise, and we did not have time to experience either of the extra-cost dinning options. We did hear from those who went to them, that they enjoyed them.

The wait staff was overall good to very good. Personal Choice dining has it’s good and bad. The good is that you will be able to eat whenever you feel hungry, and you may dine at nearly any restaurant that is open. The bad is that you will never have that personal touch that a very skilled wait staff can impart to your table. Your waiters will never know your name, or your preferences, and you will never come to know them as friends, either.

If you’ve ever enjoyed a wonderful, friendly experience with your table’s waiters, you’ll know why I feel this is a loss. If you prefer not knowing or interacting much with the ships staff, Personal Choice dining is perfect.

This ship has options for eating 24 hours a day, so you certainly won’t go hungry. The food was very good at the buffet, also. I was not fond of the warm orange juice in the plastic cups at breakfast, however. Is chilled orange juice that hard to do? There is limited seating near the buffet. If you wish to eat during a crowded time, you may have to wander considerably to find a place to sit down. If you get back up to get anything you’ve forgotten, your plate will likely disappear if you do not have a table companion to watch it for you. The coffee tea and water dispensers are located near the entrance. The staff will gladly get your bar drinks, but you’re on your own if you want the free beverages. On other cruises, I’ve had waiters come to the table with coffee and juice refills during breakfast. I missed that service, on this ship.

Entertainment: This ship has some of the best main shows the industry has to offer. The two main shows are top notch, the talent is great, and the Princess Theatre (forward) is very nice. Seating is comfortable, but because the rows are difficult to navigate when the theatre is full, you probably won’t be served any bar drinks. If you want to have a drink during the show, bring them in with you. Sight lines are good and clear in this room, with the small exception of some safety railings on the balconies.

The Vista Theatre in the aft, is set up more for drinking during a show, and is built like a show lounge, but it does not host the main acts. Also, as in with the Star’s sister ships, this theatre has poor sight lines due to massive columns in the room. That’s a shame, because the room filled to capacity every time I was there, and probably 20% of the people had poor views.

If it is important to you to have good seats, go early on this ship. I suggest at least 20 min early. Saving seats is frowned upon, as it fairly should be.

Tours: This was such a short cruise with only one port, that we only went on one. We went on a wine tour. They had us meet in the Princess Theatre before going outside.

There was considerable walking and quite a few stairs on this tour. The tour itself was good, priced fairly, and enjoyable. The buses were the best Ensenada had to offer; adequate, but not new or plush.

Princess printed a tour description that told us of a widely known winery that we would be visiting. It turned out that we went the other direction, to two other wineries. We were informed that the winery printed in the tour description would have been too far. The ones we went to were fine by me, but I wonder if anyone on the tour choose it because they wanted to go to that particular winery? If so, they were surely disappointed.

Cabins: As I have come to expect from Princess, our cabin was neat and tastefully decorated. The cabin steward did his job very well. There were good movies on the TV, some news, and some info about the ship. The map displayed on the TV was wrong. The map showed us leaving Ensenada, and sailing south to a small Mexican island, then home to Los Angeles. We actually went directly from Ensenada back North, to the waters near LA, where we cruised in circles all day off Catalina Island. I guess bad info bugs the computer nerd in me. On previous Princess Cruises, the terry robe was in the room for us to use. On this cruise, it was available only if you asked for it.

Decks and Pools: Beautiful pools abound on this ship, more so than any other I’ve been on. The tile work, art, and architecture, are stunning! The deck seemed to have enough chairs to accommodate everyone, although you might not get exactly the spot you had hoped for. There is even a lap pool, where you swim against the current. You’ll need your goggles to help you stay centered in the current.

I saw the deck crew taking samples of the water quality on this ship, which is reassuring, and something I’ve seen far less of on other ships. The deck staff took good care of getting bar drinks and clearing tables.

Princess Links: is a golf putting course that is free to use. That was fun, although I think it might been built better. The slope of the course forces your ball against the brick borders far too often. (yeah yeah, I know that wouldn’t happen if I putted the dang thing into the hole, lol).

Bars and Lounges: This ship has a place for almost any mood. You can find disco, ballroom, piano, blues, jazz, country... just wander around and enjoy, you’re sure to find something to your liking. This is one area, where a big ship really shines.

Casino: They seemed friendly and efficient at helping you part with your money. If you enjoy playing, this ship has a large, well staffed, operation.

Disembarking: This went much better than embarkation. We were delayed, but that was due to U.S. Customs, not Princess. We were asked to wait in the lobbies, so the cabins could be cleaned for the next people, of course. I would suggest doing as we did: go find a comfy place on a deck away from the gangway. If you try to be near the exit, you’ll probably end up standing, being in the way, etc. They called us off, by colored luggage tags which they issued by decks, the day before. The process went well, once Customs allowed us to begin. Do not aggravate yourself by scheduling a flight time that you could miss by some delay of a couple of hours. These delays are very common, I’ve found.

Summary: I had a very nice time aboard the Star Princess. I would recommend it.

There were some rough edges on my cruise, but I attribute many of them to the ship being very new, and the staff still getting used to their jobs. Things should improve. Los Angeles Harbor needs updating, Carnival understands this, and is building a new facility in Long Beach. I would caution anyone with walking impairment that this ship is extremely long, and much foot work is necessary to get around on it. The ship seems reasonably wheelchair friendly if you have a strong pusher. The age mix onboard was good.

Everyone from kids to seniors, were aboard. If you love the idea of a huge floating party city, with lots of things to do, lots of choices to make, then this is a wonderful ship!

Would I cruise this ship again? Yes, if I got a good deal on her. Personally, I had a slightly better time on the Sun Princess a couple years ago, so I might favor that class of ship, instead. However, I’m very happy I had the opportunity to enjoy the Star Princess, and I think you may find her enjoyable too.

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