A few observations so far on the Star Princess repo cruise

[Host Mike]

Observations

•   I found the BEST backlit, AA battery, digital travel alarm clock at Drug Warehouse for $2 in a sidewalk sale.  It is a DATEXX DF-603.  
•   No waffles at breakfast.  After being told that both ship waffle irons were broken I discovered waffles in the Horizon Court late one afternoon.  They will make breakfast waffles for you on the Star Princess if you order one day in advance.
•   The mayonnaise in the dining rooms is watery
•   No flyers in the cabin mail box after eight days.  Only two or three art auction ad inserts in the Patters so far.
•   At noon the International Café on deck five had salads, cold sandwiches and deserts.  Coffee cards are something like $24 for 15 punches.  
•   I’m hearing that coke cards have gone to the punch system.
•   Internet seems to be working fairly well.  Only one outage yesterday morning.
•   I’m not the only one who has found a way around the banning of Skype on the ship Internet.  I’m using the voipdiscount.com client and it works.
•   Only one small, one seater, family restroom near the Vista Lounge.
•   They are doing a much better job on sound application in the Theater and Lounges.  It’s loud of course but not beyond OSHA limits.
•   There are two types of English muffins in Horizon court.  One is a sort of thin bagel and the other, my favorite, has a rough inside texture and is said to have more sugar and calories.
•   Napkins and silverware are now pre-placed on the tables in Horizon Court.
•   There are no hand sanitizer police on guard.
•   Cabin stewards may make you a towel animal on request.
•   The Star Princess has really great singers and dancers.  Their Motown show is my favorite.
•   The MUTS has a couple of lines of burned out pixels on edges but this has become the norm on Princess.
•   The exercise room was packed, even before daybreak.
•   The Princess laundry stained one of my white socks on the bottom
•   There are 300 Elite’s on this repo cruise and just 14 children.
•   There were so many Captain’s Circle members on board they scheduled four parties which were all packed.
•   The Captain’s Circle Hostess says that it isn’t true that Princess is dropping the Internet Benefit.  She does think that Princess may be considering a new member level starting at 50 cruises.
•   The Love Boat Dream no longer has the sea witch logo.

[f-mattox]

Thank you, Host Mike; not all good news, but helpful.

[NSWP]

Thanks Mike, we are on Star in February, your reports are interesting to us.

Enjoy your cruise.

[ccrain]

Mike,

You've been on the Golden since her upgrade?

Its a shame the Star couldn't get her full gem class upgrade. They did a really great job on the Golden.

Have a great trip...

[Host Mike]

The thing I like best about the Star remodel is the International Cafe.  Richard Joseph is doing a great job as the Cruise Director and "Sam I am from Nottingham" is a great Assistant Cruise Director.  What is truly great on the Star Princess right now is the wonderful talent of the singers and dancers.  The best I've seen on Princess.  Those of you doing a Baltic cruise this summer on the Star are in for a treat.

[RichC]

Observations


•   They are doing a much better job on sound application in the Theater and Lounges.  It’s loud of course but not beyond OSHA limits.

I'd never agree with that comment. Every Princess ship I've been on has the sound blasting in the show lounge to the point I use earplugs. It might not be above OHSA standards but it's close enough to annoy the hell out of me. 

[ccrain]

The thing I like best about the Star remodel is the International Cafe.  Richard Joseph is doing a great job as the Cruise Director and "Sam I am from Nottingham" is a great Assistant Cruise Director.  What is truly great on the Star Princess right now is the wonderful talent of the singers and dancers.  The best I've seen on Princess.  Those of you doing a Baltic cruise this summer on the Star are in for a treat.

Richard is one of most favorite CDs and we met Sam on the Star in February. 

Yep, the Baltic cruisers are in for a treat!

[Suzy Cruisy]

Let us know if you can find out more about the cost / details of the soda card being a 'punch system' as opposed to the prior unlimited version.

Suzy

[RichC]

Let us know if you can find out more about the cost / details of the soda card being a 'punch system' as opposed to the prior unlimited version.

Suzy

I'll check it out on the Emerald next week. I haven't heard anything about a punch system but it wouldn't surprise me since the system can be abused so easily.

[Host Mike]

I have learned that the Coke punch system has not happened.  It was just hearsay on the ship by someone who confused the coffee card with the coke sticker.  The Star Princess is still selling Coke stickers.  They now have a photo card.  Buy five $20 photos (the new normal standard price) and get one free.  BTW:  The audio in Vista and the Princess Theater has now been cranked back up.  Sam I am from Nottingham is dating the photo manager Joel and Richard Joseph, the cruise director mentioned having a girl friend.

[RichC]

We were on the Ruby the I always go to the show lounge to hold a seat for my wife before the show and read a book while waiting. They had music playing before the show to entertain the people waiting & the volume was so loud people had to scream at each other just to be heard. This went on for all the 14 nights & no one said a word.
The Grand Princess was almost as loud but not quite.
I put my complaint in on the comment card but I doubt if anything has changed.
I've got my ear plugs packed & ready to go.

[NSWP]

Crikey, we have got cabin E210 on Star next year, just above the Princess Theatre, still and all we are second sitting diners and 2nd show people, so by the time we get back to our cabin around midnight, all should be quiet up forrad.

Those cabins forward and above Princess theatre would be a little noisy for early bed time folk or kids.

[Host Mike]

I’m hearing on the Star Princess that:

•   That there are two names that are high on the short list of possible names for the two new Princess ships.  They are the Regal Princess and the Royal Princess. 
•   That Princess will no longer sail to Antarctica after the coming Antarctic cruises.  The future cruise lady claimed that the Star Princess had been especially strengthened for Antarctic cruising (news to me and probably not true) and that the Star Princess was the only Princess ship capable of Antarctic cruising (news to be because the Golden Princess previously sailed to Antarctica.)
•   The Sea Princess will be moved to Australia.
•   The small Princess ships will not get a MUTS.
•   St Petersburg has a new cruise terminal
•   The mid career refurbishment of the Star Princess that was not completed will be scrubbed.  The Grand Princess is the next ship to get a (late) career refurbishment that will include moving the pizza area to deck five and the casino to deck seven.
•   With two days to go on this trans-Atlantic cruise the cruise director has already started a marketing push for passengers to give over and above tips to the staff.  Princess also did a cooks parade through the fixed seating dining room.  This is in addition to the Baked Alaska parade that’s yet to come.
•   The cruise director dodged a passenger question about how much pay and benefits (if any) that the singers and dancers receive.
•   The singers and dancers on the smaller ships are sourced from an Australian talent agency.  The singers and dancers on the larger ships are sourced directly by Princess.  Princess headquarters decides in advance what shows will appear on what stages.

[ccrain]

Interesting tidbits, but like intelligence gathering one must collect information from several sources to get anything worth while.

The part about the Sea Princess is pretty much confirmed by multiple sources now.

I especially like the part about the Star Princess being strengthened for Antarctica. Yeah right. I do have a cheap bridge...

On the other hand, what really perked my interest was that the Star will not be upgraded. Hmmmmm. Brings up lots of speculation such as maybe she'll be moved to Australia? Or to P&O? when the new ships come out?

The note that the Grand will be refurbed, but not the Star indicates they probably don't intend on keeping the Star around. Especially if they go through with upgrades on the Diamond and Sapphire.

[Host Mike]

Each booking counts as one cruise for Captain’s Circle cruise history purposes.  The ship computer however may count one booked cruise as two cruises for Captain’s Circle on board benefit purposes.

Question:  Has any Princess ship ever called on Gothenburg, Sweden?  The Star Princess will tomorrow.