Star Princess - A Big Ship Goes Exploring
By Roger J. Ritchie
Princess Cruises likes big ships! And their big ships need new cruise ventures to keep the constantly increasing fleet of ever-bigger ships occupied throughout year. So, the company’s enterprising management has doubled the frequency of last year’s pioneering voyage into the waters of Antarctica, departing from a major port (Buenos Aires). The roundtrip 16-day cruise provides more that the previous cruise-through itineraries, taking a look at the Antarctic scenery on a voyage between Buenos Aires and Valparaiso. Star Princess has probably become the largest ship to cruise into Antarctica, and linger for sightseeing among the islands of the Antarctic Peninsula. The novel cruise offering has demonstrated an international appeal, attracting passengers from all over the world to the unusual opportunity to see some dramatic Antarctic scenery at a very reasonable cost. This writer took the January sailing from Buenos Aires, the first of two Princess cruises on their novel Antarctic itinerary for 2008.
Star Princess– the tropical Lady in a chilly climate . . .
At 109,000 tons the Star Princess is a mammoth ship with all the trimmings for tropical fun-in-the-
sun cruising: four swimming pools, no less that nine Jacuzzi’s and multiple terraces to
accommodate sun worshippers. The interesting question is the adaptability of this sunshine cruiser
to the sharp winds and icy temperatures of the Antarctic. How well does a ship with a
2,600 passenger capacity serve for seven days of no-getting-off marine sightseeing?
Well, she does quite well. She has with a deck space offering ample railings (and cabin balconies) to
provide viewing space of the spectacular scenery, providing many hours of high points
during the slow voyage through the mountain-rimmed channels of the Antarctic islands and
the Beagle Passage. Ships (with official permission) may land a maximum of 100 passengers
at a time on Antarctic land. So, Princess may not provide anything other than a no-pollution,
“green” vehicle for this sightseeing experience in Antarctic waters.
Star Princess in one of a trio of ships of the tonnage built in Italy for Princess. The other two
are the Grand Princess and the Golden Princess. Two additional ships in the fleet–Coral Princess and Island Princess—are almost identical in layout but have an additional deck of cabins. The layout of this class of
Princess ship follows a format that mostly conforms to the popular distribution of public rooms
and cabins and yields for the maximum number of balcony staterooms. But due to the width
of the ship (159 feet, when measured at the “flying bridge”) the Star offers a large number on
inside cabins, which tends to extend the range of its cruising prices. While 707 staterooms with
balconies is a large number, the total passenger cabins is 1,301. This leaves a rather large
number of inside rooms (366), which could be an advantage for some travelers, looking for Princess
quality at a fairly modest-pricing range.
The twin-propeller layout of the Star Princess is diesel-electric powered, with six massive
diesel generators providing remarkably quiet and vibration-free power. Only six years old, the
Star is still spick and span with a clean, fresh appearance that speaks well of the company’s
engineering department. The ship is too wide by 43 feet to pass through the Panama Canal.
Dining at your Discretion - “Personal Choice” from Princess
Princess has achieved a successful compromise on the dinnertime eating question. The Star
Princess has three almost identical dining rooms - with two rooms open to restaurant-style
come-when-you-want (with whom you want) at any time between 5:30 pm and 9:30 pm. These
restaurants - the Portofino and the Capri - delivered good service and very acceptable food, in
my experience, and just as advertised. The third dining room, the Amalfi, is reserved for two-seating dinner service, at assigned tables, in the traditional manner. The three dining rooms provide a wide range of menu selections changing daily. The offerings are in the anticipated Continental/American vein, with certain nights featuring special highlight dishes (crab claws or big steaks).
Meanwhile, the casual Horizon Court located up on the Lido Deck serves hot and cold selections all day and night. The (almost) endless buffet on the Lido Deck is a little less spacious than other, smaller ships in
its offering area, but is open in a good design fashion to the covered pool on the forward end and on to the shaded terrace of the pool area toward the stern. The actual table seating for this Horizon Court facility is generous and always sufficient. At the forward end of the outdoor Lido zone called Neptune’s Reef, the pizza man (Portside) and the hamburger man (Starboard) present their creations all day long. There is also Scoops bar serving customized frozen treats poolside.
Star’s two alternative dining venues are an Italian-cuisine trattoria and a steak house, both located on Promenade Deck. The entrance to Sabatini’s Trattoria opens off the deck’s main thruway. The 90-seat restaurant serves seafood specialties and other Italian dishes. The Southwestern décor Sterling Steakhouse at Tequila’s is located further forward on the same deck toward the Princess Theater. The restaurant’s decor and staff uniforms still reflect the original Mexican theme but the switch to supersteak service only goes to show the inflexibility of popular taste. Both restaurants deliver an extra-level of service from an extra-cheerful staff to provide tummy-filling levels of tasty food. The reservations-only dining venues, which offer unchanging themed menus each night, require a modest surcharge that is charged to your room account: $20 for Sabatini’s; $15 for Sterling Steakhouse.
Cabin comfy - great views . . .
The Star Princess staterooms with balcony or not are configured slightly differently from most
ships. The hanging space is located across the cabin opposite the bathroom door to create a
sort of dressing area screened from the cabin. The hanging space is without doors and thus
can more readily accommodate suitcases and other gear. Other than the suites, the
bathrooms are shower-only and the selection of toiletries provided are in handy Princess-specific squeeze packs. The cabins all offer full inside/outside telephone services and television sets along with a mini-fridge and individual room-temperature control.
The standard outside balcony cabins ranging from 215 to 255 square feet are a little short on floor space with only one soft seat, rather that the usual two-cushion sofa. On the balcony outside my cabin, two chairs at the table and two lounge chairs with foot rests were in place. The cabins are mechanically quiet with ship vibration well damped down. The positioning of premium suites and staterooms at the stern signals the management’s confidence in the tranquility of the stern area. Cabin maintenance was top notch and the cabin room-staff were attentive and appeared well up to their tasks.
Fun at the Mall - shop while you cruise . . .
The Princess management emphasizes onboard merchandizing to greater extent than other cruise lines. The Princess-run Photo and Art Auction departments spill over into the ship corridors and passage-ways to an extent that I found excessive. The ship’s shops did sidewalk merchandizing with similar gusto. The effect on the onboard experience is a move to a fun-at-the-mall atmosphere–certainly no attempt at calm sophistication. The public rooms and bars are also open onto the ship’s Main Street on Deck 7 in a rather Las Vegas casino way as it seemed to promote the Princess concept of happy cruising.
Considering the size of the ship, most of Star’s public rooms have low ceilings with only the theater extending through two decks. Deck 7 is the main level for public spaces with the feature rooms extending from (at the stern) the Vista Lounge (a show- room style space with stage and bars) on to Sabatini’s restaurant, past the Wheelhouse Bar, the Explorers Lounge and on to the top level of the three-deck-high Atrium lobby. Continuing to the bow, the street effect leads past the Promenade Bar and Tequila’s restaurant on to the Princess Theater.
The Atrium Lobby connects Deck 7 to the Dining Rooms on Decks 6 and 5, as well as the Purser’s Desk, the shops and the Casino. A bar called Shooters is located between the Casino and the Princess theater lobby.
On the lowest level of the Atrium lobby is the Tour Desk and the gathering spaces enjoying the animation of the glass elevators and the soloist musician positioned and amplified to bring music to the entire area. A bar on the portside is part of the entry to the Capri Dining Room.
Big theater, big shows . . .
In-house management (rather than franchise) seems to be the policy of the Princess organization and so the Star Princess shows are a selection of company productions. The main venue on Star Princess is the remarkable Princess Theater. This column-free space demonstrates the mastery of ship building today! The two-deck-high theater is a fine single level of elegantly curved seating extending across the full width of the ship. As for the shows, they are pretty good stuff from a large cast of singers and dancers. The cast’s gusto is supported by excellent lighting and production values that are nothing short of amazing, considering the restrictions
of the theater-on-a-ship environment.
In the Show Lounge, aft on the Promenade at the stern, the low ceiling of this Las Vegas-style room
sometimes proves something of a hindrance to the ambitions of the ship’s show-production team. This room is also used as a cinema (nice for movies and a drink!) most evenings, following the evening’s feature presentation, which vary widely in quality.
The sporting Princess - spaces for play . . .
The sports facilities aboard the Star Princess are notably well laid out and really extensive. High up at the bow of the ship, the sports complex on Deck 16 occupies some prime real estate with a deck tennis court (shielded from wind and sunshine) over the gymnasium and spa zones on the deck below. The running track encircling this complex, although rather short for the size of the ship (ten times around for a mile) is a padded and, importantly, a dedicated space free of any interference from sprawling sunbathers–the bane of runners and walkers on other cruise ships. The spa complex surrounds it own pool, thus shielding this adults-only swim-spot from the wind. The complex includes the specialty “Lotus” Spa zone with its exotic massage treatments (at additional cost, of course). The pool in the middle of these facilities provides a swim-against water current (if selected) for the improvement of in-the-water exercise. The large windowed beauty salon completes the clever arrangement of two decks of sports and spa facilities.
Above this spa/fitness area are two computerized golf simulators (Deck 16) where club swingers can sweat out 18 holes of match play and then join the post-exercise guys and gals in the showers, steam and sauna facilities below. The Princess Links putting course located one deck below forward enjoys a prime location that suggests a real enthusiasm on the part of the planners for a diversity of onboard activities. The nine-hole layout is open to the sky but also fully shielded from the wind.
Pools and more pools . . .
The Star Princess provides plenty of splashing spaces for its cruises to tropical climes. The pool count is upped to recognize the possibility of over 2,000 sun worshippers taking the rays out on the upper decks. There are four swimming pools - all wind-sheltered. One is the glass-roofed Calypso Reef pool which converts to open sky, according to the weather. The Star’s whirlpool count comes to nine and are mostly adjacent to the swimming pools. The kids have their own splash pool up on Deck 16. The Terrace Pool in the stern was heated to near body temperature for Antarctic bathing.
All the anticipated features . . .
The Star’s Internet “cafi” is really a room of computer stations facing a podium. So when not
handling the popular e-mailing function, it is suitable for periods of computer instruction. This
space, along with the Library, Card Room, launderettes, and the Wedding Chapel round out the many
features that the modern cruise ship needs to offer to its passengers. The Star Princess leaves no anticipated facility unprovided. The service is not always uniform, however, and the buffet, bar, and deck staff need to brush up on their service skills. The training seems to be inconsistent, resulting in service that flirts with highs and lows.
The “Star” is a Princess ship - stem to stern . . .
The Princess philosophy for the cruise holiday–lots of ship for the money– is demonstrated by
the line’s ever larger vessels and its maintenance of high-value-for-money pricing. The ship’s
layout throughout the fleet is for busy on-board hours with all the traditional passenger-entertaining
activities. The line’s management happily intrudes on the daily experience with its revenue-producing efforts in the sale of photos, art work and trinkets. The many Princess regulars do not seem to mind.
The “main street” of Star Princess is frequently lined with stuff for sale and even the mid-ship
Explorers Lounge is sometimes turned into a gallery for the artwork sales team. The shops of
the ship frequently spill out into other areas with trays of jewelry and trinkets.
The design features of the Star Princess that suggest a Princess management point of view that
includes a far higher amount of glass windscreening on the outside decks and the provision of
stadium-like seating for both the small Spa pool and the Terrace pool at the stern. The
stern pool is equipped for events with its light-and-sound equipment. The informal dining and
buffet space––the Horizon Court (and Bar)-- open on to one of the decks that are curved around
the Terrace Pool.
The children’s and teens’ programs have impressively spacious (and jazzy) dedicated spaces
with a staff of endlessly patient counselors. Their indoor/outdoor space also on Deck 15 overlooks the
ship’s wake and the Terrace Pool area. The Star Princess is definitely hanging a FAMILIES
WELCOME sign on her bow.
The Princess Cruises innovative feature - the most prominent external characteristic of Star
Princess is the “flying” disco high above the stern. This is the Skywalkers night club (Deck 17), amazingly
elevated above the sea and intricately designed to dazzle inside as well as outside. For those
who like a quiet evening there could be no better place to put the high-decibel disco!
Skywalkers offers all the razzle-dazzle for the disco set could want, while being completely
surrounded by glass. This remarkable space was a great success during the Antarctic cruising
as it provided marvelous views during the day without stepping outside.
The dress code --formal is still in . . .
Formal nights are still a part of the Princess experience. There were three on my 16-day cruise and probably 65 percent of the passengers made some effort to recognize the dress code of the evening. It strikes me that the obvious boost in photography sales will keep this feature alive for a long time on Princess Cruises. On non-formal nights, the dress code is smart casual.
Princess - an interesting lady - with a cheerful attitude . . .
The high-repeater count for the Princess cruise operation suggests a success in reaching their
intended market segment. The Star Princess serves a clearly defined brand. The tone aboard
is not for everyone - and neither should it be. The Cheeky Chappie cruise director is
omnipresent and the “shoppers heaven” atmosphere are part of the Princess cruise-mix. The
ships are configured to provide busy times when at sea and when off the ship with extensive shore
excursions.
The Star is (in common with her sister ships) a remarkable engineering and design achievement with a few quirks in layout and organization. She is, it seems, a physically four-star ship operated for marketing purposes at a three-and-a-half-star level. The generally fine service level is let down by the bar and deck personnel, who need to revisit their service training manuals. Other personnel frequently assume a haughty attitude when "asking" for cooperation from passengers.
The Star Princess represents the cruise line with a good-value-for-money pricing scale and an energetically administered range of activities. The ship's novel features and lively atmosphere make it a crowd pleaser.
- Roger J. Ritchie is a contributing editor for ShipsandCruises.com .
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