Canal Crossing - The Star Event

Item: Star Pride
Rating: 3.3
Author: Cruise4Pleasure

Star Pride Cruise Review to Panama Canal, Central America

Cruise4Pleasure

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Reviews: 2

Helpful Votes: 129

Overall rating:

3.3 out of 5

Verified Review

7 Night Costa Rica & Panama Canal (Puerto Caldera To Colon)

Sail date: December 23, 2016

Ship: Star Pride

Cabin type: Suite

Cabin number: 214

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 7 years ago

Review summary

The best part of this cruise was the transit through the Canal, it truly is an engineering marvel and I am so glad to have experienced it. The small ship is nice but beyond that I was disappointed with Windstar. The staff is very friendly but they are all very young and lack training regarding how to deliver good service. Dining on a cruise is usually special but their menus were limited and very ordinary, a big disappointment. Being only offered a deck BBQ on cheap plastic chairs is not what I expected, I am not a fan of buffet lines. This is really an itinerary of nature ports with opportunity for only the scheduled tours as options for daily activities, little if anything to do in port otherwise, beach visits only. It may be good to know prior to arrival. All of this contributed to my disappointment as I was left to more free time than I had expected. The star of this trip is the Canal transit and that was something I will always remember as spectacular!

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

1 out of 5

Limited offerings and nothing special. Service always seemed rushed. The BBQ dining on deck as the only option was not great either.

Onboard Activities

1 out of 5

Not much offered and nothing most days. With no real port options beyond the nature experiences it may have been nice to have other options.

Entertainment

1 out of 5

This really does not exist, crew performances were painful to watch. The lounge duo acts were all that was provided and they were both good.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Very pleasant and eager to help, just lacking the training to provide better quality service.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Very nicely refurbished common areas, the elevators could use an update. Sometimes they did not match up with the floor and look quite worn.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

The suite is a nice size and well appointed. The bath is quite large and the tub/shower is a great treat .....nice water pressure too. The balcony is nice but not used since it was quite humid, so perhaps not a necessity on this itinerary.

Ship tip

We sailed at Christmas and it was sad Windstar did not make it seem more special, the decorations were old and tired as well. A crew member poorly dressed as Santa was put out at odd times for photos but not much else. No special Christmas Eve or Day dinner, many guests shared their disappointment

Thumbs up