It's the excursions and embarkation
Star Princess Cruise Review to Coastal - West Coast
10 Night Pacific Coastal (Vancouver Roundtrip)
Sail date: April 19, 2016
Ship: Star Princess
Cabin type: Suite
Cabin number: )))))
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 8 years ago
Review summary
We boarded Star Princess in Vancouver. Unlike most cruises going to the US, a US immigration would already process passports right in Canada Place pier before passengers can board a ship heading to the US. Princess didn't have that. When we got into our first stop, LA, the ship, with 2,700 passengers lined up to have our documents processed by US immigration. Princess blamed the US immigration for the line up, which many people did not believe. Most of us are from Canada and familiar with the procedures when boarding vessels or planes heading to the US. Even the American guests were not able to leave the ship because they couldn't jump the thousands ahead of them who were already lined up as early at 7 AM, ( the time we were directed to disembark)
The LA excursions were cut short and the excursion companies blamed Princess for the late disembarkation of the passengers.
Santa Barbara excursion to the old catholic mission filled with history never occurred. It was a mere quick drive and that was it. The Montecito excursion to view Hollywood celebrities homes were also a quick drive on the road where tourists saw nothing except tall fences and large trees. These are sights common in many countries and the Santa Barbara excursion offered nothing. It's best just to walk along the coast lines and discover the area near the pier on your own...
Anything else -entertainment, food, the ship and amenities are good.
There were some people we encountered who pushed and cut in line. Some were quite rude and just didn't have social skills but that's not the fault of the cruise line.
The staff in Princess have their name tags and represent their countries. Some people find this offensive.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Onboard Activities
Entertainment
Children's Programs
Service and Staff
Ship Quality
Cabin / Stateroom
Ship tip
Recommended ? Yes. Just be careful in choosing your excursions and be prepared to get into long lines.
Ports of call
Vancouver (Canada Place), British Columbia
San Pedro (Los Angeles), California