7 Night Pacific Wine Country Northbound (Los Angeles To Vancouver)
Sail date: April 03, 2018
Ship:
Star Princess
Cabin type: Balcony
Cabin number: C320
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 6 years ago
Review summary
Overall we really enjoyed this cruise. The room left something to be desired but amenities were top notch.
I would recommend this cruise and cruise line to others. Just pay attention to potential weather issues and exactly what you are getting for a cabin.
I will certainly consider Princess in the future. Other than the TINY room, I think this was a very enjoyable cruise with a great staff, restaurants, lounges and bars.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Processing and boarding were well coordinated.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
The Star Princess has wonderful restaurants. Dining experiences were exceptional. Staff is very professional and food was great.
Vines Bar
5 out of 5
We were concerned at what wines might be available on-board and brought some of our own. This turned out to be a mistake. The wines were wonderful. This being a "Wine Cruise", made this bar our favorite.
Vines staff were outstanding. Dennis was very knowledgeable and friendly. Made great recommendations based on our tastes. Alex was also very professional and friendly. His humor and suggestions made our experience all the better. If Princess Cruise line continues to employ people like Dennis and Alex, they will continue make this a very enjoyable experience. ALso, Rebecca(?) made wonderful sushi and tapas. A very nice addition to the Wine Bar experience. These small plates are a great add on to the wine experience.
Nothing but good things to say about Vines.
Promenade Lounge And Bar
3 out of 5
Crooners lounge service was a bit slow but the servers were nice and the drinks very good.
Skywalkers Nightclub
2 out of 5
A little disappointed with the music in the Skywalker lounge. Find it hard to understand how the DJ keeps slipping into current music when the majority of passengers are fairly mature. Visited the lounge specifically due to it being 80's night. That lasted about an hour and suddenly the music changed to much more current music. Very disappointing. DJs should understand their audience and realize why the dance floor clears when the music changes. That is not to say I have not seen this before. Same thing happened on a Carnival Mexican Riviera cruise.
Another issue with this venue is the rocking. Not the music. I can only think this is due to the height of the lounge. The movement of the ship is VERY perceptible in this lounge. If you are subject to motion sickness, DO NOT VISIT.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Did not really partake of these services. Too cold for pools.
Outdoor movies were nice but decided not to bundle up and partake.
Not much opportunity to take advantage of these services due to weather.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
The shows we attended were quite entertaining.Live bands seemed like they were going through the motions. Music was very bland with no feeling. I understand they do multiple shows but they didn't even pretend to be enjoying themselves.See comment above regarding Skywalker Lounge DJ.
Children's Programs
Did not bring kids.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
STAFF WERE WONDERFUL.
Steward learned our tendencies early and fast. Hardly saw him yet he was right on it with cleaning and evening services. Raymond Cruz was our steward and he did a wonderful job.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
In general, cleanliness was very good. As the cruise went on, some of the public facilities seemed to suffer. Hence my Okay rating.
Restaurants were absolutely top notch and seemed clean.
Layout with regards to bars and restaurants was very nice.
Elevators were a bit confusing with regards to which ones to take for upper floors.
Cabin / Stateroom
2 out of 5
Cabin Bathroom was ridiculous. SMALL. Shower was tiny. Don't drop soap cause you will almost assuredly need to step out to be able to pick it up.
Thought we were getting a Stateroom. Everything indicated a Stateroom. We actually had what is considered a Cabin. Beyond the balcony (which was hardly usable with the rain) there is no living area. Not a place to pass time unless laying on the bed is what you are looking for.
Ship tip
Really pay attention to what kind of room you are booking. Look up the layout online. Again, they indicate Stateroom, but really need to have a Cabin category.
If you plan on alcohol consumption, consider the Beverage package. Beverages average about $10 per drink. Do your math ahead of time and make your decision. One of the nice things about a cruise is not even thinking about additional charges. Eat, drink, and walk away.
Do not over pack. Laundry room was available. Pack just enough and do a little laundry if you must.
In general San Pedro was a good port. With all of the construction in the area, it was a bit of a pain to reach. Hopefully, once complete, it will be easier to reach.
No hard port. Had to use Tender boats. Takes about 20 minutes to make the trip to shore on a crowded boat.
Santa Barbara is a wonderful town with good eats and drink. Great place to explore.
Great shuttle system except there should have been more options. Multiple buses doing a circuit though a boring little town. There should have been some alternate routes to visit some of the outlying areas.
Nanaimo was a nice but boring little town. Not much shopping evident. Walked all over and other than the old quarter, there was almost no opportunity to do any shopping.
Several breweries. White Sails was good, but like most other places, did not open till 3PM.
Not a lot of decent places to eat. The Lighthouse was nice but TINY. At least a 30 minute wait. This is an issue when you are on a limited time schedule. Like Disney, I don't want to spend a lot of time in lines.
OMG! Should have hustled to Vancouver rather than spend an extra day at sea (due to a storm). This was a nice port, in a very interesting and beautiful city.
We decided to spend a day here after getting off the boat. Should have spent more. Great shopping and eats.
Spent time in the Gas Lamp area. There is a China Town area in this city also.
Beautiful, clean, and an amazing public transportation system. Who needs a car?
Delayed due to union issues? Apparently had some difficulty getting baggage off the boat.
Baggage claim was a nightmare. Everyone off the boat at the same time. Baggage in NO ORDER. A bit of a mess.
More coordinated baggage claim areas would have been nice.
Glad you enjoyed your cruise and would consider sailing with Princess again! We prefer the inside cabin which is great for us and besides we don't spend much time in the cabin other than nature breaks showering changing and sleeping!
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