Hawaii dec 2019
Star Princess Cruise Review
Contributor Level:
Purser
Cruises: 4-6 cruises
Reviews: 2
Helpful Votes: 33
15 Night Hawaiian Islands (Los Angeles Roundtrip)
Sail date: December 04, 2019
Ship: Star Princess
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 4 years ago
Review summary
This was a good cruise. Generally the staff were helpful and pleasant. I have issues with relaxing (always feel guilty) and the 9 sea days made it more acceptable to my wacky personality to just get some down time. I think port days should be extended to a later departure time. The Honolulu day was kind of fun too as much of the crew was allowed to go to shore and there was a very celebratory atmosphere that day. Our room steward Joseph was fabulous.Embarkation
Super fast and efficient
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Crown grill was very good. I liked having the international cafe open 24 hours. Room service was always on time and accurate. I felt the main dining room food, for lunch and dinner was very good. Usually there were a few things that I was tempted by. Deserts were varied and interesting. There were a few fish dishes that were to die for. Beef was generally very well prepared and of good quality. A few of the steaks were excellent. I enjoyed the sausages and the pizza offered at the pool cafe was yummy.
Onboard Activities
There were a ton of things to do. Lots of trivia, dancing lessons, melodramatic theatre, ukulele lessons, hula lessons. Tiki Dave did a good job
Entertainment
Really enjoyed the three production shows. Constues and sets were amazing! There was a huge variety of entertainers and the circus couple was the best. The comedians were good but be prepared that this can be a bit more risqué. Lots of singers, musicians. There was always live music somewhere, plus the ever popular karaoke. Princess seemed to take their entertainment very seriously. Entertainers were seen out and about around the ship and they seemed to enjoy meeting the guests. We enjoyed the movies under the stars
Service and Staff
Staff was professional and helpful. There were a few individuals who were not up to expectations but, meh... maybe they were just having an off day (week). Customer service staff helped me hunt down a deck of cards (where’d they all go?) Joseph our room steward always popped out of no where to wish us greetings. It’s weird how they can keep track of 18 rooms and keep it neat and tidy without ever disturbing the guests.
Ship Quality
Its organized a bit weird, but after a few days you learn the lay. We always used the stairs as the elevators moved like molasses and due to the age of the guests, they were in demand. We had problems with our hot water which was quickly fixed, and with our toilet. Both times the front desk called to confirm that it had been fixed and we were happy. That seemed like very good follow up. There were some leaks on a few floors but they seemed to be always painting and cleaning.
Cabin / Stateroom
We had an interior cabin on caribe deck, right in the middle. This was chosen to minimize sea sickness and have a quiet hallway. We were very happy. My only very small complaint was that the shampoo/conditioner was a two in one and my hair was a tangled dry mess after two weeks. Otherwise the cabin was perfectly fine
Ship tip
Take some time to learn the shop layout on deck 5 and 6. One of the dining rooms is placed so that you can’t go from one end of the ship to the other but once you figure out to just walk to the vista lounge on seven and use those stairs for amalfi it’s fine. Nicest spot to eat if you’re at the horizon court is the very back of the ship.
Thumbs up
0
Ports of call
Rented a car. Shuttles to the car rental were better organized at this port. We drove through the canyon which was lovely. Then we went to a beach to snorkel. It was incredible. I can’t remember the name of the beach, but I’ll find it then edit this post. Too short of a day. Need to be in port longer.
Tenders are always a pain in the butt. Way too short of a day in port. We ubered to the car rental and did the northern road around towards Hanna. Ask the rental car people for a map. We went up to JAWs surfing competition. Which was so super-cool. The drive was really lovely and not all that scary. The we doubled back to paia, got shaved ice and then cut across the island to get back to drop the rental car. Maui has the best views along the shore. Ensure you have time to stop frequently when doing the dive.
We had more time in port which was very good. We used the public bus to go to pearl harbour which was excellent. We got the second shuttle to the Arizona memorial. Get there before 11 or you may not get a ticket and the wait could be significant. I would recommend this. After we were done we took the buses to diamond head. You can get a Daly pass on the bus and they are very easy to use and super cheap. Diamond head provided some spectacular views. Then a bus back to Waikiki beaches for a swim and and a walk along the beach at sunset. Then bus back to Walmart, grabbed some macadamia nut treats and we had a nice walk back to the shop. This time in port slowed us to be relaxed and take our time. The other ports we we racing back to get the ship by the all aboard time
We had a fun day in port. I got very frustrated with the attitudes of the guests on the ship. Very few people even left the ship. I found the vendors quite respectful. Yes they would approach you but if you get in the right head space and learn a few phrases of Spanish they were way less aggressive than in Jamaica. I found them quite fun. We did grab a cab at the port and he took us to Costco, waited for an hour and then drive us back for $20usd. If you are Canadian get your booze at Costco. It was practically free and they have a huge selection. Lol. I’ll let you know how the Kirkland Vodka tastes
Nice, we rented a car but don’t bother about the rental car shuttle. Just go grab an Uber. We went for the hike around the crater in volcano national park. And it was really cool. Too little time in port. We went to the waterfalls..lame.
Disembarkation
Super duper fast. Well done. Ubered to the airport. Put in the pickup location as pier 93.