Nonnymus wrote:
> Returning from the Star Princess, I want to report that their Anytime
> dining is a great thing. The dining room opens around 5:30p, and the
> dress requirements are quite relaxed. Traditional dining is also
> available for early and late seating for those who enjoy dressing up
> more. We felt that the service was fine and the only downside was
> things like the Baked Alaska parade didn't happen because folks were in
> different stages of dining. We were usually seated at large tables and
> occasionally the waiter would ask if it'd be OK for him to delay service
> until others joined us.
>
> The food selection was far better than we experienced on the Veendam
> earlier and the passengers probably averaged 20 years younger in age.
> While that was not of primary concern, it meant the speed of getting
> food on the Lido deck was about twice that of the Veendam, elevators
> emptied faster, lines moved better and getting on/off the ship or
> tenders was far, far faster. I have to admit that the Veendam offered a
> superior selection of breakfast items and there were more waiters
> present to help the older folk, folks with scooters and people with
> walkers. While Mrs. Nonny could always get someone to help, she had to
> ask on the Star, where it was freely offered on the Veendam. We also
> preferred the trays of HAL to the large platters of Princess.
>
> Something I thought I'd dislike again was the pre-cooked eggs of
> Princess on the Lido deck. They're cooked from whole eggs and served in
> a round "manufactured shape" in a tray- about a dozen at a time. My
> anticipated dislike of them mitigated over the cruise to the point where
> I could always pick out an egg or two cooked the way I preferred. The
> Star offers cooked-to-order eggs at its hamburger/hot dog station way
> forward of the Lido deck, but I didn't find that necessary once I got
> past my prejudice of their eggs on the Lido deck line. Mrs. Nonny tells
> me that their pizza was good, also. Princess also seemed to offer more
> baked goods at breakfast, but they were not nearly as tasty as those of
> HAL. Where we'd have to stand and wait for English muffins and bagels
> to be toasted on the Veendam, they were "anticipated" and were usually
> falling out of the toaster on the Star to eliminate a wait.
>
> Desserts on Princess were more limited than on the Veendam, but while
> the selection was smaller, the quality and taste were just as good, we
> felt. We DID miss the HAL bread pudding, but the Princess version was a
> close second. Princess also almost always had a hot dessert, such as
> apple cobbler, rice pudding etc. available with a vanilla sauce.
>
> While there was no complimentary ice cream offered for dessert on the
> Star, they did have a free 3:30p afternoon ice cream service on the Lido
> deck daily, along with afternoon Tea downstairs. The downside was that
> they usually had some of the weirdest flavors of ice cream imaginable,
> instead of good stuff like vanilla, chocolate, lemon etc. I found that
> by hanging around the atrium of deck 5 and reading, that each afternoon
> I'd be offered a WARM cookie, however and they were terrific.
>
> Coffee was always available on the Lido deck, as with most ships. My
> favorite coffee is on Carnival, with its large mugs. Princess had tiny
> coffee cups more suited for the fingers of a lady than a grown man, and
> also they required frequent trips to refill. Toward the end of our
> cruise, for some reason, we found the circulating coffee refill gal on
> the Lido deck far more in evidence than initially. Perhaps some folk
> complained.
>
> Princess had the typical Welcome Aboard drink fest the day after
> boarding each segment. Unlike most cruise lines, I found the drinks to
> be generous and service available. In fact, one server at all the
> parties was also my favorite from the lounge, and when he spotted me,
> he'd go and get my favorite libation without being asked. The same held
> true for the Captain's Circle folk a few days later. Appetizers were
> served at both, and were fine.
>
> FWIW, our cabin was nicely appointed and the door width was fine for
> Mrs. Nonny's scooter. We'd been on the Star earlier for an Alaskan
> cruise, so we had an idea of what to expect. The South and Central
> American ports we visited were typically commercial/industrial ports and
> separated from the city by miles. Princess capitalized on this by
> marketing the availability of their shore excursions from the port.
> However, we quickly learned that almost every port separated from a city
> or market area also offered a free shuttle.
>
> Something unusual, for me, was Captain Perrin of the Star. The guy
> looks to be about 40 or so and is quite personable. He has a
> "mechanical"--type interest and we had 4-5 rather lengthy discussions
> about his career, ships in general and propulsion systems. He's the
> first Captain I've met that really seems to enjoy bumping elbows with
> the passengers and by far the most interesting to visit with. He works
> 3 months on and 3 off, which appeals to him greatly.
>
Thanks for your comments. I see the Maitre'ds are not doing their job.
Seems most cruise lines don't enforce any dress codes on
any ships. You might upset somebody and they won't cruise with your
cruise line anymore.
I guess it won't be long before Princess allows shorts at dinner like
Carnival.
Bill
--
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