Day 2: Embarkation on the Star Princess

I’m starting this post at 8:30am on embarkation day. Believe it or not, we are already parked on the benches outside the check in door at Terminal 2 in Port Everglades. We had an Uber pick up for 8am at the La Quinta and that went very smoothly.  I might have questioned G’s wisdom in having me reserve such an early transfer but the driver today said at least ten times that we were smart to get here so early. We could see the dozens of police vehicles getting set up to direct traffic into and out of the port. This isn’t the busiest Port Everglades day we’ve ever witnessed (that honor belongs to the Sunday before Christmas 2003, 50000 passengers, but I’m sure they’ve since broken that record), but it’s still a busy one. G promised me that I’d have a bench to sit on, and I do, and it’s actually a lot like life:  hard, but good. 

A little more about our day yesterday… our Uber driver to the airport was the most fascinating guy I’ve talked with lately. He was a fashion photographer in New York until 9/11 wiped him out, physically, financially and emotionally. In that capacity he had several dealings with Donald Trump and the Trumpettes. I jokingly asked if he got paid and he said only after six bounced checks and then only partially. It was a fascinating walk through the world of Epstein and drugs and modeling and sex trafficking, a world that I, coming from a Catholic girls school in the Midwest, could only imagine. If he could have driven us all the way to Fort Lauderdale, I would have loved the ride. 

We were happy, given our United Basic Economy tickets, to finally get assigned seats just under 24 hours before our flight. We were both in row 36, and each had a window. G wondered aloud if perhaps the person in the middle seat next to him might be willing to switch with me so we could chat all the way to Fort Lauderdale. 

🤨

Um, the correct question might instead be if I would be willing to give up my four hours of peace, quiet and a window seat to sit in a middle seat and chat about all the things we got done during seven weeks at home and what our to do list looked like for the rest of the summer.  And that answer would be a hard NO. 

We did have Starlink WiFi that was smoking, and power ports in each seat, and I watched videos all the way to Fort Lauderdale and it was simply wonderful to have the uninterrupted time to do that.  No leg room, of course, especially with my backpack being stowed under the seat in front of me, but I was still able to stand up at the end of the flight, so I count that as a win. 

No issue getting our luggage, but, as I said last night, things went a bit south when we were waiting…and waiting and waiting…for our “free” shuttle to the hotel. It didn’t help that things were just so packed at the airport; it was well after dark and all I could see as I watched for a white bus (and they were ALL white buses) with La Quinta on the side were headlights. After well over an hour and several phone calls to the hotel (and being told time after time that the bus was just coming into the airport), they agreed to reimburse our fare there. Had we known that we would be waiting that long, we would have Ubered at the start ($38 for a 4 miles). 

We finally made it to our room at 11pm and crashed…and then got up 7 hours later to have a quick breakfast and catch our Uber this morning. The La Quinta 20 years ago was our go to pre-cruise hotel in Fort Lauderdale but it has gone downhill quite a bit. I stuffed up immediately from the mold in the room (or a prior animal occupant, who knows?), but it was generally clean and just under $200 which, if you’ve seen the prices for hotels around Port Everglades lately, is about as cheap as they get. 

So, back to today. We were actually in our Star Princess cabin and G was unpacked before 11am. We rolled on both our large suitcases, and they absolutely did fit through the security scanner (this is always debated online). Several other people did also, so if you don’t want to wait until after dinner on embarkation day to get your luggage, give it a try. But it could slow down your embarkation if you can’t safely manage the escalator with your suitcase, and I can’t imagine it working if you have more than one suitcase. 

Sunrise from the La Quinta

We got an Uber for $30 which worked out to be the same price

My first impression of the Star Princess was almost exactly what I’d expected it would be:  this ship feels an awful lot like the Carnival Jubilee we cruised on out of Galveston in late 2024. Part of it, I’m sure, is that it is just as new as that ship was, with the same contemporary styling. In fact, the Piazza is very reminiscent of an area called Center Stage on the Jubilee. But we both returned to that thought several times today. The Carnival haters may deny it but the truth is that this ship is as much Carnival-feeling as Princess. 

We were invited to drop the luggage we’d carried on in our cabins, but were warned that they wouldn’t yet be ready. But our steward was just vacuuming ours and said we could move in right away. And that is how we both came to be unpacked before we went to lunch. Meanwhile, while I unpacked, G ran down to the Celestial Dining Room to meet restaurant management about our dining reservation. 

Just between you and me, I almost didn’t want to go on this cruise, for one reason only. When we booked this cruise, the only traditional dining that was available was a table for 6 at 7:30pm. That wouldn’t work on any count. I feared a repeat of our initial Emerald Princess experience, and our initial Ruby Princess experience and longed for the days when we booked a cruise and a traditional dining experience was pretty much guaranteed. 

We don’t have friends in high places, but apparently we have friends who have friends in high places, and, for this cruise at least, our luck changed. We will be dining in the Sanctuary Restaurant for all our meals. 

!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now, what was I saying about dreading this cruise?   I guess the first thing I’m eating is my words.  This is a windfall beyond description. 

However, I had already gotten us a table in the Aurora Dining Room when G found me with this information, and we were hungry so we just ate lunch there. It was not the usual Embarkation Day menu, but something closer to, but not as extensive as the lunch menu we’ve seen on other ships. I ordered the quinoa salmon poke bowl and it was a disappointment. There was perhaps an ounce of salmon and had white rice instead of quinoa. Princess is getting fast and loose with its menu descriptions.

After we finished, we returned to the cabin to recharge our iPhones and let me talk about our cabin. Simply stated, we love it. The storage, though completely different than on other Princess ships, is ample. I can finally see why G gets so irritated at the nine decorative pillows I have on our bed at home. We have five fewer here but they are simply in the way, and because our room can accomodate a third person, that extra bedding is stored under the bed and the pillows won’t fit there.  The cabin is smaller than other Princess cabins, but we expected that. Still, it’s large enough, nearly new, with lots of USB-A and -C power ports and fantastic lighting. The bathroom is a wonder, with a much larger shower (laughably larger compared to a Grand Class shower) with a glass door in lieu of a curtain. That alone makes this ship a winner. 

We are having trouble getting the ventilation straight. We have the fan turned all the way down and the heat turned all the way up and are freezing in here.  Turning the system off  doesn’t stop the fan. That extra comforter for the third bed?  It’s already been put to use. We’ll have to figure this out tomorrow. 

We were up on deck for the sailway party (a lot of fun, begging more comparisons to Carnival) and then watched as we sailed out of the Piet Everglades Inlet into the open ocean. It’s been at least ten years since we’ve done that (I kind of swore off Florida for awhile which, considering we once contemplated moving there is saying something). And I actually teared up for a minute remembering how much Mom used to love watching us on the Port Everglades webcam  as we left on our cruises. 

We changed for the evening and went to the Elite Lounge, held in Princess Live from 4 to 6pm (frankly, a little disappointing, food- and staff interaction-wise, without the live music we’ve come to enjoy on other ships), then went to our first dinner in the Sanctuary Restaurant, and how, oh how, will I ever return to normal life?  

We walked through The Eatery on the way back to the cabin (I’d imagined we’d be eating all our dinners there) and it looked nice but I can’t say anymore than that about it at this point. It was too chilly to step out to the outdoor dining area there. We passed by the International Cafe and it looks fantastic, listened to some live music in the Piazza and called it a day. 

We are here.  Life is good. :-)

Day 1: Flight to Fort Lauderdale

Our usual pre-cruise “crisis du jour” at home turned into a “crisis de semaine” that kept us on edge all last week but was happily fully resolved just in time to leave (but, boy oh boy we were about 25% confident at one point that we’d be able to cruise as planned).  It’s always something!  But today was as relaxing a travel day as we could hope for… until we ran into trouble getting a hotel shuttle at the Fort Lauderdale airport. I read that there were 16000 cruise ship passengers disembarking and the same number embarking tomorrow, and it definitely showed at the airport tonight. 

Due to our earlier Uber pick up, we spent a couple of hours at the USO where G was able to love on a black lab therapy dog named Jed (while I stayed a few feet away). I picked up a Qdoba on the way to the gate to eat on the plane and our direct flight was without incident. Luggage was claimed and we made our way out to the hotel shuttle area. 

I lost count of how many times I phoned the La Quinta in the more than an hour we waited for our free shuttle, but, in the end, we got an Uber and were reimbursed at the hotel. And no one was hurt in negotiating that deal ‘Nuff said. 😉

It was 11pm when we checked into our hotel room. We stayed at this hotel many times 15 to 25 years ago, and it’s definitely starting to show its age. However, for a few hour stay, it works. 

We are here. We’ve cruised enough to know that tomorrow’s embarkation day will be a long one. But after that, it’s all good. 

20-night Panama Canal cruise on the Star Princess

We’re off on another adventure, and thanks for being here to travel with us! I almost can’t believe that we are cruising in the Spring; I can’t remember too many April cruises we’ve taken.  Maybe an early transatlantic cruise in the late 90s qualifies.  Oh, and there was a San Juan to California to Hawaii B2B on a Royal Caribbean ship almost 25 years ago. But nothing since then, until now. And this one works only because we’ll be home to comply with that locally famous “It’s safe to plant annuals after Mothers Day” axiom. In fact, we’ll even have a few days at home at before we have to dig in (haha). 

Since my last post, we’ve had a good seven weeks at home. Two measurable snowfalls (one 8”, heavy and wet, and a 6” snow with the good manners to melt itself on the streets and sidewalks), not much other moisture to speak of, really warm temps (88° in March?), and my oral surgery, which went very well.  I was able to return to soft solid food after a couple of weeks, and have gotten slightly more crunchy very recently. All the weight I gained cruising (I’ll confess…almost 12 pounds from the time we boarded the Regal on October 8) was lost through day after day of a diet limited to protein drinks and soups. I’m now sporting a retainer that has to be removed to eat, and that is as good a means as any to eliminate snacking between meals. 

It wasn’t all dental work and starvation while we were home; we’ve been able to enjoy a few sports successes, too. I flew out to watch McGee compete in an invitational track meet at Stanford last weekend, my first time ever there, and what a beautiful campus. He was an absolute star, breaking the all time academy (and all the service academies) record time by more than 20 seconds, with an Olympic trial-qualifying time. Yes, I’m kvelling (thanks to Michael S. for that word). I can’t help it; I know how hard he works for this every single day. 

And then, how ‘bout them 2026 NCAA National Basketball Champions Michigan Wolverines?!? I’ll have to get a new coffee cup and retire the 1989 National Champions coffee cup I’ve enjoyed using for 37 years of mornings. It’s great to be a Michigan Wolverine (but we fans know to buy durable natty merch that lasts, because it has to 😆). 

With nothing (much) on the calendar for three weeks, our upcoming cruise was purely an impulse purchase. In fact, I can tell you exactly when we booked it. That evening in Cabo San Lucas in early January when we went up to the open deck above the bridge on the Emerald Princess to get some sunset pics, and G went back to the cabin to change for the evening, but I was waiting to see what the afterglow would be like (sadly, not too impressive). And an announcement came from the bridge about a family of whales swimming alongside the ship from stern forward. I went out on a wing and watched their travel. Meanwhile, a fellow passenger came running out holding an impressive camera and stood beside me taking lots of pics. Before he went back to his cabin located at the very front of the ship just inside the door, we were chatting and he told me about a Star Princess cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Seattle that had dropped in price and was starting at $80pp per day. He said he had just booked it that day. 

I can’t keep my mouth shut.  It’s always been a failing. I mentioned it to G, in passing, really, because I had no desire to sail on the newest ships, nor sail in April, and didn’t think he did, either. Well, he believed the fact that our calendars were both clear (with only one minor movable appointment) was providence and the next day we booked the last inside cabin available on Deck 9.  A few weeks later I added air (United outbound. Alaska Air inbound), and we were still able to keep the base price around $100pp per day. This is a $4000 experiment. G is thrilled. I’m pretty sure I’m crazy. Big ships are really not my thing; however, this experience may provide some decent blog content. 

Most of the great reviews I’ve seen on the Sun and the Star are from people who booked Sanctuary Class cabins (with the included Premier package) or at least purchased the Premier package as an add on. We’re doing neither. We are staying in perhaps the smallest inside cabin we’ve ever been in (except, possibly, on the Carnival Jubilee), we are not getting a package, and I doubt we’ll be eating in a specialty restaurant, and, since we are both committed to not gaining a pound, I foresee a lot of salmon, salads and well done broccoli, at least in my future. 

We’ll be cruising a Sphere Class ship on a budget, which will hopefully interest a few readers. After all, a large number of people on the ship are cruising in inside cabins, and a majority are probably cruising without the Premier package. Those reviews don’t get the attention, or are not as stellar as the high end reviews. We’ll see how this goes. (I still think we’re a little nuts. It’s April- income tax and property tax season, with college graduations and weddings in the offing- plus, this is putting me at almost five months of cruising in the last 12 months, and G even more. We have officially reached our pre-COVID levels). Stay calm well and cruise on, I guess. 

In an interest to lower our per diem cost even further, I pushed for a red-eye flight connecting through Newark and landing in Fort Lauderdale at 11am on the day of the cruise, but had absolutely no luck convincing G. I then reserved a room at the La Quinta near the airport using the very last of the points G accrued while deployed in south Texas in 2004-5. I also booked the Basic Economy fare on United, which means our personal item has to fit under the seat and we don’t get to stow a bag in the overhead bins. My plan when I booked our flights was that we would share a suitcase between us since we have to pay for our checked bags, and I want it to be known that my items fit perfectly in one half of a suitcase. But that fell apart when G kept adding things (including his tux…go figure) and he ended up deciding he wanted a suitcase of his own, so, naturally, I added a few things to the original suitcase also, just to keep its weight evenly distributed. 😉

We’ve watched with interest and concern all the TSA disruptions and world political situation in the weeks we were at home, but our only change as a result was to move our Uber pick up tomorrow to an hour earlier to accommodate TSA delays. Fingers crossed that we (and our suitcases) make it to Fort Lauderdale on a timely basis. 

This itinerary has a paucity of ports, and that’s fine by us, as it will give us more time to explore the Star Princess. Still, we’re especially looking forward to Aruba (because we love it) and Panama City (never been, have tentative plans). I’m excited to return to Mazatlan again, seeing as we didn’t stop there in January, I might get a massage in Cabo and we will have a new adventure (for us) in LA, which was changed to be an overnight. We were very happy about that! I’ve done no, zero, zip sightseeing in the LA area…ever. I’ve only ever flown or sailed in/out. When is the next time I’ll do something (several somethings, actually) for the first time?  Soon, very soon!

Life is good. :-)

At home

We’ve been home for four full days now, and it’s time to wrap this up. I’ve actually just taken a Valium (the reason why to follow), so we’ll see how coherent this post is. 😆 

Our alarm was set for 7am on disembarkation morning, and we were out of our cabin at 8am. We went to the World Fresh Marketplace with our large suitcases and just parked them against our table in the back. We hung out there until it closed at 9am and then sat in Club Fusion until the last and final call about 9:45am and at 10am were in an Uber to the Long Beach Airport ($34.34). 

And once there we waited for hours, but what a pleasant airport to wait in. We now know to go to the car rental building with easy access to comfortable seating and plug ins and clean bathrooms and quiet. Blissful quiet. No boarding announcements, no standby announcements, just quiet. That’s a very welcome thing after being on a cruise ship for 52 days. 

We arrived home just after 9pm, and, yes, there was a skiff of snow falling for the first time in weeks, but it was light and short lived. We reached 73° today, and so have none of that East Coast nonsense here!

Saturday was pajamas, grocery delivery and laundry day (while watching three college basketball games). Sunday was grocery pickup and mail day and I had three appointments on Monday (yesterday). I finally today cleaned out toiletry travel bottles, refilled them and re-packed everything for our April cruise. It was easier than putting away Saturday’s laundry, especially since I won’t be needing any of those clothes before we cruise again. 

Tomorrow is surgery day, because what would post-cruise life be without a surgery? Luckily, it’s just oral surgery. The crown that came off and was re-cemented in San Pedro on a Royal Princess turnaround day in December (did I mention that?) was a temporary fix. When I saw my dentist Christmas week, she said it was time for a root canal but I opted for an extraction and implant instead. That tooth has bothered me every time I have a sinus infection for nearly ten years. I was (and am) ready for it to be gone. I was taking a risk cruising for 52 days, especially with all the sea days, but I couldn’t start the process during those few days I was home because of the holidays. My dentist sent antibiotics with me in case it blew up in the middle of five days at sea to/from Hawaii, but I never needed them. Some days were worse than others but it never kept me from eating! 

I picked up four prescriptions today, one of them for two pills of Valium. The oral surgeon prescribed one for tonight and one for tomorrow morning. I asked if I really need them and they said I didn’t have to take them but it would help me sleep better tonight. I’ve not slept well since we returned home (too much on my mind) so for that reason more so than nerves I took one about 30 minutes ago. Things are feeling pretty mellow. 

I cancelled my flights and hotel to see McGee run in the indoor track conference championship this weekend, and will have to be content to watch online. I’ll be going to Stanford in early April for an outdoor meet and then cruising again in April (hence the re-packing). Our schedule is full between now and then; we just need to get tomorrow behind us. 

We thoroughly enjoyed the first 36 days on the Emerald Princess. The crew was just as special as I remember them being, the food was decent to good, the weather was amazing and the entertainment top notch. But, oh my, that last 16 day cruise to Hawaii quickly became an endurance contest. I’ve been in rougher seas before (the Tasman Sea and the North Atlantic in December on the little Pacific Princess) but I have never been in seas that rough for that many consecutive days. Even the nights between the Hawaiian islands were bouncy. The second of five sea days back to Ensenada broke me. I could feel my cruising spirit leave my body. I just wanted to reach port. 

We each actually had a couple days of mal de débarquement after we returned home, but that has thankfully passed. But, in the end, we are re-considering our plans for next winter. I was very happy with the Hawaiian Ambassador and Naturalist programs on the Emerald Princess, and absolutely loved learning how to play the ukulele, but G commented (many, many times) on the poor condition of the Emerald Princess (especially the public bathrooms) and the ship is not going to be any newer next winter. Neither of us wants a repeat of that last cruise. And that from someone with nearly 2000 days at sea. I felt so badly for our first time cruisers, the Hawaii virgins and anyone who traveled from the UK, Australia or New Zealand. Heck, I was actually feeling kind of sorry for all of us. The only happy note (and it was a very happy note) was that the harbor pilot was quickly plucked, uninjured, from the sea outside the port of Nawiliwili. In the end, that puts everything into perspective. 

A problem we face is that we are running out of winter cruising options. G does not want to fly to/from Australia again and, after four trips to South America, we’re really not that interested in returning there either. First world problems, for sure. I’m studying our cruise options every evening while we sit in the family room, and nothing better than what we have booked is jumping out at me. Is it time for an extended land stay in a warm destination?  Possibly. 

But, in the interim, we’ll be back at it again in April for a new experience and I will be blogging once again. The BlogTouch Pro app was finally updated and worked really well for me this cruise, which is why I faithfully blogged (after struggling with publishing posts from Alaska in June and the transatlantic in October, and giving it up altogether in December). So, if you’re interested in reading more, check back mid-April. And thanks so much for being here now. I’ve appreciated your emails and support!

Source: Instagram tbrealtormarc

Day 52: Ensenada (is out there somewhere)

It was almost exactly as predicted this morning:  58° (but kind of sunny), and we fell back asleep after the “the ship had been cleared” announcement at 9am and had the best sleep of the past week. I got dressed (in my travel pants…and the tight waist is penance for all the wild living) and my Mexico shirt and earrings one last time (because the shirt is pretty much my only clean one left to wear).

I then went down to Guest Services to apply a different credit card to our folio balance and zero it out. We have been doing that lately, and then block that credit card from receiving any further charges for a few months. We’ve had too many surprise erroneous charges appear on our folio the last night of the cruise, and even received an email stating they were charging us an additional $500+ weeks after a cruise was over. 

Watch your folios!  Take precautionary measures!

I caught the tail end of breakfast in the buffet (green veggie drinks, muesli, yogurt and chia seed sludge). I at least started the day in a healthy way. Eventually I connected with G and we were able to have lunch on the Terrace Deck. It was warm enough (just barely) to do that, though the sea gulls were giving me the heebee-jeebees. It started to cloud over and at that point really did become too cool to sit outside. 

I got most of my packing done this afternoon, although we weren’t going to set out our suitcases tonight, but instead carry them off the ship tomorrow morning. Our flight isn’t until late tomorrow afternoon, and we will simply stay on the ship until the last and final call, and by then it’s easy to roll luggage off. 

We went to our final Elite Lounge of the season, enjoying sail away from Ensenada, and then to dinner in the Michelangelo Dining Room. 

Dinner service got bogged down in the whole dining room, and we had to eat our entrees and run, but did return again for dessert and coffee after the show. 

Tonight’s Princess Theater entertainment was not a variety show (yay!), but was Alex Yost. He was the country singer who performed the night of the Captains Circle parties, so we missed him then and it was nice to have a second chance. 

And, after dessert and coffee, we were early to bed. Tomorrow will be a long day.  We’ll have a long wait at Long Beach Airport before our flight, and it will be at least 9pm by the time we get home. 

But at least our world will be stable again, and that's a very good thing.