|
The
ornate atrium of the Star
Princess serves as a
centerpiece for the new
cruise ship, which boasts
more than 1,000 cabins and a
variety of restaurants. |
|
Voyage to idyllic
Mexican Riviera
Wine, dine, gamble or
bask
in the sun on the Star Princess
Text and photos by
Robert W. Bone
AT SEA, OFF THE MEXICAN RIVIERA
-- Ask the average Mexican where the
Mexican Riviera is, and he may reply
with a shrug of the shoulders.
The term is not used in Mexico. It
was made up some years ago by cruise
interests in California to wrap up ports
visited by ships along the Pacific Coast
of Mexico. It includes Cabo San Lucas,
Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, and sometimes
Acapulco.
The latest ship to begin a cruise to
these places is this one, the brand-new
Star Princess. It is not quite the
largest such ship afloat. That title is
claimed by a couple of vessels in the
Royal Caribbean Line. But this
particular Princess is the largest
cruise ship in the Pacific. Its girth is
so great that it won't fit through the
Panama Canal.
Three years ago, my wife and I
traveled the Mediterranean (including
port calls on the real Riviera) on the
Star Princess' sister ship, the Grand
Princess. The Star is a virtual
duplicate of the Grand, along with a
third "twin," the Golden Princess. For
loyal returnees, boarding the Star
Princess is a case of dŽjˆ vu, as even
the names of the decks and of many
facilities are the same. Being familiar
with the layout on the Grand and the
Golden means instant orientation on the
Star.
|
Before
moving to its Los Angeles
home port, the Star Princess
executed a 360-degree turn
as it left Honolulu Harbor
at dusk.
|
|
This summer, the Star Princess will join
the fleet that runs seven-day cruises to
Alaska out of Vancouver. Meanwhile, the
ship has begun this series of weeklong
south-of-the-border voyages round trip
from Los Angeles. On three days, it
calls at Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, and
Cabo San Lucas.
The other four days -- two at the
beginning and two at the end -- are
spent at sea, generally out of sight of
land. There is plenty to do, of course.
All the standard goings-on are
available, things like Bingo, swimming
pool games, casino gambling and such.
The advantage of large-ship cruising is
the large choice of activities and
entertainment.
There are Broadway-style revues in
showrooms and lounges all over the giant
vessel. A striking feature is the
748-seat Princess Theater tucked into
the bow of the ship, which can mount
spectacular song-and-dance shows on some
nights, or just serve as a large movie
house (with a rather noisy air
conditioning system) at other times.
If your cabin is near the stern of
the ship, as ours was, the Princess
Theater and some other public facilities
mean a long hike, especially if you
forget your camera or something else and
have to go back again.
|
The
magnificent 748-seat
Princess Theater, tucked
into the bow of the ship,
presents song-and-dance
spectaculars.
|
|
"I'd like that theater a lot more if I
could call a taxi to take me there,"
declared one wag. Stem to stern, the
ship measures nearly one-fifth of a
mile, although somehow it seems longer
than that.
With more than 1,000 cabins, the
ship's passenger list can stretch to
more than 2,500. In contrast to some
other runs, the Mexican cruise seems to
appeal to a somewhat more youthful
crowd, and there are extensive programs
and facilities for youngsters available.
The trend in cruise ships now is to
have more flexible restaurant
arrangements, and the Star Princess
subscribes to that philosophy. If you do
want a traditional table with assigned
first- or second-sitting in the main
dining room, you can have it.
But under an arrangement Princess
calls its "Personal Choice Dining," you
can chow down pretty much any time you
want, and in a variety of different
restaurants. There's even a 24-hour
buffet and bistro in case you get the
hungries or the thirsties in the middle
of the night.
Veteran cruisers know that once you
get on a ship, your accommodations and
all food and meals of any kind are
included. Normally, only alcoholic
beverages and tips are extra. This
arrangement is not quite true on the
Star Princess, however. If you want to
make a reservation to dine in the two
specialty restaurants, there are
surcharges -- $15 per person in the
Italian trattoria, or $8 in the
Southwestern-style restaurant.
And especially controversial among
some is the daytime Haagen-Dazs
ice-cream bar, run by a concession,
which charges extra for its
fountain-style creations. (However, any
ice-cream desserts you may order in the
dining rooms are included.)
|
The
Star Princess has begun
weeklong south-of-the-border
voyages, with Cabo San Lucas
one of its ports of call.
|
|
Meals on our own recent Princess cruises
have been tasty and more than adequate
in every way, although some would not
consider them gourmet. Some culinary
offerings on past cruises such as those
launched by Crystal and Celebrity often
outclassed our recent Princess repasts.
But then those are generally more
expensive choices in the first place.
PRINCESS IS impressive in the
operation of its shore excursions.
Despite the need to put somewhere
between 1,000 and 2,000 people on buses
in ports, it has come up with an almost
foolproof number system for efficiently
getting these folks on their way to fun
on shore. The excursions we took from
both the Grand and the Star were all
well-designed and conducted.
Besides its showrooms, bars, etc.,
Princess is justly proud of several
other passenger facilities, including a
24-hour Internet cafŽ (having
intermittent technical problems on our
voyage), a spectacular spa facility,
four swimming pools, an unusual
wedding-at-sea program, and a dramatic
night club and observation lounge, which
seems to fly high above the stern of the
vessel, and which is reached via a
glass-enclosed moving sidewalk.
More than 700 cabins feature private
balconies, but some passengers will want
to choose these carefully. The verandas
on some decks are not screened from
those on the decks above, so you'd
better not plan on sunbathing in your
birthday suit. TVs in every cabin keep
you in touch with the rest of the world
via satellite. Unlike many other ships,
no daily newspaper is available. Ship
activities and the like are covered in a
daily publication called the Princess
Patter. It's required reading for those
who want to get the most fun out of
their cruise.
If you go
Per person
fares for the one-week
Mexican Riviera cruise
on the Star Princess
range from around $850
(for a windowless inside
cabin) up to more than
$3,000 for the best
staterooms. Early
booking discounts are
available. Summertime
weeklong cruises along
the Inside Passage to
Alaska begin at around
$1,000 per person this
year.
Information on these
and other itineraries
may be obtained from
Princess Cruises, 24305
Town Center Drive, Santa
Clarita, Calif., 91355,
toll-free phone (800)
PRINCESS (774-6237), or
from its Web site,
www.princess.com.
|
|
|