After traveling to Europe for many years,we decided to try something new and different. My husband suggested trip to South America and that’s where we went.We decided that going on a cruise would be much more enjoyable that flying from place to place. Coming back home after more then a month of travel(we did pre and post travel on our own), we declared this trip a big success. Embarkation and disembarkation went very smoothly,no lines at all.Our cabin was clean,dining room staff tried very hard to please us. We enjoyed every port except Puerto Chacabuco.Volunteer Point was absolutely amazing.Destination lecturer was very informative and entertaining. What we didn’t like that much: aging ship,food-hit and miss,very average entertainment(with the exception of the Born to Dance show). Will we travel with Princess again? We may try different cruise line for comparison. Highly recommend going to Lima,Cusco,Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu before and Iguazu Falls and Rio after the cruise. Read Less

We flew in to Santiago, Chile 3 days prior to embarkation and took an official taxi to Hotel Plaza San Francisco in the historic center of the city. Cost $30 US. The hotel was not busy at the time and allowed us in our room by 11 am. They offered currency exchange of $100 per room per day. A buffet breakfast was included in the rate of $151 US. We also enjoyed a very nice meal in the hotel restaurant on our first evening there. The HOHO bus stop was around the corner, although signs were not visible. We should have gotten a map before leaving the hotel. The bus gave us a good overview, however, the most interesting part of the city in my opinion was right behind the hotel. Santiago has a couple of nice modern malls which are easy to reach by bus or taxi. On Feb. 14/19 the hotel arranged a taxi to take us back to SCL to catch the Princess Transfer (9:30) to the ship in San Antonio, Chile. There was a guide pointing out interesting sites along the way. In 90 minutes we were there. The ship would not be ready to board until 12. A very quick and easy process to board and off to lunch we went in the Portofino dining room. Shortly after, our luggage arrived in our cabin. Muster Drill was around 5pm, followed by an informal meet & greet with roll call members from cruise critic. This was my 3rd cruise on the Star and she is showing her age. My aft balcony cabin was comfortable, but very noisy this time. After cruising on Celebrity, with a sofa bed and Blu dining, I would not select a balcony cabin on Princess for a 14 night cruise, again. This cruise was chosen for its ports. It was so enjoyable to visit the sea lions in the Beagle Channel and the penguins at Volunteer Point with Patrick Watt's group. ( a large savings over the same tour offered by Princess.) I feel that service and quality of food are on a steady decline on the last couple of Princess ships I've sailed on in the past year. We chose to eat in Sabatinis' twice, the Crown Grill once and the Crab Shack once. Service and food in all 3 were excellent. The 3 excursions we took with Princess were well done, except for the tedious amount of time it took waiting in the lounge before the tours. For the city tour/disembarkation in Buenos Aires our luggage was taken directly from our hallway and we did not see it again until we were dropped off at SCL. Princess delivered a good product for the price we paid. Read Less

Embarkation is hot and lots of walking. We had hoped to have a stroll along the waterfront in San Antonio, but it would be really difficult to get off the ship and go the distance to do that. We were exhausted! Staff on Princess has been reduced in the past two years and it shows. Pampering is pretty much a thing of the past. We were lucky enough to have a mini-suite, but on this cruise it is just too cold to use the balcony except at the beginning and end. We used the extra room very little. Club class amenities were kind of dumb. Both port and starboard are great choices for this cruise. At the most important cruising view spots, Amalia Glacier and Cape Horn, the ship does 360 slow turns so everyone has time on their side of the ship. Most of the cruise is through channels so there are spectacular views on both sides. Who knew the Andes go all the way to Antarctica? Beyond the tip of the continent, they continue as soaring islands. Stunning! We had the best waiter in my long history of sailing. Alvin Villanueva in the Amalfi. Get him if you can. The "violin virtuoso" Jakub Trasak is truly unique, talented, entertaining and engaging. There were few children on this cruise, but the ones onboard our cruise were really disruptive and dangerous for older people's ability to stay upright. The staff was never seen trying to correct this. Safety is supposed to be their job. And strobe lights...for God's sake, they are dangerous, even life threatening for some, and not all that entertaining. Why does anyone with a heart and ethics still use them? USB ports on bedside lamps. Yay Princes, welcome to the 21st century! You may know that on the Star (and probably many of the ships updated in dry-dock this year), the specialty restaurants, particularly Sabatini’s, have been significantly changed: Sabatini's is small, no banquettes, it is all hard surfaces—so noisy, tables very close and reduced prices. We did miss one port due to weather, and we have been told it is more usual than unusual for this to happen on this cruise. It is fine, the smaller ports are kind of like Alaska without American ingenuity and a little colorless after the first one. But if one missed docking in Stanley, it would make the cruise a waste of time. And it happens once or twice each year. Stanley and the penguin tours are the highlight of the trip. We had been told Volunteer Point Excursion was the only one worthwhile. Not so. It is many hours in a very uncomfortable and sometimes painful 4 x 4 and a full day—yes, they have more penguins, but how many does one need to see? We took the Bluff Cove Excursion. It is a penguin reserve owned by a family who are so committed to making this a great experience. Read Less

The star princess is bit dated. I heard they are taking it of service next year. I wouldn’t recommend any ship in same class as star princess.Worst area was food, and particularly horizon court. Not much choice, and food some times over cooked and sometimes undercooked. For example, avocado tomato sandwich was like a brick. Had to throw it away. Food was very bland. Ice cream and pizza were ok. Deserts were great. In house shows were ok. British Invasion was ok. Not great. Out side professional shows were very good. ( like violinist, Argentina tango show on last night, Las Vegas vocalist). Public facilities inside were kept up very well. Elevators were acting bizarre first day. Some of the machines in laundry facilities were not working Cabin was ok, and showing it’s age. Some rattle. There was hole underneath the balcony door. Staff were for the most part helpful and friendly. Itinerary was good. Went through most beautiful part of world. And some amazing scenery. Good choices in shore excursions. Read Less

Why this cruise: to see another side of the world and Machu Picchu with friends. The bad (as it will be shorter): old ship, limited local wine choices, some menu items disappearing quickly, obsolete disco bar in one of the top location of the ship, senior staff absent. The good: service staff was outstanding, creative and competent. Restaurant staff (Capri) were a lot of fun and Maitre D were outstanding. Cabin service staff were top notch and prove their efficiencies when needed (30 minutes turn around time to get my jacket pressed... my fault). The cruise itinerary met expectations. Port destinations offered were as good as what could be seen. The evening shows were quite good in general, while one was weak. The conferences were very interesting and informative as port destination recommendations (for walkers). Onboarding and outboarding was flawless (my only bad experience was with Budget Rent a Car... no fault of Princess cruise here. I will never rent a car with them again). We took the Machu Picchu land tour option. It was perfect from start to the end (guides, hotel, transfers, staff, destination, food). This tour is on the top end of all tours I have ever done. To keep it simple, if you want to visit South America with Princess, you must include the Machu Picchu tour on your way back. Read Less

First ever cruise of more than a few days. Pluses- Well maintained ship Good pool areas, decent amount of sun beds Movies under the stars worked well. Good in house movies. Cabins reasonable size, clean and functional Great night club but no one ever used it. Good itinerary about from Puento Arenas (should be changed to ‘Pointless Area’) Efficient embarkation and disembarkation ‘Smash and grab’ buffet food reasonable though seating could be difficult. Fast room service Good laundry facility Great all you could eat pizza, burgers and ice cream Silver service breakfast generally better than Buffett British pub lunch excellent. Excellent destination expert lectures. Shops quite good and reasonable prices for a cruise ship. Minuses- Staff didn’t seem very happy (perhaps because the captain had no personality)! This cruise IS for older people, at 58/56 we were two of the youngest on board. Food in traditional dining hit and miss but service generally good. Piazza area small , layout of ship wasted through lots of corridors etc. Drinks package not available after second day of sailing(???), drinks too expensive otherwise. Excursions were an extortionate price DO NOT book them, lots of DIY options. Entertainment hit and miss, Fernando the chief entertainer was such a.....! Great comedian though. Not much of a fun atmosphere. Afternoon tea awful - service, effort, food choice, needs a revamp Photography and art selling annoying. Art was very amateurish, I mean really?? £5400 including flights from Uk (ocean view cabin) for 2 people is maximum you should pay. Remember the objective of Princess is to extract as many dollars as they can from the captive audience on board. If you want to throw your hard earned cash away that easily even if you can afford to, go ahead. Better to beat the accountants at their own game I think and still have the same experience. If your main objective is to taste South America in a hassle free way this cruise is fine. Read Less

This is our second cruise on the Star Princess - 14 years apart. Cabins need refurbishing. The couch in our mini-suite would be a rummage sale reject. The balcony handrails need revarnishing. The ship in general has been spruced up in areas but overhaul is more needed. For example in public areas “under maintenance” signs were common. Steam room not operational often. Didn’t feel entertainment staff was as visible as it could be. Food is typical Princess fare and if u have been on as many Princess cruises as we have, you can practically recite the menus. Of course dining staff and cabin stewards were top notch. Itinerary was awesome. Each port - different and scenery incredible. We were blessed with good seas and weather, even made it to the windy Falkland Islands. Private tours we booked through Cruise Critic roll call were great- so much more comprehensive and reasonable, usual by half, of Princess excursions. Read Less

We arrived in Buenos Aires 3 days before setting sail which gave us ample time to enjoy this fascinating city. We stayed in a very lovely little hotel in Palermo Soho. The location turned out to be quite a distance from the city centre, but the inexpensive cost of taxis made the trip downtown less of an annoyance. Take some time to spend in Buenos Aires if you haven't been there before. It's multi faceted and interesting. On the day we embarked the ship, traffic from downtown to the pier was absolutely painful. We finally got there and were very quickly processed and boarded Star Princess in no time. Although the ship is by no means new, it has been kept in good repair and provides an attractive,elegent environment for the 14 day cruise. I am continually surprised by the nit picking that some reviewers use to criticize any minor issues that they encounter aboard ship. Their lives on land must be absolutely perfect. Our cabin, B621, inside, was tight but had ample storage space. The shower was a bit of a joke in size. The most amazing thing about our cabin and about all Princess cabins was the absolute luxury of the bed and bedding. Kudos to Princess!! Service aboard the Star was extremely good everywhere. We purchased the Coffee Card and bottled water prior to leaving home. Both good moves. We tried Sabattinis and the Crown Grill. Liked them both. Wonderful service in both. Food in the main dining room on the other 12 nights was good if not exceptional. But if you have 12 restaurant meals at home will you have 12 exceptional meals? It's the service in the main restaurant that makes a less stellar meal feel quite acceptable. And they were able to handle anytime dining quite efficiently with very little wait especially if you were prepared to share a table with others (we were). Activities during the day were sparse, but a big thank you to Princess for providing the equipment for duplicate bridge and a bigger thank you to the individuals who organized the games. 2.5 afternoon hours nicely spent. Evening entertainment was good. Enjoyed the commedian and singers. Almost forgot to praise the port speaker who was both very informative and extremely humerous. Played to a full house in the Princess theatre each time he spoke. Ports great and varried. When in Puerto Mott, go to Puerto Veras. You might think this lakeside town is in Switzerland. Ended up in San Antonio and took the public bus to downtown to Santiago. Comfortable and cost effective. Did not take any ship tours. Absolutely loved Santiago. Spend some time in this glamerous safe city. Read Less

We chose the Cape Horn & Straits of Magellan Cruise because of the itinerary and past experiences with Princess. But the Star Princess was a real disappointment. The ship had so much wasted space. I never saw anyone in the library as it didn’t have any books. The art gallery was enormous but again never saw anyone in there. The international cafe was great as was the food but we could never get a seat as people were constantly in the Piazza area for the entertainment hence no seats to enjoy your coffee and food. Maybe that wasted space in the library and art gallery could have cafe seating. The whole layout of this ship was a disappointment compared to other Princess ships we have been on. Also the staff were the most miserable lot we have cruised with. The front desk was appalling as was the staff in Portofino. Night time entertainment was terrible. Positives about our cruise was the excellent embankment and disembarkment and tendering at ports. We really enjoyed all the ports especially the Falkland Islands. We organised our own shore excursions as Princess shore excursions were overcrowded and extremely overpriced. Unfortunately would not choose another Princess Cruise on the Star Princess no matter how good the itinerary was. Read Less

1st time I have been on a cruise and decided to do a cruise because it was an easier way to see this part of S America rather than travelling over land. The cruise was a great way to give me a taster of this area so that I can now decide where I want to go back to. Re the ship - I used the buffet and mainly ate fresh veg (not cooked) and there was a good variety of that. I enjoyed the gym but found the entertainment in the theatre a bit boring. I was surprised by the old fashioned TVs in the cabins - not interactive. I found the staff on board to be good at their job. Embarkation and disembarkation were very quick , although once disembarked in BA it was chaos. The port needs to improve that as it could be better organised. Overall good value for money. Thanks to Gaylen and Ron for organising trips. Read Less