TOUR THE STAR PRINCESS PENTHOUSE SUITE C749

Hello there! Thanks for stopping in! Today we’ll tour the Star Princess Penthouse Suite C749. It’s the suite Brad and I occupied on our recent Princess Cruises voyage from Los Angeles to Vancouver, BC, Canada. In celebration of my dear old dad’s 90th birthday, 8 of us took this short-but-sweet 4 day cruise up the Pacific coast, making only one stop along the way in Victoria, BC.

The 8 of us occupied 3 of the 4 aft-facing suites on Caribe/Deck 10 of the Star Princess. Brad and I had the Aruba Penthouse Suite C749 , my son Nathan and family occupied the Martinique Vista Suite C751, and my father and stepmother were in the Mazatlan Penthouse Suite C748. For anyone considering booking any of these 3 suites, for all intents and purposes they were pretty much identical. The Vista Suite C751 was slightly cheaper because there was a column on the balcony that they considered to be an obstruction.

This is the floorplan for Suites C748 & C751. Our Suite C749 was the reverse/flipped configuration.

Very shortly after boarding the ship we were greeted by the couple who occupied the 4th aft-facing suite, the Acapulco Vista Suite C750. It turned out to be none other than longtime NBC Los Angeles News Anchor, Chuck Henry and his wife Kay. They were on the voyage in celebration of Kay’s Birthday and simply could not have been nicer. It was such a pleasure having them share the back of the ship with us, which felt like our own private little oasis.

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I think we were all a little star-struck having Chuck Henry for our friendly neighbor. We have always been especially grateful to him for his courageous reporting on a fire in our hometown of Lake Arrowhead that engulfed his news van and nearly took his life!

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Upon embarkation we were greeted by our delightful and hardworking stateroom attendant by the name of Roland. We asked him to open the doors that divided our balconies so that we could freely move from one cabin to the next while also enjoying a HUGE extended balcony.

In the photo below you can see the balcony doors open between our suites, 2nd row of balconies from the top.

While we are on the subject of balconies, ours were furnished with 2 nice teak lounge chairs, a table and 4 chairs. The lounge chairs came complete with a lap blanket and beach towel. But, since our cruise took place in April when the temperatures were in the 50’s and 60’s and a rainstorm was brewing, we really did not get to take advantage of this wonderful outdoor space at all.

Now let’s go back inside so I can give you a tour of the suite. Upon entry there is a small vestibule with a marble floor. The first thing one is greeted by is the wet bar, which is stocked with a variety of alcoholic beverages. One bar setup is complimentary and they allow you to switch out their standard bar for your favorite beverages. My husband likes to drink beer and I enjoy my gin & tonics, so we traded out the alcohol accordingly.

Inside the mini fridge was an assortment of soft drinks and free daily bottled water. I traded the soft drinks for tonic water, and asked if they would also provide me with the obligatory slices of fresh lime for my nightly G & T. Our terrific stateroom attendant made it happen.

Continuing into the suite you find a comfortable full size couch which converts into a bed that could easily sleep 2, however this suite is designated a triple. As you can see, there is a coffee table and 2 chairs as well.

The fruit basket was complimentary and could be refilled at anytime with a call to room service. The 2 small bottles of champagne were also complimentary, as was the small bowl of tasty almonds that my husband consumed before I could take the photos. A live orchid plant was also a nice touch. The living room was flanked by a set of sliding glass doors for passage onto the large balcony.

Another set of sliding doors flanked the queen size bed. The curtains were blackout, which was great for sleeping in on days at sea.

The bed was comfortable, albeit a bit too soft for my taste. The sheets and duvet were 100% cotton, high thread count and quite luxurious.

There was an abundance of storage space in the built-in cabinets and drawers that flanked the bed.

On the vanity was my obligatory lighted magnifying mirror, and a hairdryer that was lacking the kind of power I enjoy in a good hairdryer.

Adjacent to the vanity area was one of 2 entrances to the expansive bathroom. The left side of the bathroom was accessed from the bedroom area. A jetted tub surrounded in marble and a large shower were enclosed in their own section of the bathroom.

A container of bath salts was a nice touch.

The bath products were part of their Lotus Spa collection of products.

A separate section of the bathroom, that could be closed off by a door, contained the sink and toilet area.

This section of the bathroom could also be entered via the Living Room area of the suite. So, someone could be taking a bath or shower while another person used the toilet or sink in privacy. This is a nice feature when traveling as a family.

An assortment of additional Lotus Spa amenities were provided in a nice little gift pouch placed next to the sink.

I appreciated the the small vase of flowers in the bathroom as well.

The closet was generously sized and provided more than enough hanging and storage space. A safe was also provided.

Considering all the cruises I have enjoyed over the years, I can say with sincerity that our Suite attendant Roland provided us with some of the finest service I’ve ever received while cruising. That was also the case for most of the ship’s staff that we encountered on this cruise. From the delightful, funny and very visible and approachable Captain Michele Tuvo, to the excellent waiters, bartenders & maitre d’s, we really felt the service on Star Princess was outstanding. This was our first experience sailing with Princess Cruises and frankly we only selected this voyage because it sailed out of our home port, Los Angeles. As experienced cruisers we have sailed with most every other large ship cruise line and feel qualified to make an educated comparison.  The ship itself was adequate. It felt somewhat dated and did not have all the bells & whistles one finds in newer large ships. For our purposes, which was to enjoy time as a family on a short cruise, it served us well. We enjoyed the food and service in the specialty restaurants, not so much in the main dining room and other public dining areas. I’ll be reporting on the dining onboard Star Princess very soon.

I also have lots to share about Victoria, BC and Vancouver, our final port of call. What a BEAUTIFUL city! Stay tuned.

Here is a list of the amenities one enjoys in a Penthouse Suite onboard Star Princess

SHIP FACTS

• Inaugural Cruise: February 13, 2002
• Refurbished in 2011
• Guest Cabins: 1,297
• Number of Decks: 17
• Guests: 2,600
• Crew: 1,100

My Wonderful Travel Agent

In closing I just want to thank my very dear, lifelong friend and travel agent Lori Seeley for all her help in planning & booking our family reunion cruise. The day before sailing a major storm hit the east coast, closing airports all along the eastern seaboard. Thousands of flights were cancelled including the flight my son and his family were scheduled to fly on out of Washington, DC. to meet the ship in Los Angeles. In a panic we called Lori who immediately put a team to work on getting Nathan & family to LA. We are ever-so-grateful for the team at Legacy Travel that got them to LA in the nick of time on what my son said was like getting the last flight out of Saigon! THANK YOU LORI!!

Need help planning a trip? Contact my friend Lori and tell her I sent you!

Lori Seeley
Group Travel Specialist
Innovative Travel Concepts
A Division of Largay Travel
Phone: 941-312-2584
lori@innovativetravelconcepts.com

So there you have it: TOUR THE STAR PRINCESS PENTHOUSE SUITE C749

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All opinions expressed in this post are my own. Unless otherwise noted, all photos are the original property of Celia Becker @ www.AfterOrangeCounty.com and may not be reproduced without specific permission.