Exploring the New Star Princess Cruise Ship

Last month, Will and I had the opportunity to sail onboard the first revenue sailing for the Star Princess!  This brand new ship has so much to offer and we had a great time!  Here's my Top 5 favorite things about the Star Princess (in no particular order)....

#1 - The Thermal Suite (aka The Enclave) at the Lotus Spa

Admittedly, the spa usually hits my Top 5 on ships, but Enclave has so much to love! I usually splurge for the pass that's the length of the cruise so that I can come and go any time.

There's a heated hydro-therapy pool with massage jets that are great for getting rid of back, neck and shoulder tension.  There's an aromatic steam room, dry heat sauna, a warm salt room, and a cold room (that wasn't for me!).

I would finish each time there on the warm stone beds (I need one of these at home!).

#2 -The Specialty Dining Options

We had the opportunity to enjoy three specialty restaurants during our cruise.  These dining venues do have an extra charge, unless you have the Princess Premier package, but they offer an upgraded dining experience. 

The first was Love By Britto.  I'm not sure I've ever experienced a dinner this whimsical and amazing before!  With hearts everywhere (even the food!) and beautiful, bright colors of artist Romero Britto, it's a must-do, especially if you are celebrating a special occasion! The menu is expertly curated by master chef Rudi Sodamin, and delights all your taste buds! 

Next up was The Catch by Rudi.  This restaurant blends seafood with land options, so there's something for everyone- and I think almost everyone ordered a different main course at our table! I went with the classic surf and turf, though there were sounds of delight over all 3 courses coming from my dining mates! 

And our final one was The Butcher's Block by Dario. As a steak lover, this restaurant was made for me!  

#3 Spellbound by Magic Castle

Spellbound is a unique speakeasy-feel venue mixed with the famed Hollywood magic of the iconic Magic Castle. Your cover charges include two magically themed cocktails and a smaller venue magic show. As you wander through the lounge area, be on the lookout for hidden owls in the decor! The bartender had some fun surprises, and there was also a roving magician doing card tricks in the lounge. This was definitely a cool experience! Watch the video below.  

#4 - Sanctuary Collection/Club

While we didn't stay in a sanctuary collection stateroom, we did have the chance to tour one of the staterooms and the club area.  The Sanctuary Collection is Princess's "ship within a ship" concept, where Sanctuary Collection cabins enjoy exclusive amenities, perks, an exclusive restaurant, and their own private Club area with a pool.

A fun fact about the club area is the champagne wall.  During certain times of the day, you can ring a bell and a white gloved hand appears out of a wall of greenery to serve you champagne!

#5 The shower in our stateroom

Yep, this might be TMI, but normal cruise cabins have tiny showers that barely have room to shave your legs.  The comedians are right when they say you can lather the walls of the shower and spin to get clean!  But not on the Star Princess! 

We had a Deluxe balcony stateroom, and standing on one end of the shower, you couldn't reach the other end.  It might possibly be one of my favorite cruise showers ever!

Honorable mentions

Will loved the availability of coffee. The Taco, Pizza, Burger and Salad stations on the Lido deck were my favorite place to have lunch- amazing! 

One thing to note

We were on board for our national conference, so this wasn't the typical consumer experience.  We had very little extra time for shows and exploring more of the activities and amenities onboard.  We definitely need to sail on this ship again!

Check out our photo gallery at https://magnifiedvacations.smugmug.com/Star-Princess