Ship Secrets

Derek got to go on a special, behind-the-scenes tour of our ship. Only a few people get to take it, but you are able to see areas normally off-limits to the guests. (So, he was only able to take a few pictures, for security reasons.) Did you know that all cruise ships have a medical center and a morgue? Well, you know, people do die, and the average age of cruisers is a little higher than that of the population as a whole. (From what I saw at the buffet, some people might actually manage to eat themselves to death. It's a twenty-first century Trimalchio's feast!) This ship has room for three bodies. The doctor joked that if they start passing out free ice cream, you know they needed the freezer space for a fourth body. Okay, I guess medical humor is just a little strange.

Navigating a ship is very complicated, especially if you are sailing through narrow channels full of icebergs. (The secret, according to the captain, is just to hit the ice slowly enough that you gently push it out of the way.) There are multiple ways to steer the ship, including a joystick. Even when the ship is docked, there are always at least two people whose only job is to keep watch on the bridge. There are also lots of safety features, like some very nice lifeboats. Oddly, cruise ships do not rely on GPS. They use it only as a backup system. The primary means of navigating are compasses and paper charts. And eyeballs. I'm not sure if that knowledge is comforting or not. Especially when the whole ship was completely shrouded in thick fog one morning. On the other hand, I think I trust people more than computers. As Calvin (of Calvin and Hobbes fame) once said, right after the toaster incinerated his toast, "When you consider how well most basic appliances work, it's amazing that anyone ever gets on an airplane." Hence, the two people keeping watch on the bridge.

Yes, Derek got to meet the captain. Yes, the captain does actually steer the ship.



Some long-time cruisers complained that they didn't get to see the captain and chat with him as much as they usually did. The captain explained that he had spent more time than usual steering the ship, since this was only the ship's second time in the area and he needed to steer through the rocks and the ice. Seems like a pretty important job to me. Much more important than hanging out with the passengers!

Derek was very impressed by the ship's huge laundry room. A ship that big generates a lot of laundry. They change the sheets for all the passengers every day. There was a sign in our bathroom that said to hang up the towels if we were willing to use them again, but they were all replaced every day, too. And all the tables in the dining room had white tablecloths and cloth napkins. And I thought WE had a lot of laundry to do! The ship has huge mangles to fold and dry the linens all at once, to avoid needing to iron them.



Derek was unfamiliar with mangles--yes, those things you used to crank the laundry through to wring out the water. Who knew anyone still used them?

Derek also got to tour the engine room. The ship has 6 engines and can run fine at full speed with 5. They can tear down and rebuild an engine on board while the ship is at sea. The anchors are also impressive, more than 6 feet long.


The ship has two, and an emergency backup. EVERYTHING on the ship has backups. Hearing about some of the safety systems from Derek made me feel better. Even when it was foggy.

The tour also included the galley. Can you imagine feeding 1000 people all at once? Complete with special requests like "Can I have the gravy on the side?"


So the galley is huge, with some of the biggest pots I have ever seen. I think the food was extra good, because the executive chef for the whole cruise line was visiting our ship to inspect operations. Yes, feeding that many people is like a military operation. A few supplies:


And, just in case the regular food on the ship isn't good enough, there is also a premium restaurant on board, Sabatini's. It is by reservation only and costs an extra $20 per person. (Yes, in case you have any money left by that point in the cruise.) As the name suggests, it has an Italian theme. Dinner is served in courses, with lots of tastes of lots of dishes. And by "lots" I mean I lost count. Highlights I remember: antipasti with marinated veggies and cured meats,



seafood, salad, soup, pizza, multiple pastas, and a choice of main courses. I chose lobster tail with champagne butter. And the tiramisu was also memorable. We ate there on a slow night, when most people were still ashore in Juneau. There was only one other table of people in the whole restaurant, so we had three waiters to dote on us all evening. We were so spoiled!

Oh, in answer to a question: how much do people dress up on cruises? Well, we dressed up a lot on formal night. Maybe 10% of the other passengers were as dressed up as we were on the formal nights: tuxes and long gowns. Others had on glittery cocktail dresses and dark suits, for the most part. On the other nights, dinner was a lot less dressy. I wore a dark skirt and a dressy blouse. Derek wore khaki pants and polo shirts, which was pretty typical in the dining room. The other people at our table were slightly less dressed up. During the day, there were lots of jeans and khakis. Sweaters, fleece pull overs, and tacky souvenir tees were popular. I even saw one man in a shirt that said "I'm retired, this is as dressed up as I get."

The Ship

Derek got up very early on Sunday morning to take a walk. He got to see our ship, The Star Princess, come in to port. Emilie, on the other hand, knows how to enjoy a vacation and slept in a bit.

The ship has 17 stories (and a few more below the waterline) and holds 2,600 passengers. We boarded the ship about noon, via a tower of walkways.


We had heard bad things about long lines and grumpy employees at embarkation. But everyone was efficient and friendly. Except for some passengers. Obviously, a few people had never attended kindergarten. So they didn't know about things like standing in line and taking turns.

It is always exciting to board a cruise ship. This one had a huge, beautiful atrium. Sort of like the lobby in a very grand hotel. With those 17 levels, there are lots of elevators. That's what is behind the swirling silver foliage--a glass elevator.


We went to our cabin first. They are usually small, but adequate, with plenty of storage. We went for the least-expensive option, but were upgraded to a room with a window.


Our stateroom was ready when we boarded. That is amazing when you remember that the previous group of passengers only left the ship at about 9:30 that morning. Each room steward is a combination housekeeper, delivery man, and mother: they clean the room, bring you ice and the ship's newspaper, and even turn down the bed at night. Once he realized I liked to take naps and had long hair, our steward made sure to pop in to make the bed AGAIN after my nap and to leave extra towels. We got so spoiled. Somehow, our bed at home has not learned to make itself twice a day. Nor have chocolates appeared on the pillows.

The first order of business, after dropping our hand luggage in the cabin, was to explore the ship. It was really beautiful. The inside pool was warm and sunny, with beautiful mosaic decorations. We hung out here a lot: read, sun, and gaze out the windows.


The mosaics are glittery and colorful. Derek already looked relaxed and happy.


Just a few steps away from the pool (and the cushy lounge chairs) is the food: pizza, hot dogs, hamburgers, french fries, a bar. We had our first meal at the buffet. There are stations for soup, salad, bread, lunch meats and cheeses, fruit, dessert, ethnic foods (varying every day: Chinese, Japanese, Italian, etc.), and carved meats like turkey and roast beef.


And thus begins the endless food extravaganza that is cruising. Food is included in the price of the cruise, although soda pop, alcohol, and fancy coffee is not. You could truly eat 24 hours a day. The buffet is always open, there is room service, poolside snacks, and four meals a day served in the dining rooms. (Yes, there is afternoon tea, just in case you feel a bit peckish before dinner.)

The service in the dining room is as lavish as in our cabin. Two waiters serve 4-8 tables. We chose "Traditional Dining," which meant we ate at the same time, with the same waiters and the same tablemates, each evening. Our waiters learned what we liked to drink and had it waiting for us, just like our own personal staff might do. We were never able to empty our glasses of water and tea. New silverware was brought for each course and the table was crumbed before dessert. The level of service was beyond anything I have ever experienced on land, except possibly at the old Pump Room in Chicago. No fancy restaurant in D.C. or Chicago lavished as much care on its diners as even a basic cruise ship does. When we got back to shore and I had to use the same fork for salad and entree it was such a rough return to reality! Here is a typical menu. Depending on your web browser, you may be able to click to see it larger.

You can order as many courses as you like, or two things from one course. Or, if you like, two servings of the same thing. This first night, Emilie chose the melon appetizer, cream of mushroom soup, prime rib, and something chocolate for dessert. Derek had the spring roll, tortelleni soup, and pan-fried barramundi (which is a kind of fish), with cheesecake for dessert. For some reason, we forgot to take a picture of the dessert menu. There were always 5 or so choices, including cheesecake, a sugar free dessert, and house-made (ship-made?) icecream.

Amazingly, we managed to waddle off after dinner to watch comedians or stage shows, or to do a little dancing. There was live music in the various small bars around the ship: oldies, ballroom, Latin, country, classic rock, big band. Derek was a very good sport about dancing. On the other hand, he figured he would never see any of these people every again, even if we did look silly. There were several serious ballroom and swing dancing couples, ranging in age from mid-twenties to perhaps mid-eighties. It was almost as fun to watch them as it was to dance!

There were two formal nights on the cruise.


Emilie got a new dress just for the occasion.

Derek brought his tux. Isn't he handsome?

Of course, if you didn't want to dress up, you could eat at the buffet or order room service. We dressed up and even had pictures take by the ship's photographers. The photos are just one way the cruise line parts you from your money. Alcohol and duty-free shopping are two others.

The second formal night:


The food is even fancier on formal nights. Derek had lobster, which the waiter even removed from the shell for him:


Emilie had Beef Wellington. It was tastier than it was photogenic. And, amazingly, it was served as requested: genuinely well-done.


I can't decide which is cuter, the swirl of duchesse potatoes or the tiny bowl made out of yellow squash!

Next time: more fine dining and a behind-the-scenes tour.