The Grand Plaza on Star Princess

Passengers first embarking Star Princess do so via gangways directing them into the Grand Plaza, her showcase Atrium Lobby. Spanning just three decks in height, the Grand Plaza immediately sends the message that this is a huge ship striving to provide the intimacy associated with ships a fraction her size. Judged from her physical facility alone, she meets her goal!

The Grand Plaza is centrally located, and for those guests who selected Personal Choice dining, serves as a crossroads to Star Princess. This is the area through which each day, they will meet before dinner, whiling away the time in the shops, lounges and casino immediately adjacent to it. (Passengers who choose traditional dining use the aft-located dining room with its inherent disadvantages spelled out later in the tour.) Naturally, acting as the ship's lobby, the twin Purser's desks and tour desk are located here as well.

On Grand Princess, I complained about the lighting in the Atrium being too dim through much of the day. I am happy to report I had no similar objections about Star Princess, where I found the identical space to be perfectly lighted. The entire area on Star Princess is lighter in tone, providing a much more comfortable feeling overall. Two glass walled elevators whisk passengers up and beyond Grand Plaza all the way to Lido deck. Unlike the similar elevators on Grand Princess, the first ship of the class of ships to which Star is a member, the glass of these elevators is not so heavily tinted as to make it impossible to view the Plaza from inside them.

The entire Atrium area is lighter in feel than that of the similar space on Grand Princess with a sense of openness and comfort I found lacking on that first ship. Intimate chair groupings invite passengers to sit and people watch, while in the background, the white baby grand piano or string ensemble envelope the entire plaza with their lilting sounds.

On Grand Princess, I also reported that the shops on board utilized the Atrium for their various sales held during the cruise. I noted that the tables lent a cheap "bazaar like" feel to the area and, especially when waiting for dinner, added excess congestion to an already congested area. No similar complaint is made about Star Princess! While the sale tables do continue in the Plaza, they, now, are located in such a way as not to block access to the dining room entrances or to hinder passenger traffic through the plaza itself.


	The Grand Plaza Atrium on Star Princess A PARNAMI Cruise Page Passengers first embarking Star Princess do so via gangways directing them into the Grand Plaza, her showcase Atrium Lobby. Spanning just three decks in height, the Grand Plaza immediately sends the message that this is a huge ship striving to provide the intimacy associated with ships a fraction her size. Judged from her physical facility alone, she meets her goal! The Grand Plaza is centrally located, and for those guests who selected Personal Choice dining, serves as a crossroads to Star Princess. This is the area through which each day, they will meet before dinner, whiling away the time in the shops, lounges and casino immediately adjacent to it. (Passengers who choose traditional dining use the aft-located dining room with its inherent disadvantages spelled out later in the tour.) Naturally, acting as the ship's lobby, the twin Purser's desks and tour desk are located here as well. On Grand Princess, I complained about the lighting in the Atrium being too dim through much of the day. I am happy to report I had no similar objections about Star Princess, where I found the identical space to be perfectly lighted. The entire area on Star Princess is lighter in tone, providing a much more comfortable feeling overall. Two glass walled elevators whisk passengers up and beyond Grand Plaza all the way to Lido deck. Unlike the similar elevators on Grand Princess, the first ship of the class of ships to which Star is a member, the glass of these elevators is not so heavily tinted as to make it impossible to view the Plaza from inside them. The entire Atrium area is lighter in feel than that of the similar space on Grand Princess with a sense of openness and comfort I found lacking on that first ship. Intimate chair groupings invite passengers to sit and people watch, while in the background, the white baby grand piano or string ensemble envelope the entire plaza with their lilting sounds. On Grand Princess, I also reported that the shops on board utilized the Atrium for their various sales held during the cruise. I noted that the tables lent a cheap "bazaar like" feel to the area and, especially when waiting for dinner, added excess congestion to an already congested area. No similar complaint is made about Star Princess! While the sale tables do continue in the Plaza, they, now, are located in such a way as not to block access to the dining room entrances or to hinder passenger traffic through the plaza itself. Copyright © 2002 Mel Litzenberger. All Rights Reserved Continue Tour: Capri, Portofino and Amalfi Dining Rooms on Star Princess Reverse Tour: Category PS Premium Suite on Star Princess, #C749 Return to Star Princess: MS Star Princess E-mail: PARNAMI@aol.com