Three friends and I chose this cruise for the easy access to embarkation port, Seattle, and the itinerary of daily visits to small ports in the WA area. This experience was devastating from the initial step aboard. Had it been half the price, we would have had the attitude, "You get what you pay for." However, one can book Oceania, Crystal, Celebrity or any high end cruise for the same amount and receive what is expected.
According the the ACL, this ship was commissioned in 2005. That may be the case, but the Star's interior must have been originally furnished from recycled interiors of motels, hotels, or nursing homes which were being refurbished. The furniture and lighting fixtures were from the early 80s and not available in 2005. This ship needs to be dry docked and redone from stem to stern. It is depressingly dated and in some cases unsafe - balcony doors that cannot be properly locked and an erratic elevator with a gate! 2005? I don't think so.
The "gourmet cuisine" was a 3-5 on a 1-10 scale. All seemed to be previously frozen and microwaved before serving. My traveling companion has a photo of dirt in the salad greens. We have all read about extreme health effects of dirty lettuce! The staff was ready, willing yet unable to provide basic services. Sweet kids who were untrained. Same with the housekeeping staff; dirty towels left on the bed and no fresh ones replaced, duvet dumped in a chair, etc. It goes on and on and cannot be exaggerated.
My traveling companion and I requested twin beds but they were configured as a King bed.
The untrained staff moved the twins about 6 inches apart and did not put a bedside table between them. Thus, only one of us had a lamp and moving around in the cabin was virtually impossible and begging for a trip or fall. The sink in the bathroom did not drain until the third day when we were docked where a plumber was available. The shower was a very dated and yellowed plastic unit, the balcony door locked but blew open on its own. We were committed to having fun so we decided to laugh at the absurdity of how terrible this ship was. Had I been aboard with my husband instead of a friend, there would have been real trouble.
It was OK. We took the walking tour and then went on pour own cy taxi to LaConnor, WA.