First ever cruise -- Star of the Seas

[pwdebbie]

I've been invited to join my son's family on Star of the Seas in the beginning of June. I have never cruised before. I probably need a scooter. I don't handle heat well. My son says I will have a balcony room (ocean, not neighborhood), shared with 17yo grandson. I'm having second thoughts about going. Would love to have some thoughts from experienced cruisers.

 

[starvenger]

Firstly, congratulations!

Here are some quick thoughts:
- Definitely get the scooter situation worked out first. I'm not entirely sure how you would go about that, but maybe your son's TA can help you with that.
- Heat is obviously dependent on time of year and where you're going. You'll be able to find shaded areas on the deck and it should be pretty comfortable inside the ship. You should also get some nice breezes with an oceanview balcony. I also find it to be calming there, reading a book and looking out into the sea.

If you can outline what your main concerns are, maybe I can help out a little more?

 

[sam_gordon]

I haven't had to do so, but I understand there are scooter rental places. Some deliver right to the cabins (not helpful if you need one to get to the cabin), and others I think you can pick up before getting on the ship.

When the ship is moving, there's generally enough of a breeze to keep the heat at least somewhat at bay. There are plenty of indoor activities to enjoy too.

 

[pjacobi]

On the sister ship, Icon of the Seas, it took 600 steps from my cabin to the Windjammer buffer for breakfast! Yes, it's that big! For comparison:

Icon/Star of the Seas: 1,196.9 ft.
USS George Bush aircraft carrier: 1,092 ft.
Disney Magic: 964 ft.

I will be boarding the Star in just a couple week. Maybe my step count will earn me an extra piece of bacon!


-Paul

 

[pwdebbie]

Firstly, congratulations!

Here are some quick thoughts:
- Definitely get the scooter situation worked out first. I'm not entirely sure how you would go about that, but maybe your son's TA can help you with that.
- Heat is obviously dependent on time of year and where you're going. You'll be able to find shaded areas on the deck and it should be pretty comfortable inside the ship. You should also get some nice breezes with an oceanview balcony. I also find it to be calming there, reading a book and looking out into the sea.

If you can outline what your main concerns are, maybe I can help out a little more?

Son tells me that the scooter company is just waiting for him to give them the cabin number. (I'm usually the planner of all things and not being hands on is hard for me.)

We are going the May 31 to June 7. I've seen pictures of other cruises (haven't found this ship yet) where the walk from the ship to the beach is very long. I'm concerned about being in the sun that long and I know that once I get to the beach, I will have to be under an umbrella.

Size of the room. I just feel odd sharing with a 17yo grandson. I do hope the bed can be two twin beds or that there is another sleeping location in the room.

The bathroom appears to have a shower stall (good for me because I have knee and balance issues and can't really get into a tub). Do the showers have grab bars?

That's all I can think of right now. Thanks for encouraging me to figure out what my concerns are.

 

[pwdebbie]

On the sister ship, Icon of the Seas, it took 600 steps from my cabin to the Windjammer buffer for breakfast! Yes, it's that big! For comparison:

Icon/Star of the Seas: 1,196.9 ft.
USS George Bush aircraft carrier: 1,092 ft.
Disney Magic: 964 ft.

I will be boarding the Star in just a couple week. Maybe my step count will earn me an extra piece of bacon!


-Paul

Well, that's a lot less of a walk that it was from our room in AKL-Kidani to the elevator! It was thirteen minutes on my scooter, which google says is at least 1500 steps. And who knows where our cabins will be relative to Windjammer and other dining areas.

 

[starvenger]

(I'm usually the planner of all things and not being hands on is hard for me.)

Heard. I feel like that as well. Glad to hear that he's got a handle on the scooter.

We are going the May 31 to June 7. I've seen pictures of other cruises (haven't found this ship yet) where the walk from the ship to the beach is very long. I'm concerned about being in the sun that long and I know that once I get to the beach, I will have to be under an umbrella.

Case in point, I know a website where I can figure out your itinerary from this info - I usually use when researching where to go. So I can tell you:
- the pier at CocoCay looks to be about 100m, but it looks like they have shaded areas leading up to the actual island. It should not be an issue getting shade for you once you're at the beach, but will likely be a bit sunny getting there. Just a thought, but there are probably clip-on parasols available on amazon and temu. If they can attach to the scooter, it might provide you some relief.
- In San Juan, the pier is relatively short, and you're dropped off right by Old San Juan. Lots of buildings, so it should be ok for shade if you're sightseeing
- Phillipsburg will be the tough one, because it's a long trek to the beach area. Probably a half mile or so. There's a water taxi, but I don't know if it would accomodate a scooter. Been a while since I've been to that port.

Mind you, if your son has some other group tour in mind for the ports, you can ignore my comments. It probably means that you'll be in some air conditioned vehicle, so no worries about the sun.

Size of the room. I just feel odd sharing with a 17yo grandson. I do hope the bed can be two twin beds or that there is another sleeping location in the room.

The bathroom appears to have a shower stall (good for me because I have knee and balance issues and can't really get into a tub). Do the showers have grab bars?

Yes, beds can be separated. If they are not when you look in the room, ask your stateroom attendant to separate them.

I found a decent picture of the shower. This is from an interior room so I assume that this will be standard for all rooms. There is a grab bar but it looks kind of high. There's actually a seat inside the shower so that might be more helpful.

 

[sam_gordon]

Son tells me that the scooter company is just waiting for him to give them the cabin number. (I'm usually the planner of all things and not being hands on is hard for me.)

I'd make sure to have clarification on where you get your scooter. If it's delivered to your room, how are you getting from your vehicle, through the port, onto the ship, and to your cabin? I *THINK* they have wheelchairs and pushers at the port, but don't know if you need to arrange that ahead of time.

Also, just know rooms generally aren't ready until 1p. That's fine if that's when you're boarding, but if you get on earlier, how are you getting around? My family usually gets on with the first wave (various ships), gets lunch, then either explores and/or chills on the pool deck, solarium, or just somewhere.

Just something to think about.

We are going the May 31 to June 7. I've seen pictures of other cruises (haven't found this ship yet) where the walk from the ship to the beach is very long. I'm concerned about being in the sun that long and I know that once I get to the beach, I will have to be under an umbrella.

Does the rental scooter come with an awning? I've seen them at WDW, don't know if the ones for the ship have them or not. Maybe pack an umbrella and some clamps or straps so it can be attached to the scooter?

Size of the room. I just feel odd sharing with a 17yo grandson. I do hope the bed can be two twin beds or that there is another sleeping location in the room.

Beds can definitely be separated into two twins. Can be requested ahead of time, if not done when you get to the room, let the room attendant know (they should come by and introduce themselves at some point). If you haven't met them before heading to dinner, call guest services or house keeping and let them know you need it done.

 

[pwdebbie]

Heard. I feel like that as well. Glad to hear that he's got a handle on the scooter.

Thank you for all the info. Much appreciated!

 

[pwdebbie]

I'd make sure to have clarification on where you get your scooter. If it's delivered to your room, how are you getting from your vehicle, through the port,

Thank you for the information. I can walk for short periods of time, so as long as I can sit for a minute, I can probably be okay with the boarding and time till I get into my room. I'm currently working with a fitness trainer in hopes of getting my knee back to normal. Just over a year ago, I walked the parks from open to close. I want "me" back!

 

[abdgeek]

I've been invited to join my son's family on Star of the Seas in the beginning of June. I have never cruised before. I probably need a scooter. I don't handle heat well. My son says I will have a balcony room (ocean, not neighborhood), shared with 17yo grandson. I'm having second thoughts about going. Would love to have some thoughts from experienced cruisers.

I hope you decide to go on the cruise. While I haven’t done Star of the Seas, I did cruise Icon of the Seas last year and had a great time. The Icon class of ships are massive and you will get lots of steps in. Definitely get the scooter if you anticipate having any mobility issues. It is about a quarter mile from the front to the back of the ship. Depending on where your stateroom is and where it is you are going (restaurants, show venues, etc), you’re walking a lot. Unless things have changed, the scooter will need to be stored in your room. Online, people have reported that housekeeping will charge and return the scooter to your room—call Royal Caribbean to verify whether that is true. You can also call RCL ahead of time to let them know to separate the beds.

Wheelchair assistance for embarkation and debarkation can be arranged by calling Royal Caribbean. They will have a limited number of wheelchairs, so the process can take a while if there are lots of people who are using it. The wheelchair is only used to get you on the ship and then you would be expected to transfer to a chair so that it can be used for another guest.

The walk from the pier to the entrance of CocoCay is looong(IMO). They do have shuttles to take you to the entrance and then you can get a shuttle to the part of the island where you want to be. There are a couple of beach wheelchairs at the entrance, but they are first come first serve and a family member would need to push. I paid to go to the adult Hideaway Beach and there were plenty of umbrellas on lounge chairs. Not sure if this is the same at other areas.