SuperStar
Leo
March 2002
by Timothy Lam
I was on the Leo this past March
(2002). The ports of call were Zhenjiang and Halong Bay. Overall, it
was not at all a pleasant experience and by far the absolute worst
cruise of my life (26 cruises to date on Princess, Radisson, Cunard,
Celebrity, P&O, Renaissance, and others).
Boarding - Very quick at Hong Kong's Ocean Terminal... assuming
that you
booked a Balcony Class cabin. Otherwise, expect lines.
Balcony Class - It is a must that you book a Balcony Class
cabin. The benefits include priority boarding, priority reservations
at the many many extra tariff restaurants (+priority seating at the
main restaurants), opportunity to dine for free at an extra tariff
restaurant on Captain's night, and a separate area in the show lounge.
Also, depending on your cruise rate, they may include an on board
credit (which you will need at the restaurants).
Zhenjiang - a rather plain Chinese port. Nothing special to
see, particularly if you have been to the main cities of China. The
ship’s buses, for a fee (Star is the master of nickel and diming),
will drop you off at a shopping center with prices averaging more than
double those of Hong Kong.
Halong Bay - breathtaking beauty. Star offers numerous tours.
Forget them! All overpriced by huge multiples. Instead, pay for the
short tender (yes, Star is so cheap that they charge for the tender
ride, I forget how much but about US$5 or so) to town (they dock at a
separate town, but don't worry you won't miss anything as the sights
are in the bay itself), ask one of the many local guides (they all
wear "Saigon Tourism" caps) to rent a boat for you. Voila!
Private tour at a rate lower than Star's by far. The only downside is
that their tenders (even though you have to pay) only run when they
are completely full. I had to wait 40 minutes in the tender for the
return trip.
Food - so plain it’s unbelievable. The included restaurants
include a fight-the-crowd buffet, a decent Chinese restaurant, and a
Western restaurant serving chicken-a-la-king type entrees. If you are
expecting filet mignons, fresh seafood, you are in for a surprise. The
extra tariff restaurants are very expensive. You will get fancier
fare, but you will pay through your nose for it. We had a special
occasion (grandmother’s 80th birthday) one night that we wanted to
celebrate in the Taipan Chinese Restaurant. The restaurant was empty
as it is an extra tariff one, but I had to literally beg with 3
different managers before they would let me book one of the private
rooms (we had a group of 12)… some rule about no advance
reservations for private rooms (yes, they allow advance reservations
for the restaurant, just not private rooms). As it turned out, none of
the other private rooms were occupied. The food in Taipan was good and
uniform but a lot more expensive than comparable land-based
establishments. I also tried the Japanese/pan-Asian restaurant on
Captain's night. They served decent sashimi, a few other forgettable
courses, and a stone-hard lobster that caused most guests to scratch
their heads in amazement. At the end of the meal, they dimmed the
lights and paraded with the traditional baked Alaska with sizzling
firework thingies. After 15 minutes, I asked where my portion was. The
waitress politely explained that the baked Alaska was just for the
parade and not for consumption...
Cabin - we had a balcony cabin on the top deck. It was
decorated in a most strange color scheme of yellow, orange and dark Formica
that was made to look like fake wood. I had to use the
facilities every day with my nose 3 inches from a 20" by 30"
poster advising me that there will be a HK$1000 fine if I flush things
I'm not supposed to and a plumber has to come fix it... in 3
languages. Also in the bathroom, you will find delightful amenity
kits. Look carefully and you will see a placard on your dressing table
advising a HK$30 charge per kit if you decide to use it. The cabin was
kept clean, except at embarkation when I discovered strange bones
(chicken, I think) on my balcony. Last thing, the beds are tiny and
you can't use under the bed for luggage storage (there are bars). This
resulted in luggage stalled on sofas, corridors, and cluttering up the
room you paid dearly for. The ship’s construction, including the
bathroom fixtures, seems sound. Everything else was decorated in
unbelievably poor tastes. This general inferior atmosphere spills over
to cover all the public rooms as well.
Crew - decent service
considering Star includes gratuities in the cruise rate. The ship is
brimming with crewmembers, in fact the Leo boasts to have the highest
number of crew on board any cruise ship. Service is no better than any
other ship I have been on though. During the Captain’s Cocktail
Party, balcony residents were supposed to enter at a special time.
That did not happen. When I decided to pass up the bubbly for a
regular drink, it took me a long time to find out from a very
rude bartender that I’ll have to pay for that non-standard drink.
Bars - always empty. I tried all of them and all the bartenders
and barmaids have no clue what they are doing. Stick with non-mixed
drinks.
Entertainment - strange is all I can say. I am a native of Hong
Kong so it's not a cultural thing. The tackiest shows you will ever
see.
Overall arrangement - With the ship only barely 60% full, they
had trouble arranging the debarkation procedures. Much roping was used
to make you feel like cattle being herded to the slaughterhouse. These
fixed lines even go up and down staircases. None of the staff could
answer any question about the arrangement.
Conclusion - I will never cruise Star again because of the very
poor food, rigid procedures (reminds me of Singapore with all the
rules and regulations, albeit I did observe gum-chewing on board),
tasteless and strange decor and even stranger fellow passengers. Its
nothing more than a gambling ferry boat. If you decide to go, just
lower your expectations drastically and make sure you are paying a
reasonable fare for Balcony Class.
Back to Star
Cruises Reviews
