There will be some big changes on Star Princess coming drydock in September. SHe will no doubt adding The Sanctuary on Deck 16 forward. But some really big changes is the facilities on Deck 5,6 & 7.

Deck 5 atrium will be converted to the Piazza style featuring casual dining venues in a street
café environment including the International Café and Vines Bar with an adjacent Vines
specialty boutique.

The Sterling Steakhouse will be replaced with The Crown Grill, a steak and seafood restaurant
which will be placed on Fiesta Deck 6 and the Grand Casino area will be moved to Deck 7 and seven new Suite cabins will be built on Fiesta Deck 6. These cabins will be a defined as a suite with a window (no balcony).

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seven new Suite cabins will be built on Fiesta Deck 6. These cabins will be a defined as a suite with a window (no balcony).

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Surely these will be marketed as family rooms sleeping 4-6 people. I can't imagine there is a huge market for suites without balconies these days.

If the Crown Grill is being moved to the casino area, this will also mean constructing an entirely new galley to support the restaurant. In addition the casino will be much smaller if it's placed in the old Sterling Steakhouse area.

Are these new suites being placed where the casino is as well? This would mean the suites have the windows and the Crown Grill will be an interior space with no windows.

Lastly, I'm not sure I would want my cabin located on a public room deck smack between the show lounge and atrium lobby.

Personally, if these changes are in fact correct I don't understand the rationale and it seems the original passenger flow of the ship will be compromised.

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Originally posted by eroller:
These changes don't make sense to me at all. Even the newest Princess ships still have the casino on Deck 6 between the atrium and show lounge.

If the Crown Grill is being moved to the casino area, this will also mean constructing an entirely new galley to support the restaurant. In addition the casino will be much smaller if it's placed in the old Sterling Steakhouse area.

Are these new suites being placed where the casino is as well? This would mean the suites have the windows and the Crown Grill will be an interior space with no windows.

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Originally posted by mec1:
What high-end suites without balcony does QM2 have? I know QE2 has, but didn't think QM2 does.

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Hey Mike,
QM2 only has two. The Queen Anne and Queen Victoria Suites. They are located all the way forward in the center of the ship, just above the Commodore Club.

I would also bet that the Royal Class (the old R's) will get similar "upgrades" on a smaller scale when they get the Sancutary upgrade.

Island and Coral would mostlikely only need minor changes to mirror the "Crown" features.

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Originally posted by Waynaro:

On the Fiesta Deck 6, Calypso Cove is located forward of the Dining Room on the starboard side. I do not know its current usage, but this location is close to a galley, making it a likely location of a restaurant. In the place of the existing casino space, the interior space will be refitted with the internet cafe and wedding chapel, while the suites will take the window spaces.

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Possibly, but I don't think so. Princess wants to create a Piazza style atrium like the CROWN and EMERALD have. I think the current card room on STAR will be turned into the Internet Cafe. The Shore Excursion and Captain's Circle desks will be ripped out to make room for "Vines", the wine bar, and also the International Cafe which will encompass the Lobby Bar area as well. This would be in line with the newest ships.

To me it doesn't make sense to rip the casino out at all. Keep it where it is and expand the current Sterling Steakhouse into the Internet Cafe and wedding chapel and rename it The Crown Grill. Why construct a new galley if you don't have to? As I mentioned before the Internet Cafe can be moved down to the atrium and the wedding chapel can be moved up to Deck 15 as on the newer ships. The space is already there.

What messes up this equation are the new suites. Why ruin the passenger flow by placing suites on a deck that contains all public rooms? It seems the only available place for the suites would be where the current casino is. Just doesn't make sense to me and I'm not sure why Princess would be so intent on these new suites. Will they really be worth the additional revenue at the expense of passenger flow? Also, why not have them on the newest ships if they are so important?

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Originally posted by mike sa:
Does the Star have MUTS yet ? If not I assume they are going add that as well ? Still can't work out where the sports court will relocate to, perhaps they will just not have one.

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The Sanctuary is revenue producing. The Sports Court is not. Say goodbye to the Sports Court.

The whole renovation of the atrium area sounds terrible, why do work on the casino? In that whole region I think that lifeless art gallery should go, what a waste of space! To me it looked like a very wide corridor where they couldnt think of anything to put there...so they put up some art and call it another facility onboard....puh-lease!

Suites without a balcony...yea good luck! Especially since Star has so many rooms with balconies!