Princess Cruises Star Princess

Page 53

Movies Under the Stars

Overview

This was one of our favorite features on Star Princess: a dedicated outdoor movie theatre. Although many ships have movie screens above their main pool areas, Princess does a particularly good job for its guests, putting blankets out on loungers, having fresh popcorn and even servers providing cookies and milk. It’s like a cozy drive-in at sea.

The outdoor screen rises above the Neptune’s Reef pool area. The movie selection represented relatively fresh releases that had been theaters within the last 6 months. And the presentation quality was strong enough that a relatively bright, crisp picture can be enjoyed, even when the sun is out (though it’s at its best after sundown). The usual schedule was each movie would play once or twice in the evening, around 7:30 and 10 p.m.; most of these repeated on another day at 10 a.m. or 3 p.m. There was also a daily concert video—Stevie Wonder, Pavarotti, U2, Paul McCartney—that would be played at 5:30 p.m.

The popcorn station was next to Sundaes, and the adjacent Mermaid’s Tail Bar offered a small selection of candies to complete the movie-going experience.

One complaint: Although sound volume was fine during most movies played here, one action film had a hefty bass track. The volume was so loud during certain scenes that bottles and glasses on the bar shelves opposite the screen rumbled and rattled, and conversations came to a halt. The entertainment staff should have been more attuned to the divergent needs served on these decks.