Advice, Please

[LoneStar72]

Our goal is to try all the major cruise lines, then settle down with one or two. So far we've done 7-nighters with Royal Caribbean and Carnival to the North/West Caribbean, and Holland America and Celebrity to Alaska. I think Princess is next on the list, and we'd like to do something in the Eastern or Southern Caribbean in late December 2005. We tend to like the "just under 2,000 passengers" size ship -- large enough to have good amenities, but not so big that there's lines for everything, and when everyone goes ashore the tours and shops are crowded.

 

If I read the CC reviews right, Coral and Island are both in the 1,970-passenger class at 92,000 tons. Although Dawn and Sun are both 1,950-passenger class, they are listed at 77,000 tons, making them a worse "space factor." But it doesn't look like either Coral or Island regularly do trips to the Eastern or Southern Caribbean.

 

Advice and recommendations?

[ahracer]

The Golden and Star are 110,000 tons but are just over 2000 passengers and really don't feel crowded at all. Especially compared to a Carnival ship. I also think you'd like the Sun or Dawn but they are only doing 10 day sailings.

 

Scott

[LoneStar72]

According to the info I have, Golden and Star are listed at 2,600 passengers and 109,000 tons -- way too big for me. And I'm a little leery of Sun and Dawn, both due to the space factor, and I think their ages.

 

The only Carnival ship I've been on is Inspiration, which is 70,000 tons and 2,052 passengers. And, yes, it was a bit crowded.

 

If the itenerary were right, I'd have no problem with a 10-day sailing. By "right", I mean that we didn't spend 4 or more of the days at sea -- I'm more of a "ports are the destination" kind than "the ship is the destination."

 

John

[booth22]

We were on the Star last October and I can say that with a full house, she didn't feel crowded in the least. There was always room around the pools, hot tubs were always available and we never felt crowded. The lounges were never too busy and we could always find a nice place to sit and enjoy the ocean. The tenders went smoothly as well, as we felt princess had a pretty good system worked out. I was a bit concerned about the size, but I would not hesitate to sail on the Star again. The ship didn't seem like it was attempting to be the attraction, it was almost like the ship wasn't trying to hard to stand out, but did anyways. No need for a promenade with a shopping mall, ect. ect. Good luck with your decision - booth

[spongerob]

Space ratios are a very crude estimation of whether or not you will feel cramped. How the space is utilized is much more important. A huge multi-deck mall has a lot of "space" but still might feel crowded since the square footage might be comparatively low.

 

Princess ships in general are thoughtfully laid out and provide room to socialize, be on your own, or somewhere in between. The Sun-class ships would definitely fit your bill in most respects. The age of the design shows in the relatively small cabins compared to newer vessels. If you can get past that aspect, I think you will be very impressed. It might not be your preference when all is said and done, but you will still enjoy your vacation. Happy hunting!

[wwinfl91]

We were on the Golden last summer and I think you would find it a good way to try out Princess. Although it is listed for 2600 passengers on our cruise in the Med the Captain said we were carrying 2850 but the ship never seemed crowded. It is very well laid out and has a lot of areas where you can get away from the crowds. We enjoyed the PC dining and are doing another Princess cruise this fall as a result of our experience. If you like smaller ships you might also want to try HAL's Veendam, Maasdam, Zaandam, class of ships. They hold a lot fewer people and again never seem crowded.

 

Have a great next cruise.

[srphnx]

We also felt the Sun class did a great job of people flow, very comparable to most "open" feeling ships.

[meyerhaus]

As far as falling inside of your guidelines, I think that the December 20th sailing on the Tahitian Princess to The Cook Islands would be perfect. I don't know your budget, but it has only 2 days at sea. For a 10 day cruise, that is phenominal! :D

 

Here is a link to that cruise.

 

I know that it is smaller, but it really fits your itinerary ideas. I know that there are a lot of people on these boards that could speak to you about these Regal Class Ships.

 

JON

[Perky1]

We were on the Sun last March & we thought she was a beautiful ship. She is well cared for and does not show her age at all. We have not been on any other ship but with this many passengers - tendering was a breeze - both embarking and disbarking were painless. We enjoyed it so much that we are book for the Dawn next March. The ship never felt overcrowed or did we have to wait for the buffet. Someday we may try the Grand class but for now we are pleased with the Sun class of ships.

[Aquarian]

We sailed the Sun and Dawn and loved both but have come to also love the Grand class. The Star Princess (grand class) will be in the Eastern/Western Caribbean starting this fall. I have sailed on the Grand, Golden and Caribbean Princess and I don't think that you would ever feel that you are in a huge ship except when you are on the dock looking at it. LOL Princess has achieved a cozy feeling. We often look at each other and say "where is everyone?" They offer so many venues so that everyone is evenly distributed throughout the ship. I loved the Caribbean Princess last month because both mid-ship pools are open-air and it has freed up the deck space for more pool chairs. I really don't think you would be disappointed in any Princess ship that you would book, either Sun class or Grand class. As far as Sun class is concerned, I wouldn't hesitate to book on them again. Princess is constantly upgrading their ships. Good luck with your decision.

[prophotogirl]

I've sailed on the Dawn twice and love the size. I never felt crowded and both times it was a full ship.

[Druke I]

Can't speak for the Dawn, as I haven't sailed her, but her twin, the Sun, is a great ship.

 

Although some complain that she is "old", she isn't. A ship that is maintained is good for 25 years of service.

 

We were on the Sun this past May when whe repositioned up the Left Coast, and I thought her to be in very good condition.

 

The mini-suites are the best in the fleet, in my opinion, well laid out, spacious, with a very good bathroom/shower configuration.

 

I'd take her again, in a heartbeat.

 

The new Coral and Island Princesses are also well laid out, and I like them all better than the Grand class, which I think a little large.

 

Isn't it wonderful we have so many choices?

 

Michael

[Layla]

We sailed on the Sun Princess in 1997 when she was new and again in 2000. We were on her sister ship Dawn just last year. Both ships are wonderfully laid out and there was no sign of wear and tear at all. We never got the feeling of being crowded. The Sun class ships are great and we would love to sail on them again. :)

[LoneStar72]

Well, after a lot of reading these boards, a strong determination to try Princess for our next cruise, and a desire to see the Eastern or Southern Caribbean, I've come up with a candidate cruise: Star Princess, round-trip from Fort Lauderdale, Southern Caribbean Medley (#9601), 11 days, departing December 28th, 2005. The itenerary is 2 days at sea, Aruba, Curcao, Isla Margarita, Barbados, Dominica, St. Thomas, sea day, and Princess Cays (Bahamas). I had to compromise on the size of the ship, since I couldn't do the itenerary at that time on Princess any other way.

 

Now all I have to do is match the cabin categories to my budget, and start getting quotes!

 

Comments?

 

John

[cactusrose]

I don't think you will regret to decission. I've sailed on the Star twice on 12 day curises and plan on sailing her again next year for 28 days. She is beautiful and I never felt like there were 2600 people on board. At times I wondered where everyone was.

 

Congratualtions and welcome to Princess.

[LoneStar72]

Congratualtions and welcome to Princess.

Thanks, but congratulations are a little premature -- I haven't booked it yet ;) .

 

We've cruised the Western Caribbean twice, and Alaska twice -- ocean view all 4 times, but balcony only in Alaska. My impression is that the balcony is really worth it in Alaska, since you're very close to land a lot of the cruise, plus you can sight whales frequently, and, of course, there's the ability to really enjoy glaciers in comfort. I don't, however, think that a balcony cabin on a Caribbean cruise would be worth the extra $$ -- there's not much you can see on sea days that you can't see from a deck chair or a lounge, and when we're in port we spend as much time as possible ashore. In fact, I'm really considering an inside cabin for this cruise.

 

Opinions?

 

John

[stoneharborlady]

On my first and only cruise two weeks ago (seems like ages) we booked a balcony cabin to the Eastern Caribbean. We have decided next time we will book an outside double with window, no balcony. We didnt spend enough time on it to justify the expense, (except at five in the morning to watch the ship come into each port. I excitedly woke my sister so she could share in the thrill of it, and I thought she was going to kill me) Unless there is a big moon, you dont see much at night, the wake, and twice another ship, all lit up. I thought it was beautiful, but we could see the same up on deck.

[Pam in CA]

John... I'm of the opposite opinion as to the balcony in Alaska vs. Caribbean. We found that most of the time, it was too cold to sit out for long in Alaska except when we were in port whereas I love sitting out during the day, evening or whenever in the Caribbean. Plus, it's wonderful to be able to leave your balcony door open and sleep with fresh air.

[stoneharborlady]

I wondered about sleeping with the door open too. But that idea was quickly dispelled due to the heat and humidity. Much prefer the air conditioning for sleeping.

[PescadoAmarillo]

Balcony vs. outside vs. inside cabins really depend on what kind of cruisers you are, and what the itinerary is. If you are really active people, the first off the ship in port and the last back on, tired and sandy and sunburned, an inside cabin on such a port intensive cruise will suit you fine. If you leave the ship to shop a little, and then reboard with several hours still in port, you would likely enjoy sitting on your balcony and watching the all the activity around the ship.

 

And finally, if you want to be down low on the ship (easier to get on and off in ports), the decision will be between an inside and an outside cabin. If you want to be up high on the ship, and closer to the pools, gym and buffets, the decision will be between an inside and a balcony (maybe even a suite).

 

We've been in all kinds of rooms, and never been unhappy, but we know ourselves...very active cruisers who enjoy the outdoor decks and buffet on ship and always book on one of the top 2 cabin decks.

[cactusrose]

Lonestar72,

 

Sorry for the premature congratulations. I just get so excited for anyone who has made a decision. I misread your post and thought that you had decided when in fact you had only decided to consider.:D

[LoneStar72]

After spending the weekend with the deck plan of the Star, and a couple of price quotes, I've come up with a few more questions. I'll pose them here first, and if someone who is knowledgable about the Star doesn't see them, I'll start a new thread. Here goes:

 

1. Is the Terrace Pool at the stern of the Aloha deck (#12) intended for kids? Although the kid areas look to be on the stern of the Sun deck (#15), the Terrace Pool is the closest one. In addition, the majority of the inside cabins on the stern of the Aloha deck are configured for a third and fourth occupant, which might indicate they're intended for families travelling with kids.
   
2. On the deck diagram, it appears that on the Aloha deck, interior cabins #507, 508, 514, and 515 are larger than the others in that category (II) -- are they really bigger, or is the deck diagram wrong? They aren't marked for handicap, so that isn't the reason.
   
3. Speaking of those cabins, and the other interiors on the Aloha deck (all in category II), it looks like they're underneath the main pools on the Lido deck. Since the pools on Princess are open 24 hours a day, would the cabins below the pools be noiser at night than others?
   
4. Speaking of noise and 24-hour pools, I have the same question about interior cabins (category II) on the forward end of the Lido deck (#14) -- noisy at night?
   

Thanks in advance!

 

John

[Aquarian]

This is the only question I can address from personal experience. We were inside on the Aloha Deck fore on the Golden Princess and were under the lap pool near the spa area. We could hear the motor from the lap pool from 8:00 AM when they turned it on until they shut it off at night. It was a distraction but it didn't ruin our vacation. We really like the Baja Deck inside mid ship. To me, that's the best location for a reasonable amount of $$$.

[stoneharborlady]

I can only answer your question about the Terrace Pool, one of my favorites. It is an adults only pool, no kids swimming here.

[melissa_bel]

Hey Lonestar.

No, the Terrace Pool is adult only. It's my favourite part of the ship. I'd always eat my breakfast, ice-cream or a snack there, just to relax. Two years ago, we got upgraded from an inside to oceanview (actually a port-hole) all the way back on the Aloha deck on the Grand, the Star's sister ship. It was a room just by door to the pool and access to the Lido deck. We were concerned about noise (especially because that's where Princess has its Island Night) and... no problem at all! I don't remember being awaken by passengers at all. The soundproofing was quite good. And it was just great to wake up, get out of the room and behold the view from the terrace.