NCL Star vs. Saphire Princess

[kat89447]

Since it has gotten sooooo costly to fly anymore, I am looking into a cruise that we can take within driving distance. We actually live in NV, but Los Angeles is only an 8 hour drive. Our best bet is a 7 day Mexican Riviera Cruise. We have been on Disney before, and NCL and the old Sitmar lines so we like the more medium ship size. We are a family of 3 with a dd that is 10. It looks like the NCL Star and the Saphire Princess both go to Mexico (actually the same itinerary). Has anyone been on both or one or the other? Also, we are thinking about splurging on a suite/mini-suite. I have seen suites on NCL but is it worth the price difference on Princess from balcony to mini suite? Thanks for any ideas and any help in advance.

[Teetype]

Since it has gotten sooooo costly to fly anymore, I am looking into a cruise that we can take within driving distance. We actually live in NV, but Los Angeles is only an 8 hour drive. Our best bet is a 7 day Mexican Riviera Cruise. We have been on Disney before, and NCL and the old Sitmar lines so we like the more medium ship size. We are a family of 3 with a dd that is 10. It looks like the NCL Star and the Saphire Princess both go to Mexico (actually the same itinerary). Has anyone been on both or one or the other? Also, we are thinking about splurging on a suite/mini-suite. I have seen suites on NCL but is it worth the price difference on Princess from balcony to mini suite? Thanks for any ideas and any help in advance.

 

I am, admittedly, biased. I love Princess. I always cruise in a balcony -- even prefer them over the mini suite hands down. But if I had been cruising when any or all of my kids were young, I would buy the biggest space I could afford. :)

 

Princess, according to friends and fellow cruisers has terrific kids programs -- some say the best out there outside of Disney. I couldn't say, sorry.

 

But one thing: the Sapphire is not a mid-sized ship, it's a grand class and large even for that. That might be best with kids as far as activities.

 

What week are you planning to go? Perhaps looking in on the roll calls for the ships you're considering may give some insights?

 

Ole!

Tee

[CarolynB]

We were on the Sapphire in a mini-suite in 2006, we loved it, the bath with the tub/shower was really nice. Our son slept on the fold out sofa and said it wasn't very comfortable, so we had the room stewart pull down the other bed, he said it was ok, not great but okay. We were on Dolphin deck with the uncovered balcony. It was large, but with it being uncovered a bit hot.

 

My daughter had her 3 yr. old twins in the kids program, they loved it.

 

My sister had a reg. balcony cabin on Caribe deck, the balcony was a little larger than ours, it was half covered, so it wasn't so sunny. The had their son and had no problems with the sleeping arrangements with the pull down bed.

 

This time we are going with the Norwegian Star in an AB suite. This will be our first time on Norwegian, but needed a ship that let 2 yr. olds in the kids program. I hope it is as good as I have read on CC.

 

You might want to take a look at this site for the AB suite on Norwegian, it sure looks nice. Click on ship tour and see how the ship looks. The site was made when the Star was sailing Hawaii, and to my understanding they had to remove some places to add the casino, but it will give you an idea what the Star is like.

http://www.orcatekweb.com/Cabin-11550.htm

[kat89447]

Thanks for the help. We are thinking of going next year in Oct. for my dd's 12th bday. We love to cruise, especially her, and thought it would be fun to go with just the immediate family since we usually go with all of my siblings and parents. She has never been a big fan of the kids clubs, even on Disney. She will go for a couple of hours at night, so her dad and I can have some "date" time, but mostly she would rather hang out with us or go to the pool. Freestyle worked great for us on the last cruise, and I heard that Princess had something similar. We are not opposed to traditional but there is a definate freedom of eating when and where you want. How big is the Saphire? It says on the web that it holds 2600 people so I figured that was about mid size since the monster ships seem to carry 4k plus. We are also balcony snobs lol and thought that moving up to a suite would be a nice splurge, we do spend a lot of time in our cabin. We all turn in about 10:30pm and love to have breakfast and coffee on the balcony. Again thanks for the help and if anyone can explain Princess's dining options I would be greatful.

[DAGVBSB]

Thanks for the help. We are thinking of going next year in Oct. for my dd's 12th bday. We love to cruise, especially her, and thought it would be fun to go with just the immediate family since we usually go with all of my siblings and parents. She has never been a big fan of the kids clubs, even on Disney. She will go for a couple of hours at night, so her dad and I can have some "date" time, but mostly she would rather hang out with us or go to the pool. Freestyle worked great for us on the last cruise, and I heard that Princess had something similar. We are not opposed to traditional but there is a definate freedom of eating when and where you want. How big is the Saphire? It says on the web that it holds 2600 people so I figured that was about mid size since the monster ships seem to carry 4k plus. We are also balcony snobs lol and thought that moving up to a suite would be a nice splurge, we do spend a lot of time in our cabin. We all turn in about 10:30pm and love to have breakfast and coffee on the balcony. Again thanks for the help and if anyone can explain Princess's dining options I would be greatful.

 

I love the Star. But I will warn you, the AF mini-suites do not come with all the amenities of AE and higher suites. If you are going to splurge, I reccommend at least an AE level or higher.

 

Freestyle is a great concept. No set dining times, no set tablemates and no madatory formal night. (Dress up or not night -- you can dress up or you don't have to.) Freestyle Disembarkation allows you to stay in your cabin until you are called to disembark... no being herded like homeless people into public areas.

[cruisemom42]

How big is the Saphire? It says on the web that it holds 2600 people so I figured that was about mid size since the monster ships seem to carry 4k plus. We are also balcony snobs lol and thought that moving up to a suite would be a nice splurge, we do spend a lot of time in our cabin. We all turn in about 10:30pm and love to have breakfast and coffee on the balcony. Again thanks for the help and if anyone can explain Princess's dining options I would be greatful.

 

Although the published capacity may be 2600, that's assuming 2 people per cabin. Often the actual number of people on board may be around 3100. Having said that, I think Princess does a good job of making it seem like there are fewer people on board. There are several pools, many different entertainment venues, and so on. The only place where I have ever really noticed it to be a bit crowded is the buffet.

 

As to the dining options. Princess has two choices: Traditional and Anytime. Usually 1 dining room is reserved for Traditional (fixed times) and the other 2 are used for Anytime dining. As with NCL, you can eat anytime during the dinner period. However, Princess is a bit dressier overall, and the evening's suggested dress is supposed to be observed in all dining rooms, whether Traditional or Anytime.

 

My son has been cruising Princess with me since age 7 (he's now 16) and has always like the kids programs. One thing that you and your kids might enjoy doing together is called Movies Under The Stars (MUTS). Princess has a huge screen (like the kind at sports arenas) installed in one of the pool areas, and they show movies there at night...... as well as during the day.

 

A final note: if you cruised Sitmar, you can be credited as a past passenger on Princess. Just be sure to mention it if/when you book. I loved Sitmar as a teen and Princess is a good fit for me. If you liked Sitmar, I'd strongly consider giving Princess a try.

[cruisemom42]

Sorry.... re: my post above, I just realized that Sapphire Princess does not have the MUTS.

[kat89447]

I had no idea that Sitmar became Princess. I doubt I would get credit though since I was a teenager when we went to Alaska and that was over 20 years ago lol. I don't mind the dress up part since we usually wear dresses or slacks anyway, just don't want to have to rent a tux lol.

[cruisemom42]

I had no idea that Sitmar became Princess. I doubt I would get credit though since I was a teenager when we went to Alaska and that was over 20 years ago lol. I don't mind the dress up part since we usually wear dresses or slacks anyway, just don't want to have to rent a tux lol.

 

You'd be surprised. I called up Princess just last year and got past passenger credit for 4 Sitmar cruises that I took in the 1970s and early 80s with my parents. You just have to be able to give them the name of the ship, and a few details like the approximate sail date (month and year were good enough), approximate itinerary, number of days, ship name.

 

You don't have to wear a tux! Most cruiselines have relaxed their dress codes somewhat. On a Princess formal night, you'd see some tuxes, many more in suits, and a few who choose not to dress up and eat at the buffet. On all other nights, the dress is "smart casual" or something like that.

[Sizzlin Sailor]

We were on Sapphire a couple times including as recently as last Fall. As has been mentioned, this is NOT a mid-size ship. It's a BIG ship. The only problem we encountered --regrettably, we encountered it repeatedly -- was near chaos and long lines to get going on a Princess shore tour. Assigned time to assemble in the lounge area were published in the newsletter for the day (delivered to your roomthe night before) but the lines were 10, 15, up to 30 minutes long. It was VERY poorly handled. Apart from that, it was great! Anytime dining worked just fine. We always got our desired time immediately. Another's comment about the buffet being croweded is accurate, and that does get a bit frustrating. The Fusion lounge has some nickel slots at the back making for a GREAT activity combining affordable gambling and superior people-watching PLUS waitress service! Best kept secret on the ship is the WAKE VIEW BAR, a place accessible only by stairs from a dark corner of the Fusion Lounge. Seats for the show are too small and little leg room. Balconies are large and comfortable and (for your group) you can pull a wall section back and make them accessible to one another. Crew staff on Sapphire was superb last Fall. I suppose they've all changed over by now, however.

 

The Mexican Riviera is a good cruise -- 3 "at sea" days, and very fun ports. We've purchased stuff at the not-so-little market right AT the docking point in Puerto Vallarta. There's a similar market in Mazatlan although you have to ride the shuttle for 60 seconds to get there (very limited pedestrian traffic on the dock there). Try to get to Senor Frogs in Mazatlan. It might be the most fun restaurant/bar in the world! In Cabo, I went fishing on one of those little four-passenger charter deals and actually caught a big, fat Marlin. The guide guessed it at almost 200 pounds. Pretty exciting for an old guy from Minnesota!

[kat89447]

Thanks for the Princess help. We loved NCL, but would like to try other lines as well. Funny about Senor Frogs, it's our favorite souviner when cruising. We discovered it in Nassau and spent an hour finding the one in San Juan last June lol. DH wasn't on that cruise but we bought him the same exact shirt he got in Nassau this time from San Juan. My dd laughed about it all the way home. Although I have been to Mexico numerous times my dh and dd have never been and we all love cruising. You all have swayed me into looking deeper into the Saphire that's for sure. We are looking at an AE suite on that boat but it is hard to see where the difference is between that and a balcony. The website pics look like the difference is a curtain between the sitting area and the bed. I am sure the pic doesn't do it justice. It's hard being a balcony snob, now we want more too lol. I figure what we can save in airfare we can use on the bigger cabin.

[Teetype]

Thanks for the Princess help. We loved NCL, but would like to try other lines as well. Funny about Senor Frogs, it's our favorite souviner when cruising. We discovered it in Nassau and spent an hour finding the one in San Juan last June lol. DH wasn't on that cruise but we bought him the same exact shirt he got in Nassau this time from San Juan. My dd laughed about it all the way home. Although I have been to Mexico numerous times my dh and dd have never been and we all love cruising. You all have swayed me into looking deeper into the Saphire that's for sure. We are looking at an AE suite on that boat but it is hard to see where the difference is between that and a balcony. The website pics look like the difference is a curtain between the sitting area and the bed. I am sure the pic doesn't do it justice. It's hard being a balcony snob, now we want more too lol. I figure what we can save in airfare we can use on the bigger cabin.

 

Personally I prefer the balconies over the minis, but we're only two cruising. With three or more, I'd go mini at least.

 

The minis have a sofa bed in a sitting area and a bath tub instead of just a shower (meaning the bathroom is considerably bigger). It really would be more comfy for a family.

 

Someone else will have to jump in here on balcony size. I'm don't think you can get the jumbo sized Caribe deck balcony with the mini.

 

I think I posted earlier that Princess is terrific. I doubt very much you'll be disappointed.

Tee