NCL Star or Princess: Sapphire?

[JettaGirl]

So and I are planning on booking a cruise for spring break this year. We have already sailed on Princess cruises before and loved it. We loved the anytime dining we got with Princess.

 

While researching the cruise, we saw that the NCL Star will be at the same departure place and it is about the same price as the Sapphire Princess. Any recommendations on either one?? Should we stick with our normal (Princess) or venture out??

 

Pros/cons to either ship or cruise line?!

 

Thanks in advance for any advice! :)

[Sizzlin Sailor]

We "did" Sapphire Princess in Asia in October '07 and, overall, loved it. I doubt I'd pick a cruise just because it was on Sapphire, but I certainly wouldn't have any trouble with an itinerary I liked if I found out it was on Sapphire either.

 

Anytime dining was terrific -- NEVER a wait of more than a minute beyond our reservation time; ALWAYS a table for six or eight (our preference); Room Service breakfast was never late, seldom more than five minutes early and the coffee was always hot! And we thought the crew staff, waitresses and bar tenders were noticeably friendly.

 

On the negative side... getting people off the ship when we were in port was consistently and (for being consistently repeated) inexcusably terrible. Show up at the appointed place at the appointed time and... and... find yourself at the end of a 10-minute line to get a tour group sticker and then stand by to wait for another 30 minutes before the group was called. Regrettably, this never improved during the entire cruise and became quite the frustration.

 

Also, the shows at night are in the big theater with seating like -- well, like a theater. Unfortunately, on Sapphire, that translates into too-small chairs that don't move and which offer inadequate legroom. It's remindful of a coach seat on a plane, except that on the place there's a place for your feet! My frame of reference for the nightly shows are the showrooms on Holland America which is set up more like a "lounge" and is infinitely more comfortable and, as a result more fun!

 

This cruiser's opinion is that it's a no-brainer for Sapphire Princess! That's not foregetting, however, that NCL isn't still in business because their passengers all have a bad time. And let's not forget... a bad cruise is still a wonderful vacation!

 

Have fun...

 

Old John in Minnesota!

 

 

So and I are planning on booking a cruise for spring break this year. We have already sailed on Princess cruises before and loved it. We loved the anytime dining we got with Princess.

 

While researching the cruise, we saw that the NCL Star will be at the same departure place and it is about the same price as the Sapphire Princess. Any recommendations on either one?? Should we stick with our normal (Princess) or venture out??

 

Pros/cons to either ship or cruise line?!

 

Thanks in advance for any advice! :)

[JettaGirl]

Thank you so much for your honest reply. After hours of researching on cruisecritic yesterday, I think you are exactly right. I am going to go with what I know already, the Princess cruise.

 

Thanks again for the reply!

[tiyana4]

We are looking at the exact same ships out of Los Angeles in 2010. Unfortunately for us it will be around Spring Break where the rates are quite a bit higher for the category that we want. Unless Princess has a price drop, we will be going with NCL. Been on both lines and I absolutely loved Princess, daughter loves NCL.

 

So for us, it is whoever has the best price. Particularly when the itinerary is identical.

[Sizzlin Sailor]

Yep... many times it's the price that decides. And so be it! That's the market at work. Whether it's a cruise or an automobile or a lawn mower, folks decide what's important to them and decide just where the money sits on the list.

 

Another thing about Sapphire that I really liked: They've got a few nickel slots at the rear of the Fusion lounge at the back of the ship -- at the rear, but still a plenty good view of the stage and the dance floor. This is nowhere near the casino, and it makes for a fun way for somebody (me!) to get into the fun at Fusion and enjoy a little slot activity without going broke! In fact I won about $30 there in an hour's time. Subtract my initial investment in nickels and a couple cocktails, and it was a free evening!

 

I hope you both have a wonderful time!

 

We are looking at the exact same ships out of Los Angeles in 2010. Unfortunately for us it will be around Spring Break where the rates are quite a bit higher for the category that we want. Unless Princess has a price drop, we will be going with NCL. Been on both lines and I absolutely loved Princess, daughter loves NCL.

 

So for us, it is whoever has the best price. Particularly when the itinerary is identical.

[tiyana4]

We broke down and decided to book with NCL. With the OBC promotion NCL is running and a savings of roughly $300 pp on our balcony cabin vs. Princess' pricing, it was a no-brainer. As I mentioned earlier, I do love Princess but I prefer to cruise more often.

 

Sorry, Princess..............