Sos-princess star - or grand?

[malibu007]

Thinking of taking the trip to hawaii on princess - and wondering if you all think going out of sf on the grand or la on the star is better? Thanks for any help..

[Nancyquilts]

Would you rather leave from San Francisco or Los Angeles?

Star has Elua, imho the best Hawaiian couple on cruises for giving you a feeling for the islands early. Leialoha teaches a great lei making class for a small fee.

Grand also has a couple that performs and have hula and ukulele classes as does Elua on the Star.

Grand has an extra sea day.

[malibu007]

I am not sure- It does not matter - I would prefer more time in hawaii and smooth sailing so either sf or la is fine with me.. Which ship is the better one?

[Keikidoc]

I am not sure- It does not matter - I would prefer more time in hawaii and smooth sailing so either sf or la is fine with me.. Which ship is the better one?

Just got off the Grand and it was in pretty good shape. I heard of only one incident where a water pipe broke in one of the cabins. Otherwise our cabin was great with no significant wear issues. The Star is the same layout. They both had major renovations and converted the old skywalker nightclub into the One5. A good place to for quiet reading during sea days. I don't know about the present condition of the Star. They both spend the same amount of time in HI. Four days is not enough if you really want to experience the people and culture.

Edited February 20, 2014 by Keikidoc

[malibu007]

How were the seas getting out of sf was it really bad with the waves? I think the la ship has one less sea day? How were the ports?

:)

[Hazelnut1106]

We were on the Star to Hawaii out of LA in January and loved the cruise. Both the itinerary and the ship. We did a Transatlantic on the Grand in Nov 2012. Loved that cruise also. My only minor comment against the Grand is that it does not have a passenger center staircase to all floors. Makes for some extra walking to the aft or forward or extra time waiting for the elevator. However the Grand has Alfredo's pizzeria whereas the Star does not have this additional free dining area.

[Jasperdo]

The Star is the same layout. They both had major renovations and converted the old skywalker nightclub into the One5.

The Grand is the only ship that's had Skywalkers removed. It's still on the Star.

[dchip]

We have cruised on both and they are fine. The differences have already been mentioned in previous posts. I really liked the area outside the One Five on the Grand. It was a wonderful area to kick back and read in comfy chairs. For that matter, we also enjoyed the One Five for cocktails.

 

The Hawaiian duo on the Grand was very good. There was complete Hawaiian immersion including items on the MDR menu and the bar staff dressed in Aloha shirts.

 

We cruised January 19, 2014 and we did encountered big swells and waves on the way to Hawaii. That being said, so did the Star.

 

The most important thing to remember is this....you may not make all the ports. We were lucky and made all four. The Star wasn't able to tender in Maui. If the swells are too big or it is too windy, both Maui and Kauai are iffy.

 

I really never understood this cruise because you really only get a taste of Hawaii. Now I get it. We cruised out of San Francisco which is our home port. For us it was 15 days of complete relaxation. I would do this cruise every year if we could.

 

Cheers, Denise.

[Jasperdo]

Grand has an extra sea day.

 

I think the la ship has one less sea day?

:)

Both ships have a total of 9 sea days, 4 days going to the islands and 5 returning to their home port. The difference is the Star takes 5 days to get to Ensenada on the return trip. And the Grand takes 4 days to get back to Ensenada, followed by a sea day back to San Francisco.

[DShock]

We were on the Jan 19 Star Hawaii cruise. Ship was great, Elua awesome, food good, many other things good. But...never would do this cruise again. High probability of missing a port...and there aren't that many (we missed Maui), rough seas (YES I know it can happen but we cruise 4 times a year on Princess and have for years and this is the worse ever, including our TA's), weather too cool to enjoy pools, sanctuary, or MUTS, promenade deck close often due to weather.

[southpawsdakota]

Doesn't it depend on what time of year you are doing the Hawaii cruise as to how rough the oceans will be and how cold it will be?

[dchip]

We hit the worst seas in years and years on the January 19 cruises. Luck of the draw. If you do this cruise for a great getaway to relax, it's wonderful. If you want warm and Hawaii this isn't it. :eek: in fact it was warmer in the San Francisco Bay Area than it was in Kauai!!

 

We went to see the whales and whales we saw.

Cheers, Denise

Edited February 21, 2014 by dchip

[malibu007]

Omg. Thank you all for your comments- They help- I have 2 kids going w to Hawaii and I dont fly so yes, I do want to see hawaii-- hoping it will go well- I am really on the fence about which cruise to take- Now I hear that the Grand Has more Aloha Spirit? I am thinking the star must have a similar program?

Sounds like it does not matter which itenniary you take big waves throughout. I took 12 day to mexico and the way to sf was super rough - So I was hoping to avoid that.

 

Hoping the Aloha Spirit is on both ships. *)

[Jasperdo]

Now I hear that the Grand Has more Aloha Spirit? I am thinking the star must have a similar program?

 

Hoping the Aloha Spirit is on both ships. *)

The Star actually has the original Hawaiian Cultural Program that was started by the musical couple Elua and Cruise Director David Cole a few years ago. From what I understand the Grand now has a similar program run by Kimo and Lokelina. So either ship will put you in the Aloha Spirit. Edited February 21, 2014 by Jasperdo

[Kamloops50]

Would you rather leave from San Francisco or Los Angeles?

Star has Elua, imho the best Hawaiian couple on cruises for giving you a feeling for the islands early. Leialoha teaches a great lei making class for a small fee.

Grand also has a couple that performs and have hula and ukulele classes as does Elua on the Star.

Grand has an extra sea day.

 

The Star is moving to San Francisco for the 2014/2015 season.

 

Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Forums mobile app

[Colo Cruiser]

I would go for the Star, I miss Skywalkers.

[malibu007]

yOU GUYS ARE the best! I am so excited- I need to make sure we have a captain thats willing to doc that boat no matter what after that many days and nights I am gonna need off-- I wonder why they wouldent just go to another port for more days if they could not stop in maui cause of the waves.I wonder if thats a rare occurrance ? :eek:

[seamwoman]

What about the Golden??? Karen

[malibu007]

I need either the april 4 or 13 date and need to be back by the 18th- I would have LOVED to take the golden !!!

[Jasperdo]

yOU GUYS ARE the best! I am so excited- I need to make sure we have a captain thats willing to doc that boat no matter what after that many days and nights I am gonna need off-- I wonder why they wouldent just go to another port for more days if they could not stop in maui cause of the waves.I wonder if thats a rare occurrance ? :eek:

It's usually not up to the Captain whether the ship can dock or not. Many times it's the harbormaster who closes the port, and the Captain is not able to dock even if he wanted to. This happen to us twice on the same cruise in 2011. The harbormaster in Kauai closed the port because the winds were too strong, and Nawiliwili harbor is narrow with a tight bend. It was unsafe for a large cruise ship to enter the harbor.

 

The next day we couldn't tender into Lahaina harbor on Maui. Mudslides on the island had closed the main highway and the harbormaster couldn't even make it into work. Plus, the small harbor was full of mud, and it was unsafe for the tenders to enter the harbor.

 

Things like this happen sometimes. And the Captain can't just substitute a different island due to time constraints and distances involved. He still needs to get back to Los Angeles in time for the next cruise.

[malibu007]

Ok. got it. Its all the luck of the draw with Hawaii then- Hoping april is a good month to travel- Thank you for all of the info- :eek:

[Colo Cruiser]

yOU GUYS ARE the best! I am so excited- I need to make sure we have a captain thats willing to doc that boat no matter what after that many days and nights I am gonna need off-- I wonder why they wouldent just go to another port for more days if they could not stop in maui cause of the waves.I wonder if thats a rare occurrance ? :eek:

 

After the decision is made to miss a port its not just a snap decision to go to another port. There are a lot of factors involved, distance/time/weather/the rest of the iteniary etc. Not alot of choices within a reasonable distance around Hawaii. This also has to be approved by the corporte office and the Captain. ;)

[Nodales]

Check the itinerary for these two options very carefully!

 

I am booked on the Grand departing SF April 28th since the Star's departure date wasn't an option for me with work. As I was planning my excursions I found out the Polynesian Cultural Centre in Honolulu is closed on Sundays... the day we're there.

 

So before booking, if it matters to you, check very carefully everything you'd like to do and choose a ship based off of that.

[malibu007]

Sounds like the sf grand has alot of fun going on- I herd they have zumba classes and the leaves- tea bar which sounds great cause I am a big fan of ice tea..I know the star does not have the leaves thing.

Does anyone know if the ships all offer zumba classes? I have never tried just sounds like fun!

Thanks for the heads up on the curtural center.. I just want to hit the beach surf and do some serious aloha!

Still going up and back betweeen the two ships.

 

Anyone know about rumba? ;)

[FritzG]

Sounds like the sf grand has alot of fun going on- I herd they have zumba classes and the leaves- tea bar which sounds great cause I am a big fan of ice tea..I know the star does not have the leaves thing.

Does anyone know if the ships all offer zumba classes? I have never tried just sounds like fun!

Thanks for the heads up on the curtural center.. I just want to hit the beach surf and do some serious aloha!

Still going up and back betweeen the two ships.

 

Anyone know about rumba? ;)

 

Don't expect too much of Leaves. It's in an odd location in the library, and on our April cruise it was rarely open. Even when it was open I never saw anyone buying tea. The tea looks very old, and I'd be concerned about its quality. On all of the ships you can get good premium tea in the coffee bar by IC, and there are quite a few free brands and types in HC. The dining room has fewer selections, but you can ask for any of the ones they carry in HC.