NCL Star vs Carnival Breeze for Western Caribbean

[eepellet]

We are trying to book a cruise for the week after Christmas in the western Caribbean. I am looking at the Carnival Breeze vs Norwegian Star. It will be me, my husband, and our two teenage boys. Any advice on choosing one over the other would be appreciated. I am mostly looking forward to the stops in port but obviously want to be sure there is enough to keep everyone busy/happy on board. (We did all take one cruise previously but it was a Disney cruise when the boys were smaller so I'm not sure you can really compare since that's not even a consideration at this time.) thank you!

[Keith1010]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

You will get input here but I would also read the member review section of Cruise Critic to read recent reviews on each ship.

 

Keith

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

Don't know what kind of activities your teenage boys are interested as each cruise line caters to different activities for the children.

[Cruzaholic41]

I have actually cruised both ships and there is no comparison. I recommend the Breeze. The Star and her sister ship Dawn are some of the worst ships at sea.

[eepellet]

Thank you. I was hoping to get some people who had sailed both to let me know their opinions!

[Nic6318]

Hi eepellet

 

Welcome to cruise critic.

 

The Breeze is a really nice ship with lots of fun things to keep active young (and not so young) people busy. I don't have first hand knowledge of the Dawn.

 

As was said, make full use of this site. You can read through reviews of each ship in the review section. You can also go to each cruise lines thread. There you will find detailed (often with pictures) reviews from members who have recently travelled on each of these ships.

 

Be sure to go to the "port of call" threads where you will be able to get first hand and current information for each of your stops.

 

Take the time to research the ships and the ports because you will find that you will save both time and money.

 

have a great cruise

[e050377]

I've been on NCL Star and it was one of my favorite cruises, but I wouldn't recommend with teens. In fact we considered the Dawn (Star's sister) for our April cruise and chose the Carnival Glory because it offers more for the kids. I haven't been on Breeze but I imagine being newer it will offer so much more

[Cruzaholic41]

Thank you. I was hoping to get some people who had sailed both to let me know their opinions!

 

No problem. I'm happy to give a little more info.

 

Carnival took a big downswing for me over the years and I got really sick of their gaudiness - if that makes any sense. With Breeze, they went in a new direction and the ship is so much more beautiful than the rest of their fleet. The biggest problem with Breeze is the overcrowding (typical of Carnival) and undersized pools. Otherwise, it's a great ship.

 

The Star used to be a decent ship, but they changed the best lounge on the ship into a bunch of suites. Now, all the entertainment (other than the main shows) are held in a very small lounge that cannot accommodate the number of people trying to attend. It's awful. Unless you show up very early and claim a seat, you can forget it. Plus, NCL is the King of nickel and dime. Do not let anyone tell you otherwise. They have the highest daily service charge, and room service comes with a $7.95 cost.