15 Day Hawaii Grand vs Star

[STREETKING]

We are doing a15 Day Hawaii cruise in 2020. We are open on the dates but I'm in search of some opinions on the ships and the ports of embarkation. The Grand sails out of San Fransico vs the Star out of LA. Your thoughts and comments are much appreciated.

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Brad

 

 

 

 

[skynight]

I would select the Star. Tiki Dave and Leialoha are scheduled to be the Hawaiian Ambassadors on the Star for the 2019/2020 season. Also the Star has larger closets 6 ft. vs 3 ft., and the Star still has Skywalker's.

As far as the itinerary they are basically the same.

[cruisingrob21]

both the star and the grand have been drydocked and refurbished with many nice improvements over the last 16 months.  The grand was recently drydocked and the star in december of 2017.  The grand probably has a few more upgrades in her drydock than the star but the grand is also the oldest of the original grand class.  The main difference is that all cabins balcony and below on the grand have a different layout of the closet area which may not be as useful as the layout on the star.  The grand also lacks a central staircase above promenade deck, so if you take the stairs regularly, best to book a cabin near the forward or aft elevator lobby to avoid waiting for the elevators.

 

Drydock updates for both:

https://cruisingrobsblog.blogspot.com/search/label/star princess

https://cruisingrobsblog.blogspot.com/search/label/grand princess

[STREETKING]

1 hour ago, skynight said:

I would select the Star. Tiki Dave and Leialoha are scheduled to be the Hawaiian Ambassadors on the Star for the 2019/2020 season. Also the Star has larger closets 6 ft. vs 3 ft., and the Star still has Skywalker's.

As far as the itinerary they are basically the same.

This closet thing has me concerned, once my wife puts her clothes in the 3' closet there'll we nothing left. Do mini's have the larger closets? 

[marden1970]

Streetking, yes, on the Grand at least, the mini suites have a much larger closet and plenty of shelf and drawer space.

[LARGIN]

Nothing beats going under the Golden Gate Bridge..

[STREETKING]

1 minute ago, LARGIN said:

Nothing beats going under the Golden Gate Bridge..

 

Yea, I was looking forward to that and visiting Alcatraz!

[mreasier]

They are certainly more alike than different.

 

Star advantages:

- Larger closet (we did a 49 day cruise on the Grand and the closet was not a problem)

- Skywalkers (the Grand does have the One5 which is not as nice)

- Central staircase above deck 7

 

Grand advantages:

- Alfredos - nice lunch or even quick dinner alternative

- San Francisco (subjective but we like it much better than LA)

 

You can't go wrong with either.

[GottaLuvCruising]

Which dates are you considering?  

 

We have sailed 15 day Hawaii from both Los Angeles (in December) and San Francisco (this month)  We found the weather to be very similar (cool & drizzly) first and last few days, but worse from SFO.  The Grand had the conservatory; does the Star?  

 

Grand's lack of mid-ship stairway (I didn't know until boarding) was a PITA as we had a mid-aft stateroom on Aloha deck.   Sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge was amazing.  

 

I'd be delighted to sail this itinerary again, BUT during warmer weather.  

Edited April 25, 2019 by GottaLuvCruising

[c-boy]

31 minutes ago, LARGIN said:

Nothing beats going under the Golden Gate Bridge..

kinda like a rite of passage.  

[STREETKING]

6 minutes ago, GottaLuvCruising said:

Which dates are you considering?  

 

We have sailed 15 day Hawaii from both Los Angeles (in December) and San Francisco (this month)  We found the weather to be very similar (cool & drizzly) first and last few days, but worse from SFO.  The Grand had the conservatory; does the Star?  

 

Grand's lack of mid-ship stairway (I didn't know until boarding) was a PITA as we had a mid-aft stateroom on Aloha deck.   Sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge was amazing.  

 

I'd be delighted to sail this itinerary again, BUT during warmer weather.  

 

We're wide open on dates, but looking hard at the Feb 21 or March 7 sailings. I'm now looking at Mini's although we hate to give up a Caribe balcony, just don't think the 3' closet will work. We haven't mastered the art of light packing and seem to fill up the 6' closet.

[MixerDave]

2 minutes ago, STREETKING said:

 

We're wide open on dates, but looking hard at the Feb 21 or March 7 sailings. I'm now looking at Mini's although we hate to give up a Caribe balcony, just don't think the 3' closet will work. We haven't mastered the art of light packing and seem to fill up the 6' closet.

We are taking Star in December - took a mini on Emerald - E729 - covered from above and has a massive balcony - 18' x 7'.  with both side and rear views.

[STREETKING]

1 minute ago, MixerDave said:

We are taking Star in December - took a mini on Emerald - E729 - covered from above and has a massive balcony - 18' x 7'.  with both side and rear views.

I would love to have that cabin, unfortunately, it booked for all dates.

[MixerDave]

2 minutes ago, STREETKING said:

I would love to have that cabin, unfortunately, it booked for all dates.

I have it marked as "DO NOT UPGRADE" - the opposite side cabin with get some sounds from the Vista lounge below it because of the location of the stage.

[Huck]

42 minutes ago, STREETKING said:

 

We're wide open on dates, but looking hard at the Feb 21 or March 7 sailings. I'm now looking at Mini's although we hate to give up a Caribe balcony, just don't think the 3' closet will work. We haven't mastered the art of light packing and seem to fill up the 6' closet.

 

42 minutes ago, STREETKING said:

 

We're wide open on dates, but looking hard at the Feb 21 or March 7 sailings. I'm now looking at Mini's although we hate to give up a Caribe balcony, just don't think the 3' closet will work. We haven't mastered the art of light packing and seem to fill up the 6' closet.

The Star sails from LA on 2/27/2020.

[jasbo49]

3 hours ago, skynight said:

I would select the Star. Tiki Dave and Leialoha are scheduled to be the Hawaiian Ambassadors on the Star for the 2019/2020 season.

This, to me, would be the Star's biggest plus.

 

But the Grand has some too. Alfredo's, covered pool and sailing out of San Fran among them.

 

In the end, I think I would go with the Star, because, with so many sea days, I would want to sail with the Hawaiian Ambassadors I've heard so many good things about.

 

Jim

[Colo Cruiser]

 

For us..........no Skywalkers no go.

We have sailed the Grand more than 10 times.

She is the first Grand Class ship built in 1998.

After dealing with numerous plumbing issues and leaks throughout the ship on our last Grand cruise that was it. 

Skywalker's was removed from the Grand in 2011.

Skywalker's is one of our favorite places to hang out whether it be during the day when it is nice and quiet with sunsets/incredible views or in the late afternoon for the PSE get together.

IMO the Grand is tired and need to go.

 

Have sailed the Star many times with the latest being in the fall of last year.

She also has some nice improvements and is in great shape.

 

Another plus would be as stated in a prior post about Hawaii ambassador Dave and his wife are onboard.

I would take the Star.

[skynight]

21 minutes ago, jasbo49 said:

This, to me, would be the Star's biggest plus.

 

But the Grand has some too. Alfredo's, covered pool and sailing out of San Fran among them.

 

In the end, I think I would go with the Star, because, with so many sea days, I would want to sail with the Hawaiian Ambassadors I've heard so many good things about.

 

Jim

The Star also has a covered pool. 

[jasbo49]

16 minutes ago, skynight said:

The Star also has a covered pool. 

Thanks for the correction. I was going from memory, never a good idea as I approach 70.

 

Jim

[GottaLuvCruising]

2 hours ago, STREETKING said:

 

We're wide open on dates, but looking hard at the Feb 21 or March 7 sailings. I'm now looking at Mini's although we hate to give up a Caribe balcony, just don't think the 3' closet will work. We haven't mastered the art of light packing and seem to fill up the 6' closet.

Be prepared for cool (or cold) dreary weather some of the transit days.  Pack layers to wear, books to read.  We still loved it.  I had (or thought I had) prepared our travel companions for it, but they were cold and thought it was too many days at sea.  I've done it three times and would jump at an opportunity to do it again, BUT I would prefer warmer weather.  

 

Our other two were a balcony and a mini-suite, but retired now and chose one of the sideways inside staterooms (we had A508, A516 and A517 on the Grand April 6th sailing.)  We LOVED the stateroom layout and lots of closet space.  My husband and I were out and about on the ship all the time and really didn't miss the balcony because of the weather.  Our travel companions spent a surprising amount of time in their staterooms watching movies, so they would have been happier with a balcony.  This was our 48th cruise, so we knew what to expect and planned to enjoy it.  

 

FYI - we rented a minivan in each port and carefully planned our days to make the most of our Hawaiian visit.  This was our 2nd time Tubing the Ditch with Kauai Backcountry Adventures - still our #1 excursion ever.  

 

Best wishes with your plans!  

[jondfk]

We've done this cruise 3x from San Francisco, twice on Grand including just a week ago after her most recent dry dock, and once on Star so I feel informed to give input.

 

Grand was fresh and clean off her recent dry dock.  There were some changes that some may consider significant notably:

The "pizza / burger" area was upgraded to include new pizza features including calzone and gourmet toast (avocado toast for example) the burger place became the Salty Dog with it's expanded menu including fantastic chicken tacos.  

Less obvious to most were the myriad of ADA changes implemented.  EVERY deck on grand is now accessible to those with mobility challenges.  Chair lifts were installed at all theater entrances, but also in less obvious spots like the sun deck viewing area which doesn't get much use even by those without mobility challenges - now though it's accessible by all.  I'd be hard pressed to name a spot or deck which can't be accessed by all.

 

Close readers of this site will know that we love our window suites and only Grand has these, Star does not.

Only Grand has Alfredo's which we used 3x during our 15 day voyage - very nice.

Grand has indeed lost Skywalkers, but the One5 club is a nice replacement albeit without the fantastic views.

 

I'd gladly sail either but would favor Grand slightly, especially with her recent upgrades.

 

That said, San Francisco will lose Grand in the near future.  I'm told (by the FCC onboard two weeks ago) that she will be replaced in San Francisco with a mix of Ruby and Star.  I for one will be sad to see Grand home ported elsewhere.

[Ombud]

4 hours ago, mreasier said:

Grand advantages:

- Alfredos - nice lunch or even quick dinner alternative

- San Francisco (subjective but we like it much better than LA)

 

You can't go wrong with either.

2 questions:

(1) is Alfredos a full dinner like the Royal or just pizza 

(2) where is elite happy hour & what happened to SKYWALKERS 

[mreasier]

25 minutes ago, Ombud said:

2 questions:

(1) is Alfredos a full dinner like the Royal or just pizza 

(2) where is elite happy hour & what happened to SKYWALKERS 

Alfredos on the Grand is just pizza, not the larger menu like on the Royal class ships.  The International Cafe is close by if you want to add a salad, etc.

 

The elite happy hour was held in the Vista Lounge.

 

At one of our Meet & Greets, the Captain told us that when they totally renovated the Piazza in 2012, they added so much marble that it made the ship too heavy.  They had to remove the steel Skywalkers compensate.

[zogrand]

7 hours ago, skynight said:

I would select the Star. Tiki Dave and Leialoha are scheduled to be the Hawaiian Ambassadors on the Star for the 2019/2020 season.............the Star still has Skywalker's.

As far as the itinerary they are basically the same.

I would also choose Star for these reasons!

[AAAAmerican]

Choices / Choices ..

 

I would favor/favour the Grand.

 

We have been aboard her more times even when new. One of out fav ships when not in a slip..

 

Sea Days we appreciate as that is what these vessels were designed for..

 

Hi, the Sandwich Islands , State of Hawaii are a wonderful with each island diverse as it ages.

 

SWan Francisco vs LaLa you do have many areas to explore in each area. Having the BART I do favor it a wee bit .