Princess Star or Grand?

[DMRick]

We made a mistake and went on another line to Hi..boy, did we miss the complete feeling of being on our way to HI as well as the International Cafe and so many other things we have grown to love about Princess. So, we decided to do it again in February. We are seriously considering the Star since Eula is on them. But we have gone out from LA several times and San Francisco looks inviting which would mean the Grand. We were on the Grand the week right after her referb and it was a mess, so maybe we need to give her another chance...although I don't like that her middle stairs aren't available for passengers.

Does the Grand have someone teaching uke and wonderful leis? Is it as Hawaiian as I know the Star would be with Dave and his wife on her? Does the Star have the Italian pizza place in the atrium and the International Cafe?

Any help that will help us decide is welcome. Thanks!

Doris

[pris993]

We just got off the Grand, would go on the Grand again without question and that is before drydock. We have been on the Star twice as well. Both great ships.

[DMRick]

We just got off the Grand, would go on the Grand again without question and that is before drydock. We have been on the Star twice as well. Both great ships.

Did you go to Hawaii on her? If so, can you answer some of the questions above about the Hawaiian feel, uke lessons, etc? Thanks.

[cr8tiv1]

From what I understand, there is a Hawaiian Duo on the Grand. They are from Washington State. I am a big fan of ELUA and am sailing with them again (last time was February 2013). You can not get a better combination than Dave and Leialoha and David Cole (CD). Keep in mind that these three created the Cultural Ambassador Program for Princess.

 

Twice to Hawaii in one year! WaHoo.

 

Displaced local girl

[DMRick]

We've sailed a couple times with Eula, but on the Golden. I blame them for all of the ukes my husband now owns lol. I'm hoping someone who has taken the grand to Hi can tell about their experience. Did they too have a good Hawaiian adventure on the ship. Does the Star have the IC and Italian pizza place in the atrium?

[Thrak]

We made a mistake and went on another line to Hi..boy, did we miss the complete feeling of being on our way to HI as well as the International Cafe and so many other things we have grown to love about Princess. So, we decided to do it again in February. We are seriously considering the Star since Eula is on them. But we have gone out from LA several times and San Francisco looks inviting which would mean the Grand. We were on the Grand the week right after her referb and it was a mess, so maybe we need to give her another chance...although I don't like that her middle stairs aren't available for passengers.

Does the Grand have someone teaching uke and wonderful leis? Is it as Hawaiian as I know the Star would be with Dave and his wife on her? Does the Star have the Italian pizza place in the atrium and the International Cafe?

Any help that will help us decide is welcome. Thanks!

Doris

 

The Star does not have Alfredo's Pizza. The only pizza on Star Princess is Prego Pizza which is on the Lido deck.

 

Star Princess does have the IC in the atrium.

 

We cruised Star to Hawaii when ELUA wasn't aboard. At that time they were working on the ship that sailed from LA and we sailed Star out of SF. There was no Hawaiian-themed decoration, no Hawaiian music, zip. I can't remember if they offered Lei making and Ukelele lessons or not but I can tell you I was surprised that there was no Hawaiian "atmosphere" to the cruise at all. If that's what you are looking for I'd suggest that you book the ship with ELUA onboard. In this case, it sounds like Star Princess.

Edited October 30, 2013 by Thrak

[DMRick]

Thanks. If I'm reading right you took the star to Alaska.. Or did you mean Hi. You mentioned nothing Hi so I'm wondering if you meant you took it to hi and not Alaska. I wouldn't

[Thrak]

Thanks. If I'm reading right you took the star to Alaska.. Or did you mean Hi. You mentioned nothing Hi so I'm wondering if you meant you took it to hi and not Alaska. I wouldn't

 

D'Oh! Sorry about that. I did mean Hawaii. I fixed the post. That's what I get for posting from work while the phone is ringing and someone was heading for my office to ask for help. I'm getting too old to multi-task well I guess. :)

[DMRick]

Thanks. We did take the Sapphire without Eula and while they did have the uke lessons and some lei making it wasn't like the Golden with Eula. I wish they were going out if SF.

[Nancyquilts]

Thanks. We did take the Sapphire without Eula and while they did have the uke lessons and some lei making it wasn't like the Golden with Eula. I wish they were going out if SF.

Me too.:D Isn't it time Elua tried another port in California?;)

[Ellipooh]

We are planning to take the Grand to HI in April. I will be very disappointed if there are no lei lessons, etc., and no "Hawaiian atmosphere."

 

Can someone who has taken the Grand from an SFO embarkation to HI please comment??

[KruzPrincess]

I took the Sapphire to Hawaii last year. No Elua, but Dave Cole was the CD. They had hula, lei making, uke lessons, etc. It was all good and I enjoyed the cruise. I seem to recall that Dave of Elua posted that Princess was hiring another couple for the Grand, but you may want to contact them to clarify. I'm sure Princess is putting a cultural program on any ship that does Hawaii regularly. However, it may not be as good as with Elua. I'm sailing the Star this year and am looking forward to both Dave Cole and Elua. Dave Cole really knows and loves Hawaii. For me, I chose the Star for all of that.

[Grumpy1328]

We sailed on the Grand from San Francisco to HI on Oct 4.

We had very high expectations for this cruise, and they were exceeded in all areas by Princess!

They did have a duo onboard, doing uke lessons and lei making classes. I didn't partake, but from what I heard from pax who did, the duo did a good job.

We had traditional dinning in the MDR, and waiter Jose and his jr waiter, Mark, did a fantastic job. Food was great, IC was great, Alfredo's was great. I would do this cruise again in a heartbeat.

The Grand is due for a short shipyard stint in December. According to the CD, Martyn, it will focus on doing some updates in cabins. Nothing really major.

I thought the ship was in great shape, and all the staff seemed to go out of their way to keep everyone happy.

We had a rear-facing balcony (D735) which was really nice. Wake noise not bad, and with the door closed, you couldn't even hear anything. No vibration or exhaust at any time. Absolutely loved it!

Have a great cruise!!

[FritzG]

We are planning to take the Grand to HI in April. I will be very disappointed if there are no lei lessons, etc., and no "Hawaiian atmosphere."

 

Can someone who has taken the Grand from an SFO embarkation to HI please comment??

 

Having taken the Hawaiian cruise from both LA and San Francisco, I think the Hawaiian atmoshere was much better on the LA cruise. The lei lessons and other activities were very low key on the Grand, and they were pretty easy to miss.

I know others love the Grand, but it is our least favorite ship. There were major plumbing issues on Baja from the upper 500's cabins to the aft section for our entire cruise. Many times it was hard to get down the hallways because of workmen in the hallways, and often the ceiling panels were open with wires hanging down. Several times our toilet didn't work including one overflow that occurred while we were in port. Conversely, a couple of times the water emptied entirely, and there was a loud vacuum sound in the cabin during the night. There were areas in HC that smelled musty, too.

There's a thread started in late April from that same cruise where a passenger lost lots of electronics due to a power surge.

We love Princess, but we don't love the Grand.

We loved sailing out of San Francisco, and we're glad that other ships will be sailing from

[Ellipooh]

Well thank you both very much for responding. But wow, night & day experiences! One very reassuring (we also have an aft facing cabin) and the other scary enough for the day (being Halloween and all).

 

I wish this were easier :(

[DMRick]

Gee, this sounds like our experience the first cruise on the Grand after their retro. Sounds like it's still a mess. Guess we'll stick with the star and Eula. Just tired of leaving from San Pedro.

 

Having taken the Hawaiian cruise from both LA and San Francisco, I think the Hawaiian atmoshere was much better on the LA cruise. The lei lessons and other activities were very low key on the Grand, and they were pretty easy to miss.

I know others love the Grand, but it is our least favorite ship. There were major plumbing issues on Baja from the upper 500's cabins to the aft section for our entire cruise. Many times it was hard to get down the hallways because of workmen in the hallways, and often the ceiling panels were open with wires hanging down. Several times our toilet didn't work including one overflow that occurred while we were in port. Conversely, a couple of times the water emptied entirely, and there was a loud vacuum sound in the cabin during the night. There were areas in HC that smelled musty, too.

There's a thread started in late April from that same cruise where a passenger lost lots of electronics due to a power surge.

We love Princess, but we don't love the Grand.

We loved sailing out of San Francisco, and we're glad that other ships will be sailing from

[Thrak]

I took the Sapphire to Hawaii last year. No Elua, but Dave Cole was the CD. They had hula, lei making, uke lessons, etc. It was all good and I enjoyed the cruise. I seem to recall that Dave of Elua posted that Princess was hiring another couple for the Grand, but you may want to contact them to clarify. I'm sure Princess is putting a cultural program on any ship that does Hawaii regularly. However, it may not be as good as with Elua. I'm sailing the Star this year and am looking forward to both Dave Cole and Elua. Dave Cole really knows and loves Hawaii. For me, I chose the Star for all of that.

 

Nice to hear that your CD stepped up with the Hawaiian stuff. We had JJ Ulrich on the Star and there wasn't anything especially Hawaiian about the cruise. A CD can make a lot of difference. Even the Wake Show was terrible and there was no daily trivia question either. I asked about that and he said, "I don't do that" and that he would have the forms removed.

[shoshona2]

My friend just took the Star to Hawaii and said the whole ship smelled bad. They had plumbing problems the whole time. They will never take Princess again.

 

Sheila

[bdjam]

Keep in mind that these three created the Cultural Ambassador Program for Princess.

 

Can you expound on this? I've never heard of this program before.

[bdjam]

Gee, this sounds like our experience the first cruise on the Grand after their retro. Sounds like it's still a mess. Guess we'll stick with the star and Eula. Just tired of leaving from San Pedro.

Grand Princess is not a mess. I've sailed her twice since June and the ship is in fine shape. There are no overwhelming plumbing problems and there are no workmen constantly in the passage ways. She does not smell musty. In addition, the ship is going into dry dock in December where I'm sure technical issues that remain will be addressed. I've had two great cruises on Grand Princess and there's really no reason to bash her.

My friend just took the Star to Hawaii and said the whole ship smelled bad. They had plumbing problems the whole time. They will never take Princess again.

And for the other side of the fence...are they sure the WHOLE ship smelled bad? What kind of plumbing problems did they have the whole time? It's probably just as well that they never sail Princess again...their complaints seem to be exaggerated.

Edited October 31, 2013 by bdjam

[cr8tiv1]

Can you expound on this? I've never heard of this program before.

 

ELUA (Dave and Leialoha) and CD David Cole designed the Hawaiiana Cultural Ambassador program for Princess. They have been doing this for several years now. Dave and David share in the ukulele lesson classes. They have several ukuleles for folks to borrow. Leialoha teaches the hula and conducts (for $$) yarn crafted leis. David Cole gives port lectures every day going over. Although he is not a native of Hawaii, I consider him to be a native son of Hawaii. He has really embraced the culture and language of the islands.

 

ELUA will perform music and dance from the islands at sail away, in the Piazza, and even give a small Wheelhouse performance. You will feel the ALOHA spirit through out the ship because of their presence. They will also be conducting a lecture or two.

 

The staff conducts lei making classes that you will need tickets for. Be prepared, they run out quickly.

 

There is an abundance of Hawaiian from the time you step on board the Star. In my opinion, this really creates the feel of the islands before you arrive. The ukulele strummers and hula dances put on a performance for interested passengers.

 

This is why I am doing this a second time in a year.

 

Displaced Local Girl

[cruznliz]

My friend just took the Star to Hawaii and said the whole ship smelled bad. They had plumbing problems the whole time. They will never take Princess again.

 

Sheila

 

We just got off the Star on Oct. 21st and had a wonderful time! We had no plumbing problems and NEVER smelled anything bad anywhere on the ship. :eek: I'd be curious as to where your friend's cabin was. We heard no rumors of plumbing problems. :rolleyes:

 

We have done this cruise 5 times with another planned for January. :D It gets better every time we go. Princess works hard to make it a memorable experience. This time there were Hawaiian movies on MUTS, in the Princess Theater and on the stateroom TV. Every evening in the dining room there were Hawaiian selections on the menu. In the Horizon Court there was Hawaiian music playing. Elua performs in the Piazza almost nightly. I'm sure the Grand is doing these same things.

[EdSails]

ELUA They have been doing this for several years now. Dave and David share in the ukulele lesson classes. They have several ukuleles for folks to borrow.

Displaced Local Girl

 

I'm sailing on the Star in a few days and Elua is on there. I want to make sure and get one of the loaner ukeleles for the class. Any suggestions how to get that done as soon as I get on the ship?

[cruznliz]

I'm sailing on the Star in a few days and Elua is on there. I want to make sure and get one of the loaner ukeleles for the class. Any suggestions how to get that done as soon as I get on the ship?

 

The first ukelele class "Introduction to Ukulele" is on the first sea day at 11:15 in the Wheelhouse Bar. They repeat it the next day, so if you don't get in one you go to the other. (I would recommend you get there a little early.) Then on the third sea day is "Ukulele Progressive Class #1" for the people who are really serious about doing it the entire cruise. There are 6 progressive classes altogether with a show at the end in the Princess Theater with the hula dancers. Very well done. There are plenty of loaner ukeleles and you can also buy a good one in the boutique (of course).

 

You do need tickets for the lei classes. They pass out tickets at 9:00 AM in Vines Bar on Deck 5. I walked by once and there was a good size line. Again, get there a little early. ;)

 

The hula classes start the 3rd sea day in the afternoon.

 

Let me know if you have any other questions.

[CruzwithDC]

Wow - you folks really know our program! Flattering to say the least! Yes, the ukulele classes start as Introduction to Ukulele, but due to popularity we offer this twice on the first sea day (Dave Soreff & myself), with the opportunity to sign up for the Progressive Class (of which there are now 7 classes), which run the remaining sea days. The Aloha `Oe Show is on the new 9th (final) sea day in the afternoon, and combines the talents of the Hula Masters. Leialoha offers Hula Kahiko (ancient hula) on Sea Day #2, then Hula `Auana (modern hula) on Sea #3. On Sea #4 Elua does a talk on "Eat & Speak Hawaiian." My daily port talks are every morning at 10:00 am en route to the Islands. But I have also put together a new, in-depth talk on The Hawaiian Monarchy, which I now present on the 2nd sea day of the return. I've had requests for more Hawaiian history talks over the years, and have been wanting to put this together for quite a while. I finally got caught up and have now presented it on my first 2 cruises since I've returned from my most recent vacation. It has been well received. Now to start working on a separate talk on Annexation. Whew! So much to be said about Hawaii nei. Come sail with us - I'm on through late Feb. 2014 (as of now, this might change and I may stay later or take a short break and come back - next year's CD schedules are still not finalized). I check in here a few times a year, so if you leave a message or reply and I don't get back to you, please don't be offended! It's been a great start to the season, the whole ship has embraced the Aloha Spirit, we've had a lot of past friends cruise and look forward to making a whole lot of new ones! Dave Cole, Cruise Director, Star Princess