Star Princess vs. Navigator? HELP!

[jrtmouse]

Is there ANYONE who has been on both of these ships (or any Voyager class) who can compare the activities and night life? As a previous passenger of the Star Princess, I found there to be plenty to do on the Star Princess. We're considering a trip to the Caribbean in January and I'm trying to decide between Nav and Star. I don't know enough about the Nagivator to really compare.

Any comments or suggestions?

~~
"What ever floats your boat!"
[url="http://home.infostations.net/tammy/cruise/cruise.htm"]My Cruise Webpage[/url]

Vision of the Seas 01/04
Star Princess 04/02
Song of America 01/98

[cruiserforlife]

We were on the Star on 3/03 and the NOS on 9/03.We have always felt at home on Princess and while the NOS is a beautiful ship with lots to do (if rock wall climbing,roller blading,and ice skating are your thing),we were very dissapointed with the food (not even in the same league!),the saltwater pools (which are open on a limited schedule),the inside decor of the ship (pretty tacky artwork in our opinion),and just didn't care for the whole promanade/"mall" thing.I cruise on ships to get away from shopping malls.

This is just our experience.Would we sail NOS (and the voyager ships) again?Probably,if the itenary and price was right.This 7-night caribbean cruise WITH airfair was only $699/pp.

Would we sail Princess over RCCL?

In a heartbeat....

"a bad day at sea is better than a great day at work and a lousy day at sea is still pretty damn good!"

[jrtmouse]

Cruiserforlife -
You rock! Thank you so much for that. I needed that.

We're going to be a party of 15-20 people, ages 15-50.

Would you mind if I asked you a few additional questions?
1) What do you think of the nightlife (from experience or any observations)?
2) Midnight Buffets - were there any on either ship when you sailed? I don't remember Star having any and my last RCCL having 3. Is this still the case?
3) Food 24/7 on Navigator?
4) Hamburger/hotdog/pizza stands? (If I remember correctly, there was one on Star)
5) From pictures I've seen of the Navigator, one does get that mall atmosphere feeling. Not too crazy about that. Almost depressing. Idunno.

Let's see, I think that about covers it. I thank you for your time in advance. I'll need to report my findings to my dad and fellow passengers! He just cares about the food 24/7 while the others are more interested in the activities and nightlife! :-) If it were just me, I'd do the Star again in a heartbeat...even if it meant sitting through the same entertainment, which from what I understand is still the case since April 2002. I just thought I should check out my options before I plunge into a cruiseship.

THANKS AGAIN!!

...and how in the devil were you able to get a $699 price including airfare???

~~
"What ever floats your boat!"
[url="http://home.infostations.net/tammy/cruise/cruise.htm"]My Cruise Webpage[/url]

01/05 - Star Princess or Navigator (undecided)
Vision of the Seas 01/04
Star Princess 04/02
Song of America 01/98

[Trevoli]

Was on the Explorer in November 2001 (is that a Voyager-class ship?) and the Star in January 2004.

Personally, I much enjoyed the Promenade area on the EOS, GREAT place to people-watch. The entertainment and parades were outstanding.

Planet Ice? Not to be missed.

My main frustration with the Star was the way the evening shows were scheduled. We had traditional, late dining, and missed a full two-thirds of the shows, no kidding. The nightly show was scheduled at 8:00pm (no go for 8:15pm dining), and most often, the show was not repeated at a later time. It was very frustrating. When a fellow, equally frustrated, passenger approached the CD about it, he said, "Eat earlier". That Frank, what a stupe.

I have Platinum status on RCCL, the Star was my first Princess experience. I had expected a cut above, and I didn't get it.

Would I cruise with Princess again? Absolutely, if the itinerary and price were right.

T

[karen2cruz]

Having just got off Mariner, we are going back to Princess for the next cruise. It was a beautiful ship with lots to do. The rooms are bigger than the average Royal Caribbean ship, but still smaller than Princess staterooms.I like the "feel" of Princess better. The soda card for adults is about twice that of Princess too. Hey, but any cruise is a great vacation. Have a great cruise, whatever you decide.

Sea Princess 2/02
DisneyWonder 6/03
Mariner of the Seas 4/04
Golden Princess 1/23/05

[ambullmom]

I was on the Navigator in Sept. and the Grand Princess in March. The Navigator was my second Voyager class ship and the Grand was my first Princess cruise.

To me there is no comparison of the two as far as service goes. The Grand crew could not do enough for you. On the Grand there is a 24 hour buffet. The pools are open 24 hours.
I can honestly say that Princess spoiled me and that is where I intend to stay.
I did cruise on the Voyager and I perfer it over the Navigator.
Which ever you choose you will have a ball.

[cruiserforlife]

jrtmouse,

Glad to help.

My wife is in her early 30's and I'm 45 and we've always found plenty to do aboard Princess,especially the Star.I remember our cruise fondly,we went with two dear friends who were on their first cruise,celebrating their 25th. wedding anniversary.We booked adjoining mini-suites and had a blast. [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

Would sail her again in a New York minute!

To answer your questions:

1)Nightlife:
While we don't party till the wee hours (at least not anymore!),we always took in a show after dinner (late seating),and then followed that up with cocktails in a bar.Plenty enough to do for us on both ships.

2)Midnight Buffets:
NOS doesn't do a midnight buffet (neither does Princess If I remember correctly)but they do a midnight chocolate buffet.It was so jammed packed however,that we couldn't even get in so we gave up on it.That's probably the last thing I need before going to sleep. [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_eek.gif[/img]

3)Food 24/7:
I believe the NOS has the Windjammer open all night but I could be wrong on that too.Like I said previously,we were very dissapointed with the food both in terms of the quality and the selection.The only reason we continued to eat in the dining room was because of our friendship with our tablemates,we were having such a good time.Jade,which is an asian-style buffet located just before the Windjammer was the only saving grace and I found myself eating almost all other meals there.They had great miso soup and sushi for dinner.They also served a good breakfast.Service aboard this ship was first-rate I'll have to say,sightly better than Princess in my opinion.

4)Hamburger/Hotdog/Pizza stands:
No,not like on Princess which sucks you in as you lay poolside.They have a Johnny Rockets which is now charging $3.95/pp and that's causing quite an uproar on the RCCL boards!Again,I didn't think the burger was anything to write home about and the onion rings were god-awful.

5)Mall/Promanade
I'm with you on this one,didn't do anything for me.

If given the choice,I'd sail the Star again.Either one of these two ships would be a great choice (after all,it is a cruise,isn't it?),especially for the young ones.
We have just always felt more at home aboard Princess and now that we are Elite members,we can't wait to sail Princess again.I'm just waiting for my wife to accrue enough vacation time from her new job,then we'll set sail!

I know what you're saying regarding the shows.We saw the same shows two years running but I understand since these shows are so involved costume and stage-wise,they don't change as often as we'd like.While both lines offer incredible entertainment,I felt that RCCL's shows were even a tad better.Slightly better production and slightly better singers.

p.s.,The $699/pp special was a deal CruCon had and I just couldn't pass it up.That's probably the only way we'd sail RCCL again,if a deal this good came up again.

Have a great cruise no matter which line you choose and let me know if I can answer anything else.

"a bad day at sea is better than a great day at work and a lousy day at sea is still pretty damn good!"

[cruiserforlife]

Trevoli,

We have never had a problem missing shows,even with late seating.We didn't have a lot of time to spare,but always managed to catch all the shows.

Even if we missed something one night,we usually caught it another.

"a bad day at sea is better than a great day at work and a lousy day at sea is still pretty damn good!"

[mags]

We were on the Star May 03, Mexican Riveria, we really loved the ship, service and cabins (we had a inside). We were on the Adventure of the Seas Feb 04 and prob that is my favorite cruise, the ship and the ports of call were the best, we loved the promenade. We did think the food was a lot better on Princess, we are booked Jan 05 for the Panama Canal on the Coral

[odiesam]

Have only sailed the Navigator but wanted to point out that the age requirements are different on the two lines - on the Navigator ages 18-20 can gamble in the casinos while sailing in international waters and can also drink beer and wine if their parents sign off permission. It sounded like you may have some in that age group.

My 17 and 18 year olds, along with my husband and I loved the Promemade (or mall as others have referred to it)The kids also loved the full court basketball court which I don't know that the Star Princess has or not. Also we sailed the Navigator twice and always found one of the pools to be open all day and night unless the seas were too rough. Agree that the food was mediocre but the kids loved JRs.

We loved the Navigator but are looking to sail Princess ourselves this time just for a change.

[cruiserforlife]

bsharp2222,

You are correct,half-court basketball court on the Star (and all other Princess ships I think).

"a bad day at sea is better than a great day at work and a lousy day at sea is still pretty damn good!"