Winter weather was a real drag for my family and I this year. There were certainly other places that had worse conditions than us – but as we headed into March, one of the things that pulled me through the cold and never-disappearing snow piles was the decreasing counter in the Princess app for our sailing on Star Princess.
With our last cruise less than 70 days prior, and the near-identical configuration of Sun and Star Princesses, I expected a very familiar experience with only a few small tweaks. Two of the three scheduled ports (Amber Cove and Princess Cays) were also repeats from previous sailings, so this trip was shaping up to be pleasant but anything but novel.
Unfortunately, Star Princess made widespread news for a norovirus outbreak on the previous 7-day sailing, which resulted in a delayed embarkation in Port Everglades for us. Most importantly, nobody in our party became ill during our week. The first two days had a rocky start: not from sea conditions, but from a service angle, with notable cabin cleaning oversights and drawn-out dining. By day 4, the onboard experience dramatically improved, and it was “smooth sailing” from then onward. We had some great meals and surprise cocktails that brought things back to the usual standards I have for Princess.
I still think Sun and Star Princesses are pretty much a toss-up, with some parts of the Star experience (self-serve buffet, larger O’Malleys, many soft-serve stations) being a refined vision that I’m sure will be corrected during Sun’s first dry dock. I’d give the edge to Star but not at any significant price premium over Sun. I wouldn’t hesitate to book Sun again if it had a better itinerary, sail dates, or cabin availability than Star Princess.
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