Emerald or Grand

[BOATCAT66]

My DH and I are planning on cruising in Oct/2010. We have been on Princess several times. We like both itineraries on both ships, but can't decide on which one. Have read good and not so good about both ships. Leaning more toward Emerald, because it's a newer ship. Help us make up our minds....please.

[cdngrl]

i've not been on the emerald, but the grand has no riviera deck, so there's 500 less passengers if that makes a difference to you.

[ActiveTraveler]

Where are you going? It would help if you provide details.

All of April 2011 the Grand will be drydocked. Reportedly she will get International Cafe and Vines during that time. I read on some threads she looks old. If your itinerary does not matter too much, I would sail on the Emerald because of her age. But many people say the itinerary does matter, so only you can make that decision.

[cdngrl]

i'm going to the caribbean and chose the grand not for her itinerary, but for the ship. for me i like the big ships, but with less people, so it works. :)

[BOATCAT66]

Sorry I forgot to tell where we are going Caribbean. The last week of October/2010

[cdngrl]

with a lot of ports, you won't spend as much time on the ship like you would if there were many sea days. the emerald will have the international cafe and vines. which are you leaning towards? its a good decision to have to make: which cruise vacation will i like better? i like those kind of problems! :)

[Woobstr112G]

Never sailed on the Grand, but the Emerald was my first Princess cruise and my first 100K+ ton ship I sailed. It is a truely beautiful ship. You won't be dissapointed if you sail on her.....:):):)

 

Bob

[Mary in Maine]

We've sailed the Grand twice and the Emerald once. They are very similar ships. The Grand does a lot of 10-day cruises which Ilove. The Emerald is newer. All depends on the itinerary and cost. You'll have a fabulous time on either!

[Putterdude]

We were on the Grand for 14 days in January, inspite of her being drydocked in the spring of next year we found no issues with her at all. She has the new phones, flat screen tvs, new carpet in many of the cabins, MUTS, the Sanctuary .... generally a very well maintained ship.

[Colo Cruiser]

Take the Emerald.

[1 HappyCruiser]

If it has to be a choice between the two, go with the Emerald since the Grand is a little more worn down & need of refurbishing. Not that the Grand is all that bad but it definitely needs some replacements here & there.

[Cruise Raider]

I haven't ever sailed on either the Emerald or the Grand but have been on both the Crown (sister to the Emerald) and the Golden (sister to the Grand). I am booked on the Emerald for my next cruise because of the itinerary and only for that reason. I do have to say that if the Grand had a similar itinerary, I would have chosen her only because I loved the Golden and the Crown, not so much. It has to do with the number of pax onboard the Crown...no venue is large enough to seat all the people onboard so were not able to get a seat for many shows because we weren't able to get there an hour early. The buffet lines....well, once it was 2 hours long and also, tender operations were a nightmare on the Crown both times we sailed on her. No issues with that on the Golden. Maybe a 20 min wait for anytime dining and that was no problem at all. Just my opinion.

[bhopal21]

I have been on both and would take The Grand any day, 500 less passengers on the same length ship and it is definitely noticeable.

 

Mike:)

[Tak8]

When I was on the Ruby for Christmas ran into a couple who had been on the Grand last Christmas and thought the Grand was showing her age. You need to look at what the Grand doesn't have in terms of new additions due to her age. Not sure if she has the International Cafe etc. Don't know if things like that matter or not to you.

I tend to go for the newer ships, but I do like the idea of less passengers.

[BarbaraP]

We were on the Grand in February 2010 and feel she needs a facelift. I also like the ships with less Pax but would not sail on the Grand again until after her drydock in 2011.

We were on the Emerald Jan. 2008 and really never noticed any difference in space/crowding. Our favorites are the 1800 Pax Island and Coral size.

Go for the Emerald, she's a beauty!!!;)

[rdsqrl]

Another vote for the Emerald. I think for a warm-weather cruise, she's a far better ship than the Grand: all of her pools get sun; on the Grand, two do not. One is indoor and one is totally shaded most of the day by the position of Skywalker's.

Also, the Emerald has the lovely and quiet Adagio, the beautiful aft deck outside Adagio/Sabatini's, plus the International Cafe and Vines.

On a warm weather cruise, those extra passengers are dispersed about the decks and I didn't notice any more crowds on the Crown than I had on the Grand: including not being able to find a seat in Explorer's for a comedy show on either ship! I think we can all stipulate that that venue is ridiculously small for any vessel any larger than the S.S. Minnow! If it's too full there, just shrug and go relax in Crooner's with a martini (which is a much nicer bar than the Grand's Promenade Bar)!

[oceanlov1]

Emerald!!!!!!!!!

[BOATCAT66]

Thanks for all your help, I think we will do the Emerald. Just because she is newer.

[Times Prince]

with a lot of ports, you won't spend as much time on the ship like you would if there were many sea days. the emerald will have the international cafe and vines. which are you leaning towards? its a good decision to have to make: which cruise vacation will i like better? i like those kind of problems! :)

We've sailed on both Grand Princess and Emerald Princess and would sail on either one again. We were just on the Grand Princess last month and are scheduled for Emerald Princess in December.

 

I totally disagree that the Grand is "showing her age". There have been some design enhancements, but that's a different subject. Both ships are well maintained and crewed.

 

The design change benefits that the Emerald Princess has include the above mentioned International Cafe (nice), adjacent coffee bar, and Vines (a waste of space in my opinion), as well as Cafe Caribe (great addition), Adagio Lounge, and tiered seating for MUTS. The negative design change is an extra deck of people. The Vista Lounge is more open and useful for shows than the Fusion Lounge. Not all design changes are great.

[1 HappyCruiser]

We've sailed on both Grand Princess and Emerald Princess and would sail on either one again. We were just on the Grand Princess last month and are scheduled for Emerald Princess in December.

 

I totally disagree that the Grand is "showing her age". There have been some design enhancements, but that's a different subject. Both ships are well maintained and crewed.

 

Did you have a balcony by chance or an inside cabin?:confused: