Passenger size on Grand Princess 28 July 2012

[worldly wanderer]

All our previous Princess cruises have been on their smaller ships, e.g. Ocean and Pacific which are a good size. Obviously the Grand is much larger and having just done a transatlantic cruise on the QM2 which is a large ship it was crowded everywhere and if you wanted a seat for lets say the trivia you had to make sure you were there at least half an hour before it started to ensure of getting seats, the same in the theatre. This has made us a little wary of being on a ship of this size and would like to hear from any passengers who have sailed on her.

Thanks

[Pam in CA]

From the subject of this thread, I thought it was about the actual average size of the passengers on the Grand. :) That said, the Grand can accommodate up to 2,600 passengers.

 

I've found that crowding on a ship has more to do with weather, itinerary, planned activities and times, or a combination of these. The Grand has a covered pool area so if it's raining or the weather is not as nice as you'd want, there are two decks of chairs and loungers around the covered pool. This distributes passengers very nicely. On a longer itinerary with older passengers, you'll see longer lines for the dining room and entertainment at their early times, less so at later times. If it's a short cruise with younger passengers, the peak time for dinner and entertainment is a little later. There's really no "always" answer to your question about crowding as there are so many variables.

 

Here are some specifics: on the Grand, the passenger space ratio is 42. On the QM2, it's 57. From this, you can deduce that the QM2 is far more likely to be crowded than the Grand. :)

[cdngrl]

i love the grand. i've been on her a few times, only once was it crowded--the week around the american thanksgiving. (everyone was well behaved, they were just everywhere!). i'll check the calendar more closely next time!

[highheel girl]

Versus the Emerald/Crown/Ruby/Caribbean the Grand has 500 or so less passengers as it does not have a Riviera deck. ;)

[Essiesmom]

Actually, as far as passenger space ratio goes, the higher the number, the more space per passenger, not less. EM

[momthecruisedirector]

hahahaha - I too thought you were asking how big the cruisers were! I was wondering if you meant before buffet or after!!

[RickEk]

Actually, as far as passenger space ratio goes, the higher the number, the more space per passenger, not less. EM

 

Yes, this is how space ratio works...the higher the better...

[Pam in CA]

Actually, as far as passenger space ratio goes, the higher the number, the more space per passenger, not less. EM

Opps. Thought it was the number of passenger's per unit of space. My bad.

[ONT-CA]

From the subject of this thread, I thought it was about the actual average size of the passengers on the Grand. :)

 

I had visions of:

 

S ...........8%

M .........13%

L ..........21%

XL ........24%

XXL....... 22%

XXXL..... 11%

XXXXL......1%

[Crzn-Life]

All our previous Princess cruises have been on their smaller ships, e.g. Ocean and Pacific which are a good size. Obviously the Grand is much larger and having just done a transatlantic cruise on the QM2 which is a large ship it was crowded everywhere and if you wanted a seat for lets say the trivia you had to make sure you were there at least half an hour before it started to ensure of getting seats, the same in the theatre. This has made us a little wary of being on a ship of this size and would like to hear from any passengers who have sailed on her.

Thanks

 

 

The Grand and the QM2 are 2 of our favorite ships and have sailed on both many times. Both ships have a similar passenger capacity, but the QM2 has more space.

 

As many times as we've sailed on both ships, we've never experienced serious crowding (except in the Casino on the Grand)!

 

Was surprised to read that you thought the QM2 was crowded. Since the 2 ships have similar capacity and the QM2 better pax ratio, then chances are you won't be happy with the Grand if it is sailing full.

[Beopthtuh]

Been on the grand 5 times and have never found her crowded on any cruise .

you,ll find bad weather pushes folks inside so you may find that makes a ship look busier

[Mr XFT]

It's a nice ship for roominess, you hardly know there are so many other people aboard. Sometimes during the day, the interior spaces on the Grand almost feel deserted.

[paul929207]

I had visions of:

 

S ...........8%

M .........13%

L ..........21%

XL ........24%

XXL....... 22%

XXXL..... 11%

XXXXL......1%

with the smaller categories shrinking during the cruise and the larger ones growing

[skf]

We love the Grand, & are sailing next week on her for our third time(first since overhaul.)

We don't find it over-crowded in general.

There is one strange feature about Grand...the central stairway does not go up from the promenade, only down. It can be a hike to the fore/aft stairways.

Steve

[JulieRose]

When I saw the title of this thread the hover loungers from Wall-E came to mind...