Grand Princess

[Old Silver]

Just returned from 15 day cruise to Hawaii on Grand Princess, what a disappointment. Ship is old, run down, service by staff was good, food very bland, poor portions, and not tasty. Elevators, numerous times got stuck between levels, carpet stains numerous in staterooms, ceiling panels fell down injured one passenger and spouse, beds need replacing (mattresses worn out), balcony's show excessive amount of rust, and decking in balcony needs fixing or replacement. There was a golf sized hole in wall next to the balcony sliding door on inside of stateroom where sea water had caused wall material to disappear, was finally fixed after a week into the cruise. Balcony sliding door seal at the top did not keep wind out during storms. Strong sewer/sewage smell on various levels at approximately mid ship. Only real outstanding food was in specialty restaurant, Sabatini's. Entertainment in Princess Theater by Princess singers and dancers was too loud and only lasted 30 minutes for any of their shows or for any of the entertainment.

[beg3yrs]

First post, welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

Sorry about your experience. I believe the Grand is undergoing a minor refit in drydock right now. Others have posted lots of work going on in the cabins.

[IdahoCruises]

We just got off her on Nov. 10th and did not notice any of these problems.

 

Food on our cruise was all very good - especially Sabatinis and Crown Grill.

[Nancyquilts]

We just got off too, and I thought the food in the MDR was a great improvement over that in September. Princess isn't Crystal as far as food goes, but neither is the price.

[Tarpeian Rock]

We were on the Grand in October for the Hawaiian Circle cruise, and had a terrific experience. MDR food (quantity, quality, taste, presentation) and especially service was notably better than our last several HAL cruises. Yeah, sometimes the elevators were slow, and entertainment is a marginal consideration for us. Cabin was fine, beds were fine (said from the perspective of a veteran of 3 back surgeries). No smells. Can't recall seeing anything that I would have considered "run down." Some of the decor may not have been to our taste, but overall we'd go back to the Grand in a heartbeat. Still having withdrawal issues from the International Café.

[bdjam]

Sailed on Grand Princess in May and September of this year and found the ship to be in excellent shape. She was due for dry dock (where she is as we post) and so will be spruced up a bit - which should resolve the cosmetic issues.

I think a number of things that the original poster indicated added to his disappointment could have been taken care of on board. The waiters always ask passengers to let them know if something is not to their satisfaction so that it can be remedied...one wonders if the original poster asked for help with the bland meals. Same with the carpet stains...they could have been remedied as well (during my September cruise, our cabin carpet was fully replaced in just two hours). Maintenance issues in the cabin could have also been addressed, however I question the report of a hole in the cabin wall...???

I agree that the production shows - at 30 minutes - are almost a waste of Princess' time and money. And while that's not instantly fixed, I hope that continued comments to Princess about this will eventually lead to a positive change.

[mr green]

I notice that this is a first posting by OP. Now so far no one else agrees with the poster, and, I have noticed that other posts about the Grand that I have read were all favourable, so, I wonder if there is an axe to grind.

I am taking an interest since my wife and I will be on her next October.

 

john

[AKman2495]

Just returned from 15 day cruise to Hawaii on Grand Princess, what a disappointment. Ship is old, run down, service by staff was good, food very bland, poor portions, and not tasty. Elevators, numerous times got stuck between levels, carpet stains numerous in staterooms, ceiling panels fell down injured one passenger and spouse, beds need replacing (mattresses worn out), balcony's show excessive amount of rust, and decking in balcony needs fixing or replacement. There was a golf sized hole in wall next to the balcony sliding door on inside of stateroom where sea water had caused wall material to disappear, was finally fixed after a week into the cruise. Balcony sliding door seal at the top did not keep wind out during storms. Strong sewer/sewage smell on various levels at approximately mid ship. Only real outstanding food was in specialty restaurant, Sabatini's. Entertainment in Princess Theater by Princess singers and dancers was too loud and only lasted 30 minutes for any of their shows or for any of the entertainment.

 

 

Gee....from your description maybe they should just tow her out to see and sink her! :eek:....:rolleyes:

[Shoalwater]

I notice that this is a first posting by OP. Now so far no one else agrees with the poster, and, I have noticed that other posts about the Grand that I have read were all favourable, so, I wonder if there is an axe to grind.

I am taking an interest since my wife and I will be on her next October.

 

john

 

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. We've been on numerous voyages aboard the Grand Princess including the marvelous 7 week South American cruise last January. I wish my house were in as good a state as the Grand. Sure, it's easy to find something to pick apart, but overall we have been satisfied. We especially like Alfredo's pizza in the Piazza. Took lunch there numerous times between FLL and SFO.

[SuitCaseBears]

When reading reviews not just here by all over the internet, (and the OP wasn't really a full review but a rant IMO), I not only go by the 80% rule (I go with what 80% of the reviews say) but I also look at how much a person has participated and written reviews. If they've written other reviews and it's something I really want to know about, I read their other reviews to see if they only post when they are cranky.

 

By and large I'm not cancelling my March 5 reservations based on this.

 

I am heartened by the other comments. We're sailing on the Grand, as I said, on March 5 and have only been on Princess once and that was our first "trial" cruise of 2 nights. I usually try to post a live review when we sail. But I warn everyone I'm a glass 1/2 full person. :)

[Urban trekker]

I will agree with Shoalwater as I was on the same South American cruise as they were.

 

Matter of fact I liked the Grand Princess so much I have her booked for a northbound repo in May and even the booked the same stateroom.

 

Old Silver - welcome to cruise critic.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[FritzG]

I agree with some of what the OP said. Of all of the ships we've sailed the Grand is our least favorite. On our Hawaiian cruise in April there were lots of plumbing issues especially in cabins from the 600's to aft. There were workmen in the halls for most of the second week with ceiling tiles down, wires hanging and "odd" smells. Toilets were not working some nights, and some toilets overflowed.

Without the mats on the balcony the floor was hot and rusty, and it was very noisy when furniture was moved. I hope they're being replaced in drydock as others have mentioned.

The food in the dining room was fine, and we had a great waiter, but we weren't too happy with HC. The choices at lunch were pretty much the same each day, and the items for making salads were not what I'm used to seeing. Also, on a Hawaiian cruise I was surprised that they ran out of papaya before we even left this islands.

We loved Sabatini's, and we had a wonderful time in the islands, but I'm a loyal Princess cruise, but we will avoid the Grand.

[sprinkles]

Sorry you're cruise was not what you expected. Should you happen to come back and read the replies to your post. I have a question for you, since I am sailing on her in two weeks. Do you happen to remember which night was the first formal night? Was it the first or second sea day? If anyone else can answer I would appreciate it, as I am having scheduling difficulties with the salon.

 

Thanks,

Tammy

[pris993]

We did a 7 day coastal on the Grand in Sept. Actually booked it to check out the Grand, since reviews have been mixed.

 

I was pleasantly surprised and would not hestiate to book the Grand again. We had a mini suite forward.

 

Food and service in the MDR was so good we did not go to Sabatini's which we had originally planned to do. We actually special order what we like most night in the MDR, only meal we were not pleased with was the first night because we could not special order. We tried the always available salmon, it was a disappointment. We eat salmon at home all the time, did not measure up.

 

Sorry the Op did not have a good cruise.

[AKman2495]

BTW, I just got my new issue of Travel & Leisure and they had a ranking of the top cruise ships. Princess scored big in the top 20 ----and yes, the Grand was ranked 16th.....I guess not every one thinks it is a rotten ship.....

[delidan]

Going on the Grand 12/20, 3rd time this year. It's a great ship,and will be even better after dry dock.

[dchip]

Looking forward to our cruise on January 19. We were on a BVE in October and she looked great to me then.

 

Cheers, Denise

[USNUZULOOSE]

We took our first Princess cruise in Oct, and it was on the Grand. It was a wonderful ship and everyone was awesome. The Pizza guy was fantastic. He remembered me. I would sail her again. She is a little older ship but hey they do get old after a while. A cruise is what you make it. And the crew made it fantastic to boot.:D

[MauiLvrs]

We took our first Princess cruise in Oct, and it was on the Grand. It was a wonderful ship and everyone was awesome. The Pizza guy was fantastic. He remembered me. I would sail her again. She is a little older ship but hey they do get old after a while. A cruise is what you make it. And the crew made it fantastic to boot.:D

That sounds more like the ship we were on ;)

[Belle]

On Hawaiian Cruises they make it

the second sea day.

 

The other two formal nights are

on the sea days coming home.

 

Hope this helps.