What do you think of the Grand Princess?

[pseudoware]

I also got off the Grand yesterday 1/4 from Hawaii, our only cruise on this ship. My son & nephew, both 13, got stuck in an elevator and had to activate the emergency mechanism to get someone to get them out. The toilet in our Plaza deck cabin always smelled. Yeah, I know, it's a toilet. :-\ It was an odor we've never had to endure on a half-dozen prior cruises. Also, the AC in our cabin was inadequate. We were always uncomfortably warm, especially at night. Techs made several unsuccessful attempts to fix it. The last try seemed to help, but only temporarily. Again, not something we've had to deal with before.

 

I won't necessarily say "never again", but I'd certainly factor these experiences into any future decision-making involving the Grand. I can see my wife being far less flexible.

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 4

[Nancyquilts]

We enjoyed the Grand several times last year.:D My only complaint is the same one I have on any Princess ship - the terribly uncomfortable balcony furniture they recently added - the person at Princess who chose them made a terrible decision (the old ones needed some refurbishment, it's true, but they were comfortable, and the Caribe balcony cabins had 4 chairs, so you could bring one inside and both have a comfortable chair when in the cabin)

[Donder1]

We did the RT to Alaska on the Grand in Sept. (Btw, we also sailed on her when she was fairly new.) I read all the negative comments and wondered if had we made a mistake. Well, the ship was great. The bed was new, the cabin and balcony neat and clean, and service was wonderful. No leaks or odors noticed. The ship was in great shape. The food and entertainment was wonderful. We had a great cruise!

 

Don't believe everything you read. Most folks who cruise never post here. And, sadly, some people will complain and complain on these boards.

 

We are also sailing on the Royal and I am not the least bit concerned about the negative posts.

 

Go for it!

[Greyhound3]

Sailed on the Grand in August and had no complaints. We will be on her again in March.

 

 

Grey

[USNUZULOOSE]

Sailed her in Oct of last year. No complaints. I really liked the ship.

[Guest USC Traveler]

maggie....so good to see you again on cc. i've thought about you and cheryl many times but didn't know how to contact you.

 

here is my email address: dir44@msn.com

 

i'd love to stay in touch with you very nice women!

 

we were on the grand together and i've changed my log in name since last september. i used to be northphoenixguy.

 

cheers

david

[KruzPrincess]

Thank you to everyone for sharing your experiences. I am not a picky person, but just curious about the conflicting information. I'm very happy to hear they are replacing the beds! That is very important to me. I wish we could be sure they'd have mats on all the balconies. I agree that the new balcony furniture is disappointing. I mostly worry about mechanical issues more than anything. The majority of people seem to have had a good time. That's great to hear.

[KruzPrincess]

Hi KruzPrincess,

 

We cruised with you on the Sapphire in December of 2012 to the Hawaiian Islands. We took an Alaska cruise on the Grand last May and are looking forward to another Hawaii cruise on the Grand later this year.

 

I have also read the negative comments and was a little hesitant to book but the time and itinerary were just what we were looking for so we went for it!

 

We thought the ship was in great shape, crew wonderful, food very good....no problems at all. Looking forward to being on the Grand again!:)

 

I do remember you. I'm looking at Hawaii again myself, but not the same week you're going. It would have been nice to be on the same cruise again. I hope you have a great time.

[Born2Go2C]

We also just got off the Grand Hawai'i cruise in San Francisco on 04Jan14. We had a room on Dolphin deck, and had the blue mats on our balcony. The weather was a little cold coming and going (not the fault of Princess) and we had a few minor complaints, but overall we had a great time. The ship was in excellent condition and they were constantly painting and keeping the ship looking great.

 

We did not notice any bad smells and our room was immaculate. Looked like new carpeting was installed in multiple locations throughout the ship. We only noticed a sign for 2 wet seats in the Princess Theater towards the end, but did not see evidence of leaks anywhere else we went.

 

We thoroughly enjoyed our cruise and would not hesitate to sail on the Grand again.

[luckydog429]

We just got off the ship on Jan4 from the Xmas/NewYear Cruise to Hawaii.

We were in D623.

The cabin was immaculate as was the service. The bathroom was odour free and our cabin steward was truly awesome (truly!). The balcony did have a nice new blue mat although I agree the balcony chairs are not overly comfortable, still we quite enjoyed sitting on the balcony when the weather was right for it.

 

Overall the ship and her crew were first class and the food and entertainment was excellent.

 

If you want complaints:

I agree the central staircase is annoying when it runs out of puff at deck 7, but it just means you switch to the forward or aft stairs... given how much food you can eat (and boy did we eat)... why complain about a little bit of walking? There is always the lifts.

 

The photo gallery is the center length of deck 7 and since this is a main thoroughfare from Princess Theatre of Vista Lounge to the center bars and promenade deck doors this can lead to huge crowding at some points... but this was not a big issue and frankly it had a nice atmosphere.

 

The gym could do with a higher ceiling but this is a problem on every ship, and the yoga classes are noisy as there is not a separate room, so all the walking machines add to the background noise (this is only a problem if you like a quiet Yoga class!).

[pris993]

I'm looking at a cruise on the Grand Princess for later this year. I have read so many negative comments about the Grand. I've read some comments from some people who are prolific contributors here that say they'd never sail on the Grand. People complain all the time about the lack of balcony mats. I've read a lot about plumbing. OTOH, I've read that some people have had a great time on the Grand. I sailed on the Grand when she was fairly new, but I'm now hesitant. For those of you who have been on the Grand recently: Would you book another cruise on her? Any opinions welcome. Thanks.

 

We cruised on the GRand on it's first cruise from Istanbul to Barcelona, in l998. Just cruised the ship again, in October - 7 day California Coastal, we booked a mini suite forward on this latest cruise. Had a great time, service was excellent in the MDR - we special ordered every night off menu, not too impressed with Princess new menu items, so find out what fish is available and special order. We did not have any problems what so ever. We actually took the cruise to check out the Grand, since it was suppose to be home ported out of San Francisco. Now understand it is being moved elsewhere. Regardless we would not hestiate to cruise on the Grand again if it was offering an itinerary of interest.

[Mary RM]

My husband and I were on the Grand last year in April. San Francisco to Hawaii. We are going on her again this April to Hawaii, same deck same room. Pretty sure were going on her again next year---Yep to Hawaii again. Love those sea days and loved the Grand. Had no complaints about the ship. Had a Great cruise and a Great Crew and the Best Captain I've every met. Mary RM

[2 to cruise]

I do remember you. I'm looking at Hawaii again myself, but not the same week you're going. It would have been nice to be on the same cruise again. I hope you have a great time.

 

 

Thanks much for your nice words - would be great to cruise with you again also.

 

It is a little unusual we cruise over Christmas and New Years. This past summer, we lost our youngest son one day after his 53rd birthday. The holidays were very difficult and as the rest of the family is in other states, we will see them before we cruise, but thought a cruise would be great for us, at least for 2014.

 

It will be our fourth Island cruise, but we just love all those sea days! Hope you have an enjoyable cruise!

 

Cheryl

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I've sailed Grand twice ( August 2008 and July 19-29, 2013) and loved the ship.

 

I wouldn't hesitate to sail Grand. You'll have a great time. The cabins are decorated in 1980's style but they have plenty of storage and decent size bathrooms.

 

If I had one complaint- it would be that the buffet is pretty uninspired. The food is edible but it is pretty repetitious.

 

I love the pools and hot tubs and there were good shows and plenty of onboard activities.

[KruzPrincess]

Thanks much for your nice words - would be great to cruise with you again also.

 

It is a little unusual we cruise over Christmas and New Years. This past summer, we lost our youngest son one day after his 53rd birthday. The holidays were very difficult and as the rest of the family is in other states, we will see them before we cruise, but thought a cruise would be great for us, at least for 2014.

 

It will be our fourth Island cruise, but we just love all those sea days! Hope you have an enjoyable cruise!

 

Cheryl

 

Cheryl, I'm so sorry for you loss. I think it will be great to be on a holiday cruise under the circumstances. Holidays can be tough in the best of times. Cruising is a great diversion. Best wishes to you. Have a wonderful time.

 

Lana

[KruzPrincess]

Thanks everyone. You've really calmed my worries. I knew you would. :)

[2 to cruise]

Cheryl, I'm so sorry for you loss. I think it will be great to be on a holiday cruise under the circumstances. Holidays can be tough in the best of times. Cruising is a great diversion. Best wishes to you. Have a wonderful time.

 

Lana

 

 

Lana,

 

Thank you so very much for your kind words! You have a wonderful cruise also on whatever one you decide to go on. Take good care.

 

Cheryl

[paul32]

I just got off the Grand yesterday, some cabins had mats and some did not, ours on Dolphin did, a friend on E did not. The eleveators were the worste I have ever seen, I got stuck twice, one time the elevator opened a foot above the floor. There were dripping leaks in several areas and the smell of sewage in several other areas. While I will sail with princess again I would not do so on the grand.

I was on the Christmas cruise with you and took a photo of the messed up elevator a foot off the floor. It stayed open that way for over 2 hours! I believe it was between 6 :30 and 8:30 AM based on my memory.

 

The Grand wasn't the greatest Princess ship. But the crew was amazing (Branco and Gary = best bartenders ever) and it was a super fun trip. If only all voyages could be so festive and fun! I'll rebook again on the Grand if needed, although I miss the 24 hour horizon court service and occasional int'l buffet offerings outside on the Lido... both of which were not part of the Grand.