Review of the Grand Princess, 8/3/14 to 8/10/14 (Seattle roundtrip)

[tiller]

My mom and I took the Grand Princess from Seattle to Seattle, with stops in Ketchikan, Tracy Arm/Juneau, Skagway, and Victoria. It was our second time on Princess (we took a California coastal cruise on the Sapphire Princess in May 2012), and we had a wonderful trip. I wanted to share some of the highlights and the very few lowlights.

 

Embarkation: Princess picked us up from the hotel in the late morning. Even though it seemed like we were going from endless line to endless line, we were on board by 12:30 p.m., giving us plenty of time to walk around before going to the HC for lunch. However, while boarding, we did have to dodge photographers for the first of many times (having to walk around photo ops getting on and off the ship is bad enough, but when you're trying to enter the dining room? Too much, Princess).

 

Cabin: We originally booked an oceanview stateroom and were on Deck 5. However, we were upgraded to a balcony on Deck 12 (Aloha). Our cabin was mid-ship, and we felt very little movement. Also, even though we were below the Lido deck, we never heard any noise. The one oddity was that the mid-ship elevators didn't have corresponding stairs, so we'd have to walk down the hall in either direction to walk up or down.

 

Having a balcony was great when we were in Tracy Arm, and just in general to see the beautiful scenery. You don't see that much green in Southern California in August (I live in San Diego and my mom in Palm Desert). Our steward, Sawang, was excellent. We had plenty of storage, but a sofa (so common in most staterooms) would also be nice. Our beds were comfortable, though I kept waking up before the wakeup call.

 

Dining: We thought the food was very good. Some of the highlights were the fried calamari, veal, and penne with short rib sauce at Sabatini's—we had a complimentary dinner but felt it was definitely worth the surcharge; the albondigas soup, pastries, and Greek salad at the International Café; the pizza at Alfredo's and Prego; the reindeer chili at Prego when we were in Juneau; the miso soup, omelet, and muesli at the HC; the scones at tea; and the escargot, fried chicken, chocolate pecan pie (lunch), and crème brulee in the dining room. Other than one or two missteps (my mom felt her pheasant was dry, I thought the banana chocolate parfait in the HC was better in idea than execution), my only real criticism was that some of the food could have been warmer. But that's the nature of buffets and large dining rooms. Service was excellent across the ship, except for a few servers who were too eager to take my plate away when I hadn't yet finished.

 

Entertainment: We played as many trivia games as we could, and after being shut out on the Sapphire, finally won on the Grand, thanks to a tiebreaker. I found afternoon trivia to be much harder and quite frankly, too dependent on geography questions. My strength is pop culture and American sports. We both enjoyed the shows by Garry Carson and Bobby Brooks Wilson. I liked the British Invasion show better than my mom—the singing was variable but there was some nice staging and costuming, especially during "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds." Naturalist Mark Harris gave a few talks with some interesting info but honestly, I really don't care about what his kids or neighbors are up to. Also, when he would mention instances where an animal killed a human (incidents at Sea World, Timothy Treadwell and grizzly bears), I was never quite sure who he wanted us to feel bad for.

 

We would have liked to have seen the talk by the woman who won the Iditarod but it conflicted with our reservations at Sabatini's. I wish Princess re-aired talks and shows on their ship channels. Overall, we had no trouble staying busy.

 

Layout: The Grand Princess is not the largest ship I've ever been on, but it is certainly one of the trickier to get around. Even after a week we still ran into problems on the Promenade Deck. Between elevators and stairs that stopped on Deck 7, running into dead ends, and having to backtrack to find a way to get to the lower decks, I've never been on a more puzzling deck. Although the Lido Deck came close. I never understood why the pizza and grill have to be so far from the buffet.

 

Ship in general: Although I had read complaints about the condition of the ship, everything looked perfectly fine to me. I regret not exploring the top decks earlier, as it wasn’t until the second sea day that we discovered a lounge on Deck 15 with couches and wicker furniture.

 

Excursions: My first cruise was to Alaska when I was 10, and this was our first time back. Other than Skagway, we had been to all the ports prior, and we avoid the lengthy/expensive/overly active tours, so my mom and I kept it simple. Did the "duck" tour in Ketchikan, a bus tour/Days of 98 show in Skagway (silly but fun), and a horse-drawn trolley tour in Victoria. All of them gave us a good view of the city, and except for a little rain and cold in Skagway we had mild weather in every port. We just walked around Juneau. Skagway was my favorite port. If the weather had been nicer, we would have stuck around longer after the tour.

 

Disembarkation: We learned about EZ Check-in and it was $40 very well spent. Disembarkation was the smoothest I've ever experienced. Our group was called around 7:45 and we were at the airport a little over an hour later. Our bags were waiting for us when we got back to San Diego, no hassle of having to find them in the cruise terminal in Seattle or lugging them into the airport. If you can do it, I highly recommend it.

 

Complaints: As noted above, some of the photo opportunities were too intrusive. We also wish that the cruise wouldn't just push jewelry stores on us in their port talks but instead highlight local craftspeople. At least we could skip those talks. My biggest complaint was the bar service. I cannot recall being on a cruise where if you just wanted to sit in a lounge to relax or watch a show, or eat by the pool, one bar steward after another would come by and ask if you wanted a drink. It was definitely the worst I've seen. There should be a sign you can put out to indicate you don't want to buy a drink. Other times they'd hover over us while we pored through the drink menu. I'm sorry, but I can't read the martini menu at Crooner's in 15 seconds. Ironically, there were other times when we couldn't get service and I'd have to go up to the bar. The bartenders were great, by the way. I liked my drinks, I just think Princess really needs to train its bar staff to not be so pushy and learn how to read cues.

 

But really, that was my only significant complaint. Overall it was a fantastic week away, and we would certainly take Princess a third time.

[A.stew12305]

Nice, concise review! We did the same cruise on the same ship in May, but we had to go to Endicott Fjord instead for some reason. I'd love to see pictures of Tracy Arm if you have some. I agree about the maze-like decks.. On one floor.. 7 I think, there was an odd flight of stairs that went nowhere. If you go up and through the doors (I don't think you are supposed to, but my husband sometimes seems to need a leash), it just ends up on the main stairs right next to the odd ones.

[tiller]

Nice, concise review! We did the same cruise on the same ship in May, but we had to go to Endicott Fjord instead for some reason. I'd love to see pictures of Tracy Arm if you have some. I agree about the maze-like decks.. On one floor.. 7 I think, there was an odd flight of stairs that went nowhere. If you go up and through the doors (I don't think you are supposed to, but my husband sometimes seems to need a leash), it just ends up on the main stairs right next to the odd ones.

 

I saw the stairs that ended at "Crew Only"--were those the ones your husband went through?

 

Still need to go through my photos, but did take many of Tracy Arm. Will try to remember and post those.

[caribill]

The one oddity was that the mid-ship elevators didn't have corresponding stairs, so we'd have to walk down the hall in either direction to walk up or down.

 

That was a design flaw on the Grand which was corrected on all the future Grand class ships.

 

Unfortunately, this design "feature" has been replicated on the Royal and Regal.

 

Thanks for your report.

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for your comments.

[A.stew12305]

I saw the stairs that ended at "Crew Only"--were those the ones your husband went through?

 

Still need to go through my photos, but did take many of Tracy Arm. Will try to remember and post those.

 

Oh yeah. I'm pretty sure they had a sign on them. The doors happened to be propped open for some reason that day though.

[Working 2 Cruise]

Thanks for your review, it's great. The only thing I will take issue with is that bars are there for a reason, to serve drinks. That was my pet peeve on previous cruises, people sitting around, not drinking, and taking up precious space from people who did actually want a drink... and we couldn't even sit down to have a drink!!! There are a lot of other spaces for lounging on the ships. I'm actually pleased that Princess is starting to do something about it.

[lljost]

Sounds like it was a nice cruise overall. Nothing prettier than Alaska.. As far as the elevators, we try to book up front and that usually puts us close to the front elevators and stars and never a problem. It is strange that Princess didn't see the need for more center access.

 

The waitstaff on several different Princess ships have told me that if you will allow them to place an empty napkin in front of you, this indicates to other staff that you have been asked and requested no bar service. I have seen this work in Crooners, the Piazza bar and the Wheelhouse. You might try that in the future.

[shredie]

Thanks for your review, it's great. The only thing I will take issue with is that bars are there for a reason, to serve drinks. That was my pet peeve on previous cruises, people sitting around, not drinking, and taking up precious space from people who did actually want a drink... and we couldn't even sit down to have a drink!!! There are a lot of other spaces for lounging on the ships. I'm actually pleased that Princess is starting to do something about it.

 

What are they starting to do about it? On my recent voyage, I was standing at the IC waiting for a latte when a woman appeared asking for a manager. The wait staff just smiled, and then she launched in to an irate tirade about the people in Vines where there was a large table with a family sitting around playing a board game and not drinking wine. "This should not be allowed!" Later, I walked by there, and she and her husband were at a table for two, glaring at the family of eight. There were also other empty tables available. I wasn't sure what the outrage was about. This did not happen on the Grand, but I'm sure similar things happen there,, too.

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report!

[sherryf]

Thanks for your review, it's great. The only thing I will take issue with is that bars are there for a reason, to serve drinks. That was my pet peeve on previous cruises, people sitting around, not drinking, and taking up precious space from people who did actually want a drink... and we couldn't even sit down to have a drink!!! There are a lot of other spaces for lounging on the ships. I'm actually pleased that Princess is starting to do something about it.

 

Actually, the ships have a lot of lounges (such as the Explorer's Lounge) and other areas which happen to have bars in or near them, for the convenience of those who wish to drink. If I go to Explorer's for trivia, am I obligated to drink just because there is a bar? If we had to drink every time we were in a room or area with a bar, we'd either all be drunk or hiding in our rooms for lack of a bar-free place to go! :rolleyes:

[Working 2 Cruise]

Actually, the ships have a lot of lounges (such as the Explorer's Lounge) and other areas which happen to have bars in or near them, for the convenience of those who wish to drink. If I go to Explorer's for trivia, am I obligated to drink just because there is a bar? If we had to drink every time we were in a room or area with a bar, we'd either all be drunk or hiding in our rooms for lack of a bar-free place to go! :rolleyes:

 

Very true. My problem was at Crooners which has very limited seating...

[shredie]

Very true. My problem was at Crooners which has very limited seating...

 

Yes, Crooners is always packed. Once I saw them put folding chairs out in the walkway because there were so many people trying to hear the entertainer. It's not a very good use of space.

[akeasley]

Thanks for providing feedback from your cruise....always interesting to read!

[RNGALNG]

On our last cruise, when siting in one of the lounges, waiting for a trivia game to begin, the servers would come by and ask if we wanted a drink. Depending on how they placed the napkin on the table denoted if we were drinking or not. Seemed to keep all other waiters at bay, away from us. We didn't seem to have an issue!

 

Thank you for your report on the Grand. Our next cruise will be on her shortly so, this was very informative. Glad you had a good time!

[lovevacadays]

Thank you for your review. I enjoyed reading it.

[tiller]

Sounds like it was a nice cruise overall. Nothing prettier than Alaska.. As far as the elevators, we try to book up front and that usually puts us close to the front elevators and stars and never a problem. It is strange that Princess didn't see the need for more center access.

 

The waitstaff on several different Princess ships have told me that if you will allow them to place an empty napkin in front of you, this indicates to other staff that you have been asked and requested no bar service. I have seen this work in Crooners, the Piazza bar and the Wheelhouse. You might try that in the future.

 

That's a great tip about the napkin, I'll definitely remember that!

[tiller]

Yes, Crooners is always packed. Once I saw them put folding chairs out in the walkway because there were so many people trying to hear the entertainer. It's not a very good use of space.

 

I agree about Crooner's, but we only sat there when we wanted to drink. I'm thinking more about by the pools or in the Explorers' Lounge. Those have plenty of seats.

[granny6]

We will be on the Grand in 3 weeks, we've only been on the Island and were in the center of the ship. I don't ever remember the stairs being a problem for us. I've tried studying the deck plans of the Grand, but after reading yours and others reviews of the decks, I'm really confused about them. We will be at the aft on this cruise.

 

 

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[caribill]

We will be on the Grand in 3 weeks, we've only been on the Island and were in the center of the ship. I don't ever remember the stairs being a problem for us.

 

The Island center stairs can be used by passengers all the way up unlike the center stairway on the Grand.

[englishbird]

Seems like the waiters cant win whatever they do. I have heard people moaning that they are approached too much for drinks and others complaining that the waiters aren't coming around often enough!:confused:

[Colo Cruiser]

Seems like the waiters cant win whatever they do. I have heard people moaning that they are approached too much for drinks and others complaining that the waiters aren't coming around often enough!:confused:

 

Thought the same thing myself. I hate it when they don't come around and I have to get up and hunt down a drink. ;)

[Thrak]

We will be on the Grand in 3 weeks, we've only been on the Island and were in the center of the ship. I don't ever remember the stairs being a problem for us. I've tried studying the deck plans of the Grand, but after reading yours and others reviews of the decks, I'm really confused about them. We will be at the aft on this cruise.

 

 

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Our last cruise we had an aft-facing balcony on Caribe. Wonderful cabin. If you want to get an idea of just how large the ship is take the forward stairs and then walk all the way back to your cabin. :)

 

We got stung by the missing central staircase several times even though we knew in advance about the issue. It's just natural to start up the stairs and then all of a sudden they end! We just laughed at ourselves each time and went back down and took a different route.

[Colo Cruiser]

If you want to get an idea of just how large the ship is take the forward stairs and then walk all the way back to your cabin. :)

 

Go forward of the forward stairs, then go aft, there is still quite a distance you missed! :eek:

[sashas_mom]

We will be on the Grand in 3 weeks, we've only been on the Island and were in the center of the ship. I don't ever remember the stairs being a problem for us. I've tried studying the deck plans of the Grand, but after reading yours and others reviews of the decks, I'm really confused about them. We will be at the aft on this cruise.

 

 

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Use the aft elevators stairs, go to deck 7, and depending on what you will be doing and walk forward. Everything is easily accessible from those decks.