GRAND PRINCESS or BLAND PRINCESS?

[MTJSR]

Wow.

 

I know that not everyone will have the same experience on the same cruise and I'm sorry yours was so bad. We had one of those on the Golden in May. Everything just seemed dull and the crew was unhappy and it showed in the way they treated the passengers. Don't give up on Princess, your next cruise may be the best one yet.

 

 

I should jump in here. The cruise was great. Our meet and greet and the staff attending were great. Overall the crew was great. I agree with 90 percent of every positive review. I will cruise and continue to cruise Princess. Its because I care that I'm willing to detail those things I saw that Princess didn't see. This cruise was expensive and we are asked for our opinions, I'm not trashing Princess.....just helping make it better!

Edited January 5, 2016 by MTJSR

[Viesczy]

EEK! Sorry you had a bad time!

 

I will say this, a lot of European accents do come across brusque (at best) and is unintentional.

 

Not on Princy but on HAL we were in port (Tahiti) and one of the crew asked me to take their picture with their camera (which was one of the ship's cameras and had more options than I have snide comments about people). It was simply laid about (but expensive) and I was ON the options.

 

Since she was the ship's photographer I was all "you want X Y & Z" the way they are when trying to get our picture and to be sure I got what she wanted in the pic as how many times would she get to Tahiti and I didn't want to not have something she wanted in the pic with them, she withered me w a look that could've frozen the Sun solid and said, "Just take the picture, you know how to do it."

 

I complied (with a little less of my soul intact!), she thanked me, took the camera and went on their way.

 

Getting back to the Westerdam we ran into them again, she asked if we had a good time, reviewed the fun they had that day and again thanked me for taking the pic for her.

 

But for rest of the cruise, sorry it wasn't all you hoped!

[Thrak]

Sad that the OP had issues. It does happen. On one point I do strongly agree with the OP: I would like to see some different ships sail out of SF. Aside from our cruise in 2011 where we sailed the Sea Princess (loved it!) he only ships I've been able to catch out of SF have been Grand and Star. I'd like to see some other Princess ships sailing out of SF for a bit of variety.

[summerinitaly]

We were on the Christmas cruise to Mexico on the Grand and didn't find any unpleasant crew, most were polite and gave eye contact and a smile. The food was very well prepared, especially the fish dishes, we didn't have prime rib but other beef dishes were fine.

I agreed with one guest who said it would have been nice to have more of a Mexican theme although the holiday activities were fun, especially the gingerbread house decorating contest, the guest chorus and the captain reading the night before Christmas to the children on Christmas Eve.

The lectures were disappointing in content and delivery.

[pcsunlover]

I should jump in here. The cruise was great. Our meet and greet and the staff attending were great. Overall the crew was great. I agree with 90 percent of every positive review. I will cruise and continue to cruise Princess. Its because I care that I'm willing to detail those things I saw that Princess didn't see. This cruise was expensive and we are asked for our opinions, I'm not trashing Princess.....just helping make it better!

 

I feel the same way about our Thanksgiving cruise on the Emerald Princess. We are very easy going and I think undemanding passengers, but in our case, we ran into so many crew members around the ship and especially in the Horizon court who were down right surly, that I had to mention it in a review to our TA who forwarded it on to Princess. I also mentioned it, the disembarkation fiasco, and the lack of dress code enforcement on the end of the cruise survey. We aren't looking for any compensation, but rather want the powers that be know that our last couple of Princess cruises have not been up to the standards we've experienced in the past. I'm really hoping to see a huge improvement on our cruise in March or I will be hard pressed to get DH on another Princess cruise again soon.

[floridalover5623]

I feel the same way about our Thanksgiving cruise on the Emerald Princess. We are very easy going and I think undemanding passengers, but in our case, we ran into so many crew members around the ship and especially in the Horizon court who were down right surly, that I had to mention it in a review to our TA who forwarded it on to Princess. I also mentioned it, the disembarkation fiasco, and the lack of dress code enforcement on the end of the cruise survey. We aren't looking for any compensation, but rather want the powers that be know that our last couple of Princess cruises have not been up to the standards we've experienced in the past. I'm really hoping to see a huge improvement on our cruise in March or I will be hard pressed to get DH on another Princess cruise again soon.

 

Not to say you didn't find the crew unhappy but we'll be on the Emerald shortly & I'll be vigilant to see if I find things similar. We were on the Royal during Thanksgiving & found the crew to be very friendly even though most of them were going to be there for the Christmas holidays.

[2pbears]

EEK! Sorry you had a bad time!

 

I will say this, a lot of European accents do come across brusque (at best) and is unintentional.

 

Not on Princy but on HAL we were in port (Tahiti) and one of the crew asked me to take their picture with their camera (which was one of the ship's cameras and had more options than I have snide comments about people). It was simply laid about (but expensive) and I was ON the options.

 

Since she was the ship's photographer I was all "you want X Y & Z" the way they are when trying to get our picture and to be sure I got what she wanted in the pic as how many times would she get to Tahiti and I didn't want to not have something she wanted in the pic with them, she withered me w a look that could've frozen the Sun solid and said, "Just take the picture, you know how to do it."

 

I complied (with a little less of my soul intact!), she thanked me, took the camera and went on their way.

 

Getting back to the Westerdam we ran into them again, she asked if we had a good time, reviewed the fun they had that day and again thanked me for taking the pic for her.

 

But for rest of the cruise, sorry it wasn't all you hoped!

 

I just went back and read the OP's post and in fact she started out by saying they had a great cruise. The shortcomings that she pointed out were for our information and to share the fact that not all was up to par compared with her previous Princess experiences.

 

We were on the Grand for a week in November and while we did not experience most of the OP's issues I must say that I had to concur with some of them. I always look forward to the prime rib on sail away night and have had some excellent prime rib on Princess. The Sail Away meal we had on this cruise was in no way even close to what we have experienced in the past. The meat was not tender, the corn was shriveled and the baked tomato looked so unappetizing that I didn't even try it. We were hoping that it was just a bad night in the kitchen but unfortunately the main dining room meals for the entire cruise were not anywhere near what we have come to expect on Princess. Even Sabatini's was a mixed bag with some of the selections tasting delicious and others not so much.

 

We found the staff to be friendly, our room steward was excellent and the bar tender in Crooners was fun. The biggest problem we had with the staff was that they seemed to lack training. On numerous occasions when we asked a question we were given an answer which we later found was incorrect. No one really seemed to know what was going on outside their own small area.

 

On the whole, we had a nice cruise and we will most likely cruise on the Grand again as we are SF Bay Area residents but if we experience the dining issues we experienced on this cruise we may be spending more time in Alfredo's or at the burger station upstairs.

[pcsunlover]

Not to say you didn't find the crew unhappy but we'll be on the Emerald shortly & I'll be vigilant to see if I find things similar. We were on the Royal during Thanksgiving & found the crew to be very friendly even though most of them were going to be there for the Christmas holidays.

 

Our room steward was wonderful - friendly and competent.

 

We spent most of our days out on the pool deck. We were approached only once on the entire 5 day cruise to see if we wanted something to drink while we were in our lounge chairs. Not a big deal to go to the bar to get our own drinks, but the lack of staff on the pool deck was obvious to us. On previous cruises there have been servers walking around all day asking if you would like anything to drink. Not so on our last 2 cruises.

 

In the morning in the Horizon Court we either were never approached with offers of coffee or juice, or we were completely finished with breakfast when we were. Many of the staff in that area just did not look happy. Again, not a big deal to get our own drinks, but definitely a change in service of the past.

 

I don't know, maybe the stars weren't aligned for us on this cruise, or maybe it's that it was only a 5-day holiday cruise right before the ship went into drydock. Some people we spoke with (while waiting 2 hours to disembark) had a fantastic cruise, and others, like us, felt the changes. No cruise is bad to us (heck we had a flooded cabin on the cruise before this one!), but we have been noticing the little cut backs that Princess has been making lately.

[shredie]

Considering some of the names the Grand has been called here in past threads, "bland" seems pretty benign. LOL. I will finally sail on her in Sept so I will get to see what the fuss is about. I have managed to miss her for years. It's a trip out of SF. And yes we need more departures from there!

[floridalover5623]

Our room steward was wonderful - friendly and competent.

 

We spent most of our days out on the pool deck. We were approached only once on the entire 5 day cruise to see if we wanted something to drink while we were in our lounge chairs. Not a big deal to go to the bar to get our own drinks, but the lack of staff on the pool deck was obvious to us. On previous cruises there have been servers walking around all day asking if you would like anything to drink. Not so on our last 2 cruises.

 

In the morning in the Horizon Court we either were never approached with offers of coffee or juice, or we were completely finished with breakfast when we were. Many of the staff in that area just did not look happy. Again, not a big deal to get our own drinks, but definitely a change in service of the past.

 

I don't know, maybe the stars weren't aligned for us on this cruise, or maybe it's that it was only a 5-day holiday cruise right before the ship went into drydock. Some people we spoke with (while waiting 2 hours to disembark) had a fantastic cruise, and others, like us, felt the changes. No cruise is bad to us (heck we had a flooded cabin on the cruise before this one!), but we have been noticing the little cut backs that Princess has been making lately.

 

In comparison to the Royal, there were plenty of drink servers & if they asked once they would remember you & not bother you again. Since they work mainly for tips it's to their benefit to sell as much as possible.

In the Horizon you could hardy sit down before someone was there to get your drink & they were always asking if you want a refill.

[pcsunlover]

In comparison to the Royal, there were plenty of drink servers & if they asked once they would remember you & not bother you again. Since they work mainly for tips it's to their benefit to sell as much as possible.

In the Horizon you could hardy sit down before someone was there to get your drink & they were always asking if you want a refill.

 

Well I hope the service we experienced was just a fluke, and you have the same great service on your Emerald cruise that you had on the Royal. :)

 

And I hope we get that same great service on our Regal cruise. We are cruising with family who are only experienced cruising other cruiselines. They are only going on Princess based on our recommendations!

[sportsmum]

sportsmum,

Sorry to her your room cleanliness. We will be boarding the Grand in May for our first Princess cruise and will also be in C510. Would you happen to have any pictures of the room/balcony or tips you would like to share? Any and all would be appreciated. Thanks in advance! :)

 

We had C510 as well as the one beside it C506. I do not have pictures. I wasn't going to bring it to the attention of Princess so we just let it go.

 

As stated by OP our balcony wasn't attended to at all. Thick crust of salt on railings. I did take a cloth to it when we got to warmer weather but it wasn't done after that either.

 

I would just ensure you talk to the steward at the beginning of the cruise. We did and asked for a top sheet and ice to be kept fresh. Top sheet we got/ice we did not.

 

Another area that I did not believe needed to be mentioned but would in hindsight: Please turn on/leave on the bedside lamps when refreshing the room. Coming in to a dark room was not the welcoming feeling I am used to on a cruise. I left them on but they were turned off when we came back.

 

There was a broken pipe during our cruise which delayed the toilet flushing and soaked the carpet by the balcony doors. All was fixed quickly and they had a big fan in while we went to dinner so we were not put out at all.

 

The bathroom door is HEAVY! Much heavier than the cabin beside it. Bathroom had a slight outhouse smell but after the burst pipe it didn't smell anymore. Must have been the leak. Toilet bowl was a bit stained but it's an older ship.

 

Location was quiet (other than the barking dog on a floor above us), great access to the laundry room, elevators, stairs. Must be close to where they bring up room service b/c the boys never had to wait long in room C506. We did not use room service in C510.

 

Other than the steward not being on top of things - we all do have off days/weeks- I would take this room again without second thoughts. Balcony has no obstructions, is twice the size and has nice chairs that recline with foot stools. Grab a blanket or two from MUTTS and, if you don't have a yappy dog near by, it's fabulous for afternoon naps and reading. It's possible the steward will be different/feeling better/got it together after a long Christmas season and you won't even know it was the cabin I described!

 

C506 was not affected by the leak and the bathroom never had the smell issue.

 

You will have a great time.:)

[Retiring cajun]

MTJSR, sounds like your room had not been cleaned? Did you ask to have it cleaned ASAP?! Ugh,,

[raider23]

sportsmum,

Thanks for taking the time to reply. I do agree that everybody does have an off day/week and it was unfortunate that it happened on your cruise. I very much appreciate hearing that we are in a good location for access. We are looking forward to good food onboard and great sights in Alaska. If you have any more tips on the ship itself, I look forward to hearing them. Again, thank you for your reply! :D

[floridalover5623]

Well I hope the service we experienced was just a fluke, and you have the same great service on your Emerald cruise that you had on the Royal. :)

 

And I hope we get that same great service on our Regal cruise. We are cruising with family who are only experienced cruising other cruiselines. They are only going on Princess based on our recommendations!

 

The service in the Horizon I suspect has a lot to do with the head waiters who oversee the operation. You could see them in the background most all of the time watching the guys work & indicating which tables to be cleared. If they let them slack off the service can be terrible.

[Kingofcool1947]

We had C510 as well as the one beside it C506. I do not have pictures. I wasn't going to bring it to the attention of Princess so we just let it go.

 

As stated by OP our balcony wasn't attended to at all. Thick crust of salt on railings. I did take a cloth to it when we got to warmer weather but it wasn't done after that either.

 

I would just ensure you talk to the steward at the beginning of the cruise. We did and asked for a top sheet and ice to be kept fresh. Top sheet we got/ice we did not.

 

Another area that I did not believe needed to be mentioned but would in hindsight: Please turn on/leave on the bedside lamps when refreshing the room. Coming in to a dark room was not the welcoming feeling I am used to on a cruise. I left them on but they were turned off when we came back.

 

There was a broken pipe during our cruise which delayed the toilet flushing and soaked the carpet by the balcony doors. All was fixed quickly and they had a big fan in while we went to dinner so we were not put out at all.

 

The bathroom door is HEAVY! Much heavier than the cabin beside it. Bathroom had a slight outhouse smell but after the burst pipe it didn't smell anymore. Must have been the leak. Toilet bowl was a bit stained but it's an older ship.

 

Location was quiet (other than the barking dog on a floor above us), great access to the laundry room, elevators, stairs. Must be close to where they bring up room service b/c the boys never had to wait long in room C506. We did not use room service in C510.

 

Other than the steward not being on top of things - we all do have off days/weeks- I would take this room again without second thoughts. Balcony has no obstructions, is twice the size and has nice chairs that recline with foot stools. Grab a blanket or two from MUTTS and, if you don't have a yappy dog near by, it's fabulous for afternoon naps and reading. It's possible the steward will be different/feeling better/got it together after a long Christmas season and you won't even know it was the cabin I described!

 

C506 was not affected by the leak and the bathroom never had the smell issue.

 

You will have a great time.:)

 

Interesting read, and nits. Is C510 a HC cabin?

 

Re: Asking that the room steward keep the bedside lamps on after refreshing the room on. Isn't Princess trying to go responsibility "green"? So, why would you want the lights kept on, when there is a light switch just inside the cabin? Do you or cabin mate(s) have special needs or low vision issues that require the lights kept on! Just curious.

 

Re: Agree bathroom door is heavy. What do you suggest Princess could do about that. I suppose you could have requested the engineering staff to change out your bathroom door to a lighter one.

 

Re: the yapping dog. Service dog? :)

 

Have a great cruise. And, May you always find yourself cruising n interesting times. :)

Edited January 6, 2016 by Kingofcool1947

[sportsmum]

Interesting read, and nits. Is C510 a HC cabin?

 

Re: Asking that the room steward keep the bedside lamps on after refreshing the room on. Isn't Princess trying to go responsibility "green"? So, why would you want the lights kept on, when there is a light switch just inside the cabin? Do you or cabin mate(s) have special needs or low vision issues that require the lights kept on! Just curious.

 

Re: Agree bathroom door is heavy. What do you suggest Princess could do about that. I suppose you could have requested the engineering staff to change out your bathroom door to a lighter one.

 

Re: the yapping dog. Service dog? :)

 

Have a great cruise. And, May you always find yourself cruising n interesting times. :)

 

No- C510 is not HC.

 

Lights: 1. Welcome home being their motto - lights on is welcoming.:) 2. The lady I met in the Laundry room had a steward that turned them on. And, yes, I do have vision issues (glaucoma) and like very much to 'follow the light'.

 

Bathroom door: I made an observation between the 2 doors in the cabins we had.

C510 was heavier than the C506. Maybe 'stiffer' would have been a better choice of words. Why would I want someone to change my bathroom door? That's sort of silly, don't you think? Or was that sarcasim? :confused:

 

Yapping dog: some say yes. some say no. I am in the no column.

[sportsmum]

sportsmum,

Thanks for taking the time to reply. I do agree that everybody does have an off day/week and it was unfortunate that it happened on your cruise. I very much appreciate hearing that we are in a good location for access. We are looking forward to good food onboard and great sights in Alaska. If you have any more tips on the ship itself, I look forward to hearing them. Again, thank you for your reply! :D

 

The ship itself: This was our 3rd time on the Grand so obviously we know she is older and don't give a hoot! She's held up better than I have!:D

 

She's laid out well and everything is so easy and accessible. We did not use the pools, gym, spa this time so I cannot help there. It was a low key kind of trip.

 

Restaurants and food were lovely. I see you did NCL POA. We did Hawaii on POA and personally, did not care for the ship or the food. Princess and the Grand is definitely a cut or two above.

 

Casino: Love Jackpot Party slot machine and it paid well. Enough said. The cheese gang a few down paid well too. ;)

 

Sabatini's: (cover charge) The food wasn't great (to us) but the desserts were spectacular!

Crown Grill:(cover charge) All was great and although we all had steak we asked for lobster and he brought us a PLATTER of it.

Crab Shack(cover charge): You will be in Alaska. Don't bother with this. In Juneau go to Tracy's Crab Shack. It's right by where you will dock. Don't ask. Just do it.

 

Seriously: This trip was an anomaly for us and Princess. We have another booked and I am in the process of booking another. As in all reviews discard the top and the bottom and listen to the middle. You will have a wonderful time on the Grand.

[Kingofcool1947]

No- C510 is not HC.

 

Lights: 1. Welcome home being their motto - lights on is welcoming.:) 2. The lady I met in the Laundry room had a steward that turned them on. And, yes, I do have vision issues (glaucoma) and like very much to 'follow the light'.

 

Bathroom door: I made an observation between the 2 doors in the cabins we had.

C510 was heavier than the C506. Maybe 'stiffer' would have been a better choice of words. Why would I want someone to change my bathroom door? That's sort of silly, don't you think? Or was that sarcasim? :confused:

 

Yapping dog: some say yes. some say no. I am in the no column.

 

Actually the "heavy door" issue is a serious question. Since you were able to compare the weight with C506. Perhaps Princess have retrofitted lighter (or heavier doors) on some the ship's cabins during her last time in dry dock? FWIW, I have an elderly friend that has a medical issue with her arm strength, and she has trouble opening and closing the cabin bathroom door as well. :(

 

And, may you continue to cruise in interesting times.

[floridalover5623]

No- C510 is not HC.

 

 

Bathroom door: I made an observation between the 2 doors in the cabins we had.

C510 was heavier than the C506. Maybe 'stiffer' would have been a better choice of words. Why would I want someone to change my bathroom door? That's sort of silly, don't you think? Or was that sarcasim? :confused:

 

 

Actually the "heavy door" issue is a serious question. Since you were able to compare the weight with C506. Perhaps Princess have retrofitted lighter (or heavier doors) on some the ship's cabins during her last time in dry dock? FWIW, I have an elderly friend that has a medical issue with her arm strength, and she has trouble opening and closing the cabin bathroom door as well. :(

 

And, may you continue to cruise in interesting times.

 

The doors mechanism only had to be adjuster a few turns and it would have been easier to open & close. I always adjust mine tight so it won't swing open during the night since we keep the door open a crack for a night light.

[raider23]

The ship itself: This was our 3rd time on the Grand so obviously we know she is older and don't give a hoot! She's held up better than I have!:D

 

She's laid out well and everything is so easy and accessible. We did not use the pools, gym, spa this time so I cannot help there. It was a low key kind of trip.

 

Restaurants and food were lovely. I see you did NCL POA. We did Hawaii on POA and personally, did not care for the ship or the food. Princess and the Grand is definitely a cut or two above.

 

Casino: Love Jackpot Party slot machine and it paid well. Enough said. The cheese gang a few down paid well too. ;)

 

Sabatini's: (cover charge) The food wasn't great (to us) but the desserts were spectacular!

Crown Grill:(cover charge) All was great and although we all had steak we asked for lobster and he brought us a PLATTER of it.

Crab Shack(cover charge): You will be in Alaska. Don't bother with this. In Juneau go to Tracy's Crab Shack. It's right by where you will dock. Don't ask. Just do it.

 

Seriously: This trip was an anomaly for us and Princess. We have another booked and I am in the process of booking another. As in all reviews discard the top and the bottom and listen to the middle. You will have a wonderful time on the Grand.

 

 

sportsmum,

Agree that the food on POA was not superb, but the itinerary can not be beat! My wife will certainly appreciate the "Jackpot Party" advice. I don't think that we will have time for Tracy's Crab Shack due to time limits with port time and shore excursions. However, with what I have read the menus for Alaskan cruises are changing this year and will be featuring items from some Alaskan restaurants with Tracy's being one of them. Thanks again for your posts! :D

[sportsmum]

sportsmum,

Agree that the food on POA was not superb, but the itinerary can not be beat! My wife will certainly appreciate the "Jackpot Party" advice. I don't think that we will have time for Tracy's Crab Shack due to time limits with port time and shore excursions. However, with what I have read the menus for Alaskan cruises are changing this year and will be featuring items from some Alaskan restaurants with Tracy's being one of them. Thanks again for your posts! :D

 

Serious? That's AWESOME! Alaska is our go-to place in the summer as departure ports are only a 12 hour drive away! I will keep my eyes open for any postings of new Alaskan menu's.

 

Thanks for the heads up!

 

Agree- itinerary and time frame is great for the POA..... but once was enough!:D

[raider23]

Serious? That's AWESOME! Alaska is our go-to place in the summer as departure ports are only a 12 hour drive away! I will keep my eyes open for any postings of new Alaskan menu's.

 

Thanks for the heads up!

 

Agree- itinerary and time frame is great for the POA..... but once was enough!:D

 

Here is the link to the Princess website information on new menus and more. Enjoy!

 

http://www.princess.com/learn/cruise-destinations/alaska-cruises/north-to-alaska/

[liltravelgal]

I'm currently booked on the Crown(Ca.Coastal) in March but have toyed with the idea of switching to the Grand. (I was just on the Crown during Thanksgiving.) As I read through the reviews...I'm still undecided as to which ship to go on. Any further input?

[Colo Cruiser]

I'm currently booked on the Crown(Ca.Coastal) in March but have toyed with the idea of switching to the Grand. (I was just on the Crown during Thanksgiving.) As I read through the reviews...I'm still undecided as to which ship to go on. Any further input?

 

 

I would stay with the Crown. But thats just me. ;)