Seeking Reassurance (Grand out of SF)

[Richjoxyz]

We booked the Grand out of San Francisco on May 1st (10 nights to Mexico). First time cruisers on Princess. Reading a lot of mixed reviews.

 

We have been perfectly happy on Celebrity, HAL and RCI. (Celebrity Summit, RCI Jewel, and a few of the Dam ships), also, we do fine on Carnival. I am 55, wife is 50. We cruise for the ports, food, entertainment, some chill out time, and I like the casino. We like the idea of sailing out of SF as we are locals. No Flights! We booked a mini-suite and are excited about the cabin layout, it looks nice.

 

Please let us know the good things about Princess and the Grand out of SF. Thanks.

Edited February 6, 2016 by Richjoxyz

[Colo Cruiser]

We booked the Grand out of San Francisco on May 1st (10 nights to Mexico). First time cruisers on Princess. Reading a lot of mixed reviews.

 

We have been perfectly happy on Celebrity, HAL and RCI. (Celebrity Summit, RCI Jewel, and a few of the Dam ships), also, we do fine on Carnival. I am 55, wife is 50. We cruise for the ports, food, entertainment, some chill out time, and I like the casino.

 

We like the idea of sailing out of SF as we are locals. No Flights! Please let us know the good things about Princess and the Grand out of SF. Thanks.

 

 

if you search Grand Princess on the main page there are numerous threads, here is one.....

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2306693&highlight=grand+princess

[Richjoxyz]

if you search Grand Princess on the main page there are numerous threads, here is one.....

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2306693&highlight=grand+princess

 

Thanks, we've been following that thread, and it is one of the most positive we have seen! Very nice review.

[partybarbie]

I was on the Grand for a seven-day Coastal cruise in November and then for a ten-day Mexico in January. I had a wonderful time on both cruises.

 

We had no issues with the luggage, the toilets, stateroom cleanliness, anytime dining etc. I really have nothing to complain about.

 

I though I would miss the Skywalker's, but the One Five lounge is really nice and has a kind of "art deco" feeling about it.

 

We always found chairs by the pool and had great meals and service in both Sabatini's and the Crown Grill. In anytime dining, we had an excellent waiter, Gabriel, from Mexico.

 

BTW, our cabin had one of the new mattress's and nice fluffy pillows. :D

[spyro1952]

I love the Grand!! I think you will also, especially since n flights involved. Is is the first Grand class ship built by Princess but it does have a loyal following since moving to SF.

I've sailed to Hawaii a few times on the Grand and had great cruises.

[cruzsnooze]

If you like Carnival as you stated then you will love Princess which I consider a better experience.

[RMMariner]

We were on the Grand last year to Hawaii, and like you we were worried about the mixed reviews. There were some people saying the ship was shabby, food poor ect. We went and had a great time. I believe that attitude is everything. Of course there were a couple little things we could have grumbled about, but the crew and food were both excellent. Our fellow travellers were pleasant. The cabin was fine, and the worries were unfounded. Go with the right attitude and you will have a great time on the Grand.

[cruiselvr1]

We booked the Grand out of San Francisco on May 1st (10 nights to Mexico). First time cruisers on Princess. Reading a lot of mixed reviews.

 

We have been perfectly happy on Celebrity, HAL and RCI. (Celebrity Summit, RCI Jewel, and a few of the Dam ships), also, we do fine on Carnival. I am 55, wife is 50. We cruise for the ports, food, entertainment, some chill out time, and I like the casino. We like the idea of sailing out of SF as we are locals. No Flights! We booked a mini-suite and are excited about the cabin layout, it looks nice.

 

Please let us know the good things about Princess and the Grand out of SF. Thanks.

We took a 10 Day to Mexico in November. We didn't see any of the problems earlier reported, and the food was good. What we didn't like was the lack of stairs aft. It was difficult sometimes to find the right elevator that would higher than lido. My DW doesn't want to sail her again, I don't have a problem.

[Astro Flyer]

What we didn't like was the lack of stairs aft.

I haven't sailed the Grand since 2000 but the Grand still shows aft stairs between deck 6 & deck 15.

Edited February 6, 2016 by Astro Flyer

[partybarbie]

The aft stairs are still there. What confuses some people about the four aft elevators is that the two middle elevators only go to deck 14, while the elevators on the ends go to the higher decks.

[Astro Flyer]

The aft stairs are still there. What confuses some people about the four aft elevators is that the two middle elevators only go to deck 14, while the elevators on the ends go to the higher decks.

Which is standard on most Princess ships I've sailed & not all of the aft elevators go from the lowest to the highest decks.

 

Didn't the Grand originally lack stairs above deck 7 midship??? I checked online deck plans to confirm that my 2016-2017 Cruise Atlas is correct & the stairs now go up to deck 14. :confused:

 

It was nice of NorCal to put El Niño on hold to have beautiful weather for the Super Bowl in Santa Clara. :D

Edited February 6, 2016 by Astro Flyer

[elliair]

We booked the Grand out of San Francisco on May 1st (10 nights to Mexico). First time cruisers on Princess. Reading a lot of mixed reviews.

 

We have been perfectly happy on Celebrity, HAL and RCI. (Celebrity Summit, RCI Jewel, and a few of the Dam ships), also, we do fine on Carnival. I am 55, wife is 50. We cruise for the ports, food, entertainment, some chill out time, and I like the casino. We like the idea of sailing out of SF as we are locals. No Flights! We booked a mini-suite and are excited about the cabin layout, it looks nice.

 

Please let us know the good things about Princess and the Grand out of SF. Thanks.

 

We took the Grand out of SF to Hawaii a couple of years ago. We parked at 55 Francisco street which cost us $18.00/day. It was easy to park and walk across the Embarcadero to the Terminal.

 

At the Terminal, there's no shelter if it's raining out. Why they didn't provide this feature when they built the pier is a mystery to me. We've cruised out of the new terminal 3-4 times. Once inside it's an easy process.

 

The Grand is a nice ship, close enough to other Princess ships we've been on. The Grand went into dry dock after we returned to SF. I have no idea what they upgraded or what was done to improve it. We had a balcony on the Caribe deck and we enjoyed that. The food was good - better than the Star Princess aka the sausage ship.

 

I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at what a nice ship the Grand is. We wouldn't hesitate to cruise on her again. We're doing the 10-day to Mexico on the Ruby which leaves out of San Pedro. Have fun!

[pris993]

We booked the Grand out of San Francisco on May 1st (10 nights to Mexico). First time cruisers on Princess. Reading a lot of mixed reviews.

 

We have been perfectly happy on Celebrity, HAL and RCI. (Celebrity Summit, RCI Jewel, and a few of the Dam ships), also, we do fine on Carnival. I am 55, wife is 50. We cruise for the ports, food, entertainment, some chill out time, and I like the casino. We like the idea of sailing out of SF as we are locals. No Flights! We booked a mini-suite and are excited about the cabin layout, it looks nice.

 

Please let us know the good things about Princess and the Grand out of SF. Thanks.

 

Where is your mini suite? As long as you are not AFT you should not have any problems. W have done 2 cruises on the Grand in Mini suites in the last few years. Just got off the New Year's cruise we were in cabin d208, my sister was in d408.. same cruise. We have cruised on HAL, Cunard, Celebrity, many years ago RCI... about 9 different lines, over 50+ cruises/in past 30 years ... actually did the first Grand Princess cruise out of Istanbul to Barcelona in l998. While on the new year's cruise we booked the same cabin, for the New Year cruise in 2016.

 

The Grand Princess does have mixed reviews. I have not problem cruising on the Grand... like you we are local, love taking a taxi to the dock. Some folks seem to board the Grand and spend their time on board trying to find things to complain about.

 

We found the service on board to be excellent ... even those who complain about rusty balconies etc., confirm service is excellent. I felt when we were on board I saw a lot of crew working hard to maintain the ship, i.e., painting and take care of the exterior.

[kwahl1]

Just off the Grand this week and yes it is an older ship and needs rust work and some leaks fixed, but overall we enjoyed our trip to Hawaii. Food was good to great in the dining rooms, but if it's so so you are looking for, head to Horizon. Weird stuff. Specialty restaurants great. Every worker on the ship makes an attempt to say hello or good morning each time they see you. They love the service industry and they love people. Do not try to go to every activity on the ship, you are on vacation. Tune out negative people. Enjoy their stories and share yours. We don't do Princess excursions, usually out on our own. You'll have a great time doing nothing on those sea days too. I'm not much of a reader but finished 3 books. Enjoy!

[Richjoxyz]

Where is your mini suite?

 

We are Port side near the front elevators. Any perks being in a mini-suite?

 

We went through more reviews and found many pics of the ship. The ship looks pretty nice. We have enjoyed older ships in the past. They have a sophisticated elegance and can be less crowded. We believe this ship will be to our liking. We're planning on having a great cruise and looking forward to trying all the restaurants. Thanks for all the comments.

[Astro Flyer]

We are Port side near the front elevators. Any perks being in a mini-suite?

 

Only an inexpensive glass of sparkling wine during embarkation.

[kc320]

I am looking forward to my 1st Princess sailing on the Grand...and especially SF...I was there a couple years ago on an overnight stop on another coastal cruise...loved the city & excited to be able to explore more this trip!:D

[mariakitty]

We did the Californial Coastal on the Grand out of SF in 2014 and had a great time. Weather leaving SF was gorgeous and so impress sailing by Alcatraz and underneath the a Golden Gate Bridge. It was the most spectacular sail away we have ever experienced, without question. Be sure to be on a top deck during sail away to get the full experience!

 

The Grand is a fine ship, just remember that she is the first in her class so she is older. While the Grand is one of my least favorite ships in the a princess fleet, I would absolutely sail her again. Keep in mind that many of the reviews of the Grand are relative, based on comparisons to their ships in the fleet. There is no Skywalkers lounge, but this isn't a big deal to us anyway.

 

Have a wonderful cruise!

[Colo Cruiser]

Only an inexpensive glass of sparkling wine during embarkation.

 

Along with a good headache.

[Astro Flyer]

Along with a good headache.

Would that be a good...or a bad headache?? :p