Royal Princess vs Grand Princess

[sandjforever]

I am new to Princess and need help in deciding between these 2 ships... Royal Princess and Grand Princess.  It is for a connoisseur tour in Alaska.  I know that I will be booking a balcony or above.  Any key reasons to pick one ship over the other?  Thanks as always!

[Micahs Grandad]

We prefer Royal.

 

Much larger and much newer. Also many more choices in the buffet

[rocklinmom]

Royal is definitely bigger and could present more challenges with lines, tendering wait times (if you have tender ports), etc.   It also doesn't have a real promenade deck.  The Grand is a more traditional size ship and has the wrap-around promenade.  Both have Alfredo's restaurant which is nice (some ships don't have it).  Overall both are good and you could just compare the itineraries and prices.  

[Thrak]

23 minutes ago, rocklinmom said:

Royal is definitely bigger and could present more challenges with lines, tendering wait times (if you have tender ports), etc.   It also doesn't have a real promenade deck.  The Grand is a more traditional size ship and has the wrap-around promenade.  Both have Alfredo's restaurant which is nice (some ships don't have it).  Overall both are good and you could just compare the itineraries and prices.  

 

Unless Alfredo's on Grand has changed since the last time we sailed her it's just pizza whereas Alfredo's on Royal has a full menu. Please let me know if I'm wrong and things have changed on Grand. (It would make me happy to be wrong.)

[rocklinmom]

Yes I think it was the just the fancier pizzas at Grand's Alfredo's.  For us it was just nice to have another (included) dining option.  And to not always eat pizza up by the pool. 

[Colo Cruiser]

Since the removal of Skywalkers and the addition of many water leaks we will not sail the Grand again. There were numerous buckets catching the same throughout the ship.

[dchip]

2 hours ago, Thrak said:

 

Unless Alfredo's on Grand has changed since the last time we sailed her it's just pizza whereas Alfredo's on Royal has a full menu. Please let me know if I'm wrong and things have changed on Grand. (It would make me happy to be wrong.)

 

Nope, it hasn’t changed. 

 

cheers, Denise 

[oskidunker]

Prefer the grand. Not a mega ship. 

[Lucky TGO]

My vote goes to the Royal. 

Tony

[4cats4me]

We enjoy them both! Yes, we had buckets outside our stateroom to catch the water on the Grand, but that was part of the charm. LOL. On a previous Grand cruise the water was leaking in Explorers. 

We loved the food in the MDR on the Grand and enjoy the enclosed pool and the promenade deck.  

 

But on the Royal we love the buffet and the On Demand menu in the cabin.  

We don’t mind the very narrow balconies. However, we have an obstructed Deluxe cabin on Emerald deck for our next cruise on her which has a very large balcony, E108

we love the beautiful atrium as well, and the spa is very nice.  

[Cruiserkenn]

The promenade deck on the Grand is a real plus for me.  It is sheltered overhead, and it has a real wood surface, rather than laminate.  The real wood is much less slippery when wet.

 

i like the many kinds of pizza served at Alfredo's.  The dessert buffet in Horizon Court is great!

 

The aft Vista Lounge is wonderful for entertainment shows that are smaller in scale than in the Grand's Princess Theater.  

 

I agree with others about the buckets, but I still love the Grand.

 

Enjoy Alaska!

[mreasier]

Without hesitation, we would choose the Grand.  The design of the Royal class ships is to focus you inward where you can spend more money.  The attraction in Alaska is the amazing scenery and much of the time you want to be outside to enjoy panoramic views, not just on your balcony.  Outside viewing locations on the Royal are extremely limited.  There is not a single location to get a forward view, neither inside nor outside, except from the extra cost Sanctuary.  In inclement weather, the covered Promenade deck on the Grand is still a comfortable location to see the sights.  On the upper decks, the viewing locations are far superior on the Grand.

[elliair]

Hands down we would take the Royal.  It's a beautiful ship. We're tired of the Grand, we hope Princess will place a new ship in San Francisco.

[caribill]

Yes, the Royal is a newer and prettier ship.

 

But it also has 1000 more passengers to add to the count of people in each port. To me, less passengers in port is a plus.

 

Both ships will give you a good onboard experience. Each has its pluses and minuses.

[mcrcruiser]

Imo the best cruise line for Alaska cruises is Holland America  . Take a look & compare Holland America  itineraries  to Princess both cruise lines are owned by Carnival corporation  .   

 

 On Holland America you can board a fairly new ship like Nuvw Amsrerdam or Eurodam .Check it out is our recommendation .These ships are not huge yet modern & best imo for  Alaska cruises

[voljeep]

Royal for inside ... Grand for outside viewing

 

which is more important - other than the day in Glacier Bay?

[memoak]

 Bigger is not always better - I prefer the smaller ships so I would vote for the Grand even if it is not as fancy

[Itchy&Scratchy]

Royal.

[srpilo]

Grand

[sandjforever]

Looks like they have changed ships for 2020 Cruisetours....looks like Pacific Princess is now in the mix.  

[memoak]

8 minutes ago, sandjforever said:

Looks like they have changed ships for 2020 Cruisetours....looks like Pacific Princess is now in the mix.  

Even better if that is he case - the Pacific in my all time favorite ship

[mreasier]

23 minutes ago, sandjforever said:

Looks like they have changed ships for 2020 Cruisetours....looks like Pacific Princess is now in the mix.  

Yes both the Pacific and the Coral for 2020.  I would choose Pacific #1 and Coral #2.

[Colo Cruiser]

Coral #1 Royal #2

 

No Pacific No Grand.   

[memoak]

Coral is also an excellent ship - the Bayou Cafe is one of my favorite specialty restaurants

[BarbinMich]

7 hours ago, mcrcruiser said:

Imo the best cruise line for Alaska cruises is Holland America  . Take a look & compare Holland America  itineraries  to Princess both cruise lines are owned by Carnival corporation.

. . .

 

 

We've done Alaska on HAL, Princess and Celebrity.  They were all good cruises, they all had a naturalist onboard who gave lectures and was on deck when in Glacier Bay.  Itineraries varied from 7 to 10 days (Star P out of SF) and ports were generally Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway.    Having a covered outside promenade deck is a plus in Alaska where it can be damp to rainy and it's nice to be able to duck inside to warm up (when you're in Glacier Bay, if that's on your itinerary).  IMHO, the Royal is too big for Alaska, way too many pax for these ports which are all quite small, esp. Skagway and Ketchikan.