Alaska, Grand or Royal?

[K&KCRUISIN]

Planning an alaska cruise for August 2021, Which ship would be better for Anchorage to Vancouver.

Royal or Grand?

[Outerdog]

I've been on both.

 

Grand if you value outdoor deck space. Royal has no promenade (well, a teeny tiny one). Grand you can walk all the way around (sometimes the forward is closed while underway).

 

Royal if you value more modern appointments over your time outdoors on deck.

 

Grand is an older ship, and it shows in some places. She's a fine ship, though, and I would sail on her again in a heartbeat.

 

Edited October 1, 2020 by Outerdog

[RoperDK]

We are on the Royal back to back in August 2021. We had previously cruised on the Coral southbound from Anchorage to Vancouver.  Most people on this board will recommend the Grand over Royal.  Royal is considered too big.  We loved our Coral cruise, but the food and ship amenities were not as good as Royal class.  We love the Royal class. Granted, we will be onboard for 2 weeks, so ship amenities come into play for us.  I would think about what is important to you.  Do you want to experience bigger, newer, with better dining options or does smaller size matter.  The Royal balconies are tiny.  We have a larger, angled balcony.  Wouldn't cruise on Royal without the larger balcony. Hope this helps.  

[Cruise Raider]

I've sailed on the Royal once and the Grand, numerous times.  The Grand has some advantages over the Royal, which include a full promenade deck (sometimes closed off in the front, though) and an indoor pool.  She's consistently had a fantastic crew / staff (that can all change in a heartbeat).  That's about where the advantages end in my opinion.  She is old and rather tired looking.  They spruced her up a bit during the last renovation but, there are some structural problems that exist.  She lacks a central staircase creating a bottle neck in front of the photo booth area.  This is minor, but the stateroom closets are smaller.  The ventilation and plumbing systems are a known issue.  The AC has been known to breakdown in hot weather and it seems to be on in overdrive in the cold weather, especially in the dining areas.  Many have reported toilets overflowing in both the public areas and in staterooms.  It happened in our stateroom in the middle of the night ... whoa!!  Thankfully, nothing in there but water.  There is a lot of rust out on the balconies ... I know, I know, it's a ship and ships get rusty... it's just not very aesthetically pleasing. 

You'd most likely have a wonderful trip on either ... but, overall, the Royal is such a beautiful ship.  She just sparkles!!  

There are a couple of detractors on her, though ... there is no indoor pool but, she still has a retreat pool area that provides some shelter from the elements.  The venues for some of the shows are just way too small, although, they schedule them like that on the Grand, as well.  There is deck space on deck 7, but you cannot walk all the way around ship like on the Grand (when it is open).  Other than that, she is gorgeous!  

All in all, I'd choose the Royal only because she is a much newer and beautiful ship which offers a lot more newer amenities.  It's all in what your priorities are, though.  I'm sure you'd have a great time on either ship because Alaska is about the scenery outside, not the ship you are on.  

[OccasionalSanta]

I have not sailed on the Grand but have been on the Star and Golden...My last cruise was on the Royal.

 

As noted before, there is only a partial promenade deck and portions of this are designated for smoking. 

 

The other thing I disliked about the Royal was the placement/design of the casino area. The casino has an open ceiling area with a staircase up to the next deck. The problem with this is that it allows the cigarette smoke to waft up to the next (promenade) deck. People who are  sensitive to/annoyed by smoke will find this to be irritating.

 

 

[satxdiver]

The Grand is a significantly smaller ship and rapidly becoming the oldest ship in the fleet.  The Royal is a newer ship with all the bells and whistles of modern ships.  If you want a smaller aging ship with design of yesteryear this may well be your ship.  If you want a larger ship with up to date amenities pick the Royal.  

 

The Grand used to have a Skywalkers night club up over the stern like the Golden and Star (now both have left the fleet) but was removed due to cracks in the superstructure making it dangerous.  The Grand does have an inside pool which may be important in the colder AK climate while the Royal does not.  The Royal has more and varied food choices all over the ship including a redesigned and larger buffet (may not be any more though due to the pandemic).    

[AtlantaCruiser72]

One other consideration - Royal will sail to the west of Vancouver island on her first or last day (depending on sailing direction) rather than staying within the inside passage like all the other Princess ships do. This means a far less scenic cruising experience. This may or may not be a factor for you but worth considering. 

[K&KCRUISIN]

Thank You all for your comments, We have decided to go with the Royal and are now booked. Praying for a resolution to the virus issue by then.