First Cruise on Princess

[BigBrit]

We just returned from the 3/25/06 to 4/01/06 sailing on the Grand Princess to the Western Caribbean. Some background info my wife and I are in our late forties and we took along two of our sons ages 16 and 11. We travelled with another family with kids about the same age.

Last year we had taken our first cruise on the RCL Ship Mariner of the Seas. That trip was booked at the last minute and so we had to pay a premium price for travelling on short notice over spring break. Everybody had such a good time that the boys wanted to go on another cruise this year. After breaking the bank last year we had to be more frugal this year, so after much time surfing the internet (including checking out reviews on this site) we thought we would try the Grand Princess (total cost 40% less than the previous year).

I will now give my impression of the two cruises.

The Ships:The Grand Princess is showing some wear and tear however that certainly was not a significant negative. If I had to pick between the two ships I would pick the Mariner. Even after a week we all found the layout of the Grand confusing. The atrium area is not Grand enough for a ship of this size ( as compared to the Royal Promenade) and a lack of a basketball court was a negative for teenage kids from the U.S. I did love the pools on the Grand (Fresh water a big plus) and also the covered pool was excellent. I give a nod to the Grand for the public areas. However winner in this catergory - Mariner

Entertainment: The Grand wins easily in this catergory. There was not one show I remembered on the Mariner however the shows on the Grand were all either good or excellent. The musicians I thought was better on the Grand and even the pool games were more fun on the Grand. Winner - Grand easily

Service: Very close, my wife liked the Mariner, I liked the Grand. I am writing this so the Grand gets the nod. Winner- Grand.

Food: This catergory was too close to call. The food on both ships was always good or very good but rarely great. No Winner - Tie

Ports of Call: I really enjoyed everywhere we went on both ships. However tendering 3 out of 4 days is a pain. Winner - Mariner

Overall. Given the price we paid, the wonderful weather (7 days of sun!) the quality of the shows I give the edge to the Grand. I would love to see a ship that combines the best of both of these magnificent ships. I would start with the top deck of the Grand (but add a sports court), and something more grand than the atrium:cool: .

[Coolmama_1]

Great review! I have to agree about the tendering in the Western Itinerarys. We were on the Star with my elderly parents in January. We had a great time but it was a real challenge to get my dad on and off the tenders. If I had it to do over, I would pick a different itinerary that did not involve 3 tenders!

[scots]

We were on the Grand in February and really, the tenders didn't bother me. In my opinion it was the only way for our group to go ashore and experience the sights and culture. I chalked it up as part of the cruise experience and from what we saw the Grand's crew were amazing in helping elderly, wheelchair bound, parents with strollers as well as us general folk. We were impressed even though there was a waiting period...we just relaxed on board and got off when we were supposed to and went on with our day. With a ship the size of the Grand one must expect to have some delays with that many people trying to get off the ship at relatively the same time. Obviously it would be much easier to offload where there is a pier, but we chose an itinerary where we had tenders involved and therefore, expected there to be delays. Thumbs up to Princess on a job well done!