Grand Princess- Alaska- July 17 to 27, 2017

Better late than never! Sorry for the delay. Long time reader, first time reviewer! If I missed anything, just ask. I have appreciated the reviews here and decided I needed to start posting reviews too. First review- be kind!

PHOTO DISCLAIMER:

I am not good at taking pictures- of us, menus, programs, anything! So, this will be visually boring! One of the things I love about cruising is totally disconnecting from the world- email, phone, news, technology, everything. So... no iPhone, no camera! I do have some excursion/scenery photos on my large camera I still need to download.

ABOUT US:

I always like to know a bit about the reviewer; it helps me in imagining and understanding their experiences, especially as many things are very subjective/personal preferences. We (me (33) husband (36), daughter (4) my parents (early 60s), brother/SIL (late 20s) or a mix of the above) love traveling, and cruising. We enjoy food and wine but are not food snobs- you will find us at a good burger joint! We usually like higher- end travel and hotels but are pretty low-key as far as requests, use of butlers, etc. Coffee and a good beach are the basic needs! We like to book our own excursions. We don't join a ton of group activities on board. My daughter is an oddly-well-behaved 4 year old (make-up for a scary pregnancy) so, she comes with us most of the time and is polite and not wild...in public! We don't put her in the kids programs so can't review those. People usually ask why not so I'll answer proactively- my idea of vacation is work-free time with her so I spend every minute with her. Totally understand the use of kids clubs and I know the day will come when she doesn't want to hang with me 24/7 and I'll send her off to a teen club! We have enjoyed every cruise we have been on. Some of course are better than others but we know we are so very fortunate to have the joy of travel and enjoy time together and away from Minnesota!

PAST CRUISES:

We have sailed on many lines: Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Carnival, Holland, Celebrity and this was our first Princess. We don't have much rhyme or reason to our cruise line selections- some have been timing, some have been group trips, some have been for new ships and some have been for unique ports. Most cruises have been to the Caribbean but have done Med, Alaska, Panama Canal, Mexico too. We really love the Norwegian Haven; our two prior cruises were on the Escape (2014) and the Getaway (2016) and were both fantastic. We loved Princess and would gladly return. Our next cruise is a NYE on the Carnival Vista... next month. That will be me, my husband and our daughter. She is 4 and loves cruising... creating a monster!

NOW- THE GRAND PRINCESS

My mom, me, and my daughter had a wonderful girls' vacation on the Grand Princess in July. The quick review- best service EVER on a ship, older/dated but very nice ship, great food, not great pool area.

Our 10 day cruise left from San Francisco on 7-17-17. We flew in without incident from MSP that morning, took a cab to the airport and arrived around 2 PM. We had a suite booked S3 #B749, an act facing suite, and went through speedy priority boarding. All of the lines looked to be moving very quickly. Our luggage also arrived very quickly.

ROOM

Check-in was a breeze and our room was ready with fresh fruit, flowers, drinks, etc. waiting. The room was very large with a HUGE aft balcony with a table for four and two loungers. The room is split in two with two patio doors - a large sitting area with a couch/ table and a bedroom area with bed and vanity. The bathroom has entrances from both sides and a separate tub and shower. The rooms are dated, but very clean and nice. For an Alaskan cruise when you were spending so much time on the balcony, especially going past glaciers, the large balcony is very nice. We enjoyed some very nice breakfasts outside. The aft rooms are a bit of a walk but for us able-bodied cruise over-eaters this is just fine! Advice for the hair blow dry-ers of the world: The dryer in the room is a little weak. It does the job but if you have long or thick hair I would bring your own. One of my favorite things about this class of room was the free next day laundry service. I wasn't sure how it would be but I sent out a small batch and it came back perfectly. They put a small sticker on your laundry and everything came back neatly pressed/hung/folded. What a treat!

SHIP

Good transition- the ship is a bit dated but in great shape. Clean, good repair, has that old fashioned non-mega ship classic feel. It never felt crowded. The crowd was a bit older and I did not see a lot of young children but that could also be an Alaska cruise thing. The staff on the ship is hands-down the nicest I have ever encountered at sea! From the wait staff, room stewards, shop staff to guest services- the best.

There was a bit of a wait for some elevators but there were many seniors who needed elevators so we were happy to wait if it was too long of a hike for a 4 year old...or we took the stairs. The only part of the ship that needs extra love is the pool area. Not a big deal on an Alaskan cruise (we went once) but it is in need of repair and would give me pause to book the Grand to a warm destination.

FOOD

We ate breakfast most mornings in the steakhouse and it was fantastic. The service and the food were top-notch. There's something wonderful about starting every day with a (free!) mimosa.

We ate lunch and most dinners in the club class dining area. It was a wonderful experience. The waiters and their team got to know us and my daughter and met every need we could imagine. Club class dining felt like the cruise dining of the past where you had the same waiters and saw the same people every night. We were genuinely sad to say goodbye. The drink service in the restaurant was very quick. The food was very good and it was fun to see the head waiter cooking in the middle of the dining room.

We ate at both the steakhouse and the Italian restaurant once and both were superb. Both the service and the food was great. In both the portions are huge! The extra charges are well worth it in both locations. The Italian restaurant looks to be recently remodeled and is a very nice place. Steakhouse has a very charming old fashioned dinner club feel.

We did not enjoy the buffet or the ice cream stand. We thought both were very crowded and not the best quality. However, I am not the right person to ask about a buffet. I am a germaphobe and don't like buffets in general.

Room service was very good. It was always correct, timely and delivered with a smile. My daughter enjoys a room service cookie and milk every night before bed. Kind of a cruise tradition!

SPA

We spent a bit of time at the spa and really enjoyed our services. The staff was very friendly and accommodating, even painting my daughter's nails for free! The spa is not fancy but the service is fantastic. They offer a nice variety of services. We did not go into the adults only pool or into the gym area but could see them from our time in the spa and both looked lovely. There were many spa specials when you bought multiple services and we took advantage of those good deals.

ON BOARD ACTIVITIES

As I mentioned above we do not join a ton of cruise activities but we do love bingo! The ship had electronic bingo where you could play dozens of games on a machine. We tried that, and the "old fashioned way"! We never won but had a great time sipping (some kiddie) cocktails at sea. Small piece of advice – get there early if you would like an electronic board; they go fast. I wasn't sure when I thought of them but every time I saw someone when they had one of those beeping machines so I hopped on that bandwagon!

We went to one shopping presentation and a trivia session in one of the lounges and had a nice time. We weren't planning on staying for the shopping session but my daughter fell asleep during the trivia session and we let her sleep and listened to that. It was actually pretty good!

Shopping on the ship was very good. There was a nice variety of clothing, make up, souvenirs, jewelry etc. It was enough variety to make you feel comfortable that if you forgot something, you could find it there.

PORTS

What a great itinerary! A few days at sea from San Francisco, Ketchikan, Juneau, Victoria and Skagway. Oh, and of course cruising Glacier Bay. Keep in mind I have a four-year-old with me. Once upon a time on an Alaskan cruise I was hiking glaciers! These were the best ones I found for kids.

We booked one excursion through the ship because it was the only way I could find availability- the sled dog tour. The company was called gold rush dog tours. We did that in Juneau and really enjoyed it. We did the one that was on dry land and not the helicopter because I wasn't sure how our four-year-old would do on a helicopter. Meeting the dogs and seeing how excited they were to run was awesome. This is a great activity for kids and adults alike. After the tour we went to Tracy's king crab. Love it there!

In Skagway we did the Liarsville tour and salmon bake. I booked this prior to arrival online. It was a bit cheaper than through the ship. This was also a great tour and gave us a great history of the gold rush.

Ketchikan, which is one of my favorite places in the world, was a place to enjoy fresh seafood and a private van tour for the three of us. We went to our favorite restaurant- Dwyers. They have great crab and some of the best fish and chips I have ever had. We spent a few hours walking around and then found a van by the port that took us to the waterfront, waterfalls, and to see bears. We saw a bears near the hatchery. So many eagles in Ketchikan – bring your binoculars. Our driver also took us to a rain forest area along the water where we could see crab on the shore. This day was all about the wildlife!

In Victoria we walked around and enjoyed the city. It's such a beautiful city that we have visited before. It is a great place to visit shops, grab a bite to eat walk along the shore, take a water taxi, and see the floating village. We came back at the last minute to board because it was a short day in port. I think other people have the same plan as us...come back right before we had to and hit the souvenir shop by the boat. Word of advice ... It gets a little crowded at that time! Great stuff though.

In Glacier Bay we enjoyed a great breakfast on our balcony and listened to the park ranger discuss what we were seeing. We saw tons of wildlife and several glaciers. Be sure to get up early and grab those binoculars!

OTHER

When we were there it was unseasonably warm and I brought clothes that were too warm. I would say half of what I brought was never used. It was also more dry than last time we were there. If we were to do this again, and I hope we do, I would check the weather closer to when I left! I looked a few days before and it looked cooler. On shore I lived in running pants, sweatshirt and a medium weight outer jacket.

We love being casual on cruise ships and do not ever get into black-tie. On formal nights we wore a dress/cardigan/sweater and found that most people were quite casual, even in the main dining room. People are just trying to stay warm. Now us Minnesotans thought it was warm…

We have always found Alaskan cruises to be a week of much daytime activity and early bedtimes. It felt that most other cruisers on this trip felt the same way. After dinner it was a ghost town!

We love the afternoon tea on Princess ships. What a wonderful day to spend an afternoon at sea. There's something about days at sea that makes me feel a world away. A cup of green tea and a few treats makes even better. Staff went out of their way to make my daughter feel like a princess.

Something I had not seen or noticed before were the kiosks near the guest services area that you could swipe your card and see your balance on. I thought this was very convenient.

When trying to compare cruising Princess to other lines it reminds me most of Celebrity. Quieter than a Carnival, less children than Royal Caribbean, more traditional than a Norwegian and younger than Holland.

To wrap this up – we loved this cruise. We had a great time on board and at the ports. We would not hesitate to book the ship and itinerary again. I would probably not take the Grand to a warm location given the more limited outdoor space than on newer ships, and need for improvements in that area. However, if you are headed to Alaska, this is a wonderful option!

Awesome. Thanks for taking time to write a review.

Very nice review. DW and I have an Alaska cruise coming up in a while and it was interesting to read about some of the destinations that we will be going to for the first time. We too have an aft suite booked, and I am hearing so many good things about that arrangement.

I think you might have been thinking of Emerald / Ruby Princess which we took on a California Coastal cruise, for a warm climate. We could walk around the Promenade deck and while in Ensenada we sat outside for Movies Under The Stars for a showing of Muana.

Have a great time!

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Enjoyed the review. Thanks for the effort. We are going to Alaska for the second time next June so appreciate other opinions of what to do.

Have fun!

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Thanks for the review, getting on the Grand soon for the first time in several years and it's good to know that the service will be just as we remember it......Grand!

As a cruiser that has sailed on the Grand a few times with a couple more booked, I agree with your assessments ... especially that they have the best crew / staff on the high seas. I call the Grand the ship of 'Yes' as every time you had a request, the answer was 'Yes ma'am or Yes sir'. I am glad to hear that doesn't appear to have changed as we have our first cruise in a suite booked on her for the spring. Of all the Princess ships on which we've sailed, she is my least favorite ship but the service cannot be beat so we still book cruises on her in a heartbeat. It helps that we live just a few miles outside of San Francisco as well, so never have to experience any air debacles.

Doesn't sound like the top notch service has changed @cruise raider! The service on the ship was incredible, especially in club class dining. I hope your upcoming cruises are great!

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Excellent report, thank-you!

Terrific review/trip report.

Keith

Doesn't sound like the top notch service has changed @cruise raider! The service on the ship was incredible, especially in club class dining. I hope your upcoming cruises are great!

 

 

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So glad to hear it. :)

Thanks for the review. We are going to Alaska on the Grand in June of 2018. We also booked the same dog sled excursion already. I am very excited to hear your positive comments. Glad you had a nice time. We are certainly looking for to going out under the Golden Gate Bridge to an exciting Alaska Adventure.

Have a great time @yags!

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Glad you enjoyed your cruise! Thanks for sharing your experience.

Thanks for the review! Cruising to Alaska on the Golden (so similar to the Grand) was my and DW's first cruise, and we've cruised twice since, both times on the Grand. We agree on how great the crew is. Like others who live in and around SF, we also feel lucky to be able to hop in a cab and go straight from our place to the ship.

It's always interesting to hear what people think who have been on multiple cruise lines. Given what we value (customer service, cultural and scientific programs, convenience), we think we made the right choice with Princess so far (despite some hiccups). Very much looking forward to going to Hawaii on the Grand in less than three weeks, but your review makes me want to go back to Alaska!