Old crowd on Grand Princess

[Rhitson88]

Ok, I have been on the Grand Princess back in 2002. So obviously before the drydock. I didn't really notice the answer to this question or I would obviously just answer it myself. We are currently scheduled for the Carnival Dream which is such a beautiful ship it looks like. But my father just got back this past Saturday and I am not one to listen to everyone elses negative comments because I believe the cruise is what you make of it. But my dad usually will not put anything down so when he told me that the cruise was "Alright" and the service was "TERRIBLE". The shows were very below average. Well that concerns me. He thinks like I do and would never speak like this about something unless he really did mean it. So now we are considering switching our cruise from the Carnival Dream to the Grand Princess. I am in the military so I know I can get out of the fees so thats not an issue. It is Me (23), my wife (will be 24), my mother in law (50), and our 2 daughters (one is 5 yrs old and 1 will be a yr and a half).

 

 

 

It will be an April cruise so right around spring break. My question is, will it be totally boring and filled with extremely old people or is it not like that at all? I know it obviously doesn't attract the Carnival crowd. But we recently went on the Emerald Princess in September and that atmosphere and amount of kids was perfect. My 5 yr old loved the kids program and the food was delicious. But the Grand Princess goes by a whole other standard. If someone could just fill me in that would be great. Just help me make this decision.

 

 

Sorry if it sounds al jumbled, just telling you how it is. Also, if anyone has recently been on do you have any pictures?? It looks so awesome after this drydock, what a transformation!!!! So if you could let me know how that was too, that would be great.

[montgomeryfamily]

I have been on the Grand Princess five times and we're going again in Dec--our first after the dry dock. We have always found a diverse group in terms of age and the passenger composition on the Grand Princess was not really any different than the other Princess ships we have been on. So since you have been on the Emerald, your experience should be the same, although at spring break time, you will find lots of children and probably many more people who are closer in age to you.

[Toto2Kansas]

I can tell you from experience, that no matter which ship you book, the time of year will have a great basis for the age of the passengers onboard. Now the first part of January, you will see a much older crowd, especially on longer sailings of 10+ days. But during spring break, there will be a very large mix of passengers with lots of familes and kids onboard.

[Rhitson88]

Ok appreciate it. Thats what I thought but just had to make sure. I know Princess service and food are unmatched in my opinion. But just had to find out about that.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

the time of the year and the # of days...

[chasinraynbowz]

No offense op, but.... if you have booked early saver, it doesn't matter if you are in the military or not. You will be subject to those "nonrefundable" guidelines.

[Barry H]

Just came off the Grand last week. There were over 400 children (under 18) on board and were well behaved. Don't know if that is the British influence. They had youth security people to keep things under control. Youth programs seemed to be very well run. There are two family pools, midships and deck 14 aft (no shallow end). The Spa pool and Conservatory pools are for adults only.

[Toto2Kansas]

OP, I just realized that one of your children will be one and a half on this sailing. I am not sure how Carnival handled the children's programs, but one thing on Princess is that the one and a half year old will not be able to go to the kids clubs without one of you present at any time. And, Princess does not offer any type of babysitting either in the kids club or privately in your stateroom. So, the one and a half year old will have to be with an adult family member at all times on your cruise. They will allow you to take them to the kids area at certain times as long as one of you is present, so they can play.

 

Also, unless the one and a half year old is totally potty trained, they will not allow them in the pools. Swim diapers are not allowed, and if they are not completely potty trained, they are not allowed in the pools onboard.

 

Just a few things to think about before booking a Princess cruise with children that are not potty trained under 3 years old.

[Pam in CA]

The Grand Princess is no different in passenger mix than the Emerald Princess. It depends on the length of the cruise and time of year no matter what ship you're on. Carnival has the reputation of a younger crowd but their cruises are mostly short one's, many in the 4-5 day range whereas Princess itineraries are rarely less than seven days and often more. The reality is that older people have the time and means for the longer cruises and aren't as locked into school vacations.

[Essiesmom]

I think you should stick with the Carnival Dream. What is 'terrible service to one person may not be noticed by someone else. And everyone views the shows differently. Other than the production shows, the entertainment may be entirely different by next spring. EM

[Rhitson88]

No offense op, but.... if you have booked early saver, it doesn't matter if you are in the military or not. You will be subject to those "nonrefundable" guidelines.

 

 

 

 

I didn't book early saver. My pvp told me if I would need to cancel then to go with some other option. Idk but he said I could get out of it.

[Rhitson88]

OP, I just realized that one of your children will be one and a half on this sailing. I am not sure how Carnival handled the children's programs, but one thing on Princess is that the one and a half year old will not be able to go to the kids clubs without one of you present at any time. And, Princess does not offer any type of babysitting either in the kids club or privately in your stateroom. So, the one and a half year old will have to be with an adult family member at all times on your cruise. They will allow you to take them to the kids area at certain times as long as one of you is present, so they can play.

 

Also, unless the one and a half year old is totally potty trained, they will not allow them in the pools. Swim diapers are not allowed, and if they are not completely potty trained, they are not allowed in the pools onboard.

 

Just a few things to think about before booking a Princess cruise with children that are not potty trained under 3 years old.

 

 

 

Its all good. Because remember, we will have me, my wife, and my MIL. Not like I would be looking to pawn my baby girl onto her as I am just not like that. But she would be more than happy to take her for an hour while we get some alone time at the speciality rest or whatever. Good to know though. And surprisingly I never find myself in the pool anyways so that shouldn't be an issue.

[chasinraynbowz]

I didn't book early saver. My pvp told me if I would need to cancel then to go with some other option. Idk but he said I could get out of it.

 

 

Good, then you should be fine!!! :D

[cherylandtk]

Rhitson,

I'll just make a few comments and let you decide

-As Pam noted, the Grand and the Emerald should be far more alike than not in service, food and amenities. If you noticed otherwise, I would consider that an aberration rather than the norm, but I would also examine what you found lacking and decide if that is something that was a one-time event or a consistent fleet-wide experience.

-Several others noted the time of year has a great impact on pax mix. I agree. Late April is about five weeks after the highest volume of Spring Breakers. There will no doubt be some at that time, maybe quite a few, but it is not likely to be jammed with families.

-I think either ship would be fine, and that your Dad's experience was probably more due to one person's failure than an entire ship's crew. You might explore that with him more to find out exactly what events were disappointing to him. (Was it the shows or the service? What was it about each that did not meet his expectations? How important are the shows to your own cruise enjoyment? Etc. Etc.)