Grand Princess Ship Review (very comprehensive -- aka: long)

[Kingofcool1947]

Just got off the Grand - I saw both record music -- and life... recorded I think was in the Vista Lounge. It was a New Year's cruise so lots of options.

Even had musicians from Mexico City who did a lot of Latin music which we enjoyed.

 

Did they play any salsa music to dance to? Do you dance Latin?

[KruzPrincess]

Thanks for your review. I was on the Grand in December 2014, so a little over a year ago. Without reservation, it was my most disappointing Princess cruise as far as conditions are concerned. My cabin was in terrible condition. I saw a lot of poor conditions in other areas of the ship. OTOH, I loved the crew. Food and service were very good. I had a fun cruise because of the people I cruise with. I didn't have Dave Cole as a CD on that cruise, but he is one of my favorite Princess staff members. I'm a never say never person, but I don't see myself booking the Grand Princess again.

[west coast cruiser]

Just got off the Grand Saturday. Yes, she is getting a little tired, but the crew was great.

We had two very rough nights on the way back to San Francisco. I don't think we were rocking and rolling anymore on the Grand than we would have on any other ship. We had 17 foot waves at one time. I have been told that hearing the creaking on the ship is good as it is necessary for it to "give" a little.

I have been on 18 Princess Cruises. It was nice to be back on her, I probably will not go out of my way to sail on her again though.

WCC

[Cruise Raider]

Just got off the Grand Saturday. Yes, she is getting a little tired, but the crew was great.

We had two very rough nights on the way back to San Francisco. I don't think we were rocking and rolling anymore on the Grand than we would have on any other ship. We had 17 foot waves at one time. I have been told that hearing the creaking on the ship is good as it is necessary for it to "give" a little.

I have been on 18 Princess Cruises. It was nice to be back on her, I probably will not go out of my way to sail on her again though.

WCC

 

We sailed on the Infinity in Sept and it was phenomenal -- perfect in every way. I think I recognize your name from that roll call -- the canceled Alaska and changed to the Pacific Coastal. After that cruise --- we are kind of ruined on all others. Very few people stayed on from the canceled Alaska itinerary -- but some of those that did keep the booking ended up being rewarded handsomely. We were upgraded to one of the aft family size veranda suites and even ended up getting invited to the Captain's table for dinner on the second formal night. It was quite a cruise to remember.

 

We also sailed on the Star in November -- just to bring us back to reality a bit, I guess. The cruise was really good but debarkation was a nightmare.

This was our 21st cruise on Princess and to date, the Grand is my least favorite ship but as you say, the crew was great. I didn't notice any horrific sea conditions but you wouldn't know it by the way the ship was bouncing all over. There were really no white caps ... maybe the swells were larger than we assumed. But, we've sailed on this itinerary over a dozen times, this was the roughest ever experienced for this itinerary. My next time on her will be more midship so hopefully that will make a difference.

We were lucky enough to see a whale breach right in front of us when sailing back from Cabo -- in all my whale watching, never seen a whale jump completely out of the water before. Everyone that was out on their balconies at the time clapped and the whale then rewarded us by slapping its tail in the water no less than 2 dozen times. What a treat!!

[Cruise Raider]

Thanks for your review. I was on the Grand in December 2014, so a little over a year ago. Without reservation, it was my most disappointing Princess cruise as far as conditions are concerned. My cabin was in terrible condition. I saw a lot of poor conditions in other areas of the ship. OTOH, I loved the crew. Food and service were very good. I had a fun cruise because of the people I cruise with. I didn't have Dave Cole as a CD on that cruise, but he is one of my favorite Princess staff members. I'm a never say never person, but I don't see myself booking the Grand Princess again.

 

I think we are in 100% agreement -- Dec 2014 and Dec 2015 -- not many improvements. I read a review from someone that thought the staff was curt and unfriendly -- that totally surprised me. The condition of the ship is a lot less subjective, though. I only hope that our group of Alaska cruisers don't end up disappointed. I will probably have a blast as I am not expecting too much. :)

[MarcsSharon]

I agree with the fact that the Grand creaks and groans - we will not sail on this ship again.

[arctickitty]

thank you for your detailed review!

[pris993]

Did they play any salsa music to dance to? Do you dance Latin?

 

I believe so. Yes, I do not real good at it but it is fun.

[CruisinCadie]

Hi, Cruise Raider,

 

I just found your review. Thanks for all the details.

 

What's the deal on the ukulele concert? I play, but I'm not carting one of my ukes across country. But if they provide the instruments, I might give it a try.

 

Kathy

[Cruise Raider]

Hi, Cruise Raider,

 

I just found your review. Thanks for all the details.

 

What's the deal on the ukulele concert? I play, but I'm not carting one of my ukes across country. But if they provide the instruments, I might give it a try.

 

Kathy

 

They had them onboard as they just came from Hawaii on the cruise before ours. Who knows, they may still do this for our Alaskan cruise??

We were on the Golden and Star over to Hawaii ... they had lessons on both and provided the instruments.

I thought this little concert on the Grand was about the best yet. I would say they had about 60 people involved -- it was similar to the pop choir but in addition to learning the songs, they also played the Ukulele. This was held in the Piazza with crowds around the railing on the decks above. David Cole was in charge ... great cruise director and very talented musician and singer! He got the entire crowd signing along. He made that activity so much fun for everyone.

So, be sure to let them know of your interest in it when first boarding. Who knows, they may add it to the itinerary if they don't already have this planned for our cruise. I did see David Cole pop onto our thread when we weren't sure if our cruise last month was a go. The ship broke down in Hawaii and they couldn't fix it there but stated our cruise wouldn't be effected....and it wasn't. We all had concerns, though .... so he came onto our thread to let us know what was happening. Not sure who our CD will be for our Alaska itinerary but if we find our early, we can always request this type of activity ahead of time on these boards. Worth a try!

[judyjudy56]

We just got off the Grand on Saturday. Embarkation was a breeze. We arrived about 10:45 and were aboard by 11:45. We had a full suite which was great. The room was in pretty good shape except for the bed that was really saggy. We had a fabulous room steward. We found the ship to be in fairly good shape, a little worn in places but nothing that would keep us from sailing on her again. The staff for the most part was great. Armando in the coffee bar was horrible. Never smiled and really looked like he was not enjoying his job. We found the service in anytime dining to be about like most Princess ships. We did get really good drink service every time we dined there. The buffet food was just so so. A lot of really weird spiced food. There seemed to be a lot of Indian spiced items which is not our thing. There were never any shrimp and cocktail sauce in the nights we were there. That was a disappointment. The BBQ at the Trident Grill was just OK. What they called brisket tasted to us like corned beef and was pretty dry. The ribs were good. David Cole, the CD, had an amazing staff. There is one girl, I believe her name is Dee, who was fantastic. She is like the energizer bunny and very funny. There seemed to be a lot of activities going on which we enjoyed. The Motor City show was disappointing but we liked British Invasion. There were a couple of comedians who were pretty good. We ate in the Crown Grill twice and enjoyed it both times. We had a great server named Sherwin who was a hoot. He also does waitstaff service in the mornings for the coffee bar. We really got spoiled by the suite perks. We were offered an upsell for the suite and felt like we got every penny's worth of the cost. We did miss not having Skywalkers but that is not a deal breaker for us. It was very very rough on the way north for a few days but we don't get seasick so it was not a problem for us. We were very disappointed in Manzanillo and the excursion we took. The other ports were fine and we were lucky to have great weather. We live about 3 hours from San Francisco so it was an easy drive. We came the day before and enjoyed walking around the wharf. If your expectations are for a bright shiny new looking ship this may not be the ship for you.

[Kingofcool1947]

Hi, Cruise Raider,

 

I just found your review. Thanks for all the details.

 

What's the deal on the ukulele concert? I play, but I'm not carting one of my ukes across country. But if they provide the instruments, I might give it a try.

 

Kathy

 

There is an annual 7 day uke players cruise on Princess. In 2014 it was on an Alaska cruise from West Coast. Last year it was on a Caribbean cruise from Florida. This year, 2016, we sail from West Coast back to Alaska agsin.

 

Lots of fun, with daily uke lessons taught by two professional uke players, jam sessions, open mic, and daily gift prize drawings including a very nice high end uke as Grand Prize, uke strings, tuners, food baskets, etc. Special group dinners nightly in the MDR. Special group dinner at Sabatini's. A variety of skill levels from beginner to advanced, and all kiinds of music genres, and playing styles. Many in the group brougt more than one instrument to use/play. Also, to share other uke players interested in a particular uke model/brand. I,myself, brought a Magicfluke Flea soprano, and a Kala travel tenor. Easy to carry. ;)

 

Grand finale was one night toward the end of cruise we put on a uke concert in the Piazza.

Lots of fun fo ther uke group, and the pax I think enjoyed the variety of music played.

 

This year the uke group will be leaving from West Coast for 7 day cruise to Alaska again.

 

Enjoy your cruise. :)

Edited January 14, 2016 by Kingofcool1947

[CruisinCadie]

There is an annual 7 day uke players cruise on Princess. In 2014 it was on an Alaska cruise from West Coast. Last year it was on a Caribbean cruise from Florida. This year, 2016, we sail from West Coast back to Alaska agsin.

 

Lots of fun, with daily uke lessons taught by two professional uke players, jam sessions, open mic, and daily gift prize drawings including a very nice high end uke as Grand Prize, uke strings, tuners, food baskets, etc. Special group dinners nightly in the MDR. Special group dinner at Sabatini's. A variety of skill levels from beginner to advanced, and all kiinds of music genres, and playing styles. Many in the group brougt more than one instrument to use/play. Also, to share other uke players interested in a particular uke model/brand. I,myself, brought a Magicfluke Flea soprano, and a Kala travel tenor. Easy to carry. ;)

 

Grand finale was one night toward the end of cruise we put on a uke concert in the Piazza.

Lots of fun fo ther uke group, and the pax I think enjoyed the variety of music played.

 

This year the uke group will be leaving from West Coast for 7 day cruise to Alaska again.

 

Enjoy your cruise. :)

 

That sounds like a lot of fun. We've already booked a cruise this summer to Alaska, but I'd be interested for other years. How do I get more details?

 

I'd probably have to get a travel uke because we'd be coming from Ohio and I wouldn't trust either of my antique models on a plane, even in a carry-on.

 

Kathy

[Kingofcool1947]

That sounds like a lot of fun. We've already booked a cruise this summer to Alaska, but I'd be interested for other years. How do I get more details?

 

I'd probably have to get a travel uke because we'd be coming from Ohio and I wouldn't trust either of my antique models on a plane, even in a carry-on.

 

Kathy

 

Here's the info for this year's uke cruise to Alaska. I will probably take my Kamaka Pinapple this time.

 

http://www.cheemaisel.com/ukulele-cruise/

 

Enjoy your cruise. :)

Edited January 16, 2016 by Kingofcool1947

[pris993]

Did they play any salsa music to dance to? Do you dance Latin?

 

The group we liked was from Mexico City, they played a lot of traditional mexican music, some very fast like salsa... not sure it was true salsa.

 

My DH is a good latin music and dancer, I do my best. By the way he is 85. I will be 69. Lots of fun.

 

Saw many older folks dancing and enjoying themselves.

[pris993]

Just got off the Grand Saturday. Yes, she is getting a little tired, but the crew was great.

We had two very rough nights on the way back to San Francisco. I don't think we were rocking and rolling anymore on the Grand than we would have on any other ship. We had 17 foot waves at one time. I have been told that hearing the creaking on the ship is good as it is necessary for it to "give" a little.

I have been on 18 Princess Cruises. It was nice to be back on her, I probably will not go out of my way to sail on her again though.

WCC

 

What do you mean a little tired? I would cruise on the Grand any day... we have cruised on some newer ships on other lines, i.e., Celebrity and HAL... I think the Grand can hold her own against them.

 

We enjoyed the ship enough to book the New Years' cruise for next year. We actually did the first cruise on the Grand in l998, from Istanbul to Barcelona. Did a 7 day when ship first home ported in SF... to check the ship out, there were such mixed reviews. We book a mini suite forward... looked like carpets have been replaced -- even had the blue pads on the balcony back that some were complaining were missing. Some furniture, i.e, sofa in mini and some dining room chairs needed to be redone. We loved the mexican musicians on board, enjoyed the Crown Grill and the MDR... weather was fantastic... a bit rough coming back, after all it is winter.

[warthog2608]

Thanks for the great review, lots of information to compare and contrast. We did the same 10 on the Grand Dec 20-Dec 30. We live an hour from the pier and boarding in SF can't be beat. We liked it so much we are back on the Grand in March for a 7 day Calif Coastal. I'm hoping I can convince my wife to go on a cruise at least once a year out of SF.

I also noted many of the things you mentioned about the physical state of the ship. But I loved the ship, not our favorite but the overall experience was truly grand. Couldn't agree more about the excellent service.

We had a balcony on the Aloha deck, A309. Our room was excellent, everything worked great and never had any complaints about noise or fumes.

I going to search the forums hoping you posted some other ship reviews!

[Cruise Raider]

Thanks for the great review, lots of information to compare and contrast. We did the same 10 on the Grand Dec 20-Dec 30. We live an hour from the pier and boarding in SF can't be beat. We liked it so much we are back on the Grand in March for a 7 day Calif Coastal. I'm hoping I can convince my wife to go on a cruise at least once a year out of SF.

I also noted many of the things you mentioned about the physical state of the ship. But I loved the ship, not our favorite but the overall experience was truly grand. Couldn't agree more about the excellent service.

We had a balcony on the Aloha deck, A309. Our room was excellent, everything worked great and never had any complaints about noise or fumes.

I going to search the forums hoping you posted some other ship reviews!

 

So glad to hear you enjoyed it.

By the way, I do post a lot of reviews ... mostly in the review section of CC, rather than the forums. I think my favorite ship, and definitely my favorite cruises, have been on the Celebrity Infinity. She is an older ship but just one of my all time favorites! So, it is a toss up between her and the Equinox. It is always a treat to sail out of the City! I just saw a post noting a limited special and called in and was refared on our next Grand Princess cruise this summer. We saved a boatload x 2 ... cruise critic is just the best! I am always so happy to get a bargain!

[russbma]

May I ask what cabin you were in? It sounds like c752

[riclop]

Thanks for your review.

[RiahFly]

Thanks for the great review, lots of information to compare and contrast. We did the same 10 on the Grand Dec 20-Dec 30. We live an hour from the pier and boarding in SF can't be beat. We liked it so much we are back on the Grand in March for a 7 day Calif Coastal. I'm hoping I can convince my wife to go on a cruise at least once a year out of SF.

I also noted many of the things you mentioned about the physical state of the ship. But I loved the ship, not our favorite but the overall experience was truly grand. Couldn't agree more about the excellent service.

We had a balcony on the Aloha deck, A309. Our room was excellent, everything worked great and never had any complaints about noise or fumes.

I going to search the forums hoping you posted some other ship reviews!

 

 

We were on the same cruise in December! I wanted to go on the March cruise as well, but it didn't work out. I'm hoping to go in April.

 

The Grand was obviously not the most advanced ship I've been on, but still nice. It was my first Princess cruise. We live about an hour inland, depending on the traffic. I loved the convenience of not having to fly. There were a few things that were hit/miss. Some of the staff seemed overly tired and/or unhappy. Our room steward was amazing though! He seemed to come out of nowhere as soon as we opened our door!! Headwaiter Luis in the MDR was always a pleasure to see. I have food allergies and he always made sure I was ok. Overall, I would sail on the Grand again.

[Cruise Raider]

May I ask what cabin you were in? It sounds like c752

 

We were in C742, which was the furthest aft cabin but still on the port side of the ship ... rather than a true aft view.

[TriumphGuy]

Interesting and comprehensive review, thank you. We just booked a 15 day Hawaii cruise for April 2017 on the Grand. This will be our second cruise, having just completed a 10 Panama Canal cruise on Coral Princess.

I had heard Grand is scheduled for drydock in December 2016, hopefully she will get the new beds and freshening that are scheduled throughout the fleet. We had the new bed on Coral and it was very nice.

Coral Princess was a gorgeous ship and at least for now our benchmark, and I can only hope Grand will compare favorably to her after drydock.

[Cruise Raider]

Interesting and comprehensive review, thank you. We just booked a 15 day Hawaii cruise for April 2017 on the Grand. This will be our second cruise, having just completed a 10 Panama Canal cruise on Coral Princess.

I had heard Grand is scheduled for drydock in December 2016, hopefully she will get the new beds and freshening that are scheduled throughout the fleet. We had the new bed on Coral and it was very nice.

Coral Princess was a gorgeous ship and at least for now our benchmark, and I can only hope Grand will compare favorably to her after drydock.

 

Yes, I love the Coral but I am sure the Grand will be much improved after her impending dry dock in Dec 2016.

[warthog2608]

We were on the same cruise in December! I wanted to go on the March cruise as well, but it didn't work out. I'm hoping to go in April.

 

The Grand was obviously not the most advanced ship I've been on, but still nice. It was my first Princess cruise. We live about an hour inland, depending on the traffic. I loved the convenience of not having to fly. There were a few things that were hit/miss. Some of the staff seemed overly tired and/or unhappy. Our room steward was amazing though! He seemed to come out of nowhere as soon as we opened our door!! Headwaiter Luis in the MDR was always a pleasure to see. I have food allergies and he always made sure I was ok. Overall, I would sail on the Grand again.

 

Agree totally! Wonderful not to have to fly. Just had to mention how much we appreciated Luis as well! He was always helpful, even called another dining room and found us a table when the wait was too long. Sure hope he is still working on the Grand when we board on the 19th.