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

[Napagirl]

Thank you for your review! We're sailing her for the first time this April. For me, the service and fun things to do is everything. I can get past some rust and tired decor/furniture. So I'm quite relieved!

 

If there is ballroom dancing, I'm going to be over the moon - but in search of a partner. My daughter and I attend Victorian style ballroom dances, but my husband doesn't do them.

 

So glad to hear the music is good! I'm a musician myself, so I always appreciate live music. My husband and I spend a huge part of our time listening to live music on the cruise. With me dancing solo. lol

 

This will be our first time sailing from SF, which is only a short ferry ride away from us.

[Cruise Raider]

Thank you for your review! We're sailing her for the first time this April. For me, the service and fun things to do is everything. I can get past some rust and tired decor/furniture. So I'm quite relieved!

 

If there is ballroom dancing, I'm going to be over the moon - but in search of a partner. My daughter and I attend Victorian style ballroom dances, but my husband doesn't do them.

 

So glad to hear the music is good! I'm a musician myself, so I always appreciate live music. My husband and I spend a huge part of our time listening to live music on the cruise. With me dancing solo. lol

 

This will be our first time sailing from SF, which is only a short ferry ride away from us.

 

Awesome....be sure to check back and let us know of all of the highpoints of your trip.

I agree with you on the service and the activities being key to a successful cruise vacation. Enjoy!!

 

PS -- there was a group that played everything from Waltzes to Pop. They were extremely popular as they were not only versatile but excellent musicians.

Edited March 3, 2016 by Cruise Raider

[notentirelynormal]

Thanks for the great review.

 

We will not sail the Grand again either. :(

 

Colo, what didn't you like about the Grand? I sailed on her many moons ago and am looking at maybe an Alaskan sailing next year with the 4 grand kids.

[Napagirl]

Awesome....be sure to check back and let us know of all of the highpoints of your trip.

I agree with you on the service and the activities being key to a successful cruise vacation. Enjoy!!

 

PS -- there was a group that played everything from Waltzes to Pop. They were extremely popular as they were not only versatile but excellent musicians.

 

I will do that! And really hoping that same band is on our cruise!!!

[cruisequeen4ever]

It's funny you mentioned feeling more movement on the Grand because we noted the same thing on our Grand cruise last summer. The ship had a minor list almost the whole cruise. You provided a very thorough depiction of your cruise.

 

 

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[Cruise Raider]

It's funny you mentioned feeling more movement on the Grand because we noted the same thing on our Grand cruise last summer. The ship had a minor list almost the whole cruise. You provided a very thorough depiction of your cruise.

 

 

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Thanks cruisequeen4ever! It felt kind of like this ... shake, shake, shake and boom!! Repeat! I swear, I almost slid right out of bed a few of the nights. I was coming out of the bathroom one morning and down I went ... I don't even fall all that easily but met the floor with some force. I was covered with bruises and horrendous bug bites (most likely from the ports and not the ship) ... must have been quite the sight to see. We were way in the back of the ship, so that might have contributed to feeling the movement a lot more.

[RiahFly]

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.

 

You'll have to let me know if Luis is still there. We'll be back on the Grand in April and I'm hoping he'll be there then. I don't know how many times they change ships though. If he is, will you please ask him if he'll be there in April? I almost went on the March 19th cruise, but it didn't work out. Bon voyage!

 

~Kate

[warthog2608]

You'll have to let me know if Luis is still there. We'll be back on the Grand in April and I'm hoping he'll be there then. I don't know how many times they change ships though. If he is, will you please ask him if he'll be there in April? I almost went on the March 19th cruise, but it didn't work out. Bon voyage!

 

 

 

~Kate

 

 

Luis is onboard and I asked him about April. He said April 24 is his last day on the Grand.

 

 

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[RiahFly]

Luis is onboard and I asked him about April. He said April 24 is his last day on the Grand.

 

 

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He is getting off the ship on the 24th, or the 24th is the start of his last cruise? I'll be so sad to miss him! He probably won't remember me, but tell him the lady who is allergic to onions says hi :p It's so sad because I almost went on the cruise you're on now. Oh well, I'm sure someone else will be just as diligent. Thanks for asking him :)

[Clarea]

Thanks for taking the time to post such a comprehensive review.:)

[warthog2608]

The Grand is showing her age a bit on this trip. Got this message last night and this morning we are trapped in our room while maintenance is repairing the ceiling.

 

 

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[Mary RM]

LOVE the Grand Princess ---Will be on her 4/2/16 our fourth time on her. Will be on her next year 4/8/16. LOVE the Crew. They are the Best. Love going out of San Francisco, Mary RM

[warthog2608]

LOVE the Grand Princess ---Will be on her 4/2/16 our fourth time on her. Will be on her next year 4/8/16. LOVE the Crew. They are the Best. Love going out of San Francisco, Mary RM

 

 

Agree! This is our second time on the Grand and sailing out of SF is wonderful. I'd like to start doing a couple cruises a year on the Grand. The minor maintenance issues dont bother me. Hope I didnt give the wrong impression reporting those.

 

 

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[crochetcruise]

Below is a copy of my very long review of the Grand Princess for our December cruise. Please feel free to post any questions you may have. I would be more than happy to answer them if I can. Please note these are my opinions only -- I provided this cruise with an overall 3 out of 5 stars.

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We are a retired couple in our mid-fifties, early sixties that cruise often. This was our 20th cruise on Princess and our 48th cruise overall. We live in the Bay Area, much like a great majority of the others on this particular sailing.

 

EMBARKATION: Travel across the Bay Bridge to the pier in San Francisco was quick and easy in the late morning. Upon embarkation, we got in line inside the terminal and waited only a short period of time to get through the security line.

 

We took a couple of bottles of wine onboard, thus we were asked to join the short line to have these checked at another small table within the security area. This was also accomplished quickly and were in the preferred check in line in no time at all. Check in was also quick and efficient with the clerk being knowledgeable and friendly. After we were checked in, we were directed to the boarding area. The entire security and check in process only took about 20 minutes total followed by elite passenger embarkation that started just prior to noon.

 

We only took carry on luggage so unpacked quickly as soon as we boarded. We booked a cabin on the very aft of the port side on the Caribe deck and most everything looked to be ok. Our room steward greeted us shortly after we boarded and asked if there was anything else we needed. We headed down to the embarkation lunch in the main dining room. Oftentimes, the embarkation lunch in the main dining room is discouraged but we were greeted by a friendly host that seated us at a shared table for six without question.

 

We toured the ship a bit after lunch and soon it was time for the muster drill. Our station was in the Vista Lounge and noticed that all check in machines were functioning properly (unlike our drill on our last Princess cruise). The presentation started and ended on time so we were quickly back in our cabin to return our life jackets and start the cruise.

 

Because it started pouring outside, the sail away party was held in the centrum / piazza area by the cruise activities staff. We did not attend but noticed the hallways were very quiet throughout the remainder of the day. The sail away was delayed by a little over an hour and the captain came over the PA to notify us of the delay as well the sea conditions as we were leaving the Port of SF. We were warned that it would be rough sailing out and that was no lie. The halls were empty and there was a lot of creaks and knocks throughout the rather empty hallways. That night (and a few others) were so rough that it almost knocked us out of bed throughout the night and being in the very aft of the ship, lots of shaking of the cabin. I got many bruises from running into the handrail in the hallways so often. While there were not a lot of white caps during this cruise, the swells must have caused this type of movement which I liken to bouncing around in the ocean. Someone mentioned that the stability of the ship was affected when they removed Skywalkers but don't know if that is the case. I can only honestly say that is the least stable ship on which I have sailed. I've sailed on this itinerary many times before and in December before and this was worse than all the other times, possibly some of which was due to my cabin choice.

 

SHIP INFORMATION: I think the Grand is one of the older Princess ships in the fleet. Whereas we've sailed on several other ships, this would be my least favorite of all. The ship itself had some of what I would consider major design flaws, including the ventilation system, location of the casino, a lack of a central staircase leading to the passenger decks and did not feel very stable in the open ocean compared to other ships on which I have sailed in much rougher sea conditions. The whole ship creaked, knocked and shook quite a bit as already mentioned.

 

There were also some obvious maintenance issues and just an overall old and tired feeling in some of the public areas and at the very least, in our stateroom. The balcony edges, as well as the pipes and braces used to hold the pipes to the structure were broken, dented and/or rusted. There was a lot of paint dripped down onto the blue matting they use on the balcony with a lot of debris stuck within the small openings. This, in addition to the rust and railing dents, made the balcony way less appealing as it just felt filthy. It did appear that the above balconies were washed and ours caught the debris. The carpet near the balcony door was not secured so lifted up at the edges, the door itself would stick terribly on the tracks so it was nearly impossible to close the door all the way and our shower temperature control was broken. The latter two problems were fixed immediately upon reporting them and a follow up message was left on the phone to make sure they were fixed to our satisfaction, which they were. This was most appreciated!! Of note, the dial broke again on the last morning of the cruise so no hot water for our shower, whereas before it was fixed the first time, it was either burning hot or scalding hot. Our mini-fridge was not in working condition at first and had no cooler dial but seemed to work a bit better later during the cruise. Our room steward filled an additional ice bucket for us every day to keep our mini bar items chilled. He did this without our request so again, this was most appreciated.

 

Everything else was ok in our stateroom except for the sheets that were stained by the feet, that we hadn't noticed until later in the cruise. They weren't our stains, so this should never ever happen. One of the robes we also requested was quite stained, again, not our stains. They were laundered so not fresh stains but these should have never made it up to the passenger decks as such. The towels that were provided were fresh and clean each and every day.

 

There were several areas onboard that needed maintenance, such as the carpeting on the aft stairwell, the couches in the Wheelhouse Bar as well as some at the One5 and the ones outside the Explorers Lounge, some seats in the theater and the hot tubs throughout the ship. As mentioned, there were pipes that were supposed to be braced up against the structure of the ship but those had all broken free due to rust and painted over and rusted right through the coats of paint. So much rust down the length of the ship as far as the eye could see.

 

Some of the interior areas of the ship were extremely drafty and cold, including some parts of the main dining room and in the casino. Numerous passengers complained but they couldn't turn the air conditioning down or the whole ship would be affected.

 

The smoke from the casino oftentimes poured out into the surrounding areas such as by the purser's desk and at one of the entrances to the casino. One passenger was heard complaining as he booked a window suite and was plagued by the smell of smoke in his room. Unfortunately, they could do nothing for him as the ship was full. Lesson learned as I could also smell a strong odor of smoke while at the front desk tending to my paperwork.

 

The dining areas, including the Crown Grill, the MDRs, the International Café, Vines, Alfredos, the buffet and outdoor grill / pizza bar were all in good condition and looked well maintained. I especially loved the area in which they tucked the library.

 

The Internet Café was ok, but many of the stations had no computers -- so looks as though half of the stations were empty and there were oftentimes lines waiting to use one of the available PCs. The internet was slow but not the worst -- it did kick me off once and logged me onto some other account when I logged back in. I reported it but the staff member said he had not heard of this before. Not wanting to even risk using someone else's minutes, I logged completely out of that PC and logged onto another one under my own log in.

 

I loved the area in the shade just above the back pool. It was furnished with comfy outdoor furniture -- great place to sit and read a book or just relax. It was very underutilized in my opinion.

 

The wine cellars is tucked into a nice little corner and beautifully appointed but also underutilized.

 

SERVICE: Now, this is where this ship excelled -- the staff and crew. We had amongst the best service ever and always with a smile.

 

Our room steward was fabulous, seemed to anticipate our every need. He would drop everything to let us into our room if we were carrying plates or coffee back to our room. He should have never be put in the position of having stained sheets / robes for the passenger cabins, so do not fault him for this. He was never intrusive and just did an overall excellent job....one of the best we've had. He also reported those problems mentioned above to his supervisor and maintenance ... which were remedied quickly.

 

Bar service in both the Wheelhouse Bar, Crooners, the casino and the One5 were exceptional. We were never left thirsty wherever we went.

 

The service at the pub lunch in the Crown Grill, in the Main Dining Rooms, Alfredos, the International Café, the Trident Grill and the buffet was never anything but perfect. I was so impressed by their new service at the buffet, especially in the morning hours. They bring your egg order to your table to you (piping hot by the way) instead of you waiting in the food service area to reduce congestion. It really is one of the best improvements that could have been made on Princess. There were always plenty of waiters to make sure your coffee was filled and that you got juice with your breakfast. In the evening, the chef would do most everything possible to make sure he would provide something to your liking.

 

The only question I would have is why there were no turkey products available throughout the ship during the morning hours. Sometimes, they would offer me a special order of turkey sausage in the buffet but couldn't do it in the main dining room. They only had pork sausage and bacon available and this wasn't so on the Star Princess last month. Also, service was fabulous in Alfredos but would have liked to have a Caesar salad option available as well. The International Café staff was great and seemed to go above and beyond to make sure their patrons were happy and satisfied. The coffee bar oftentimes had long lines but somebody would come by to see if brewed coffee was requested to alleviate having to stand in line.

 

The maitre'D in the main dining room was also fabulous, as were the waiters and waitresses.

 

Room service was always quick and our order was always accurate. Very friendly room service staff onboard.

 

The front desk, photography and boutique staff was knowledgeable, friendly and efficient....just excellent all the way around. We started referring to the entire staff as the staff of 'yes' as we rarely heard the word 'no'. Even the pool attendants were friendly and attentive and were always busy cleaning something.

 

ACIVITIES AND ENTERTAINMENT: The cruise director and activities staff were energetic and talented. They organized a very fun deck party as well as entertainment in the Piazza. We missed some of the shows as they conflicted with our dinner schedule but did see the comedians and enjoyed those shows immensely. We have noticed they no longer schedule any hypnotist shows and always enjoyed those. We wish they would bring those back. For trivia lovers, this would be your trip -- seemed like they were held several times per day. They did get a little too intense for us as the groups were a bit too competitive, so we stopped going after a few times. Bingo and line dancing classes were also offered but we didn't attend those either but they both looked very popular.

 

There were also drawings and contests throughout the cruise adding to the fun. If there were lectures offered, we missed those.

 

What is nice, is there is an app that can be used to check on the activities for the day as well as an area to check your bill from your own device without using any internet minutes. NICE touch, Princess.

 

The bands throughout the ship, the piano player at Crooners and guitar player/singer offered a variety of music throughout the ship. We particularly liked the band that oftentimes played at the Wheelhouse bar. They did a great variety of music just for listening or for dancing.

 

The wine tasting was fun although they no longer provide one of those cute little shot glasses with it. This was certainly not a deal breaker for us.

 

The captain's club event was nice but the drinks they served were just ok. The white wine they served had actually turned a bit. I didn't think it was drinkable. The red wine was ok.

 

DINING: Beyond the excellent service, the food was anywhere from ok to excellent. Options for those that don't eat red meat were not as plentiful as on other cruises we've sailed on but did manage to find something somewhere onboard; sometimes better than other times. The pizza up on the pool deck was very good, maybe even better than that in Alfredos. The Trident Grill now has cooked chicken available rather than having you wait 10-15 minutes for this option. Additional items such as ribs, onion rings, chicken wings, etc are available after 6 PM for a casual style dinner. The items at the International Café are also very good for a small snack and we never found it hard to find a seat to enjoy it.

 

CABIN REVIEW: Our cabin was all the way aft on the Caribe deck. There was an extra little area on the balcony but not used. The balcony furniture was adequate but the balcony was rather unappealing as described above. The room was average with a couple of malfunctions that were quickly remedied. This was not a great room choice for an unstable ship. The curtains blocked out the light very well furniture was in good condition. The bed was ok but could have been softer, a pillow top was added to make it more comfortable. The tv worked well with a nice clear picture. There were plenty of drawers and shelves for storage. The closet is about half the size of the other Grand and Crown class ships but definitely adequate. The bathroom tiles and sink were in good condition and the air conditioning system worked well no noisy fans. We could feel the walls shake from slamming doors of surrounding cabins but otherwise was a quiet location.

 

ADDENDUM: While I forgot to add this to my original review, whomever is in charge of the public restrooms might take another look. The upkeep and monitoring was not at all apparent....certainly not a bragging point for Princess.

 

PORTS OF CALL: Since we only took one tour from Princess, this is the only one in which I will go in depth. We took the Cuyutlan Turtle Sanctuary and Salt Museum tour. This was definitely one of the best tours we've ever taken and was well worth our time and money while visiting Manzanillo. Our bus was air conditioned and quite comfortable with a tour guide that spoke English well. The turtle sanctuary was, of course, the highlight and we were lucky enough to each release our own recently hatched turtle into the ocean. The salt museum was interesting to us, but not so much by others. We finished the day with a fabulous lunch in a local restaurant, complete with frosty beers. An excellent day all the way around. We had time to tour the pier area which is now located down by the sailfish statue instead of by the container port so this was a plus.

 

We took a tour off the ship in Puerto Vallarta which was just ok but was then highlighted with a stop at the Tequila distillery in the Mismaloya area that was fantastic. We stopped for a bucket of beers inside the terminal area ... they were ice cold and so appreciated and had very friendly service there.

 

We only got off to go to the little shops in the pier area in Mazatlán to pick up some hydrocortisone cream to stop the itch from some bug bites I got in either Puerto Vallarta or Manzanillo and then headed back onboard. There were 4 ships in town that day so extremely crowded and chaotic.

 

We stayed onboard while in Cabo and enjoyed what we thought would be the solitude of an empty ship. There were a lot of people that had the very same idea so not exactly quiet but was very enjoyable, nonetheless. While sailing from Cabo back towards San Francisco, we were on the balcony to get some great shots of the sunset. The captain came over the PA to announce our position and that we might see some whales. No sooner did he say that did a whale completely breech right off the aft port side of the ship. It then continued the show by slapping it's tail in the water at least 2 dozen times. It looked to be having quite a lot of fun providing us with quite the show. That was probably the best whale watching tour we've been on ... and all just off the side of the ship.

 

DISEMBARKATION: One of the most organized disembarkations that I've experienced. Our ride was available a bit earlier than thought but were given an earlier walk off disembarkation that morning and were disembarked within minutes of our scheduled time. Well done, Princess!

 

SUMMARY: Overall, the cruise was pretty good and we met some very nice people onboard and had some of the best service ever. Although this was my first cruise on the Grand, this ship is my least favorite in the Princess fleet and will most likely cancel one of two future cruises I have booked on her. If the service weren't so great, I would probably cancel both. I usually try to sail in the first couple of weeks in December as our schedule is flexible and pricing is good. I do hope that Princess swaps out one of her newer ships to be home based in San Francisco in the very near future and hope to get such a great staff and staff onboard.

 

THANK YOU! I had read on an earlier post from another cruiser, that it is possible to check the Patter and your folio without using Internet minutes. My understanding of this is-I can check the Patter and my folio balance using my laptop-I do not have a Smartphone, I am Legally Blind so struggle with sending text messages-usually some WILD spelling!:D I will also do a review of my cruise, and will have the laptop with me to create this in a Word Document.

[caribill]

THANK YOU! My understanding of this is-I can check the Patter and my folio balance using my laptop.

 

Correct.

 

Of course, especially if you are doing this in your cabin, you can read the printed Patter.

 

And you can always get a folio printout from the kiosks nears the Purser's desk.

[rocklinmom]

Warthog2608, what cabin are you in? Wondering what part of the Grand is having water and ceiling/leak issues... since we will be on her soon.

[sueandkent]

Agree! This is our second time on the Grand and sailing out of SF is wonderful. I'd like to start doing a couple cruises a year on the Grand. The minor maintenance issues dont bother me. Hope I didnt give the wrong impression reporting those.

 

 

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And I was on her last fall and would not book a cruise again on that ship. Usually the ship doesn't matter that much to me but I would bypass any cruise that was on the Grand. I also had an aft cabin and the vibration was the worst of any ship I've ever been on.

[warthog2608]

Warthog2608, what cabin are you in? Wondering what part of the Grand is having water and ceiling/leak issues... since we will be on her soon.

 

 

We were in D504, a mini-suite. They replaced a long section of pipe and had plastic along the whole 500 section. Also noticed a lot of creaking and groaning on the lower decks during the trip back up north. Had a great time on the cruise though and looking forward to sailing on the Grand again. Right now we are in the parking lot waiting for our ride watching all the lucky people arriving.

 

 

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[rocklinmom]

Thank you warthog! We will be in the D600 minisuites so hopefully the problem doesn't spread to that section too. Or if so, before our cruise so it can be fixed ahead of time. It wouldn't ruin our cruise but would definitely damper it a bit.

[sassyredhat]

We recently booked the Grand to Alaska for Sept 2017.

Did I read there will be a DRY dock in 2016 ?

(We booked the port corner aft on Caribe.)

 

There were some issues on our last Ruby cruise, so hoping for a better outcome on the Grand. Hey any cruise is better than none. :D

 

 

Patti

[Cruise Raider]

We recently booked the Grand to Alaska for Sept 2017.

Did I read there will be a DRY dock in 2016 ?

(We booked the port corner aft on Caribe.)

 

There were some issues on our last Ruby cruise, so hoping for a better outcome on the Grand. Hey any cruise is better than none. :D

 

 

Patti

 

Yes, she is scheduled for dry dock in Dec 2016 so hopefully will be in good shape when you sail on her the following year.

We were also in the far corner aft on the Caribe deck ... bet you will have the same room as we did ... I think.

[sassyredhat]

Thanks...

We probably do have the same one. I wrote corner aft because I couldn't remember the number offhand. :p

 

Patti

[Cruise Raider]

Thanks...

We probably do have the same one. I wrote corner aft because I couldn't remember the number offhand. :p

 

Patti

 

As I recall, we were in C742.