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Has anyone sailed on the Grand Princess recently?

elycelynne

By elycelynne,
in Princess Cruises

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Cruiser411

Cruiser411

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I saw that it's doing a 10-day Mexican Riviera itinerary next year that piqued my interest. Since it's an older ship (1995, I think), I was just wondering how well it's been kept up. Any recent reports?

 

 

We were onboard in August for an Alaska cruise. The ship was fine then, but she has since had a significant drydock in December. btw, she was built in 1998.

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justafem

justafem

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I was on the Grand 3 times in 2016 and have another scheduled for April this year. Ship showed some wear, but they all do after a couple of years.

 

Grand was in an extensive dry dock in Dec 2016, so I have to assume that the noticeable issues were attended to. And to be truthful, they were minor issues, like paint flaking, minor wear in carpeting, bits of rust etc. Her routine maintenance has been good, with no negligence.

 

Still my favorite (albeit ONLY) local cruise ship.

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pris993

pris993

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I saw that it's doing a 10-day Mexican Riviera itinerary next year that piqued my interest. Since it's an older ship (1995, I think), I was just wondering how well it's been kept up. Any recent reports?

 

YOu will read reviews that say there are problems... I can tell you I have been on this ship about 5 times in last 10 years, since it goes our my home port San Francisco. I was on it for New Year this year, the year before, booked for next January. I cruised on this ship when it was brand new, in l998... out of Istanbul... it is still in very good condition. The staff on board give excellent service too. We are elite on Princess... so have cruised Princess for years... we also cruise Cunard, Celebrity and HAL... the Grand can hold her own based on our cruise experiences.

 

 

There are a few leaks here and there... we always book a forward mini suite... never had any significant problems...

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partybarbie

partybarbie

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I was on the Grand last month. The ship was fine. Sabatini's received a complete remodel. There are new leather chairs in the One Five nightclub. The staterooms have the new beds. One of my favorite things is the brand new MUTS screen. The new production show, Born to Dance, is outstanding. No worries. :)

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ashley@cruisecritic

ashley@cruisecritic

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Did 10 days to Mexico out of SF in September. Great food, great service and great entertainment.

 

I was on the Grand last month. The ship was fine. Sabatini's received a complete remodel. There are new leather chairs in the One Five nightclub. The staterooms have the new beds. One of my favorite things is the brand new MUTS screen. The new production show, Born to Dance, is outstanding. No worries. :)

 

Just did the 10-night Mexico sailing from San Francisco last month. I agree completely with everything O2Bcrusin and partybarbie said. Born to Dance was fabulous and touching, and the magician they had onboard was phenomenal. The food was excellent. The biggest change from the refurb was the completely remodeled and rebranded kids' area, Camp Discovery. Sabatini's was also redone, and it's getting a brand-new menu in March.

 

Yes, the ship is showing wear in places, but it's minor and shouldn't at all impact your enjoyment of a cruise. The only gripe I had -- and it's structural so can't really be changed -- is that there isn't a full staircase at midship (where our cabin was), which meant we either had to wait several minutes for crowded and slow elevators to arrive or walk all the way forward or aft to use the stairs.

 

I'm not a huge fan of sea days, and I'm the type of person who always has to keep moving, so there were times when I was a little bored on this itinerary. That's completely subjective, though, and might not be an issue for you.

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