Grand Princess Review - My point of view -

[Harley0711]

Princess "Grand" review/opinion

We are veteran Princess travelers - we just completed our 23 Princess cruise and our 5 times on the Grand - We first sailed her back in December of 1999 for the New Years cruise - Great time - She was just over a year old. In 2017 we sailed on her in September (10 day to Alaska) & just got off her last week from a 15 day to Hawaii.

While WE did not really experience any problems in our cabin - the ship Did have issues 'again'

I want to say up front - This is Not a complaint post but an 'advisory' post so others will be informed. I Really wish Princess would take a close look at the Grand from a passengers point of view. While on the ship in Sept and again in December - while at the Captains Circle meeting it was announced that the Number of 'First time Princess cruises on board' was in the area of 1300 passengers - You know the old saying ' you only get One chance to make a First Impression' So many people work so hard to save $$ to go on a life time cruise only to board a 20 year old ship with issues - For us after 23 times on Princess and 5 times on the Grand - I cut them some slack and the crew works Very hard to keep us happy.

On both trips in 2017 we heard from Many passengers about plumbing issues. On the Sept trip the very large lighting fixture in the Princess theater came down (thank God the theater was 99% empty and No injures - theater was Closed for a few days then we were told NO projection shows + the Voice of the Ocean would be canceled. - not a huge deal for us but those 'First time passengers?' in December - large flood (broken water line) in the Starboard side Buffet area - that side was Closed for almost have of the cruise - creating a traffic jamb in the Port Buffet. They did open the MDR for breakfast and Lunch - making the staff work even harder - again, not a huge issue for us but for those 'first time cruisers?' again in December - talked to several guests whose showers and or Toilets overflowed and caused issues AND the staff kinda blamed them for the problem - First time passengers????

At our Dinning table we had chairs that the seat cushion was so worn out that I sunk down?? LOL - had to change the chair several times until my waiter made sure it 'Stayed' away from our table - I managed but if I were a first time cruiser - WTH??

again on the December trip the Princess theater had issues and the Voice of the Ocean was canceled and turned into 'Pop challenge and moved to the 'Explores lounge' Were Many of those seats were also so worn out that you Sunk down, lol

Short people could only see the back of the person in next table, lol

I met with the future cruise person about some of these issues and they said - write the company "about all she could say" I feel the 'Company' knows very well the condition of the Grand and its all business - they make More money at sea than in dry dock repair. Now for those of you that post that the Grand was just in Dry dock a while back - Yes she was ONLY for a repaint of the hull - re-do of Sabatinies and movement of the wedding chapel and engine maintenance.

The water issue and FLOOD in December in the Buffet was either a sprinkler line or some other water line - of course we will NEVER get a straight answer to any issue like that.

I am a 35 year retired Firefighter and I am Well versed in Fire Sprinkler systems (all can be some what different) The ships system is a wet system (like most) and IF a line is damaged or broken - the System has to be SHUT down to repair - now that means the SYSTEM is out of service - Pray there is not a fire - NO sprinklers. If has been my experience when there is a high life issue and a system was shut down - we had an engine on scene until it was back up and running. This is rare but it happens..

I Loved the meals (Fish) in the MDR - wife not so much - it was more miss than hit for her.

For the record - we ate in the Crown Grill on night and it was GREAT - as it should - costing $60 extra.

I have been very Proud of Princess and promote cruising all the time - However, here on the West Coast and especially in San Francisco - I am reluctant to recommend the Grand without First giving a little 'heads up'

For us - I do not see us cruising on the Grand anytime in the near future

There is so much money to be made by Princess out of SF - I just with they would retire the Grand and move in a newer ship but I do not see the upper management agreeing with me on this topic

One very nice area on the Grand - we stayed in a basic Balcony and the new beds were GREAT - Love that part

😪

[easyboy]

Appreciate your feedback.

 

 

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[huskerdan25]

Princess "Grand" review/opinion

We are veteran Princess travelers - we just completed our 23 Princess cruise and our 5 times on the Grand - We first sailed her back in December of 1999 for the New Years cruise - Great time - She was just over a year old. In 2017 we sailed on her in September (10 day to Alaska) & just got off her last week from a 15 day to Hawaii.

While WE did not really experience any problems in our cabin - the ship Did have issues 'again'

I want to say up front - This is Not a complaint post but an 'advisory' post so others will be informed. I Really wish Princess would take a close look at the Grand from a passengers point of view. While on the ship in Sept and again in December - while at the Captains Circle meeting it was announced that the Number of 'First time Princess cruises on board' was in the area of 1300 passengers - You know the old saying ' you only get One chance to make a First Impression' So many people work so hard to save $$ to go on a life time cruise only to board a 20 year old ship with issues - For us after 23 times on Princess and 5 times on the Grand - I cut them some slack and the crew works Very hard to keep us happy.

On both trips in 2017 we heard from Many passengers about plumbing issues. On the Sept trip the very large lighting fixture in the Princess theater came down (thank God the theater was 99% empty and No injures - theater was Closed for a few days then we were told NO projection shows + the Voice of the Ocean would be canceled. - not a huge deal for us but those 'First time passengers?' in December - large flood (broken water line) in the Starboard side Buffet area - that side was Closed for almost have of the cruise - creating a traffic jamb in the Port Buffet. They did open the MDR for breakfast and Lunch - making the staff work even harder - again, not a huge issue for us but for those 'first time cruisers?' again in December - talked to several guests whose showers and or Toilets overflowed and caused issues AND the staff kinda blamed them for the problem - First time passengers????

At our Dinning table we had chairs that the seat cushion was so worn out that I sunk down?? LOL - had to change the chair several times until my waiter made sure it 'Stayed' away from our table - I managed but if I were a first time cruiser - WTH??

again on the December trip the Princess theater had issues and the Voice of the Ocean was canceled and turned into 'Pop challenge and moved to the 'Explores lounge' Were Many of those seats were also so worn out that you Sunk down, lol

Short people could only see the back of the person in next table, lol

I met with the future cruise person about some of these issues and they said - write the company "about all she could say" I feel the 'Company' knows very well the condition of the Grand and its all business - they make More money at sea than in dry dock repair. Now for those of you that post that the Grand was just in Dry dock a while back - Yes she was ONLY for a repaint of the hull - re-do of Sabatinies and movement of the wedding chapel and engine maintenance.

The water issue and FLOOD in December in the Buffet was either a sprinkler line or some other water line - of course we will NEVER get a straight answer to any issue like that.

I am a 35 year retired Firefighter and I am Well versed in Fire Sprinkler systems (all can be some what different) The ships system is a wet system (like most) and IF a line is damaged or broken - the System has to be SHUT down to repair - now that means the SYSTEM is out of service - Pray there is not a fire - NO sprinklers. If has been my experience when there is a high life issue and a system was shut down - we had an engine on scene until it was back up and running. This is rare but it happens..

I Loved the meals (Fish) in the MDR - wife not so much - it was more miss than hit for her.

For the record - we ate in the Crown Grill on night and it was GREAT - as it should - costing $60 extra.

I have been very Proud of Princess and promote cruising all the time - However, here on the West Coast and especially in San Francisco - I am reluctant to recommend the Grand without First giving a little 'heads up'

For us - I do not see us cruising on the Grand anytime in the near future

There is so much money to be made by Princess out of SF - I just with they would retire the Grand and move in a newer ship but I do not see the upper management agreeing with me on this topic

One very nice area on the Grand - we stayed in a basic Balcony and the new beds were GREAT - Love that part

😪

This is very timely for us as we leave on the Grand on the 22nd to Hawaii. Frankly, I was hesitant to book this cruise because the Grand is getting old and our recent cruises have been on the newest ships (Regal and Reflection) and we absolutely loved both. I think the oldest ship we have been on was the Sapphire and that isn't all that old. But in the end, we decided that we really wanted to do Hawaii and we wanted to do it out of SF instead of LA. Additionally, having an Alfredo's was important to us as it is one of our favorite dining options.

 

Your review will help us to be prepared and we'll deal with whatever issues we may come upon. I'm pretty sure none of them will ruin this much anticipated cruise for us.

 

Again, thanks for your review.

[Harley0711]

This is very timely for us as we leave on the Grand on the 22nd to Hawaii. Frankly, I was hesitant to book this cruise because the Grand is getting old and our recent cruises have been on the newest ships (Regal and Reflection) and we absolutely loved both. I think the oldest ship we have been on was the Sapphire and that isn't all that old. But in the end, we decided that we really wanted to do Hawaii and we wanted to do it out of SF instead of LA. Additionally, having an Alfredo's was important to us as it is one of our favorite dining options.

 

Your review will help us to be prepared and we'll deal with whatever issues we may come upon. I'm pretty sure none of them will ruin this much anticipated cruise for us.

 

Again, thanks for your review.

 

We also love the Alfredo's - ate there most days, lol... Crew is Great and they had issues... We had Christmas and New Years - Look for those yellow straps.. Being a retired FF and there in Sept (14th) when I saw the yellow straps, I walked up to the top of the seats in the Princess theater after a show and talked to the staff - AFTER they learned I was THERE in sept - they said the straps were an additional safety task... One area I did not touch on - IF working - they NEW lights for all the shows are GREAT... Really add a nice touch... The port Buffet should have that NEW smell, lol... All NEW carpet from the flood,,,, the joke around the ship was that the Grand was trying out a new Water Feature in the Buffett, lol... for about two days, the rear stairs and elevators were closed - stairs were like a waterfall...

[MTJSR]

Not to preach, but having sailed four times on Princess to Hawaii, I would just settle in and have a good time. Let the crew fuss over maintenance issues since ships are massive maintenance projects anyway. We all know stuff happens!

 

These Hawaiian cruises from the west coast are awesome, so focus on that...My two cents!:halo:

[Daisyloo]

We sailed on the Grand about 5 years ago and had several issues that turned us off sailing on her again. There were multiple power outages in our area of the ship (aft) so we were in the dark several times, literally. The hall near our cabin had multiple leaks with buckets to collect water, and big fans to try and dry the carpets. And it was very smelly in that area - we had to hold our breath as we walked through it. We had 3 cabins in a row, and the beds in 2 of them were pretty bad, with saggy mattresses, but the third cabin had newer beds. We noticed furniture in a lot of the public spaces was worn and old looking. We still enjoyed our cruise, and have continued to cruise Princess, but The Grand is definitely low on our list of ships to choose from.

[Sacto Rick]

We've sailed on the Grand 4 times as we're near SF and there's no airlines to deal with. We did Thanksgiving 2017 on her and had a great time.

 

It is an old ship and has problems though. I think Princess sticks their oldest ships in the fleet in SF because they'll sell out no matter what ship they put there.

 

We're booked again for next Christmas/New Years Hawaii cruise. I had to really think about going again on the Grand but we did it anyway....

 

Why couldn't SF have gotten the Royal...? :loudcry:

[Keith1010]

Thank your for your review.

 

I am sentimental about the Grand as it was the first ship we sailed on Princess the year after it came out.

 

Keith

[MJSailors]

Very balanced review,with consideration for possible future passengers thinking of booking a cruise on the Grand.

Hearing about plumbing issues and flooding causes me to have concerns about resulting mold and mildew issues if wetness and dampness are not fully resolved.

Being an asthmatic,mold and mildew are triggers for a serious asthma attack.

Having this information about the Grand would cause me to not book any cruises on the ship.

It would be good business on Princess ‘s (Carnival Corp’s) part to sell or scrap the Grand Princess and build a new Grand with the same features of this class of ship. The full promenade deck and the Explorers’Lounge are very much missed by DH and me on the Regal Princess.

[Harley0711]

Not to preach, but having sailed four times on Princess to Hawaii, I would just settle in and have a good time. Let the crew fuss over maintenance issues since ships are massive maintenance projects anyway. We all know stuff happens!

 

These Hawaiian cruises from the west coast are awesome, so focus on that...My two cents!:halo:

 

I can agree with you - However, think about that first time or newer cruiser that saves all year or for years to have that cruise of a life time and pick the Grand - such a shame and I REALLY feel Princess should be ashamed - but will they listen.

Like stated,,, ship WILL sell out no matter what, but for how long...

 

those first impressions are so very important

[Drews_Cruise]

I agree that it was a pretty balanced and truthful review. I'm pretty loyal to Princess and love most of their ships and the service their employees provide. I agree about the Grand though. I have to say it was the worst experience we had on a ship to date, but didn't totally ruin our cruise. It takes a lot to ruin a cruise and we still had lots of enjoyment. (Especially the part where we got a significant amount of our money back after all of our troubles) If your booked on it, don't worry, it will be fine. A vacation is what you make of it.

[CI66774]

Thanks for your review!

[justafem]

We have only sailed from SanFran, no air, minimal travel and lets be honest, I just want to be on the ship. Which means I've only been on the Star and the Grand, so my experience is limited.

 

What I see, is that the grand is rarely full. On our Feb 16, 2018 date, it looks like about 1/3 of the ship is empty, but I don't know what kind of guarantees have sold. Cruise is less than 6 weeks away and although there was a serious price drop 3 weeks ago (that I got in on), the price when right back up and the prices have since been stable. Unless there's a LOT more guarantees, or a serious price cut, I don't think this sailing is going to fill.

 

Our Sept 23, 2017 cruise has been sold out for over a year and a half, but it's a completely new itinerary, going north, but the next sailing in Oct, for the same route seems at least 1/3 empty. The price of the second date is almost 50% higher than the first though, which does contribute to the lower fill rate.

 

The first time I cruised was on the Star on a 15 day Hawaiian and even with the complaints of being older, I was still thoroughly impressed. Mostly because I didn't think a poor farm girl from ND could ever dream of cruising. Since then, we've done multiple cruises all on the grand after the star was moved.

 

I like the grand, she's got a WOW factor when you first see the staircase. Rooms are better laid out than on the star and it feels like the public areas are open. I personally like more floor space and less closet, but that's my preference.

 

I LOVE the window suites when we travel with more than 2 people, 4 people in a WS is cheaper than 2 insides with all the suite perks.

 

Don't get me wrong, I'll continue to sail whatever ship leaves SanFran even if I have to row!

[Josie2]

Thanks for your review. We did the Hawaii cruise on the Grand in November, so I know what you mean. We are returning to the Grand in March for the Mexican riviera so we know what to expect. She’s old and has issues. Did you see the duct tape around the ladder in the aft pool. [emoji47]Your comments though about first time cruisers are bang on!

 

Also I did read the Grand is being sold in 2019.

 

 

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[PoohUnderstands]

If the Grand is being sold in 2019, then our cruise may be one of the last on her. The price is right and we booked one of those Window Suites that I wish more of Princess' ships had! Our cruise is in March, 2019. I knew going in it would be an older ship (my daughter sailed on her in January, 1999, on her honeymoon!!) with some unique problems, but just going to get away and try a WS before they are no more. I do hope we don't have a flood or bathroom problems though! Older furniture is to be expected. So it will be interesting to hear about the good ole Grand a year from now!

 

Pooh

[Host CJSKIDS]

Thanks for your review. The Grand was our first cruise on Princess. We had only cruised Disney and I was worried about trying a new line but it gout us hooked. Sorry to hear that it has such challenges.

 

Hope you still had some enjoyable moments.

[Anubi]

Thanks for your review. We did the Hawaii cruise on the Grand in November, so I know what you mean. We are returning to the Grand in March for the Mexican riviera so we know what to expect. She’s old and has issues. Did you see the duct tape around the ladder in the aft pool. [emoji47]Your comments though about first time cruisers are bang on!

 

Also I did read the Grand is being sold in 2019.

 

 

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The Grand is going into drydock in March 2019 for 17 days. Do you think that Princess would do that extensive a drydock just to sell it shortly afterward?

[Harley0711]

The Grand is going into drydock in March 2019 for 17 days. Do you think that Princess would do that extensive a drydock just to sell it shortly afterward?

 

 

 

 

17 days ONLY. - minor tune up

 

 

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[Redhaven]

Not to preach, but having sailed four times on Princess to Hawaii, I would just settle in and have a good time. Let the crew fuss over maintenance issues since ships are massive maintenance projects anyway. We all know stuff happens!

 

These Hawaiian cruises from the west coast are awesome, so focus on that...My two cents!:halo:

 

Totally agree. We just got back from the Grand to HI from San Francisco and couldn't agree more. We had no issues and will be back on the ship next December, assuming it is still in the fleet.

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[Cruise Raider]

I agree with the OP 100%! To date, she is my least favorite ship on which I have sailed ... but, that opinion is based only on the ship itself. The crew is fantastic and I call it the 'ship of yes'. But, like the OP said, if it were my first time out on a cruise (we have 50+ under our belts, 2 dozen of which have been on Princess), I would wonder if this is the type of vacation I would choose in the future.

 

But, you know, we do love cruises that start and end in our own backyard so have two more cruises booked on her. I was so excited to hear the Royal was coming out to the West Coast so booked one on her for 2019 but sad we couldn't have her come and take over in San Francisco. I, for one, won't be saddened when Princess finally sells off the Grand... just be sure to keep that fabulous crew and staff on a ship that sails in and out of SF ... PLEASE!!

[Micahs Grandad]

We will be doing our first cruise on the Grand in just over two weeks.

 

The other Princess ships we have sailed on have been in great shape so should be interesting.

[Clarea]

Thank-you for your report/review.

[Harley0711]

We will be doing our first cruise on the Grand in just over two weeks.

 

 

 

The other Princess ships we have sailed on have been in great shape so should be interesting.

 

 

 

Have fun - report back

 

 

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[warthog2608]

We’ve done 3 cruises on the Grand, only one of which had a minor maintenance issue. A pipe was leaking in the hallway ceiling outside our cabin so we had to dodge equipment and crew for a couple days. Didn’t bother us. We love the Grand with its full promenade and best crew of the fleet. IMHO. It is great not having to fly anywhere to get to the ship.

 

 

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