Grand Princess 24 Knot Nonstop Repositioning Voyage

[NavArch64]

New West Coast itineraries posted today show Grand Princess in San Pedro on 12/5/21. Existing European itineraries show Grand Princess in Southampton on 11/22/21. Required WB T/A and P/C NB via Panama Canal would require "nominal" 24 knot nonstop voyage to meet 13 day transit. Obviously, this can not be accomplished ... did someone in Santa Clarita miss something?

 

 

Voyage Data

Distance	7525 nautical miles VIA Panama Canal
Vessel speed	24 knots
Time	13 days 02 hours

Edited July 8, 2020 by NavArch64
info

[Essiesmom]

Hmmm...It took me awhile to figure out that WC meant West Coast, not World Cruise.  EM

[NavArch64]

Princess just canceled the 11/8/21 and 11/15/21 sailings of Grand Princess from Southampton. This removes the deployment inconsistencies referred to in my earlier post.

[cr8tiv1]

I am so bummed about this change from the Grand to the Regal. I loved the way they spun this news to make it sound like its the best thing since sliced bread.  I also just checked and do not see any Panama Canal Transit on the Grand.  It will be most interesting to see what their plans for the Grand Princess really are.

[2beaglesmom]

I am so bummed about this change from the Grand to the Regal. I loved the way they spun this news to make it sound like its the best thing since sliced bread.  I also just checked and do not see any Panama Canal Transit on the Grand.  It will be most interesting to see what their plans for the Grand Princess really are.

Perhaps the Grand has been sold?


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[aimee0715]

21 minutes ago, 2beaglesmom said:

Perhaps the Grand has been sold?


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I hope not!  I love Grand Princess. I have been so nervous about her fate.   I was hoping to be able to sail on her again.  

[Rick&Jeannie]

Have yet to sail on the Grand...how does it compare to the Pacific Princess?

[john_galt]

The Grand is the only Princess ship I have sailed twice (2003 and 2012). I loved the size. We have our eye on the 4-day out of Southampton on April 30. Probably overly optimistic but fingers-crossed. I'm afraid the Grand and the Pacific may not be around much longer. 

[snoozecrooze]

43 minutes ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

Have yet to sail on the Grand...how does it compare to the Pacific Princess?

If you really desire the Pacific's vibe, Sun or Sea would be a great segue into something larger than that. But among Princess' larger vessels, Grand will be the closest you can get to the "smaller" vibe, especially with Golden and Star going by the wayside by the end of 2021. Grand is far more crowded than Pacific but far less crowded than her sister ships due to one less deck of cabins and a very similar arrangement and capacity of public spaces. It also comes with convenient promenade access and separate pools (inside/outside). In my opinion, Grand should suit just fine if Pacific fits your preferences well.

 

27 minutes ago, john_galt said:

I'm afraid the Grand and the Pacific may not be around much longer. 

Since Princess invested so much into installing Medallion onto Grand, I would think Grand won't leave until much later this decade, so I feel that reassures me about its fate. I do agree about Pacific's worries, though, if Carnival Corp. keeps its trend towards large.

 

Also I don't think Grand will even be moving from Singapore to Southampton at all, so I'm afraid all Southampton sailings on Grand will be canceled and be replaced by Regal.

Edited July 8, 2020 by snoozecrooze

[cr8tiv1]

Princess just released 2021-22 itineraries for the Grand Princess.  I am booked on the Grand/Regal from South Hampton.  Disappointed with the change.  Not sure what I am going to do.  I just read that Princess is offering a $15 good will getter if you will jump ship on another ship exchange.  

 

But I am also booked on the Grand with a back to back in 2022.  

 

I understand that Princess is playing musical chairs with their ships, but wouldn't you think they would make up a schedule before publishing  one for booking?  Not a good business model Princess.

[TeaBag]

7 hours ago, 2beaglesmom said:

Perhaps the Grand has been sold?


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We are booked for Mar 23 to Apr 20 and always thought it would be COVID problems that would prevent this sailing.  i hope the transfer to Regal will be after this.

BTW we love Beagles also and the one in my avatar is #6.  There's no other kind of dog!  haha.

[2beaglesmom]

We are booked for Mar 23 to Apr 20 and always thought it would be COVID problems that would prevent this sailing.  i hope the transfer to Regal will be after this.
BTW we love Beagles also and the one in my avatar is #6.  There's no other kind of dog!  haha.

We have been on the Grand twice and love that ship We also like the bigger ships like majestic and regal just to be sailing again would be heaven Beagles are the sweetest little guys We have one chubby beagle and one thinner one Lucy & Molly are the best


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[Essiesmom]

8 hours ago, snoozecrooze said:

If you really desire the Pacific's vibe, Sun or Sea would be a great segue into something larger than that. But among Princess' larger vessels, Grand will be the closest you can get to the "smaller" vibe, especially with Golden and Star going by the wayside by the end of 2021. Grand is far more crowded than Pacific but far less crowded than her sister ships due to one less deck of cabins and a very similar arrangement and capacity of public spaces. It also comes with convenient promenade access and separate pools (inside/outside). In my opinion, Grand should suit just fine if Pacific fits your preferences well.

 

Since Princess invested so much into installing Medallion onto Grand, I would think Grand won't leave until much later this decade, so I feel that reassures me about its fate. I do agree about Pacific's worries, though, if Carnival Corp. keeps its trend towards large.

 

Also I don't think Grand will even be moving from Singapore to Southampton at all, so I'm afraid all Southampton sailings on Grand will be canceled and be replaced by Regal.

This is not quite true.  Grand has 17 decks, same number as Golden, Star, Diamond & Sapphire.  It isn't until Caribbean/Crown/Emerald/Ruby that you get the extra deck of cabins.  EM

[caribill]

The official announcement

 

Princess Cruises Announces Deployment Changes in Alaska and Europe for Summer 2021

New Summer Homeport Sailings from Los Angeles

 

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (July 8, 2020) – Princess Cruises announced today changes to its deployment in Alaska and Europe for summer 2021 with Majestic Princess arriving to the West Coast and setting sail for her inaugural Alaska season, and Regal Princess returning to Europe.
In 2021, guests will be able to experience Majestic Princess for the first time in Alaska. She will be deployed to Alaska replacing Regal Princess, picking up all Regal Princess published Seattle Inside Passage departures from May to September, except Regal Princess May 4, 2021 departure of a five-day Alaska Sampler which will be cancelled.

Regal Princess will sail from Southampton, England replacing Grand Princess for summer 2021. Regal Princess will sail on 17 roundtrip departures from Southampton to the Mediterranean, Norway, Scandinavia, Iceland and other popular destinations in Europe. As a result of this change, the Regal Princess South Pacific Crossing, and two Grand Princess seven-day Europe cruises will be cancelled.
Grand Princess will be deployed to the West Coast for a new summer Mexico and California Coast season departing from Los Angeles with details to be announced later this summer.

Guests booked on Regal Princess Alaska and Grand Princess Europe voyages will have their booking automatically moved from Regal Princess to Majestic Princess in Alaska, and from Grand Princess to Regal Princess in Europe, and will receive a new booking confirmation.
Additional information about Princess Cruises is available through a professional travel advisor, by calling 1-800-PRINCESS (1-800-774-6237), or by visiting the company's website at www.princess.com.

We are currently enhancing our health and safety protocols with input from global health leaders in light of COVID-19 and assessing how they may impact our future itinerary offerings. Our actual offerings may vary from what is displayed in marketing materials. Stay updated on current Travel Advisories and Health & Safety protocols.

 

https://www.carnivalcorp.com/news-releases/news-release-details/princess-cruises-announces-deployment-changes-alaska-and-europe

[brisalta]

I hope Princess changes their mind about the Grand and puts her back in San Francisco.

By the way the Grand has been at anchorage in Costa Rica the past several days.

[nini]

This game of "musical chairs" also created the CANCELLATION of our Transpacific crossing from Sydney, Australia to Seattle. The Regal does a New Zealand itinerary starting March 27, 2021 and then POOF! I guess they do not need paying customers to get it to the new itineraries. 

[snoozecrooze]

12 hours ago, nini said:

This game of "musical chairs" also created the CANCELLATION of our Transpacific crossing from Sydney, Australia to Seattle. The Regal does a New Zealand itinerary starting March 27, 2021 and then POOF! I guess they do not need paying customers to get it to the new itineraries. 

I totally think it was an awkward, if not poor, move to derail another large group of cruisers' plans with this recent shift. A growing cluster of people had grown after many people from the cancelled Ruby voyage had already shifted over. Majestic will inevitably have to make a re-positioning from Australia to the US anyways, so I'm confused as to why they couldn't draw up any replacement voyage for them to soften the blow a bit. 

[nini]

Yes, I have read about the "Ruby Refugees" (that is what they named themselves on

the Roll Call thread). And now this!!! Good grief... Princess, what are you thinking?

[need2cruisesoon]

13 hours ago, brisalta said:

I hope Princess changes their mind about the Grand and puts her back in San Francisco.

 

 

Haven't we suffered enough here by the Bay? I thought she was never gonna leave....

Edited July 9, 2020 by need2cruisesoon

[brisalta]

1 hour ago, need2cruisesoon said:

 

Haven't we suffered enough here by the Bay? I thought she was never gonna leave....

 

The Grand Princess is a great ship with nice public areas.

The replacement vessel does not have Sabatini's and does not have Alfredo's.

The replacement vessel has over crowded public spaces.

[brisalta]

On 7/8/2020 at 1:15 PM, snoozecrooze said:

Also I don't think Grand will even be moving from Singapore to Southampton at all, so I'm afraid all Southampton sailings on Grand will be canceled and be replaced by Regal.

 

I wonder if they will even move the Grand to Singapore considering the recent out breaks of Covid-19 in that part of the world. Only time will tell how this plays out.

[jondfk]

1 hour ago, brisalta said:

 

I wonder if they will even move the Grand to Singapore considering the recent out breaks of Covid-19 in that part of the world. Only time will tell how this plays out.

 

This is an excellent point.  Grand has been position on the U.S. West Coast for more than a decade.  It's entirely possible she will end up doing a season of Mexican Rivera cruises through '21 before picking up the just released coastal and baja itineraries.  I wouldn't even rule out some summertime Alaska voyages to pick up pent up demand from this years lost season.  

 

I fully expect she'll do the '22 14 day Alaska out of Los Angeles given she is sailing there deep into May '22.  

[snoozecrooze]

18 hours ago, Essiesmom said:

This is not quite true.  Grand has 17 decks, same number as Golden, Star, Diamond & Sapphire.  It isn't until Caribbean/Crown/Emerald/Ruby that you get the extra deck of cabins.  EM

Hello, sorry that I hadn't noticed your reply; I do concede I was exaggerating a bit so thank you for correcting me on that. I was speaking on the condition that Golden and Star were basically gone (not until next year, at least), but I definitely forgot how Diamond and Sapphire are basically Grand's sister ships too. Many reviews out there do highlight the impact of crowding, though, throughout Grand-class ships overall, so I do think if one doesn't prioritize certain activities a bit more cleverly into their schedules, they may be put at more of a disadvantage when trying to access the activities. But I agree that, despite how many decks there are, in the end, the feeling of crowdedness can be very subjective to some.

 

2 hours ago, brisalta said:

 

I wonder if they will even move the Grand to Singapore considering the recent out breaks of Covid-19 in that part of the world. Only time will tell how this plays out.

I completely agree with you on this, that SE Asia doesn't necessarily seem like an ideal place to host cruises just yet. But Explorer Dream starting up in Taiwan is a guinea pig for all of us spectating on what happens in Asia, so we'll see how that goes and how the cruise industry reacts to the successes/failures. Honestly, I can see Grand laying dormant for a while (like sitting out this upcoming winter season) and just staying along the West coast indefinitely, at least for the next two years. 

[brisalta]

45 minutes ago, snoozecrooze said:

Hello, sorry that I hadn't noticed your reply; I do concede I was exaggerating a bit so thank you for correcting me on that. I was speaking on the condition that Golden and Star were basically gone (not until next year, at least), but I definitely forgot how Diamond and Sapphire are basically Grand's sister ships too. Many reviews out there do highlight the impact of crowding, though, throughout Grand-class ships overall, so I do think if one doesn't prioritize certain activities a bit more cleverly into their schedules, they may be put at more of a disadvantage when trying to access the activities. But I agree that, despite how many decks there are, in the end, the feeling of crowdedness can be very subjective to some.

 

I have never felt crowded on the Grand Princess.

 

The Diamond Princess and Sapphire Princess are not sister ships of the Grand Princess but are considered a sub class. They have different dimensions from the Grand Princess and were built in a different ship yard from the Grand Princess.