Need Help figuring out the best ship to sail on an Alaska Cruise

[SNJCruisers]

32 minutes ago, bigeagle12 said:

Another vote for the Grand. 

Boggles my mind how many people like the oldest ship in the fleet.  But then again, many like the Fantasy Class rust buckets on Carnival.  That's why there is vanilla and chocolate.

 

It's not like the Grand is going to any ports that the Majestic is not going to.  Their 14 day itineraries for 2023 visit the same exact ports one week apart.

 

Unless there is a bucket list destination that only one ship goes to, I will always choose the newer, larger ship when given a choice since it will have more amenities compared to it's older, smaller sibling.

[1025cruise]

2 hours ago, SNJCruisers said:

Boggles my mind how many people like the oldest ship in the fleet.  But then again, many like the Fantasy Class rust buckets on Carnival.  That's why there is vanilla and chocolate.

 

It's not like the Grand is going to any ports that the Majestic is not going to.  Their 14 day itineraries for 2023 visit the same exact ports one week apart.

 

Unless there is a bucket list destination that only one ship goes to, I will always choose the newer, larger ship when given a choice since it will have more amenities compared to it's older, smaller sibling.

I personally don't think either the Royal or the Majestic belong cruising in Alaska. Both ships are too large for the area. That's why I would choose the Grand for this itinerary.

[brisalta]

2 hours ago, SNJCruisers said:

Boggles my mind how many people like the oldest ship in the fleet.  But then again, many like the Fantasy Class rust buckets on Carnival.  That's why there is vanilla and chocolate.

 

It's not like the Grand is going to any ports that the Majestic is not going to.  Their 14 day itineraries for 2023 visit the same exact ports one week apart.

 

Unless there is a bucket list destination that only one ship goes to, I will always choose the newer, larger ship when given a choice since it will have more amenities compared to it's older, smaller sibling.

 

Do the Majestic have an indoor swimming pool with an enclosed mezzanine viewing area from which you can view the outside world?

 

I have been on the Grand multiple times and she is well maintained.

New and bigger is not necessarily better.

 

[nocl]

1 hour ago, brisalta said:

 

Do the Majestic have an indoor swimming pool with an enclosed mezzanine viewing area from which you can view the outside world?

 

I have been on the Grand multiple times and she is well maintained.

New and bigger is not necessarily better.

 

on the Majestic deck 17 forward (where the sanctuary is on most Princess ships) is an indoor pool and conservatory with windows looking out forward and along the sides.

 

The Majestic has 2 unique specialty restaurants one Chinese and one French, but does not have Crooners, the French restaurant is located where Crooners normally is.

[RSS from SF]

3 hours ago, SNJCruisers said:

Boggles my mind how many people like the oldest ship in the fleet.  But then again, many like the Fantasy Class rust buckets on Carnival. 

 

---

I'm curious if you have actually cruised Grand Princess in the last few months? 

She's spruced herself up big-time since before the pandemic.  As I mentioned previously, to us Grand Princess now is in better shape than Ruby Princess.  I enjoyed our time on Grand Princess last month so much (13 night B2B2B), that a few days ago we booked her again later this month after we get off Majestic again.

 

I think she's now in better shape than alot of fleets' ships half her age.

 

If you ever give her a chance again I'd like to see what you think afterwards.

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Edited December 10, 2021 by RSS from SF

[Italy52]

14 minutes ago, RSS from SF said:

 

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I'm curious if you have actually cruised Grand Princess in the last few months? 

She's spruced herself up big-time since before the pandemic.  As I mentioned previously, to us Grand Princess now is in better shape than Ruby Princess.  I enjoyed our time on Grand Princess last month so much (13 night B2B2B), that a few days ago we booked her again later this month after we get off Majestic again.

 

I think she's now in better shape than alot of fleets' ships half her age.

 

If you ever give her a chance again I'd like to see what you think afterwards.

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Two questions for you regarding the Grand, if you don't mind me asking.  1)  Is the shower head fixed or does it have one that can go up and down based on heights and preference?  2) Is the buffet large like the Majestic or is on the smaller size like older Princess ships?  Thanks in advance for your help.

[sueandkent]

I have sailed Alaska in the second week of June and the first week of Sept. I would choose June any day. The days are really long, weather was milder and dryer than Sept we also saw more sea life. Is neither the Crown or Ruby an option for you? I have sailed the Grand and Royal, of the two I would pick the Royal. Sailing Majestic in Jan so no opinion yet on that ship. 

[nocl]

5 hours ago, SNJCruisers said:

Boggles my mind how many people like the oldest ship in the fleet.  But then again, many like the Fantasy Class rust buckets on Carnival.  That's why there is vanilla and chocolate.

 

It's not like the Grand is going to any ports that the Majestic is not going to.  Their 14 day itineraries for 2023 visit the same exact ports one week apart.

 

Unless there is a bucket list destination that only one ship goes to, I will always choose the newer, larger ship when given a choice since it will have more amenities compared to it's older, smaller sibling.

If there is bad weather the Royal class ships do have more problems getting into some ports. As a result a Royal class is more likely to cancel a port call due to weather than a Grand class.

 

The following describes some potential issues. 

 

 

https://thejetset.com/travel-news/cruises/alaska-marine-pilots-concerned-about-royal-princess-maneuverability-in-alaska/amp/

Edited December 10, 2021 by nocl

[RSS from SF]

50 minutes ago, Italy52 said:

1)  Is the shower head fixed or does it have one that can go up and down based on heights and preference? 
2) Is the buffet large like the Majestic or is on the smaller size like older Princess ships?

---

 

1)  We were in Caribe balcony cabin C742, and my spouse thinks our shower head was moveable up and down for height.  For some reason I can't remember after also being on Majestic and Ruby afterwards.

2) The large buffet still is only on Majestic and other Royal Class ships.
-- Grand has the smaller port-side and starboard-side buffets, but also has the expanded separate bakery/bread/fruit section** across the walkway for more space than some other Grand Class-derived ships.*

*Ruby Princess doesn't have this other bakery section and everything is crammed together in its port/starboard buffets.  (Ruby's separate Caribe Cafe buffet section was still closed, post-pandemic.)

 

**Grand's separate section also offered real scoop vanilla ice cream most nights there were hot desserts (cobblers,etc).  Ruby didn't offer any frozen dessert options in its buffet.  I also don't recall this offered on Majestic currently, since its normal bakery section around the corner also is still closed except for specialty coffee drinks.

 

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Edited December 10, 2021 by RSS from SF

[SNJCruisers]

3 hours ago, 1025cruise said:

I personally don't think either the Royal or the Majestic belong cruising in Alaska. Both ships are too large for the area. That's why I would choose the Grand for this itinerary.

Then I guess the NCL Encore and Bliss, that are each 169 K tons are really too large for Alaska, IYHO.

[SNJCruisers]

2 hours ago, brisalta said:

 

Do the Majestic have an indoor swimming pool with an enclosed mezzanine viewing area from which you can view the outside world?

 

I have been on the Grand multiple times and she is well maintained.

New and bigger is not necessarily better.

 

Like I said in my previous post, that's why there is vanilla and chocolate.  I have 2 reservations on the Discovery and 3 on the Majestic, my cruises will counterbalance your's.

[Bgwest]

Deleted

[Italy52]

55 minutes ago, RSS from SF said:

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1)  We were in Caribe balcony cabin C742, and my spouse thinks our shower head was moveable up and down for height.  For some reason I can't remember after also being on Majestic and Ruby afterwards.

2) The large buffet still is only on Majestic and other Royal Class ships.
-- Grand has the smaller port-side and starboard-side buffets, but also has the expanded separate bakery/bread/fruit section** across the walkway for more space than some other Grand Class-derived ships.*

*Ruby Princess doesn't have this other bakery section and everything is crammed together in its port/starboard buffets.  (Ruby's separate Caribe Cafe buffet section was still closed, post-pandemic.)

 

**Grand's separate section also offered real scoop vanilla ice cream most nights there were hot desserts (cobblers,etc).  Ruby didn't offer any frozen dessert options in its buffet.  I also don't recall this offered on Majestic currently, since its normal bakery section around the corner also is still closed except for specialty coffee drinks.

 

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Thanks for the reply, the details are most helpful. 

[SNJCruisers]

1 hour ago, Italy52 said:

Two questions for you regarding the Grand, if you don't mind me asking.  1)  Is the shower head fixed or does it have one that can go up and down based on heights and preference?  2) Is the buffet large like the Majestic or is on the smaller size like older Princess ships?  Thanks in advance for your help.

The Grand is 107 K tons, built in 1998.  The Majestic is 143 K tons, built in 2017.  You can do the math regarding the buffets.  

[RSS from SF]

17 minutes ago, SNJCruisers said:

The Grand is 107 K tons, built in 1998.  The Majestic is 143 K tons, built in 2017.  You can do the math regarding the buffets.  

 

I actually love the Majestic and Royal (Royal Class buffets) buffets.  

 

Note that Majestic's offerings right now are a fraction of what they would normally be.

 

FYI last month we gave up on Majestic's crippled Dine My Way implementation [for those who like the same tables] and we stopped going to Majestic's MDR because of it; Majestic's buffet still had a better variety than what we could get in the MDR.

 

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Edited December 10, 2021 by RSS from SF

[SNJCruisers]

3 minutes ago, RSS from SF said:

Note that Majestic's offerings currently are a fraction of what it would normally be.

I'll be sailing on her 3 times in 2023, so she will obviously be back to normal by then.

[RSS from SF]

Besides sailing on Majestic later this month, we'll also be on Majestic in later 2022 for 25 nights; hopefully everything will be more back to normal then. 

 

She's still fine to sail right now for us, especially since now she's not crowded and more relaxed.

 

. . . . However, Majestic and other Royal Class ships still are not my choice for Alaska!

 

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Edited December 10, 2021 by RSS from SF

[nocl]

1 hour ago, RSS from SF said:

 

I actually love the Majestic and Royal (Royal Class buffets) buffets.  

 

Note that Majestic's offerings right now are a fraction of what they would normally be.

 

FYI last month we gave up on Majestic's crippled Dine My Way implementation [for those who like the same tables] and we stopped going to Majestic's MDR because of it; Majestic's buffet still had a better variety than what we could get in the MDR.

 

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we had no problem.we made our reservations before we boarded. Got the same table with the same waiter at the same time each night. MDR menus were very similar to those before the pause.

 

On our cruise less then half of the buffet is open. Basically 1 and 1/2 of the buffet aisles.

Edited December 10, 2021 by nocl

[RSS from SF]

19 minutes ago, nocl said:

we had no problem.we made our reservations before we boarded. Got the same table with the same waiter at the same time each night. MDR menus were very similar to those before the pause.

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On Majestic we ALSO had our DMY reservation pre-booked on the MedallionClass app -- for 2, private table, at 7:00PM, Concerto.  It might have been that our sailing had more pax (while the Symphony dining room was still off limits to passengers), which nixed our table request.  We absolutely could NOT get the same table every night at 7:00PM for our 7 nights on Majestic Princess. 

--  On Grand Princess, no problems!

---

Edited December 10, 2021 by RSS from SF

[cr8tiv1]

OP is considering a 5 day sampler cruise to Alaska.  How many food venues can one visit?  The Grand has Alfredos, MDR, International Cafe, Crown Grill, Sabatini's, Salty Dog Grill, Slices, Ice Cream station (soft service), buffet, Room Service, and Afternoon Tea.  Majestic has many of the same offerings.  I have never been on a Royal Class ship so can't speak to their venues.  

 

I am a cheerleader for the Grand Princess and her sister ships.  Everyone has their favorites.  If it were up to me, I'd be building smaller ships like the Pacific Princess and Coral Princess.  Unfortunately, Princess did not consult with me.  There are enough itineraries and ships for everyone.  Glad the OP asked for opinions.  OP will be able to make up his/her mind with all that was posted. 

 

Good Luck.  Regardless which ship you pick, you will have a terrific time.  

[nocl]

1 hour ago, RSS from SF said:

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On Majestic we ALSO had our DMY reservation pre-booked on the MedallionClass app -- for 2, private table, at 7:00PM, Concerto.  It might have been that our sailing had more pax (while the Symphony dining room was still off limits to passengers), which nixed our table request.  We absolutely could NOT get the same table every night at 7:00PM for our 7 nights on Majestic Princess. 

--  On Grand Princess, no problems!

---

The Symphany Dining room is being used as a Staff dining room during  Covid.

 

Did you try the other dining room, deck 6 aft?

 

Just as part of Deck 9 forward is crew quarantine area and not being used for passengers.

 

From what I have heard the Grand has sailed with as few as 170.  So I would expect as low as its numbers have been one could get just about whatever table they wanted.

[RSS from SF]

23 minutes ago, nocl said:

The Symphany Dining room is being used as a Staff dining room during  Covid.

 

Did you try the other dining room, deck 6 aft?

 

Just as part of Deck 9 forward is crew quarantine area and not being used for passengers.

 

From what I have heard the Grand has sailed with as few as 170.  So I would expect as low as its numbers have been one could get just about whatever table they wanted.

---
Sorry I meant I knew that Symphony was being used.  We wanted Concerto this one cruise because we were steps from our mid-ship cabin on Emerald.  We actually usually prefer the aft dining room on 6, but we did not this time.  No worries:  after 2 MDR dinners we decided it was best for us to have meals elsewhere for this Majestic sailing.

 

Our sailings on Grand had 500+ on 2 sailings and 1300+ on the other.  No problems having the same choice window private table for all 3 sailings; however, yes we were in the aft MDR on Grand.

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Edited December 10, 2021 by RSS from SF

[nocl]

1 hour ago, RSS from SF said:

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Sorry I meant I knew that Symphony was being used.  We wanted Concerto this one cruise because we were steps from our mid-ship cabin on Emerald.  We actually usually prefer the aft dining room on 6, but we did not this time.  No worries:  after 2 MDR dinners we decided it was best for us to have meals elsewhere.

 

Our sailings on Grand had 500+ on 2 sailings and 1300+ on the other.  No problems having the same choice window private table for all 3 sailings; however, yes we were in the aft MDR on Grand.

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So your highest capacity on the Grand was only about 40% at the fullest sailing. A lower percentage then we have on the Majestic. The others less than 20%

 

We had no problem on Majestic at 42%.

[RSS from SF]

17 minutes ago, nocl said:

We had no problem on Majestic at 42%.

I'm sincerely very happy you didn't.  However, we did!  🙂

 

--- I could have recalled incorrectly, but I believe our Majestic sailing had at least 51%.  There were relatively more pax with mobility needs than I have encountered on our other 7-day and shorter Princess sailings, which would also account with Concerto being more in demand.

 

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Edited December 10, 2021 by RSS from SF

[brisalta]

4 hours ago, RSS from SF said:

**Grand's separate section also offered real scoop vanilla ice cream most nights there were hot desserts (cobblers,etc).  Ruby didn't offer any frozen dessert options in its buffet.  I also don't recall this offered on Majestic currently, since its normal bakery section around the corner also is still closed except for specialty coffee drinks.

 

 

Many people do not realize that the pastry section in the Grand's buffet offers home made ice cream. It tends to be kept under the counter in the freezer there. Just ask and see if any is available.