Grand Princess to Tahiti - take the plunge or skip it?!

[rj59]

You might look at NCL. They've had the Sun or one of their older ships doing trips between Honolulu and Tahiti. Even if you don't like the ship or line, I'd think it would be more interesting than the 6-7 sea days getting to Hawaii. The NCL prices were dirt-cheap also, so one of their Haven suites might be affordable for you. 

[mrselhombre]

We did this cruise on the Crown last March and loved it. The itinerary was more important than the ship. We are probably some of the few that don’t find much to complain about. We’re on holidays and enjoying every second of it. Pull the plug and book it.

[MauiLvrs]

On 8/10/2023 at 1:31 PM, icat2000 said:

We were on the Grand this year for 20 days. Nothing wrong with the ship. Sure she a little bit older in the fleet and doesn't have all the bells and whistles the newer one has.

Doesn't have balls and whistles ....

But is has a promenade deck, Crooner's and Explores ...

We'll take those over bells and whistles any day.

 

Had a great time on her HNL>NZ

[WNCtourist]

We sailed on the Grand round-trip to Hawaii in 2019 and the itinerary made up for shortcomings onboard. The buffet was below average and small, particularly since they would close off one entire side in the evenings. There were numerous leaks on several decks and one day the casino and areas around it were closed due to flooding from a heavy Hawaiian rainstorm. 

[Hlitner]

Since DW and I love seadays, we do find that itinerary appealing.  That being said, when visiting the Society Islands we think the highlight is Bora Bora.  You will notice that Bora Bora is not on the itinerary, which is because that island no longer allows the large cruise ships to visit.

 

Hank

[cruiser3775]

I did a transpacific transition cruise on the Grand Princess last month.  The ship was OK, not the best I have been on. I wrote a detailed trip report you can read. It's in the Australian & New Zealand Cruisers board.

[oregonN]

We are booked on this cruise. We have spent 16 days on the Grand to Hawaii in 2019. Promenade deck is fantastic. 

[nini]

As @Pevil stated in Post # 13; the Grand had an electrical issue, moving many passengers to other cabins. We had booked this cruise and cancelled. We were booked for our usual corner aft balcony and would have been moved for the 5 days. In hindsight, it was a good call to cancel. The itinerary was fabulous but I think 1 or more ports were missed.

 

However, we were on the Grand in September 2022 for Alaska and we loved it! But we also loved the Golden (now with a different company) and the Crown.

[TRLD]

Being a fairly frequent visitor to French Polynesia, both  by land trips and by cruises, I would probably not book a ship in the 3000 passenger range doing  this itinerary if I really wanted to see the islands. That size ship will pretty much overwhelm the tourism infrastructure, as well as being limited in the port stops. While Moorea is a good stop, Papeete is not all that attractive. 

 

We might do it, if it is cheap enough, and because we like sea days.

[DShock]

Pinnacle RCCL cruisers but this itinerary was perfect. So we just booked this one.  Always wanted to see this part of the world but at this point in life we absolutely hate long flights.  So this one is perfect.

We will need to figure out all the new Princess Medallion stuff but have time to do so.  One of the things we love about Royal is their Coastal Kitchen.  Anything like that on Grand?  Is there a Roll Call for this cruise?

[Edweena]

On 8/10/2023 at 5:10 PM, MustangGT said:

We are doing a 32 day (22 sea days) in April, 2024 on the Sapphire and looking forward to it!  Haven’t been on that ship yet.

I just booked hubby and I for this same cruise.  We booked it because we won’t need air travel and we’re looking for many sea days to get faaa faaa away.  It was a heck of a 2023!  👎

[Papa Yoda]

On 2/13/2024 at 3:11 PM, DShock said:

Pinnacle RCCL cruisers but this itinerary was perfect. So we just booked this one.  Always wanted to see this part of the world but at this point in life we absolutely hate long flights.  So this one is perfect.

We will need to figure out all the new Princess Medallion stuff but have time to do so.  One of the things we love about Royal is their Coastal Kitchen.  Anything like that on Grand?  Is there a Roll Call for this cruise?

 

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