Galveston: Rhapsody? Grand Princess?

[05mak05]

We're booked in aft balcony on the Grand Princess for Jan. 2007. However, after reading some of the posts, we are tempted to cancel and switch to the Rhapsody. I was on the Rhapsody in April of 2005 with a group of women. We could not have been more impressed as the ship was spotlessly clean, crew magnificient, food superb. This cruise exceeded all expectations. The stench and the lack of maintenance on the Grand is troubling as this is what we experienced on the Celebrity Galaxy out of Galveston. It's an experience we do not want to repeat. We've been on 2 other Princess cruises & had only rave reviews ... so we're on the fence. (I'm going to post this on the RCCL board, too, to get "both" sides of the story.) Any and all comments would really be appreciated. Thank you!

[Cindy]

We're booked in aft balcony on the Grand Princess for Jan. 2007. However, after reading some of the posts, we are tempted to cancel and switch to the Rhapsody. I was on the Rhapsody in April of 2005 with a group of women. We could not have been more impressed as the ship was spotlessly clean, crew magnificient, food superb. This cruise exceeded all expectations. The stench and the lack of maintenance on the Grand is troubling as this is what we experienced on the Celebrity Galaxy out of Galveston. It's an experience we do not want to repeat. We've been on 2 other Princess cruises & had only rave reviews ... so we're on the fence. (I'm going to post this on the RCCL board, too, to get "both" sides of the story.) Any and all comments would really be appreciated. Thank you!

 

I've been on both and prefer the Grand. My most recent cruise on the Grand was last month, and I thought the ship was in very good shape. We did get a couple sniffs of something unpleasant, but I've noticed that smell at times on every cruise I've taken, and didn't find it any more pronounced on the Grand than on the Sea Princess or the Rhapsody. Maintenance was ongoing, and I saw quite a few areas and cabins where the carpet had been replaced in the last year.

The Grand is scheduled for drydock in late October before she returns to Galveston. I would imagine at that time they will do some of the more major projects they can't do while there are passengers on board.

Here's a link to my review of our March 11th cruise. It may answer some of your questions.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=194755&page=45

[cawstorm]

I've sailed both the Grand and Rhapsody more than once. I would go on either one again.

 

My suggestion would be to keep your Grand reservations since you've sailed Rhapsody before. I don't think you'll be disappointed. She's a beautiful ship and we thoroughly enjoyed our last cruise on her in January 2006.

[TxAg93]

I don't feel that the Grand is as bad as a few folks made it out to be. It is a great ship, and while not brand spanking new, it is in good shape. They are doing some maintenance on it, but it never got in our way.

 

We never noticed the smell, it was just like any other ship we had been on. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

 

We had a bad cabin steward, but hopefully that has been taken care of. The rest of the staff (including personal choice dining) was wonderful.

 

As someone else suggested, since you have been on the other before, why not stick to the Grand this time?

 

It'll be worth it.

[brn2crz]

Never been on Grand,But I am pretty much a Rhapsody expert.We love her,and being at my back door does not hurt.I have seen in-depth Photos of the Grand,and seen her in port many times.So aesthetically speaking...You can't go wrong.I know enough about Princess product to know that it is a quality line.

We have stayed with Rhapsody because of our C&A status,their awesome kids club,all of the activities and there is something very special about her.We were on Mariner in Oct,and while she is Beautiful,and we had a great time....It was not the same as Rhapsody....I have been on 4 different decks on Rhapsody,and have had family members on 2 others.The only place we have ever had a slight sewer smell was mid-ship deck four,and only for 1 night..

 

Having said all of that.Not sure when you are sailing,but unless you can get an aft on Rhapsody...I would probably keep the Grand Aft.

 

Have fun

[FlorenceItaly]

We were on the Rhapsody in Oct. 2004, and are booked on her again for Oct of this year, in an AFT, cabin 7652, D1 balcony. I've not sailed Princess yet but have heard wonderful things, and would like to sail Princess in the future. My concern with the Grand versus the Rhapsody is the size of the ship, the Grand is so much bigger; more passnegers isn't she? I think I prefer smaller ships, less lines, etc.

Any feedback?

 

 

Marie

[Cindy]

I've not sailed Princess yet but have heard wonderful things, and would like to sail Princess in the future. My concern with the Grand versus the Rhapsody is the size of the ship, the Grand is so much bigger; more passnegers isn't she? I think I prefer smaller ships, less lines, etc.

Any feedback?

 

 

Marie

 

The size is one reason we prefer the Grand. She is a big ship, but handles the passenger load very well. Since we travel without children but have to travel during peak times (school vacations), we appreciate all the areas on the Grand to escape the crowds. Since there are 4 pools (2 adult only) on the Grand, there is always a quiet area to enjoy the scenery and the ocean breeze.

There are quite a few entertainment options for many different tastes, so the crowds are dispersed throughout the interior and exterior spaces. The only areas that seemed a bit crowded were the atrium during the Captain's Cocktail Party on the first formal night, and the photo gallery during peak dinner traffic times. More often than not, we found ourselves wondering where all 3,000 passengers were.

[05mak05]

Thanks to all for all of the great information! While I was SO impressed with every aspect of the Rhapsody, we're going to stick with our aft balcony on the Grand as we've always enjoyed our Princess cruises, too. And knowing that the Grand is going into dry dock in October is also a nice tidbit of information to have! I have my fingers crossed that Princess will also replace all of the bedding for 2007 following the lead of Royal Caribbean! Even though this is only a 7-day cruise having a laundry onboard is still a big plus in our book.

[nvrealtor]

I have cruised both ships. I like the Rapsody better. Shorter lines, better tendering and better food. The Grand is too big to be run like a smaller ship. Rapsody has a soul. The Grand is like a line in Disneyland. :)

[05mak05]

You hit the nail on the head when you say the "Rhapsody" has a soul. It's head and shoulders above any other ship that we've been on. In October we were on the Celebrity Millennium from Venice to Barcelona. While there wasn't anything glaring wrong with this ship, it lacked something that we couldn't pin. Our friends said the same thing. It wasn't much fun and we tried really hard to be positive with an upbeat attitude. What the ship lacked was "soul." I'll remember that from now on. Since we live in San Antonio and will probably cruise from the Galveston port once a year, we'll try the aft balcony on the Princess and then book the Rhapsody for 2008.

[lindnet]

Isn't it funny how different people see things? I've sailed on both the Rhapsody and the Grand. They were both great, in their own way, but I would choose the Grand first. I liked that there were more places to go and things to do onboard. It never felt crowded, but I just liked having more choices. And I really liked MUTS. Not to mention that I like the itinerary better. We didn't hit warm weather on the Rhapsody until we got to Grand Cayman. The trip over to Key West and the whole time we were there, it was chilly. On the Grand, only that first day was a little cool.

[FlorenceItaly]

We've decided to stay with the Rhapsody. We need to sail in October, and I didn't see any dates for Oct on the Grand...specifically the week of Oct 8.

Thanks for the input. I very much want to try Princess.

 

Marie

[dpalmquist]

Isn't it funny how different people see things? I've sailed on both the Rhapsody and the Grand. They were both great, in their own way, but I would choose the Grand first. I liked that there were more places to go and things to do onboard. It never felt crowded, but I just liked having more choices. And I really liked MUTS. Not to mention that I like the itinerary better. We didn't hit warm weather on the Rhapsody until we got to Grand Cayman. The trip over to Key West and the whole time we were there, it was chilly. On the Grand, only that first day was a little cool.

 

I have been on both ships in the past year and would choose the Grand. The dining room staff was great as was our room steward. Tendering was much worse on the Rhapsody. Plus the Rhapsody had plumbing problems all week concluding with a flood on our floor. About 80 cruisers were taken off in Cozumel because their cabins were ruined. I enjoyed both ships but prefer the Grand.

[dpalmquist]

We've decided to stay with the Rhapsody. We need to sail in October, and I didn't see any dates for Oct on the Grand...specifically the week of Oct 8.

Thanks for the input. I very much want to try Princess.

 

Marie

 

The Grand is still in Europe in October.

[TexasMom2]

You can't go wrong with the Rhapsody, it is a special ship.