Please Help! I don't want to make an expensive mistake.

[MiBoater]

I just stumbled upon this website/forum and I'm glad I did!

 

My husband and I are planning a cruise for March 2007 and we have a reservation for the Grand Princess.

 

After reading the reviews and opinions from past passengers, I am very concerned if I made the best choice.

 

Background, we've sailed on the Navigator, Sky Princess (twice) and the older Island Princess years ago.

 

We are taking my brother and his wife and kids (ages 10,12,13), my mother, and our family (Husband, me and kids (ages 10,10,11).

 

I have booked 4 outside balcony cabins on the Caribe deck.

 

This is costing us over $15,000 and I want it to be a great experience for everyone. My brother and family have never sailed before, so I really want them to have a terrific time and I also want the kids to have fun too.

 

We sailed on the Navigator of the Seas RCCL, and it was wonderful. Does anybody know how the Grand Princess would hold up to the Navigator?

 

Am I wasting our long saved money? OR does anyone else have any other suggestions?

 

One reason why I chose the Grand is because of the port of Galveston. The air for us is only $200 pp and when we have to buy 11 tickets, thats a pretty attractive.

 

To fly to Miami or Ft. Lauderdale its about $475 p.p. (about $5000 for all passengers).

 

I'm nervous after so many negative comments. We like nice things, but we are not "over the top", I just want it to be clean, neat, nice, fun, not run-down and dumpy.

 

Thank you!!

[pamwinn]

You will be fine. It is clean and well maintained.

[LARGIN]

Don't worry, you will have no problems with the Grand Princess. She is a well maintained ship.

[custompcsys]

I can't imagine Princess running any dumpy or run-down vessels. I'm sure you will be fine and have a great time. Its an exceptionally nice and very generous thing you're doing for your family!

 

By the way, would you like to adopt me? :D

[Bucky3]

Never been on the Grand but we have sailed on the Caribbean Princess in a Caribe Deck cabin and loved our location near the aft elevators - C710. Have a wonderful cruise - best family vacation venue I can think of no matter the ship!!

[Sandy R]

We sailed on the Grand last June, Venice to Rome, and she looks wonderful. Everything is keptin tip-top condition. BTW, we were very pleased with the food... very tasty and nicely presented. You'll enjoy the ship.

[D4]

As long as your 3 kids aren't expecting the rock wall and ice skating rink like they had on the Navigator, I think you'll love the Grand.

 

Don't get too worried from all the negative comments you read on this board.

 

I highly recommend that you buy trip insurance for the group. You never know what can go wrong. There are lots of sad posts from people that didn't buy it and then have something bad happen and they can't go on their trip. Emergency medical evacuation is also an important coverage because that can easily cost $40,000 or more. http://www.insuremytrip is a great place to start. I rarely recommend a specific company, but in your case I suggest Travelex Lite. Kids under 16 are free when travelling with their parents and you've got 6 kids going. That's a huge savings for excellent coverage.

 

It sounds like a wonderful trip and it's very generous of you.

[JLC@SD]

Grand Princess is a beautiful ship, well maintained and well staffed, you will enjoy it, and 15 Gs for all thos people is a good price....:)

[CrusinAgain]

I have never sailed on the Grand but I have learned that unlike Carnival where travel agencies cannot go lower than them; travel agencies for Princess can and I would periodically check for lower pricing or perks. As long as you haven't paid the balance due you can always transfer the booking to another travel agency.

[Druke I]

Princess, in my opinion, does a very good job in maintaining its ships.

 

Sounds like a cruise from Galveston is "right up your alley".

 

Grand Princess, being much newer than the former Sky Princess (now P&O Australia's Pacific Sky), has many of the highly desired features for today's cruising public.

 

We sailed twice on the old Sky Princess - which was a fine ship in its day - but now suffering many mechanical problems with its turbines and gearboxes. P&O has recently announced its sail to Pulmantour of Spain; her days are numbered, as turbine ships are too expensive to run efficiently in the day of motor vessels.

 

There is lots of good advice available on the boards - do your homework, expect some "speed bumps", and don't sweat the small stuff.

[LightnRod]

I will echo everyone else's comments - Just finished a cruise on Grand in March, wouldn't hesitate to book on Grand again!!!

 

As stated b4, if we took to heart all of the negative comments we read about the Grand on this board, we would have missed a fantastic trip!!

[spongerob]

There were the same kinds of complaints and criticisms posted about Grand Princess here prior to our first cruise on that ship, and I felt the same way, like I'd made a mistake. Our cruise was great. We've been on Grand Princess 5 times now, and will be headed back again later this year. In fact, in some ways we think the ship has gotten better since the first time we were aboard. Enjoy your cruise and don't fret too much about what others think. They'll be having too good a time to worry.

[ZitzBear]

The Grand is grand!!! Enjoy your trip!!!! We just got back on March 25 and we had a fantastic time. Wouldn't hesitate to book the Grand again. Would you like to adopt me into your family???:D

[Maine_girl]

DH and I also just got off the Grand and have also been on RCCL Adventure (sister to Navigator). While we liked AOS better as a ship, we were in no way disappointed with the Grand. The Grand has a more intimate, subdued (but not boring) feeling vs. Adventure's 'wow' factor with the Royal Promenade and the 3 story dining room.

 

Just make sure your kids aren't expecting the rock climbing wall, ice rink, roller blading, mini-golf, basketball court that you had on NOS. However, MUTS (movies under the stars) is very cool on the Grand.

 

Your family will have a blast on the Grand.

[brovol]

you are going to have a fantastic time! my wife and i have cruised 10 times, on most mainstream lines; including 2 rccl, and 5 princess. our last 5 were with our 2 children (now ages 7 and 9). although rccl is excellent (we never sailed on navigator), princess is better. in fact the "grand" may be my favorite ship yet. we have also been on the caribbean princess, and are booked to sail star in november. the cruises with large family groups have always been our favorites. i cant think of a better way to take a large family vacation. once on the ship the logistical issues are taken care of. if your rooms are all next to each other, ask your cabin steward to open the balcony dividers, and you all will share one large balcony --- its great. have fun.

[ssbeagle]

We did the transatlantic on the Grand back in November and it's still a great ship. Princess keeps their ships exceptionally clean and in good repair. You should have a great time. We have been on the Grand 3 times and will probably book on her again in the next few years. Our son lives about 30 minutes away from Galveston and I would rather cruise on Princess than on any other line that uses Galveston as a port.

[MiBoater]

Thank you to all of you for your input!!

 

Since this is a "once in a lifetime" chance to take the family I want it to be great and by reading your reviews, we should all have a wonderful time.

 

When we sailed on the Navigator last year, our kids only tried the rock climbing wall once, so I don't think they'll miss that. I saw that the Grand does have a putt-putt, and a video arcade, so that should keep them happy. Besides, our kids love to snorkel, swim and hang out at the beaches (so do I). They didn't participate in the kid's program on the ship, they were with us, that was nice!!

 

The only thing that will disappoint them is the ice cream is only available for an hour a day. However, that is fine with me.

 

If any of you think of anything I need to know or do, please advise.

 

All of you are cruise experts and I throughly enjoy reading your comments.

 

I think I just found my new favorite message board!

[cherylandtk]

When in March are you booked? There are already several active Roll Calls for the Grand that month, and you will find lots of experience and advice over in those threads, too.

[seattlekckckc]

We were on the Grand for the 3rd time in October for a Med cruise, and still love it! We were on it for its second sailing way back when, and it looks the same to me now!

 

Remember that there is also ice cream in the dining rooms for lunch and dinner time, and you can always buy it (not a popular option for some, but it is reasonable priced in my opinion), Have a great cruise!

 

Casey

[Maine_girl]

Ice cream is available all day for a fee. $1.50 for a cone, I think. Mini-golf is much smaller than on RCCL. The pools are really nice, so they should have a blast there. I think the kids might even have their own hot tub.

[MiBoater]

When in March are you booked? There are already several active Roll Calls for the Grand that month, and you will find lots of experience and advice over in those threads, too.

 

We are sailing March 31. We are planning on flying down a few days early to do some sightseeing.

 

What is Roll Calls?

 

Does anybody know if their is a shuttle or transportation from the airport/hotels to the pier?

 

I'm going to have to do my homework so that we don't have any surprises that could have been prevented.

[mii]

MiBoaater you are going to enjoy the Grand. As Chery said just go back to what I call the Table of Contents aond scroll down to the Roll Call board. Go to Princess and then the Grand. Just go and find your roll call and then you can chit-chat with people who are on the same sailing with you. Also about how to get Galveston, just do a search. There is a ton of stuff about that very thing. Have a great cruise.

 

Marilyn

[Crowsie]

I, too, have been on the Grand and loved it!

 

Movies Under the Stars plays family friendly movies during the day..and first run movies at night.

 

Also, the pools on Princess are fresh water and open 24x7.

 

We are on the Golden (sister ship to the Grand) this August. We are taking our 12 and 10 yr olds. It turned out to be cheaper for us to book a mini-suite for me and the hubby and put the girls in an inside cabin across the hall then to have all four of us in one mini-suite.

 

Also, the balcony cabins are pretty small and you might feel like you're stepping on each other. The mini suites have separate sitting areas. Ask your TA to check out the pricing for mini's and insides..you might be surprised...we sure were!

[Leafpeeper]

Just wondered whether you considered getting a suite with all your family members going on this cruise. Sometimes people prefer their own cabin, but I personally would love to share a large suite.

 

We sail on RCCL quite a bit. You may miss the large ship feeling and all of its options. However, I always enjoy taking different ships and different cruiselines. We sailed RCCL Jewel of the Seas in October and loved it. We sailed Carnival in Feb and didn't enjoy the ship but did enjoy the food and entertainment. This Fall we are sailing Crown Princess with a winter cruise on NCL Star coming in Feb.

 

I enjoy cruising no matter what the ship because I tend to focus on the positive things--like not being at work, no house to clean, no cooking, no yard work. Think I need another vacation.

[MiBoater]

 

Also, the balcony cabins are pretty small and you might feel like you're stepping on each other. The mini suites have separate sitting areas. Ask your TA to check out the pricing for mini's and insides..you might be surprised...we sure were!

 

THANKS for the tip!

 

I was able to upgrade all 4 cabins to mini suites for only $80 more pp!

 

That's a deal! I'm so glad you mentioned it

 

Thank you very very much!