Narrowing our search - Grand Princess opinions

[gstepic]

My wife and I are planning our first cruise and more than likely will go the first week of December. I noticed the Western Caribbean trip out of Galvenston seemed to offer some of the best rates available. It is a seven day cruise on the Grand Princess. I sure would appreciate any comments about this ship.

 

I am 58 and my wife is 49. We want to find a balance between relaxing and seeing sites. I have pretty much made up my mind on a Western Caribbean and I like the ports of similar cruises from the Carnival Miracle and Royal Caribbean Legend of the Seas. It may boil down to best deals, but there are a lot of factors to consider. So far the Carnival Miracle is most appealing but I am in a learning mode so trying to get all the opinions I can get. What are the strengths and weaknesses of a cruise on the Grand Princess accoring to those that have been on this ship?

[magnumcoog]

I will be sailing on the Grand for the second time this coming March. Sailed on her twin the Golden Princess this past March. I have also sailed on Disney and RCCL.

 

I must say even though Grand Princess is larger than any ship I have sailed, the ship never felt crowded. There are 4 pools all freshwater and the aft pool is never crowded. The ship is layed out where bars, restaruants, theater's are all spaced out so never a big crowd in any one place.

 

Movies Under the Stars (MUTS) is nice for a different thing to do. Pizza and hamburger bar is really good.

 

There are 3 main dining rooms instead of the usual huge one, makes it much less crowded. Buffet is open 24/7.

 

Skywalker's is a blast at night. Have not done casinos or shows.

 

Leaving from Galveston in December it could be chilly, but the next morning should be in warm air and water. Last sea day will be a crap shoot as well.

 

Let me know if you have any questions.

 

Terry

[Colo Cruiser]

We have sailed the Grand 5 times with at least 2 to the western Caribbean. The Grand is an excellent choice with as much or as little to do as you want. I am partial to Princess with my 32nd cruise coming up at the end of July on the Crown. :)

[spongerob]

We've been on Grand Princess 5 times, too, and always enjoy the ship. She has a few quirks since she was the first in a series of ships and there are some little "oopses" in the design, like restrooms are a little hard to find. Minor stuff. The nice thing is that minisuite cabins are readily available and don't cost much more than balcony cabins. You get more interior room and a larger bathroom with a minisuite.

 

One thing about Galveston is that you have to figure out how to get to Galveston from the airport if you fly in. Even though cruise fares are low, transfers or whatever you decide upon will cost extra.

[Ya Ya Cruiser]

We're booked on the Grand for next March as well. While we haven't cruised the Grand before, ifyou are considering a choice between Carnival, RCCL and Princess I think you need to ask yourself a few questions. First and foremost what do you like to do? What kind of environment do you like to be in. Each cruise line, while they all try to appeal to as wide an audience as possible, have great appeal to certain audiences. Carnival, while it may be the most successful of the cruise lines is really best likened to Las Vegas at Sea - if you like that, then that's for you. RCCL has one foot in contemporary and one foot in Premium - Princess is definitely Premium. The differences between RCCL and Princess to me are in the details. Does the waiter put your napkin in your lap or not, are there cushions on the lounge chairs or are they thin canvass, how large are the staterooms, how large are the balcony's (if that's what you're choosing), how much room between tables in the dining room - these could be considered minor to some, but they can make a difference to others - what kind of experience do you want your cruise to be. Personally I like Princess, whatever the ship, but that's just me. Most first time cruisers are destination driven, but if you want to relax, then the ship's amenities become more of a focus.

 

Good Luck with your research!

[JXOPF]

Our family of 4 (plus 20 other extended family members :p) took the Grand this past March (we are 50 yr. old parents of teens). Loved the ship and all it offered. Even though it was Spring Break (900 kids), there were times I slipped into Skywalker's during the day or various pocket areas for some solitude and had no trouble finding quiet spots to read and relax in. Other times, we enjoyed people watching by the pool, MUTS at night, card games in the afternoons....the sea days just flew by. We've decided to do it again next March and have already booked.

[Aquarian]

I re-read your post for the second time and this stood out:

 

"We want to find a balance between relaxing and seeing sites."

 

In my opinion, you will find this more on Princess than on Carnival or Royal Caribbean.

[dijo]

gstepic,

We have been on many cruises,mostly on Princess and Royal Caribbean.

We have sailed on the Grand 3 times and have booked for the December 2 and February 3 sailing ( got to squeeze in another Grand cruise before it leaves Galveston in April since it won't be returning next year). Ths ship will undergo a refurbishing before it returns to Galveston in November but it was already in great shape. Things we like: great layout,covered pool ( which will be nice in December),wonderful service,specialty restaurants are awesome,great pizza, nightly entertainment in Wheelhouse Bar and we especially love the anytime dining which gives you so much flexibility in scheduling your days and evenings.If you can I would recommend that you don't make your decision based on price alone. We recently thought we'd give Carnival a try and sailed on the Carnival Conquest out of Galveston in May.What a mistake!! The only people we spoke to who were enjoying the cruise were first time cruisers. Everyone else who had cruise experience hated it for the same reasons we did. We are in your age range and find the Grand suits us very well. If you get balcony cabin try for the Caribe deck which has bigger balconies that are also partially covered. Prices in early December are the best. Maybe we'll see you aboard.

Dijo

[Stevesan]

I was accustomed to HAL's smaller ships and thought I'd dislike Grand based on its size.

 

WRONG!

 

I enjoyed the ship, it's, layout, dining options, food, pool, "nightclubs", personnel and even MUTS.

 

I also like having four ports for a one week cruise. I enjoy snorkeling and like the variety.

[chris2597]

Dh and I sailed The Grand Feb 06 and will be sailing again Nov 25th....We loved the cruise....The cabin was great, food good, entertainment excellent and the staff attentive and fun. The ports were interesting, tendering was easy. Embarkation is a breeze...we parked our car at Ezpark and were in our cabin within 45 min. Debarkation was a bit more tedious, waiting for our # to be called. The ship never felt crowded even though we were on a full sailing.

Check out the Roll Calls for the different dates you are thinking about if you are interested in the excursions that some of the Roll Calls are setting up for the group to go on if interested.

What type of cabin are you considering? Last week I noticed on our TA's website that the outside cabin was the same price as the inside....These were cabins for 2....The deals were really outstanding.

Please feel free to ask any ??....Most Grand cruisers love talking about the fun week of cruising.

[Cruise-a-holic444]

Loved everything about it! Excellent service, good layout of the ship, freshwater pools, Very good food in the Horizon court- loved the specialty restaurant options, loved it loved it loved it! Just so sorry to see that the Grand is leaving Galveston!!

[ssbeagle]

One ship you might want to consider is the Golden Princess out of New Orleans on Dec 16th. It is the sister ship to the Grand and the itinerary has 3 sea days which are always one of the best ways to relax. It goes to 3 ports (Grand Cayman, Cozumel and Jamaica) so you will have plenty of time for sightseeing as well. We have been on the Grand twice for the transAtlantic sailing last November and loved all 16 days. I hated for it to end. We have also been on the Star which is the other ship in the Grand class. All are great ships and although are large you don't feel crowded on them. The food is great on any Princess ship. It will be easier getting to the ship in New Orleans than in Houston. It is a good hour's drive from Houston Hobby and 1 1/2 to 2 hours from IAH to Galveston. New Orleans is a lot closer to the port for the Golden. I am going on the Dec 16th cruise with 2 of my friends and we plan to do some last minute Christmas shopping in Cozumel. We get home on Dec 23rd. Either way, you can't go wrong choosing Princess. :)

[twocats]

Ths ship will undergo a refurbishing before it returns to Galveston in November but it was already in great shape. Dijo

 

Are talking about refurbishing in November of 06 or 07?

Love to know if it before we are cruising or after.

[chris2597]

The Grand is scheduled for dry dock in Oct 2006. It should be fresh and beautiful for the Galveston cruising season. I sure hope PCL decides to put another ship in Galveston after the 2006/07 season.

[prarie cruiser]

Took my first cruise on the Grand.....and my second.......and even my third! Finally was able to make it off the Grand, but only because it didn't go where I wanted! I love that ship, but, its amenities are just slightly more plain now than perhaps some of the very newer Princess ships. Service is great and makes up for it. I have since sailed other Princess and Royal Caribbean ships, but the Grand is still in my heart!

[donnaw]

It has been awhile since we have done RCI but have friends that do it regularly. Since they appear to all be larger ships, I would definitely go with Grand Princess.

 

First choice would be to see if you could get traditional dinner seating since it is your first cruise and it is something you should experience.

 

Grand review below may help a bit. In any case, plan on getting hooked on cruising!

[chris2597]

Another option for dining....is Personal Choice on Princess. As the above poster stated....request traditional seating, try it....but you can change to personal choice while on board if traditional is too difficult on your time....However, my understanding is that once you change from traditional to PC on board...you cant go back.

[LonghornKJK]

I did the cruise you're considering last November with a family party of 14 and I'm doing it again this December with my three 20-something daughters. So far, it's the only cruise I've done and I thought it was great!

 

I'd say the only thing I didn't like, which is not unique to the Grand, is that we had to tender at three of the four ports. I don't know about Roatan, which has taken the place of Grand Cayman on this year's itinerary, but we only docked at Costa Maya since the docks at Cozumel were destroyed by the hurricane. (I understand now that one of the piers has been repaired so that some ships can dock but most still tender.) We didn't mind the boat ride -- just the length of time that it took to get off the ship, though getting back was faster. One of the best ways to avoid the lines is to book a Princess tender, as they get off first, or wait until everyone else is gone!

 

This year's itinerary seems to have longer port times, which also helps. One of my students has been to Roatan and she said the beach is absolutely gorgeous and that it wasn't very crowded because not so many ships go there.

 

It was chilly and raining when we left Galveston but by morning, it was warm and balmy and stayed that way the entire time. The only need for the covered pool is to get out of the sun!

 

We're not into gambling and didn't go to any shows but we still had a great time. We walked the track a few times for exercise, hung out at the pool and hot tubs, watched movies by the pool on MUTS, and even read the same book (I brought a paperback and we found the same book in the library for Mr. Longhorn. :)) Not that Mr. Longhorn is a stick in the mud or anything but I think my daughters and I will try out a few more of the entertainment venues. ;)

 

I may have limited cruising experience but I have no qualms in recommending the Grand Princess. Have a great cruise, no matter what you choose!