Maybe making a switch.. dont 'keel' over

[tbelian]

Hi all,

 

Many of you who have been around here for a bit probably would know that I am a Celebrity fan. We have done several X cruises on Century,Mercury,Infinity,Constellation.

 

Here is the thing, Celebrity doesn't have a good Carribean itinerary for 11/07 that suites us at this point. Consequently, we are looking at a switch to Princess for an anniversary cruise. This will be our 10th. The specific itin is on Grand Princess, Western Carribean.

 

So, for those who have been on that ship, can you give us some first hand information? Tell me what you can about the Grand Princess.

 

Thanks in advance! ..

[mii]

I have sailed on Princess many times but not on the Grand. Maybe it might be a good suggestion to post this thread over on the Princess board. The Grand is a very popular ship and has it fair share of lovers of her.

 

Marilyn

[spongerob]

Let's start with a fun fact - when Grand Princess first sailed, she was the largest passenger ship in the world. Today, she's a bit on the small side of mega. The ship carries around 2600 passengers in lower berths, maximum is about 3100. Crowding really isn't an issue.

 

We've been on the ship six times, and will go back for a 7th cruise on the Grand this summer. I can't make direct comparisons to Celebrity other than what I've read here, so forgive if I can't provide specific information. I think the ship actually looks a bit better today than it did when we were first on her in 2003. We were last on Grand Princess in December.

 

Dining - Princess has two choices, fixed traditional seating (early and late) and Anytime, which is a sort of walk-up system where theoretically you can be seated any time within the hours the dining room is open. Breakfast and lunch served in the dining room is open seating only. Usually, traditional dining fills up quickly and becomes waitlisted. We have tried both systems, and prefer traditional late seating. Anytime has a few advantages, such as allowing you to be flexible with your dining times or being able to sit with others you might have met on board. If you want to have fun, ask which is better on the Princess board and sit back with your popcorn watching the responses.

 

Dress - Princess has only two dress codes, formal and "Smart Casual". Dress guidelines apply only to the dining rooms. Be prepared for interesting interpretations, particularly in the Caribbean. Generally, most people try to observe the spirit, if not necessarily the letter, of the requested dress. Breakfast and lunch are always casual casual, basically the only restrictions are no bathing suits, and shirt and shoes must be worn (I guess pants or some sort of covering for the naughty bits is assumed) :) .

 

The various accomadation decks are stair-stepped or tiered. Some balconies are partially exposed, and some are fully exposed to weather ande view from above. Most minisuites are fully exposed balconies. Regular balcony cabins and suites located aft are all fully covered and very private. A limited number of minisuites on Emerald deck have fully covered balconies. Balconies on Lido, Aloha, and Baja decks are quite small and have room for just two chairs and a small table, but are covered. Caribe deck balcony cabins have larger balconies and partly-covered only.

 

Grand Princess was the first ship in its class, so it has a few design mistakes. Public restrooms are few and far between, and hard to spot at first. The central staircase doesn't go all the way up; passengers can only use it up to deck 7 (Promenade).

 

There are four pools. The aft pool is adults-only. The Lotus pool near the Lotus spa is also for adults only.

 

No wine stewards. The regular wine list has a few nice selections. There is a maitre d's wine list that has soem more interesting choices. You can also bring your own wine (1 bottle each). Corkage fee in the dining room is $15 if you bring your own vino.

 

Hope this helps,

[badger71]

feb 2009 is worse except for one 7 day cruise from san juan(which we do not like) they have nothing i guess they have given up on the educator crowd for president week:mad:

[Andy]

Hi all,

 

Many of you who have been around here for a bit probably would know that I am a Celebrity fan. We have done several X cruises on Century,Mercury,Infinity,Constellation.

 

Here is the thing, Celebrity doesn't have a good Carribean itinerary for 11/07 that suites us at this point. Consequently, we are looking at a switch to Princess for an anniversary cruise. This will be our 10th. The specific itin is on Grand Princess, Western Carribean.

 

So, for those who have been on that ship, can you give us some first hand information? Tell me what you can about the Grand Princess.

 

Thanks in advance! ..

 

Hi Tom !

 

I have been on Princess a few times. I sailed on Golden Princess which is a sister ship to Grand. We were very happy on the ship. The cabins, food, service, and entertainment were excellent.

 

While we much prefer to sail on Celebrity, as each year passes, the Caribbean is becoming less and less of an option for Celebrity. We too will likely be sailing on Princess in 2008, not because we want to, but because Celebrity is forcing us to look elsewhere. We will likely try Emerald Princess, which is a brand new ship, and has some wonderful 10 night itineraries sailing from Ft Lauderdale later this year.

 

Hopefully, when Solstice comes out, we will see a slight uptick on some Caribbean options, but only time will tell.

[Crowsie]

There are four pools. The aft pool is adults-only. The Lotus pool near the Lotus spa is also for adults only.

 

 

Hope this helps,

 

Hi Rob!

 

The pools are fresh water.

 

The chocolate banana drink is wonderful and the rest of the drink prices are quite reasonable.

 

You'll find even Princess cheerleaders complaining about the layout of the Horizon Court Buffet...but you'll get used to it.

 

The Grand also has MUTS, Movies Under the Stars, in the main pool area. Either you love it or hate it. Personally, I love it. They play family movies during the day and first run movies at night. Grab a popcorn and a blanket (provided on deck) sit back and sail the evening away watching a movie. They also show major events...Monday Night Football, Academy Awards etc on MUTS if the signal is available.

 

The pizza/hot dog/hamburger grill is to die for.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[spongerob]

Hi Rob!

Hello back!

 

Nothing wrong with the layout of the buffet. I personally like the way it's set up with islands. They just have it in too small a space. I try to avoid the busy times if possible. One thing I have suggested numerous times is that they make on end the entrance and the other the exit, rather than have people come in from both sides and create traffic jams in the middle. At least that way there would be a sense of flow.

 

The atrium is pretty plain compared to the later versions of this design. The weird Zulu shield thing hanging from the ceiling is still there.

 

Then there's the aft elevators. Only the two outermost elevators go down to deck 6, where the aft dining room is located. And they're slow. Avoid them unless you absolutely have to use them if you are using that dining room. Traditional dining is in the aft dining room.

[excitedofharpenden]

Hi all,

 

Many of you who have been around here for a bit probably would know that I am a Celebrity fan. We have done several X cruises on Century,Mercury,Infinity,Constellation.

 

Here is the thing, Celebrity doesn't have a good Carribean itinerary for 11/07 that suites us at this point. Consequently, we are looking at a switch to Princess for an anniversary cruise. This will be our 10th. The specific itin is on Grand Princess, Western Carribean.

 

So, for those who have been on that ship, can you give us some first hand information? Tell me what you can about the Grand Princess.

 

Thanks in advance! ..

Hola Tom:)

 

I know you enjoy the Celebrity experience as much as I do. I can't help with your decision making, but if you do choose to sail Princess, I look forward to your debrief when you are back, knowing it will be a good one. Whatever the decision you make, have a great cruise!

 

spongerob, I have to say that putting my lack of experience of Princess aside, your summary and advice were excellent Thanks for the info.

 

Phil

[tbelian]

Hola Tom:)

 

I know you enjoy the Celebrity experience as much as I do. I can't help with your decision making, but if you do choose to sail Princess, I look forward to your debrief when you are back, knowing it will be a good one.

 

Hi Phil, thanks for the comments. In fact, thanks to all who provided info. Keep it coming.

 

Actually , the decision has been made. We are booked for 11/08 on the Grand in a PH. Since this is to be an anniversary cruise, we wanted it to happen as close to the actual original honeymoon as possible. Woo hoo! 2nd honeymoon for us!.

 

That doesnt mean to stop the flow of info. Anything is appreciated.

 

We are looking forward to a few things that are of interest, MUTS being one of them. We also think that change is good, but we will be going back to Celebrity on the Constellation in 08'.

[tbelian]

We are booked for 11/08 on the Grand in a PH.

 

It's actually 11/03

[geoherb]

We enjoyed our Grand Princess cruise on a western Caribbean itinerary three years ago. We went right before Christmas. November and December have always been our favorite months to take cruises.

 

After that cruise, we went on Celebrity, then HAL the next year, and Princess again this past Christmas. All three cruiselines are good. There's always somethings we miss, but we manage to make the best of it.

 

On Princess, we miss having a knowledgeable wine steward. But on our last Celebrity cruise, ours had too many tables to give great service to everyone. I think since we were on a holiday cruise there were more people and they we drinking better wines.

 

I love the dessert souffles. They're available most nights. The raspberry creme brulee is also very good. And on the "always available" menu is a chocolate dessert called the Loveboat Lover's Dream that's a combination of a chocolate mousse and ganache that's sinfully good.

[GORDONCHICK]

I thought the buffet layout was horrendous. No matter what you wanted, it felt like we were salmon swimming upstream. We did not care for the anytime dining, but traditional was completely booked. We were told if we found a table/servers we liked, we could book that table for a specific time the rest of the trip, but we never found servers we clicked with. I will second the raspberry creme brule, though I thought the pineapple was gross (came to the conclusion that there shouldn't be lumpy things in my creme brule - and no the raspberries weren't lumpy).

 

We loved MUTS in the evenings, but it did make it crazy around that pool during the day. During the day, I enjoyed the Solarium, which is very pretty and not usually crowded.

 

We would sail Princess again if we could get traditional dining (and I would skip the buffet as much as possible too).

[spongerob]

=We would sail Princess again if we could get traditional dining (and I would skip the buffet as much as possible too).

Some of Princess' best menus, in my opinion, are their lunch menus in the dining room. While most are doing the "squat and gobble" at the buffet, you can have a nice lunch served in the dining room.

 

The pizza up on Lido deck is pretty good, too. I like the Margherita with fresh basil.

[GORDONCHICK]

The pizza up on Lido deck is pretty good, too. I like the Margherita with fresh basil.

 

 

I heard from my DH & DS that the pizza was very good, but I'm not a pizza lover (worked in a pizza place after graduating highschool & got sick of the smell of it!).

[Lois R]

Hi Tom:)

 

Keel over? Not;)~ Because I do understand your reasoning.

I know you are a Celebrity fan, as I am. I keep tossing the

thought of trying another in my mind as well and haven't

been able to do it.

Call me scared, call me a wimp, call me a loyalist...

I always have such a good time on X, I am just lacking

in whatever it takes to switch.

And I have had many folks tell me to give Princess a try as well

and that I would love it too.

I hope you have a great cruise and upon returning please

give us a comparison.

Have a Happy Holiday weekend:)

[sunspot49]

Princess is a wonderful cruise line. It is very comparable to Celebrity...we even think the food on Princess is as good as Celebrity... if you eat your meals in the dining room. We stay away from the buffet on both Celebrity & Princess for a variety of reasons: too many people, mediocre (sp??) food, and we don't like to serve ourselves. The entertainment on Princess has been excellent...with many options to choose from. We do miss the Celebrity sushi bar when we cruise Princess, but that isn't enough for us to only cruise one line. Also, Princess cruises tend to quite a bit lower in price than Celebrity!! ;)

[chrismch]

Love the sailaway from the aft hot tubs that are close enough to get drinks from the bar. It gets a little windy up on that deck but the view is spectacular. We've cruised both lines 5 x and will switch back and forth for an itinerary or price. We've done both this year.

 

On Princess, I like the "anytime" dining as it gives us more options for shows or movies. P has a better tv selection, better choice of seafood options including crab legs, "secret" lap pool & hot tubs off aqua spa (no charge) and seems to have more music choices in the lounges.

 

c has a waffle & omelette bar, sushi bar every evening and better pizza.

[Tatka]

We sailed on Caribbean Princess, which is a sister (+ 1 PAX deck and more PAX) to Grand. Loved everything, especially seafood buffets, MUTS (if somebody doesn't like it it's only 1 area), live entertainment and POOLS.

 

Their ships are unique in a way that they are huge, but consist of many small and cozy areas.. completely uncrowded.

 

There is a great page devoted to Caribbean Princess.. where you can get an impression what is this class of Princess ships is all about. :)

 

I think you won't be disappointed.. actualy when we sailed on Century right after CB, I couldn't stop comparing these two, and in some points CB won.

 

Do you have kids? There are wonderful facilities for them!

 

At this point Celebrity and Princess are two #1 lines for our family.

[Host Anne]

Tom ~ over the years we've sailed Princess as much as Celebrity and we enjoy both lines very much. I can honestly say we've never had a bad cruise on Princess. I think you'll find the the experience comparable. I do have to say that the Grand (I've been on the Grand and Golden twice each) is my least favorite Princess ship. There are some funky layout issues with the ship and I just prefer the Sun-class ships more. But I think you'll have a wonderful time. We enjoy the crew on Princess ships, the food is fine (they do have the best pizza on any ship I've been on) and I'm sure it will be a fine choice for your special occasion!

 

HAPPY PLANNING! AND Happy Anniversary!

[emcee207]

Chrismch, I looked at the deck layouts for the Grand and can't seem to find the Oasis bar and aft hot tubs. That sounds like the place for my wife and I. We LOVE just relaxing, having a few drinks, and going in and out of the hot tubs. Unfortunately one of the few negatives I have with Celebrity is the lack of enforcement of no kids in the hot tubs (not to mention the too cool temps)

I think we'd enjoy the Grand or maybe the Carribbean.

 

Tatka, I remember a post of yours a while back that had some great pics of some of the pool areas on the Carribbean. Any chance of seeing them again?

[CruiseQueen13]

Hi - I've sailed a few X and a few Princess. I've sailed Constellation, Zenith & Century. On Princess - Golden 2x and Grand once.

 

Here's the deal.

 

I LOVE Celebrity - Connie is my favorite ship. However, Princess is a close second. We love the fresh water pools and personal choice dining is fantastic and the best choice for us. The service on Princess & quality of food is slightly below Celebrity - but slightly. We are always happy w/ Princess & Celebrity. Other lines - not so happy.

 

Overall - we were very happy w/ Celebrity & Princess cruises. A bit disappointed with HAL and didn't feel they touched Celebrity in the service dept but, ship was beautiful. NCL was horrendous. RCCL we liked it very much and are trying the Explorer next.

 

Good luck! I don't think you'll be disappointed.