Grand Princess in March?

[mizbear]

My husband, daughter (age 11) and I are thinking of taking the Grand Princess during spring break from school in March. We like the itinerary (Ocho Rios/Grand Cayman/Cozumel/Princess Cays -- out of Ft. Lauderdale) and have cruised before, most recently with NCL where we did not like the service, but did like the freestyle option and the ship. I'd appreciate any input about the service, ports, anytime dining, staterooms (we would probably book a mini suite) etc, that could help us make our decision.

 

Thanks for any feedback you can offer!

[spongerob]

A minisuite is a good choice. You give up some balcony space and it's probably going to be completely open, but you'll appreciate having a larger bathroom and the extra storage space in the cabin. The only thing I think is missing in this category of cabin is that there is no privacy curtain between the bedroom and the sitting area where your daughter will sleep.

 

You'll get a range of opinions about the ports. Check out the pages for each of them on this site.

 

We've just gotten off Grand Princess in the last couple of weeks. Service on board was generally very good.

[psbtrvlr]

We sailed on the Grand last year. My daughter turned 12 on that cruise. She really enjoyed it. I like anytime dining. We do not necessarily eat at the same time every day so it works better for us. The only time we had to wait for a table was when all 8 of us showed up on formal night. The wait was not long.

 

We are also scheduled for the Grand on March 22.

[mizbear]

Thanks for the info. What was the dress code like on the Grand on the non-formal nights? Was resort casual OK in the dining rooms?

[psbtrvlr]

Thanks for the info. What was the dress code like on the Grand on the non-formal nights? Was resort casual OK in the dining rooms?

 

Yes. No shorts, or jeans.

[Stevesan]

Your daughter should have plenty of company. We took two Spring Break cruises on GP in March of '05 and '06. Both cruises there were in excess of 700 minors on board! Grand was then sailing out of Galveston, so your mileage may vary.

 

Despite the large number of kids, we had absolutely no problems. There was staff security visible. Besides, most of the youngsters were from Texas and the immediate region so they were naturally well behaved.:)

[dforeigner]

In case you are not aware, the mini suites on the Dolphin deck are totally exposed (no shade from above). The mini suites on the Emerald deck are totally covered. Good luck!