Grand Vs. Carribbean

[snoopy124]

What is the difference between the grand princess and the carribbean princess. we are looking to go in Feb and the ships leave one day apart.

which do you recommend and why?

what are the dates of the ships and how can we find that out?

we are new to cruising.

[spongerob]

The major difference is that Caribbean Princess carries 500 more passengers on the same general design of ship. They just added one extra deck of cabins. There are some other differences, like the addition of Caribe Cafe (buffet) and a much better MUTS installation. For most people the differences won't be noticed. I think the biggest problem with Caribbean Princess is that there are no additional crew members to handle the additional passengers. Again, it's something you'd notice only if you were familiar with Grand/Golden/Star. Choose the itinerary you like and don't fret over which ship, you'll likely have a great time regardless.

[rdsqrl]

I'm not sure I understand all your questions, but I'll take a stab at answering. The "difference" between the Grand and Caribbean lies mainly in their itineraries: the Grand goes to the Western Caribbean and the Caribbean does the Eastern itinerary. Which you prefer is a matter of taste, but if you've never been on a cruise or to the Caribbean, I think either would be a good choice. You might browse around on the Ports of Call message boards and read what people are saying about the various ports on each itinerary, and see if one really grabs you.

I've sailed on the Grand and really liked it very much, but I haven't sailed yet on the CB, however that ship seems very popular with those who have sailed on her. If I were you, I'd read over the member reviews of both ships -- there will be reviews here on the Princess board, and then reviews that you can access from the home page (click on Member Reviews and scroll down to the ship's name). Both ships are big, have lots of activities, entertainment venues of various kinds, so it's not like you're picking between two really different ships.

I don't know what you mean by "what are the dates of the ships" -- you can get the itinerary dates by going to Princess's website.

Hope this helps a little.

[Tatka]

We only sailed on Caribbean Princess so I can't provide comparisson, but even in the busy time of school vacation (July) there was no problens with overcrowdness whatsoever!!!

 

We had terrific cruise... and we love Eastern Caribbean itinerary much better than Western. It's just more beautiful with hilly St Thomas/St. Maarten... although we also love Grand Cayman because it has terrific snorkeling.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

The Grand started sailing in 1998 while the Caribbean Princess started sailing in 2004.

I'll be cruising on the CB in February. When are you guys thinking about cruising?

 

Bill

[Fuzzzy]

The Grand Princess carries less people. Yeah!

[cristie1523]

We have been on both the Grand and the CB. Both are pretty comparible, I did enjoy having the extra option of the Cafe Caribe for dinning. We did not notice the extra passengers on the CB at all. I did get the feel that the CB is a little newer than the Grand, but that being said we are booked on the Grand for a second time in January. I would take a look at the itineraries and go with the one you like best. I really enjoyed the CB's stops much more than the Grand's when she sailed out of Galveston.

[jff50]

The major difference is that Caribbean Princess carries 500 more passengers on the same general design of ship. They just added one extra deck of cabins. There are some other differences, like the addition of Caribe Cafe (buffet) and a much better MUTS installation. For most people the differences won't be noticed. I think the biggest problem with Caribbean Princess is that there are no additional crew members to handle the additional passengers. Again, it's something you'd notice only if you were familiar with Grand/Golden/Star. Choose the itinerary you like and don't fret over which ship, you'll likely have a great time regardless.

 

I agree. In addition, one of the pools on the Grand has a sliding roof (can be open to the sun, or closed if the weather dictates). This is probably not a big advantage in the Caribbean, but could be in other itineraries. In the Carribean, I prefer the 500 fewer passengers--all other things being equal. Are the 2 itineraries the same, or equivalent to you.