The Grand...

Any idea when/if this ship is scheduled to be refurbished?

Also, your thoughts about being on the Grand. Did you like it or not? Why?

Thinking of booking it from SFO to Hawaii. Looks like a nice trip with lots of sea days! Love those.

The Grand was in dry dock last December for the routine maintenance that's scheduled for every ship every 2-3 years. Nothing scheduled through mid-2016.

The Grand was refurbished several years ago. I wouldn't expect any refurbishment for several years. The next dry dock will probably be another routine maintenance, not refurbishment nor major changes made.

Thanks Pam! How did this ship compare to other Princess ships you have been on?

We were on the Grand in August. It was in better shape than I expected. I didn't notice any particular wear and tear and enjoyed the ship and cruise greatly!

When the Grand was refurbished a few years ago, they removed Skywalkers and replaced with another lounge. The Piazza was redone

and Alfredos was also added. We were on right after this was done.

So it appears more modern than the other Grand Class ships. However, the closet space is much smaller in cabins.And there are no mid ship stairs past deck 7 . With that, we are still going to sail on her for our 10 day Mexico cruise. Because we like to use the stairs we booked a forward area cabin. Aft area would have been fine as well, as long as we had access to a staircase.

Thanks to you all! I had read some really bad reviews and couldn't believe it was a bad ship! I have to make my deposit today for my booking or it will go away. We have a great corner aft cabin. Love those and pretty hard to find! I'm feeling better about the booking!

I am booked on the Grand this December for Hawaii and it is RT out of LA not San Francisco. I believe the Star Princess is doing the RT Hawaii from San Francisco this season. I've sailed on both and thought they were each in fine shape..

I'm booking for Jan 2016! It's SFO! Long time till I cruise but found a great cabin and couldn't resist the booking! Enjoy your cruise!

Was just on the Grand 2 weeks ago for the re positioning cruise. As others have mentioned the mid ship stairwells to no where were a little annoying but I really loved the Alfredo's as an alternative for embarkation lunch. The covered cabana style seating outside the "One5 Lounge" made for a different and relaxing place to enjoy sail away for those who didn't want to bake in the sun. DW complained that the essences boutique onboard was smaller than the Golden that we were on the day before and the selection was also smaller. In terms of upkeep other than the above mentioned smaller closets nothing seemed any worse for wear compared to the Golden/Star/Island that I have traveled on in the last year.

I'm on the Grand in 2 days from Vancouver to Hawaii, looking forward to it. Will post if I see anything that needs upkeep.

We sailed on the Grand at the beginning of September. I too had read many peoples thought as to how old the ship was looking, how it needed updating, was worn, rusting, needs new carpet. . . I went with both eyes open looking for why they would say something like that. I could not find any!

We were all over that ship in the week we were onboard. She is just fine. The worker bees are always busy scraping old paint and repainting, the life jackets in the cabinets on the promenade were all being inspected and fixed up. Everything is kept clean and nice. We didn't even miss Skywalkers. The One-five is a nice area and makes the Grand a bit different.

We never missed the midship staircase as we always get a room near the aft of the ship. So, all those staircases were in fine working order. Loved the little library/tea room. At times a very quiet place to spend time.

You will be happy with your choice. Enjoy your cruise!

See post #5; we were on there too. No major problems for us, but many had plumbing difficulties and elevator difficulties. Gloria, how soon we forget the elevators and getting stuck in them. ;)

My DH and I have been on the Grand 3 times and are booked for Alaska on her next year. She is a nice ship, nice size and less people. Once you get used to the staircase issue, no problems. Hope you have a great cruise.

We did Hawaii on Grand in April and the ship was in very good shape. Closet space wasn't an issue for us, nor was the staircase issue. Great cruise!

Sailed Grand in May. Ship was fine. Cruise was great. No issues at all.

Was just on Grand last week. Tiny closets, weird center stairwell, and I don't like the steam/sauna out on the pool deck (vs having them in the locker area).

Alfredo's, The One5 and the buffet setup totally made up for it. Would sail again in a heartbeat.

We did a TA on the Grand and it was great, and we'll be aboard her again in January.

She's a great ship.

Have fun!

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We were on the Grand last month and curious how she compares to the Rest of the fleet. I can honestly say that the food was the worst food in 14 cruises with Princess that we've ever had, with the exception of Alfredo's and with the exception of the pastas in the MDR. We didn't partake of the specialty restaurants, however

This is also the first Grand class ship that we've been on where they redesigned the Horizon Court and put the desserts outside the main area. We felt that the seating area was significantly diminished because of this.

The international cafe was also, sadly, hit or miss. The soups were good there, and the Greek salad, but the orzo salad had absolutely no flavor, no seasoning.

The desserts in the international Cafe were stale and disappointing on the first 3 days, but they definitely got better toward the middle of the cruise.

We couldn't quite put our finger on it, but the atrium seemed much smaller than the atrium on the sister ships Star and Golden, Emerald, Diamond and Sapphire.

We enjoyed Club 1-5 and thought it was beautifully decorated. We also liked the upholstered chairs at Crooner's. the decor in the explorer's was unremarkable, and there were a couple water leaks sprung from the ceiling in the explorer's on disembarkation day.

The closet space was half the size of the other ships. However, we felt that the bathroom, and even the soap and spin shower was a bit larger than on the other ships. The shower in our inside cabin had an extra "tail" of room that neither of us has seen on other Princess ships.

In fairness, we kept comparing this ship to Celebrity's Sostice-class, for which there really is no comparison due to the Solstice-class being in a class of its own.

We really felt the impact of the crowds on the Grand, but we think it is because of it being an Alaskan cruise with bad weather, forcing all to remain inside.

But we've been on other Alaskan cruises which had a day or two of bad weather, yet we didn't notice the crowds.

Now, what I loved about the Grand was the wonderful entertainment! We had so many venues to choose from, and there was so much good entertainment that we never found ourselves looking for things to do at night, unlike on Celebrity where there is not a whole lot happening unless you enjoy hanging at the Martini Bar

there were string quartets, pianists, 3 bands, one in the Wheelhouse, one or two bands who would alternate in Explorer's, the princess showroom orchestra, with performances in the atrium on several nights, Dixieland, Jazz, you name it, not to mention plenty of trivia and other acts, Steve Moris, et cet.

It really was the best entertainment that we've ever experienced on Princess. A few years ago they cut their entertainment budget and there wasn't that much to choose from.

We also loved the usual good bar service. Fantastic drink service and drinks, unlike Celebrity, who can't seem to make even a Margarita correctly :eek:

And since most people on Celebrity seem to have a cocktail package included with their cruise these days, Celebrity gives watered-down (think Captain's Cocktail party) drinks and had even taken away all the frou-frou drink menus on our last cruise with them 4 months ago:rolleyes:

So, yes, we will cruise Princess again. The first day of this cruise I was thinking that this might actually be my last Princess cruis due to the horrendous prime rib, all beef dishes, as a matter of fact, orzo, crowds, tired-looking antiquated ship, but midway through the cruise I decided that I actually really like Princess a lot. It is comfortable and consistent.

After focusing on the positives as opposed to the negatives the picture became abundantly clear: there is no perfect cruise, cruises will never be what they were 10-20 years ago, times have changed, and each cruise line has its own strengths and weaknesses.

Would I go on the Grand again ? Yes, I would.

We were on the Grand at the beginning of the month. I agree with everyone else that it's a great ship and We would definitely book again. The finishing in our cabin (aft balcony) were showing a bit of wear, but nothing severe. Service, food, entertainment were all great!

We were on the Grand last month and curious how she compares to the Rest of the fleet. I can honestly say that the food was the worst food in 14 cruises with Princess that we've ever had, with the exception of Alfredo's and with the exception of the pastas in the MDR. We didn't partake of the specialty restaurants, however

This is also the first Grand class ship that we've been on where they redesigned the Horizon Court and put the desserts outside the main area. We felt that the seating area was significantly diminished because of this.

The international cafe was also, sadly, hit or miss. The soups were good there, and the Greek salad, but the orzo salad had absolutely no flavor, no seasoning.

The desserts in the international Cafe were stale and disappointing on the first 3 days, but they definitely got better toward the middle of the cruise.

We couldn't quite put our finger on it, but the atrium seemed much smaller than the atrium on the sister ships Star and Golden, Emerald, Diamond and Sapphire.

 

We enjoyed Club 1-5 and thought it was beautifully decorated. We also liked the upholstered chairs at Crooner's. the decor in the explorer's was unremarkable, and there were a couple water leaks sprung from the ceiling in the explorer's on disembarkation day.

 

The closet space was half the size of the other ships. However, we felt that the bathroom, and even the soap and spin shower was a bit larger than on the other ships. The shower in our inside cabin had an extra "tail" of room that neither of us has seen on other Princess ships.

 

In fairness, we kept comparing this ship to Celebrity's Sostice-class, for which there really is no comparison due to the Solstice-class being in a class of its own.

 

We really felt the impact of the crowds on the Grand, but we think it is because of it being an Alaskan cruise with bad weather, forcing all to remain inside.

But we've been on other Alaskan cruises which had a day or two of bad weather, yet we didn't notice the crowds.

 

Now, what I loved about the Grand was the wonderful entertainment! We had so many venues to choose from, and there was so much good entertainment that we never found ourselves looking for things to do at night, unlike on Celebrity where there is not a whole lot happening unless you enjoy hanging at the Martini Bar

 

there were string quartets, pianists, 3 bands, one in the Wheelhouse, one or two bands who would alternate in Explorer's, the princess showroom orchestra, with performances in the atrium on several nights, Dixieland, Jazz, you name it, not to mention plenty of trivia and other acts, Steve Moris, et cet.

It really was the best entertainment that we've ever experienced on Princess. A few years ago they cut their entertainment budget and there wasn't that much to choose from.

 

We also loved the usual good bar service. Fantastic drink service and drinks, unlike Celebrity, who can't seem to make even a Margarita correctly :eek:

And since most people on Celebrity seem to have a cocktail package included with their cruise these days, Celebrity gives watered-down (think Captain's Cocktail party) drinks and had even taken away all the frou-frou drink menus on our last cruise with them 4 months ago:rolleyes:

 

 

So, yes, we will cruise Princess again. The first day of this cruise I was thinking that this might actually be my last Princess cruis due to the horrendous prime rib, all beef dishes, as a matter of fact, orzo, crowds, tired-looking antiquated ship, but midway through the cruise I decided that I actually really like Princess a lot. It is comfortable and consistent.

After focusing on the positives as opposed to the negatives the picture became abundantly clear: there is no perfect cruise, cruises will never be what they were 10-20 years ago, times have changed, and each cruise line has its own strengths and weaknesses.

 

Would I go on the Grand again ? Yes, I would.

Interesting, I thought Celebrity had far better drinks and drink selection than Princess. I loved my Window Suite (except for the casino smoke issues), didn't appreciate the grand until I went on the overly crowded Crown Princess

I was on the Grand in early April, my second Princess cruise, so my onlycomparison is with the Diamond. The ship was just fine and we had a great cruise. Yes, the closet was smaller and there was no central staircase. Did this bother me? Not one little bit. As for "perfect" cruises, my first cruise ever was on the Disney Wonder. It was quite perfect, too perfect, weirdly, abnormally perfect. Everything controlled and choreographed to be...perfect. I missed the surprises and lovely human quirks that come with imperfect :)

I will be on the Grand in 16 days, my first time on her and only my second cruise with princess. One thing I really enjoyed on my last princess (Sapphire) was the afternoon tea, is that offered on all princess ships.

I've cruised on the Grand in the Caribbean and am booked on her in February. My cruise on the Grand was my least favorite Princess cruise but even then, it was better than cruises I've taken on RCCL and Celebrity. Every ship has slight differences that some people like or don't like. There are few things that are deal breakers to me.

We have enjoyed our 2 cruises on the GRAND (far more than our Celebrity cruises). We found the ship to be in good shape, and our WS (Feb 2012) and VS (Aug 2014) to be very comfortable. Would sail on this ship again!

We did a 1-day repo on the Grand recently and I found her to be in good shape. You can't do a lot of exploring on those 1-days but I prowled around as much as a I could. I did notice a few ratty looking pool loungers and that's about the only wear-and-tear I noticed.

My only other observation is that the public areas seemed smaller than I'm used to. That may be unfair because our most recent cruise had been on the Sapphire which has perhaps the best public-space-to-passenger ratio.