Grand Princess Question

Hey Everyone!!

We are in the process of planning an Alaska cruise, bucket list item for the hubby :) We like the 10 day out of San Fran but after reading some reviews on the shape of the Grand Princess, I'm a little concerned on booking it. I've read there is always something needing repair, buckets catching drips, mildew smells, creaking etc. These reviews ranged from 2015-2016. I saw she was going in for a dry dock this past December.

So for those that have been on the Grand Princess since dry dock, are there still issues or is she back to tip top shape??

Any info you can provide is great!

Thanks!!

Hey Everyone!!

 

We are in the process of planning an Alaska cruise, bucket list item for the hubby :) We like the 10 day out of San Fran but after reading some reviews on the shape of the Grand Princess, I'm a little concerned on booking it. I've read there is always something needing repair, buckets catching drips, mildew smells, creaking etc. These reviews ranged from 2015-2016. I saw she was going in for a dry dock this past December.

 

So for those that have been on the Grand Princess since dry dock, are there still issues or is she back to tip top shape??

 

Any info you can provide is great!

 

Thanks!!

No recent experience but since they removed Skywalkers from her a few years ago we won't sail her again.

I know many reviews have been challenging.

During the drydock I would think they worked on normal maintenance stuff.

The first of the Grand Class ships and built in 1998 IMO she won't be in the fleet much longer. "IMO"

contact rollcall members.

We loved the Grand. We went last Year to Alaska. Yes a lit worn, but the service was amazing. We spent a lot of time in the Piazza. We had the sip and sail package so we would sit at the bar and enjoy the music. We are sailing on her again to Hawaii in November.

It seems like the few people talking about

the last few cruises have enjoyed it.

New mutts screen, rugs, mattress, linens, ect.

Was on the Grand Nov.-Dec. before drydock

and she was fine. I didn't have problems,

except the lifeboat platform and having to fly home.

Skywalkers is nice, like it on other ships but...

The One5 is fine and has the extra seating outside it

is nice.

Still a good cruise. The crew are really good. They

take good care of you. I will sail on her again this year.

either to Hawaii or Alaska.

Go and enjoy.

Thanks for the replies ! Lbfluffy and Belle glad to hear The good experiences!

It's not till 2018 so no Roll call yet, we haven't booked yet and specifically wanted feedback from

Those that had been on her recently :)

Thanks Y'all!

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You might want to ask this OP. They did a review of the Grand on a recent (Thanksgiving) cruise on the Grand to Hawaii.:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2446904

We board the Grand on Tuesday. She is a favorite with us since we cruised her first transatlantic crossing in 1998. I'm looking forward to seeing how she looks this year after drydock.

Unlike Keith, we like the outside space that was created when Skywalkers was removed. I love reading up there when we don't have a balcony cabin.

That's why there are different ships and cruise lines. You can find the ships that fit you. We have a few favorites including the Royal Princess and HAL Amsterdam. We are all over the place.

I'll try my best to report back how we find the Grand.

Packed and ready!

Denise

What Belle said.

The crew and the food are top-notch on the Grand. DW and I sailed her twice in 2016 (though they were only our 2nd & 3rd cruises ever, so we don't have a ton to compare to). We are now a little gunshy after the tender platform thing, but I imagine after the dry dock it'll be a great experience.

Thanks for the replies ! Lbfluffy and Belle glad to hear The good experiences!

 

It's not till 2018 so no Roll call yet, we haven't booked yet and specifically wanted feedback from

Those that had been on her recently :)

 

Thanks Y'all!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Don't be too sure about the roll call. We are booked on a cruise for March 18, 2018 and the roll call was started on May 19, 2016 - two years in advance!

Our cruise for October 8, 2017 has a roll call that was started May 12, 2016. Not as far in advance but still quite a way out. One never knows...

As for Grand, we wouldn't hesitate to sail her. SF is the closest port for us at 3 hours away. LA is an 8 hour drive. Bleh.

We don't really care for Skywalker's so the loss isn't important to us. We find that Skywalker's is usually too cold during the day and at night the music is really loud and not music that we like. There is a great view though.

Our first cruise was a 10 day SF/AK round trip out of SF on Sea Princess. We were hooked after that.

Sailed on the grand 8 times. 2 last year. Have 3 booked this year. It's my favorite because they took sky walkers off. Love the 1/5 that replaced it. Friends just got off the New Years cruise. Said they did allot of work in dry dock. Don't believe all the complainers. There usually people you can never satisfy.

I was on the Grand for Christmas, the first cruise after drydock. She is in fine shape, if you look you can always find some small thing to complain about. I love Alfredos pizzeria and while I miss Skywalkers the open outside area of the One5 is a nice place to relax and read. I like the full wide promenade deck as a spot to relax and its a great place to watch the Alaska scenery

I've sailed on the Grand many times and she is still doing fine

We board the Grand on Tuesday. She is a favorite with us since we cruised her first transatlantic crossing in 1998. I'm looking forward to seeing how she looks this year after drydock.

 

Unlike Keith, we like the outside space that was created when Skywalkers was removed. I love reading up there when we don't have a balcony cabin.

 

That's why there are different ships and cruise lines. You can find the ships that fit you. We have a few favorites including the Royal Princess and HAL Amsterdam. We are all over the place.

 

I'll try my best to report back how we find the Grand.

 

Packed and ready!

Denise

Thanks and Happy Cruising!! And Yes if you have time report back and let me know!

Thanks Doug for the feedback, Yes I agree you can always find something small, just wanted to make sure there wasn't anything significant but it sounds like its a go for us to book with hearing she is indeed in fine shape!! Thanks again!

We have sailed on the Grand Princess four times and are booked for six more. Clearly, we really like it.

Agree with most of the posts and I'm not a Grand fan by any means (just on it last month), but if you already have to fly in, why not look at alternatives departing Seattle or Vancouver? We took Star from Seattle once and really liked it. Lots of Alaska options from Seattle or Vancouver, why limit to Grand SF unless you live there and can avoid the plane like many of us.

Agree with most of the posts and I'm not a Grand fan by any means (just on it last month), but if you already have to fly in, why not look at alternatives departing Seattle or Vancouver? We took Star from Seattle once and really liked it. Lots of Alaska options from Seattle or Vancouver, why limit to Grand SF unless you live there and can avoid the plane like many of us.

We are looking at a few other options, I just liked the idea of leaving out of San Fran and visiting for a bit before we hit the boat. We live in Georgia so will definitely be flying in somewhere, just have to decide where. We do feel more comfortable going on it then we did before but are looking at a few other options. I will look at the Star and her sailings !

Thanks :)

We are looking at a few other options, I just liked the idea of leaving out of San Fran and visiting for a bit before we hit the boat. We live in Georgia so will definitely be flying in somewhere, just have to decide where. We do feel more comfortable going on it then we did before but are looking at a few other options. I will look at the Star and her sailings !

 

Thanks :)

San Francisco is a fantastic city to visit. There is so much to see in the city itself, as well as the surrounding areas such as Big Sur, Napa & wine country, Point Reyes National Seashore, and much, much more. Glad you are considering spending time in the area on top of your cruise. It's one of the great cities - and areas - of the world!

We have cruised twice to Alaska from San Francisco and once from Seattle. We love the 10 day cruise. 7 days is just too short. No time to enjoy being at sea.

I agree 100% about visiting San Francisco. It's a wonderful city. It can be a bit chilly in the summer however. Seattle is a lot of fun too. What fun decisions you have to make!

Cheers, Denise

Sailed on the grand 8 times. 2 last year. Have 3 booked this year. It's my favorite because they took sky walkers off. Love the 1/5 that replaced it. Friends just got off the New Years cruise. Said they did allot of work in dry dock. Don't believe all the complainers. There usually people you can never satisfy.

We are not a fan of the Grand .... the ship itself ... the crew and staff are fabulous, the food and entertainment was good and the itineraries are great. Don't really consider ourselves complainers that are never satisfied as we've only had complaints about a couple of cruises in over 50 sailings. Most of my reviews rave about the cruises we've been on. Didn't really see how the snarky comment added to the conversation or provided any information to the OP. But to each his own, I guess.

Even though we are not crazy about the ship itself, we are booked on the Grand for 2018 as we love sailing out of SF and the last two times I have sailed on her, as mentioned, the crew and staff were outstanding!! We called it the ship of 'yes' because nobody ever said no, no matter what the request. Of course, we didn't request anything outlandish ... but just thought they were so very accommodating.

Glad to hear they did a lot of work on her during her time in dry dock.

There is something so very special about sailing under the Golden Gate and there is so many great experiences to be had in the city of San Francisco. It is expensive to be a tourist in SF, though ... so just be aware of that.

To the OP, the things I didn't like about the ship, there is no middle staircase. This created very long waits at the midship elevators and a bottle neck that was sometimes difficult to navigate in front of the photo area for those wishing to avoid using the elevators. We stayed in aft cabins so usually took this route, which is only open to foot traffic on that one side.

The casino was very smoky and it tended to waft out into the area of the ship by guest services.

We happen to really like Skywalkers so wasn't crazy about the much smaller and very crowded One5 area for the PES happy hour.

Again ... service was not in question in the very least. All dislikes involved the actual structure of the ship. Our oceanview cabin was in much better condition that our balcony cabin on that ship.

We were on prior to the dry dock and we noticed that many areas were in dire need of attention. I am glad to hear she got that.

Hey Everyone!!

 

We are in the process of planning an Alaska cruise, bucket list item for the hubby :) We like the 10 day out of San Fran but after reading some reviews on the shape of the Grand Princess, I'm a little concerned on booking it. I've read there is always something needing repair, buckets catching drips, mildew smells, creaking etc. These reviews ranged from 2015-2016. I saw she was going in for a dry dock this past December.

 

So for those that have been on the Grand Princess since dry dock, are there still issues or is she back to tip top shape??

 

Any info you can provide is great!

 

Thanks!!

Issue about this ship have been over flown... I have cruised on for the past few years... problems not significant. I booked for the past 2 years at New Years... go again next 1/2/18... book and you will enjoy yourself.. crew is fantastic.

Issue about this ship have been over flown... I have cruised on for the past few years... problems not significant. I booked for the past 2 years at New Years... go again next 1/2/18... book and you will enjoy yourself.. crew is fantastic.

I agree. I spent 30 days on the Grand Princess last year and am going to Hawaii on her later this year. The crew on this ship are great!

Thanks Again everyone! We did book it for the July 5th 2018 sailing with our two boys. I've been to San Fran but not since I was a teenager, loved it then so excited to see it as an adult and introduce my husband and kids to the city. There is something about the 10 days plus getting to leave from there, under the golden gate that just feels like it will be a great trip.

Thanks again, I appreciate everyone's comments!

Yes, we sailed to Mexico for 10 days out of SF in late Feb.-early Mar. 2017. The ship was fine. New mattresses and bedding. The pool deck had some sections that were worn out, but not an issue. Otherwise, we didn’t see any problems at all. We’re thinking of booking a 15 day cruise to Hawaii out of SF for next year on the Grand.

Hey Everyone!!

 

We are in the process of planning an Alaska cruise, bucket list item for the hubby :) We like the 10 day out of San Fran but after reading some reviews on the shape of the Grand Princess, I'm a little concerned on booking it. I've read there is always something needing repair, buckets catching drips, mildew smells, creaking etc. These reviews ranged from 2015-2016. I saw she was going in for a dry dock this past December.

 

So for those that have been on the Grand Princess since dry dock, are there still issues or is she back to tip top shape??

 

Any info you can provide is great!

 

Thanks!!

We are somewhat local to SF and we booked the Sept 2018 10-day Alaska sailing. We can't wait! I have read mixed reviews of the Grand as well, but I also read the same about the CB and we sailed on her in Europe last April and I thought she was very nice. I expect we will have an equally wonderful experience on the Grand next year. We had a window suite on the CB and have booked the same on the Grand. I hope you and your family enjoy SF and your Alaska cruise!