Grand Princess vs. Elation and Rhapsody- Galveston

[alonzo14]

To those who have sailed more than one ship out of Galveston:

 

Which ship did you like best and why? I have never sailed with Princess but am considering sailing the Grand Princess as I live in Texas.

[kdbarr02]

I have taken the elation and the rhapsody. I would take the rhapsody again before I would ever step on the elation. The food and server were fantastic on the rhapsody, they had fun at night although a little more sadate. The elation crew sucked big time, they made comments about the cruisers when we were in ear shot. I haven't said princes from galveston, but we just got off a trip in alaska, and I would take the worst princess ship over the best carnival ship.

[cruisinqt]

It's funny that kdbarr02 didn't like the Elation, because we loved it!:) With the Elation, they had late night adult comedy shows after 10 pm that were great. The bars and nightclubs were really hoppin' and the food and staff were very polite and friendly. What we liked about the Elation and Carnival in general was that their snack foods were very good. On the Rhapsody, the main dining room food was fantastic but the snack bar food was obviously frozen pizzas, burritos, etc. But with the Elation the snack foods were freshly made. They had fresh made pizzas, fresh made burgers, hot dogs, and fries and they were available all of the time. The snack foods on Carnival were way better than Royal Caribbean's. But the food in the main dining area was much better on the Rhapsody. I would say the shows were slightly better on Royal Caribbean, but the bars and nightlife on the Elation can't be beat.;)

 

I would do both cruises again in a heartbeat because they were both very good. There were things that I liked about both cruises. The Rhapsody was more laid back and relaxing. The Elation was lively and had more of a nightlife. The people in the bars on the Rhapsody would sit back and listen to the piano player whereas the people on the Elation would sing along with the piano player. It's just according to what you're looking for. I would let price and itineray make your decision for you. Our next cruise will be on the Grand Princess. It will be our first Princess cruise and we are really looking forward to it.:)

[LuAnnFuller]

We've only cruised on the Grand and we had a blast. The jumbotron is great. Food was fantastic. The ship is quite large but we managed to see everything. The only thing we didn't see much of was our 5 year daughter. She stayed mostly with her "Sunny School" as she called it. I couldn't hardly get her to be with us!! There is PLENTY to do on the ship. My favorite was playing Wheel of Fortune. We never had any problems at port either. We are going again in January on the Grand.

 

The only bad thing was the disembarkment in Galveston. I've been told that it is better. Had nothing to do with the ship, just the city of Galveston. Give yourself plenty of time.

[aggieastrosfan]

I've done the Elation and the Grand.

 

All three cruises were great, for different reasons that were the result of the passenger mix more than anything. I made great friends through CC on the Elation and the first Grand trip, and the second Grand trip had a fun group of craps players.

 

The crew seemed more friendly on the Grand, and by friendly, I mean they were more willing/able to just chat. For the first time in December, I made some friends with crew members, and it was great to see a lot of them again in April. The staff was no less polite on the Elation, they just weren't as casual - maybe they just weren't allowed to interact with passengers in that way, I don't know. That aspect alone made the first Grand trip my best cruise yet. Unfortunately, the CD staff (save for the CD himself) was all new on the second trip, and they weren't nearly as fun as the first group.

 

I enjoyed the food a lot more on the Elation, save for the souffles on the Grand. Princess' pizza just can't compare to Carnival's, it is absolutely delicious! (Carnival also wins the french fry battle, but Princess gets the edge on hamburgers and hot dogs - can you tell where I spend all my time on sea days? ;)) I've discovered I love the big ships, and I didn't find MUTS to be as disruptive as others have found it to be. Drinks were (surprisingly) much more reasonably priced on the Grand, and not having the limitation on Carnival of "a reasonable amount of wine and/or champagne to celebrate a special occasion only" was nice. I was able to bring on as much wine as I wanted, whatever brand I wanted.

 

Cabins are nicer on the Grand, but I'm not as concerned with decor as much as I am space. I've had an outside and a full suite (not worth the fare they charge, IMO, glad it was a free upgrade ;) ) on the Elation, and an inside and a balcony on the Grand. When it comes to space, the inside was the worst (horrible layout, unless you can get one of the four non-handicap biggies on Aloha) followed by the outside on the Elation.

 

On the Grand you really had to hunt to find the night owls - usually either in the casino or Skywalker's (but they were definitely out there!). On the Elation there were always people milling about in the wee hours in all the public areas. Not disruptive or drunk, just out and about, having a good time.

 

I'd go on either one again, but having done both ships twice, I'm ready to try something new - I'm crossing my fingers for a Voyager-class in December '06. :)

 

If you like the big ships, you might be a bit disappointed in the Elation. If you like a lot of people around at all hours (day and night), you might have to search harder on the Grand. It all boils down to what your preference is.

 

HTH - I've got plenty of pictures of both ships on my webshots page (link in my sig).

[cpayne]

We have sailed Elation out of Galveston (just last month) and Grand out of FL 2 yrs or so ago. Would vote for Grand hands down, no questions asked! We much prefer the bigger ships and feel that Princess overall (all things considered) does a better job. They appear to be a more upscale version of Carnival (they are owned by the same company).

 

Grand was newer, bigger, cleaner, better decorated, more activities, better food, better entertainment/shows, the list goes on and on......

 

Comparing the two is almost like comparing apples to oranges!

[Cindy]

I've sailed on both the Grand and the Rhapsody from Galveston. I preferred the Grand, but I thought both were good quality cruises on beautiful ships, and I would take either trip again.

 

In my opinion, the food and service are better on Princess than Royal Caribbean. The Grand Princess has many more dining options than the Rhapsody...especially if you don't like traditional dining. RC had better production shows. I can't really address pool entertainment, since our Grand Princess cruise was cut short due to a death in the family. I was pretty out of sorts and not in much of a "pool party" mood while I was waiting to reach port and get off the ship.

 

If cabin size is important to you, the regular balcony cabins on Princess are smaller than those on Royal. The balcony cabins on the Rhapsody have a couch, while the balcony cabins on the Grand have just a chair. We had a mini-suite on the Grand, which I thought was wonderful, and more than enough space for 2 of us.

[houstoncruisers2001]

We too have sailed the Grand & the Rhapsody(twice) out of Galveston. The Grand is, of course, newer AND bigger. We are going again on the Grand in December. My wife & I had a great time on both, but would rate the GP higher overall. We liked the cabin better, the food better, but the shows were about equal. The GP has more pools and a bigger casino. The MUTS thing is cool too. The Rhapsody had a prettier dining room, better atrium and is easier to navigate.

 

Note: I drive a limousine(for Gulf Coast Limousines, in Houston) as a side job and I take cruisers to the ships a few times a month. I've heard good & bad things about all the ships, the Grand, the Rhapsody, the Elation, the Ecstacy and the Galaxy. When I recommend a ship out of Galveston though, whether it be to friends, family or business clients, I always recommend the Grand Princess.

 

Rhapsody of the Seas 12/2001

Rhapsody of the Seas 12/2003

Grand Princess 12/2004

Grand Princess 12/2005 <--------- We are SOOOOOO ready for this cruise. Come on December!!!

[cruisinqt]

Just keep in mind when comparing these cruises that when you compare the Grand Princess to the Elation or Rhapsody you aren't really comparing apples to apples. The Grand Princess is over 109,000 gross tons carrying 2600 passengers. It is the one of the largest ships Princess has. The Elation and Rhapsody are just over 70,000 gross tons and are in a smaller class of ships. If a person really wants to do a good comparison of the Grand Princess they would need to compare her to the Carnival Conquest or the Mariner of the Seas.;)

 

Some people prefer smaller ships because it's easier to get around, they don't get lost, and it is more homey and cozy. Others (like me) prefer the larger ships because they have more restaurants to choose from, more pools, more shows, and they have extras like rock climbing walls, skating rinks, and basketball courts. So when hearing all of the reviews of these cruises, remember that the Grand Princess is huge and has lots of extras so comparing her to the Elation or Rhapsody isn't really comparing two ships of equal value or size. That being said, I'm sailing on the Grand Princess this December and just can't wait!!!:D