A Leaky but Lovely time on the Grand Princess!

[karatemom2]

After a two year hiatus from Princess while we tried out some other lines we were so thrilled to be back home on a Princess ship when we cruised to Alaska on the Grand from San Francisco on August 8. I loved that wonderful familiar feeling that swept over me as I walked onboard, even though we had never been on the Grand before. Although we truly enjoyed our cruises on the Carnival Spirit and HAL Amsterdam last year, for us there is just nothing that lives up to Princess. And once again, Princess did not disappoint!

 

The Grand is a lovely ship, although I can see the need for the upcoming dry dock. As indicated in my title, I have to say that the Grand is a bit leaky! We encountered more drips, pails and towels in the public areas then we have ever seen on any other ship. We even joked about it with the staff. And for whatever reason, it never seemed to fail that I sat or walked under said drips. It was really kind of funny and didn't detract from our enjoyment at all and I'm sure it will all be fixed up during the Grand's servicing in a few weeks.

 

Other than that little critique, I can honestly say that this was as near to perfect as a cruise can be. The food was really amazing, even in terms of our other Princess cruises. I can honestly say there was only one thing I was served during the entire 10 days that I didn't absolutely love (Chilled Pumpkin Curry soup) and it wasn't because it wasn't well prepared - I just didn't love the flavor. Everything was so delicious from appetizers, to entrees to desserts. Even the food from the buffet, pizzeria and grill was just terrific. And although we were signed up for our usual Anytime Dining, we had the great good fortune to be directed up to Traditional Dining on our third evening when we requested a window table. Seems a window table for four had opened up there for the entire cruise and we jumped on it. It was a wonderful table and our servers were outstanding. It reminded me why people really love Traditional Dining and sort of changed our position on the whole Anytime Dining option. I really did like the opportunity to have the same servers who get to know you and your preferences. It made our whole experience all that much better. I think it is going to be traditional dining for us from now on.

 

The weather was so perfect. Last year in Alaska it rained on us at nearly every port, but this year we had perfect bright and sunny days. And I love cruising from San Francisco. We had no trouble at all upon embarkation or disembarkation. In fact, it was downright easy despite a little bit of heavy traffic due to the Giants game and America's Cup the day of our departure. Really the only downside to the entire itinerary on our cruise was the relatively short day in Juneau. But we have been to Juneau several times and the long and beautiful days in Glacier Bay and Haines more than made up for it!

 

But I really have to say beyond the great weather, food, service and lovely Alaskan scenery, what really made this cruise special was the Cruise Staff. We have traveled with some pretty great entertainment staff on our Princess cruises, but this group was very special. The Cruise Director was very good and quite personable, but his Assistant Cruise Directors were all just outstanding - so fun, engaging and creative. They have added a number of unique activities that we haven't enjoyed on other Princess cruises and we especially loved the Music Trivia every night. They were just great and made our vacation so much more lively!

 

So glad to be back on Princess and looking forward to more fun this coming year as we try to work in the final three cruises we need to be Elite before our repeat San Francisco to Alaska cruise next year on the Star! Thanks for the warm welcome home Grand Princess!

[morriscats]

Sounds wonderful. Hope the weather is good for our trip 9/7. Our itinerary is different than yours but my DH (from Hawaii) has never seen Alaska.

[IdahoCruises]

Glad to hear about the ship and that you had a great time. We will be going on her to Hawaii our of SF at the end of October. After all the moans and groans about the ship, it is good to hear good news!

[geocruiser]

I wonder what kind of pipe was leaking?

[karatemom2]

I wonder what kind of pipe was leaking?

 

DH thought it was likely just areas of condensation from the air conditioning units.

[geocruiser]

DH thought it was likely just areas of condensation from the air conditioning units.

 

That is much better than the sprinkler system for a fire leaking.

[trbarton]

I was on the Grand May 10th and yes there were leaks in the passageway outside deck 10 with pails underneath the leaks. It seemed that some of the leaks diminished as the cruise wore on. Yes...Perhaps that will be corrected when the Grand goes into dry dock on December 10th. I'll be on the Grand again when it comes out of dry dock on December 20th so I'll report on what I see. Perhaps the rust that I saw on my balcony will be painted.

 

Thanks for your thoughts about the Grand. Perhaps you'll have some photos to post.

 

Tom:)

[Times Prince]

After a two year hiatus from Princess while we tried out some other lines we were so thrilled to be back home on a Princess ship when we cruised to Alaska on the Grand from San Francisco on August 8. I loved that wonderful familiar feeling that swept over me as I walked onboard, even though we had never been on the Grand before. Although we truly enjoyed our cruises on the Carnival Spirit and HAL Amsterdam last year, for us there is just nothing that lives up to Princess. And once again, Princess did not disappoint!

 

The Grand is a lovely ship, although I can see the need for the upcoming dry dock. As indicated in my title, I have to say that the Grand is a bit leaky! We encountered more drips, pails and towels in the public areas then we have ever seen on any other ship. We even joked about it with the staff. And for whatever reason, it never seemed to fail that I sat or walked under said drips. It was really kind of funny and didn't detract from our enjoyment at all and I'm sure it will all be fixed up during the Grand's servicing in a few weeks.

 

Other than that little critique, I can honestly say that this was as near to perfect as a cruise can be. The food was really amazing, even in terms of our other Princess cruises. I can honestly say there was only one thing I was served during the entire 10 days that I didn't absolutely love (Chilled Pumpkin Curry soup) and it wasn't because it wasn't well prepared - I just didn't love the flavor. Everything was so delicious from appetizers, to entrees to desserts. Even the food from the buffet, pizzeria and grill was just terrific. And although we were signed up for our usual Anytime Dining, we had the great good fortune to be directed up to Traditional Dining on our third evening when we requested a window table. Seems a window table for four had opened up there for the entire cruise and we jumped on it. It was a wonderful table and our servers were outstanding. It reminded me why people really love Traditional Dining and sort of changed our position on the whole Anytime Dining option. I really did like the opportunity to have the same servers who get to know you and your preferences. It made our whole experience all that much better. I think it is going to be traditional dining for us from now on.

 

The weather was so perfect. Last year in Alaska it rained on us at nearly every port, but this year we had perfect bright and sunny days. And I love cruising from San Francisco. We had no trouble at all upon embarkation or disembarkation. In fact, it was downright easy despite a little bit of heavy traffic due to the Giants game and America's Cup the day of our departure. Really the only downside to the entire itinerary on our cruise was the relatively short day in Juneau. But we have been to Juneau several times and the long and beautiful days in Glacier Bay and Haines more than made up for it!

 

But I really have to say beyond the great weather, food, service and lovely Alaskan scenery, what really made this cruise special was the Cruise Staff. We have traveled with some pretty great entertainment staff on our Princess cruises, but this group was very special. The Cruise Director was very good and quite personable, but his Assistant Cruise Directors were all just outstanding - so fun, engaging and creative. They have added a number of unique activities that we haven't enjoyed on other Princess cruises and we especially loved the Music Trivia every night. They were just great and made our vacation so much more lively!

 

So glad to be back on Princess and looking forward to more fun this coming year as we try to work in the final three cruises we need to be Elite before our repeat San Francisco to Alaska cruise next year on the Star! Thanks for the warm welcome home Grand Princess!

great review, despite the alarming headline. Do you have any of the names of the Cruise Director staff you can share with us? That way we'll know we're in for a good time when we see them next.

[Love.II.Cruise]

Wow, sounds like she needs a dry dock. Thanks for the review!

[IdahoCruises]

We owned a 70' yacht in a charter fleet. We got a leak and tried for 3 years to find the blasted thing....never did. When we sold the boat, that pesky leak was still there. The current owner asked if I knew where it was coming from....never did. New owner keeps in tough and he has yet to find it either.

 

Anyway, leaks on boats are a mysterious thing, sometimes....

[Kentchikan]

We went on the Grand in June and agree it was excellent.

Love Haines. They have fresh Halibut fish and chips which are amazing.

We didn't encounter leaks but it would have been a great opportunity to break into "Singing in the Rain" or "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" :D

[Blue Line]

Glad to hear you had a great cruise- in spite of the leaks!

[iceleven]

We were on the same cruise as you and also had a great time. We spent most of our days outside on the front of the ship (deck 8--Whale's mouth) watching for sea birds, whales, porpoise, dolphin, etc. We didn't notice any leaks but perhaps just didn't spend any time in that area.

 

This was our second time this year on the Grand and we will be taking her again to Hawaii late November. We call it our year of the whales.

 

The only negative I would say about this trip was there were far too many children who were not being supervised by their parents and sometimes quite a bit out of control. Yes, they are just kids being kids and for that I accept their exuberance but I really wish the parents would step up and take more responsibility.

 

This was our fourth trip to Alaska and the only trip with consistently good weather at all of the ports. We will forever be grateful for that.

[Kentchikan]

The only negative I would say about this trip was there were far too many children who were not being supervised by their parents and sometimes quite a bit out of control. Yes, they are just kids being kids and for that I accept their exuberance but I really wish the parents would step up and take more responsibility.

 

It's annoying and you're right they're just kids being kids but you were just an adult wishing to be an adult and you have that right too.

[Kentchikan]

This was our fourth trip to Alaska and the only trip with consistently good weather at all of the ports. We will forever be grateful for that.

 

On our Alaska cruise in May/June the weather was my kind of weather. Cold and foggy with an occasional shower. I was on one cruise when it was in the 80's and 90's I was miserable.

[karatemom2]

great review, despite the alarming headline. Do you have any of the names of the Cruise Director staff you can share with us? That way we'll know we're in for a good time when we see them next.

 

The wonderful Frenchie, Drake, Matt, Natalie, Andrew and DJ Shane. Matt will be joining the Golden in December so those of you with cruises coming up on that ship are in for a very good time. Be sure to catch his origami classes! Not sure where all the others will land on their next contracts, but if you are a passenger on one of their cruises you can count on having lots of fun!

[karatemom2]

We were on the same cruise as you and also had a great time. We spent most of our days outside on the front of the ship (deck 8--Whale's mouth) watching for sea birds, whales, porpoise, dolphin, etc. We didn't notice any leaks but perhaps just didn't spend any time in that area.

 

This was our second time this year on the Grand and we will be taking her again to Hawaii late November. We call it our year of the whales.

 

The only negative I would say about this trip was there were far too many children who were not being supervised by their parents and sometimes quite a bit out of control. Yes, they are just kids being kids and for that I accept their exuberance but I really wish the parents would step up and take more responsibility.

 

This was our fourth trip to Alaska and the only trip with consistently good weather at all of the ports. We will forever be grateful for that.

 

Glad you enjoyed your cruise as well. It's too bad you ran into some problem kids. We actually didn't have any issues and found most of the kids and teens we saw pretty well behaved. Maybe you just were unlucky enough to encounter the few bad apples.

[karatemom2]

Just one other note I forgot to mention - the teeny, tiny closets! I had been warned but was still surprised at the small size of the closet compared to the other Princess ships on which we have cruised. I should have edited our packing a bit more, but got very creative in hanging multiple items of clothing on one hanger! For a family of four sharing one cabin the storage was a bit tight, but we managed. It would have been fine for two people, or even four who pack more minimally. But I have a teenage daughter who saw fit to bring nearly her entire wardrobe!

[madjohn]

DW and I just did the BVE on the Grand and noticed more wet carpets both inside and out then is usual. No smell or anything, just wet. Hopefully they will get the leaks fixed before the Holidays:D

[DrivesLikeMario]

So glad you came back to Princess! I get that same feeling you did when first coming onboard - "Ahhh..." - it's that old familiar feeling like you're at home again. You're a brave soul to try to get 2 teens in a cabin with you - especially a girl! :eek:

[karatemom2]

So glad you came back to Princess! I get that same feeling you did when first coming onboard - "Ahhh..." - it's that old familiar feeling like you're at home again. You're a brave soul to try to get 2 teens in a cabin with you - especially a girl! :eek:

 

Brave or crazy - not sure which! But that's what cocktails are for! ;)

 

It does lead to an amazing level of family bonding - sometimes in a great way and sometimes...well let's not dwell on that!:p

[Kentchikan]

DW and I just did the BVE on the Grand and noticed more wet carpets both inside and out then is usual. No smell or anything, just wet. Hopefully they will get the leaks fixed before the Holidays:D

 

Maybe it was from people spilling drinks. ;) or maybe they were cleaning the carpets prior to sailing.

[karatemom2]

Maybe it was from people spilling drinks. ;) or maybe they were cleaning the carpets prior to sailing.

 

Not my drinks! I wasn't parting with a precious drop!:D

 

Actually there were certain areas where the carpets appeared wet during the cruise and a few times when we noticed they had a large fan out drying carpet areas. Again, no big deal for us and something that will no doubt be fixed up in dry dock.

[Tak8]

Glad you enjoyed your cruise. I have to agree with your comment about traditional dining. I tried Royal's version of anytime dining and I prefer Traditional. Although it is a set time, I like having the same wait staff and at least on Royal they pushed for you to make a set time to eat the night before. How is that anytime?

[Kentchikan]

Not my drinks! I wasn't parting with a precious drop!:D

 

Actually there were certain areas where the carpets appeared wet during the cruise and a few times when we noticed they had a large fan out drying carpet areas. Again, no big deal for us and something that will no doubt be fixed up in dry dock.

 

I know what you mean I hate it when the bartender puts down my drink on the bar and some sloshes over.

On one ship, I can't remember which, we were way aft and there was an area that always appeared damp and smell bad but our room was fine so we'd hold our noses and dash by.