Dec 4 grand to Hawaii

[mina]

This is the last day of our 15 day cruise on the grand to Hawaii. Thought I would provide some thoughts on the experience. This is our 14th cruise on princess. We have been on the grand three times prior and she has always been our favorite ship. I am having a hard time summarizing this experience and it hurts to not say it was fantastic. Many things were great. Others, not so much.

 

Let me start with the great. Our cabin was an aft balcony on Carib deck. It was in great condition, our room steward was one of the best. It was very quiet. We did the renewal of vows on the first formal nite. It was a private ceremony and was very well done. The captain was gracious and personable. The chapel was decorated nicely, the flowers were fantastic. The pictures were well done (however to get the digitals, you had to buy a $400 package! Fortunately our guests took great pics!). We also did The ultimate balcony dinner. Great food, great service and, again, the flowers were beautiful. Finally, the food in the main dining room was fantastic. Well done food. Except for once, the service was good as well.

 

Now to the not so great. The crew overall seemed a bit off. With a few exceptions, they seemed to be going through the motions without their heart in it. A few times, the service was really bad and showed a lack of concern for passengers. How sad. This is our favorite ship, the crew has always been great.

 

We are avid casino players, receive comps in advance based on our play. The casino can make or break our cruise. This time, it broke it. The staff, especially, the management and the casino cashier were very aloof and projected an attitude of little concern for passengers. At one point I was standing at the cage with dh and heard a scream. Turned to look and an older woman had fallen backwards off the stool onto the floor. A scooter was parked next to her, so she obviously had mobility issues. None of the crew went to her, my dh went over and, along with the woman's husband got her calmed down and checked to see she was okay. I flagged a casino host and she looked at me, I pointed to the woman on the floor and she looked, then .... Believe it or not... She looked way and continued to help a guest set up his casino pin. That was it for me, I asked the cashier why no one was going to or helping this woman, she shrugged her shoulders. They will call medical, if needed, she said. The casino manager, a woman, came into the cage and I said to her that I thought it was wrong that the only people to help the woman were passengers. She came back to me a few minutes later and said, for your information, they called medical so they did help. I shrugged and realized they did not get it. Someone falls or is in distress and they do nothing other than make a phone call. Plus they did not go over to the woman or my dh and say we have medical coming, they just went about their business. That was the attitude experienced throughout the cruise in the casino, no genuine concern for the passengers. Plus the slots were ridiculously tight, beyond imagination.

 

We also ate several times at crown grill and sabatinis. Again, they were going through the motions and just did not attempt to connect with us. The food in sabatinis was not good. Steak was full of gristle.

 

Finally, there must have Been something in the water as I have never experienced so many passenger screaming matches and almost fist fights. Two families started screaming at each other about cutting the lines while waiting to disembark in Kauai. One morning a young girl and man started talking politics and started screaming and swearing at each other out on deck 15. Finally, we were traveling with someone in a scooter, and he was sworn at at least three times. One young guy in the elevator started using four letter words when we got on the elevator and ran off it. Saying he had enough fing of this stuff.

 

Finally, the.horizon court lines were terrible. They only had one side open. Ost of the time and you had to wait in line up to 15 mins.

So, overall, it was an acceptable cruise, but I sure was not overly impressed with the crew. I hope the atmosphere improves and they fix what ever is in th water as this was a strange group of fellow cruisers.

Edited December 18, 2014 by mina

[shredie]

I have seen a couple of people fall on ships, and thought it curious that the staff around the person didn't do anything to help. Passengers always ran to the rescue. Once was on the pool deck near the pizza where there were some drink servers near, and once was in Horizon Court in the dining room section with more servers near. In the case of the pizza incident, a medic arrived after about 5 minutes and took the lady who fell away with her (on foot.) I wondered at the time if the serving staff has orders not to intervene for whatever reasons, insurance, etc.

[Pam in CA]

Thanks for the mini-review. The Grand is my least-favorite Princess ship and even though I'm booked on her for a Hawaiian cruise in February, my expectations are already set pretty low so I should have a good cruise. :)

[Northender]

I have seen a couple of people fall on ships, and thought it curious that the staff around the person didn't do anything to help. Passengers always ran to the rescue. Once was on the pool deck near the pizza where there were some drink servers near, and once was in Horizon Court in the dining room section with more servers near. In the case of the pizza incident, a medic arrived after about 5 minutes and took the lady who fell away with her (on foot.) I wondered at the time if the serving staff has orders not to intervene for whatever reasons, insurance, etc.

 

Shredie, there is a Good Samaritan Law in the US which protects Drs. Nurses, etc. when they help out. Of course, they vary from State to State.

 

I agree with your "wonder" - what if a crew member tried to help and did more harm. Liability issue for Princess? The Casino Manager did advise that medical was called. This happened aboard a ship, I do not know if there are any laws protecting a Good Samaritan.

 

Also, I am thinking perhaps the Princess employees would not give out any info to a fellow passenger except to say that the call to Medical was made.

 

It is a strange world out there these days.

[Viesczy]

Wow.

 

Least you didn't sink!

 

Seems like good # of folks now have no coping capabilities (the elevator fella) or are dumb enough to believe that the political parties are differentiated from one another. :eek:

 

Thankya for the honest review giving the +s and -s. Far too many reviews read like bad pulp written by brand cheerleaders and detractors.

[snoodqueen]

The Grand used to be my favourite ship but the last two cruises on her have been very similar to the OPs. Plenty of good things but many of the staff just seem to be going through the motions. I think it comes from the top. When there has been a Captain who is very visible, things are different with the crew. They are more on their toes and eager to help. This has not been the case in recent times. I have a short cruise booked on her in 2015 but am now considering switching to another ship. Like Pam in Ca, my expectations are pretty low with the Grand right now.

[Colo Cruiser]

We will not sail the Grand again due to the lack of skywalkers. :(

Edited December 18, 2014 by Colo Cruiser

[iceleven]

What's the big deal with Skywalkers? I've cruises many times with one but the alternate on The Grand, One Five serves the same experience, in my opinion. Please tell me what I am missing in the experience.

 

I enjoyed the Grand. We were on her three times last year. Twice on 15 days to Hawaii and one 10-day to Alaska. The crew were fantastic and we loved the captain...yet at the moment I cannot remember his name. A light-haired youngish British gentleman. He was out and about and very approachable and a keen sense of humor.

 

The Grand has Alfredo's (greatest pizza) which several of the others do not. The entertainment is pretty dull but it's the same on all Princess ships.

 

And as for demographics and age of guests, your longer cruises are going to have older folk regardless of which cruise line you chose. I find it a bit tiresome each morning trying to find a spot in the Zumba class because so many of those "Old" people are taking up a spot. :D There must be 75 or more 70+ year old people in those zumba classes. The young folk are still in bed and sleeping off their hangover.

[Thrak]

We will not sail the Grand again due to the lack of skywalkers. :(

 

I just don't get people's attachment to Skywalker's. Whenever I've gone there in the evening is has been LOUD, LOUD, LOUD. They play music I don't like at all and they play it at an insane volume. The view is great but...

 

I have gone there for a quiet place to read during the day but I have generally found it far too cold to sit and read comfortably.

 

I'd guess that I must just be "too old" to do Skywalker's but, looking at the other passengers on the ships I've sailed on, at age 61 I'm really not old at all.

[Fuzzyape]

I have to say, I've rarely been to a Skywalkers. With the exception of a M&G.

 

Thrak, I agree with you, I think I stepped in one in the evening once, and that was enough. I'm not a loud, bass thumping music person. But if it works for you that's good.

 

To the OP I'm sorry you had that experience. It can be very disappointing when you have great experiences on every other ship, but you get on one, and for some reason it just doesn't seem to stack up.

 

Don't have the cruise experience the OP has, but trying to sail different ships each time, and so far have been lucky.

 

Counting down the days!

[sashas_mom]

We were on the Grand in November. We had a very nice crew, but I think many of them went home the day we disembarked. There was a wonderful server in the Piazza, Lydia, who was so personable and greeted me with a hug after a few days. Our cabin steward was one of the best we've had. The band in the Wheelhouse was excellent for ballroom dancing and so was the one in Explorers. I did not enjoy the CD, very blah personality. The food was very good but never hot enough in the dining room or the buffet.

 

E605 was a great obstructed cabin with very little obstruction. The closet is too small, but like everyone else, we managed. (Pam, we took good care of the cabin for you) :) Never saw a rude passenger.. The best part is we had Elua entertaining and being our Hawaiian ambassadors. They make the cruise so enjoyable. Many participated in the hula classes and ukulele classes.

[vivian02]

I was on the Grand prior to your sailing. I have to say it looks like the people on your sailing may have had some attitudes. Never did see a screaming match on ours most people were just enjoying the full 15 days. I never bring up politics on a cruise it is just asking for trouble. Both sides of the Horizons were open most of the time but one would shut down late in the morning hours. I never did see a line forming and most people were very considerate of others. You might be correct on the tough steak you got. On the last night my wife ordered the New York cut and it was very hard for her to cut. To have it happen in the specialty restaurant would be a concern. Over all the food was pretty good. There were issues getting off of the ship in LA. It was said three people were lead off the ship in hand cuffs? This delayed folks getting off of the ship after 9:00 AM. Sorry to hear your sailing had some issues. Tim

[cpcanuck]

Thanks for taking the time to write a review on CC! I'm always eager to hear about peoples experiences on the Grand.

 

It sounds like there were some folks who forgot about common courtesy with fellow passengers. That would be frustrating.

[KruzeKrazy!]

We've sailed on the CB with Skywalkers and the Grand without. The view from Skywalkers is nice but we prefer the aft pool without Skywalkers above.

 

All in all we prefer no Skywalkers. Just not a necessity to us.

[jollyjones]

The Grand class (not the super grand) is my favourite now that the Sapphire has been shanghaied and the Island is about to be ruined and the Royal/Regal have no OV cabins (as a solo, balconies are very expensive).

 

And I enjoy the Grand itself - I like the aft deck unshaded by Skywalkers and the area outside One5 is very pleasant to sit and idly watch the view. The lack of central staircase has been no problem since I got used to getting a cabin by the aft stairs (which are cheaper than midships anyway, a small bonus), and the covered pool and Alfredos are huge positive points for me.

 

I like her so much in fact, that I am embarking later today on a cruise that will, I hope, waft me away from all this hypocritical holiday nonsense to the warm breezes of Hawaii. I hope the negative points that the OP raised may not be quite so bad, and I'm sorry to hear them, I guess I'll just have to make the best of it - it will be interesting to see if there has been a deterioration from my previous Grand cruises.

[cpcanuck]

The Grand class (not the super grand) is my favourite now that the Sapphire has been shanghaied and the Island is about to be ruined and the Royal/Regal have no OV cabins (as a solo, balconies are very expensive).

 

And I enjoy the Grand itself - I like the aft deck unshaded by Skywalkers and the area outside One5 is very pleasant to sit and idly watch the view. The lack of central staircase has been no problem since I got used to getting a cabin by the aft stairs (which are cheaper than midships anyway, a small bonus), and the covered pool and Alfredos are huge positive points for me.

 

I like her so much in fact, that I am embarking later today on a cruise that will, I hope, waft me away from all this hypocritical holiday nonsense to the warm breezes of Hawaii. I hope the negative points that the OP raised may not be quite so bad, and I'm sorry to hear them, I guess I'll just have to make the best of it - it will be interesting to see if there has been a deterioration from my previous Grand cruises.

 

Happy cruising to Hawaii! I hope you take the time to post some comments or a review when you get back as a solo traveller - I would be most interested in hearing your experiences of the Grand from that perspective. Have a great trip!

[shredie]

 

It sounds like there were some folks who forgot about common courtesy with fellow passengers. That would be frustrating.

 

I have found a few people like that on every cruise, regardless of the ship.

[cpcanuck]

I have found a few people like that on every cruise, regardless of the ship.

 

Sadly you are right! I try to avoid the drama and walk away - my vacation time is way too short to allow someone elses behaviour to ruin my experience.

[Waimea'sMom]

We also just disembarked from the Grand today. The weather was very good - not cold at all, although we did get a lot of rain on Hilo day. Elua were, as always, wonderful. Lots of great music from them, and the ukulele and hula classes were well attended. This was our 11th time on this itinerary, so we do like the ports and Hawaiian Cultural program very much. We also loved the Happy Hour - two for one drinks are great, but the Wheelhouse filled up fast!

 

But while I don't want to be a downer, I agree with the OP - we actually were sort of disappointed with this cruise. The food (to us) was not as good as it usually is on Princess (good for my waistline bad for my tastebuds) and the service was very hit and miss (we had a terrific room steward but a terrible waitress at traditional dining). We usually love the soups, breads and pizza on deck - but soups were watery, breads were dense and the pizza upstairs was inedible. Alfredo's pizza was great, and for the first half of the cruise they let us get pepperoni, but stopped that halfway - then you could only get pepperoni on deck. The best dishes were the pastas - spaghetti e oglio in particular. Like you, I could hardly cut my NY steak last night.

 

Only one waiter at breakfast/lunch was great and we loved the very sweet cocktail waitress at the Wheelhouse. Unfortunately he disembarks in January, fingers crossed that she is still there. The ship itself is a little rough around the edges - the couch in our mini suite was torn, bath towels had lots of stains on them, etc.

 

As for the cruise staff, I usually don't care what CD it is - unless it is David Cole (wonderful!) or Lee Childers (terrible!) but this guy was pretty bad - never around the ship, and he had no interest in the Hawaiian activities or culture. Not once did he mention the uke and hula classes (both of which had about 60 or so participants) - he seemed disinterested at best. The other cruise staff was good though, Ramon and Ben in particular were fun at trivia.

 

But it could just be us. Most folks seemed to enjoy the food at the Horizon Court - the line at dinner was usually to the elevators since only one side seemed to be open. I am a little less enthused about sailing this cruise again on the Grand in February, but my fingers are crossed that the food and service will be better then.

[cr8tiv1]

We also just disembarked from the Grand today. The weather was very good - not cold at all' date=' although we did get a lot of rain on Hilo day. Elua were, as always, wonderful. Lots of great music from them, and the ukulele and hula classes were well attended. This was our 11th time on this itinerary, so we do like the ports and Hawaiian Cultural program very much.

 

As for the cruise staff, I usually don't care what CD it is - unless it is David Cole (wonderful!) or Lee Childers (terrible!) but this guy was pretty bad - never around the ship, and he had no interest in the Hawaiian activities or culture. Not once did he mention the uke and hula classes (both of which had about 60 or so participants) - he seemed disinterested at best. The other cruise staff was good though, Ramon and Ben in particular were fun at trivia.

[/quote']

 

Thank you Waimea'sMom for your comments. I noticed that you are back on the Grand in February. Would that be the 2nd or the 17th? Hope to meet you.

 

Mike Witte was the CD on the Grand when I went to Mexico in November. I was hoping he would take a little more interest in the Hawaiiana program. I guess I am going to have to do mini-lectures for anyone who wants to hear about Hawaii. I would never claim to be as good as Dave Cole! He lives and breaths the island culture.

[Waimea'sMom]

Thank you Waimea'sMom for your comments. I noticed that you are back on the Grand in February. Would that be the 2nd or the 17th? Hope to meet you.

 

Mike Witte was the CD on the Grand when I went to Mexico in November. I was hoping he would take a little more interest in the Hawaiiana program. I guess I am going to have to do mini-lectures for anyone who wants to hear about Hawaii. I would never claim to be as good as Dave Cole! He lives and breaths the island culture.

 

I agree David Cole is great. Luckily Elua are onboard to infuse Hawaiian culture and aloha spirit. I am on the cruise on the 2nd. :)

[NeptuneSeas]

Appreciate if you could post who current Maitre D' is on Grand please? Thank you for posts. Season's greetings. Rose & Mario

[vivian02]

Waimea'sMom great feed back. I was on the Nov 19th sailing and can confirm that the New York steak on the menu sounds good but was very tough. Might be smart for fellow cruisers on the Grand to order something else. We never saw the long lines at Horizons however we ate all of our dinner meals at anytime dining. The December 4th sailing got rain in Hilo where the November 19th sailing got the rain at Ensenada. There was a guess lecture on the November 19th sailing that had the theater filled for his Route 66 lecture. Most of his lectures included all of the stops in Hawaii. He put interest and humor into his lectures. When doing a fifteen day cruise there will always be issues on a ship this size. A smart cruiser will take the time to find a positive solution. Tim

[Northender]

I agree David Cole is great. Luckily Elua are onboard to infuse Hawaiian culture and aloha spirit. I am on the cruise on the 2nd. :)

 

We will be seeing Eula for the first time in April, 2015. I cannot wait to participate in their spirit.:):)

[CU64]

What's the big deal with Skywalkers? I've cruises many times with one but the alternate on The Grand, One Five serves the same experience, in my opinion. Please tell me what I am missing in the experience.

 

I enjoyed the Grand. We were on her three times last year. Twice on 15 days to Hawaii and one 10-day to Alaska. The crew were fantastic and we loved the captain...yet at the moment I cannot remember his name. A light-haired youngish British gentleman. He was out and about and very approachable and a keen sense of humor.

 

The Grand has Alfredo's (greatest pizza) which several of the others do not. The entertainment is pretty dull but it's the same on all Princess ships.

 

And as for demographics and age of guests, your longer cruises are going to have older folk regardless of which cruise line you chose. I find it a bit tiresome each morning trying to find a spot in the Zumba class because so many of those "Old" people are taking up a spot. :D There must be 75 or more 70+ year old people in those zumba classes. The young folk are still in bed and sleeping off their hangover.

 

some of the complaints about response of crew in ER seem valid.

The other incidents seem to be just a mirror image of the current culture!

Edited December 20, 2014 by CU64
misspell valid