Princess/Carnival

[gr1634]

Morning All,

Was doing some "cruising" on the internet yesterday and saw Grand Princess is now doing its 7 dayer out of Galveston. 7 days with a balcony is cheaper than Conquest for the week with a balcony, in Apr we were thinking about. Have thought a couple of times about trying another line, just for a comparison. Any thoughts? Anyone been on the Grand Princess? Whats the big difference - really?

GR

[BigDoug]

Morning All,

Was doing some "cruising" on the internet yesterday and saw Grand Princess is now doing its 7 dayer out of Galveston. 7 days with a balcony is cheaper than Conquest for the week with a balcony, in Apr we were thinking about. Have thought a couple of times about trying another line, just for a comparison. Any thoughts? Anyone been on the Grand Princess? Whats the big difference - really?

GR

AnyTime dining and not much nightlife.

[bcs819]

we were on the Grand as our fist non-Carnival cruise and were very disappointed. It was a great deal and it was a cruise, but we were bored a lot of the time, especially at night as the previous poster said. We decided to give Princess another shot and found a deal on the brand-new (at the time) Diamond Princess on what was supposed to be a younger/livelier itinerary and didn't love it either. We're going back to Carnival and staying there -

[rtscruiser]

We've sailed Sensation, Glory and Destiny, and also Golden Princess. For my money, not a dime's worth of difference between the lines (though we didn't like Destiny due primarily to the passengers.) IMHO, if you can get a better deal on Princess, go for it.

[ppeckham]

I've been on both ships. Your choice should depend upon what you want out of a cruise.

 

I've cruised on Carnival 4 times and decided to "check out" Princess in preparation for planning our Alaska Cruise. In the interest of conducting research, my son (nearly 16) and I cruised over spring break this year on the Grand. The following is what we found. I'll try to stick to facts.

 

1. The standard balcony cabins on the Conquest are slightly larger than the Grand.

2. The balcony on the Grand included a full height table instead of a small end table.

3. Soft serve ice cream on the Conquest is 24 hours. Hand dipped is available on the Grand buffet only certain hours of the afternoon.

4. Pools on the Grand were fresh water. Conquest had salt water.

5. One of the pools on the Grand had a retractable roof. You can still swim if it's raining.

6. The main lounge on the Grand did not have obstructed views. The Conquest has pillars. We had to go early to the show to get a good seat.

7. Anytime dining on the Grand works well when you have a small party (fewer than 7). Friends we met on board had trouble getting seated for dinner.

8. The Grand has movies under the stars. This is the closest you can get to a drive-in movie theater while at sea. Pretty cool for those who remember drive-ins.

 

Now opinions:

1. My son liked Carnival's pizza better. I agree. The Grand's pizza was still quite good.

2. There seemed to be fewer pool games on the Grand (no hair chest contest). I'm not really into the pool games.

3. The Grand seemed to be a bit quieter. I'm not into drinking and dancing late into the night.

4. We were guided by several crew members to our cabin at embarkation. This is the first time we weren't left to find the cabin on our own.

5. Our cabin steward carefully explained the muster drill. Plus the muster station was in a lounge instead of on deck. After 4 Carnival cruises, this was a nice change.

 

If you want more night life, I'd still with the Conquest. If you want a quieter trip, try the Grand. After April, 2007, Princess is pulling out of Galveston.