Questions about the Grand Princess

[shofer]

We just booked the Grand in February for us, DD/SIL, DS/DIL. This will be our second time on Princess and their first cruise, ever. Last time we were on Coral and thought it was beautiful. The beds were so comfortable.

 

Having some concerns about this being an older ship. I'm expecting the overall physical layout to be well tended, but what about the "soft" goods; i.e. bedding, chairs, carpeting, etc? Is anyone just off Grand who can give a hint?

 

On another note, we booked 3 BE category cabins which are balcony guarantees. According to the deck plan, there are only 4 of these cabins in this category available on the whole ship.

 

Has anyone booked a guarantee and what did you end up with? We realize that all us us can be scattered all over the ship. How soon was your cabin assigned? Do you have to wait until you are at the dock?

 

We did a guarantee back in 2000 on RCCL and ended up with the same category "H" as the rest of the family, but there was a whole deck of those cabins.

 

Thanks in advance for all your help.

[Jen_BC]

Hi Shofer,

 

I was on the Grand in January for my first cruise. We booked a BE guarantee and ended up with a BC on the Baja deck. It was a great location midship.

We found things on the Grand to be in very good condition. Obviously I don't have anything to compare to as I hadn't cruised before, but we found the beds to be comfortable, and the linens were very nice (although the duvet a bit warm). I didn't notice any signs of disrepair in carpeting, chairs etc, but also was specifically looking for it - I was far too busy having a fantastic time. :D

I hope you have a great cruise,

Jen

[dewats784]

When are you sailing on the Grand? My sister and I are on the January 12th sailing. We have a cabin on the Aloha deck. Have you checked in with a roll call? Have a great cruise!! We sure intend on it!

[dforeigner]

We were on-board the Grand this past April. In my opinion, this ship does not look or feel old. I witnessed continuous maintenance such as panting, chipping off old paint, changing mattresses, replacing carpets, etc.

[caribill]

We were on the Grand for 28 days in April and May this spring. No problem with wear and tear.

[shofer]

Thanks so much for the info. As you can see, we are on the Super Bowl weekend cruise. We didn't plan it that way! Just had to coordinate the schedule for 6 people! I'm sure the guys and DIL will be avid watchers. I'm only interested if the Chicago Bears are in it again. My DH has all his fingers & toes crossed!

 

I did find a roll call and we were the first ones to respond. So hope to find others. Hoping the passengers range is broad and my "kids" who are in 20's & 30's will find some likewise.

 

Sounds like the ship is in good repair and the bedding updated. When my DH saw the build-date, he was worried it was a tub! But it will be the biggest ship we have ever sailed on.

 

Thanks Jen for your good wishes. We are anticipating a great trip. A week will be too short!