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Note - this page contains multiple reviews.
Name: Teresa Moore
Email: teresamoore@usa.net
Age: 34
Occupation: Radiation Therapist
NumberOfCruises: 3
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Princess-Grand
SailingDate: 12/10/00
Itinerary: Eastern Carribean
Cabin: B603
FoodDiningRoom: 75
CruiseDirector: 75
CabinComfort: 85
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 80
CabinAmenities: 85
FoodLidoDeck: 80
DiningRoomService: 75
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 75
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue: 75
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland: 80
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 75
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 75
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 70
OverallPortsofCall: 80
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 80
CruiseActivities: 80
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 80
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace:
Stabilization:
ShopsOnBoard: 75
SpaceRatio:
OverallCruiseValue: 80
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 18 Dec 2000
Time: 17:26:40
Remote Name: 12.82.173.232
Remote User:
Comments
Prior to booking our cruise on the Grand Princess, I searched this review database and found it very
helpful. I would like to now return the favor and include my review of our cruise. We have been on two
previous cruises, one on Premier and the other on Royal Carribean. The Premier cruise was short in
duration ( 3 days), so we used our cruise of the Western Carribean on the Enchantment of the Seas as
a comparison. In our opinion, the Grand Princess and Princess Cruise Lines pales in comparision with
Royal Carribean.
I do credit Princess with a smooth and efficient embarkation procedure and we really liked the veranda
and refrigerator in our stateroom. But for a two-year old ship, she did have noticable wear and tear that
was not addressed. We found her to be rather dull in appearance(varying degrees of beige)and the
atrium was very lackluster compared to Enchantment.
Our stateroom was nice in size and there was plenty of storage for suitcases and clothes for a 7 day
voyage, but again we found the interior to be very boring and beige. We used our veranda a great deal
and other cruise lines should copy the idea of providing a small refrigerator in the room.
I will also add my two cents about the charge for soft drinks on board. I know all lines do it, but it is a
bone of contention with all passengers. We brought our own soft drinks on board and utilized the
refrigerator. We did find that alcoholic beverages on board were actually reasonably priced. More food
discussion later.
Our luggage arrived in our stateroom before we left port which was very nice. We were able to organize
our belongings and change clothes just in time for departure. When we arrived at the terminal, it was
raining quite heavily and we were apprehensive about leaving our luggage with the porters out in the
rain. But they assured us that it would not sit there for long. In spite of this, however, we discovered
while unpacking our garment bag, that it indeed had sat in the rain for some time and had ruined my 2
formal evening dresses. My husband's suits were unharmed, however. We contacted the pursers desk
to inquire what could be done about this, and we found them to be very unhelpful. They suggested I
send the dresses to be dry cleaned on board, at a charge of course. My husband insisted that they be
cleaned by Princess at no charge since we felt it was their fault they had been ruined. They relented
and attempted to dry clean the dresses, but the stains could not be removed. We received no response
from Princess other than a note attached to the dresses stating they were sorry. I felt at this point I had
nothing to lose in trying to handwash the dresses myself. The stains did come out and I was able to
wear the dresses for the 2 formal evenings. We never did receive any response from Princess
concerning this issue. Other conversations with other passengers indicated that they too had similar
problems with wet luggage and ruined garments and no response from Princess. In general, we found
the service on the Grand Princess to be mediocre at best. No one appeared to enjoy their job and were
not particularly friendly. We found the opposite to be true on our previous cruise with Royal Carribean.
If you are hoping for a superior dining experience, consider another cruise line for this as well.
Presentation was bland as was the taste of most dishes offered. We did not eat in the main dining for
two nights do to the lack of palpable selections for our tastes. We did try the Painted Desert and the
Bistro and found them to be of better quality than the dining room fare. We did not try Sabotinis
because of the $15 cover charge per person. Charging for alternate dining is really not providing
alternate dining. We actually found the buffets to be of better quality and choices for breakfast and
lunch. But overall, Royal Carribean does a much better job of presentation and tastier cusine. One
other petty annoyance is that only water and ice tea were provided as beverages at the buffet. On
Royal Carribean fruit juice or lemonade were also provided.
Shopping on board was very expensive, especially for Princess merchandise. Royal Carribean also
does a much better job in this category offering merchandise at reasonable, even at times, low costs.
Entertainment was pretty lame and cheesy for our liking. Comedians that were not very funny and stage
acts ranging from the bizzare to gong show material.
We did have one bright spot and that was we obtained our scuba diving certificates while on board. The
New Waves program is really great and we had a blast doing it. What better place than the carribean to
learn to scuba! Our instructor, Sunshine, was fun and supportive especially for those of us with phobias.
We did like the itinerary especially St. Maarten. It is a wonderful island and we found our best shopping
values there. St. Thomas was a bit to commercialized for us. Princess Cays, Princess' private island,
was pretty and we had 2 of our best dives there. The only annoyance here was that Princess provided a
BBQ buffet lunch that was advertised to be open from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm. But we discovered that
upon finishing our dives at about 10 minutes to 1 pm, that they were closing it down at 1 pm. We had to
rush over to get lunch and the people serving appeared really annoyed with us and even took away
items before we had a chance to sample them.
Overall, we love to cruise and we didn't let the little things ruin our vacation. We just won't be sailing on
a Princess ship again.
Name: Kathy West
Email: scopewest@msn.com
Age: 49
Occupation: Teacher
NumberOfCruises: 7
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Princess-Grand
SailingDate: 11/19/00
Itinerary: Eastern Caribbean
Cabin: CC/L303
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 99
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 98
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 95
DiningRoomService: 90
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 98
ShoreExcVariety: 95
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue: 95
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland: 99
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService:
TenderService: 99
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 98
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 85
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 80
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization: 99
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 22 Dec 2000
Time: 02:11:01
Remote Name: 1cust217.tnt7.phoenix.az.da.uu.net
Remote User:
Comments
This was our first Princess cruise. I would probably try Princess again, but on a smaller ship.
Let me say that we looked forward for over a year to this cruise. We had heard that Princess was superior to the
McCruiser-type Lines beneath it, and we were expecting a product superior to our Carnival, RCL, and Norwegian
cruises. The ship itself was absolutely beautiful, and my husband said it had a feminine feel to the decor, versus
our last cruise on the Carnival Triumph which he said was more masculine. If I was to pick a ship purely on looks,
I wouldn't hesitate to say this ship was the best we've ever been on. And the crew worked hard to keep it clean.
Since we were traveling Thanksgiving week, we booked our flights separately and we did it nearly a year in
advance. I didn't care if Princess might be less money (we're not frequent fliers), I wanted seats together on
direct flights into Ft. Lauderdale. We chose not to fly in a day ahead of time, and luckily the airline gods smiled
on us as we had perfect connections and arrived in Ft. L. around 2:30 p.m. Princess picked us up, apologized for
the rain, and we were zipped right over to the pier where we encountered people trying to make us stop and fill
out paperwork. We had filled it all out at home and mailed it in so we walked right up to the desk and were told by
the staff oh, gee, we lost it. Please fill it out again. Luckily there was no one behind us in line to complain about
this. We weren't amused. I'd suggest you ignore the mail-it-back-to-us and hand carry it.
Upon boarding we were directed to our cabin. Good thing because we would have had a tough time finding it. In
order to save money to take this trip, we decided to forego a balcony but I insisted on getting the cabin next to
one of the penthouse suites. I figured that had to be a prime location or they wouldn't put it there. Our cabins
were behind a set of doors so that we had a little private hallway. Good thing because we were literally ten feet
from the Lido deck area and the traffic noise probably would have been irritating. As it is, we didn't hear a thing
from the corridors. I did get a chance to peek in from the hall to the penthouse but couldn't see much of it. You
can get a look at it from Princess's Web site.
Our cabin was a larger outside cabin meaning we had floor to ceiling windows and approximately the same space
as a balcony cabin. Big deal! We got a very long desk, no couch, one chair, and refrigerator. I can see why
people complain about the storage space. It really isn't much. The room was long rather than wide and for the
first time on a cruise I bumped into the bed because the space between end of bed and the wall was extremely
tight. Two people couldn't pass by each other. Ironically we had less square feet on RCL's Vision of the Seas,
and on the Vision we had a balcony and a couch in our cabin in less space. Why Princess can't stick a couch in
those cabins (ditch that desk) is beyond me.
Our steward didn't clean the room as promptly as we'd like on our first morning so we hung our please make up
this room sign the next morning and from that point on the room was always ready when we came back from
breakfast. We're not big on being pampered, unlike the ads, that's not why we cruise so I can't say what room
service was like or if the steward would do anything extra. He didn't water the flowers my TA sent me but I didn't
ask him to do that either. I just did it. I must say Princess did the most exquisite arrangement we've ever seen on
a ship. I was sorry I couldn't bring it home.
My AMEX card entitled us to a couple amenities, one of which was an invitation to the bridge. We showed up at
the appropriate time and were given an hour-long tour of the bridge and could wander around and take photos.
A warning to those of you with balconies near the bridge. The crew can see everything!! in those balconies from
their vantage point. You may think it's private...ha!
The bathroom was small, the shower had one of those awful cloth curtains that either sticks to you or splashes
water all over the floor. Okay, I'm prejudiced against this room because we didn't have a balcony and I didn't
realize how much I missed having one. But the location was absolutely superb. The elevators were right there,
the Lido deck with the food court was right there, the gym/spa was one floor up. This had to be one of the best
cabin locations on any ship we've been on.
Food: We are not gourmet people, I don't care if you arrange my carrots to look artistic, I just want the food hot
and fresh. Our TA asked for a table for six. We got a table for four. This is the first cruise where we didn't
exchange addresses when we left the ship and that's all I'll say about our dining companions. Why didn't we ask
to switch seats? Because our table location was dynamite. And since we had open seating at the other meals we
got to see what the other seating arrangement were like. Speaking of open seating, I hate it. By the fourth day if I
had to say one more time where I was from I was going to scream. Yes, we could eat in the Lido deck but we
prefer the menus in the dining room. I'd rather eat at our assigned table for all three meals...although maybe I
should be glad we didn't have to this time with those dining companions.
Our waiter told us it was his first cruise. Great. This is probably why the table next to us didn't come back the next
night. In fact the people at that table constantly changed. Our waiter did a 180 and really improved after the first
night, heaven knows what happened, but the two other tables he waited on didn't help matters much. One would
always arrive 20 minutes after the dining room opened, and as I said, the population at the other table kept
switching. The busboy was almost useless so the waiter did practically everything. The asst. maitre 'd, etc. of
course came by each evening to ask how everything was. I got the impression those were the only words of
English they knew.
The food to our taste was good when they didn't go too wacky on the menu items...except for Thanksgiving. Any
American expecting turkey the way mom makes it should not eat on a cruise ship. But we weren't expecting
mom's turkey so we didn't have a problem. The menu featured pumpkin appetizer, pumpkin soup, pumpkin salad,
pumpkin potatoes (I kid you not), and pumpkin dessert. Someone must have said Americans love pumpkin. I did
ask for that dinner menu and they gave me one, after protesting they couldn't. Actually they then gave me a
complete set of menus the last night.
We did eat in the Lido deck a couple times but to me the place got too humid and the beverage stations were too
tiny for the population eating there. The pizza from the grille was good and so were the hot dogs, etc. What
wasn't good was a little boy decided to vomit right next to our table, and his father just rushed him off and left the
mess. Luckily a crew member saw it and cleaned it up. Then I saw at least a dozen barefoot people walk through
the spot all unknowing after it was wiped up.
My food complaint is no free lemonade or punch or even hot chocolate which all the other cruise lines offered.
Entertainment was adequate which isn't saying much. Their big production number was a confusing mess of
music from so-called famous movies. Everyone I talked to said they couldn't understand what Princess was trying
to portray. What really got me is the number opened with a guy walking out, lighting a cigarette, throwing the
match and the cigarette on the floor, and then doing a dance. Excuse me, didn't we have a five-minute lecture
about the dangers of smoking during the lifeboat drill??? Did some tobacco company pay for the costumes or
what?!
The other shows were better but there wasn't enough seats for everyone who wanted to see a show. Princess is
under the delusion that only one-third of the passengers at any one time will want to see a particular show. This
explains why people were traipsing up and down the Princess theatre, trying to find seats, which if they arrived
less than 10 minutes before the show started were impossible to find. As for saving seats and kids sitting where
they weren't supposed to, I guess that's a fact of cruise life.
The best part of the shows was the backstage tour they did where we got to go on the stage and then down into
the dressing room and pit area. This was also the best activity they offered. You can sneer at Carnival all you
want, nobody offers the choices of activities that they do. Princess didn't have a full day of things to do until our
last day at sea, and then they tried to stuff everything into one day. This is my biggest gripe.
We don't go on cruises to use the spa. We live in a resort town that boasts some of the best day spas in the
country. We don't go on a cruise to swim. We have daily access to a pool. We don't go on a cruise to lounge
around and drink. We're not drinkers nor sun worshippers, we've got enough sun where we live. We go on a
cruise to be entertained, by either lectures or activites. Princess didn't come up to our expectations in this area. I
will say the library was one of the nicest, although RCL had longer library hours. My husband really enjoyed the
gym, althought the fact that it was open 24 hours is not readily apparent. I did like the fact the pools had fresh
water, not salt water, on the one day we tried them. We had no trouble getting deck chairs because we didn't
want one next to the pool(s). There were always chairs available on the sides of the ship.
We visited St. Thomas and St. Martin and the private island. Princess's private island is nicer than NCL's, I must
say. And their tender service is really great.
The cruise director and assistant cruise director were the youngest and most upbeat we've ever had. They
reminded me of Conan and Andy on the Conan O'Brien show. I wondered just when they slept because it
seemed they were always doing something every minute.
We had hoped to get photos done in their blue screen studio. We were told sorry, the camera broke. I think more
than one camera broke as the photographers were the worst we've ever encountered. Either they didn't develop
the photos they took or they'd take forever to snap your picture. I guess they didn't know how to use a camera.
Our tablemates had cruised Princess before, but not on the Grand. They kept telling us how superior Princess
was and not to judge the line based on the Grand. I'm sorry, but frankly I don't feel that Princess is head and
shoulders above Carnival, NCL and RCL as far as what we look for on a cruise. Or maybe it's that while a huge
ship can be beautiful and offer many choices, the choices aren't what you expected. But for the times Princess
got it right, they were a superior product.
Name: Wes Carter
Email: aquarius@maine.rr.com
Age: 54
Occupation: Motel owner
NumberOfCruises: 13
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Princess-Grand
SailingDate: 11/26/00
Itinerary: E. Caribbean
Cabin: C332/BA
FoodDiningRoom: 98
CruiseDirector:
CabinComfort: 88
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 100
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 99
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 99
ShoreExcVariety: 95
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon: 95
CasinoStaff: 90
PrivateIsland: 100
GoodForFamilies: 90
LoungeService:
TenderService: 100
GoodForSeniors: 97
BeautySalonStaff: 90
EntertainmentLounges:
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge:
OverallPortsofCall: 99
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities:
Casino: 100
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 98
EmbarkDisembark: 100
DiscoNightclubs: 100
DeckSpace: 99
Stabilization: 98
ShopsOnBoard: 80
SpaceRatio: 98
OverallCruiseValue: 99
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 31 Dec 2000
Time: 12:13:18
Remote Name: sacome-cmt1-c3-66-30-2-65.maine.rr.com
Remote User:
Comments
GRAND PRINCESS, sailing November 26, 2000 - even better the second time around. I’ll be repeating myself,
in a lot of cases, when I submitted a review in 1999.
We’ll get the ‘negatives’ out of the way with first: 1). The cruise was far too short. 2). They are doing away with
the Limelight Studio. 3). They’re no longer going to be selling liquor in the shops for cabin consumption. And
finally, 4). The doctor aboard ship does not perform liposuction.
This is one humungus ship. A lot of people might not like it because of its size, but don’t be put off by this
because she ‘feels’ a lot smaller; except for the amount of walking you have to do, which is a lot. The GRAND
PRINCESS is a beauty from bow to stern, and she is very ‘user friendly.’ The itinerary is just right for this ship
- St. Thomas, St. Maarten, and Princess Cays, with 3 days at sea. This was one of the most relaxing cruises
my wife and I have taken and we spent 95% of our time aboard ship, and still found we didn’t have time to do
all there was to do. If anyone wants a laid back cruise, this is it. And first time cruisers will enjoy it because of
its blend of ports (probably the two most popular) and days at sea.
There are a number of unique things on this ship, as there are on each new ship that comes out. One
interesting spot is the ‘Voyage Of Discovery’ room (for young and old) which has virtual reality based games
and rides for just about everything imaginable from simulation rides (we did the interior of a volcano and a
magic carpet ride), jet fighters, snow and water skiing, to motorcycle racing and hanggliding, just to mention a
few. This room cost $$, but you can purchase a $20 pass and make it stretch for the 7 days. I think this room
was designed for younger people, but every time we went, older people (like us) were in the majority. You
don’t realize how long you’ve been away from playing with these things; I found out I was terrible, but I had fun
being bad. Golfers might like to try the ‘Princess Links,’ another virtual reality spot where you pick one of a
dozen famous golf courses to play. There is also a nicely designed 9 hole mini-golf course for the
not-so-serious golfer.
For the little tykes, there are indoor and outdoor play areas that look like something you’d see on a kids TV
show. They also have planned, supervised activities. For the older ones, there’s a place called the ‘Teen
Deck’ (adults not allowed). And for the older, older ones, there’s the casino, supposingly the largest one
afloat. When you do go to the casino, pay particular attention to the holograms of underwater sealife. For the
late crowd, there’s the ‘Skywalker Night Club,’ high atop the stern, gotten to by a skywalk that “moves” you up
to the club. Sorry, you have to walk back down, but by this time you’re used to walking a lot. We enjoyed this
area early morning with a cup of coffee and watched sunrises.
Other gimmicks of note are the music chairs in the atrium - earplugs, controls, keypads - lots of gismos.
These are similar to the reading chairs in the library for listing to books on tape. On your journey exploring the
ship, poke your head into the ‘Wedding Chapel.’ They average 1-2 weddings per day on our cruise. Of the 4
pools on the GRAND PRINCESS, one is called the ‘Lap Pool,’ or ‘swimming against the current’ pool.
Following are some general observation about this ship: CABIN. Ours was a very nice outside cabin with a
balcony. The use of wood, mirrors, fabrics and soft colors give it a homey feeling or look. Using every nook
and cranny, there is just enough storage space for a 7 night cruise. There’s also some wasted space under
the TV, between the TV and refrigerator, which could accommodate a good size shelf or small cabinets. The
Sony TV’s have front cable plug-ins to make it easy to view videos you tape and/or pictures taken from a
digital camera. Don’t pack a hair dryer, it’s provided, and the beds are just high enough off the floor to slide
your luggage (soft sided) underneath. Standard inside and outside cabins aboard Princess ships are not
spacious, until you get into a mini-suite, or better, category. But if you pack (and unpack) right, you will have
ample room.
Our balcony was GREAT!! - again, second time around. We spent a lot of time on it and it was one of the
larger ones we’ve had. The balconies on the Aloha and Baja decks have 4 chairs and a 30”X 30” table and
were totally private. The balconies on Dolphin deck were the same as Aloha and Baja, but had absolutely no
privacy. Our balcony, on Caribe deck, was twice the size as the others, offered 50% privacy. We lived out
here. For all you sun worshipers, choose the starboard side, shade lovers, port side - at least on this
itinerary.
AROUND AND ABOUT. Not being a connoisseur of fine art, I really enjoyed the artwork and sculptures aboard
ship. I could actually look at and see a painted picture and/or a figure in the later. All the lounges, bars and
common areas were attractive and uncrowded. Public restrooms (at least 13 each for men and women, by my
count) are spaced conveniently throughout, as are the elevators and stairways. The stores (boutiques) are
nice and stock the usual variety of items found on all ships. The ship had a nice blend of brass, wood and soft
colors. The only place that might be considered a little glitzy is in the Skywalker Night Club, on deck 17, but
only at night.
DINING. Uppermost in everyone’s mind, even with all the walking you have to do on this ship, is food. The
dinner meals we had in the dining room were probably the best we’ve had in many cruises, probably even
better than the last GP cruise. There are three main dining rooms; ‘Da Vinci’ and’ Michelangelo,’ which are
almost identical and easy to get to, and Botticelli Dining Room,’ a little different and not as easy to get to. All
are sectioned off to give a more intimate feeling, which it does. We didn’t do the alternative restaurants this
time around, but the ‘Painted Desert,’ a southwestern style restaurant, is still charging $3.50 per person. The
Italian restaurant, ‘Sabatini’s Trattoria,’ is now charging $15 per person. The pizza slices at ‘Poseidon’s
Pizzeria’ and hamburgers at the ‘Trident Grill’ were excellent. Didn’t try the ‘Ice Cream Bar’ (also a charge for
ice cream). The buffets in the ‘Horizon Court’ were also excellent - we had all of our breakfasts and most of
our lunches here. The selections were numerous and the taste outstanding. Just a sampling of what was
offered for breakfast: eggs were prepared 3 different ways, a choice of cereals (hot and cold) and yogurts,
fresh fruit, sliced melons, fruit salad, pastries, pancakes, 3-4 meats, bagels, breads, french toast, different
styles of potatoes, rolls, muffins, 3-4 juice selections, coffee, tea, milk and 20-30 other items I passed up or
didn’t try; some of which I don’t know why they’re on the buffet, but it’s there. The lunch buffet had even a
larger selection and items varied from day to day. I’m not a gourmet, but these 2 buffets offered very tasty
food; one is bound to find something to their liking because there’s a lot to choose from. Others who’ve
reviewed the GRAND PRINCESS complained about lines; there weren’t any to speak of in this dining room.
ENTERTAINMENT: Since this was a repeat cruise, we didn’t do any of the shows this time, and spent our
evenings in the casino and on the balcony. For anyone who hasn’t done a Princess cruise, their standard
shows, ‘Glamour,’ ‘London Pub Night,’ ‘Variety Showtime’ with the Chinese acrobats, ‘Gotta Sing, Gotta
Dance,’ ‘Pirates,’ and ‘New York, New York,’ are must sees. There has been only one cruise director who has
stood out in my mind in the number of cruises we’ve done - Greg Maxwell, currently on the GRANDEUR OF
THE SEAS. As I mentioned, we didn’t do any of the shows, but if Tim Donovan, is still on the GRAND, he rates
right up there at the top. The man really enjoys what he’s doing, seems to be everywhere, is a bundle of
energy, is funny and talented. We only did shows in the ‘Princess Theater’ and the ‘Vista Lounge,’ on our first
GP cruise, but there’s other entertainment going on in the ‘Explorers Lounge’ as well 5 other lounges and
bars.
POOLS: There are 4 to choose from (5 if you count the kiddy pool). The main pool, obviously, is the most
crowded, with a mix of people in all age groups. This seems to be where the children congregate. The
Calypso Pool, which is in a more enclosed area attracted an older crowd, but with a few children. The ‘swim
against the current’ pool, adjacent to the Plantation Spa, is for people 17 yrs old +, and 2 hours (I think noon
to 2PM) where children are allowed, ACCOMPANIED BY AN ADULT. The Aft pool, my favorite, is strictly for
adults only. By my count, there are 8 jacuzzis/spas and none were crowded when we used them or walked by.
ITINERARY: This was a most relaxing cruise, a nice blend of days at sea, 2 ports, and a beach day. We didn’t
do much in St. Thomas; spent the morning at Sapphire Beach ($5.50 pp taxi fare each way), and a little
shopping at Havensight Mall. We didn’t go into town because we knew ahead of time that there were going to
be 5-8 other ships in port that day. In St. Maarten did some serious shopping (did a very interesting tour last
time). There are still deals to be had on these islands, but one has to do their homework and know their
prices are back home. Princess Cays has really been developed and upgraded since we were there last.
They’ve added more beach area, expanded the BBQ pavilion, user-friendly walkways and a nice combination
of sunny and shady areas. Also, they’ve doubled the beach area to the right of the tender area, as well as
newly constructed pavilions and other buildings. It’s a work in progress. The rest of the time was spent aboard
ship, swimming, sunning, enjoying the balcony, shopping in the boutiques, eating, gambling, and of course,
walking. Princess Cruises does a real nice job of providing their passengers with a booklet with extensive
details about their shore excursions. This usually arrives with the cruise docs, prior to sailing. And it seems as
though they’re adding more tours because people want more and a variety of options.
My wife and I loved the GRAND PRINCESS: Part II. This is a totally relaxing cruise which is what we look for in
a cruise. Although others may find it too large and complain about the hikes from one end of the ship to the
other, we enjoyed that. It’s a beautiful ship, and every aspect of her was a pleasure, from our cabin, our
balcony, the food, casino, our tablemates, total relaxation, the motion (little), the super-friendly and efficient
staff and crew, sights and sounds...... and yes, even the walking. Would we do it again? You bet, but ‘Part III’
may have to wait a bit; there are a few things on our plate before then; already have the next two cruises
planned and deposits are in!
If anyone has questions or comments, we’d be pleased to hear from you. Wes & Barb Carter
aquarius@maine.rr.com
Name: Steve Simonetti
Email: Sascol@aol.com
Age: 33
Occupation: Banking
NumberOfCruises: 5
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Princess-Grand
SailingDate: 11-26-00
Itinerary: Eastern Caribbean
Cabin: D229
FoodDiningRoom: 89
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService: 95
CruiseStaff: 98
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 95
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 99
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety: 95
FoodVariety: 99
DeckService: 95
ShoreExcValue: 89
GoodForHoneymoon: 100
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 80
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 89
GoodForSeniors: 95
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 89
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 80
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 89
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 85
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 98
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 10 Jan 2001
Time: 07:41:47
Remote Name: clt-pxy02.firstunion.com
Remote User:
Comments
Our Cruise Background: This was our 5th cruise in 6 years. Prior to sailing on the Grand Princess, my wife
and I sailed on Royal Caribbean's Monarch of the Seas, Royal Caribbean's and Grandeur of the Seas,
Celebrity's Mercury as well as on the Sea Princess. This was actually supposed to be a cruise for us on
Celebrity's Millennium but our particular sailing was canceled due to ship vibration problems Celebrity wanted
to fix. Celebrity gave us ample notice of the cancellation. The Grand Princess was leaving on the same day
and from the same port as the Millennium was supposed to sail from. Because of this and since we enjoyed
our trip on the Sea Princess last year, we decided to give the Grand Princess a try.
Embarkation: We arranged for our own air and went down to Ft. Lauderdale the night before our sailing. The
morning of our cruise, we took a shuttle from the hotel to the Pier at 11:35. We beat most of the crowds to the
terminal so there was no line whatsoever to wait in when we got there. We were in our cabin by 12:10. This
impressed me. It pays to it there a little early if you can.
First Impressions of the Ship: Obviously the Grand is HUGE! Although it's interior is very attractive, the Grand
Princess is not what I'd call a 'flashy' ship. We read MANY reviews prior to our trip so we expected this. All
carpeting and furniture in the public areas seemed to be well maintained and we saw very little wear and tear.
Other reviews we've read said that the Grand was not aging very well but I saw no sign of this. I tend to be
pretty picky about such things so if I had seen excessive wear and tear to the public spaces I would have
certainly noticed it.
Our Cabin: We booked an outside cabin with a verandah but were fortunate enough to be upgraded to a mini
suite. We knew this about two months before our trip. The cabin was on the Dolphin deck. Because it was a
mini suite, the room was quite large (for a cruise ship any way). In the bedroom area there was a queen size
bed along with a TV, a desk and two nightstands. In addition to the bedroom area there was a sitting area with
an additional TV, a table and a couch. Both of the cabin TV's were 20". Beyond the sitting area was the
verandah. You've probably read in other reviews that the verandahs on this deck are NOT private (they are
visible from all of the decks above you). While I understand why some folks might have a problem with this, we
did not. It was nice to be able to look up at night and have an unobstructed view of the moon lit sky. It was not
too often that any of the folks above us were on their verandahs anyway. The bathroom in the mini suite was
nice in that one of the perks is a full-sized tub (not the standard cruise ship tiny shower). Closet space was
more than ample. While the mini suite was nice, had we not received it as an upgrade, personally I would not
have paid the extra money for it. We really didn't use the sitting area. The butler service that comes with the
mini suite was nice, but we really didn't use our butler much at all either. Princess is discontinuing this service
soon anyway.
The Ship: One might think that because this ship is so large it is hard to find your way around. NOT TRUE! In
your cabin, you will find a foldable map of the ship that you can carry with you. This is nice to have and it
allows you to learn your way around quickly. The ship is designed in a manner that tends to scale things
down. For example, the Grand's atrium is smaller that the atrium on the Sea Princess….quite a bit smaller.
There were four pools and there was never a problem finding deck chairs (unless you wanted to be right next
to the pool). As I mentioned earlier, all public areas were well maintained. There are so many lounges and
bars to sit in. All of the lounges were decorated very nicely, especially the Wheelhouse lounge and the
Explorers lounge. The sports bar looks like your traditional sports bar back home. Our favorite 'hang out'
spots were the Wheelhouse Bar (nautical theme), and the atrium coffee bar. Both had entertainment before
and after dinner.
The Grand has three dining rooms all of which are similar in layout, appearance and size. We were seated in
the DaVinci dining room and my only complaint is that we were seated somewhat close to the kitchen. The
noise bothered us a bit the first night but we got used to it and had no problem with it after that. It was actually
quite interesting to sit so close to the kitchen because we could see all of the activity going on. It's amazing
how hard the waiters on these ships really work.
Buffet food was available in the horizon court. Just like on our trip on the Sea Princess last year, we found this
area to be a bit unorganized. The serving stations are set up in no particular pattern and everyone getting
food seems to wander about getting a bit confused as to where to go next. This is not a horrible experience,
just a bit annoying at times.
The Food: The food in the Grand's dining room was on par with that of the Sea Princess. Most of the food
was very good. The only dish that stands out in my mind as being absolutely OUTSTANDING was the
eggplant parmagaine. It was absolutely delicious! Buffet food was good as well. Nothing was outstanding, but
most of it was very good. We did order room service once via our butler. The food came within 15 minutes
and it was piping hot. Pizza, burgers, hot dogs and fries by the pool were all GREAT. We did not have a
chance to use the Italian alternative dining option (Sabatini's), but we did have a chance to eat in the Painted
Desert (the Southwestern alternate dining option). The service was SLOOOOOOW, but since it was lunchtime
we were in no hurry. The food here was excellent.
The Staff: As it turns out, the cruise director and his assistant were the same two guys that we had on the Sea
Princess last year. We loved these guys! Both of them were very animated and always sociable. Waiters were
terrific as was the room steward and the butler. Every person we encountered had a great attitude. I have no
complaints about anyone on the staff.
The Itinerary: This particular Eastern Caribbean Itinerary included three sea days. We LOVE sea days so this
was ideal for us. The ship made stops in St. Thomas, St. Maartin, and Princess Cays. We had been to all of
the ports before with the exception of Princess Cays. Unfortunately, the weather was kind of rainy that day so
we stayed on the ship and did not have a chance to explore the island. In St. Thomas we shopped. There
were lots of bargains to be found and plenty to keep you busy. In St. Martin we took the "America's Cup
Regatta" shore excursion. The seas were a bit choppy when we did this but this is quite an experience to take
if you get the chance. You actually get to pilot and race (with supervision) an actual yacht that participated in
the 1987 America's cup race. How many people can say they've done that??!!
Disembarkation: Getting off of the ship was fairly quick. We did have a bit of a problem finding our luggage in
the terminal because some of it was put in the wrong place. This added about 10 minutes to our adventure
but we eventually managed to find it.
Positives: The food was very good and the ship was easy to learn. The staff was extremely friendly and they
made us feel welcome all week. We again loved that we were able to sign up for shore excursions prior to the
trip via fax or via the Princess website. There was plenty to do on the ship and we were never bored. Except
just before dinner in the atrium area, the ship seemed crowded only at one particular time (see comment
below).
Negatives: Spa treatments are EXPENSIVE. A simple manicure was $45.00. A massage…..forget about it. The
atrium area tended to get extremely crowded just prior to dinner. Much of this traffic was caused but the fact
that the shops on board place sale tables in the atrium. This takes up a LOT of space. Princess ships do not
seem to have as many shops on board as some of the other cruise lines do so shopping on the ship can be
somewhat limited. None of these negatives had a major impact on our trip, but they are things to keep in mind.
Summary: Of the five cruise ships we've been on, this one would probably be ranked just about in the middle.
We're happy to answer any questions and we love to share our cruise experiences so please feel free to
e-mail us for (Sascol@aol.com).
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