We had a very good cruise in November 2013 on the Navigator of the Seas sailing out of Rome visiting Greece and Turkey, so we decided to travel to America and spend some time seeing the Utah National Parks and Las Vegas and finish with a cruise on the Grand Princess travelling to the Mexican Riviera.

First thing to say is that they should change the name of the ship, she may be a Princess Ship but Grand she is not. First impression of the ship was that it had aged very badly. We can only compare it to our previous cruise as this was our second cruise only, but the difference in the standard layout and presentation of the two ships was evident from the first day. This ship is not easy to get around and is showing its age with rust. We also had several other guests telling us that they had taken photos of their rooms that had mold around showers and sinks. My wife produced a glass on the third day that she found beside the curtains, it had half a drink left in it from the previous occupants.

The shore excursions for the Mexican Riviera were very poor. We cancelled the remainder of our excursions after attending a "Mexican Fiesta". This consisted of getting off the boat, being put into an old taxi and travelling 1 mile up the road to a hotel where we were unloaded and put at some long tables outside in the heat. Drinks were charged at $5 for a margarita and $3 for a can of coke. The food was a line up buffet in the sun with several of the elderly guests leaving early without eating due to the heat. We left early and caught a taxi back to the ship. The staff on board were not interested when we told them we were cancelling further excursions and not interested in why we were cancelling. It is much cheaper to book excursions when you get off the boat, in many cases a fraction of the price that the on-board ship excursions are priced at. Read more