Grand Princess Review

A Mixed Bag

Review for Hawaii Cruise on Grand Princess
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Jennifer A
2-5 Cruises • Age 60s

Rating by category

Cabin
Value for Money
Embarkation
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Additional details

Sail Date: Jan 2016
Cabin: Balcony

This cruise had many highs and lows and it averages out to a 3 and a half. But there were lots of great things about it so read on. First, I had read so many reviews about the Grand Princess being dirty, old, hot, leaky, etc., that I was apprehensive. Maybe I was just on a good deck (Caribe) but I didn't see a leak the whole time. I did smell a mildew-ish odor in our cabin the first couple of days but it went away and I guess I'll attribute it to damp weather. I didn't find the ship to be at all dirty and while I guess it was a little worn in spots it wasn't a significant issue.

Embarkation was awful because they had to use a narrow gangway for some reason and it went very slowly. This was aggravated by the "Elite" and "Preferred" groups going ahead of everyone else - it probably added an extra hour to our wait. Two hours total wait to board. Note to Princess: I will probably never become Preferred or Elite because I didn't appreciate being treated like chopped liver as a mere second-timer.

Overall comfort - I'm putting this first as it contains my only advice: Take some sweaters and plenty of long pants! The place was freezing, especially the Vista Lounge and the Princess Theater. No matter what the temperature outside, parts of the ship were way too cold all the time. I packed badly and had to buy a shawl, which helped but I really longed for a nice sweater. Luckily the cabins have individual thermostats and no problems there.

Cabin Review

Balcony

Cabin BE

The cabin itself is comfortable and the balcony is extra big. I found the bed comfortable. Water pressure in the shower not good. The cabin is close to the front and this makes it less convenient to the venues aft. Lots of walking - not a problem for us but anyone with mobility issues might have problems. Cabin steward Angelo was fantastic - the place was clean all the time.

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