Grand Princess Review
Rating by category
Additional details
We sailed on the Grand Princess 15-day Hawaiian cruise out of Vancouver on March 22, 2015. This was our first sailing with Princess, but our 8th cruise overall.
Because there were 5 of us, we had originally booked an inside cabin and an outside cabin with a window. However, two days before departure, our travel agent called to let us know that Princess had upgraded us to a family suite with all the amenities (stocked minibar, free laundry/dry cleaning, preferred embarkation, preferred tender passes, private breakfast, etc.). The suite was everything they promised and more. The rooms (adjoining) were large, the living room spacious and the deck enormous (by cruise ship standards).
I had read many of the reviews in cruise critic and wondered if we had signed up for the sailing of the damned. We expected a rust-colored ship, with buckets everywhere to catch the leaks, broken down amenities, etc. What we found was ship that was a little bit older ship (based on color-schemes and patterns) that was kept in immaculate condition. Yes, there was the occasional water stain on the carpet or some rust showing on a stairwell by the pool, but the crew was always in maintenance mode and cleaning/updating the facilities. We found the service to be amazing and the crew very friendly and proud of their ship
Cabin Review
The cabin was amazing. It was a family suite with a large bedroom for mom and dad with a queen size bed and a smaller bedroom with 2 sets of stacked beds for the kids. All this was connected by a living room that had 2 chairs, 2 sofas and a large-screen tv. The patio was huge. Our cabin steward Elsa was amazing! We have never had a better cabin.
Port Reviews
Hilo
We loved Hilo. We didn't have time to go to Kona, however we went to Richardson black-sand beach and saw the turtles and swam around. We then went to town and walked around - the open air market was great and the kids loved having shaved ice.
Honolulu
We started our day by taking the free shuttle to Hilo Hatties. It was good if you wanted Hawaiian shirts. After that we took their shuttle to Waikiki beach. We have been to a ton of beaches in the Caribbean and they are all much better than our experience at Waikiki beach. We found it to be like Las Vegas on the ocean, only more expensive, packed and without the shows.
Kauai
We landed in Nawiliwili and it was AMAZING! We went to the beach and hung around the small town there. The gardens in the Marriott were beautiful. This was our most relaxing and favorite day of all.
Maui
We really enjoyed Lahaina. We hung out on Front St., eating at Bubba Gumps, went to Kaanapali beach and hung out. The beach was a bit colder than others, and there was a pretty significant drop for little kids where we were. We found Lahaina to be a good balance between the quiet of Kuai and the congestion of Waikiki.
Vancouver
We are from Calgary and spend a fair bit of time in the Vancouver area visiting family and hanging out. We arrived a couple days before the cruise and spend the day prior wandering around Robson St.