Grand Princess Review
Rating by category
Additional details
We are new to Princess and wanted to just get away for a short time. We did two back to back cruises (the 4 day and 5 day out of LA) to enjoy the days at sea along with the ports. We arrived at LAX at 8:30 am on the day of the cruise (booked through Princess) and waited until 10 am for the bus to the ship. We were in group 1 for boarding; the check-in process was seamless and waited in the terminal until 11:30 am. By the time we arrived at our cabin (D420, Club Class Mini Suite) it was almost ready (just needed a last check by the steward) so we dropped our carry on luggage and went to lunch in Da Vinci Club Class. Just FYI, the staff member as we boarded the ship told us to go Horizon Court for lunch when we asked about the Club Class lunch. We stopped by the front desk/guest services desk and asked other questions and again asked about Club Class lunch for which we were directed to Da Vinci. We were greeted by name (through Medallion) and asked if we wanted to share a table (with a ocean view) which we agreed to. The tables with direct ocean view were for 4 - 6 guests. The tables for 2 guests were one section over. We always "shared" a table and met lovely couples throughout our trip. For one seating, the wait person asked if we wanted to wait for another couple and we declined (as it was 7:30 pm); we remained by ourselves for the meal. Later on the embarkation day we went to the spa for a massage, which was very good. Of course, the staff tried to sell products but I advised that I would order it on the Elemis website.
Overall, the food was average though there were a few meals/items on the menu which were very good. If you get a chance to have the Orange Souffle, do it! It is light and delicious and appeared on the menu several times. Another favorite was the shrimp and avocado appetizer served on the first day of each cruise. Club Class was nice but not without issues. One night dinner took two hours with a long period of time between each course. Not certain if it was the waitstaff or cooks who were delaying each course.
For the most part, we had breakfast in our cabin and didn't realize that we could ask for whatever was being served in the restaurants that day instead of what was on the menu. The Eggs Florentine were dry, the description said Swiss cheese sauce, but it was a slice of Swiss cheese instead. The Eggs Benedict were good, however, would have preferred more sauce.
Cabin Review
Mini-Suite with Balcony
The cabin (D420) had issues for both cruises. The curtains were open when we arrived and we left them open to enjoy the view. With the sun streaming in the cabin, it became hot quickly with no way to cool the cabin (the thermostat was on the coldest setting). It got stuffy in the cabin and we complained to the steward who got a supervisor involved. Because it was late, we decide to stay in the cabin (thankfully we had two small fans which we used throughout the night). The cabin finally cooled off though the air flow still wasn’t good. I figured out quickly that while in port we had to keep the curtains closed as the AC wouldn’t run (or run enough) while in port. The staff did try to assist and asked if we wanted to move for the first night, which we declined. We booked the cabin so that we wouldn’t have to move between the cruises. If we ever cruise on the Grand Princess again, will look at the Ocean Suites (which receives Club Class amenities) as the balcony was uncovered (no privacy and hot as well).
We would not recommend D420 for any future cruises.