Grand Princess Review
The Grand Princess - Still Grand - Mostly
Rating by category
Additional details
This was our 2nd cruise and 2nd with Princess. We cruised in Alaska in July 2009 on the Star Princess and loved every minute. This time we booked a longer cruise (14 Days) on a sister ship. To be frank, I expected the worst having read all the reviews posted here. I seriously considered changing to another ship, but the itinerary was what we wanted and we decided to go for it.
As it turned out, most of our fears were unfounded. Our mini suite was identical to the one we had on the Star and apparently smoke free. The furnishings were older but not worn or soiled. There were some broken tiles in the bathroom, but that was the worst of it. Our cabin steward Manuel was wonderful and could not do enough for us. It was the same in the dining room. Our waitress Aliena and her helper Manuel (another one) were first rate and even gave us extra desserts each evening.
The food was very good--perhaps too good as we gained weight despite having only breakfast and dinner. We chose to eat at 8:30 and this worked out very well as we had plenty of time after exploring the ports of call to get ready, etc.
Cabin Review
The Princess mini suites are very very nice. There is a queen size bed and a separate sitting room. There are two flat screen TV's, a dressing table with hair dryer and a large open closet area with plenty of room. there are also some open shelves behind a set of mirrored doors. The bathroom has a tub - shower combination and a sink with space to put stuff as well as a shelf below for more bathroom things. For us, it is a perfect arrangement and we are willing to pay the extra $$ to have the space. We booked on the Dolphin Deck which is #nine. It is an easy walk up and down the stairs to get to the promenade deck where most of the action takes place. Our room was quiet, but we booked it because it was not near the elevators or the laundry. Balcony was big enough for 4 chairs. We did not mind that there were balconies above us where people could look down, but I talked to some people who did.