Chose this cruise because of the destination. Apart from the ship being very tired, the crew are not as accommodating as previous cruises, this was echoed by several other guests. The room attendant assigned to our cabin never turned up when asked for a pair of scissors, the rudeness of bar staff was jawdropping, and we had serviettes thrown on our lap by waiters. There were no shuttles upon our ...
Embarkation in Melbourne was fantastic. We were allocated 1200-1230 boarding slot. Walked in to terminal at 1201 and was onboard within 15 minutes. Cabin was also ready when we boarded. Huge improvement from previous cruise.
Bar service was sometimes a bit slow.
Medallion app worked fairly well but hung a few times. Being able to find shipmates was a good feature.
My Time Dining was easy ...
An epic 3 years in the making, sadly the Grand is showing its 24 years of age and isnt in the same league as the newer ships.
We sailed from Melbourne and down Port Phillip Bay on a balmy Melbourne evening, I have driven around it 100's of thime but this was the first time sailing the Bay, through the Heads at Queenscliffe and into Bass Straight. An uneventful transit to Cape Reinga which we ...
Positives:
Excellent crew in all parts of the ship.
The entry system to the staterooms with your Medallion was also excellent with the door opening as you approached.
Boarding and disembarkation were quick.
Choice of films on the TV in the stateroom was very good.
Port Chalmers, Wellington, Napier and Auckland were all to our liking. Having a park ranger, Ian, aboard to provide ...
We chose this cruise so we could combine it with a visit to see our son and grandchildren who live near Melbourne. New Zealand had long been on our bucket list, I had just turned 70 so it seemed an ideal time and location to celebrate and see family at the same time.
We booked the cruise several months in advance but left it until early autumn before we started downloading information on to ...
We have taken many Princess cruises before and enjoyed all of them!
We are now on the Grand Princess with a few more days till we return to Melbourne
Medallion set up confusing . We got it partly set up and decided they could complete the process at the check in. It seems we had actually finished it
Check in was chaotic! It was delayed due to needed extra Covid clean. Well meaning guides ...
Cruising with the Princess and Covid in Australia in 2022.
What a bit of pressure can do to your better judgement.
Our cruise in February 2020 was terminated at the halfway point because of the then developing Covid crisis. Princess were generous in giving us credit for future bookings along with some bonuses. This then happened multiple times as the time frames extended and were cancelled ...
Apologies for the lengthy diatribe but context is all.
Booked for this trip two years ago but was cancelled due to covid. Had the option for refund, cruise credit or go on same trip Melb to Melb on the 4th of November. Chose to go on same trip as birthday was on 3rd November. A choice we came to regret bitterly. Should have opted for cruise credit.
Today’s date is Monday the "14th ...
Post Covid we missed cruising after 30 plus cruises with a bit more than half with our preferred cruise company Princess. We did a short cruise in Queensland on the Coral in late June and making allowances for post-Covid adjustments the cruise was overall a good enjoyable experience. We also had credits from Covid cancellations to use.
Now the Grand (far-from-grand) experience.
Pre ...
This was my first trip outside Australia since Covid and I didn’t want to go too far away. I’d booked this cruise nearly 2 years ago when Princess offered ‘bargains” to use up those FCC’s. Originally advertised for Nov ’21 but moved forward to Nov ’22 as we were still in lockdown previously. There were no balconies left so I got a mini-suite for less than what a balcony would normally ...