This was my first Princess cruise, and it will be my last. The boat portion, which was 11 our of 15 days, was far below average. There are much nicer cruise lines, for comparable funds. Do yourself a favor, and check all options before you book.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
Main dining rooms were adequate, but food selection and portion size was not good. The steak house and Italian specialty restaurants had the same menu all 15 days of the cruise. The Italian restaurant didn't have regular pasta on their menu!
Tried the buffet for breakfast one morning - food was cold.
Onboard Activities
1 out of 5
Being at sea 10 days means you need varied activities. I kid you not - one of the activities on our daily list was "Elevator Roulette".....they push the button and you guess which door opens first. REALLY?!! Most activities, with the exception of Zumba, were geared for the nursing home crowd.
The casino was the exception - it was fun, but they should not allow smoking in any area of it.
The Ultimate Drink package we purchased when we booked the cruise (1 year ago), was sold as "unlimited". It now is limited to 15 drinks a day. Others purchased a soft drink package, and were charged for bottles of water.
The internet package I purchased 6 months ago changed by the time we got onboard. I had paid 680 minutes, and in order to get that, I had to pay $50 more, which added more time to my package, but still I feel we should have been notified before we got onboard and went to set up our internet.
The on-board app to "text" other passengers is not as good as others I've experienced. In addition to texting, other cruise lines include a feather to call other passengers using the app.
Entertainment
1 out of 5
Very lacking in the entertainment arenal.
Children's Programs
Not traveling with children
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
Must be a training boat - most staff seemed stumped by questions, and had to get help. The exception was our dinner wait staff, Alex and Victor in the Michaelangelo dining room, and John in the Steak House. They were wonderful.
The casino staff was the delight of the trip. We got to know them well, and they were friendly, outgoing, greeted us by name. I am not a big gambler, but that didn't seem to matter.
Ship Quality
1 out of 5
The smell of sewage throughout one side of the boat was horrible. We had friends traveling with us whose toilet overflowed 3 times during this trip. From the smell outside the cabins on the 8th floor, it must happen quite often.
The hair salon located on the 15th floor was positioned directly above the cigar bar, so when taking the elevator from the salon, you had to walk right by and smell all the smoke. Great for clean hair!
Cabin / Stateroom
2 out of 5
Beds were comfortable, tho suite was very small, and was sold as a full size suite. In room dining was offered, but there wasn't even a dining table with chairs to eat. There was a sofa, coffee table and one chair, and the bedroom area was separated by a curtain.
The shower had mold on the ceiling - I complained 3 days in a row, and somewhere around the 10th day of our cruise they came in and painted over the mold.
Beautiful beaches and great shopping. Would like to return there. This was the purpose for the trip - had a destination wedding on Kapalua Beach. Hired Hawaiian Style Weddings to coordinate, and it turned out great. They did a wonderful job, and the wedding was beautiful.
While ashore don’t forget to get some poke...and real shaved ice...if it is like a snow cone or an icee then it’s not real...if it is like flavored powdered snow then it’s the real McCoy...very refreshing on a tropical day
Thank you romantikcruiser and markcross for your reviews. I’m looking forward to 15 days, Hawaii, April 14. My second time on the Grand and like Mark it’s so very convenient out of SF. Nothing like NOT having to traipse though air ports dragging my luggage and too many souvenirs. 😎
Romanticruiser, thank you, I will check into Princess out of L.A. I am from the bay area and the Grand is so convenient, I really hate the the bag drag when travelling but I could do L.A. easily, and a repositioning cruise through any line seams to be very affordable, so exploring my options in the future will be in my research. But I would like to be a loyal Princess patron, as I enjoy the people ( Old like me 54) and I find the crew and food simply amazing, plus I'm a Veteran and Princess recognizes that😎
Mark...we are going to Alaska in July and back to Hawaii in 2019...booker the Hawaii cruise the day we got off the ship. We love our TA and prefer working with her
If you are local to the Bay Area you might be able to get a deal on the Panama Canal as they reposition ships from the Alaska itinerary to the Caribbean ...we took Celebrity from San Francisco to Miami for a great deal...and if you wish to earn Captain Circle credits there is a round trip Panama cruise from LA...regarding partial or complete transit...it makes very little difference ...it is only important if there are locations you want to see on the other side ...but the Panama Canal is an awesome man made wonder that should be seen at least once
Romanticruiser, Yes I agree with every thing you said and Brian and Rowena were amazing, I've already booked Alaska in June on the Grand, but might try a different line for Panama Canal, possibly NCL
Mark...some folks enjoy complaining...first complaining because the sixth floor cigar bar impacted her 15th floor salon experience...complaining that the cruise was an older crowd ...I’m curious what cruise line has a cruise from the main land to Hawaii with young passengers...and what cruise line from the main land to Hawaii is cheaper...each cabin has a square footage on the deck plan...so you know in advance what the area of your cabin is...if you bother to read...elevator roulette is popular on many cruise lines...there is always a crowd there...that and the horse races never interested me...but there was always something else to do...so I did the other things and did not complain about an activity that doesn’t interest me...this was heights mom’s experience...I took the Hawaii cruise just before hers...so my experience was that there was plenty to do...and one can do as much or as little as you choose ...the Hawaiian ambassadors are great people who treat you like long time friends...there are dance clubs...but on 15 day cruises the average age is above 70...the dance floors will not be as active ...with around 3000 passengers there will be those who live to complain...but they are easy to identify and avoid...most passengers are there to have fun and are happy to include others. Or leave you in peace
Any suggestions on another cruise line that's not a booze cruise full of teenagers and children, I totally enjoyed my Princess Hawaii trip last month, I find the boat to be very easy going and relaxing, Ok I'll say it - "Old boat full of old people" I just don't like standing in line and I hate kids and loud drunks.
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