This was our first cruise on Princess and our first cruise to Alaska. We didn’t know how we would handle being on a ship with more than 900 passengers. But aside from sometimes seemingly interminable walks to get from our suite aft on Dolphin deck to, say, the Star Theater up in the bow, we got used to it quickly and rarely felt crowded. I’m happy to say that service onboard was every bit as personalized and efficient as on the smaller ships, if not more so. We were very happy with our suite and balcony. The food was mostly good but somewhat unimaginative. Because we love classical music, the Rhapsody Trio added so much to our enjoyment of the cruise. We love the round trip San Francisco itineraries now that it is so unpleasant to fly, and there are many choices of itinerary. We definitely want to see more of Alaska. I will miss the Grand when they move her out of San Francisco, and I hope that whatever ship they replace her with will have the Rhapsody Trio aboard!
Embarkation
5 out of 5
We were pleasantly surprised at how fast and easy it was. Although it was the largest ship we’ve been on, embarkation was the fastest. We didn’t wait long in line, and once we were checked in, we were assigned an escort who led us to our suite through throngs of passengers.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Design and decor of the dining rooms were elegant. Food in club class dining was good to very good, service was sometimes very good and sometimes chaotic. Crown Grill dinner was not memorable. We had breakfast there most mornings, service was excellent, menu was limited, but they made things that weren’t on the menu if they had them, such as my morning staple, plain yogurt with fresh berries.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
The ship was so huge that just getting from place to place was an activity. The pools looked nice, but usually packed full of kids. Which was fine, they looked like they were having fun. I did a couple of crafts activities, which were fun but filled up quickly.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Fee Fee and the Sentiments, from Australia, were enjoyable. Their costumes changed to match the genre of music ( fifties, country western, etc). Then we accidentally stumbled upon the Rhapsody Trio from Budapest in the Piazza on the third night, and we made sure to get our classical music fix as often as we could for the rest of the cruise. The violinist, Robert, would walk around the audience, stopping in front of us in turn, playing right to you for a few moments. Their music was exquisite, they played requests, probably the best cruise musicians I’ve experienced.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
The service was as good as and better than what we experienced on the smaller ships we sailed on previously. Our steward, Jimmy, was very attentive and helpful, the suite was always spotless. Waiters remembered our names and drink preferences, guest services called occasionally to make sure we were enjoying our cruise. We definitely felt pampered.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
The ship was always amazingly clean. Some of the furniture in public areas (especially the smoking area behind One Five) was worn out and should have been replaced during the last refit. The layout was logical and didn’t take long to familiarize ourselves with. Navigating our way through areas on the promenade deck could be a challenge because of photographers and photo setups throughout that deck and leaving the ship in port.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
The suite was spacious, comfortable and bright. The aft balcony was very large. We spent more time on the balcony than we have on any other ship, because it was nearly always protected from the wind. And there were such glorious sights to see in Alaska. The bed was very comfortable, as was the sitting room furniture. If my husband was still sleeping, I could close the heavy drapes between the sitting and bedroom areas and read or watch the second tv at low volume without waking him. There was plenty of storage and desk surface. The extra sink in the wet bar was also nice. I enjoyed the jetted tub. I was disappointed that the shower didn’t have a handheld option like other ships we’ve been on. The door between the tub/ shower and toilet area was great for privacy but a bit awkward and in the way.
Ship tip
If you live near the San Francisco area and you want to avoid flights to get to your cruise, as we do, the Grand is being moved to another port in 2020. San Francisco will get another ship, but I think I will miss the Grand.
We live on the coast north of San Francisco and we wish we had sailed round trip San Francisco Sooner. It’s so convenient and no flights involved. The views from our balcony in the stern of the ship, both in port and sailing away, were priceless.
We did the Best of Juneau excursion. It was well worth it. We saw the Mendenhall Glacier, took a boat to whale watch in Auke Bay, where we saw mostly humpbacks, including Flame and her calf Bunsen cavorting near the boat. Afterwards, we had a delicious grilled salmon meal at a lodge on the waterfront.
We took the Scenic White Pass and Yukon Railway through the mountains, turning around just inside the Yukon, Canada. What a wonderful trip, with awesome views everywhere. I wanted to do a little shopping at the Christmas Store in Skagway before reboarding the ship, but by then the little town of Skagway was so full of cruisers ( there were 4 ships in port) that we got claustrophobic and beat feet back to the ship.
Because of a medical emergency the night before that caused the ship to return to Juneau, we were delayed by 2 hours and missed our slot to get into the small bay to the glacier. However, the captain got us as close as he could, and very slowly turned the ship around so that everyone could get as good a view as was possible. Tracy Arm was a very beautiful, peaceful waterway.
We’ve been to Victoria many times, so we didn’t take an excursion here. Victoria is always clean, charming, and very British. I wish we had gone to the Butchart Gardens, though, because the walk around town and back to the ship through Beacon Hill Park pretty much beat us up. We forget that as we get older, we can’t do all the things we used to do as easily.
Considering how many people were on the ship, disembarkation went very smoothly and quickly. Depending on your plans, we were assigned to different waiting areas and let off the ship in timed groups.
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