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Expect the extraordinary as you step aboard and discover the captivating possibilities, all true to her name
With top deck dining venues, Slice Pizzeria, The Mix, Salty Dog Grill and Coffee & Cones you’ll have even more options to choose from during your stay on board Grand Princess. Relax at The Sanctuary, a tranquil haven reserved for adults, enjoy Movies Under the Stars® poolside or see an award-winning Broadway-style production show in the Princess Theatre, showcasing an even more immersive audio experience.
It was a good cruise with minimal issues. We arrived at port early because of our flight. Waited for about an hour, while people were getting off the ship. Once inside the embarkation was super fast. We were on the ship in 20 minutes. The rooms were not ready, but we still dropped off our carry bags. The Grand is an older smaller ship, but very nice. There is lots to do while waiting for departure. I remembered to bring my swim suit in my carry bag and had the pool and hot tub to myself. For some reason this cruise had a very large older audience. I would estimate 75 - 80 + years. And almost all from Southern California. The ship stopped in Cabo for 2 days. Not the best port to visit Mexico. Cabo is more like Southern California. Condo's, time shares, gaudy restaurants. Princess should make Cabo one day and include Mazatlan. La Paz and Loreto were nice stops. With lots of local things to do. Church's museums, Malicon boardwalk. The sea days were O.K. but could have included a bit more activities. Paper airplane, egg drop, more dancing lessons. The Cruise Director lacked enthusiasm and spontaneity. She was actually kind of boring. Her Wake Show being the worst. She ready the daily program. Never side kicked her assistant Cruise Directors. Who for the most part were fun to be around. We dined in the Buffet for breakfast and lunch. Although we did eat sit down lunch one day and it was the so slow and tiring, we left and went upstairs. A bad experience. Dinner was also slow, Princess needs to improve it's meal delivery to the wait staff. The entertainment was very good. The production shows done well, great singers and dancers. Good comedian. There was a separate comedian show that was super funny. Over all it was a good cruise, would be better with a more engaging Cruise Director. And a bit warmer. The week we went Mexico was having a slightly cool temperature.
Itinerary: Hawaii wasn't really a factor in our choosing this trip. Over the years, we've seen about all there is to see there, or at least all we really care to see. Not a bad destination, nice even. Just a big dose of been-there-done-that on our part. Same with Ensenada. The no-fly departure and return to LA was the main draw. Food: Spotty. The buffet was fairly limited with an odd mix of good, pretty good and "what the heck?" on any given day. The International Cafe was reliably a source of tasty items as long as you ignored the chia and fruit glop at breakfast (my apologies if you're a glop fan). Their Princess McMuffins (egg, cheese and ham muffins) and meat pies quickly became staples. Slices (pizza) and the Salty Dog (burgers and dogs) had reliable offerings. Good enough to mention their goodness but not quite best in class. The grudge from our first night's treatment at the Botticelli dining room never wore off and continuous app errors when trying to schedule a reservation kept us from ever trying the main dining rooms or the specialty restaurants, so we can't comment on the food there. Occasional reviews of the menus did not impress. By the descriptions of the food, it seems targeted towards people who ooh and ahh over subtle differences in wines that really taste the same. They may have been good, solid dishes with overly foo-foo descriptions, but we'll never know. No regrets. The soft serve ice cream at Cups & Cones Wonderful Wife got the first day was horrible. It was icy and tasted like vanilla lard with a greasy, unpleasant mouthfeel. We never tried the "special" desserts based on that. On the second to last day, Wonderful Wife tried another cone. It was edible. Not special. Not exceptional, but edible. We are assuming the first day was an anomaly. Still didn't try the special desserts. Did I mention that the Princess McMuffins and meat pies rocked? Staff: Except for our treatment in Botticelli's on the first night, every other staff member we interacted with was excellent. Polite and helpful. Bars: With very few exceptions, most of our drinks were ordered at the Good Spirits bar. Great selection of standards and creative specialty drinks that were as good as they were pretty. Well mixed and not watery. The wait staff was top notch. I can honestly say that it was one of the top three or four ship venues we've encountered in 60+ cruises. The other bars were very nice as well, but the Good Spirits quickly became our favorite. My only complaint is the sparse beer menu. No Guinness? (Seriously, how did they make the beef and Guinness pies? Did they use it all there?) One IPA. Mostly fizzy yellow beers and 20th century imports. At least the one IPA was Lagunitas. The seriously good mixed drinks took most of the string out of this glaring omission. Ship: Despite being 26 years old, the Grand Princess was very well kept and elegant, if a bit old school. That's not meant as a negative. It has a classic feel and you seldom notice a sign of age. The casino was not huge, but had a good selection of games. We aren't pool people but the pool areas and upper sun deck areas were well laid out with a vast number of lounge chairs. The public areas were always clean with someone almost always polishing or dusting. The elevators were typically slow (no one who cruises should be shocked) and one of the four near our room stayed on deck 12 for the entire trip. They all had signs stating a capacity of 18, which makes me think they were built by Hobbits. Overall, we were impressed with the ship Medallions: I do have to mention the medallions. The concept isn't unique to princess, both Royal and Celebrity have RF capability for locks on their newer and recently drydocked ships. The difference is the way the medallion tracks you on the ship so servers can deliver food or drinks to wherever you are via the app. You can also track the location of your traveling companions which is great if you're a parent with kids. The medallion also senses when you get close to your room and will unlock it without you having to fumble with anything. Very handy with two cups of coffee in the morning. All-in-all I was quite impressed with the technology and hope that other cruise lines take note. Cabin: Our cabin was neat and clean. Other than one iffy hinge on the cabinet door covering the mini-fridge, there were no serious signs of wear. The toilet had four episodes where it just took time off and refused to flush, but the maintenance crew always had it fixed quickly. I'm a DIY type who lives in a 70-year-old house and can sympathize with the maintenance crew dealing with aging plumbing that is infinitely more complex than one can imagine. Ship activities: There were a lot of them. A huge list every day. So many that it was hard to avoid them, but we did. Shows: We suspect there were some. The fact that we didn't go to any shows is not any disparagement of Princess' offerings. We just sort of stopped going to shows a few years ago unless we're traveling with people who want to go see shows. It's a rare production that piques our interest enough to go when we're on our own. Internet: Meh. They do have Starlink but it is throttled to an average of about 7Mb/s down and 2Mb/s up. Good enough for Wi-Fi calls, scrolling through social media, email and the news, including smaller format videos. Note that my opinion of the internet performance is colored by the fact that I have worked from home for over a decade with fiber internet that runs at close to 1000Mb/s up and down. We might be a bit spoiled. All in all, a great trip on a very nice ship. Our minimalist onboard lifestyle didn't in any way reflect on Princess' offerings. We just kept it simple and enjoyed each other's company. This was our 63rd cruise and the novelty of traveling on a floating city and the need to see and do everything has faded to a quiet appreciation. Would we do this itinerary again? A solid maybe. If we did, we would be smarter about reserving dining before departure. Or maybe not. This long, lazy trip was so very relaxing.
From the moment you step aboard, we want you to feel welcomed and right at home. And with attentive service from a friendly staff that knows what hospitality means, you’ll find your Princess® ship truly is your home away from home.
Photos, floor plan diagrams, amenities, and furnishings represent typical arrangements and may vary by ship and stateroom.
Indulge your appetite whenever you wish on board Princess®. Every hour, our chefs are busy baking, grilling and sautéing great-tasting fare from scratch. Princess offers unparalleled inclusive dining options throughout the ship with a wide range of culinary delights to suit any palate, from endless buffet choice to gourmet pizza, frosty treats, decadent desserts and much more.
Speciality Dining
Dining on board a Princess® cruise ship is a joyful celebration and our speciality restaurants always deliver an extraordinary experience. They are among the best at sea – or anywhere. We serve dishes made with the freshest ingredients, and our menus reflect regional flavours from around the world. You'll find our speciality restaurants are the perfect place to celebrate any occasion.
From relaxing pursuits and enriching activities to world-class entertainment and gourmet cuisine, when you step aboard, you are setting a course for a world of wonderful new discoveries.
A wealth of diversions for nearly every interest – and mood
On every Princess ship, you'll find so many ways to play, day or night. Explore The Shops of Princess, celebrate cultures at our Festivals of the World or learn a new talent — our onboard activities will keep you engaged every moment of your cruise vacation.
Original musicals, dazzling magic shows, feature films, top comedians and nightclubs that get your feet movin’ and groovin’. There’s something happening around every corner; luckily, you have a whole cruise of days and nights to experience it all.
The many activities on-board our ships are designed to stimulate, educate, entertain, inspire and sweat - not necessarily in that order. But, guests can be sure crew onboard will do their best to cover all the bases. From art auctions to The Sanctuary Spa, this ship is loaded with fun things to do.
From family-friendly stateroom options to enriching youth and family programmes, quality time is time well spent. Onboard activities spark curiosity and fuel creativity while excursions ashore engage and inspire!
