Grand Princess Reviews

Author: Colette Welsh

Summary:  My husband and I had a lovely cruise to Hawaii on 29th October from San Francisco and found the standard of service and food to be excellent on the Grand Princess. The ship is showing its age and the bathrooms need updating and with all these new elegant ships on the market, I think Princess should address this but it did not detract from the holiday overall. As always the staff were so friendly and our stateroom attendant seemed to work all round the clock. We enjoyed all the entertainment on offer. The Elton John tribute act was fantastic and great comedy acts too. I dealt with Kerry throughout the booking process and she was excellent and always got back straight away if I had any queries. Would definitely book with IGLU again.

Author: Susan Lowis

Summary:  Just returned from 7 day cruise from Southampton to Northern Spain, France and Guernsey. This ship takes 3500 people and was crammed full. Half term, we should have known! The embarkation in Southampton was a disgrace. People waiting for hours to board, hungry, tired children and adults. We were stuck in the embarkation terminal for 2 and a half hours. Never experienced anything like it before on any cruise. This is obviously a ship for families with children so unfortunately didn't suit us, an older couple. We shall not travel with Princess ever again. Stick to Cunard in future. Having said that the food in the formal dining rooms was good,not so good in Horizon Buffet. The cabin was comfortable if a bit on the small side, never been in such a small shower. The cruise was advertised as calling at Bordeaux in France, it didn't, it went to Le Verdon 100 kms away! The only way of getting to Bordeaux was the £50 each coach provided by the ship. It took 5 hours travelling on coach for return journey to have 3 hours in Bordeaux, a complete waste of money. Don't do it, just take the free shuttle to Soulac sur Mer , a pretty seaside place we were told, save your money!

Author: Linda Lawrence

Summary:  My husband and I did the Spitzbergen cruise last year, it was fab. Only a couple of niggles, there was no tea making facilities in our cabin and the tea bags on the ship are Liptons (yuk). As we are non drinkers we opted for a soft drinks package which meant we had unlimited mocktails, hot chocolate and ice creams - excellent value for money. As for trips we made our own arrangements with the exception of the trip to see the huskies in Longyearbean - not good value for money as we could have walked there under our own steam - 20 mins walk from the ship. We also paid for the trip to the Blue Lake in Geiranger which was frozen but beautiful and worth the money as we would not have walked up there, the sun shone and it was 23 degrees. We saw Whales breeching which was very exciting and the Captain would announce which side of the ship they could be seen. Would I do this cruise again - yes but not with an inside cabin and not without taking loads of tea bags!!!!

Author: Doreen

Summary:  We have recently returned from a trip to Hawaii leaving from Sans Francisco. Embarkment went smoothly Princess handled everything with ease. We were on Ahola Deck and had a balcony cabin. The staff aboard couldn't do enough for you. We have traveled with princess before on the Sea Princess. We had anytime dining and never had any problems with getting a table. We always had a table to 2 that's the way we like it. The food was wonderful. I had read on other reviews that people were saying that the drinks were expensive, but personally myself I thought they were no more expensive then we would pay at any restaurant in the UK. My husband is a smoker but we found there was a very nice area for smokers on deck 15 just above the horizon at the back of the ship. There was a good seating area with potted plants and a back steward to get you drinks when and if you wanted anything. It became quite a social area and we made some good friends through going up. There was also around this area an Adults only swimming pool and bar with sun loungers. The trips we went on were also well arranged by Princess. We did go to a few of the shows on board which were good, there was lots to do during the day if you wanted it. I also went to the gym and that was well fitted out and I could always find a piece of gym equipment to use. All in all I would say it was an enjoyable cruise except for the weather on the way out the first 2 days were quite cold as we got closer to Hawaii it got a bit warmer, whilst we were around the 4 islands the weather was great. The 4 days going back were much the same as going so this meant we couldn't make good use of our balcony. I would for sure take another trip with Princess cruises they know how to make a relaxing holiday.

Author: Alex Siena, Iglu Cruise Sales Consultant

Summary:  I went on a cruise on the Grand Princess to Scandinavia. I loved the overall expirienced, the food was great and the entartment was superb. I really liked Oslo, we booked a coach excursion as soon as we came out of the ship, you can pay in euros, pounds or US dollars. There is a stop on this itinerary which is a must — the Bronze sculpture in the park Vigeland — not many people stopped, but I can honestly say this park was so beautiful and the artist who made all the sculpture is a genius. We also went to see a medieval village which was fascinating, there was this wooden church which is speactaluar. I liked the Viking museum as well. When we arrived in Swede , Helsinborg to be precise, you notice how the air is so fresh and crisp. I was expecting more from Copenhagen but anyway people have different taste, I really did not like tivoli garden because it's expensive and full of children. We also went throgh the fjords and the view was amazing, unfortunately it was not a full on fjords cruise. My next cruise will be a full one to the fjords because I loved what I saw.

Author: Gemma, Iglu Cruise Sales Consultant

Summary:  I recently travelled on the Grand Princess to the Mediterranean and it was the high standard you would expect from a 4 star cruise. There was nothing I could fault, from the delicious food that was served every evening, to the great service from all the staff onboard. On sea days there was plenty of activites to keep you occupied, you can play a game of crazy golf up on the top deck, have lunch at the deli at the piazza or chill and watch a movie at the pool. Most night we dined in the main restuarant and being a fussy eater nothing was too much trouble for the waiters. We tried out the buffet retsurant and I was surprised how much choice there was and loved to try out the freshly made pastries and desserts. Its not all about the food with Princess the entertainment was fantastic too, from comedianes, caberat and West End style productions. You could even stumble up to the nightclub and dance the rest of the night away. As Princess is a American-style cruise it really was a relaxed atmosphere onboard, it can be as formal as you want it to be. On a 14 night cruise there were three formal nights with a champagne reception with the Capatain. But if you didnt want take part it wasn't frowned upon. The Grand Princess has been in service since 1998 and some people had said that she was looking a bit tired, but she has undergone a recent makeover and I found the ship with its new piazza, resturants, wine bars and shops very stylish. I stayed in a inside cabin and having travelled on many different cruise lines I found the cabin size quite gernerous. As I have said there was nothing I could fault with Princess, it would really suit couples and families who like faultless service, great food and entertainment with a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. I am already planning my next Princess cruise!

Author: John Davis

Summary:  My wife and I took the Grand Princess and we had great expectations and were awarded a wonderful holiday trip. As far as we are concerned, personal choice dinning is the way to go. It is much more convenient to be able to walk into the dining room at any time and be seated. The food was very good. We compare the food to other cruise and the food on Grand Princess won many times hands down. I think we would go back to the Grand Princess, but we will take another week of work, just to recovered from all the excitement and come back to normality.

Author: Mrs V. Maguire

Summary:  We did the Norwegian Fjord cruise and thoroughly enjoyed everything. The only thing we would have liked was longer in Bergen as this seemed a large city full of museums, galleries and a terrific market. The food onboard was amazing, the entertainment was varied and very professional and most of all, the staff just couldn't do enough for us. The ship was very clean and we felt very well looked after. The facilities onboard were extensive. There were quiet areas for reading etc and plenty of areas for activities. The pools were clean and warm. This was our first cruise and we were very impressed with all aspects of it.

Author: Gillian Alden

Summary:  We had an excellent cruise, many thanks!! Food was great and all staff very pleasant and attentive and everywhere was very clean. Our only criticisms were the children playing in the pool while trying to watch the evening film under the stars, we felt (and others) the pool should be closed for the start of the film, the children were playing till very late without any supervision of parents, and very noisy so we could not hear the film. Also it would be nice if all the sun loungers on deck had the padded mattresses, there were only a few in one section of the ship which had, this would help with comfort to our weary old bones and aches and pains. Most of the toilets seem to be blocked towards the end of the cruise, which is not pleasant. Entertainment was a bit repetitive and not on the scale as other cruise ships, only one top deck party which was a bit feeble. Other than this, it was a fab enjoyable holiday!!

Author: Sue Richardson

Summary:  Onboard the Grand Princess was indeed an experience I will never forget. A truly first class liner with a high standard of service . The food was exceptionally amazing with so many restaurants to choose from. The entertainment was superb, the crew were the most friendly helpful happy people you could ever wish to meet. During our cruise to the Norwegian Fjords from leaving Southampton there was always plenty to do onboard to occupy the old as well as the very young. You could relax by the pools and even watch a movie under the stars. The staterooms were very comfortable and the crew kept them spotless. What stood out for us was the inside decor of the entire ship with lush carpets and beautiful furnishings. We can't wait to get back onboard the Grand Princess and would highly recommend anyone wishing for the best in cruising to climb aboard.