Grand Princessis based in the Caribbean now that her new sister ship, the
Golden Princess, has taken over the Mediterranean itineraries. A third Grand class sister,
Star Princess, debuted in 2002.
This Princess cruise liner weighs in at 109,000 tons, making it one of the largest ships afloat. With a length of 935 ft, this massive ship is intelligently designed so that her 2,600 passengers rarely feel crowded together, with the exception being the buffet. British and Italian officers oversee a multinational crew.
From November through April, Grand Princesssails from Ft. Lauderdale on 7-days cruises to Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman, Cozumel and Princess Cruises-owned Princess Cay in the Bahamas. All 7-day cruises include two days at sea. She also has 14-day Caribbean cruises during this time, traveling to the eastern and southern Caribbean. During the second part of the year, Grand Princess’itinerary includes numerous European voyages to destinations like Rome, Venice, London and Reykjavik, Iceland.
Despite her towering size and 18 decks, the Grand Princessshows a great deal of coziness, with an understated three-story atrium, dimly lit lounges, and a string quartet recalling the era of grand sea travel. Three entertainment venues include a two-story show room with spirited Broadway-style musicals, a one-level tiered aft lounge with singers and hypnotists, and an extravagant room with a band and Egyptian and jungle decor. Skywalkers, the aft observation lounge suspended 155-ft above the water, has floor-to-ceiling windows. This a quiet retreat during the day and a flashy disco at night. Guests and their net worth get swallowed up in the vast casino. Numerous chaise longues separate the four pools, which include one under a retractable glass roof and another with a countercurrent. The spa on Sun Deck offers aerobics, steam rooms, saunas, massage, a beauty parlor and a variety of treatments. The gym is disappointingly small for a ship of this size. A golf simulator, nine holes of mini-golf, basketball and volleyball courts, a business center with e-mail, art auctions, dancing lessons, and first-run movies keep everyone busy and everyone happy. Children are well looked-after, and teens have their own disco, deck space and whirlpool. The ship's doctors are linked to the emergency room at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles.
The food is notable more for its variety than for its quality, with buffets offered round the clock. The three main restaurants, Da Vinci, Botticelliand Michelangelo, show fair representations of their art, but the low ceilings might induce claustrophobia. Two restaurants now feature an open dining policy, while the third retains the traditional two sittings. Passengers often change their mind about fixed seatings in the middle of the cruise, so there may be delays in seating at dinner peak hours. Reservations are required and service charges are levied for the very popular southwestern room and for the multicourse tasting extravaganzas in the Italian trattoria. The buffet during peak lunch hours does get crowded and is the one exception to the otherwise unhurried atmosphere. Snacks are served at the main pool, and the ice cream bar delivers sundaes and scoops at landslide prices.
Cabins, done in earth tones and pale colors, have phones, TVs, refrigerators, safes, hair dryers, robes and adequate stowage. Private verandas append 710 of the 1,300 cabins, but the set-back design compromises the privacy of the lower verandas. Suites and mini-suites have sitting areas with sofa beds, two TVs and tubs. Two top-of-the-line suites have decorative fireplaces and whirlpools, and two more can sleep eight each. Many cabins on Emerald Deck suffer from obstructed views. This vessel has 28 wheelchair-accessible cabins, the most on any ship.
The Grand Princesscombines cruise on a phenomenally grand scale with opportunities for quiet escape.
