Written on: 13/11/2011
Did a 10 night R.C.I. on the Navigator and thought that the Grand Princess would be of the same standard...WRONG! We booked this one through CRUISE SAVERS TRAVEL as they were running a train service from Glasgow right through to the ship at Southampton.CRUISESAVER were fantastic, the service on the train was fantastic as was the food.Will book with them again but not onto a Princess ship.On the first night aboard the door which separated our balcony from the one next door came free of its... (read more)
Written on: 10/10/2010
ship very old in areas,forget the disco me and the wife went twice at 12ish we were the only ones there except for a few staff members,the gripe i have with this company was that i left a card with 5 media cards in the safe, i found this out when i returned home a few hours later, so i rang princess and got the leave a message thingy well i left 4 messages and also wrote a letter and sent a dozen emails all for nothing did not get one reply, so no more princess for me and i lost all my... (read more)
Written on: 03/10/2010
Me and my family travelled with the princess company this year, it was our first cruise and we was very very happy with it. Food was amazing, constantly cleaning and putting out new food throughout the day so you no it is always clean and fresh! Our Cabin attendant couldnt have done more to help us, All staff were very polite and couldnt put a foot wrong. Although there is many pools they were always very crowded but this is expected but could always manage to find a sun lounger. I recommend... (read more)
Written on: 26/09/2010
WE booked this cruise as it advertised "family ship values" we have two young girls 7 & 6, I will keep this short, It is not a family ship, we were moaned at by all!!! There is no entertainemnt for the children other than a small kids club, which my daughter picked up nits!! What fustrates me more is there are Adult only crusies and yet people moan about the children. ALL I HAVE TO SAY TO THESE PEOPLE BOOK AN ADULT ONLY CRUISE, I did not complain about the slow elderly people who jamed the... (read more)
Written on: 22/09/2010 by kewell23 (1 review written)
now i did enjoy it,you couldnt fail with nice weather,food and great ports to visit.BUT,ive been with royal caribbean 3 times and decided to try this instead.nowhere near as good.entertainment was terrible,daytime activities poor,running track disappeared to make way for nice but money making santuary.im a betting man,casino staff,apart from 1 girl,miserable as sin.no atmosphere.seen better days with some things on board but still had nice holiday,just catered for 60 plus more than us with... (read more)
Written on: 20/09/2010
First time for me and my wife (no kids on tow) the most amazing two weeks ever. Anyone who says this cruise wasnt good will never be satisfied,we found crew and time on board fantastic. The only fault were the normal ibiza holiday makers throwing up two eight towels on the sun loungers before anyone gets up otherwise well done princess cruises we will see you in 2011.baz and sheenagh Adams.( thought i might have won the karaoke though) (read more)
Written on: 19/09/2010
As this was our first cruise, we were concerned to read previous reviews. However, we had a fantastic time. We did not see any signs of the ship being in poor condition other than a little rust on the balcony area. We opted for anytime dining and there was often a wait of around 20 minutes for a table if we wanted to dine alone, however this was not a problem. The self service Horizon Restaurant was a little more chaotic and it was often difficult to find a table, however it was good that... (read more)
Written on: 06/09/2010 by jim bunting (1 review written)
great cruise cant fault crew or staff food great dancers andsingers brill two comics great the rest not very good met some nice people will go again (read more)
Written on: 03/09/2010
Had the best holiday ever so if you have booked this ship ignore the negative reviews!
Food was exquisite and the 24 buffet served anything you could desire at any time. Entertainment on the whole was very good and varied my teenage daughter was thrilled to be in the Princess Star final on the last evening.
Staff were attentive throughout.Our only complaint was the amount of sun-beds available and the ridiculous prices of the spa.Will definately be travelling with Princess...
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Written on: 29/08/2010
Family group of my 70year old parents and 13 yr old son and this suited us all. Waiting staff always very helpful, did anytime dining and that worked well. Entertainment great (bar one dreadful comedian), cruise companies shows were excellent. Cabin was always spotless and 4th bed was actually a bunk not a double sofabed which was better. Main complaint would be that the ship was too cold, all public rooms required an extra layer even though the temperature outside on some days was 30! ... (read more)
Written on: 23/08/2010
Have read so many poor reviews I felt I had to put across my thoughts on a fantastic holiday. Did the 'anytime dining' and would choose again, it was great to share and meet so many different people.
I cancelled one of our two daily $10.50 'tips' with no hassle or questions
Excursions were not cheap but worth the money for very informative trips with no hassle or queuing.
The ship was not 'tired', the staff was constantly painting and cleaning. One early morning, on the way to the jogging...
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Written on: 14/08/2010
We have just come back from the most perfect holiday - cruising round the med on Grand Princess. This is a fantastic ship with excellent facilities. We did any time dining which was brilliant and the food was excellent. Our teenage daughters had a wonderful time and made lots of new friends. The staff couldn't do enough for us and the level of customer care exceeded our expectations. The trips were expensive, however, we thoroughly enjoyed them. We have already got the brochure for... (read more)
Written on: 17/08/2010
we have just booked for next year and was wondering if there are drinks packages avaliable for both children and adults (non alcoholic and alcoholic)
Written on: 07/08/2010
WE HAVE JUST RETURNED FROM 2 WEEKS ON GRAND PRINCESS AND HAD 2 WEEKS WITH A BALCONY ROOM ROUND THE MED. THE SERVICE FOOD ENTERTAINMENT WAS VERY GOOD.VALUE FOR MONEY WITHOUT QUESTION.IF YOU ARE GOING ON THIS SHIP OR ARE CONSIDERING GOING, THEN EXPECT LOTS OF FAMILIES AND CHILDREN AND BUN FIGHTS TO GET SUN LOUNGERS ON THE SUN DECKS.THE DRINKS AND EXCURSIONS ARE VERY EXPENSIVE. WE CAN ONLY SPEAK FOR OURSELVES, IN THAT WE HAD A PLEASANT HOLIDAY.WE BOOKED IT UP LATE AND DIDN'T EXPECT SO MANY... (read more)
Written on: 21/07/2010 by Sher bqsher (1 review written)
Hi! All the negative commentary about the Princess Grand has prompted me to refute the somewhat startling criticisms made. Having been all over Europe, the U.S. (Hawaii, Las Vegas, Boston, Cape Cod, Philadelphia, all over Florida, etc.,...I come from Toronto, Canada), Mexico, and Great Britain, I can honestly say that my cruise to the Caribbean in February 2010 was the best holiday I ever! The food, service and entertainment were top notch!
I went with a group of people who...
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Written on: 06/08/2010
I found this review very helpful because...I enjoyed reading this review, looks like someone had a fab time, I'm looking forward to sailing on her on Saturday and experiencing some of the wonderful things this person has written about.
Written on: 19/07/2010
Hi there cannot fault the ship at all the place was immaculate ,you had your own personal porter who would do anything for ,the only downside is the 10$ service charge each day in WHICH YOU CAN CANCEL STRAIGHT AWAY.The cola bottles for the kids at 29$ is a must for the kids thats unlimited for the holiday (well worth it).The hot tubs are magic and so is the sauna & steam room.the kids are only allowed in the nite club till 10.30 in which i thought this was too early.Drink is a bit dear as a... (read more)
Written on: 06/08/2010
I found this review very helpful because... writers advice on daily service charge, I will certainly make sure I get this removed when I get on board this weekend... I don't mind tipping as that is what I am used to with P&O, Fred Olsen etc, but I don't like being told/having charges enforced but I suppose that is because it is the American way but they have to remember we are British and the ship is sailing out and returning to Southampton!
Written on: 10/07/2010 by tellnolies (1 review written)
cant believe so many negative reviews, food excellent, beverages prices on par with most cities, entertainment varied with two very good bands playing nightly and the staff cannot do enough for you. Spa is definetly on the expensive side. our children both made use of the child & teen clubs and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. only negative was that some children were allowed to run around unsupervised. (read more)
Written on: 26/06/2010
Having done many cruises with other lines We found the Grand Princess disappointing.There are a lot of old people using this ship we are in our sixtys but consider ourselves young old.The food in the restaurants was pretty good but the buffet was poor and totally chaotic. The shows were also moderate compared to other ships having so called butlin style comedians on three nights.The staff were courteous but seemed to just be going through the motions I am not surprised with this ship giving... (read more)
Written on: 21/06/2010
Just got back from our first cruise, wasn't expecting the amount of children and a floating butlins type atmosphere, due to the free child places... though didn't know that untill aboard or wouldn't have booked.
Also the lack of parental control of the kids which wasn't enforced by the crew, caused sum concern re passengers safety.
Thought the sanctuary (adult area) would relieve us of the noise, at a additonal cost per day!! only to find it didn't have wheelchair access!! infact none...
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Written on: 16/06/2010
We were on the 14 night cruise which left Southampton on 8 May for western med ports. It was our first cruise and we hated it. The ship is old and tired and it is almost impossible to have any peace and quiet anywhere except if you pay a premium for it. Sunbeds were around very noisy pools (often with very loud live or piped music). On poor weather days (of which we had many) there is not enough indoor seating and, wherever you do try to sit, waiters come and pester you to have drinks at... (read more)
Written on: 09/06/2010
We recently sailed on the 'Not So' Grand Princess to Scandinavia and the ship was looking extremely tired. Also, we were not expecting a family cruise ship, with so many children on board. Although we could get away from the noise in the sanctuary, there was a hefty daily fee. Why should we pay for peace and quiet at sea? We found other 'hidden extras' on this cruise too and over 50% of the entertainment was of a holiday camp level, using mediochre talent.
However, the ports of call...
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Written on: 29/05/2010
Grand Princess -- Mutton dressed as lamb, or the Emperor's New Clothes? Take your pick....
We were anytime dining and did not wish to 'partake' in the two formal evenings. Ate all meals in the Horizon where the system is chaotic, two ways in, two ways out, so for every item you put on your plate you then give way to someone coming from the other direction. You find curry at one end, need to find if there's rice, go to the very far end and find rice, then back to get your curry. Food is...
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Written on: 29/05/2010 by totterdell (1 review written)
we booked this cruise for our sons 18 th birthday ,very dissapointing our 7 and 8 year olds could not wait to go home as very boring for children.
we have re named the ship " always a problem"blocked toilets, both kids pools closed for a day no obvious reason,cattle market canteen, fighting in the casino ,aborted stop at oslo,. dining rooms good food and service, entertainment very poor, lots of old folk (ah bless) generally a bit on the rough side for us, .we have cruised celebrity...
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Written on: 28/05/2010
My Wife caught the Noorsviros on the third day of cruise, and in quarrenteen for three days,and i was carge $89.00 through no fault of ours, this vires was rife aaboard this ship.
the health practices in the buffet were very poor, food were cold and tables were not sprayand wipe when become vacent,staff surley and off hand.
Charging different prices in all bars for the same drinks.
Recipts were not given unless requested.
our openion of this cruise was not very goodand would not reccommend...
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Written on: 24/05/2010 by william fraser (1 review written)
to board passengers on a virus filled ship and not telling passengers was just disgusting
then for the company to profit from passengers being made ill was quite simple show the company for what it is
the last nights entertainment outrageous by its lack
the food in fixed sitting dull boeing and lacked imajination
and what looked good was spoilt with some sauce or mustard
puddings the company need to take a\ look at just how bad the choice was
not getting into Naples well the ships...
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Written on: 23/05/2010
This was our first cruise having always holidayed in this country. It was advertised as a family cruise and there really was something for everyone, we have an 8 and an 11 year old who went off to Kids club most days and were always well cared for and kept well occupied.
The bug that was doing the rounds did restrict some of the kids activites but it didnt stop them having a good time.
The staff worked their socks off keeping everyone happy, with full plates and drinks replenished. The food...
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Written on: 25/05/2010
I found this review very helpful because...we are traveling in june with our two grandchildren aged 11 @ 5 so being able to buy a soda package will be too our advantage
Written on: 23/05/2010 by peterlofty00 (1 review written)
Shame that Princess could not be up front with details of Norovirus rampant on ship the week before our cruise date. No chance of delaying or canceling our trip. No details given until after ship had set sail.
Food good but served luke warm.
Entertainment good on most nights.
Staff very friendly, tried hard to please.
Peter Wilson
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Written on: 18/05/2010
Food was excellent- service was also very good but the first week we had trouble trying to book tables at the Da Vinci. The children on the ship were totally out of control- some even taking food with their at the buffet. Also taking over the pool areas - running up and down stairs and in and out of lifts. The staff in restaurants and cabins were wonderfull. Would prefer an adult only ship in future which we will look for for our autumn cruise. (read more)
Written on: 17/05/2010
The Grand Princess is in desperate need of an update, and is looking shabby and well worn. The food in the horizon court is usually cold, there is never any seating and the tables are rarely cleared or wiped clean. Room service is a joke with at least 45 minutes wait for someone to answer the phone. Children run riot, and even small toddlers are allowed to use the jaccuzis, parents feed them with pizza's whilst they are in there, and food debris is allowed to soil the water. Small... (read more)
Written on: 09/05/2010 by shauncorbett (1 review written)
If you are a family with young children read this first!!!
This is a cruise ship for the old and not the young. There is nothing for the children to do other than annoy old people!. The pools are 5Ft deep at the shallow end so not suitable for children unless you are in with them. The films shown on the big screen are always 12 or above. We have a 7 year old and 8 year old. The children are not allowed in the bars or dance floors so if you want to spend time with your kids you will have to...
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Written on: 09/05/2010
beautiful looking ship unfortunately that was about the only thing in its favour.Trying to get a seat in any of the bars was a nightmare. children running and screaming on stage, if you wanted to dance impossible. Room service took 45 mins to answer the phone then ended up going to reception to try and get drinks package delivered.Not a lot to do during the day nothing at all on decks no atmosphere at all. The queues in the buffet were awful by the time you found a seat food was cold. Have... (read more)
Written on: 03/10/2009
Our first cruise and looking forward to it. Hadn't been anyway special for years!
We had booked for several tours ahead of time, for both of us. One cruise I missed due to an upset stomach.My husband countinued on..in Kusadasi, Turkey.On the final stop of the tour,the people were told to go to the lower gate at 3:30 to board the bus. They were dropped off at the higher gate. My husband inadvertantly returned to the higher gate at 3:15, to be told that it was the lower gate.. He ran -3/4 mile...
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Written on: 04/10/2009
I am the author of the last review, where my husband was left behind, well on a tour.
<br/>I do have to add the comment, that we enjoyed the cruise and all that it envolved. We will cruise again. However, we are up for trying other cruise lines....
Written on: 31/08/2009
This was our eigth cruise and our first on a ship of this size.The Grand Princess was full to the brim at 2900 passangers, normally 2600 although 300 children were added. This is not traditional five star luxury with sparely populated ammenities, this was the type of cruise imagined by those who have not tried cruising and for this reason. Crusing is becomming more main stream with room prices competative with hotels in Benidorm, reveniew streams focused on bar sales with all the ambience... (read more)
Written on: 22/08/2009
My parents went on 1st cruise in Aug along med. I had organised the trip and became anxious after reading some reviews as to how standards perhaps were not as expected etc, ie the ship had wear and tear, standard of food. entertainment and so on.
The only complaint they had was the fact that the payment method of debit card was not accepted as they dont get 2.5% charges! This is not stipulated in the brochure but it DOES say that cheques are.
Luckily they did have a credit card with them but...
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Written on: 06/08/2010
I found this review very helpful because... after reading some very mixed reviews it was good to hear what a wonderful cruise experience was had on board Grand Princess. I have done many cruises before mainly with P&O but haven't sailed with Princess yet, going on my 1st cruise with Princess Cruises on board Grand Princess with my husband and 18 month old little boy on Saturday and hope we have a wonderful time (fingers crossed)I'm sure we will.
Written on: 29/06/2009 by Holly Williams (1 review written)
This is the second cruise we ' ve been on with this company. Last year we travelled on the Sea Princess and had a wonderful time so we didn ' t think twice about booking with you again. However, we couldn ' t believe the low standards of the Grand Princess when compared to her sister ship and are bewildered how there can be such a drop in quality over the space of just a year.
The ship was highly overcrowded and the crew were stretched to their limit trying to cater for all the passengers. It...
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Written on: 16/05/2009
i paid £3.100 for an out side cabin with an out side area on Grand Princess.
I was told that i would get food and soft drink all inclusive.
When i got on the boat i was charged $139 for two people to have soda refills for the cruise.Tea was charged as was juice.
I was not told that every thing u buy on the boat has to be charge to you cabin card in dollars.
If u pay your card at the end of the cruise in pounds then they charge you boat rate which was £190 MORE to pay then dollars.
We also...
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Written on: 05/06/2009
I found this review helpful because...he covered the issue of tipping the extra on top of the drinks, and the credit card payments which I am now aware of.
Written on: 14/01/2010
I found this review not helpful because... everything that you are charged on a cruise ship is shown in the various brochures. Such as, it will state in the brochure that prices do not include tips, or bar drinks (a bar drink is any drink that would come from a bar, including Cokes). Also, any reputable travel agent should have filled a first time cruiser in on the various additional fees.
Written on: 25/10/2008 by debbieandlance
Trip to the Pyramids was expensive. The bus let you out for 15 min at each one and rushed you back in the bus. We had to take pictures of the Sphinx as the bus drove by, very sad for the money we paid. Pools closed half the time and the hot tubs were hardly ever hot (read more)
Written on: 05/08/2008
Good point was the friendliness of staff on the Grand Princess. Overall an excellent holiday and I would recommend. We had an outside balcony and travelled in August 06 and the food and entertainment were very good. (read more)
Written on: 23/01/2006 by jennyamner (1 review written)
Princess Cruises, Grand Princess was my husbands and my first cruise. We were very conscious that the ship was completely full-no upgrades or even replacements for faulty cabins (we heard of raw sewage in one!) Never the less on balance the service was good the food varied (although we normally ate in the 24 hour buffet). My husband fractured his ankle on Day three which limited what we could do but the medical facilities were excellent and the help for him on the excursions or when... (read more)
Written on: 08/12/2005 by deerm (1 review written)
To Whom. It May Concern:
I would. like to share with you and your readers my experiences regarding a very disappointing Mediterranean voyage aboard the Grand Princess cruise line.
The cruise that I am writing about originated from Barcelona, Spain on August 30 and ended in Venice, Italy on September 11th, 2005. All of my friends who took the same cruise during previous years bragged about how fabulous it was, I am thinking now that they must have been drunk, as many other people aboard...
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Written on: 01/01/2007
It helps to know good and bad, it just means i will go on a newer ship if we travel to Europe.
Written on: 10/11/2009
I am not totally surprised by this review as my husband and I travelled on the Grand Princess on the 15 August 2009 and also were very disappointed with the cruise. This ship is not that old, but looks and feels older than it is as compared with other ships of a similar age. The cabins are very dated and need complete renovation including new carpets which in our case had receded from the balcony door area leaving sharp carpet grippers exposed.
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<br/>We also had lots and lots of unsupervised children on board and no doubt their parents were somewhere else on board having a great time, leaving their children to run riot, shout and annoy all the other passengers who were just trying to relax and enjoy their cruise. Sunbeds were like gold dust and often engaged by those who refused to share them with others by leaving belongings on them whilst they were gone sometimes for hours and no, the staff did nothing about this.
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<br/>Food on the whole was quite good and I did not fully appreciate this until I sailed on the Independence of the Seas just weeks later. At least Princess Cruises served fresh strawberries most meal times along with chocolate dipped fruit unlike their competitors Royal Caribbean who reserved such things for their suite customers only so as to make them feel more special!
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<br/>Another good thing about Princess Cruises is that they allow you to take your own alcohol aboard for special occasions, for private consumption in your own cabins only.
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<br/>However, when we were aboard we found more often than not they were catching up with maintenance work and had closed off areas of the ship. The promenade deck was affected most often which meant that you could not go for a walk around the complete outside deck which we found very annoying because if you went up to the main outside deck then sunbeds were so numerous that they blocked your route.
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<br/>All in all, based on our one and only cruise with Princess Cruises then we may sail with them again on one of their better ships, but never again on the Grand Princess as this ship has certainly seen better days.
Written on: 15/05/2010
I found this review very helpful because.no one in the travel industry selling cruises publishes problems,we've booked a GrandPrincess cruise later this year and are now fearful of what we can expect...
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Oldbiddy's Comment
Written on: 17/10/2010
I found this review not helpful because...i found the parents of children as badly behaved as them. you do not expect children to be bounding up and down decks at midnight and after, or playing football in the lift areas,or deliberately splashing people who were relaxing on sunloungers round the so-called adults only pool, and being abused by their parents when asking them to stop. Yes I will book an adults only cruise next time