Princess Cruises Grand Princess

Princess Cruises ruined what should have been our once-in-a-decade 10-year wedding anniversary. We saved over $20k for over a year and travelled 30 hours from Australia for a two-week cruise on the Grand Princess, with one key plan: sunset photos in Dominica. We arranged it a week prior, were told to meet on Deck 17 at 5:00 pm, and received a… Read more

reminder—no office was ever mentioned. We arrived on time after my wife spent hours preparing, but the photographer wasn’t there and didn’t try to find us. When we saw him at 5:20 pm, he was smug, blamed us for being “late to his office,” which left my wife in tears and destroyed the moment we traveled to the other side of the planet for.

The rest of the experience compounded the failure: anniversary dining was effectively unavailable despite venues appearing half-empty, so we ended up with room service.

Guest Services offered a stuffed bear and promised a booking at Crown Grill the next day, but the steak was full of fat and nobody seemed to care (yes we had to pay for it) , and then there was the billing! Despite Australian terms and Princess Plus advertising Crew Appreciation as included, daily USD Crew Appreciation charges were added and had to be manually caught to avoid double-charging. They seem to be well aware of this issue and do nothing about it. Hoping people dont read fine print.

I raised all of this at the time to guest services who couldn’t care less and multiple times afterwards to complain directly to princess. Absolutely nothing from them

AVOID PRINCESS CRUISES. They simply DO NOT care about keeping platinum members. We were so loyal before this.

Absolutely unforgettable experience aboard the Grand Princess on the 7-day Voyage of the Glaciers cruise. We booked a mini suite which was incredibly comfortable and gave us the perfect spot to relax and take in the views. The onboard dining was a highlight. Every meal was top quality with excellent service to match. Alaska’s scenery completely… Read more

blew us away. Glaciers, fjords, mountains, wildlife. Every day offered something spectacular. We were also lucky with the weather, which made the whole experience even more magical. The crew were outstanding and made everything feel smooth and enjoyable from start to finish. Highly recommend this cruise to anyone thinking of exploring Alaska. I’ll be posting some photos too, but they hardly do it justice.

Grand Princess: A First-Class Experience – Our recent cruise on the Grand Princess round trip from Melbourne was an absolute delight! From the moment we stepped aboard, the staff's attentiveness was top-notch. They were friendly, professional, and always willing to go the extra mile to ensure our comfort and enjoyment. One person who deserves special recognition is our amazing… Read more

housekeeping lady, Her dedication to keeping our cabin spotless and welcoming throughout the cruise did not go unnoticed.

Speaking of comfortable, our accommodations were truly exceptional. We had the pleasure of staying in the Henry Hudson Suite, and it was magnificent! The spacious layout offered a luxurious retreat after a day of exploration or relaxation by the pool. The suite boasted two plush beds that could be converted into a king-size for ultimate comfort, a roomy walk-in closet, and a luxurious bathroom with both a soaking tub and a separate shower stall.

But the grand living area was the real showstopper. Imagine unwinding on the comfortable sofa bed or armchairs after dinner, or catching up on the day's adventures at the desk. Floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors led out to a private balcony, our own little oasis for enjoying the breathtaking ocean views and fresh sea air.

The Henry Hudson Suite also came equipped with all the amenities you could ask for: multiple flat-screen TVs, a DVD/CD player for entertainment, a refrigerator and wet bar for in-suite refreshments, and a personal safe for added security. Plus, the 24-hour room service ensured we could enjoy a delicious meal or snack from the comfort of our suite any time of day or night.

The food on the Grand Princess was simply outstanding. Every restaurant we dined at, from the casual buffet to the elegant main dining rooms, offered a delicious and diverse selection of dishes. The quality of the ingredients and the skill of the chefs were truly impressive.

Our only negative was the App ** Great App with Reliability Issues** This app has the potential to be fantastic! For the first three days of our trip, it was incredibly helpful. We bookmarked places to visit and used the location service to find each other on a large ship. Unfortunately, after those initial days, the app stopped working entirely. We encountered a white screen and were unable to access any features, including our saved bookmarks. This impacted our trip as we missed out on some planned activities and had difficulty coordinating with each other. We contacted IT and received a ticket, but the issue wasn't resolved during our trip. While we loved the app's functionality, the lack of reliability ultimately caused some frustration. Hopefully, the developers can address these issues to ensure a more consistent user experience.

And let's not forget the departure! The disembarkation process was smooth and efficient, thanks again to the fantastic staff. They made sure everything ran like clockwork, allowing us to leave the ship with wonderful memories and a lingering sense of relaxation.

Overall, the Grand Princess cruise was a first-class experience in every way, especially thanks to the incredible Henry Hudson Suite. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this ship and suite to anyone looking for an unforgettable vacation. Shout out to the staff at Sabatini’s George a fantastic Manager, Wayan your coffee is sublime the best I’ve had at sea and a special mention to our waiter Siddhant you were brilliant at both Sabatini’s and the Grill Thank you

POOR ROOM / SERVICE – the first night at around 7.30 pm our room flooded with water through the carpet over the bed ect i notified reception desk 1 hour later a service member looks at the room and reports to management the room needs repairing to stop water flow he is told to vacuum water up and they will change bedding problem was water was still dripping from te… Read more

roof. I had ask to get a new room was told no three times only i requested again and at 11.30pm we where moved to the other end of the ship dragging our bags. The next day no contact from any one only to be told at around 9pm we can return to our room great time to be asked to drag bags back REMBERING princess know where we are at all times through the pendent system they could of let us know through the day. The management staff rely did not show any understanding or offer any real sorry or offer any thing for the two days of the cruise to be ruined by being disrupted instead of enjoying our holiday this was the worst we have had over 20 cruises

Wouldn't Go with Princess Again – Having done 5 previous cruises with Princess we were VERY disappointed this time. We travelled from Adelaide, around N.Z. and back to Adelaide, (19 days), leaving Adelaide on 16th December and completing our trip on 4th January. Very tired ship. No bottled water to rooms without paying $7.50 per 1.5 litre bottle, not even when we were… Read more

quarantined with COVID. We had to order glasses of iced water.. Reduced service includes no evening chocolate, no robes. We both caught COVID which meant being quarantined to our room over Christmas/New Year. Our compensation is that we have been given a credit of $300 for each day in isolation towards another cruise which must be booked by December next year. Captain made several announcements saying that people had gone to Medical Department with Respiratory Disease. It was Never referred to as COVID. We went twice to the theatre to watch entertainment of a very low standard. Drinks Package is a rip off unless you wish to use the Gym and gulp down two Specialty ice-creams per day. (Sweet muck in a chocolate dipped glass covered with 100's and 1000's. The Medallion is an opportunity to rip-off passengers. I found I had been charged $17.50 for a lemon, lime and bitters. Cocktails were mostly ice. Day trips are an absolute rip-off. My husband booked a trip in Dunedin to travel on a train to a Gorge and paid $299 for the privilege. When his group arrived at the station, they found that on a normal day the train trip would cost $69. When Princess in in town you can't book a tour privately as Princess has an agreement that only they can offer trips. Accommodation was acceptable, although very old. Room was quiet, except for rattling in the ceiling at times. Too many Sea Days meant the company gave passengers more time to spend at the Bar. RESULT: A very disappointing spend of our hard earned money.

Terrible – Our cruise was a 19 day cruise from Adelaide, visiting Port Lincoln, KI, Melbourne, Fiordland, Dunedin, Wellington Tauranga, Aukland Melbourne, Adelaide. I was surprised there was no covid screening requested or available prior to embarkation. Given the majority of passengers were seniors and there were 3500 people sharing what amounted to a… Read more

sealed tin can, I found this a little odd.

After 7 days our cruise turned to rubbish: My wife contracted covid and was isolated to our room. Despite sharing the same room but testing negative I was free to roam the ship. Sharing the same room it was inevitable I would also contract the disease, which I did on my wife’s third day, and was isolated to my room for 4 days. My wife testing negative on her fourth day. Not once did the ship’s medical centre test her, instead accepting her word that she had tested positive and then accepting her word she had tested negative on her fourth day, thus releasing her from isolation.

We came aboard as a guest 'couple', not as individuals, intending to share our trip together, so, we were not interested in attending entertainment venues or dining individually or attending excursions individually. Instead preferring to remain together during our time on board. Instead we found ourselves dining separately and missing the chance to see many of the cities the ship visited in NZ, missing all but one of our excursions and also missing xmas and New year’s eve celebrations.. Not what we paid $11,000 for.

On the conclusion of our trip we were billed $750 for anti viral medication, $48 for anti nausea medication and $99 for the consultation. We were refunded $2,200 for missing 7days of our 19 day cruise, however, that can only be recovered as credit to spend onboard if we choose to book another cruise with Princess Cruises. Something I very much doubt we will do, given Princesses Cruises abysmal communicable disease’s protocols. Excursion costs were forfeited due to having covid and were not refundable as they were booked with onshore companies, they amounted to another $580.

Whilst these protocols may be sufficient on mainland Australia, onboard a cruise ship, in a sealed tin can, so to speak, sharing the same spaces, air and services as 3,500 other people, these protocols are clearly insufficient as we and many other passengers infected with covid were to find out to our expense.

On questioning a number of staff, I was surprised to find if they contracted covid, they were still expected to work, thus possibly spreading covid among guests.

When in isolation those testing positive were entitled to free room service, those not testing positive, but sharing the same cabin, were not. Room service was abysmal, not once did we get what we ordered, and after contracting covid onboard the ship, we were expected to pay for treatment.

Once free from isolation, we found the cruise did not improve: Organisation and communication was abysmal: we requested, and paid for, the shuttle service into Melbourne on the forward journey across to NZ, however, we didn't receive our tickets. On our return voyage we received a request form on which to request tickets for the shuttle into Melbourne. The request form was required to be submitted by 2:00pm on 1 Jan 2024, however, we never received the shuttle request form until 7:00pm that day.

Not surprisingly on multiple review sites, Princess Cruises attract a number of negative reviews. The Ruby Princess Cruise infected 662 people with covid, 28 of them died and a class action lawsuit ruled Carnival at fault. I don’t know how many people were infected with covid on our cruise, however, the ship’s captain made a number of announcements that a communicable disease had been detected onboard, curiously referring to it as a ‘respiratory condition’, rather than ‘covid’.

I spoke to a number of people onboard who had contracted covid, one chap I spoke to, who was in his late 70s, had been told the anti viral medication was not available.

We saw nothing of NZ except for Dunedin on our trip, despite booking three excursions and intending on exploring any NZ cities where the Grand Princess docked.

Entertainment was largely limited to off key bands, solo performers, karaoke and trivia nights. There was however a couple of violinists performing in the atrium, but that was mostly standing room only, and two very good comedians/magicians, but they only had one or two performances.

Food was as good as could be expected from a staff catering to over 2000 people, and staff were very friendly and helpful. However, there simply was not enough individual seating on a number of occasions.

This was our third cruise, one with P&O and two with Princess cruises. We had intentions of booking another this year, but after this cruise we are extremely unlikely to book with Princess Cruises again. We lost around $12,500 on this cruise and saw nothing. Not at all happy with Princess cruises.

Ripped off from cancelled excursion – When a shore excursion we booked with Princess was canceled everyone was informed on board that everyone would have their money refunded to the account used. Before disembarking I could see we were owed over $500. Post disembarking I could no longer see our account on Medallion app or online so sent an email. Still no reply OR refund received… Read more

11days later. Also very disappointed with lack of COVID safe practices in “self serve” bistro especially after we exceeded their requirements but still ended up with COVID after a 3 night cruise

RIP PEOPLE OFF – These thieves add extra charges on your cruise account and add percentages onto what they say they will charge you without letting you know. Deduct money from your account to charities that they decide without letting you know. The whole system is disgusting. I can’t imagine what they would over charge people who wouldn’t use the app to double… Read more

check.

There is zero class in the way the way they shove overpriced “packages” in your face from the moment you step on board. Every interaction is phoney and I’ve caught a couple gossiping about the guests unkindly too.

It’s a shame as it covers over the many other super hard working employees.

First and last cruise with Princess Cruises.

Not so Grand Princess – We chose this cruise (Melb to NZ and return 14 days) because it looked like a good value price, but by the time we added on all the extras - upgraded balcony suite, drinks package, excursions, it cost around $10K. We loved the balcony mini suite but the weather was rough and wet on the way over so didn't get to use the balcony much at all. Not… Read more

Princess's fault, weather is weather. The drinks package is interesting, the standard package costs $65 per person per day which entitles you to 15 alcoholic drinks per day - wines, spirits, cocktails, whatever. Up to $20 per drink value. Sounds good except that if you like wine (like me) the wines are De Bortoli Sacred Hill varieties or similar at around $6 per bottle - around $1 per glass, and the glasses are not generous. I started drinking cocktails instead but found it very difficult to get pissed, they all tasted a bit watery. The package includes wifi @ $22 pppd but it took several trips to the IT geeks to get working and I couldn't get texts and my wife couldn't get e-mails. Also include are 2 specialty icecream deserts per day per person, these are disgusting! if anyone ate two of these each day for 2 weeks they would end up with diabetes or a heart attack! possibly both. Coffee was good , you could actually get real coffee delivered to your table at any time. Most of the meals in the dining rooms were OK but some were not. We paid extra for the speciality dining experiences but only the Italian option was value for money, The Crab Shack and Grill House were ordinary. We did a lot of shore excursions booked through the cruise line but although enjoyable most were on the expensive side. If I was going again i'd look into booking directly with local tour operators. NZ is beautiful. Go there if you have the opportunity. We both got Covid on the boat.

Terrible treatment of people with disabilities. Overcharges they won't refund – This cruise line isn't accommodating to people with disabilities at all. Ove had issues on a previous cruise which I'm unable to discuss due to princess policy. I witnessed on this current cruise I just disembarked a lady who uses a wheely walker, was lining up to dispute charges on account and due to the long line of the same complaint she sat… Read more

down on the step at the bottom of stairs. Security forced her to get up and stand. This is shocking behaviour Security should have assisted the passenger with either a chair or to the front of the que. This isn't acceptable towards a person with disability.

So much to see & do – 14 days seeing Alaska, what an amazing cruise. From Juneau on a Segway tour with fun guides, Ketchican Lumberjack show a fun day. Skagway Whitepass rail was fantastic, I think the highlight of our tours. Up to Emerald lake on the bus & returning on the train. Cruise back to Skagway & went out on Kayaks on a beautiful lake. So much stunning… Read more

scenery. We had the best feed of salmon at the Salmon bake at Juneau, & you could have seconds. The Crab boat from Ketchican where the fishermen brought in the eagles, wow, then a whale appeared, amazing & the crab for lunch was very tasty also got to hold a big crab. In Ketchican we also went up the mountain on the chairlift, a great ride & scenery was lovely. Walking up higher on the mountain we got to see a little Marmot, very cute. Whittier was wet, not a very hospitable place but the wartime museum was very interesting. Our 14 day cruise we thoroughly enjoyed. Highly recommend seeing Alaska.

Never again – First holiday since 2012.. problems with the medallion app a month before the cruise. Prepaid all shore excursion, including all beauty spa and hairdresser treatments, premium plus drinks & photo package. And the medallion plus wear able. Got an email the day I flew out to tel me my medallion payment did go through and need to sort out when… Read more

boarding, charged again and didn't get the wearable. Went down hill from there. Had my ship account blocked even though linked to my card with a healthy balance. And a 5k win in the ships casino. Tried 3 times onboard to sort out account issues. They where charging me again for everything I prepaid for plus 3 shore excursion that I didn't book one at port we skipped because of bad weather. Then they took another 4.5k for no reason and was told they were holding it and would be refunded in 7 days this did not include the money I won, I'll get that in 3 months by check.seven day after leaving the cruise was refunded 4.5k. been home 2 weeks and Princess has taken $ 14,580 out of my account this morning . So cross referenced every charge.against the printout whole onboard my travel summary and my bank account. $1,500 in-paying for already prepaid beauty & hair treatment. & service charges. Never again. No transparency or help from guest services and told to email Princess cruise to get the matter sorted

Food poisoning of the worst kind – An horrific experience that marks probably the first and last time I will sail on a Princess Cruise ocean liner. As a result of some dubious food I had eaten in the complimentary diner on the 1st evening of the cruise, I started noticing the ominous effects the next morning after the ship berthed in Eden, NSW. Although while still on my feet… Read more

early in the day I needed to visit the pharmacist for another reason while I had the opportunity. It was while we were in Eden that I collapsed suddenly on the footpath while having a vomiting spasm. Luckily a passer-by in a car noticed my distress and stopped to help. They immediately identified me as a cruise passenger by the medallion I was wearing and then offered to take me back to the ship. I gratefully accepted the offer of course.

Upon returning to my cabin my condition the grew steadily worse and by about midday the vomiting spasms had intensified and at one point while hunched over the toilet and doing an almighty heave I momentarily passed out which caused me to fall to my right side coming down hard on my right elbow and head impacting the sill of the shower recess which was immediately adjacent to the toilet. I then eventually struggled back to the bed nursing a bleeding arm and bruised head and still suffering from acute nausea. I then attempted to contact the ships medical team by telephone to request first aid. I then spoke to a "[Name Removed]". This is where the situation got unpardonably bad with regard to how Princess Cruises conducted themselves under these circumstances. I of course described my situation to [Name Removed] and asked if he could sent a suitable person to my cabin and help me with my various problems. To my eternal disappointment, all [Name Removed] could think about was COVID. "I want to test you for COVID" was his stock reply and so despite my exhortations that it was a ridiculous proposition to make and that all I was requesting was some immediate attention for the sickness caused by the bad food they had served me and the bleeding injuries from the resultant fall. All I got from him was some nausea medicine delivered by a crew member which I then took. I had agreed to visit the medical centre at 4pm but was unable to do so as I was completely bedridden for the rest of the day. I was then only able to have the wounds I had received properly dressed after disembarking from the vessel in Sydney a day and a half later.

Given the circumstances and my age i.e. 74 I am fortunate that the repercussions from this train of events were not seriously life threatening but of course he was not to know anything about what might have been likely to follow because of his reluctance to move out of the comfort of the confines of his cabin.

I should also pass comment on how I regard Princess Cruises ability or willingness to uphold their pledge to protect the health and safety of their passengers. I read the blurb which comes with the package that they get you to read before you commit yourself to buying your ticket, and one of the things that they pledge is proper medical backup with a properly qualified medical team wherever needed. On this particular occasion and in my mind they failed dismally.

Services downgraded/Ship past use by date – Recent trip on this ship was not a good experience. Toilets not working in many cases and same with elevators. Gone on the cheap and not even a notepad and pen in cabin or a shower cap. Buckets collecting water from leaks in ceiling, air condition set at freezing and bad direction that blows directly on you. ended up with respiratory issue as… Read more

a result. In one case a big ceiling rip out to do maintenance and water shut down to our cabin area for 8 hours for maintenance. Turn off air cond at night so cabin heats up. And quite disappointed in the food on buffet and the display of it. much furniture old and uncomfortable, too close to the floor hard to get out of and much support gone. Will not use Princess again.

Dissapointing – this was our second cruise with Princess, (from melbourne around NZ) this time the buffet food lacked quality, & the onboard entertainment lacked fun & excitement. The control of the spred of respiratory desiese was virtuall non existant, the cruse states all passangers are vaccinated & tested prior to boarding, this was not checked or polliced.… Read more

resulting in at a guess 50-70% infection on board. 200 reported cases only, obviously many more unreported. Mask wearing was not inforced & many people refused to wear them. Covid posative people at disembarkation were forced to exit state rooms & stand in hallwways for may hours before being allowed to leave. Our toilet in the state room malfunctioned, flooding the room & the state room. we complained several times before we were offerd to change rooms. Most of the more exciting shore excersions were cancelled, some due to weather but many more were un explained. very dissapointing over all.

And I am being generous – Floating rust bucket….. what the American don’t want the post in the window was coming off missing carpets … and been elite 8 cruises with them is now worth nothing. Miss the old days before covert Show details

GONE DOWNHILL QUICKLY – Just came back from 13 night NZ cruise on the Grand Princess. From the very start to the very end, the cruise was a disaster. We did the same cruise in 2018 on the Golden Princess and had a lovely time. What's happened? To start with, embarkation started 3 hours later than scheduled. At embarkation, no one seemed to be checking people for their… Read more

pre cruise covid tests that people were requested to have done. We were not asked about our test and they just let us through. I was stunned they did not seem to be checking people. It was no surprise then that half way in to our cruise, my wife and I both tested positive and were isolated to our cabin for the duration. Other issues related to double charging us for specialty dining putting us an extra $80 out of pocket,for which I have now applied for a refund. A good thing I kept an eye out otherwise I'd be $80 poorer. Forget about asking for any hot food for room service. The quality of food was very hit and miss, more often miss. Most hot items arrive tepid at best. No one wants limp,cold chips or cold burgers and hot dogs etc. On top of that, many orders arrived with the wrong items, arrived after a long period,if at all sometimes. The amount of chasing up we had to do to get a hot drink or food was plain ridiculous. Service was atrocious. The rare bright spot of the cruise was that we had an excellent cabin steward who helped us on many occasions (we tipped him accordingly too). We tried the Horizon buffet during the first few days and had 1 lunch meal and one breakfast there. Yuk! The variety, quality and the temperature of the food was totally unacceptable. The hot food for breakfast was inedible. The hash browns not too bad but the bacon was chewy overcooked rubbish. Eggs were cold as were the small breakfast sausages, and other items. The main dining room meals were mostly good but a few were mediocre and when you shell out good money for a cruise, you expect better. The Crown Grill was excellent and couldn't fault the food or table service. A rare bright spot. Disembarkation was delayed by some hours which threw passengers travel arrangements into chaos. I will never go with Princess cruises again after such a terrible experience and especially while their ships are constantly called out for having lots of covid cases on board. Be warned!