I came back from a day visit to the Grand Princess recently but have only just managed to upload all of the pictures so I thought I'd share them all with you. Of all the ships I've ever visited it was the Grand Princess I was least sure about. All the other ships I've visited I had a clear idea of what to expect but with the Grand Princess all I knew was that she was quite an old ship that had never the less just gone through a massive refurbishment.
Suffice to say, (as you'd expect from any cruise ship), I was really impressed with her.
See what you think........................
This was my first view of the Grand Princess from the Southampton dock. I knew she could sleep just over 2500 guests, (2590 in total), and had 17 decks but for some reason I was expecting a smaller ship.
As you can see she's anything but small!
This was my first view of the interior, the main atrium. Like all main atriums on a big ship my jaw just dropped. It was very clean, with light shining off all the brass and marble surfaces and really stylish and classicaly designed.
What I really liked about the atrium on the Grand Princess though was that they had turned it into a 'hub' of the ship, with cafes and bars and seating areas all leading off from it so that I could really imagine it bustling on a sea day with a lively atmosphere.
Probably my favourite part of the atrium though was the Pizzeria called Alfredos. You could order a fresh pizza from one of the special pizza ovens night or day - Yum!
As with all cruise lines there was an art gallery onboard that you can buy ridiculously over priced art work from, (I'm not a fan as you can tell), but some of the art was nice to be fair.
The above two pictures are of an outside cabin. I think this is one of the only areas where the Grand Princess showed her age a little. The cabin with a double bed felt quite small and the third bed, rather than being built into the wall, protruded from it.
I was quite impressed with the inside cabins though. There were clean, well ordered and the mirrored wall made the room feel quite spacious.
Just a quick photo here. If you book an obstructed view outside cabin on the Grand Princess this is one of the views you may end up with.
This was the mini suite. The cabin was really large and I loved the layout, I thought it flowed really well but I thought the balcony was quite small for what it was and the balcony furniture didn't look very comfortable.
However, given the choice between a mini suite and a balcony, (above), I think I would go for the balcony as aside from the price difference in booking them there wasn't a huge difference between the two, (the balconies were the same size).
Now the grand suite was huge and as soon as I win the lottery I'll be booking one for myself, (well worth it if you have the money)!
(Still the grand suite), you can see they're really well appointed with comfortable but luxurious furniture throughout.
(Still the grand suite), this was my favourite part of the cabin, the balcony was huge and came with it's own shaded hot tub. Can you imagine just relaxing in there of an evening after dinner, drifting somewhere in the Mediterranean, staring up at the stars? Luxury!
(Still the grand suite), and finally the second bedroom in the grand suite if there are several of you sharing, (or if you've had an argument with the other half one night).
The top deck. I can't pretend I was a massive fan of the blue astro-turf type decking, (I much prefer real wooden decking), but the overall effect of blue and white did make for a really nice effect.
This is the sanctuary at the front of the ship. You need to pay to get in here but it's a nice place to relax away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the ship.
The Grand Princess also had a massive gym, very well equipped for all you fitness fanatics out there!
These last few photos were of the spas and treatment rooms. They were in use so I couldn't head into the rooms but you can see from the outside it's a very calm and relaxing area.
The hair salon; in case you wanted a special haircut for the formal nights.
This was the other side of the top deck and I could easily imagine spending a few nights here relaxing with some cocktails as the sun sets over the sea; couldn't you?
Movies under the stars. Other cruise lines have copied it since but it was Princess that first started it and it's nice to see it's still there after the refurbishment - Have you ever enjoyed a movie under the stars? Did the concept work well?
This is the indoor pool and I'm glad it's here. There's nothing worse than a big ship that only has outdoor pools - It's nice to know, (I think), that there are areas on the ship to relax when/if the weather turns bad.
Just a few more shots of the pool deck from above - As you can see there's plenty of space for everyone to enjoy themselves, (and the pool), if they wanted too.
This is one of the lounges at the back of the ship called the One 5 - As you can see there's loads of room for everyone and it's again, quite stylish and contemporary. I can see quite a few fun evenings happening in here.
Not so sure about the carpets though!
This is a couple of photos of the indoor pool from ground level, (rather than from above like earlier), and if you look below you can see the grill that serves all the food for the guests relaxing by the pool.
There's only so much I can say about the theatre as I didn't get to see any shows, (if you've seen one of the shows please let people know what they were like by commenting below). The seats were obviously new, well padded and very comfortable with a good eye line to the stage though.
This is Leaves, a special tea room where the waiters can blend dozens of different types of tea for you into your perfect blend.
The Crown Grill lounge
These photos were of the Explorers lounge
This is the Wheelhouse bar - Princess have gone for a nautical theme here with lots of dark wood furniture, the room itself though was quite open and airy, (you can't tell from these photos).
This is Sabatinis - One of the alternate dining venues onboard, (we ate in the main dining room though so I'm not sure what the food was like). Has anyone reading this ever dined here?
The Vista lounge.
This is Bottticelli's, one of the main dining rooms. the other two are called Da Vincis and Michelangelos - They All have artwork from their name sake on the walls, (no originals though), so, it made for a really stylish dining venue. Although the paintings were quite old the layout and design of the restaurants was quite contemporary so it gave the whole place a classical, timeless appeal.
Imaginatively called the Grand Casino this was, by cruise ship standards, a large, well equipped casino with a little bit of everything for those that like a little gamble whilst on holiday.
This is called the Snooker cigar bar and whilst I loved the look and feel of the room, (that snooker table was just brilliant), I'm not sure I'd fancy spending an evening in there as you can still smoke - Hence the name.
So what did you think? ? Have you sailed on the Grand Princess before?
Was it before the refurbishment or after? Has it improved the look of the ship or did you prefer it before?
Happy cruising
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