I chose this cruise since it did not involve a flight for my elderly mother. Prior to the cruise I read many reviews complaining about the ship. I am not sure why the reviews are so negative. The Grand Princess is an older ship but well maintained. I did not notice any major maintenance issues in public areas.

During the cruise I ate at both specialty restaurants, the Chef's Table, Pub Lunch and Club Class Dining. I also ate at the buffet. My least favorite experience was the Club Class dining. It was included since I booked a suite. I would have been disappointed if I had paid for the experience. The tables for two were too close together and the special table side item was a pasta dish. I thought the service was better in the other portion of the dining room. The Pub Lunch was a nice free experience and the buffet selection was limited, but good quality. If I had any complaint about the food is that sometimes it was "too fancy". I would have preferred plain food cooked excellently over just good food with garnishes.

Where Princess could improve is in entertainment and activities. I would personally like to see less trivia and more enrichment lectures. Also, more production shows instead of comedy/magicians. Since this is an older ship, it does not have some of the spa features like the Enclave. There was a sauna & steam room, but the door to the steam room did not always close properly. Read more