Cruise Talk: Giving a Grand class a try

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Topic: Giving a Grand class a try

Grant
First Class Passenger
Member # 1000

posted 01-11-2008 08:17 PM

The past 12 months have been good to me, setting sail aboard 2 Vista class (Carnival Pride and Oosterdam) 2 Sun class (Sun and Dawn) and next week a voyage on a Grand class (Emerald). In so many ways I am not looking forward to this one, but others made the decision and if I want to be with the friends; that is where I have to be. It will interesting to compare this class to the others, from a passenger at sea point of view. However, no matter what the ship delivers, any cruise is better than staying home!!!
Cheers, Grant

Posts: 834 | From: Victoria, BC, Canada | Registered: Jan 2000 | IP: Logged

jkwan12345
First Class Passenger
Member # 6304

posted 01-11-2008 09:56 PM

is there any particular reason you're not looking foreward to it?

Posts: 23 | From: Piedmont, CA | Registered: Mar 2006 | IP: Logged

eroller
First Class Passenger
Member # 1649

posted 01-11-2008 10:22 PM

I think you will enjoy yourself. Personally I prefer the Grand Class over the Sun Class. The decor will look the same, but there are more amenities. I sailed on CROWN PRINCESS a little over a year ago and enjoyed the experience. Even though I think it's time to retire this design, there were some nice improvements on CROWN PRINCESS. I really like the adults Serenity area. Very nice, almost like a miniature Silversea up there.

Ernie

Posts: 7046 | From: Miami, Florida USA | Registered: Oct 2000 | IP: Logged

eroller
First Class Passenger
Member # 1649

posted 01-11-2008 10:52 PM

I forgot to ask .... which ship did you prefer, the CARNIVAL PRIDE or OOSTERDAM? Personally I much prefer the CARNIVAL PRIDE. I really like the Spirit Class, but not so much the Vista Class. It's funny how two similar designs can feel so different onboard. I sailed on an inaugural cruise of CARNIVAL PRIDE and really liked the ship.

Ernie

Posts: 7046 | From: Miami, Florida USA | Registered: Oct 2000 | IP: Logged

OceanVoyager
First Class Passenger
Member # 5585

posted 01-12-2008 02:57 PM

You should like the Grand Class, the decor is very "European" ie quite understated and classy.

I sailed on the Caribbean Princess, and very much enjoyed my "Grand Class" experience.

One strange feeling, when going on the upper level on the Prom deck, you go right to the tip of the box, so have a clear view ahead!

Rgds,
Andrew

Posts: 627 | From: Hythe, Southampton, UK | Registered: Apr 2005 | IP: Logged

Ernst
First Class Passenger
Member # 5369

posted 01-12-2008 03:05 PM

quote:
Originally posted by OceanVoyager:
[...]
One strange feeling, when going on the upper level on the Prom deck, you go right to the tip of the box, so have a clear view ahead!
Rgds,
Andrew

And that alone makes the Grand class actually attractive.

Nevertheless, to go on a cruise with low expectations is not that bad at all - you can only be positively surprised. In many case where people were disappointed by a cruise it was more or less 'only' that they expected too much. Look e.g. at the recent discussions in this and other fora. Certain ships types are suddenly seen as inadequate just because they are deployed under another brand.

Posts: 9746 | From: Eindhoven | Registered: Jan 2005 | IP: Logged

jetwet1
First Class Passenger
Member # 6361

posted 01-12-2008 03:25 PM

I have sailed on all the classes of ships mentioned, my favourite is the Sun class (Sea in my case).

We were on the Caribbean Princess in Sept and had a great cruise.

There is a trick to the grand class, book a cat BA/BB on the Caribe deck. These cabins sit on top of the mini suite, so the balcony is double the size of a regular one.

We did have some privacy concerns because of the cabins above, but half the balcony is covered by the deck above so it offerers some privacy. There were nights where we had 6 of us out there sipping wine watch the world go by, with plenty of room to spare.

The one thing I will say is, the beds on Princess suck, really really suck, the beds on Carnival and HAL are far better, though talking to the purser she did say that Princess will be replacing them.

Overall we loved Princess, but will not be back till they do something about the beds.

[ 01-12-2008: Message edited by: jetwet1 ]

Posts: 608 | From: Las VEgas | Registered: Mar 2006 | IP: Logged

Grant
First Class Passenger
Member # 1000

posted 02-04-2008 01:56 PM

I'm back and must say that all the fears I had concerning over crowding never materialized. A glance at the electronic counter on the security scanner indicated that there were 2902 passengers aboard, and you almost never saw them. Exceptions were at the instant that the Horizon Court opened, when the free ice cream was served up, and at show times on occasion. I was always able to find sun loungers, deck chairs on promenade deck and space in the pools.
On the Vista class I prefered Carnival's version of the exterior deck space as the dome over the pools on Oosterdam did take deck space away. The extra pool on the Pride was nice as well. On the other hand the forward viewing decks on Oosterdam were well used, and on Carnival they did not exist. HAL was much more elegant aboard, and their service and food superior to Carnival as was expected. My best meal ever aboard a ship was on Oosterdam. The lido buffet area on the Vista class ship are the best design ever seen.
The Grand class ship was a pleasant surprise, especally the 4 pool areas. The layout topside was confusing, as you could not go from bow to stern without passing through an interior area. The whole idea of the "Movies under that stars" was very under utilized, except for the NFL semi final game. Using the deck loungers in that area, meant listening to the loud audio portion of whatever was showing. The traffic flow on the interior was well thought out, although the bar next to the extra tarrif restaurant on Sun deck 16 was always near empty. The lack of privacy for many of the cabin balconies seemed odd. I found that Princess's entertainment much better than that found on HAL as there was always alot going on throughout the ship. The "small ship feeling big ship amenities" they promote is best shown with the 3 small dining rooms rather than 1 large one. I really liked the ability to eat whenever you wanted.
Call me old fashioned though, I still prefer the smaller Sun class ships. I would take a Vista over a Grand class but the advantages are few. As for the cruise product, I still think Princess is a better choice for me, as Carnival is just too busy and hectic, and HAL on the other hand just too dull and quiet. The large number of Eastern European service staff on Princess seem more polished and professional than the Asian staff on HAL. On my last two HAL sailings I have found the language problems encountered with service staff an issue, as many do not seem to grasp English very well. HAL and Princess are steps about Carnival, but deciding which is superior between the other two is very difficult.
Bottom line, they were all great and the Grand class was not as crowded as I feared.

Posts: 834 | From: Victoria, BC, Canada | Registered: Jan 2000 | IP: Logged

Malcolm @ cruisepage
Cruise Director
Member # 301

posted 02-04-2008 05:12 PM

NIce feedback Grant. Do write a review for our 'Readers Review' section, menu left.

Posts: 19210 | From: Essex (Just Outside London) | Registered: A Long Time Ago! | IP: Logged

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