Grand Princess

The 1998-built Grand Princess is the 1st Grand-class Princess Cruises ship, together with Crown, Diamond, Caribbean, Golden (now Pacific Adventure), Emerald, Ruby, Star (now Pacific Encounter) and Sapphire.

History - construction and ownership

Princess Cruises is a US cruise company headquartered in Beverly Hills CA. A former subsidiary of P&O Princess Cruises (founded 1977), in 2003, the company merged with Carnival Corporation - world's largest passenger shipping company. Among Princess Cruises assets is the Caribbean private island resort Princess Cays (on Bahamas Eleuthera Island's southern end), located approx 80 km (50 mi) from Nassau.

When Grand Princess was being built back in 1998, the 107,517-ton, 2,600-passenger cruise ship was described by the company as "the biggest, the fastest cruise vessel in the world, the most advanced... the grandest cruise liner on the ocean." Grand Princess did actually spend a year as the biggest, fastest and most sophisticated cruise vessel at sea, but she is now dwarfed by many others which are bigger, faster, newer and more technologically advanced. Over a decade later, the main vessel design which anchors Princess' most popular class still holds its own thanks to a massive refurbishment in May 2011. The multi-million dollar overhaul of Grand Princess included a full transformation of ship's atrium into the much jazzier Piazza (a newfangled addition represented by the fleet's most recent vessels that combines theatre in the round with food and drink outlets). Grand eventually got her own version of The Sanctuary, a popular adult-only sun deck that was released on Crown Princess in 2006.

Cruise itinerary program

Grand Princess itinerary program is based on 15-day Hawaii and week-long Mexican Riviera cruises with departures from Los Angeles and San Francisco CA. In the summer, Grand Princess sails in Alaska leaving out of Vancouver BC (Canada).

In 2020, Grand Princess starts a seasonal Singapore homeporting season (December 2020 through March 2021) as the first Princess MedallionClass liner homeported in Asia.

Cabins

Most Grand Princess staterooms are 170-sq.foot balcony rooms (502). Almost 80% of ship's outside accommodations have private balcony views. There are a total of 1301 staterooms in 34 categories. 27 are the wheelchair accessible rooms. The largest aboard Grand Princess is the Grand Suite (615 ft2).

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

Grand Princess passengers choose between open seating and two assigned dinner seatings; breakfast and lunch in all Princess restaurants are open seating. Alternative dinner venues include the reservations-only Sabatini’s Italian and Crown Grill restaurants (both with cover). All Princess Cruises Lido buffets are open around the clock. The Wheelhouse Bar serves a pub lunch, and a grill and pizzeria offer casual snack choices. The ice-cream bars and patisseries charge for premium ice cream and speciality coffee. A wine bar offers extra-charge artisan cheeses and evening snacks. Chef’s Table and Ultimate Balcony Dining options are also available, as is afternoon tea and room service.

Follows the complete list of Grand Princess restaurants and food bars.

• Michelangelo Restaurant (ship's aft Dining Room; dinner only - offers “Anytime Dining” between 5:30 p.m. -10 p.m.)
• Crown Grill (160-seat steakhouse/seafood restaurant, reservations recommended; on select days serves British Pub Lunch, complimentary)
• Da Vinci Restaurant (ship's forward Dining Room for Breakfast 7-9 a.m., Lunch 12-1:30 p.m., Afternoon Tea 3:30-4:30 p.m.; features “Anytime Dining” for Dinner between 5:30-8 p.m. or 8-10 p.m.)
• Botticelli Restaurant (dinner only aft Dining Room; with 2 fixed seatings at 5:45 and 8 p.m.)
• Sabatini’s Restaurant (Italian speciality restaurant; reservations recommended). The officially named "Sabatini’s Italian Trattoria" restaurant debuted on Grand Princess in 1998. Today, it is available fleetwide. In 2017, Princess Cruises announced the restaurant's fleetwide enhancement via a partnership with celebrity chef Angelo Auriana. Among the upgrades are new interior design and updated menu (with antipasti and handmade pasta dishes by Chef Auriana). The transformed Sabatini’s debuted on Caribbean Princess in April 2017.
• Trident Grill & Prego Pizzeria (self-service, complimentary fast food bar)
• Alfredo’s Pizzeria (complimentary)
• Horizon Court (self-service buffet restaurant, complimentary)
• Sterling Steakhouse (speciality restaurant).

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

Grand's piazza is magnificent. Its wide range of entertainment makes the versatile spot a popular destination where guests never know what they'll see. The best vantage point is from a Piazza seating, or opt for a table in adjoining lounges like the International Cafe and the wine bar Vines. Beyond the piazza, there are production shows in Princess Theatre, first-run movies in Vista Lounge, daytime music poolside by Calypso Band, and the many activities prepared by the cruise director's staff. Passengers can also enjoy the nighttime strains of Rosario Strings in ship's Grand Atrium, the individual performers and comics in Explorer's and Vista Lounges, the country band in Wheelhouse Bar, and the action in One5, a sophisticated venue that replaced the Skywalker's disco. 

Follows the complete list of Grand Princess lounges, clubs and other entertainment venues for kids, teens and adults.

• The Piazza Atrium (3-deck open floor area; features live performances entertainment and lobby Bar Piazza)
• Princess Fine Arts Gallery; Photo Gallery & Shop; Platinum Studio
• International Cafe (24-hour speciality coffee bar and patisserie)
• Vines Bar (wine/seafood/sushi bar)
• Internet Cafe (24-hour)
• Princess Grand Theatre (2-level musical and show productions; hosts workshops, seminars, game shows)
• Snooker’s Lounge & Bar (smoking lounge and sports bar)
• Calypso Cove Shop; Essence Shop; Meridian Bay Shop; Facets Shop
• Princess Grand Casino 
• Leaves Tea Lounge & Library (speciality teas room and library)
• Crooners Lounge & Bar (live music; also used for seminars)
• Explorers Lounge & Bar (disco/show lounge; hosts karaoke, comedy, game shows and art auctions)
• Vista Lounge & Bar
• Wheelhouse Bar (piano bar during the day and an English pub nightly)
• Explorers Lounge & Bar (hosts dance classes and quizzes, after 7:30 p.m. becomes Disco & Nightclub)
• Scoops Bar (Sundaes Ice Cream Bar, complimentary)
• Al Fresco’s Bar; Sea Breeze Bar
• Grand’s Lotus Spa complex; Beauty Salon; Fitness Center (with Aerobics Studio)
• Hearts & Minds (Wedding Chapel)
• Movies Under the Stars (LED screen outdoor cinema)
• Video Games Arcade; Teen Center; Youth Center with Paddling Pool and outdoor playing areas
• The Conservatory (recreation area); The Sanctuary (adult-only open-air area); The Oasis relaxation area
• Calypso Reef & Pool area; Neptune’s Reef & Pool area
• Sports Court (volleyball, basketball, European football); Shuffleboard, Deck Chess; Princess Links mini golf course
• The One5 Lounge & Nightclub.

Princess Cruises Grand ship is company's first Grand-class liner, with (same-designed) sisterships Golden and Star (now Pacific Encounter). The other (similarly-designed) vessels from this series are Caribbean, Crown, Diamond, Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire.

Ship's inaugural cruise (maiden voyage) started on May 27, 1998. Its godmother was Olivia de Havilland - US actress born in 1916 in Japan, to British parents, most popular for her role in "Gone with the Wind" 1939). Ship's naming ceremony was on September 29, 1998. The liner is a little different than its sisters. The used timber is of darker woods and the interior design is closer to Sun Class ships (smaller-sized).

During the inaugural season, many popular actors participated in shipboard live performances. Among those were Al Martino, Lorna Luft, Bob Anderson, Rita Moreno, Red Buttons. Famous musicians that worked that year were the Canadian band "Mud Sharks" and Dominic Halpin together with his band.

During the ship's drydock refurbishment in 2013, Skywalkers Nightclub was removed from the stern, opening space for the new facilities Crown Grill, Pizzeria, Leaves (tea lounge) and "The One5" (nightclub).

Fun fact is that the Grand ship was a background scene for an episode of UK's "The Apprentice" (TV reality game show).