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East Coast Enjoyment
Reviewed By: Richardson, Stony Stratford on 27th Aug 2008
Cruise Line: Princess Cruises	Times cruised before: 1-2
Cruise Ship: Grand Princess	Sailed: September, 2007
Destination: Canada	Age: 65+

We recently took the cruise from New York up the eastern seaboard of the USA to Quebec in Canada on the Grand Princess. This was our first experience of a very large cruise ship having previously been to the Baltic capitals on a smaller vessel. There was a wide selection of restaurents on board 'The Grand Princess' for both formal and informal dining. We enjoyed dinner in both the Botticelli and The Da Vinci restaurents and quickly made friends on board who joined us for dinner each night and turned dinner into 'a dinner party'. The service was good and efficient, decor and lighting excellent. Sometimes we found the wait for a table unacceptable and would have preferred a pre-booking system. The range of food and wines available were of a high class but perhaps not up to P and O standards or perhaps rather 'Americanised' for the British pallette. The self service breakfasts and buffet lunches which could be eaten on the semi-open deck were very good indeed as was the staff's attention to detail and passenger hygiene. As pensioners of limited means we chose the most economical of cabins. It was well planned and very adequate ,the cabin staff were excellent and although we were in the cheaper cabins the service was first class at all times. Whilst swimming at the stern we observed expensive cabins with private balconies which could be overlooked!! Excursions were well thought out but sometimes there was a lengthy wait for tender departure. This must be expected on such a large ship visiting small ports so if I were to do this trip again I may choose a smaller vessel. The variety of onboard entertaining had something for everyone. The showtime was 'par excellance', just like Broadway. We would have liked a more serious approach to the excursions with good lectures prior to arrival as we had experienced on the Pand O ship on our Baltic cruise. We particularly enjoyed the opportunties to swim at all times and made good use of all the pools particularly the one adjacent to the spa which had the wave machine to swim against and was great fun and good exercise. The choice of swimming pools is an obvious advantage of a large ship. Overall we had an excellent trip, the arrangement of the planned gratuites I found distasteful and a method of disguising the true price. I feel tipping should be optional for staff who perform well and not across the board and almost compulsory. I understand this is a more American approach but I personally felt cheated by this. In conclusion we would rate this cruise as 75 out of 100 We had a good time but some opportunities for improvement.
Quality of Food
We ate in the 'Horizan' for all casual meals,[breakfst and lunch] and snacks. We used the da Vinci and Botticelli for evening dinners.
Entertainment
The most enjoyable because of its high standard was the theatre showtime. Other areas for dancing and listening to a wide range of music was very pleasurable. The classical music was appreciated.
Shore Excursions
All excursions were interesting. Bar Harbour was beautiful, Cornerbrook left much to be desired. Unfortunately the weather was foggy and spoiled some of the trips and the views. Princess cannot be held repsonsible for this. The overnight stay in Quebec was very much appreciated
Staff
Cabin staff were very attentive and efficient ar all times
Children's Facilities	n/a

Onboard Activities
Excellent.wide range to suit all requirements: most comprehensive.
Cabins
Yes
Overall Rating