Grand Princess
Grand Princess is a veteran Princess ship with reliable service and West Coast and Hawaii itineraries
Grand Princess launched in 1998 and has been sailing Pacific and Caribbean routes for over two decades. At 2,600 guests, she carries the Princess standard experience on itineraries that include West Coast sailings from San Francisco, Hawaii, and seasonal Caribbean deployments. The ship has been continuously updated; the Princess MedallionClass system was added in 2021.
Grand Princess''s history is notable for non-cruise reasons: in March 2020, the ship became internationally prominent when it was held at sea off San Francisco during the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic, with 3,500 guests and crew. The ship and the cruise industry emerged from that period changed in operational details but fundamentally intact. Grand Princess herself returned to service and continues to sail Pacific routes.
The ship offers the Princess core program: Crown Grill steakhouse, Sabatini''s Italian (both with surcharges), main dining room with traditional assigned seating or anytime dining, the Horizon Court buffet, and the 24-hour International Café (one of the genuine bright spots of any Princess ship — real pastries, real sandwiches, coffee that doesn''t taste like it was brewed in 1999). The entertainment program includes the Princess Theater with Broadway-style productions, a casino, and the Explorer''s Lounge for quieter evenings.
Hawaii is Grand Princess''s best itinerary. The ship spends enough time at each island to allow meaningful exploration: a full day in Hilo (Volcanoes National Park, Akaka Falls), a full day in Kahului (Haleakalā National Park, Maui''s Road to Hana), two days in Honolulu (Pearl Harbor, Diamond Head, the North Shore). The multi-island Hawaii sailing on any Princess ship is one of the more efficient ways to see the islands without the cost of inter-island flights and separate hotel bookings.
Grand Princess is for travelers who want a known quantity: the Princess service level, the Princess dining program, and Pacific itineraries that reward the ship as a transit vehicle as much as an attraction. Travelers expecting cutting-edge design, new entertainment features, or the Sphere atrium should look at Sun Princess or Discovery Princess instead.