Grand Princess Guide: Cabins, Dining, Pools & Activities

Grand Princess Overview

Grand Princess is a classic Princess Cruises ship that offers a considerably different experience from the line's newer and larger vessels. She entered service in 1998 and helped introduce a generation of larger Princess ships while retaining a more traditional cruise-ship layout than today's newest resort-style vessels.

Grand Princess is 107,517 gross tons and approximately 949 feet long. Princess lists 2,610 guests at lower-berth capacity, 1,303 staterooms, approximately 1,150 crew members, and 17 decks.

That size can appeal to travelers who want substantial dining, entertainment, pools, lounges, and activities without sailing aboard one of today's largest cruise ships.

Travelers comparing the ship with newer Princess vessels should consider what they actually want from the cruise. Grand Princess doesn't need to compete with newer ships feature-for-feature to provide a good vacation. For many passengers, the more traditional layout and emphasis on dining, relaxation, entertainment, and destinations are part of the appeal.

If you're deciding whether the ship or destination should drive your booking decision, see our Cruise Ship vs Itinerary Guide.

What Makes Grand Princess Different?

Grand Princess comes from an earlier generation of large cruise ships. Instead of emphasizing massive waterparks, roller coasters, racetracks, and other headline attractions, the onboard experience centers more heavily on traditional Princess features such as pools, dining rooms, specialty restaurants, lounges, theater entertainment, the Piazza, Movies Under the Stars, Lotus Spa, and The Sanctuary.

That makes the ship particularly interesting for travelers who enjoy having plenty to do but don't need the ship itself to feel like an amusement park.

The ship also has a substantial amount of outdoor space. Princess lists four pools, a splash pool, and eight whirlpool spas, providing passengers with multiple places to spend time outside rather than concentrating everyone around one primary pool.

Grand Princess can therefore make sense for passengers who place as much importance on the itinerary and traditional cruise experience as they do on onboard attractions.

Cabins & Suites on Grand Princess

Grand Princess has 1,303 staterooms. Princess lists 366 Inside cabins, 218 Oceanview cabins, 502 Balcony cabins, 180 Mini-Suites, and 37 Suites.

That provides a broad range of price points and accommodation styles. Travelers trying to control the cost of the cruise can consider an Inside or Oceanview cabin, while Balcony cabins provide private outdoor space and Mini-Suites and Suites offer additional room.

The value of a balcony depends heavily on the itinerary. On scenic cruises, private outdoor space may be used considerably more than it would be on a port-intensive itinerary where most daylight hours are spent ashore.

Cabin location matters as well. Before booking, check what is directly above and below the room and consider how far you want to be from dining, elevators, pools, entertainment, and other areas you expect to use frequently.

Compare accommodations with our Cruise Balcony Cabin Guide, Inside vs Oceanview vs Balcony vs Suite Guide, and Best Cabin Location Guide.

Dining on Grand Princess

Grand Princess offers a combination of included dining and specialty restaurants. The ship's three main dining rooms are Botticelli, Da Vinci, and Michelangelo.

Specialty choices include Crown Grill, Princess's steakhouse experience, and Sabatini's Italian Trattoria. Alfredo's Pizzeria, International Café, Horizon Court, The Salty Dog Grill, Slice, and Coffee & Cones add additional casual options around the ship.

Vines provides a dedicated wine-bar setting, while the International Café is particularly useful for coffee, pastries, snacks, and lighter food throughout the day.

Not every venue is included in the standard cruise fare. Specialty restaurant charges and dining-package rules can change, so review what's included with your particular booking before making reservations.

For broader planning, visit our Cruise Dining Guide.

Crown Grill & Sabatini's

Grand Princess has two of Princess Cruises' best-known specialty restaurant concepts.

Crown Grill focuses on steakhouse-style dining and is designed for passengers looking for a more upscale dinner than the ship's included restaurants.

Sabatini's Italian Trattoria provides Princess's Italian specialty-dining experience. Both restaurants can be useful for celebrations, date nights, or simply adding variety during a longer sailing.

Because specialty dining carries an additional charge, it isn't necessary to book every premium restaurant to have a good dining experience aboard Grand Princess. The ship has numerous included options as well.

The Piazza

The Piazza serves as one of Grand Princess's central indoor gathering places. The Italian-inspired atrium combines food, drinks, entertainment, shopping, and passenger services across several levels.

International Café and Vines are located around the Piazza, making the area useful throughout the day rather than simply functioning as a passageway between other parts of the ship.

Live entertainment and activities can also appear in the Piazza, so passengers frequently pass through the area multiple times during a typical day.

The Sanctuary

The Sanctuary provides an adults-only retreat for passengers looking for a quieter alternative to the ship's main pool areas.

The space emphasizes relaxation with lounge seating and attentive service away from some of the activity elsewhere on the upper decks.

Access and pricing should be checked for your particular sailing rather than assuming The Sanctuary is included in the standard cruise fare.

For couples and adults who enjoy quieter sea days, the combination of The Sanctuary, Lotus Spa, lounges, and multiple pool areas gives Grand Princess several alternatives to the busiest parts of the ship.

Pools & Outdoor Areas

Princess lists four pools aboard Grand Princess along with a splash pool and eight whirlpool spas.

The ship's outdoor areas include Neptune's Reef & Pool, Calypso Reef & Pool, the Terrace Pool, and additional spaces spread across the upper decks.

Having several pool areas is useful on sea days because passengers aren't necessarily concentrated around a single swimming pool.

The upper decks also include sports facilities and outdoor relaxation areas, giving passengers options ranging from active recreation to simply finding a chair and enjoying the ocean.

Movies Under the Stars

Movies Under the Stars is one of Princess Cruises' signature experiences and is available aboard Grand Princess.

The outdoor screen is positioned near the pool deck and is used for movies and other entertainment. Evening screenings combine the traditional cruise pool deck with an outdoor theater experience.

It's a relatively simple feature compared with the elaborate attractions appearing on newer ships, but it fits Grand Princess well: the emphasis is on enjoying the sea, entertainment, and traditional cruise spaces rather than constantly moving between large-scale attractions.

Lotus Spa & Fitness Center

Grand Princess features Lotus Spa and a fitness center for passengers who want wellness and exercise options during the cruise.

Spa services typically carry additional charges, while access to fitness facilities depends on the activity or service being used.

The combination of Lotus Spa, The Sanctuary, pools, lounges, and quieter outdoor areas means passengers can build a fairly relaxed cruise even when traveling with family members who prefer a more active schedule.

Entertainment & Nightlife

Grand Princess offers traditional cruise entertainment through the Princess Theater, Vista Lounge, Explorers Lounge, The One5 nightclub, Wheelhouse Bar, casino, live music, organized activities, and other venues around the ship.

Princess Theater hosts production entertainment, while lounges provide additional live performances, music, games, and evening activities.

The ship also has Grand Casino for passengers interested in casino gaming.

Travelers accustomed to the newest megaships should set expectations accordingly. Grand Princess focuses on shows, music, lounges, dancing, movies, casino gaming, and social activities rather than large-scale thrill attractions.

Is Grand Princess Good for Families?

Grand Princess can work well for families who don't require the newest waterparks and high-adrenaline attractions.

Princess provides dedicated children's and teen spaces along with pools, sports facilities, Movies Under the Stars, entertainment, casual dining, and family activities.

The ship can be particularly practical for multigenerational groups because different generations can pursue different experiences. Children and teens can participate in youth activities while adults choose the spa, Sanctuary, lounges, dining, casino, entertainment, or pool deck.

Families traveling with grandparents, parents, teens, and younger children can also use our Multi-Generational Cruise Guide to plan cabins, dining, activities, accessibility, and shore time around different age groups.

Who Should Cruise on Grand Princess?

Grand Princess is best understood as a traditional Princess cruise experience rather than a smaller version of the line's newest ships.

The ship can appeal to couples, families, multigenerational groups, and destination-focused travelers who value dining, pools, entertainment, lounges, outdoor deck space, and a more conventional cruise-ship layout.

It can also be a good fit for passengers who find today's largest ships overwhelming and don't need waterslides, racetracks, roller coasters, or massive entertainment complexes to enjoy their vacation.

Travelers whose priority is experiencing the newest ship technology and the largest selection of headline attractions may prefer one of Princess's newer vessels.

The important question isn't simply whether Grand Princess is older. It's whether the style of cruise she offers matches the kind of vacation you actually want.

Best Tips for Sailing on Grand Princess

Study the deck plan before selecting your cabin. Grand Princess is smaller than today's largest cruise ships, but at 949 feet long, cabin location can still affect how much walking you do during the cruise.

Don't judge the ship entirely by its 1998 launch date. Instead, compare the onboard experience, itinerary, cabin, fare, and amenities with what matters most to you.

Make specialty dining reservations early if Crown Grill or Sabatini's is important to your plans, particularly if you want a specific evening or dining time.

Explore the ship during the first day. Grand Princess has several pool areas, lounges, and outdoor spaces, and finding alternatives to the busiest locations can improve sea days considerably.

Start packing with our Cruise Packing List, then adjust it for the weather and destinations on your particular itinerary.

If you're flying to the embarkation city, arriving before embarkation day provides a buffer against flight delays, cancellations, and missed connections. Review our Cruise Embarkation Guide before departure.

More Ways to Plan a Grand Princess Cruise

If Grand Princess is on your short list, explore our Princess Cruises Guide and compare fare inclusions with Princess Plus and Princess Premier. You can also use the Cruise Ship Comparison Tool to compare Grand Princess with another ship side by side.