It’s Monday!
Cruise Ship Monday
Today brings us Princess Cruises’ Grand Class–Ruby Princess (2008), Emerald Princess (2007), Crown Princess (2006), Caribbean Princess (2004), Sapphire Princess (2004), Diamond Princess (2004) and Grand Princess (1998).
Princess Cruises’ Grand class is the cruise line’s largest class with seven ships and is highly popular with Princess fans. They weigh anywhere from 107,000 to 115,000 gross tons with a passenger capacity of 2,600 to 3,000.
The Grand class ships showcase lively, three-deck-high central piazza-style atriums. They serve as a gathering hub for entertainment, dining, socializing and more. The atriums feature a circular glass staircase, live music and the signature Champagne waterfall.
Each Grand class ship has big-stage musical productions, comedy clubs, multiple pools and hot tubs, a sports court, and an adults-only Sanctuary. However, guests will not find top-deck family attractions like water parks, slides or ropes courses.
While the ships are similar, they were built in “clusters” so there are some differences in those clusters. One big difference is three of the ships–Grand Princess, Diamond Princess and Sapphire Princess–have one fewer deck than the others.
Other differences are in the restaurants found onboard. All seven Grand class ships have several main dining rooms, a buffet, a pizzeria, and specialty dining venues. They all have a Princess Steakhouse–Crown Grill or Sterling Steakhouse. On some ships, guests will also find a Sabatini’s Italian eatery, a Salty Dog, a Plank BBQ and a Steamers Seafood.
Diamond Princess often sails from Japan and has been refurbished to appeal to the Japanese market. Therefore, it features a Kai Sushi eatery and does not have an International Cafe or Vines wine bar.
Ruby Princess, Emerald Princess and Caribbean Princess feature spas with thermal suites. Caribbean Princess is the only ship with a family-focused pool deck and splash pool, making it a good choice for families with small children.
Grand Princess is currently homeporting from San Juan, Puerto Rico and sailing 7- to-14-day Southern Caribbean itineraries. Diamond Princess is currently sailing from Singapore on a 21-day Southeast Asia Grand Adventure. Sapphire Princess is on a one way 42-day journey from Buenos Aires to Civitavecchia-Rome.Caribbean Princess is homeporting from Port Everglades and exploring the Caribbean. Crown Princess is sailing from Brisbane, Australia, and offering various roundtrip voyages in the region. Emerald Princess is currently sailing from Los Angeles and exploring the Hawaiian Islands. Lastly, Ruby Princess is homeporting from San Francisco and offering various roundtrip voyages to the Hawaiian Islands, the Mexican Riviera, and the California Coast.