Watch Grand Princess refit

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An army of workers is ripping apart the interiors of Grand Princess, popular among British cruise passengers, as part of a multi-million pound refurbishment of the 13-year-old ship.
Fans familiar with the vessel after her frequent visits to the UK – it sails from Southampton during the summer – can watch the progress of the refit on a daily video diary hosted by British cruise director Martyn Moss. There is also a growing collection of pictures on Princess’s Flickr album.
One of the most dramatic moments will be the removal of the ship’s signature Skywalker nightclub – the distinctive handle high above the stern.
About 1,400 workers will be busy until May 4 adding many of the newer Princess trademark features, including the Piazza atrium, a tea lounge and library called Leaves, Alfredo’s pizzeria, Crooners’ Martini bar and a new nightclub called The One5. Seven new suites are being added, the casino is being completely refitted, and there will be enhancements to the Horizon Court buffet restaurant, Lotus Spa, and wedding chapel.
“We have seen from past refits that passengers love to keep up-to-date with what is happening on board and, as a British favourite, the Grand Princess video updates are set to be ‘must-see’ viewing,” said Pieter Van der Schee, head of brand marketing for Princess Cruises UK.
“Martyn will be showing everyone exactly what is entailed in a drydock refit of this scale as he goes behind the scenes for this exciting video diary.”
When the refit has been completed, Grand Princess will head for Fort Lauderdale and then cross the Atlantic to visit Cork, Dublin, Glasgow, Holyhead and Falmouth before arriving back in Southampton on May 21. The ship will be sailing to the Mediterranean, the Norwegian fjords and the Canaries throughout the summer before setting off for the Caribbean in early November.

By | 2017-06-15T16:00:08+00:00 13 April 2011|Cruise News, Cruise Ships|6 Comments

About the Author:

John Honeywell is a travel writer specialising in cruise ships and cruise travel. Winner of CLIA UK's Contribution to Cruise award 2017.

6 Comments

  1. ray harrison 14 April 2011 at 7:37 am - Reply

    good morning it was great to watch the refit my wife and i are joining the ship on the 28th may for a trip to the fiords this will be our 6th cruise second with princess lines we are looking very much to joining the ship all nice and new
    keep up the good work

  2. Lisa Rockwitt 15 April 2011 at 3:37 pm - Reply

    We are doing the 49 day sailing to South America 2013 and are really looking forward to sailing on the Grand Princess after its uplift. Can’t wait to see the finishing.

  3. chris mac 15 April 2011 at 4:00 pm - Reply

    never been with princess cruises before so looking forward to seeing a lovely refurbished ship cant waite .joining ship 4th june 2011.

  4. CAROLANN MCPHEE 5 May 2011 at 5:33 pm - Reply

    hi
    love the new ship sailing on 4th june 2011 and went online to see whats happening and discovered the ship was having a refit looking even more forward to see the ship all fitted out.
    this is my third cruise on the grand princess

  5. simone 16 June 2011 at 2:14 pm - Reply

    Just seen the refitted ship and very impressed. Really liked the new night stop One5 – very chic and intimate.

  6. Benjamin 13 August 2012 at 10:40 pm - Reply

    With the newer mega ships that have been built the past few years, cruise lines have no choice but to fix up the older ships. I will be sailing on Princess for the first time in February, can’t wait to try them out.

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