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Grand Princess Trip Report (9/21/03-9/28/03)
Background: Myself, age 48, 10+ cruises (Carnival, NCL, RCI,
Princess); my Mom, age 72, 5+ cruises (Carnival, NCL, Princess), my sister, age 42, only other cruise Carnival Triumph 3 nighter from NYC to Canada. My mom and sister had no knowledge until 2 months ago that I was treating them to this cruise. Originally we were booked on George Leppla's group on the Norway, but after that was cancelled, I decided to rebook the Grand Princess. Precruise: Despite Isabel's best efforts to deny us this much-needed vacation, we all arrived and met at FLL as planned (my sister arrived separately from Virginia). We left all the husbands and kids home, but surely my BIL got the short-end of the stick. He was left with 3-year-old twins, no electricity, no phone service, and the yard was surrounded by downed 60-80 ft. oak trees. My sister left the house with nary a care, so that tells you how much SHE needed this vacation!!! (When she spoke with him later in the week and heard the desperation in his voice, she said "welcome to MY world." His reply? "No, you're world at least includes electricity!" Touche!) I had booked a prenight at the Ft. Lauderdale Marriott Marina (one of my favorite hotels). Got a AAA rate of $99/night, and that included the breakfast buffet, which normally costs $12.95 pp. It's a great hotel location wise ($10 cab ride from the airport and across the street from Port Everglades). The accommodations are lovely, and sitting at the outdoor Tiki Bar sipping a pina colada is a nice way to begin a cruise vacation. We took the water taxi (which stops at the Marriott Marina) for $5 you can ride all day, and we went down to Los Olas Riverfront for dinner (just had a casual bite to eat at the Ugly Tuna Saloon). Went back to hotel later that evening, watched a little of the Miss America pageant, and fell asleep. Got up the next a.m., went to the gym at the hotel to work out, and came back, showered and dressed, and had breakfast. We had signed up for the free shuttle the hotel provides to head over to the ship at 11:30. The shuttle fills up fast, so it's best to book the time you want the night before. Arrived at the ship around 11:45 and had express check-in. It took us about 30 minutes of standing in line before we reached the counter, and once there, check-in took less than a minute for each of the three of us. In no time at all, we were getting our embarkation photo (came out awful, but I always buy them) taken, and walking into the lobby of the Grand Princess. I will now break down my review in sections: First Impression: The ship is clean, beautiful, and very well maintained. I thought the lobby of the Golden Princess was just a tad prettier, but that's being very critical. There were plenty of staff members pointing the way to our cabin, holding elevators for us, etc. So far, so good. Cabin: We had a mini-suite located on Dolphin Deck midship (Cabin D422). Excellent location. The mini-suite is very nicely appointed, and despite the fact that we were three women who had waaaaaaaaaay overpacked, there was a place for everything. Since I would be sleeping on the sofabed, I asked for extra padding. They were out of egg crate mattresses, but did put an extra mattress on the existing mattress each night. This turned out to be very comfortable, but without it, I think sleeping on a 3 inch mattress might have been a bit uncomfortable. Misc: I had pre-ordered a tray of canapes and a bottle of wine as a surprise for my Mom and sister, and here Princess let me down. Neither were in the cabin when we arrived. No big deal. I figured they'd be there in a bit. We walked around the ship a bit. Came back to the cabin to find our bags had already arrived. No canapes or wine. Called the cabin steward. All the while I'm trying to get this resolved without my Mom and sister knowing what I was doin, since I wanted this to be a surprise. Yes, he was aware we had ordered it and he would bring it right over. He brought it promptly, but brought a Merlot (red) instead of the Chardonnay (white) I had ordered. Still no canapes. He said he would see if he could get me the correct wine. We said we'd walk around a little more, and when he got the correct wine, could he make sure it was placed in the room, chilling in a bucket and the canapes be brought also? Came back a while later to fine the correct bottle of wine, not chilled, and still no canapes. It took a while, but we finally got it rectified. It was taken out of the cabin steward's hands and handled by room service. They came by and set it up very nicely on our balcony and we enjoyed a toast while we sailed away. But it sure did take away from the surprise I had planned. Service: With the exception of the cabin steward, our service was outstanding the entire week. The cabin steward just could never seem to get his act together. I asked him for extra pool towels daily, and sometimes we got them, sometimes we didn't, sometimes he said he had NONE to give us at all (huh???), and sometimes one or two of us got an extra one, but not the third person. He always seemed confused. We were three people, we want 6 pool towels every day. He could never get it right. It wasn't a problem with language. He spoke and understood English very well. He just didn't seem to care too much about pleasing us. Oh well, his tip was standard; no more, no less. Having said that, everybody else on the ship provided the most outstanding service. One night we had a problem with awful looking water suddenly starting to back up into the bathtub (thank goodness no one was in the tub at the time, but we heard the glub-glub sound and when we checked it out, it didn't look good). I called the Purser's Desk. Within 3 minutes they were up there. They had the cabin steward clean the gross stuff (I shudder to think what it was), and said a plumber would be there promptly. He was. He worked on it the entire time we were at dinner and was just finishing up when we returned from dinner. It was quite a job, apparently. But the way Princess handled it was quick and efficient. Everyone smiled, everyone was efficient, personable. I can't say enough good things about the staff. We ran into the Captain several times. He meandered around the deck one day while we were in Cozumel, and I'm embarrassed to say, I didn't realiz it was the Captain and was thisclose to asking him for the drink special of the day! He was extremely friendly, and we had our pictures taken with him many times. He was a real class act, but related very well to all the passengers as well. His name is Guiseppe Romano and I hope you have the pleasure of sailing with him sometime. Dining: We did Personal Choice Dining and I LOVE IT!!! We tended to go to the DaVinco Dining Room most meals, and we always requested a table with others. We tended to show up around 7 to 7:30 p.m. We were always seated immediately except for one night, and the wait that one time was about 15 minutes (they gave us a beeper and we went to have a drink while we waited...no big deal). They seated us at tables for 8 or 10, and we met some of the lovliest people I've ever had the pleasure of meeting onboard a cruise. All walks of life; all ages; all nationalities. Dining was truly a wonderful experience. We never ran into a bad waiter the entire week. One night he was a bit indifferent, but that's what's nice about PC Dining. We didn't have him again the rest of the week. Everyone else was absolutely outstanding. The food was excellent, always piping hot. One word of warning. If you like your beef really rare (as my sister does), one waiter told us to ask for it "blue." Otherwise, they do tend to overcook their beef. I ordered one step rarer than I would normally order, and it was perfect. The breads were outstanding. Desserts were hit or miss, but the New York Style Cheesecake (offered every night) was outstanding all the time. We ate breakfast in the dining room every morning (a first for me), and I find it not only a nicer way to start the morning, but I found I tended to eat less than I would at the buffet. I think the fact that the dining rooms are one level makes for a much more intimate feel than some ships that are two and three levels. We had dinner one night at Sabatini's and it was worth every penny. BTW, my sister brought 14 bottles of wine with her (2 broke, so we were left with 12), and it was no problem. But as we had been told beforehand, there is a $10 corkage fee for every bottle they open. They are very gracious about this. We did do the $7.50 wine tasting one day; I'm not a wine connoissieur, but I did enjoy it. My sister (who is a bit of a wine connoissieur) also did the $25 wine tasting (it included more expensive wines and caviar) thought it was just so-so. I think she had higher expectations. The buffet, open 24 hours a day, had excellent offerings. The pizza was some of the best I've had, and plain and pepperoni were offered everyday, and one specialty pizza changed every day. The grill had the greatest french fries (but I swear I just had a few!). The Spa: For a ship this size, I do believe the gym should have been built larger. There are about 8 treadmills, and you sign up each day for the next day. We signed up every day at 7:30 a.m., and our machine was always available to us. However, I must say there were a few very rude Europeans on board who, almost every day, had signed up for the 8 a.m. time slot and began at 7:55 to harrass us to get off the treadmill. This was quite annoying. Despite our explaining we still had 5 minutes left, they didn't want to hear it. Their watches must have been 5 minutes fast, and we pointed to our watches and the clock in the gym, and they still were insistent. It was embarrassing at times. One day an elderly lady practically threw my sister off the treadmill when my sister showed her she literally had 1 1/2 minutes left. I truly don't understand people acting like this. You're on vacation, for pete's sake. Chill out. I don't mean to sound prejudiced against Europeans, it's just that every time this happened, it was initiated by a European. My Mom likes the aerobics classes, so she usually took one or two of them while my sister and I did the treadmill and free weights. They do charge for a lot of the classes (yoga, pilates), but my Mom took only the free classes. None of us chose to partake in any spa services, so can't comment on those. Public Areas: For as big a ship as the Grand Princess is, it never seems overwhelming. Lots of private little nooks and crannies. Good flow through the different public areas. Very easy to navigate. We spent a lot of time at the Lap Pool on Spa Deck. Adults only (except those under 17 are allowed from noon to 3 p.m. with parents). It was a lovely area. Initially the pools (which are open 24 hours a day and are freshwater) was waaaaaaaaay overheated. The temps in the pools were close to 100 degrees. Many people complained, and soon after they were cooled down to a more comfortable 80 degrees. The lounges are all very nice. We took in a couple of comedians and they were all very good. Ports of Call: Princess Cays was lovely. It's Princess' private island, and they seem to have thought of everything. There is some very good snorkeling, and if you just want a nice beach day, you'll find it here. For the first time ever since I've begun cruising, we didn't get off the ship for a couple of ports. We stayed on the ship in Grand Cayman and Cozumel. I'd been there before, as had my Mom, and my sister was just as happy to stay on the ship. I found I liked this a lot. Felt like we had the ship to ourselves. We did get off in Costa Maya. The cruiselines apparently have built a nice area at the end of the pier for their guests. There is tram service along the pier for those who have difficulty walking, or just the lazy!!! It's about a 5-10 minute walk otherwise. There is a free pool and beach area. There is a nice swim-up bar and some typical souvenir shops. There is a place to call home and to make a call to the U.S., it is $.80/minute. We opted to take a shore excursion I had prebooked through Princess. It was called the Jungle Beach Break to Uvero Beach. I was skeptical because I had heard so many negative things about Uvero Beach. Not to worry. It cost $34 pp and you were provided bus transportation (nice shiny new buses with A/C) to the beach and back (about a 25 minute ride each way). It also included open bar all day (pretty much anything you wanted to drink, including soft drinks, beer, alcohol, etc.). Food was not included in the price, but was available for a nominal charge. You got a lounge chair, and free use of the ocean kayaks and paddle boats. There were jetskis for rent. You could get an outdoor massage for $30 for half an hour, or for an extra $10, a full hour. We totally enjoyed ourselves here. You arrive around 11 a.m., and the bus continually takes people back to the ship every hour on the hour til 5 p.m. We spent the entire day there and took the late bus. Reviews I had previously read said the beach and water were dirty. Well, yes, there is seaweed, or some sort of vegetation along the beach and in the water. But heck, this is nature!!! It's not like the beach is littered with cigarette butts and beer bottles! The water is crystal clear, and although I didn't snorkel here, many mentioned that it was great. The staff there raked the beaches constantly, and I would certainly recommend this excursion. The facility is new, they had nice clean bathrooms, and clean showers. They are a little pushy about tipping at the end of the day, but we had tipped along the way during the day anyway. Weather: After dodging Isabel, we encountered the most beautiful weather I've ever had on a cruise. We met so many people who said they always cruise in September and always have great weather, so I think I'm sold on September cruising. The rates are great and so is the weather! The seas were so calm, it was hard to remember you were on a ship. I felt absolutely no movement the entire week. Demographics: When I was onboard the Golden Princess this past January, it tended to be an older crowd. Not so this cruise. I would say the average age was 35-50, with a large contingent of newleyweds. But certainly you didn't feel out of place if you didn't fit this age group. Everyone was so nice. We met some really nice people. Surprisingly, there were quite a few "all girls" groups. Seems I was not unique when I thought of taking my Mom and my sister. Many others had done the same. Many mothers/daughters/daughters-in-law and just a bunch of girlfriends who say they cruise every year or every other year with a bunch of girlfriends. Seems we all get our kids back to school and take off!!! To sum things up, this cruise was as near to perfect as a cruise can get. Yes, there were a few shortcomings, but I don't sweat that stuff. Overall, very few things could be improved upon, that's how great it was. I find now after two Princess cruises, that I've found a home with Princess. I think it's "where i belong." My sister couldn't stop raving all week. In fact, myself, my Mom, and my sister all did "open bookings" for a future cruise with Princess. Next time we promised our husbands they could come!! It's a great deal. Regardless of the length of the future cruise, you put down a $100 pp deposit, when you decide when and where and on what Princess ship you want to cruise, you just transfer the booking to any travel agent you desire (I use George Leppla of Countryside Travel, the best in the business in my experience) and your TA can further reduce the cruise fare to whatever. You have 4 years from the time you make deposit to book another cruise, and your deposit is fully refundable within those 4 years. When you do book your next cruise, you get anywhere from a $50 pp to $200 pp shipboard credit, depending on the length of your cruise and the accommodations you book. It's a "win-win" situation, I think. To make a perfect ending to a perfect cruise, all 3 of us were upgraded to First Class when we arrived at the airport for our return flight home on USAir. I think we had an angel looking over us this cruise! If anybody has any specific questions, I'd be happy to try and answer them. Jo-Ann--------totally decompressed |
#2
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Grand Princess Trip Report (9/21/03-9/28/03)
Thanks Jo-Ann for the blow by blow description. of your cruise. It was
great SUNNY........is a Princess person too S'nd I |
#3
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Grand Princess Trip Report (9/21/03-9/28/03)
Thanks for the review!!
-- Christy Phil 4:13 |
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Grand Princess Trip Report (9/21/03-9/28/03)
Thanks for the review (and you comment about the piano bar person in another
thread). We will be on our third Grand Princess (our favorite ship) cruise on October 12th. BTW, George is also our TA and we couldn't be happier. -- Greg lid (Remove the '.invalid' twice to send Email) "Jo-Ann" wrote in message m... To make a perfect ending to a perfect cruise, all 3 of us were upgraded to First Class when we arrived at the airport for our return flight home on USAir. I think we had an angel looking over us this cruise! If anybody has any specific questions, I'd be happy to try and answer them. Jo-Ann--------totally decompressed |
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Grand Princess Trip Report (9/21/03-9/28/03)
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Grand Princess Trip Report (9/21/03-9/28/03)
BTW, my sister brought 14 bottles of wine with her (2 broke, so we
were left with 12), and it was no problem. ROTFLOL!! Jo-Ann, ML brought 14 bottles of wine!? I guess she figured on two per day for the 3 of you? Too funny! I hope the bottles didn't break in her suitcase, wetting her things. :-D Maria |
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Grand Princess Trip Report (9/21/03-9/28/03)
If anybody has any specific questions, I'd be happy to try and answer
them. Jo-Ann--------totally decompressed No questions, sounds wonderful! I'm so glad you had this time with Mom and ML. :-) Maria |
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Grand Princess Trip Report (9/21/03-9/28/03)
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Grand Princess Trip Report (9/21/03-9/28/03)
Thanks for the great review. I will be on the Grand at the end of the
month, and now I'm reeeally looking forward to it. |
#10
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Grand Princess Trip Report (9/21/03-9/28/03)
I agree this was a great review. I love the Grand Class ships (Grand,
Golden, Star) and am excited about Diamond & Sapphire. 1 month 20 days til we get back on the Golden for a week. |
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