princess-grand18

Note - this page contains multiple reviews.

Name: Joel H. Miller
Email: callsos@mindspring.com
Age: 60
Occupation: Truck Driver
NumberOfCruises: 8
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Princess-Grand
SailingDate: 12/17/00
Itinerary: Eastern Caribbean
Cabin: B-606
FoodDiningRoom: 96
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 100
FoodRoomService: 100
CruiseStaff: 98
CabinAmenities: 100
FoodLidoDeck: 90
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 98
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 98
FoodVariety: 92
DeckService: 96
ShoreExcValue: 96
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland: 100
GoodForFamilies: 98
LoungeService: 96
TenderService: 100
GoodForSeniors: 99
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 94
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 80
EntertShowLounge: 100
OverallPortsofCall: 94
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 98
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 98
EmbarkDisembark: 99
DiscoNightclubs: 100
DeckSpace: 100
Stabilization: 99
ShopsOnBoard: 80
SpaceRatio: 98
OverallCruiseValue: 98
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 20 Jan 2001
Time: 17:14:56
Remote Name: user-33qt3tk.dialup.mindspring.com
Remote User:

Comments

Having Previously cruised on NCL, RCCI, Premier, HAL and Carnival, we had been looking forward to our
cruise on the Grand Princess with high expectations. We had read all of the reviews and downloaded all of the
pictures and deck plans and we were prepared to go to Fort Lauderdale on Saturday, Dec. 16, 2000. We put
the last bags in the car around 0830 and headed south. Having checked the weather channel prior to
departure, we knew that the weather in South Alabama was gonna be sour, and it was. It rained so hard at
times we could only safely drive at 35 mph. We persevered however, and by the time we reached the Florida
State line, the weather had improved significantly, and by the time we reached Tallahassee, the sun started
popping thru the clouds. After an otherwise uneventful 9 hour drive, we arrived at our motel in Orlando where
we spent Saturday night. We once again loaded the car and departed for the 3 hour drive to Fort Lauderdale
at 0945, 12/17.

Arriving at the pier at 1245 local time, we went directly to the multi deck parking garage and secured our
parking place, unloaded the car, lined up our luggage in choo choo train fashion and proceeded to the
elevator, then across the street to the luggage check in, then inside with our carry ons for check in. As I
suspected, we still had another form to fill out for Bahamian Immigration prior to embarking the ship. After this
slight delay, we boarded the ship and were in our cabin B 606 by 1330.

This is a good place to inject our first impressions of the Grand Princess, and impressive she is. She was in
the harbor with the following ships; The Maasdam, The Costa Atlantica, The Millennium, and a Royal
Caribbean ship that I could not identify. The Grand seemed to dwarf them all in terms of size. With such an
impressive view from the ships exterior, one expects to be overwhelmed upon entering the ship, even though
we knew that the Grand Atrium wasn't what we had become accustomed to on other ships, it was a major
disappointment. Although nicely appointed, the toned down decor with only 3 floors in the atrium just didn't
match our expectations.

When we arrived in our cabin, I was pleased to find shore excursion tickets that I had pre-arranged on line, as
well as the champagne that I had also ordered. After unpacking our carry ons, we proceeded to explore the
ship. We started at the top in the Skywalker's Lounge. What a view from 200 feet high over the harbor. As we
worked our way down, exploring all of the public areas, we found more and more swimming pools and unique
facilities, such as the Voyage of Discovery, where one can really get "lost" for a while in one of their machines.
We also began to notice that there seemed to be a lot of children on this cruise as they had already pretty
much taken over all of the pools, including those restricted to adults. This problem became pervasive
throughout the cruise as we learned that of the 2800 passengers on board, 400 were school aged children.

For you ladies, may I mention that the Grand Princess has beauty Parlor facilities like no other than I have
seen at sea. They have some state of the art equipment that electronically stimulates muscles that is
supposed to have dramatic noticeable effects in just 30 minutes. You don't want to know what it costs.

At about 1600 we returned to our cabin and found that our check in luggage had arrived, so we finished
unpacking and checked our cabin in more detail. As near as I can measure, the cabin was about 190 square
feet total plus the balcony that measured approximately 4 ½ by 9 feet. Since I had read conflicting information
as to the level of privacy afforded by balconies on different decks, allow me to address this now. Balconies on
the Aloha and Baja decks cannot be viewed from above, so they are pretty much private. Balconies on the
Caribe deck are larger, but most of the balcony is entirely exposed to the view from the decks above.
Balconies on the Dolphin deck are about the same size as those on Caribe, however, these balconies are
totally exposed, so if one requires a degree of privacy on one's balcony, do not book a balcony cabin on
Dolphin.

Our cabin was equipped with a nice sized refrigerator that the cabin steward kept stocked with ice, and a tv
with jacks in the front so that one could plug in a camcorder and review the days' taped activity. Storage was
not large, but was adequate. Empty bags fit nicely under the bed. The bathroom has a small but adequate
shower and the safe was accessed each time by entering a 4 digit code that you yourself devise. Don't forget
your code!

At 1730 we did the customary lifeboat drill, which was done inside rather than out on deck, which was
thoughtful, in my opinion. Afterward, we had to rush to change for dinner since we had early seating in the
Michelangelo Dining Room, Table #14 for 4 right next to the window. After dinner we returned to our balcony
to view the light and horn show from the port condos as we departed for St. Thomas. We departed about 30
minutes late due to weather delayed flights. We then took in the show "Grand Adventure Showtime" which
included the Macaggi's and a comedian, Lorenzo Clark; very enjoyable. After the show we returned to our
cabin for a cocktail before retiring.

Day #2 at Sea:

We began the day with breakfast in the Horizon Court. I was disappointed in that custom made omelettes were
not available as we had become accustomed to that service on most of our previous sailings. After breakfast
the wife went shopping in the onboard shops and I checked out the casino for a while, then played golf at
Princess Links, spent some time in the hot tub and then took an afternoon nap. This ship is really stable; up
to this point one could detect no movement of the ship at all. Since it was a formal night, we began
preparations around 1700. The time was needed as I haven't donned a tuxedo in 20 years so I'm out of
practice. We had a very nice dinner, after which we had pictures made and took in the show "Gotta Sing,
Gotta Dance", excellent performance. Afterward, we danced a while in the Wheelhouse Bar and just listen to
the band. We then retired around 2300.

Day #3 at Sea:

Once again we started the day in Horizon Court with breakfast which was followed by some time in the lap pool
swimming against the current. After a while, the kids started showing up and even though signs were posted
restricting their presence, they were not deterred. We then decided to go have some pizza, which I thought
was excellent. Afterward it was time for the hot tub and later I went to the onboard shops. For a ship this size,
the shops were disappointing. I have found more diversity on ships half the size of the Grand. I like to pick up
items with pictures of the ship, such as t shirts, refrigerator magnets, etc. These items are simply not available
on the Grand Princess. Neither could I find any liquor for sale in the shops. Cabin literature offers bottled
booze delivered to your cabin for such prices as Smirnoff Vodka $20/liter, Jack Daniels $25 per liter,
Beefeater's $20/ liter, etc. The wife and I then decided to give the Voyage of Discovery a whirl. To use the
facility, one must purchase a prepaid card for a total of $20. Just like a prepaid phone card, when the money
is used up, get another one, or recharge the one that you have. We had a ball here, probably one of the
cruise highlights. Tonight was semi-formal night, and dinner was excellent as usual. Can't say enough about
our waiter, Alin, and ass't waiter, Mehalia, both from Romania. They were top notch throughout the cruise.
After dinner, we took in the show, "Lights, Camera, Action" in the Princess Theater. Princess puts on some
really great stage productions and this was no exception. Incidentally, there are no bad seats in the Princess
Theater. They somehow designed it so that no vertical support columns are necessary, hence the view is not
restricted as it is on many ships. After a nightcap in the Wheelhouse Bar, we retired early in anticipation of an
early morning shore excursion in St. Thomas. When we arrived in our cabin, we found a nice surprise
compliments of Princess Cruise Lines; 2 canvas shopping bags and 2 bottles of Zinfandel; nice touch
Princess!

Day #4, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands:

The Grand Princess arrived early in St. Thomas, by around 0600 we were moored along side the pier at
Haven sight Mall. Directly behind was the Disney Magic, followed by the Explorer of the Seas. The Magic was
seemingly dwarfed by the presence of the Grand Princess in front and the Explorer to the rear. We grabbed a
quick bite to eat in the Horizon Court and proceeded to dock side to meet our tour guy. We had pre arranged
this tour which was a sail and snorkel to Buck Island. As we boarded the sailboat, the Sun Princess arrived in
port and anchored about 300 yards away from the pier. We could also see the stack of the Costa Atlantica
docked at the old dock downtown. When our sailboat left the dock area, we could see 2 more cruise ships
anchored off shore, which turned out to be the Norway and the Westerdam; looks like a busy day in town
today. Our sailboat was first to arrive at Buck Island, but soon there were a dozen or more vessels in close
proximity. The snorkeling was disappointing as skies were overcast and there simply was very little sea life
present. Returning to the ship at 1200 ship time, we grabbed some lunch in Horizon Court and then went to K
Mart and Haven sight Mall to shop. Had no trouble bringing our bargain priced liquor on board and into the
cabin. Once we dropped off the loot, we decided to take a taxi to Mountain Top to take in the beautiful views
available there. The view of Magen's Bay is breathtaking from there. After our little sojourn, we returned to the
ship to prepare for dinner and the sailaway to St. Maarten.

Day#5, St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles:

Again, we arrived in St. Maarten early, before day break. As dawn arrived, I sat on our balcony with coffee
and viewed the beautiful mountain backdrop behind the city of Phillipsburg. The Grandeur of the Seas was
also present in the harbor and would be our only cruise ship companion this day. We had pre arranged a tour
to the butterfly farm and Margot on the French side of the Island. I would recommend this tour as it turned out
to be a very comprehensive tour of most of the Island. The butterfly farm was very interesting and of course
we did some shopping in Margot, however I believe the best bargains are on the Dutch side of the Island
although I don't recommend the fast food joints. A whopper on St. Maarten is $3.99. After more shopping in
Phillipsburg, we took the tender back to the ship in time to get in a little pool time before it was time to get
ready for dinner.

Tonight was French night in the dinning room, my favorite menu (wife's least favorite). I sampled the Escargot,
caviar, and I had frog legs for an entree. We left stuffed and proceeded to the Wheelhouse Bar for after
dinner drinks. We decided to skip the ventriloquist act in the Princess Theater. We later decided on a little
private time on our balcony and enjoy the sea air as we left St. Maarten in the distance.

Day #6, at Sea:

This was mostly a day to relax. We started our day with the final segment of the pre arranged package that I
had purchased with the help of the Princess web page under "special occasions". This was advertised as
champagne breakfast in bed, and it was everything that I had expected. The wife was impressed; so much so
that ..... uh, well, use your imagination. At about 1030 we decided to check out some of the sales that were
going on in the onboard shops, so we bought some more t shirts and some souvenir glasses, etc. Note that
while souvenir hurricane glasses were only available at bars around the ship in the plastic variety, those of
real glass were available today in the shops for $3.50 each. At this point the wife went hot tubbing and I got
nominated to do the self service laundry thing which only took a little over an hour since no one else was
using the facility. Since this was our final formal night, we again started to prepare early for the Captain's Gala
Dinner. I ordered two entree's, both lobster! Dinner was followed by a trip to the Princess Theater where we
viewed the production show "Rhythms of the City". This was another great performance put on by the
Princess entertainers. A trip to the Wheelhouse Bar was then in order where we were entertained by the
Jasmine String Quartet in a classical concert; these ladies are really good.

Day 7, Princess Cays, Bahamas:

The Grand Princess weighed anchor at 0755 ships time and by 0835 we were on a tender to the island.
Arriving early meant that we had our choice of facilities. Since we had planned to spend much of our day
snorkeling, we found chairs near Davy Jones to store our snorkeling gear, etc. By 0900 we were in the water
and pleasantly surprised at the abundance of fish and sea life present in the snorkeling area of the beach.
While temps were in the middle 70's with a brisk wind, and mostly overcast, the sun did pop out occasionally
to accent some of the beautiful corral and sea plants which were abundant. Around 1130 the aroma of BBQ
ribs became pervasive and my nose led me to them. This was some great BBQ; do not miss it! Back to more
snorkeling until 1400 when we decided to avoid the last minute rush and return to the ship. Turned out to be a
good idea as tenders became really crowded shortly thereafter. We sailed for Port Everglades at 1540. This
evenings dinner was prime rib and Baked Alaska. I don't remember what else they had, enough said? After
dinner we were reminded that the cruise was just about over as we packed for home. Bags in the passageway
and we spent the rest of the evening on our balcony, savoring the remaining moments and re living the
adventure that we had had.

Day 8, Port Everglades:

We arrived in Port Everglades about 0530 ships time. One last trip to the Horizon Court for breakfast, back to
our cabin for a final farewell to our cabin steward, Adrian, and then down to the Plaza Deck for disembarking.
First off the ship were those with early flights, and then priority was according to which deck one was berthed.
Those on the Lido deck were next, then Aloha, then Baja, etc.; lower decks were last to disembark. We were
off the ship at 0720 and after locating our luggage we were in the parking garage and loaded up by 0740.
Very smooth operation.

Final Comments:

Overall, the cruise was great. The fact that there were too many children on this cruise was related to the time
of year I suppose. Princess should enforce the rules that they have in place however, that restrict children
from certain areas. As previously mentioned, I missed my custom omelettes in the Horizon Court, and I missed
the soft serve ice cream machines that are available on every other ship on which I have sailed. This was not
the very best cruise that I have been on, but it ranks up there with the best. Would I sail the Grand Princess
again? You betcha! But at a different time of year.

Name: Gary Benson
Email: benatty@aol.com
Age: 35
Occupation: Lawyer
NumberOfCruises: 3
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Princess-Grand
SailingDate: 11/12/00
Itinerary: Eastern Caribbean
Cabin: D-314
FoodDiningRoom: 83
CruiseDirector: 80
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService: 95
CruiseStaff: 92
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 88
DiningRoomService: 80
CabinQuietness: 92
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 92
ShoreExcVariety: 95
FoodVariety: 88
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 80
GoodForHoneymoon: 99
CasinoStaff: 95
PrivateIsland: 90
GoodForFamilies: 90
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 94
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff: 98
EntertainmentLounges: 82
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 82
EntertShowLounge: 70
OverallPortsofCall: 88
BeautySalon: 95
EntertainmentPoolside: 92
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 95
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 98
EmbarkDisembark: 99
DiscoNightclubs: 94
DeckSpace: 94
Stabilization: 99
ShopsOnBoard: 75
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 23 Jan 2001
Time: 17:34:57
Remote Name: dcwserver.dnvrlaw.com
Remote User:

Comments

My wife and I were married on board the Grand Princess on November 14, 2000. We would recommend this
type of wedding to anyone. In order to get married in this setting you must be the type of person willing to
surrender a great amount of control in planning such an important event. My wife and I both were more
interested in enjoying our wedding with our closest family and friends than fretting over small details.

We booked the wedding cruise over a year in advance in order to get the sailing dates we wanted, and also to
give our 30 guests plenty of time to plan this trip.

Princess and our travel agent didn't disappoint us. Not a single detail of the wedding we requested was
missed. In fact, we expected that we would have to role witht he punches and not be disappointed with missing
flowers, bad wedding cake, etc. Instead, this was the wedding of our dreams.

The Commodore of Princess, Mike Moulin, truly connected with us and made our wedding day most
memorable. The chapel is very quaint. It was filled with our closest family and friends. The Purser who
arranged the details of the wedding was a delight and made sure all of our requests were taken care of. In
short, as far as the wedding portion of our cruise was concerned,it far exceeded our wildest expectations. If
you want a small wedding this is the way to go. You get to spend a week with your family and friends. What a
blast.

As far as the ship was concerned:

Embarkation: In a word, easy and carefree. It was easier to board this ship, with over 2600 passengers, than
other smaller ships we have sailed on. They truly have this down to a science.

Cabin: We had a mini-suite. Very nice room. Plenty of room for clothes for a one-week cruise. The bathroom
was spacious for a ship. We didn't use the balcony as much as we anticipated. This was probably because of
the many friends and family we had on board.

Our butler, Andrew, was hysterical. Always had some story to tell us about complaining passengers. He was
also great with my wife, and organizing the pressing of her wedding dress.

Dining: I would say that the main dining room was average at best. The meals were just ok. The meals were
uninventive, and there were many nights when nothing on the menu really appealed to me. Did enjoy a couple
of meals (lobster, escargot) but generally pretty average.

We had second seating, which our party all enjoyed, except that we finished dinner so late that we often times
missed some events on board, like karaoke.

Service in the dining room was also very average. We seemed to be the last ones out of the dining room due
to the length of time to get our meals.

Princess has tried reduce the feel of such a large ship by making numerous formal dining rooms. I actually
didn't like this as it reduced the grandeur of such a gorgeous vessel. Dinner didn't feel particularly special. On
Holland America ship (Ryndam), the dining room truly felt elegant, as it was two floors on back of the ship. In
this case, the room, while nicely appointed, felt very ordinary.

Casino: Our party really enjoyed the casino. Other than myself, we had some very big winners. Our group
enjoyed craps, roulette, blackjack and Let it Ride table games. Since we all enjoy gambling this was a nightly
event and an important part of our entertainment. Especially since the shows were soooooooo bad.

Shows: In one word: AWFUL. We didn't care since none of our group were on the ship to see shows, but the
few of us who attended one of the shows thought they were terrible. This feeling was seconded by all the
strangers on board that we met.

Disco: Great view. We had a couple of wild nights in the disco. There were a couple of nights when the disco
was dead, but on at least a couple of nights there was plenty of fun and single women for my friends.

Staff: Generally the staff were fantastic. They were accomodating and wonderful with everyone in the group.
We could be loud (30) people, and they encouraged us, as opposed to trying to calm us down.

Disembarking: Easy, Easy, Easy. They have it down to a science.

Conclusion: I would recommend Princess to anyone. While the food wasn't the best I've had on a cruise ship,
the overall experience was great. Again, if you are thinking of getting married at sea, I couldn't recommend it
any higher. It was a fantasy which totally exceeded our expectations.

Name: Ronald Gonzalez
Email: rgon@home.com
Age: 53
Occupation: Engineering manager
NumberOfCruises: 6
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Princess-Grand
SailingDate: 7/27/2000
Itinerary: Mediterranean
Cabin: Cat 6
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 94
FoodRoomService: na
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 92
FoodLidoDeck: 88
DiningRoomService: 94
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets: 85
CabinSteward: 90
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 94
DeckService: 92
ShoreExcValue: 85
GoodForHoneymoon: 90
CasinoStaff: na
PrivateIsland: na
GoodForFamilies: 90
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 88
GoodForSeniors: 90
BeautySalonStaff: na
EntertainmentLounges: 92
WheelchairAccess: na
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge: 92
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon: na
EntertainmentPoolside: 87
CruiseActivities: 88
Casino: na
AirSeaProgram: na
MedicalFacilities: 90
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs: 92
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 88
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 94
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 27 Jan 2001
Time: 16:05:22
Remote Name: cx55278-b.chnd1.az.home.com
Remote User:

Comments

At the beginning I must say that this was the best cruise we have been on. We flew to Barcelona 3 days
before the cruise to help get by the jet lag and allow us time to see the city. Our group consisted of myself
and my wife, my mother and my daughter and her friend. We made our own travel arrangements as it allowed
us more flexibility as we wanted to stop over in Rome on the way back home. We stayed at the Ambassador
Hotel which was very centrally located near Plaza Catalunya just a block from Las Ramblas. Barcelona was a
wonderful city and our second favorite place we visited, Venice was #1. We boarded the ship on Saturday, the
boarding process was very quick and efficient which seems to be a Princess strongpoint. We went quickly to
our rooms which was an outside room with a balcony on Baha deck(11). Having the balcony was really great, I
would strongly suggest it if you can swing the extra cost. The ship stayed overnight in port so on Sunday we
have some additional time to explore Barcelona and left in the late afternoon for Monte Carlo. You can view
pictures of the entire trip on our web site http://members.home.net/rgon

The Ship: The Grand Princess is a real experience. It is a very large ship but never at any time did I feel like
there we over 2600 people on board. There are 3 dining rooms we were in the 2nd sitting in the
Michaelangelo room. The food was excellent probably the best we have had on a cruise ship and the service
was excellent our waiter, Laurel, who was from Romania, took excellent care of us. We also got to meet his
fiance at dinner on the last night of the cruise in Istanbul. We found having 5 pools on the ship very
convenient. One pool is for adults only if you would like to get away from the younger kids. The entertainment
on board was excellent which is a Princess strongpoint.There are 2 show rooms and some on the shows are
repeated so you can catch them all.

The Ports:

We had excellent weather in all the ports although it was quite warm in Greece and Turkey. After leaving
Barcelona we arrived the next day in Monte Carlo. We took the tour to Nice, France and the old hillside town
of St. Paul de Vence. This was a really good tour and the visit to St. Paul was the highlight with all the little
narrow streets with shops and restaurants. We also visited the Nice and toured the old quarter of the city.
After the tour the girls and I walked up to the casino. The ship remained late in port as there was a fireworks
display that evening in the harbor. We arrived the next day in Livorno Italy and we took the tour of Florence
and Pisa. One day is clearly not enough time to see this beautiful city. If you have not been here before I
would suggest taking the Florence & Pisa tour. We saw the main highlights of Florence and seeing the the
Leaning Tower of Pisa was a real thrill. The next port was Naples and we did the Pompeii, Sorento, Capri tour.
Next was a day at sea and the following day we arrived in Venice. Venice is the high point on this cruise.
Sailing into Venice we could see many of the famous sites right from our balcony. We spent the rest of the
day exploring this fabulous city. The ship stays overnite in port so we had dinner at a restaurant next the the
Grand Canal by the Rialto Bridge and we did a night gondola ride and spent the evening listening to jazz and
classical music in the outdoor cafes in St. Marks square. It doesn't get much better than this!! I got to come
back here again. Next was another sea day and we arrived in Athens the next day. We toured the Acropolis
and the Plakka. The next port was Kudasasi, Turkey where we went to the ancient Roman city of Ephesus.
The weather was pretty hot here 95+ but dry not all that different from home in Arizona. The last stop on the
cruise is Istanbul. The ship stays overnight in port but we stayed an additional 3 days we we could tour the
city at our own pace. The debarkation process was quick and efficient. We chose a small Turkish hotel, Hotel
Spectra, which was right on the Hippodrome across from the Blue Mosque. We were in walking distance from
most of the main sites and the Grand Bazaar. We stopped in Rome on the way back home and throughly
enjoyed out time there.

All in all this was a excellent vacation, one we will not forget for a long time.

Name: Theresa Gruben
Email: theresa.gruben@gte.net
Age: 33
Occupation: Travel Agent
NumberOfCruises: 14
TravelAgent: Yes
Ship: Princess-Grand
SailingDate: 10/29/00
Itinerary: Eastern Caribbean
Cabin: E425/FF
FoodDiningRoom: 87
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService: 85
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 90
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets: 85
CabinSteward: 90
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 85
GoodForHoneymoon: 95
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland: 95
GoodForFamilies: 95
LoungeService: 85
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors: 82
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 89
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 92
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs: 82
DeckSpace: 98
Stabilization: 98
ShopsOnBoard: 85
SpaceRatio: 92
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 28 Jan 2001
Time: 20:25:17
Remote Name: 1cust38.tnt6.plano.tx.da.uu.net
Remote User:

Comments

This was our second cruise with Princess and we have sailed on over a dozen ships. This experience aboard
the Grand was one of our best cruising experiences. 'Choices' is how I would describe this particular ship.
Entertainment - Every evening there were several shows to choose from and all of them being spectacular. I
especially enjoyed Marty Allen, the comedian and the dancers were really good. The acrobats impressed me
the least. Never a dull moment. We went to bed so late every night. A couple of evenings around 10:00pm we
went to the Skywalker disco and there was never really anything going on, maybe too early.

Food - On this
ship we almost equally enjoyed the Horizon Court buffet as much as the dining room. We had great table
mates and an excellent waitstaff. We all went crazy on lobster night with 24 lobsters between us. They
generously gave us all our requests. A honeymoon couple on our table was asked what type of cake they
would like for later in the week and we were surprised that their cheesecake with raspberry sauce with
chocolate was actually beautiful and a full size cake. Other cruise lines give the small generic cake used to
celebrate special occasions. Our table was not used during second seating, so our waiter welcomed us to
relax as long as we wanted. We really enjoyed the Painted Desert for lunch. I wished we had gone there more.
I had a very tasty stacked enchilada and tortilla soup. Sabatini's Italian Restaurant was very good, but I'm not
kidding, we sat there for over 3 hours! Go hungry! They want you to have the whole 7 course experience!
Make reservations for both restaurants early.

Ship Layout - We never felt overwhelmed by all the people and
there was never a feeling of overcrowding at all. There was alot of deck space on this ship for sunbathing.
There is plenty of walking though. This was the smoothest ship we have ever been on. I was very amazed! We
noticed that some of the balcony levels had very little privacy as you could look down on them from the deck
higher. We had a quad obstructed cabin. The obstructed views are typically only 40% obstructed. We were
upgraded 12 categories from a Cat. N on a guarantee! Sometimes it pays off and sometimes it doesn't. If
readers have been on a Royal Caribbean ship, the Grand reminded us more of their product than the Sun
Princess. The Grand was elegant as well but found the age group to be somewhat younger than other
Princess ships. Ports - In St. Thomas we took an afternoon snorkeling excursion on the Captain Nautica. This
is a very fast speed raft boat. St. John waters are so nice and has great underwater life. It rained so hard on
us coming back but we had a lot of fun in our adventure. We found that the shopping by the ship area,
Havensight, to be very good. The downtown area of St.Thomas was very busy with shoppers everywhere. St.
Maarten is mainly a beach spot. Orient Bay being very nice but watch the nude sunbathers. Most the beaches
on the French side are topless. Princess Cay is a real fun day at the beach with BBQ chicken, ribs,
hamburgers, etc. It is so relaxing and a great way to end a terrific week. You certainly could not go wrong on
the Grand. It is a great ship with and excellent value!

Name: Amy Daley
Email: jobeth66@my-deja.com
Age: 34
Occupation: Claim Representative
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Princess-Grand
SailingDate: 1/21/01
Itinerary: E. Caribbean
Cabin: C-422, PH Suite
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService: 85
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 100
FoodLidoDeck: 90
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 100
FoodVariety: 100
DeckService: 80
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon: yes
CasinoStaff: 90
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: yes
LoungeService: 85
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors: yes
BeautySalonStaff: 75
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 85
EntertShowLounge:
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 95
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 80
DiscoNightclubs: 90
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 95
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 31 Jan 2001
Time: 16:38:27
Remote Name: host.domain.com
Remote User:

Comments

Grand Princess Review 1/21-1/28/01

This is a LONG review, which I’ve simply transposed from my daily diary, any questions please email me!

About us: Me, 34, insurance claim rep for a large brokerage/agency. Hubby, 37, network
architecht/administrator for a .com company. Cruise was for our 15th anniversary, and it was our first trip
without our 3 children, and our first cruise.

Itinerary: Ft. Lauderdale-at sea-at sea-St. Thomas-St. Maarten-at sea-Princess Cays-Ft. Lauderdale

Pre-Cruise:

We flew in to Ft. Lauderdale on Friday, 1/19/01 via AirTran out of Philly—direct flight, and were able to
upgrade to business class (note for those who use or can use AirTran—you can book at the cheapest level,
and if you get to the gate early enough, they often have business class seats available. You can upgrade at
the gate for $25pp per leg—worth it, IMO. Our direct flight ended up costing us $200 pp round trip, including
the business class upgrade coming & going-we were first at the gate both times.)

We arrived in Ft. Lauderdale & beat the weather in Philly—it was raining & gray when we left, 81 sunny &
beautiful in Ft. Lauderdale. Caught a cab to the Marina Marriott ($8.50), room was ready to go. We had a nice
view of the ICW back to 15th street, and could actually see my sister’s front door (she lives on 15th) from our
balcony. The hotel is convenient & close to the port, but next time we’re in Ft. Lauderdale we’ll stay by the
beach. There’s not much to do here at the Marina, though the yachts parked out by the docks were great to
look at. 15th St. Fisheries was ok, but my sister had recommended some other restaurants which we’ll try next
time. (Local neighborhood places) We did breakfast at Shula’s across from the beach, great views & the food
was good, too—awesome fresh squeezed orange juice. It rained Sat. afternoon (we got soaked!) and got
really chilly. We went to the Riverwalk for an arts & crafts show. Ft Lauderdale is a nice city that doesn’t feel
like a city, and I’m looking forward to going to back to visit & explore there some more. (Called home Sunday
AM—8 inches of snow.)

Ship:

Sunday, 1/21/01 We arrived at the pier at 11:15am. No indication of what to expect, no porters in sight, hubby
is NOT happy. Felt that holding area reminded him of when he joined the military-open cattle call with not
enough seats. Not an auspicious beginning. I asked a security guard about checking out baggage, she
advised we could check them once we had gone through x-ray. NOT TRUE! 11:45 the x-ray opened & the line
started moving. We were the 2nd people at our check in line, all our docs were in order (filled everything out
online, and when we got our docs from Princess, they were already filled in correctly), and we were ready to
go on in 5 minutes. No checking of our baggage—we ended up having to haul all 4 bags to our stateroom. Up
to the 2nd level, and we had to wait again, 10 min or so, to be let on the ship. As suite passengers, we were
escorted to our stateroom, so we had the greeter take 2 of the bags, which helped hubby’s mood. The one
benefit of having carried our bags, we were able to unpack our things immediately & put them up (this is not
mollifying hubby). By 12:30 we were in our suite & fully unpacked. Our suite was C-422, on the Caribe Deck,
‘William Berents Suite’. There was plenty of storage space, and the bed was put together for queen sized.
There was a comp mini bar, and we traded out the beer (Bud) & diet cokes for regular cokes. Full-size
bathroom with separate toilet/sink from the shower stall & tub. Shower stall is a little cramped, but the water
temp can be set so you can turn the water off, lather up, then turn it back on to rinse off. Glass enclosure so
no fighting with the shower curtain. Bathtub was over-sized (even hubby at 6’2 fit!) with Jacuzzi jets. Word to
the wise--close all doors before going to bed at night--when the ship bounces around the doors tend to creak
& slam. <G>) LOTS of closet space, and plenty of hangers. Lots of drawers & cabinets in the room. Even with
our overpacking, we had plenty of leftover space & empty drawers. Balcony was large with a table & 4 chairs,
and 2 lounge chairs with side tables. We ate breakfast out there most mornings. Our room steward was
Jennel from the Phillipines, and our butler was Daniel from Romania. Both presented themselves at about
3:00 pm. We wandered the ship, had a drink at the Wheelhouse bar, and hit Horizon Court for lunch. The
Horizon court is well laid out, but the drink stations are not! We had difficulty locating them. Only time there
was a crowd at Horizon that we saw was for this buffet on Sunday. We had champagne on the balcony, even
though the weather was chilly (65 with light winds). We did go down & change our dining to Personal Choice
(they were taking changes outside the Explorer’s Lounge on Deck 7). Our sailing was the first time for this
option, and we were moved from the Da Vinci dining room to the Michaelangelo. This was the only dining
room for personal choice on our cruise, but it was full most nights. We went down to dinner at 7:45 and were
seated at our requested table for 2 by 8:00. (They tried to talk us into a larger table). Sailing was delayed due
to late arriving planes from the snow we were missing up north. We finally sailed around 8:45 or so, and made
it back to our stateroom in time for the lights & whistle show on the North Shore as we left the dock. Very
nice!!

1/22/01 Monday At Sea. Monday dawned cloudy, rainy & warm. Air temp got up to 77 during the day & by mid
afternoon all of the rain had stopped, though it only got sunny a few times. The captain did his best to stay
out of the rain. We had breakfast in our stateroom, which Daniel delivered at approx. 9:00 am. We then hit the
casino & won $200 at slots, which we quickly spent on a windbreaker for hubby. Lunch was at Horizon Court,
the carving station is great. After lunch we hit the wave pool, water was cold & the wave machine is quite
strong! We sat in the hot tubs for awhile & just relaxed. Very few people at this pool, and 1 gentleman was
trying to convince his 3-4 year old son to go in the hot tub, he didn’t want to, which was fine by me since this
area is clearly marked 17+ years only! He eventually took the child back up to the children’s area (which is
just above this pool). We didn’t see too many kids in this area or the teen area, but we did see a lot of older
folks taking over the areas—though I don’t understand why since there were so many spots for them to use,
and we never saw all the deck chairs in use. Dinner tonight was formal, but we had already arranged to have
Daniel serve us in our suite. We hit the movies at 4:30—very disappointing. The movie was Keeping the Faith
(which we enjoyed) but we’re AV geeks. With all the equipment at Princess’ disposal, I at least expected they
would show the film in the correct aspect ratio, at least on FILM. However, what we got was a bad copy of a
pan & scan videotape (they didn’t even bother fast-forwarding past the FBI warning telling them that what they
were doing was illegal!), and they didn’t have it centered properly on the screen, and people were working on
sound equipment during the movie. Pick up a $500 DVD player & at least show 16:9, if you’re not going to use
the film projector that’s RIGHT THERE. No popcorn or other snacks at the movie, though they were promised
for later showings (according to people we talked to—never happened). After the movie, we went back to our
stateroom. Daniel had left us a plate of chocolate covered strawberries along with the dinner menu. We
dressed for dinner & called Daniel to take our orders. I think we threw him off, though. When he arrived, he
thought we were going out because we had dressed, apparently he is used to casual dressing for in-room
dining. But since it was our anniversary, we were dressing for each other. Dinner was wonderful, and there
was a lightning storm off the port stern that was simply gorgeous to watch. We went to Skywalkers at 10:30 for
drinks & dancing, then down to Snookers to catch up on the hockey scores.

1/23/01 Tuesday At Sea Tuesday-sunny! It’s beautiful out, I’m sitting on the balcony watching the waves. The
water is beautiful, and seas are 6-8’, great to watch the waves breaking as we cut through. We went to the
buffet for breakfast, food is good, hot & fresh. Scrambled eggs were wonderful! Back to the casino for
morning gambling—up $175 today! Jewelry on sale in the atrium, I bought a nice pair of crystal drop earrings
& matching bracelet for Friday formal night (since I don’t own any jewelry). Back to our room & sit on the
balcony for awhile, watching the waves & reading. At about 3:00, 2 whales breached off the port side, approx.
1.5-2 miles out. I would have never seen them, but hubby looked up from his book at just the right time. 1
swam around in circles & slapped the water with his fins. The captain didn’t appear to have seen it, and as far
as I can tell, on the 30-40 of us who happened to be on our balconies saw them—because we shouted down
to everyone out there. I also saw a ton of flying fish, which I thought was very neat! Dinner was semi-formal,
and we sat at a table for 6 & met some new people. We then went to the 50’s sock Hop at the Explorer’s
lounge. Stopped by the spa for a facial cream (the one thing I /did/ forget to pack, and which they don’t carry
at the ship’s store), the woman argued with me for 10 minutes to try to get me to take a facial, I simply wanted
something to get by with since the air & sun was drying my skin out. Finally managed to convince her to sell
me the silly $56 bottle of cream that she would’ve tried to force on me if I /had/ taken the facial! SHEESH!

1/24/01 Wednesday, St. Thomas Up at 6:45 am, we’re already docked. Also in port today are the Costa
Atlantica, RCI Explorer of the Seas, Disney Magic, and the Norway. Magic & Norway were tendering in, we
were first in port at the dock. We had already booked the catamaran excursion. We met at 9:00 am and were
on the cat & ready to go by 9:30. Ship was the Heavenly Days from the Bolongo Bay resort (www.bolongo.com
an all-inclusive that we will likely try). Captain Peter, 1st Mate Shawn, and 2nd Mate Stephanie. We took a 90
minute ride over to Honeymoon Beach on St. John, the rum punch & champagne started flowing the minute
we pulled from dock. It was a beautiful trip to a gorgeous beach. Water temp was approx. 80, which Cpt. Peter
said was too cold to swim in, but us northerners managed just fine. Lunch was ready as soon as we got there,
and everything was great. We couldn’t have asked for a nicer day & I would recommend this excursion to
anyone. You will get bounced around, and you will get wet, but what fun! They did run a dinghy to shore for
those who didn’t want to swim over (depending on where we had drifted at anchor, anywhere from 12’-6’ water
depth, and 20-60’ from shore), and had a bag of beach stuff to play with, as well as snorkel equipment for
those who wanted to snorkel over to the reef. The ride back was great, and the nice thing about being first in
at the pier was that our walk back to the ship after disembarking the cat was about 100 yards. (You will have
to remove your shoes on the cat, so plan accordingly—sandals or water shoes that you can tuck in your bag
are best). Stood on the balcony for sail-away (we were last to leave port) and did grill & pizza for dinner. Very
good on both parts! Down to Snookers afterward for drinks & watched the quarterfinals of the Aus. Open.

1/25/01 Thursday, St. Maarten Also in port today, Norwegian Majesty, RCI Grandeur of the Seas, Festival
Bolero, and there was a very, very large cat anchored out in the bay that I think may have been a cruise ship,
but I never did get a change to read the name on her bow. We did dock at the new pier, and they ran a water
taxi all day over to town pier for those who didn’t want to walk in to town ($5 pp for an all-day pass). I could not
believe the color of the water here—it was about 15 shades darker turquoise than I had ever seen, and I
could have stared at it all day! Watched the Norwegian Majesty berth next to us was neat—except that their
bridge was about 30’ directly across from our balcony, and their bridge crew kept staring onto our balcony
while we were eating breakfast, laying out, etc. We decided to just shop in Phillipsburg since we hadn’t
booked an excursion for this island, and we got some good deals—2 watches, a lot of Delft, and t-shirts for
our kids (3 boys). Other than shopping, Phillipsburg seems to be a waste of time, and next trip I think we’ll try
to get over to Marigot & see what’s happening there. The water here was actually cooler than in St. Thomas
and the wind was very brisk, though the sun was hot. Unfortunately, we’re docked with our balcony landward,
and there isn’t much to see besides the other cruise ships & the container ships loading up. Because we
came back early from shopping, it felt like we had the whole ship to ourselves. We were the only ones at the
adult pool & the deck 16 spas. Horizon court for dinner—jerked pork & chicken on the menu, VERY good!

1/26/01 Friday, At Sea Overcast and windy, VERY strong seas. We used up our sunscreen on Thursday, so
we went to get some more for Princess Cays—the stores were nearly sold out of Dramamine, patches, and
wrist bands. You could hear the waves crashing against the side of the ship, it sounded like thunder. A lot of
bouncing around. It didn’t affect hubby or I at all, but a lot of people looked very green. They ended up
canceling the dance review this evening because of the motion, they were worried for the safety of the
performers. We went to the art auction in the afternoon, but we didn’t buy anything, and I have the feeling that
their ‘retail values’ were slightly inflated, and the dealer/auctioneer kept saying ‘insure that for $xx!!’ but did
advise that it would likely cost $500 per piece for an appraisal. So, he was thereby discouraging people from
having these $5000 pieces of art that they were selling for $900 from getting a professional appraisal done.
He did say that none of the pieces were appraised per se, but that they got their values by going to galleries
& seeing what similar pieces of art were selling for. Made me a little leery of his tactics, but what do I know.
Very little was original—most were editions, and fairly high numbers in the series. However, any piece that was
shown framed, the frames were included, so there was some value, anyway. They did have a few originals,
and these pieces opened in the $1800-2200 range, not many bidders. The one hubby was interested in was
sports memorabilia, and the opening bid was $850, ‘retail’ (per the dealer) was $1700. We passed. Dinner
tonight was formal, we were seated a table for 10 that /should/ have been for 8—very cramped in our formal
clothes, and a lot of folks uncomfortable from the motion, so dinner was fairly quiet. After dinner, we made
reservations for tomorrow for a table for 2. Then to the Explorer’s Lounge for karaoke & had a great time.

1/27/01 Saturday, Princess Cays Day started off cloudy & chilly, temps in the low 70’s. They started running
tenders about 8:30am, and we had a priority pass from our butler. We were getting ready to go—and never
made it. Hubby had a BAD allergic reaction to the sunscreen we had bought & ended up with a nasty rash
(next time, will bring enough sunscreen!). So we spent today on the ship. Actually, not bad, we again felt like
we had the whole place to ourselves! So we spent today relaxing & getting things ready for tomorrow. We
didn’t buy enough to declare, so not too many problems anticipated at this time. Packed our suitcases & filled
out our questionnaires, and completed our tip envelopes. Jennel was wonderful, and he will get larger than
the recommended ($3.50 pp/pd) tip. We ended up tipping him almost twice that. Daniel was ok, but we
could’ve done without the butler. We pre-tipped him $50 when we arrived on the ship, and that’s where he’ll
stay. (rec. $2 pp/pd). We got no recognition of our anniversary though it was on our paperwork (others on our
deck did with decorated cabin doors, cakes, balloons, etc) and we made it known to him that it was our
anniversary. He seemed genuinely surprised when we asked him to drop off film for us, and we had to ask him
twice before he said he’d take care of it, then we had to remind him of it 2 days later to pick up. We did tell him
1 night we were going to have dinner in the room, and he never came in with the menu! We decided later to
go to Horizon Court, and the dinner menu was in the holder by the door with a note on it to call him. He
consistently brought breakfast early, and twice brought the wrong order, once it was cold. I wasn’t impressed,
and doubt that butlers will be much missed when Princess discontinues them. I do hope that they offer some
other amenities for their suite passengers, though. (Soft towels would be a start!!—that was our major
complaint in the cabin. The bath towels were very coarse). The pool towels were nice, and the robes were
great. Dinner for 2 tonight in the dining room, casual. Our table was ready for us when we arrived at 7:30.
Back to Explorer’s for music, then up to the room to put our luggage out.

1/28/01 Sunday, Ft. Lauderdale We woke up at 2:30 am—don’t ask me why. We watched a movie on TV &
tried to get back to sleep. I believe at this point we were either traveling very slowly, or traveling in circles.
Around 4:45, the pilot boarded to guide us in to Ft. Lauderdale, and we were docked by 5:30 am. Up at 6:30,
looked over the bill that was in our door—everything in order, took our showers & got together the rest of our
things. They were calling names for people to proceed to immigration & customs so that the ship could be
cleared. Suite passengers were being hosted at the Vista Lounge this morning, so we decided to head up
there. When we left the cabin, there was an envelope in the holder by the door. Opened it up—we had
exceeded our $400 pp limit & customs was requesting we stop by between 6:15-7:00 am. HUH???? We had
added up our receipts the night before, and in no way had we exceeded our allowance! As it was now 7:15,
customs had cleared the ship. This envelope was NOT there when we put our luggage out at 11:00 the prior
night, nor did I see it when I picked up the bill at 6:30. Hubby started stressing out, and we headed to the
purser’s desk to find out what to do. I wasn’t seriously worried because I knew our purchases were not over
the limit, and they hadn’t called our names, so I didn’t think it would be a big deal. Stood in line at the purser’s
desk for about 45 minutes, for the woman there to tell us we were fine, don’t worry about it. (Purser’s desk
had 4-5 attendants all week—for disembarkation there were 2. Make sense???) Hubby had a back spasm
taking the luggage back up the stairs, so he wasn’t happy again. Waited in the Vista lounge for about an hour
to disembark.

Customs took our slips as we exited the gangway, and never looked twice. Luggage is lined up by color in the
room where you checked in—number means NOTHING. Our pieces were scattered all over the place, and it
took us 10 minutes to find them all. No direction again on where to go or what to do, just ‘keep moving, keep
moving’ as you exit the ship. While embarking & disembarking the ship were fairly speedy, I think some signs
& explanations of who needs to go where would be immensely helpful, and could’ve been handled better. We
were off the ship by 9:15.

Sis picked us up at the pier, and we went back to Shula’s for breakfast & walked on the beach, our flight out
was at 4:00, and we got to the airport at 1:30, first in line at checkin again, and upgrade to business class on
one of their brand-new 717’s. Plane arrived on time & departed on time. No coffee on board though—one of
the pressure lines was broken, which also prevented the forward lavs from working. Oh, well, it’s only a 2:20
flight! We were running 5-10 min early, when the pilot got stuck in the holding pattern. We circled for about 25
minutes before we finally landed, then we sat on the tarmac for 10 minutes before we could pull up to the
gate. They couldn’t get the jetway to work, so we finally had to walk down steps to the building, and back up to
the gate. WHAT A SHOCK! It was 35 degrees when we landed. Coooold. <G>. Limo driver was waiting for us,
though, got our luggage & were home by 8:30.

Overall, the trip was wonderful, and very relaxing. I’d give it an 8 out of 10, and we’ll probably do it again, but
not for a while! I don’t think I could cruise without a balcony, though, and I'll never go on a trip again without
my kids, while they're young. The ship itself is beautiful, and at NO TIME do you feel like you are on a ship
with 4000 people. The group playing in Explorer's every night (Marathon) was wonderful, they're really the
only entertainment we went to--we didn't do any of the shows, so I can't comment on them. Most of the pax
were older than we were, but there was a fair sprinkling of families & some people our age, it didn't seem to
make a difference to anyone. Everyone we met was pleasant. Tip—bring some bright colored straps for your
luggage-it will make it MUCH easier to locate in the holding area & on the baggage carousel! If you have a
certain type of soda you like (that’s not coke/diet coke/sprite) bring it aboard. I needed a Pepsi really bad
when we got off the plane. If you like snacks, take some with you!! I didn’t realize how much I missed my
pretzels till we got off the plane. While there is plenty to eat on the ship, there is /very/ little ‘crunchy stuff’
(pretzels, peanuts, chips, etc), except in some bars at night--they didn't have stuff out in every bar, and not
every night (we hit most of the bars at least every other day--my bar bill was more than anything else. <G>)

I truly appreciated the personal choice dining. You could sit at any size table you wanted, with any number of
people, or by yourselves. If you met someone on excursion, or on deck, you could make arrangements to sit
with them. Service was efficient, and the food was always served hot & cooked perfectly. They were letting
people switch back & forth during our sailing from personal choice to traditional & back, but I get the feeling
from overheard grumblings by the crew that they won't do that for long. It is sometimes difficult to get servers
out on deck, you really have to catch someone's eye or wave your card--at times it was easier to just go to the
bar & get your drinks yourself. I wouldn't let something like that ruin my vacation, but for some people it was a
problem. Tips are being pre-charged to your account for all dining, at $6.50 pp/pd. (This caused
consternation on the final day—a lot of people were at the purser’s desk demanding to have this charge
removed, and saying that they never knew it was going to be there—however, there were at least /3/
brochures in our stateroom explaining all of this, so I find it hard to believe that they were really unaware. At
least 1 person in line in front of us stiffed the waiters because the purser said he really couldn’t take tip
envelopes from her at that time to give to individual waiters, and she still demanded the charge be removed
from her account.) We left ours alone, and I think it is a fair amount—though it is more than recommended in
the brochures.

Thanks again to everyone who helped ME get ready for this trip—your tips, hints & suggestions were
wonderful, and we had a great cruise knowing in a general way what to expect.

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