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Note - this page contains multiple reviews.
Name: Greg & Mei Li Crissman
Email: gcrissman@hotmail.com
Age: 29/29
Occupation: IT Security Engineer/Sys Admin
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Princess-Grand
SailingDate: 3/14/99
Itinerary: St Thomas St Martten, Princess Cays
FoodDiningRoom: 100
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 98
FoodRoomService: 95
CruiseStaff: 100
CabinAmenities: 100
FoodLidoDeck: 95
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 100
FoodMidnightBuffets: 95
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: -
FoodVariety: 100
DeckService: 100
ShoreExcValue: -
GoodForHoneymoon: 100
CasinoStaff: 100
PrivateIsland: 100
GoodForFamilies: 98
LoungeService: 98
TenderService: 98
GoodForSeniors: 98
BeautySalonStaff: -
EntertainmentLounges: 100
WheelchairAccess: -
ExerciseFacilities: -
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 100
BeautySalon: -
EntertainmentPoolside: 95
CruiseActivities: 100
Casino: 95
AirSeaProgram: -
MedicalFacilities: -
ShipCleanliness: 100
EmbarkDisembark: 100
DiscoNightclubs: 100
DeckSpace: 100
Stabilization: 100
ShopsOnBoard: 100
SpaceRatio: 100
OverallCruiseValue: 100
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 13 Apr 1999
Time: 10:41:24
Remote Name: trinha.sam.pentagon.mil
Remote User:
Comments
This was our first cruise. We booked a stateroom with a balcony (BC) thanks to a great
deal from our travel agent. Upon
looking back, I don't we would ever go on another cruise without a balcony. Rooms where
spacious and comfortable. We
arranged our own airfare and flew in a day early and stayed at the Embassy Suites with the
money we saved.
Embarkation was a breeze, done in 15 minutes aboard and in our stateroom by 1pm. Spent the
next couple hours exploring
and getting some great photos. Disembarkation was just as easy. The airlines come onboard
in the morning to check you in
on your flight, as long as you filled out a card at embarkation, and provided luggage
tags. After you clear customs and
retreive your luggage you just take them to the truck for your specific airline. This
saved considerable time at the airport, as
with numerous cruise eneded on the same day (2 to 3 hours).
The service onboard was superb. Never a problem getting waht you wanted. Our waiter,
Alphonso, made sure that we got
whatever we wanted, even if it wasn't on the menu that night. The food was good. They are
feeding 2600 poeple a night. My
wife ended up getting the flu and losing her voice right after we left port. Our asst
waiter, Joel, made sue she had hot tea,
honey, and lemon every evening. the room steward had tea there very time we turned around
and went out of his way to not
disturb my wife since she slept most of the day for the days 2 & 3. The service on the
ship left nothing to be desired. It was
always yes sir.
A few negatives....... the spa...they push there packages/ take home treatments on you too
hard. Long waits for the tender
service, but with 2600 passengers the wait wasn't too bad. Room service menu could be
greatly expanded.
We are in agreement, this is the best vacation we have ever had. We enjoyed the 4 sea days
and the ability to unwind and
relax with nowhere to go. We have booked our next cruise for Jan 2000 with our 2 children
on Disney Magic. We enjoyed
cruising so much we wanted to involve them. And already discussing an Western Carrib in
the fall of 2000 on Princess.
Name: Vareeda Fenimore
Email: Vareeda.Fenimore@okdhs.org
Age: 41
Occupation: Ok Dept of Human Services
NumberOfCruises: 6
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Princess-Grand
SailingDate: 11/08/98
Itinerary: Eastern Car.
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 99
FoodRoomService: 98
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 98
FoodLidoDeck: 90
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 98
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety: 95
FoodVariety: 97
DeckService: 95
ShoreExcValue: 85
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland: 100
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService:
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 95
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 95
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 95
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 98
EmbarkDisembark: 100
DiscoNightclubs: 95
DeckSpace: 97
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 97
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 20 May 1999
Time: 14:42:52
Remote Name: netcache.onenet.net
Remote User:
Comments
I was on an Princess Alaskian cruise when the captain told the passengers about the new
ship, Grand princess. I
saw the artist's drawing of it and knew I had to take a cruise on this ship, no matter
where it sailed to. The only
apprehension I had was the embark/disembark process because it was a such huge ship. I
should not have been
worried. This was the smoothest and quickest embarkation I have ever experienced. It was
very well organized and
staff was very patient and professional. The disembarkation was just as smooth. The
airline representatives were
onboard to assist passengers. The ship was so spacious that there were plenty of
comfortable seating areas to wait
in till time to exit the ship.
Some of the literature on the ship was misleading. The cruise line advertised alternative
dining. What they failed to
mention is that a passenger would have to pay to dine in other than their assigned dining
room. The fee was a flat
rate and you had to make reservations in advance. I came across this information while
researching the Grand
Princess so I knew what to expect. But it is not advertised and it is not posted at the
resturants. I took advantage of
both alternative resturants. (Each resturants have the same menu everyday) I enjoyed both
of them. One was Italian
and the other had Southwest cuisine. It was the worth the extra money I had to pay. The
Ice Cream paylor also
charges for its selection. This information was not circulated either. Hopefully, the
cruise line has received enough
complaints from passengers that they have stopped with these hidden charges. I would
advice anyone booking a
cruise to ask their travel agent about this, so they can budget for it.
I would highly recommend this cruise. Enjoying the day on Princess' private island makes
it worth the money. Many
improvements have been made to the island over the last few years. The island buffet is
great and the hammocks
are very comfortable. There is something for everyone.
Happy Cruising!!
Name: Scott C. Nielsen
Email: SCNielsen@aol.com
Age: 39
Occupation: Restauranteur
NumberOfCruises: 2
TravelAgent: Yes
Ship: Princess-Grand
SailingDate: 5/02/99
Itinerary: Eastern Caribbean
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService: 90
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 95
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets: 95
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 93
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 88
GoodForHoneymoon: 95
CasinoStaff: 90
PrivateIsland: 95
GoodForFamilies: 93
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 98
GoodForSeniors: 98
BeautySalonStaff: 90
EntertainmentLounges: 98
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 93
EntertShowLounge: 98
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon: 90
EntertainmentPoolside: 95
CruiseActivities: 93
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 98
EmbarkDisembark: 100
DiscoNightclubs: 90
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 98
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 05 Jun 1999
Time: 13:28:07
Remote Name: spider-wk053.proxy.aol.com
Remote User:
Comments
We sailed on RCCL's Majesty of the Seas in May of 1998 and were told that it was a large
ship. When we
walked up next to the Grand Princess, the only word that I could say was 'immense'! The
Grand was truly,
just that. I was really expecting long lines and elbow to elbow on this ship and it was
quite the opposite.
Everything from the decor and cleanliness of our cabin, to the 'come anytime' Horizon
court buffet, this
was a great cruise experience. There were 8 of us (4 couples) on this trip. One couple had
cruised at least
10 times, us 2 times and the other 2 couples had not cruised. All of us agreed that you
would be hard
pressed to find a greater overall cruise value. I do share some annoyance with other Grand
cruisers with a
couple of items, though. I think it lousy to have to pay for ice cream (even if it was
Haagen Daz!), and
Cokes in the dining room. RCCL had fountain Coke in the dining room at no charge. We did
dine at the
'Painted Desert' alternative restaurant. It was very good, even though there was a $3.50
per person
charge and it was very tough to get reservations. Activities were adequate. Pools were
plentiful (5 of
them!) something that I didn't like on the Majesty of the Seas. We didn't take excursions
sponsored by the
ship. We hired our own drivers on St. Thomas and St. Maarten. I would recommend an 'open
air' taxi on
St. Thomas. Very good for sight seeing. Overall, we plan to take the kids and do the Grand
again next
year. We loved it!
Name: Dave Pettinger
Email: davep@mail.tofino-bc.com
Age: 44
Occupation: Hotel/Resort GM
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Princess-Grand
SailingDate: May 31/99
Itinerary: Glacier Tour, Seward to Vancouver
FoodDiningRoom: 85
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService: 95
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 85
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets: 00
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 95
FoodVariety: 85
DeckService: 80
ShoreExcValue: 75
GoodForHoneymoon: 75
CasinoStaff: 80
PrivateIsland: 00
GoodForFamilies: 75
LoungeService: 50
TenderService: 00
GoodForSeniors: 90
BeautySalonStaff: 85
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess: 85
ExerciseFacilities: 85
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 100
BeautySalon: 00
EntertainmentPoolside: 00
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram: 95
MedicalFacilities: 95
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs: 00
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 85
SpaceRatio: 85
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 09 Jun 1999
Time: 20:50:05
Remote Name: nasmodem14.alberni.net
Remote User:
Comments
This was my wife and myself's first cruise and we really enjoyed it. Allthough we were a
little younger than
most of the passengers our dinner partners were close to our age and we enjoyed there
company.
Princess does a great job of post and pre cruise packages in Alaska. We spent 2 days prior
to our cruise
at the Princess McKinlay Lodge about 2.5 hours drive east of Anchorage. Although Princess
offers train
and bus packages we opted to rent our car at Anchorage. Most people we met on the ship
spoke very
highly about the Princess Rail Tours. We found the service to be very good overall except
for the one
night we tried to have a drink in Kiplings Lounge before dinner it was fairly busy but not
full, we waited 10
minutes for server but were totally ignored so we left. This was the only bad experience
regarding service,
we had during the whole trip. Food was available 24 hours a day and we found the quality
of the dinners
to be better then the breakfasts and lunches. We were pleasantly surprised by being
upgraded 4
catagories 2 days prior to our depature. We ended up on the Aloha Deck with a private
balcony. Despite
the ship being 9 years old it was in excellent condition and the staterooms clean and
comfortable. If you
are prone to getting seasick request a lower deck cabin, the higher up you go the more
rolling you feel ?
WE found it very soothing being rocked gently back and forth before falling asleep.
Overall Princess did a
fine job and we would book with them again!
Name: Debbie Miller
Email: dmiller@avionics.itt.com
Age: 38
Occupation: office worker
NumberOfCruises: 2
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Princess-Grand
SailingDate: May 2
Itinerary: Eastern Carribbean
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 85
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 75
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 85
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 75
GoodForHoneymoon: 100
CasinoStaff: 85
PrivateIsland: 90
GoodForFamilies: 100
LoungeService:
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge:
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 85
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 85
AirSeaProgram: 95
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 80
Stabilization: 85
ShopsOnBoard: 75
SpaceRatio:
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 15 Jun 1999
Time: 12:59:13
Remote Name: fire.ittnj.com
Remote User:
Comments
We are from New Jersey. This was my second cruise and the first for my husband. He was a
little hesitant
about going on a cruise but now that we are back he looks forward to going again next
year.
Last year when I saw the ship in New York I knew that this was the cruise ship for us.
We booked our flights through the cruise line, which was a good thing to do since we had
to wait about an
hour to leave Ft. Lauderdale because a plane (booked by the airline) was delayed. But
because the
cruise line booked the flight the ship waited for the delayed people to arrive.
We read all of the cruise opinions so we were ready for our cruise.
We got to the airport in Ft. Lauderdale and we were all gathered in a group and had to
wait about an hour
for everyone else to arrive. The airport had a room set up for all the arriving
passengers. Then it was time
to leave. We all left the airport and proceeded outside to the buses. We boarded the buses
and within 10
minutes we were at the terminal waiting on line to get our cruise cards, which was a
wonderful thing. You
never needed to carry money; all you had to do was hand them your cruise card. After about
twenty
minutes we were on our way up to our cabin to begin our vacation.
Our room was on the Lido deck on the fourteenth floor. It was an outside room with a
balcony. The room
was small but the balcony made it wonderful. They even had a safe in the room that made it
very
convenient to lock up your money and valuables.
Our first day on the ship we walked around the ship to find out where everything was.
Everything was
beautiful.
As we left the port that evening the people of Ft. Lauderdale who lived along the waterway
flashed their
porch lights and set off sirens as the ship traveled along.
We were prepared for the following days activities by reading the Princess Patter. It was
very informative
and told you everything that was going on for that day and made it very easy to plan your
days activities.
There was always something going on. One word of advice-Get to the pool early if you would
like a lounge
chair in the sun right next to the pool. We got there late and had to sit on the upper
level (which was very
nice but you had to walk downstairs to the pool). One thing that we did not like was the
fact that you had to
pay for ice cream. I can’t believe that after spending all that money on the cruise
that they would do that. I
think they can afford to give everyone ice cream.
If you want to get an appointment for a massage or seaweed wrap or whatever, - make sure
you go to the
spa on the first day that you get on the ship (preferably Sunday) because the appointments
go very fast!
The are two formal nights and one semi-formal. Lots of men wore tuxedos and were dressed
very well. For
the casual nights, we thought shorts would be appropriate but
we were surprised to find everyone dressed a little nicer than that. On our next cruise we
will be better
prepared. Also, on the formal nights you can have formal pictures taken. I think this was
wonderful! It’s not
often that you can have a formal picture taken, but they make it very easy. Also, there
are about three or
four different backgrounds that you can choose from or if you like you can go to all of
them.
There was always something to do: there were movies, bingo twice a day when at sea, the
newlywed and
not-so-newlywed game, art auctions, pool games, scavenger hunts, games, and the casino.
There were also tours for each of the islands with a variety of places to see and things
to do. One word
about the snorkeling trip to St. John from St. Thomas----we didn’t think it was a
long enough trip. By the
time we got to the beach we only had a little over an hour to snorkel. This beach was one
of the most
beautiful places that I had ever seen. It was called Trunk Bay and we wished we
didn’t have to leave so
fast. We would go back there again and spend more time.
Debarking the ship was also a very easy thing. We had to be ready by eight thirty which
meant we had to
get up at about five, get ready to leave, go to breakfast and be in the atrium by eight
thirty. Then, they
called our number and we got off the ship; claimed our luggage-then brought it about fifty
feet to a truck
marked by the airline you are flying on and then we got on a bus and within fifteen
minutes we were at the
airport.
I must say that the trip was a wonderful experience and I would like to tell anyone
thinking about
going---Don’t put it off---make your reservations now!
Name: Phyllis Gould
Email: fafajane@aol.com
Age: 52
Occupation: teacher
NumberOfCruises: 3
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Princess-Grand
SailingDate: June 19-July 1
Itinerary: Mediterranean
FoodDiningRoom: 88
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService: 90
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 85
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 98
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 98
ShoreExcVariety: 98
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 85
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon: 95
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 83
LoungeService: 95
TenderService: 98
GoodForSeniors: 95
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges:
WheelchairAccess: 90
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 99
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram: 85
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 98
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 88
Stabilization: 98
ShopsOnBoard: 92
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 04 Jul 1999
Time: 10:13:12
Remote Name: spider-ta088.proxy.aol.com
Remote User:
Comments
Organization execution is the Princess overall key. We were immensely impressed with all
embarkation and
disembarkation procedures done over the 12 days. Personnel were all polite and did their
jobs well; the only exception
being our butler,who left a little to be desired (eg. cool appetizers, forgotten
requests,etc.) The dining room food was very
good with only one night being mediocre. The dining room service was excellent except for
the last night when some P&O
big shots from San Diego monopolized our server. Our room steward was pleasant, always
stopped to talk to us, and kept
our room clean; fresh towels, room make up were prompt. We didn't even have to ask.
Excursions ashore were all very
good; we did something every stop and the guides and bus drivers were very good. We did do
Barcelona on our own and felt
that two of four cab drivers took advantage of us. One said he had no money to give us
change...at 2 PM? Beware of this!
Our itinerary was terrific, as good in reality as it was promoted in the brochures. The
best decision we made was to get a
veranda/minisuite. Well worth the cost to us. Had no rain so could enjoy the privacy of
the veranda morning through
midnight. Just be careful of those ppassengers viewing from above. Having our butler
deliver pre-ordered breakfast several
mornings was wonderful. Had occasional trouble with great demand on the elevators but we
could walk the stairs
comfortably so it didn't negatively affect us. The coffee on the lido deck was nothing to
write home about and I let them
know in the questionaire. We ended up having three formal nights and our brochure only
said two so you might want to
double check on this category when packing. We ate elsewhere on the ship one of the nights
so it was no big deal. The
Italian restaurant was very good and the Southwestern was a surprise. I thought it would
be ok but it was good. Venice was
our favorite port but what could compete? Loved Italy at each stop and fully intend to go
back for more.
Name: Keith Steiner
Email: KESWORLD@AOL.COM
Age: 43
Occupation: Vice President
NumberOfCruises: 10
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Princess-Grand
SailingDate: July 1, 1999
Itinerary: Mediterranean
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService: 95
CruiseStaff: 98
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 90
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 100
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 100
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 95
ShoreExcValue: 100
GoodForHoneymoon: 95
CasinoStaff: 95
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 100
LoungeService: 95
TenderService: 98
GoodForSeniors: 100
BeautySalonStaff: 95
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess: 90
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 100
BeautySalon: 95
EntertainmentPoolside: 95
CruiseActivities: 95
Casino: 95
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 100
EmbarkDisembark: 100
DiscoNightclubs: 100
DeckSpace: 100
Stabilization: 100
ShopsOnBoard: 95
SpaceRatio: 98
OverallCruiseValue: 99
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 15 Jul 1999
Time: 19:12:36
Remote Name: dnjrr7-098.mcit.com
Remote User:
Comments
My family and I just returned from the July 1 Mediterranean sailing on the Grand Princess.
It was a fabulous cruise.
Flight Arrangements
We arranged our own air to Barcelona. This provides us with greater flexibility in terms
of airlines to be used and time of
travel. We arrived in Barcelona on Tuesday, June 29th, two days prior to boarding the
Grand Princess. We really enjoyed
Barcelona and the extra two days gave us sufficient time to adjust to the time zone
change.
Embarkation
What a delight. We have sailed on many cruises and this was by far the easiest embarkation
we have ever experienced.
Princess had us fill out and send them almost all of the paperwork ahead of time making
embarkation very easy. The lines
were very short and we were able to board the ship in the morning. Our luggage arrived on
ship by early afternoon providing
us with plenty of time to unpack and get settled, without feeling rushed to get all of
this done.
The Ship
The beauty and layout of the ship exceeded our expectations. It is a beautiful ship and
within 24 hours we had the layout
down pat. The ship was very spacious and rarely did it ever seem crowded. The ship was
full with all cabins occupied and
about 350 children on board. There is so much to do on the ship. There are several
swimming pools, an exercise room, a
spa, a full court basketball court which can also accommodate paddle tennis, several
lounges, dining rooms along with
alternate dining rooms and so much more. We have sailed on many cruise ships and this is
by far the nicest one that we
have sailed on.
The Cabin
We had one of the Vista Suites in the aft of the ship. It was a little smaller than we had
expected but we quickly got used
to it. It accommodated all four of us. It included a walk in closet, a shower and bath
tub, a small living room area with a
couch, a wet bar, refrigerator and safe and a very large balcony.
The Crew
We were very pleased with the crew. We had an outstanding water and an excellent assistant
waiter and cabin steward.
They were all very attentive to our needs and provided the best service we have received.
Other members of the crew were
very friendly and were very helpful to us. Since we had a suite, we also had butler
service. I believe this type of service is
still fairly new on Princess Ships and expect that overtime that it will improve so that
it is more consistent with the service
provided by other crew members.
The Dining Rooms/Food
We were assigned to the Botticelli Dining Room. In other reviews I had heard about how
difficult it would be to get to this
dining room. Quite frankly we had no difficulty at all. We found that once we learned the
layout of the decks that we could
easily get to this dining room without any problem. We had most of our evening dinners in
this room. For breakfast we
mostly at in the Horizon Dining area and had the breakfast buffets. For lunch we also ate
most of our meals in the Horizon
Dining room, but also tried the alternate dining rooms (Painted Desert and Sabatini's).
Overall, we enjoyed the evening dinners. The service was great and found the meals to be
enjoyable. We especially enjoyed
the pastas.
The buffets were good, although it would be good to see some improvement in the quality
and variety of the food.
We especially enjoyed the pizza. It was some of the best pizza that we have ever eaten on
a cruise ship.
The pastas in Sabatini's were great as well. I would recommend having lunch there. The
service was also excellent.
We did not enjoy the food at the Painted Desert. The food was overcooked and the service
was not up to the same
standards as with the other dining areas.
The Entertainment
This is an area that needs some additional work. We thought that the entertainment on this
ship was not up to the
standards that we had expected. I think that Princess should quickly put additional
emphasis in this area.
The Ports
We really enjoyed the ports. In most ports we used tours offered by Princess. They were
very well organized (the most
organized of any cruise line that we have sailed) and they provided a solid overview of
each area that we visited.
Barcelona- Enjoyable city. There is much to see and I would recommend spending additional
time there either on a pre or
post cruise.
Monte Carlo - A beautiful port. This was one of two ports where we toured on our own.
Everything was in walking distance
from the pier. We saw the palace and the cathedral and they were great.
Liverno - We took the tour to Pisa. It was about 45 minutes from Liverno. We enjoyed the
history of Pisa and had some
time to walk around the area.
Naples - We took another tour there to Pompei. It was outstanding with great history to
see first hand.
Venice - This was even better than what we expected. It is almost out of a story book and
doesn't look real. We really
enjoyed this port and was very glad that Princess allows the ship to stay there overnight.
Athens - We took in the sites of Athens on a tour offered by Princess. We really enjoyed
this as well.
Kusadasi - What a surprise. We had never heard of this port before and it was
breathtaking. We took the tour of Ephesus
which we enjoyed so very much. On the way to and from Ephesus we got to see much of the
area and it was breathtaking.
We also had some time for shopping at the conclusion of the tour and the shops were
located in walking distance of the
pier.
Istanbul - We took the Imperial Istanbul tour. It involved lots of walking and we were
getting tired as this was the last port of
the trip. We saw the Blue Mosque and the Imperial Palace and a few other areas of
interest. We did not have time to make
it to the Grand Bazaar.
The Cruise Experience and the People
This was the first time we had ever gone on a 12 day cruise and it was wonderful. On a 7
day cruise it seems by the time
that you are finally feeling relaxed and have started to make some new friends that it is
time to go. Having 12 days was
great. It provide time to really enjoy the cruise, the ship, and the people. We met some
outstanding new friends on the
cruise and miss them all already. They were great!!
Conclusion
I would highly recommend this cruise to anyone. The ship was outstanding along with the
staff and the ports of call and the
fellow passengers.
We did lots of research before we sailed on the Grand Princess and we corresponded with
several people who had sailed
this ship before. If anyone has any questions please feel free to contact me by e-mail.
Keith KESWORLD@AOL.COM
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