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Name: John Hoelscher
Email: JEH960@met-net.com
Age: 46
Occupation: Dispatcher
NumberOfCruises: 2
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Princess-Grand
SailingDate: 8/30/98
Itinerary: Grand Mediterranean
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService: 90
CruiseStaff: 96
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 95
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 98
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 85
ShoreExcVariety: 100
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 95
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon: 95
CasinoStaff: 98
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 95
LoungeService: 93
TenderService: 98
GoodForSeniors: 92
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 95
WheelchairAccess: 95
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge: 85
OverallPortsofCall: 100
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 95
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram: 90
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 100
EmbarkDisembark: 99
DiscoNightclubs: 93
DeckSpace: 98
Stabilization: 99
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 29 Sep 1998
Time: 13:12:07
Remote Name: 157.151.201.3
Remote User:
Comments
The first part of this review will be the overview of the ship, followed by the review of
the ports. THE SHIP was that my friends' camera was stolen
there. was that my friends' camera was stolen there. While the Grand Princess does not
look like a classic ocean liner it does grow on you after
awhile. The exterior may be strange but the interior is beautiful. We had a Mini-Suite on
the Dolphin deck Cabin D705.The cabin was ample enough
for the 3 adults sharing it. It had two twin beds and a sleeper sofa, there also was an
upper berth but we never saw it set up. The cabin was
tastefully decorated and also had a table and two chairs. There was a Mini-Bar with
refrigerator. The bathroom was large enough with a
shower/tub combination. The closet was good sized and there was enough drawer and shelf
space for all of our clothes. The balcony had four
chairs a table and a small end table that also served as footstool. One drawback with the
balcony was that you did not have much privacy. The
balconies on the Dolphin deck extend out further than the decks above. We were assigned to
the Botticelli dining room. It was divided into clusters
of tables giving an intimate feel for a room so large. Our waiter Robert and assistant
waiter Ion were superb. The food in the dining room was very
good overall. The beef dishes and pasta dishes in particular were excellent. One of my
companions had a couple of bad experiences with the fish
dishes. He felt they could have used some more sauces. The soups were very good but the
salads were somewhat bland. The desserts were very
good. For breakfast we either went to the Horizon Buffet or had room service. The Horizon
Buffets were very good both for breakfast and lunch.
Room service was fast and efficient but better for breakfast than for sandwiches. The
Painted Desert was much better than we had been led to
believe. Everything we had there was very good. There also was an enjoyable band playing
there. Poseidon's Pizzeria was okay but being from
Chicago, I felt it left something to be desired. . The Trident Grill had good hot dogs,
hamburgers, bratwurst, knockwurst and fries. The drinks from
the many bars were quite good. The Wheelhouse Bar was our favorite spot to talk and have
an after dinner drink. The Honey B's are very talented
and added to the atmosphere of the bar. The Princess Theater was a nice facility but the
entertainers were not our cup of tea so we only went to
one show there. The Vista Lounge was very nice but you had to get there early to get a
good seat, as the site lines were not very good from the
sides. The Skywalkers Disco was very cool. It also was a great place to read during the
day. The Explorers Lounge was nice with some very good
entertainment. The pools were nice but the water was too cold for me. The casino was nice.
The dealers were friendly and fun but like the casinos
on most ships the odds are against you. THE PORTS
ISTANBUL: When we were in Istanbul there was a national holiday so many sites were closed.
We did go to the Grand Bazaar. It is very interesting
but I don't care for the bargaining. We arrived a day early and stayed at the Conrad
Istanbul. The hotel was very nice and the food at the Monte
Verde restaurant was extraordinary.
KUSADASI: We took the Ephesus, St. John's Basilica and Virgin Mary Shrine tour. Ephesus
was a highlight of our trip. The ruins were spectacular.
St, John's Basilica was nice but nothing spectacular. The Virgin Mary Shrine was worth
seeing but I am glad it was our first stop as the lines were
getting long as we left there. After the tour we went shopping. In my opinion the shopping
here was better than the Grand Bazaar.
ATHENS: We took the City of Athens and the Acropolis tour. I loved the Acropolis. The only
bad thing about it was it was very crowded on the day
we were there. The shopping in the Plaka was good.
VENICE: We did Venice on our own. We loved the shopping in Venice. We had dinner at La
Madonna a small restaurant just off the Rialto Bridge.
The food was excellent and very reasonably priced. The sightseeing in Venice was not to be
missed.
NAPLES: We took the Pompeii, Sorrento and Amalfi Drive tour. I wish we had more time in
Pompeii. We only had 1 ½ hours there and that is not
nearly enough time. Sorrento had some of the worst traffic I have ever seen. The lunch we
had there was good but I would have rather spent this
time in Pompeii. The Amalfi Drive was spectacular. The scenery was gorgeous
LIVORNO: We took the Florence Sampler tour. Florence was incredible. Everywhere we went
there was artwork. The only bad thing about Florence
was the crime there. We had a camera stolen from us there.
MONTE CARLO: We took the Medieval Village of Eze tour. The view and shopping there were
excellent. I took a harbor cruise in the afternoon. I
would highly recommend going to Eze.
BARCELONA: We did Barcelona on our own. Las Ramblas is very interesting. The architecture
and shopping there were great. We spent an extra
day in Barcelona. Princess put us in the Hotel Don Rey Jaime. This was the only truly bad
part of our trip. The hotel was at least 20 miles out of
Barcelona. The beds were terrible. We would have been better off just going home.
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