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Name: Karin Rex
Email: rex@karinrex.com
Age: 38
Occupation: Computer Training & Tech Writing
NumberOfCruises: 4
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Princess-Grand
SailingDate: June 7, 1998
Itinerary: Mediterranean
FoodDiningRoom: 91
CruiseDirector: 81
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService: 71
CruiseStaff: 81
CabinAmenities: 91
FoodLidoDeck: 81
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 89
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 81
ShoreExcVariety: 81
FoodVariety: 85
DeckService: 81
ShoreExcValue: 71
GoodForHoneymoon: 91
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 85
LoungeService: 85
TenderService: 85
GoodForSeniors: 85
BeautySalonStaff: 85
EntertainmentLounges: 85
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 95
EntertShowLounge: 85
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon: 85
EntertainmentPoolside: 85
CruiseActivities: 75
Casino:
AirSeaProgram: 75
MedicalFacilities: 91
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 99
DiscoNightclubs: 75
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 85
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 91
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 23 Jul 1998
Time: 15:53:54
Remote Name: 207.86.230.83
Remote User:
Comments
My Review
Where I am coming from... I had a wonderful cruise and this
review (which I consider a work-in-progress) reflects that. This
was our third Princess cruise,
and we have already booked our fourth for next April
(Hawaii/Tahiti on the Crown). We have previously sailed on the
Crown Princess (Caribbean) and the
Regal Princess (Panama Canal) and each cruise was a terrific
experience. While there are always some minor annoyances on any
vacation, I do not let
them color the whole cruise. I will note these annoyances in my
review, however I will not be focusing on these small things, as
they are not really important.
About The Ship... In general, the Grand Princess is a beautiful
ship. The artwork around the ship is gorgeous, and the beautiful
wood and thick carpeting
really made you feel like you were living in luxury. I don’t
think I realized how large the ship was until two things
happened: I saw her from the tender boats
going into Monte Carlo; and when I saw her docked right next to
the Costa Victoria (in Kusadasi), which seemed tiny by
comparison.
Size Doesn’t Seem To Matter At no time during our cruise did
I ever "feel" the number of people onboard (2600
passengers, 1200 crew). Princess did a
wonderful job during embarkation, and we only had to wait in line
for about 3 minutes. Also, during the entire trip there was never
a line to get on or off the
ship. My husband and I avoid elevators, so I never had to wait
for an elevator, however I did notice that when tours got back or
a performance ended, there
did seem to be crowds at the elevators. If you arrived for dinner
a few minutes early there was sometimes a crowd gathering to get
in, however if you tried
to arrive five minutes late, there was never a line to get in.
The only time the public areas seemed crowded was during the at
sea days. The pool areas seemed especially hectic during those
days (but it feels this way
on any ship). However, if it is peace and quiet you crave there
are loads of comfortable deck chairs away from the pools (and one
side of the ship is almost
always in the shade if that’s what you prefer). Plus, with
all of those balcony rooms, I found that I spent a lot of time on
my balcony enjoying my own little
piece of the sun. The only time I got annoyed about waiting for
something was when I had to wait over an hour-and-a-half to see
the doctor in the medical
center. It was especially annoying because all I needed was a
simple prescription for something I could have bought at any
drugstore in the U.S. (in other
words I did not need to consult with the doctor. There were a lot
of people in the medical center with physical injuries (falls
mostly...some onboard, some
while in ports...like my hubby who fell down the stairs and
twisted his ankle at the Duomo in Florence). But I got over it
(the annoyance of the wait) and when
on with my day in Athens.
Speaking of the medical center, during my wait I did get a chance
to watch the staff, and I must say that I was impressed with
their level of caring. They
treated people very nicely and sometimes went overboard (no pun
intended) to help. For example, a couple came in because the
woman had a minor
medical problem. Because the wait was so long, they ended up
missing their tour. Well, one of the medical assistants went out
of her way and ran up to the
tours office to rearrange this couple’s schedule. She came
back (out of breath as the elevators were not working) and
reported to the couple that they
would be taken care of. A few minutes later, a tour
representative came in and worked out a alternative schedule with
the couple. This was impressive and
very kind.
The only other area where size does matter is in the onboard
laundry facilities. The laundry rooms (on each floor) have only
two washers and two dryers
(and two ironing boards). This is not enough for the number of
passengers on each floor. Plus during the entire trip at least
half of the equipment was not
working at any given time. I had a couple of afternoons wasted
because of the poor laundry facilities. FYI, it costs $1.00 (in
quarters) to wash, $.50 to dry,
and $.50 for soap. (I seem to recall that on the Crown and Regal
the laundry facilities were free, but I could be remembering
incorrectly.)
About The Rooms... We had a outside room with balcony on the Baja
deck (deck 11). I found the room to be quite comfortable. It was
larger than similar
rooms we’d had on the Crown and Regal, and the balcony was
larger as well, although there were NOT lounge chairs on our
balcony (as shown in the
brochure picture), even though they could have fit. Our balcony
looked down on the balconies of those on decks 10 and 9. Deck 9
seemed to have the
biggest balconies, deck 10 the second biggest balconies...but the
balconies on these two decks offered very little privacy (if that
is important to you).
Balconies on deck 11 were very private. By the way, the balconies
on this ship have sliding glass doors (instead of the type of
door you push open as we’ve
had on other ships) which made opening the door at sea much
easier. There was also outdoor lighting. (But please remember to
turn it off when you are
not using it as it is very annoying to passengers enjoying the
stars in the middle of the night, which requires darkness).
Our bed was comprised of two twins pushed together. The pillows
were very comfortable, and I even entertained ideas of writing to
Princess to ask where
we could buy the exact same pillows for home! On either side of
the bed were two nights stands with lamps. The lamps has dimmers
on them, which was a
nice feature. The night stands had two deep drawers as well as a
cubby hole (perfect for magazines and books).
On one side of the balcony door is a desk/makeup table. The blow
dryer is here instead of in the bathroom, which made perfect
sense since the bathroom
mirrors fogged up whenever you took a shower, and there was
limited space in there. The desk had three deep drawers and a
large mirror with good
lighting above it.
Speaking of drawers...this is a note to all first-time cruisers
(as well as those who have simply never thought about this topic
before). Because you are on a
ship, the drawers close in a special way. You actually have to
lift the drawer up to make it close all of the way. This is done
so the drawers don’t fly open
whilst at sea during a rough spell. Please don’t SLAM the
drawers shut (as my neighbors did constantly) simply slide them
back, gently lift up and push in all
the way. This can be a silent operation and there really is no
need to slam the drawers shut which disturbs your neighbors.
The closet has no door. I did not find this surprising as
I’ve never had a closet with a door on a ship, however
during my conversations with people onboard
I found that most people expected the closet to have a door. I
was glad that the closet did not have a door, as opening and
closing a door would have
required more space (plus would probably have created more
noise). The closet was large enough for all of our clothes. (And
just so you know we are not
light packers: I had a different outfit for each night’s
dinner, as did my husband. I also brought 8 pairs of shoes.) The
reason why the closet was large
enough for our clothes was because we could store our luggage
under the bed (which we could not do on the Crown or Regal). Plus
across from the closet
was a cupboard with six deep shelves and your room safe. This was
a perfect spot for T-shirts, shorts, jeans, and other items that
you don’t need to hang
up.
On the other side of the balcony door is a TV (hanging off the
wall on a shelf) and a fridge. The steward will leave a large
bottle of spring water in your room.
The cost is about $2.50. There will also be a basket of fruit in
your room (free). If you eat it, it will be replenished. If you
don’t want it in your room, tell your
steward and they will take it away.
Karin’s Favorite Room Tips:
If you are like us and bring a different outfit for each dinner,
which you plan on only wearing once, here’s what I do: Each
evening before bed put that
dinner’s outfit BACK in your suitcase since you won’t
be wearing it again. By the end of the cruise you are mostly
packed, plus during your cruise your closet
has more than enough room. Also, something new cruisers probably
would not realize: you can ask your steward for a portable
rolling clothes rack. I do not
recommend this as it takes up too much room, but it is available.
About Dining... There are three dining rooms: Michelangelo,
Boticcelli, and DaVinci. They are all exactly the same except for
the art. (It was a running joke
on the ship that whatever dining room YOU were in was the best.)
They are classically beautiful dining rooms with rich colors,
beautiful English china and
sparkling silverware. Linen tablecloths and napkins are used for
every meal in the dining room.
We ate in the Michelangelo dining room for dinner the first
night, and then (because we requested a table change) in the
Boticcelli dining room for the rest
of the trip.
ABOUT TABLE CHANGES: We requested a change because they
originally put us at a table for four and we prefer a larger
table (which we had requested
upon booking, but must have been overlooked somehow). We went to
the maitre d’ immediately upon being brought to our table
the first evening (before
we even met the other couple) and requested a change. By the next
afternoon, we were changed. No problem...they want you to be
happy. NEVER stay at
a table out of any sense of duty...request a change until you are
happy. You may end up at a table for two, but it is better then
sitting with people you don’t
get along with.
Breakfast and lunch can be eaten in any of the dining rooms. You
don’t have to eat in your assigned dining room. When you
arrive at a dining room for
breakfast or lunch, you are led to the next empty seat(s)
available at the next station. This is sort of fun because you
meet new people every day. You can
however, request a table for two if you want to be alone.
Dining Room Food & Service I found the dining room food to be
consistently terrific. I especially enjoyed the following: every
pasta dish (my very favorite
food), every lamb dish, the seafood turnover, the cherries
jubilee. The pasta was a pleasure. Each night a different pasta
was prepared. One night I asked
our headwaiter (Oscar) to make our table a special pasta (Pasta
Puttenesca) which was wonderful. I was a bit disappointed with
the lobster, but I guess it’s
difficult to make so many lobster tails at once. The filets were
also delicious.
Our waiter Gelu was from Romania, He was funny and gracious and
did a great job. His assistant waiter Andreas was from Hungary.
He was not as
seamlessly talented as Gelu in serving us, but he did his best,
and was very pleasant. We were (almost without fail) the last
table to leave the dining room
each evening. We were a merry bunch of story tellers and
jokesters, and Gelu joined right in.
Alternative Dining I am not a buffet person, but I found the
Horizon Court dining facility to be quite pleasant for breakfast.
I was especially pleased to find
that I could order fried eggs at the buffet. There was lots of
fruit, cereals, scrambled eggs, toasters with different types of
breads, bacon, sausage, hash
most mornings, ham some mornings. For those from different
continents there was also a variety of cheeses, meats and fish.
I did not try the Horizon Court for lunch only because I found
the pizza and hamburgers served pool-side to be tantalizing and
delicious. However the one
time I walked in there during lunch (to get a cookie) the buffet
looked wonderful, with prime rib being hand carved and two pastas
to choose from!
We did try the Horizon Court for a late night/early morning snack
(2am) and were disappointed because it was not a buffet. Instead
there was a menu and
we found nothing on the menu to our liking. So we went back to
our room and ordered room service instead.
We ate in the Southwestern restaurant for lunch one day. I was
disappointed. Our reservation was for 11:45 and apparently the
chef wasn’t quite prepared.
There was no salsa for our slightly stale chips until about
12:15. When it did come it was deliciously fresh, but the chips
were not. I ordered a taco salad,
expecting something similar to what we get in the states...a
crisp flour shell filled with lettuce, beans, beef, cheese,
olives, etc., and topped with salsa.
Instead I got a tiny pile of lettuce and tomato on a plate with
ranch dressing, and next to the pile were two small greasy rolls
of corn tortilla stuffed with a tiny
amount of shredded beef. I was clearly disappointed, and the
waiter even remarked "not really a salad, is it?". He
offered to bring me something else, but at
that point we'd been there almost an hour and the pizza by the
pool was calling my name so I declined. My husband had chicken
mole, which he said was
pretty good.
Our travel agent had given us the Deluxe Anniversary Package
which included a champagne breakfast in bed. We were a bit
disappointed with room service
for breakfast. The omelets we ordered did not even resemble warm
let alone hot. So they went uneaten and we had an early lunch.
(We saved the
champagne for later which was quite nice for an afternoon on the
balcony!)
About The Pools... The Calypso Pool (this is the pool that has
the retractable roof) was always the warmest, but it was also a
strange green color and did not
seem very clean. I only swam in it once because it gave me the
"creeps". The main pool (deck 14) was always cold and
sparkling, but sometimes seemed low
(as far as the water level). During our trip the dolphin
statue/fountain by this pool was broken, so we did not even
realize that it was a fountain until the last
day of the trip. It was beautiful when it was working. Both of
these pools are accessible only by step ladders. The Plantation
Spa pool was very nice, and
often peaceful (except for when kids invaded it, which I found
disturbing, since they had their own pool). This is the pool that
had the lap current. This pool
has steps that go right into the pool (as opposed to a ladder);
however be warned: the steps are VERY slippery.
About The Entertainment... There were lots of opportunities to be
entertained on the Grand. The Princess Theater (fore) was the
main theater for the "name
brand" entertainment and the larger shows. Visibility is
terrific in this theater. The Vista Lounge (aft) was the
secondary place for entertainment. The visibility
in this theater was not as good due to large pillars throughout
the room. Get there early if you want to be able to see well. Our
favorite place for
before-dinner entertainment (and some smaller special shows) was
the Explorer’s Lounge (midships). Normally my husband and I
don’t frequent any
lounges because of the smoke, but this lounge only permitted
smoking at the bar and at a row of seats in the corridor beyond
the bar, so we were able to
hang out in here every evening, practically smoke-free. There was
also nightly entertainment at the Calypso Pool, the Promenade
Lounge (piano bar), the
Wheelhouse Bar, and The Painted Dessert (southwestern
restaurant).
The shows involving the Princess stay-on-board entertainment were
terrific (especially Glamour and Pirates). They have a very
talented group of singers
and dancers. I especially enjoyed Kathy and James Taylor, a
husband and wife dance team. They did a terrific show of
comedy/dance. She reminded
everyone I was with of Lucille Ball (her facial expressions). The
comedian Billy Vader is always chock-full of cruise humor
(we’d seen him previously on the
Crown). I laugh every time I see him.
We also had onboard a very funny juggler named Barnaby who
performed in the Explorers Lounge. The Fifties show and the
Western show (both in the
Explorers Lounge) were both very entertaining. They employed some
of the ship’s crew, as well as some of the musicians.
The "name brand" entertainment on my particular cruise
was a little disappointing. Lorna Luft was awful (and I would
usually enjoy that type of
entertainment). Her singing wasn’t so bad, it was her
talking in-between songs that made me leave about 15 minutes into
the show (she makes so many
references to her famous mother, Judy Garland, and sister, Liza
Minelli, that you end up feeling sorry for her). If she just
stuck to singing, she’d be more
enjoyable. Others I spoke to agreed. We also had David Brenner
onboard, which I was really looking forward to as he is from my
area (Philadelphia). He did
a really short show and was really not that funny. In his
defense, we did hear that he had the flu. But that didn’t
account for him being downright unfriendly
a week later when I quietly said hello to him on the shuttle bus
into Istanbul (he looked right at me and then looked away). Stars
who have stars in their eyes
are such bores.
About The Casino...
All I can say about the casino is that it is pretty. I liked the
holograms on the walls. Other than that I did not go in there
except to walk through. It’s very
smoky and noisy, and everyone I talked to said they lost money.
(Sorry if you were hoping for more info on this, but it’s
not my cup of tea.)
About The Ports and Tours... It’s taken me three cruises to
learn this simple fact: don’t take tours. It’s not that
the tours are necessarily bad, but it’s a form
of commercial tourism that simply does not suit me. I hate being
part of a huge pack of people wearing Princess bus stickers being
led around like sheep
from spot to spot. We signed up for 4 tours and only took 2.25 of
them.
Tours We Took:
Monte Carlo: Tour of the Medieval Village of Eze Description: A
long bus ride up a mountain with a tour guide who was obsessed
with the effect of Catholicism
on Monaco’s royal family (lots of gossip about divorces and
babies out-of-wedlock), and with pointing out the exact turn in
the rode where Princess Grace
died in an auto accident. (You would be surprised how many heads
on the bus popped up eagerly to take a look.) The Medieval
Village of Eze should be
renamed the Medieval Shopping Village of Eze, as they have taken
a beautiful setting of winding stone walkways and buildings and
turned it into a very
pretty strip mall. It was nice to see, but I wish I hadn’t
gone up with six other busloads of people all wearing Princess
stickers...they are like money beacons
to the shopkeepers.
Livorno: Florence On Your Own Description: This tour wasn’t
so bad, as all it did was provide transportation to Florence
(about 1.5 hours). They dropped
you off and then picked you up five hours later, which was not
nearly enough time to see Florence. The heat and tired feet
almost led to a fist fight on the
bus ride home as two fatigued tourists battled for the right to
open or close the window shade against the afternoon sun. Yet
another reason I don’t like
tours.
Venice: Walking Tour of Hidden Venice Description: We used this
tour to get into Venice, and although we tried to stick with it,
we left after about 1/2 hour.
Why? Because the tour guide was going at her own pace with 45
people trailing behind (we are in our mid 30s and the pace was
fine with us, but the older
folks walking in front of us were going really slow, and we
couldn't really pass them in the narrow streets). I couldn’t
hear what she was saying and by the
time we caught up with her she was done speaking. So we politely
told her we were going our own way (she didn’t mind). The
other reason why we left was
because we were hungry and we passed some tantalizing restaurants
and gelati shops and pastry shops! NOTE: We noticed a lot of
older folks complaining
about having to walk so much...remember that this is a walking
tour and Venice has lots of bridges (with steps) to climb.
Don’t take this tour if you are not
prepared to walk for four hours straight.
Tour Office Tips We have found (on all of our cruises) that the
tour office wants nothing to do with you unless you are taking
one of their tours. They are
completely useless when it comes to getting good information
about touring a port on your own. It is very important that you
study the ports of call on your
own BEFORE you take your cruise. Libraries usually have
guidebooks, and you can photocopy maps. DO NOT depend on the tour
office for anything
resembling useful information. This has happened to us on ALL of
our cruises, not just on the Grand.
Our decision not to use the tour office has nothing to do with
the prices of the tours. Money is not the issue here at all,
although I will say that without a
doubt you can tour any port yourself for less money.
A story to backup my opinion. We wanted to go to a beach in
Kusadasi (we felt that we needed a relaxing day). That morning we
went to the tour office and
inquired as to whether or not Kusadasi even had any beaches to go
to. They said they ”didn’t think so” and seemed
unwilling to help us any further. The
most helpful they got was telling us to ask a taxi driver (which
is not what a tourist in a foreign country wants to hear). We
ended up spending the day in
town. We came upon a store selling postcards and as we looked
through them we instantly realized that Kusadasi was full of
beautiful beaches and we could
have had our pick of them. The tour office should know this, and
not only be able to recommend which beaches are the nicest, but
tell us how much a taxi
ride should cost to get there. On a personal note, next time I
travel I will do a better job of investigating the ports before I
go.
My Personal Port Notes
Barcelona We stayed at the La Meridian Hotel which was nice
enough. The best part about this hotel is its location. It is 1/2
block from Las Ramblas, which is
the "main drag" in Barcelona. Las Ramblas is a four
lane highway with an extra-wide center sidewalk that has all
sorts of flower shops, performance artists,
newspaper stands, etc. It is a short walk to the Gothic Quarter
which was a delight to explore. The Gothic quarter is full of
picturesque winding streets and
buildings dating in the 13th to 15th century. The Gothic
Cathedral is a beautiful Romanesque church built in 1298. Across
from the square in front of the
church are a number of outdoor cafes where you can people watch
and drink Sangria. Not far from the Gothic Cathedral is the
Picasso Museum, which
houses works donated to the museum by Picasso himself, as well as
his secretary. The museum is in a 14th-century Aguilar Palace.
The number of paintings
in this museum far outweighed the number of paintings I’ve
seen in any of the traveling Picasso shows that have come to the
U.S.
Two places you shouldn’t miss (although we managed to) are
Sagrada Familia (a church designed by Gaudi) and Guell Park (a
park designed by Gaudi). We
saw pictures of these places and really wished we had managed to
fit them in. There is a tourist bus that goes by these places
every hour (it goes around in
a big circle to all of the major tourist stops in the city). It
is very low cost and dependable so you should tour Barcelona on
your own...just give yourself
enough time.
Monte Carlo You can tour this place completely on your own with
no trouble at all. You will tender into the port (allow 20
minutes). From where you get off,
you can walk to a public elevator (off the main street) which
takes you up to the casino (which from what I was told was not
that exciting...they charge
tourists to get in, but you can’t really go into where the
players are playing, you can only look in from the sidelines). I
walked all the way up the hill to Old
Monaco. It was a delightful walk (although it wouldn’t be
considered an easy one) through a beautiful tree-lined path which
led me right to the Palace. I
waited in line for a tour of the Palace (there is a small fee) in
English, which was terrific, and full of history. Across from the
Palace are shops and
restaurants and on the side of the mountain is a lovely park. If
you walk to one end of this park you can get a great picture of
the ship from afar.
We took the tour of Eze, but didn’t feel that it was worth
it. If you want to shop then you would probably enjoy it, but if
you were hoping for a sense of
history, you won’t get it there.
Livorno Livorno is a God-awful ugly-looking port. We took the
On-Your-Own tour of Florence, which basically provided us with
transportation to and from
Florence (about 1.5 hours). Florence is interesting. It is a
large, noisy, populated city (much like New York) with amazing
history and art. I have never seen
so many people driving (recklessly I might add) motorscooters in
all of my life. There must have been 50 motorscooters to every
one car. And they dodge in
and out of people and cars, no helmets of course!
In Florence we visited Sante Croce Church (where Galileo and
Michelangelo are both buried), the Duomo (Cathedral of Santa
Maria del Firoe), the
Campanile (bell tower outside of the Duomo), and Ponte Vecchio
(the bridge where all of the gold shops are).
The Duomo was wonderful. We got on a line which I thought was
going to take us into the Cathedral but it turned out to be the
line for people who wanted to
climb up to the top of the Duomo. (That's what I get for not
having brushed up on my Italian!) This was a delightful mistake
though, as we enjoyed climbing
way up to view the beautiful ceiling from only about 40 feet
away. (The climb was arduous though, and I don't recommend it for
most people...I do aerobics
three times a week and can rollerblade 16 miles at a clip, and I
was huffing and puffing. It can also be worrisome to those who
are in the least bit
claustrophobic as the stairways are very narrow and have poor
ventilation.) The ceiling of the Duomo (painted by Brunelleschi)
is unbelievable. Heaven and
hell are represented, and the devils are truly scary. The 3D
effect at the very top of the dome is amazing. Most people walk
up (about 15 minutes) and walk
around the perimeter and then leave, but we must have studied
that ceiling for about 30 minutes...the more you looked, the more
you saw (and I don't
usually go for that type of thing!). I thought we ere going to go
back down after that, but it turned out that there were more
stairs to climb (many, many
more, each set progressively steeper) which brought you all the
way up ON TOP of the Duomo OUTSIDE! (This would not be an
excursion for somebody who
was scared of heights.) You could see the entire city from up
there...it was marvelous. Unfortunately my husband slipped on the
way down and twisted his
ankle...but that's another story.
Naples The ship docks right in the middle of city and you can get
off the ship and walk anywhere...shopping, museums, restaurants,
etc. There is even a
funicular to the top of hill to see the Castel Nuovo (a fortress
built in 1282). We explored the city and had a wonderful 2-hour
Italian lunch (complete with a
whole bottle of wine) at a nice restaurant around the corner from
the Galleria Umberto (I think the name of the street was St.
Bridgitas).
Venice This was one port that I was glad we didn't arrive in
during the wee hours of the morning. Sailing into Venice (late
morning) was a pleasure. We sailed
right past Piazetta San Marco (you could see the Basilica as well
as the Bridge of Sighs from the ship) and along the Canale Della
Guidecca until we reached
our docking point. Princess ran free tenders from right in front
of the ship (2 minute walk) to a point near San Marco's (2 short
bridges away) every 20
minutes. From there you had all of Venice to explore. The streets
are confusing, but there are lots of signs pointing to San Marco,
so if you simply paid
attention you could not get lost. This port has it all: terrific
shopping, wonderful food and gelati, a sense of history and
romance. It was my favorite port. All
you need to do is go out and explore it.
Some things not to miss in Venice:
A gondola ride will set you back about $70-$80 (they will take US
dollars) but it is a memory you will cherish forever. You can get
a gondola ride for two
(preferable) easily and it does not cost more than if you crammed
into a boat with 4 other people (which is what they do on the
Princess tours). Our
gondolier whistled the theme from the Godfather, and sang softly
to himself as he guided us through some of the smaller canals for
about 45 minutes. Walk
out to the Rialto Bridge for some touristy-type shopping and
beautifully scenery along the way. Eat gelati. Lots of it, a
little at a time.
Athens Princess provides a shuttle bus to the Piraeus train
station (about 2 miles from the ship) for $4. The train to Athens
(2 different stops) cost only $.35
cents each way (and it runs about every 15 minutes all day long).
The train is a commuter train and may be crowded and a bit hot,
but it was fun to travel
with the locals. The Princess Patter (daily newspaper) will tell
you which of the two stops you should get off at, and give you a
simplistic map. From either
stop you can see the Acropolis (Parthenon)...just start walking
up towards it. Along the way you will see many shops and
restaurants. The shopkeeps can
be a little aggressive here...just ignore them. Try a veal gyro
for lunch, it was delicious.
Kusadasi This was the one port I was uncertain of prior to our
ship. I sort of thought we might just stay on the ship for the
day and enjoy the peace and
quiet, or simply go to a beach (if the tour office had known of
one). Boy am I glad we didn't, as this turned out to be my 2nd
most favorite port. Kusadasi is a
small, bustling seaside town nestled along the Turkish coast. You
dock within a short walk of everything you'd want to see (except
Ephesus of course). Most
people on the ship (about 26 buses worth) went on a tour to
Ephesus (which most said was worth seeing) but we went right into
town to explore. We walked
around for a bit. Some of the shopkeepers were very aggressive
while others were laid back. There are a lot of carpet shops
here, and some of the shops
have local artisans set up outside making rugs. Princess had
prepared a shopping guide for this port and the shops that were
"approved" (i.e. they paid
Princess to be included) had blue and white Princess signs in the
window. (Beware of the shops that have photocopies of these signs
in their windows.)
We met an Australian guy named Ashley in front of a shop called
Alternatif. He was polite and not pushy and gave us a
three-minute lesson on the different
rugs we would encounter in Turkey. We politely thanked him and
moved on (with no interference from him, just a friendly
goodbye), as we wanted to go
have a Turkish coffee and sit down for a few minutes. We had
already decided that we would go back there later. We toured the
local bazaar (lots of pushy
salespeople that you have to ignore) which was colorful and a
good place to pick up inexpensive gifts to bring back home. (Make
sure you try the Turkish
Delights and the Apple Tea.) We then returned to Alternatif to
rug shop.
We were brought upstairs to where Ashley was already
"working with" a different couple from the ship. They
teach you about the rugs and then they start
bringing you rug after rug which they fling on the floor in front
of you for your approval or disapproval (it's quite a show), Once
they get an idea of what you
want, they bring you more of the same. It was a delightful
experience (they even brought us Apple Tea), and one we will
never forget. The other couple left
to go have lunch, while we stayed and tried to narrow down our
selection (we had previously decided that we were going to buy a
rug in Turkey, so this was
not a rash decision, but a planned purchase). We ended up picking
out three rugs and a wall hanging. The bargaining itself was even
fun. I am a very
strong bargainer and Ashley ended up bringing in the owner who
was an equally strong closer. We finally hit an agreed upon
price, whereupon we shook
hands and the owner ordered his helper to bring us all ice-cold
beer! He then told us that we should try a Turkish bath. I asked
him a dozen questions
about the Turkish Baths (gender, what to expect, sanitation,
etc.) which he answered completely. So we decided to try it.
After the paperwork on the rugs
was done (we were getting them shipped) he had one of his helpers
guide us up the hill into town to his favorite Turkish Bath.
A Turkish Bath is not to be missed if you have the time. It was
the most relaxing experience of our trip. You are brought to a
changing room where you strip
and put on a Turkish towel and borrowed plastic slippers. (Note
to shy women: I did see some women wearing bathing suits,
although I am certain that it
would detract from your experience.) You are then led to a steam
room where you will roast for about 20 minutes. Then you rinse
yourself off in one of
many small shower-like stalls equipped with hot & cold water
basins with bowls that you use to dump the water over your head).
Then you are put face-down
on a large slab of marble (covered by another towel). The
attendant (male) then uses a huge loofah on you (flipping you
over to get both sides). Then you
are washed with a huge pillow of olive oil soap (very nice).
While he washes he massages (in a very businesslike manner) and
pulls on your muscles and
limbs. He even washes your hair. You then rinse off again and
return to your dressing room where they bring you Apple Tea and
wrap your head and
shoulders in towels. When you are ready you get dressed and
leave. It costs about $20 per person and a tip box is near the
exit. We left there feeling
wonderful (and very clean).
Istanbul Maybe I was tired from all this traveling, but I
honestly can say that I wished I had stayed on the ship for this
port. It was dirty, noisy, hot, crowded
and inhospitable. The salespeople (in the Grand Bazaar) were
cloying and annoying. We got sick from food we ate in a
restaurant near the Blue Mosque.
We tried to explore the Topkaki Palace, the Blue Mosque, and St.
Sophia. We only got to see the Blue Mosque and St. Sophia from
the outside (closed for
prayer) and Topkaki Palace was very confusing to get around in.
We did take the harem tour, but it was not very interesting. I
did enjoy seeing Moses'
walking stick, as well as Mohammed's beard hairs (there was
something fascinating about that). But I never did find that big
diamond!
And the airport was one of the most confusing places I've ever
been in. And hot. And crowded. They had never heard of our
British Air charter flight and
there was no British Air desk in the airport. Eventually (2 hours
late) a plane came for us. A Qantas plane and crew that were
wonderful to us. (Or maybe it
just seemed that way because we were all so grateful to leave
that airport.) I never hope to return to Istanbul.
Wrap-Up All-in all, the trip was terrific! The Grand is a
gorgeous ship, and well worth the experience. I don't know that I
would take another cruise on the
Grand unless it was a longer trip where I could enjoy the ship
more. (The Mediterranean itinerary is so compelling that it's
difficult to actually stay on the
ship.)
For pictures that go with this review, as well as a question and
answer page about the Grand, visit my web page
http://www.karinrex.com/grand.html.
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