RiahFly

That is the best description of Manzanillo I've ever heard :D

Ok, I think I left off in San Diego. . . .

Sorry it took so long for the final part of the cruise :( I got to see my father and step-mother in San Diego. We had a great lunch together at Anthony's Fish Market right on the pier. This is the smaller version of the big Anthony's downtown. This restaurant has been a fixture in SD, and one of my favorites for as long as I can remember. I had the fish tacos, which were just as excellent as ever!!

Before meeting up with my dad, we wondered over to Seaport Village. I wanted to see it one last time before the city destroys it for more contemporary building expansions :mad: It's not set in stone yet, but you know how it goes. It's so sad to see the many landmarks of my early life disappearing. After lunch, we walked around downtown and ended up at Horton Plaza mall. That's definitely not going anywhere any time soon. Meh

Ensenada:

And then we went to Ensenada; 'nuff said :p There was really nothing of interest for us to do here. If you saw "La Bufadora" and liked it, great; I'm so happy for you. We were bored after an hour and a half and got back on the ship. I have loved other parts of Mexico and would willingly go back to them some day.

Last Couple of Days:

I think I mentioned the leak in our cabin on the first day and that they comped us a meal at one of the specialty restaurants. We chose Sabatini's (Italian, though you probably already knew that ;)) on the last night of the cruise. What a wonderful menu and incredible staff they have there!!! I am an extremely picky eater, mainly due to allergies, but I was able to try several different dishes and loved them all! For appetizers, we had a salad with some kind of peppery cheese and a very milky cheese thing with tomatoes. It was in Italian, so I have no idea what the actual names are. Can anyone help fill in the blanks??

For the main course, I had the lobster three ways and my husband had the manicotti. Both of us had the tiramisu for dessert. Everything we ate was incredibly awesome! I would definitely recommend it. Our meal was free this time, but I would go there again even if I had to pay!

Disembarkation:

All good things must come to an end, but at least Princess seems to make the transition back to reality decently smooth. The color/number system is efficient and easy to follow. We were off the ship around 9:10; earlier than we were expecting. Last time, we had to wait for about 30 minutes after our scheduled time.

Before all of that however, I got up early to watch us sail back under the Golden gate Bridge. It's something I had wanted to do, but hadn't until today. I'm not a morning person! This time though, I just felt like I needed to do it. The mood on deck was certainly more somber than when we left!

There's always a bit of sadness at the completion of a journey, but also comfort in being home safely. Personally, I did a lot of soul-searching on this trip and am hopeful at the conclusion of it. Sailing under the bridge into my home port was a spiritual experience that was well worth the effort of getting up before dawn. This trip was a celebration of 10 years of marriage, contemplation of the future, and a time of personal reflection. I truly did "come back new." How cheesy is that??

I hope that you have enjoyed this review as much as I enjoyed writing it. Kind regards and happy cruising!

~Kate

RiahFly, Hope you had a great cruise. I'm doing the Meet & Greet for the May 21 cruise. Can you help me with some of the Ship's Officers names?

1. Captain

2. Hotel General Manager

3. Customer Service Manager

4. Executive Housekeeper

5. Food & Beverage Director

6. Senior Doctor

Thanks, Stan

1. The captain changed today, so I don't know who is there now. We had Captain Fabrizio Maresca.

2. Martin Ford

3. Luca Baudoino

4. Monico Reyes

5. Torsten Schuele

6. Dr. Zaeem Dalvie

I have no idea who may also have changed today. There were several people coming and going after our cruise.

~Kate

Happy Anniversary! Hope you both are having a wonderful time. I will be cruising on the Grand in June. I'd appreciate it if you could tell me if Princess offers a tour of SF at the end of the cruise, then transfer to the airport. It should be in the mounds of papers you have received.

 

Thanks, and enjoy the rest of your cruise!

I've heard that sometimes on debarkation day, there are a couple of excursions. We're from the area, so I'm afraid we don't really pay much attention to those things. I know several people who came to town early and toured various parts of the city before the cruise. Not sure what their plans are for after. I wish I had better info to give you :(

Who is the cruise director right now on the Grand?:rolleyes:

Daniel Falconer is the current CD

Happy anniversary! So sorry to hear you had such a negative experience. Hopefully the rest of your cruise will be filled with fun and happy memories. We love the Grand Princess. We board her May 1 for a cruise to celebrate our 25th anniversary. Take good care of her for us.[emoji4]

 

 

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Happy anniversary to you too! I hope that you have a wonderful time :) I'm so envious; I really enjoyed Mexico.

Thanks so much to everyone who has read my post! It's my first go at this, so it's always nice to have support :)

I grew up in So Cal, so we're not doing too much touristy stuff on this cruise. I think if we'd had more time, I would have wanted to go to Disneyland. I haven't been in probably 15 years! We met up with an old friend of mine (actually an ex boyfriend, but we're cool :D). We walked around the Convention Center area and downtown. No drama getting back on the ship this time!!!

Dining experience so far:

I'm really missing my favorite head waiter, Luis. I have food allergies and he took care of me last time I was here. I had to explain to three different people that yes, I really am allergic to onions! It sucks. I think Luis left literally the same day that we got on :( Oh well, I hope he is enjoying a much deserved break! They need to promote him. The junior waiters seem to be much more jovial this time and I have confidence that they'll take good care of me. We were last here in late December, so perhaps they were just missing their families during the holidays. They were just so glum!

As for the food itself, so far so good! Life without onions, onion powder, or anything at all onion related is quite dull, so I have no basis for comparison when it comes to other people's experiences. Tonight's delightful repast is a seafood dish. I'll let you know how it goes.

Nightlife:

Our kids are with their grandparents for this cruise. As such, my husband and I can actually have a life after 8pm! I almost forgot what that was like :p We went to the OneFive Club on deck 15 (get it? One Five). Very original name. It was happy hour and we both got Mai Thais (sp?). They were pretty weak; more like fruit punch. I like fru-fru girly drinks, so the next round was a Tequila Sunrise. Much better! I haven't made it to any of the shows yet. I keep meaning to go, but either dinner takes too long or well, we're on our anniversary.

Tomorrow is San Diego; my home town! I'll try to post a picture or two soon. Take care!

My husband and I are taking this cruise for our 10th anniversary. It's not actually until June, but this is when we had time to go. The only other time we've been on the Grand was on a 10-day trip to Mexico last December. This time around, the atmosphere is a bit more low key than during the holidays! I'm glad to have the quiet :)

We left last Sunday from San Francisco without any problems. Sailing under the Golden Gate is always awesome and always worth ending up with the "wind-blown look!"

Some key points so far:

Knowing that the Grand is an older ship, I expected there to be some signs of wear and tear. I did not, however, expect there to be wet carpet and a moldy smell in our cabin. I had heard of that happening to other people, but we didn't experience it on our last cruise. Now I see what they were talking about! We informed our steward and the problem was rectified immediately. Passenger services sent us chocolate-covered strawberries and an invitation to a meal at one of the specialty restaurants. I thought it was a nice gesture on their part.

On our first sea day, we met up with our Cruise Critic Role Call group. It was nice to finally meet the people I've been corresponding with for the last few weeks. None of the crew or officers showed up, nor were there refreshments. I don't know if they have to be specifically invited or what, but other people mentioned that the captain sometimes shows up to these sorts of things. This was my first experience, so I'll have to wait and see what it's like next time.

Santa Barbara:

I've visited Santa Barbara before, but my husband had not. It was nice taking a walk downtown and on the wharf. The shops are lovely and it was nice to see it again. There's a lot of construction going on! Getting off the ship was easy. The fun ended abruptly when we tried to get back on.

I currently have to wear a wrist brace for tendinitis. There's a metal rod in the brace and I told the crew straight up that I would set off the metal detector. I also set it off on Sunday when we first boarded. They wanded me (on Sunday) and I went on my merry way. I have no problem playing by the rules. This time though, they directed me over to a woman who promptly started to pat me down! She didn't ask first, nor did she explain what was about to happen.

For people like me and others who have suffered assault/abuse, this is an extreme trigger! I immediately told her to stop touching me and use the wand instead. She did so, but was quite rude about it. I also told her that she needs to ask people and tell them before touching them. She brushed off my comments without so much as an apology! I was so unsettled by the experience that I actually started to shake and cry (I'm 34 years old and definitely not prone to crying in public). My husband was also taken aback by her actions. He had to spend the next 30 minutes calming me down. I'm actually a pretty tough person. It takes a lot to get to me, but this is one of the sure-fire ways to do it! The crew clearly needs more sensitivity training in order to avoid upsetting their passengers :mad:

Before we all rush in to victim blame, yes I thought about just taking the brace off, but you know what? My arm hurts! That's the whole point of wearing it. I would rather endure a few moments of pain than go through that ordeal again though. Time for some more ibuprofen and a stiff drink!

All unpleasant things aside, I am enjoying myself so far. I'm excited to see the Day of the Dead Festival that is planned for later (I thought that it was in November, oops). I grew up in San Diego and am looking forward to seeing some family/friends in a couple of days. Tomorrow, we're off to Long Beach!

More as it happens. . . .

Personally? Any meal I don't have to cook is a good meal. Sometimes they are even great or excellent.

 

I don't do "frou-frou" food and I'm not a foodie by any stretch. I'll try something outside my comfort zone so long as it isn't something too far out there for me. I'm not picky, just careful not to give myself indigestion.

 

On the other hand what I consider a very good meal could be boring to down right horrifying to some and vice versa.

 

So what I do is take all I hear on these forums with a grain of salt and then make my own decisions. So far, I haven't really had all that much trouble having a really good meal while on a cruise.

I'm exactly the same! I don't like having to ask what every item on the menu is. I just want something simple and easily recognizable :D I'm also allergic to onions, so my food experience is a bit boring anyway.

My last Princess cruise was on the Grand in December. I found the pheasant to be extremely dry, but mostly everything else was good. The service was painfully slow at certain points, but that might be because we were in anytime dining.

I'm on the same cruise!

I grew up in San Diego. If you haven't been there before, definitely follow other peoples' suggestions of Balboa Park and possibly the zoo. If you go inland, the Wild Animal Park is awesome and in my opinion, much better than the zoo.

Please do not go to Sea World!!! They broke their contract with that area and became so much more commercial than when I used to go there as a kid :(

Definitely check out the beaches; although stay away from Silver Strand. Ick! Pacific Beach, Mission beach, La Jolla (especially the tide pools), and Del Mar are all beautiful.

Old Town is cool; the Gaslamp district is neat, but much neater at night, so you might not make it there. If it's still there, Sea Port village is cool too. I hope you enjoy whatever you do in my home town :)

~Kate

In Manzanillo take tour to Colima/Comala. Goes to ruins etc.

 

In Mazatlan grab a pulmonia for a tour.

 

In PV the big tours are Rhythms of the Night, the Pirate Ship and the city tour.

 

We avoid beach excursions and all inclusive. We've found excellant meals at the mercados in PV, Mazatlan and Manzanillo. Full meals from 50 pesos - 100 pesos per person.

 

The Mexican Riviera board has lots of info.

 

 

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We went on this cruise in December. In PV we went on the pirate ship because we thought our kids would like it (ages 7 and 4). They did not, and neither did the dozens of sea-sick passengers, myself included. I have perfected the art of vomiting discretely! All it does is go across the bay to the beach and back. I have never been so happy to see solid earth in all of my life! That said, there were other people who had a blast. Just my two cents :D

It's more Mexican than the marina in Cabo.

 

 

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I haven't seen Ensenada yet, but I am inclined to agree with you. I found Cabo to be less than inspiring. It's lovely, to be sure, but just not what I was hoping for. Too many chotchkie shops and not enough actual cultural stuff.

Gosh, I guess it's true that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Well, not exactly "beauty" but fun! We had such a great time a couple of years ago on a CA Coastal during our stop in Ensenada. Admittedly, we DO like alcohol, so we visited Hussong's Cantina, reportedly where the margarita was born, and yes, had a margarita. We sat outdoors at a restaurant nearby and ate chips and guacamole while people watching. We walked around and bought a couple of things for Halloween (silly little hats) from the street vendors (who were not pushy in the least--I enjoy the interaction). Then we found a fantastic, rather large restaurant for lunch where they took our chicken off the rotisserie turning in the window. We were with a group of four or five couples, so I'm sure that added to the fun. Still, "fun" is where you find it. And, yes, I guess you can find it with a day at the ship's pool, but I really didn't want everyone to just write off Ensenada. It's not Puerto Vallarta, but you CAN enjoy your time there!

Thank you for your reply! I totally agree that fun is where you find it. I'm not much of a wine/alcohol person, but I do enjoy a drink now and again. It would be neat to see the cantina you mentioned. I'm also sort of curious about La Bufadora (sp?). I'll have to write my own review and let you know what my opinion turns out to be! Oh, and I totally love your quote about dogs :)

Thanks for such a thorough review! My husband and I are going on the coastal cruise in three weeks. This is our 10th wedding anniversary trip, and will be our second time on the Grand. Our cabin is an interior room all the way forward. It was good to know about the motion issue. Hooray for Meclazine!

Everyone I've talked to seems to agree that Ensenada is not the most happening place :p I've never been there myself, but I get the impression that I should just stay and enjoy the ship that day! Maybe we'll go on a quick jaunt to the shopping area. Other parts of Mexico have much more appeal.

I'm sorry to hear that your wife fell. Is she all right now?

~Kate

When I was on the Grand, the "library" seemed so insignificant that one would miss it if you didn't know it was there. Better off taking your own books!

So it sounds like no one liked this stop! We have to spend an entire day in port (insert words of sympathy here). Does anyone have anything good to say about it or recommend?? :eek:

Luis is onboard and I asked him about April. He said April 24 is his last day on the Grand.

 

 

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He is getting off the ship on the 24th, or the 24th is the start of his last cruise? I'll be so sad to miss him! He probably won't remember me, but tell him the lady who is allergic to onions says hi :p It's so sad because I almost went on the cruise you're on now. Oh well, I'm sure someone else will be just as diligent. Thanks for asking him :)

What do you mean, that has nothing to do with why they stop there.

This is why the stop in a foreign port.

 

Passenger Vessel Services Act of 1886

No foreign vessels shall transport passengers between ports or places in the United States, either directly or by way of a foreign port, under a penalty of $200 (now $300) for each passenger so transported and landed. (short explanation)

I learned something new today. Thanks! You gotta love silly laws and their loopholes :D

Yes it was on a Hawaii Cruise

 

Hawaii cruise..4 hour stop

Coastal..7 or 8 am to 5 pm stop

Cool, thanks for the responses. We're going on the Coastal cruise, so it looks like we'll have more time :)

~Kate

It looks like the Grand only spent four hours in Ensenada on this recent trip. Does anyone know why? We're going there next month and I just wondered why they don't spend all day, and what one really does in 4 hours. Thanks :)

I didn't know he was still alive.. :(

I totally laughed out loud at that! If anything, I think Princess is doing him a favor; helping reach a wider, more captive audience! He should be paying them :D

Agree totally! Wonderful not to have to fly. Just had to mention how much we appreciated Luis as well! He was always helpful, even called another dining room and found us a table when the wait was too long. Sure hope he is still working on the Grand when we board on the 19th.

You'll have to let me know if Luis is still there. We'll be back on the Grand in April and I'm hoping he'll be there then. I don't know how many times they change ships though. If he is, will you please ask him if he'll be there in April? I almost went on the March 19th cruise, but it didn't work out. Bon voyage!

~Kate

Is the Rui you are referring to from Portugal? We had a wonderful head waiter on the Royal Princess named Rui, right after the Royal came out, so wondering if it is the same Rui?

He is the Rui from Portugal! I didn't get to interact with him much, but he seemed nice :)

I found out recently that Luigi Moretti will be on the Grand in April. Anyone ever sail with him? I had Rui Pereira last time.

~Kate

The big difference is that when you go out to a restaurant at home you usually eat there for one night and never see the server again.

On a cruise ship we usually have the same server for the 10,15, 20 or more days and see him or her multiple times a day and develop somewhat of a personal relationship with them so we actually CARE that they get to keep their tips.

I have never asked a waiter in a land-based restaurant about their family or their future plans but it's a common conversation (at least for us) on a ship.

Amen! As someone who at least tries to be a conscientious traveler, I do actually really care what the crew goes through.