lrm

Most frequent cruisers are either retired, or own a business (and have employees to do the actual "work") or work for the government and get 6-8 weeks of vacation time (paid by our taxes!) per year!

Since I am a retired government employee and my husband is still a government employee--I take exception to your comment. Both of us earned and paid for our benefits and pay a significant amount of taxes. My DH has over 1,000 hours of possible time off saved because he can't be away from his job more than a couple of weeks a year since he is busy "serving the public".

Me too!

In fact, the last travel show I saw on TC with Samantha Brown was when the Oasis first came out and she did a "show" on it. More like a commercial.

Samantha Brown is now the "Travel Ambassador" for AARP and can be found at the AARP Life @ 50+ conventions. We saw her in Las Vegas last year and will see her again in San Diego in Sept. She showed us pictures of her twins--really cute. She does have good information and takes questions--within reason.

I bought 4 table runners in 2005 (for 4 seasons) and they are all in excellent shape. Very pretty.

Thank you, Dave, for your quick reply! I hope to find that you are on board the Grand in March 2015.

I read that Dave and Elua went to Japan for 2014. Does anyone know where they will be for 2015? Will there be any Hawaiian duo on the Grand for 2015?

I need fresh air when I sleep--always have windows open at home. For us it is always a balcony......just a personal choice. We are not interested in a suite....but would feel too closed in to have an inside cabin.

My DH (7 yrs younger) plans to work for a few more years--but I retired 12/2012. I cleaned our house, etc. for 3 months, bought a new car and went to work part time. I decide which days I want to work, so that is very nice! We both love to cruise and travel. Our bucket list includes cruising (Hawaii 3/2015), buying a travel trailer to visit states we have not seen, taking a train across Canada.....and more cruising!

We still have 3 college students and our 3 year old grandchild at home. They keep us very busy as well. I am not really looking forward to having an empty nest.

I do recommend you break down and acquire a small quantity of dryer sheets for your cruise. I had to change my -one and only - detergent brand for cruising. I now use the Purex all in one sheets for cruises when we have to fly. Just use half a softener sheet in the dryer....get unscented ones.

Thanks for the info! I will buy a small box of the unscented softener sheets and will first try the half sheet idea at home.

Do the Purex all in one sheets also have softener in them?

I thought about using the gel pods--but found a travel size bottle of my detergent--and since we won't have to fly this time -- I will use that. I am not sure what to do about the softener....I have always used a liquid and I am not a fan of the dryer sheets!

Thanks!

Are the laundry machines on the Grand front loading--or top loading? Do you need "HE" soap? I prefer to bring my own--so I was wondering.

But those of us that are like that really don't stress over it, we really get just as much enjoyment from planning as we do the cruise!

 

The cruise I just booked is slightly less than a year away, the shortest wait time we've had, so I'm in total planning mode. I've got my binder all done up, our itinerary printed, driving instructions to the port (first time driving, not flights or hotels for us!), excursion ideas, packing lists, planned outfits to wear, and sample restaurant menus. I've read reviews of the ship, seen countless pictures, and learned deck plans. Like a PP said, I get a little bummed when everything is all planned!

 

Luckily DH is happy to just sit back and let me obsess, as long as I don't give him too much information, he likes the surprise!

Exactly! I love the whole process! I plan all our family land trips and cruises--and have a very good time doing so!! My DH kids me about it--but he also brags to friends and coworkers about the deals I find and the fun adventures we have.

It was down a few days ago as well. Guess they are having IT problems--or are making some big changes!

For anyone thinking that this punishment may have been harsh...think about it for a moment:

 

They woke myself, my wife and all the other 4000 passengers on the ship up at 0400. Then, the whole crew, whether they had worked all night and not slept or whatever, had to be woken up at 0600. Then they banged on everyone's doors looking for this little brat. It got to the point where the cruise director was practically pleading with him to present himself and everyone was very very concerned that something bad had happened to him. Now, with passengers and crew, there were more than 5000 people whose lives were affected by this in a negative way. Of course, its not that big of a deal, mind you, but it did make for a very long day in port for many. The whole ordeal lasted almost 4 hours for everyone.

 

All of that being said, he didn't deserve to remain on the ship at all, especially since he and his friends were simply ignoring the pleas of a lot of worried people.

 

My wife spoke with the Captain and First Officer in Cozumel and they verified that he was hiding from them the whole time and that he and his family were removed from the ship. They also said that he was NOT found passed out on drugs in an elevator.

 

This is what is referred to as "Poetic justice."

 

Good day!

Maybe--just maybe--the boy was hiding from a really bad situation with his parents. I have learned not to make assumptions--especially where children are involved. He may not have picked the best route--but it may have been his cry for help. The people that hid him may have thought they were helping to "save" him.

Thank you to those who answered the question as I asked it!

We are not going during any holidays (March 2015)--and do not want to eat in the specialty restaurants.

I thought maybe someone who has been on the Grand recently could tell me when the formal nights were.

As others stated mattress's are replaced on an ongoing basis never all at once. So your chances of getting a new one are 50/50. :(

That is better than no chance at all!

We would like to know which nights have previously been formal attire nights on the Grand Princess 15 day RT Hawaii? We want to celebrate our anniversary on one of those nights.

We found it is better to schedule for the afternoon due to fog/overcast. It is worth the cost!

Thanks for the replies. We will be in a Baha balcony cabin--hope we get a comfy pillow-top. I also hope we don't need the topper--but it is good to know they are still available.

I was wondering when the bedding was last updated on the Grand? Did all the cabins receive new mattresses and sheets, etc. during the recent dry dock - or just the suites? Do you still need the foam topper?

I love "Happy"--it always makes me want to dance--and I always smile when I hear it. There is a video made by a cruising family--with this song--that is really cute.

Cheer up folks--life is short!

Retirement party today. My cake had an RC ship on it. Getting closer.

 

 

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Very nice! Congratulations!

We went to Alaska in August--and did not need 1/2 the clothing we brought! I would recommend hiking boots of some sort--and a warm jacket (with a hood). We were lucky and did not run into any rain....but we brought disposable ponchos just in case. I wish we were there now!

Thanks for the wonderful pictures.....they bring back fond memories!