Live from the Grand, May 10 - 20 SF to Alaska

Sale Away...Friday, May 10, 2013

I arrived at 12 noon and they was already a short line outside the terminal and the only thing that you had to show was an ID. No boarding passes checked until you got to the check-in counter. There was already a lot of people inside. Since their was another ship boarding there was one door for Princess. From my experience I would arrive at 11am and I heard that they started to allow people inside before 12 noon.

The quickest way to Pier 35 and to avoid heavy traffic on the Embarcadero is to come down Bay Street which runs right into the pier.

From my time in the terminal and arrival in my stateroom about 1 hour. I forgot to check my time and missed the 1:30 pm closing time of the MDR and the Horizon had a lot of people but good food.

Remember if your on an elevator and there is a sign inside that says "Reservation" inside to only press one floor button at a time otherwise you will be there for awhile so when you get to one floor then press the button for the next floor that you want. There are elevators with 2 at each end so stand in the middle so you can run to which elevator comes first before the doors close.

I'm in C235 and everything is in order. I bought some refrigerator magnets and they will stick to the wall to hang things. I brought a surge protector power strip to protect any equipment.

There was a good show with the cruise director and a comedian in the Princess Show Room.

I suggested a sale a-way party but never saw anyone else from CC even tho I had a CC sign on my table. Was hoping to meet some other people.

Tomorrow is my first M & G and I met the person that coordinates my event plus there was a letter in my stateroom to confirm our event plus a call in my stateroom. I also left letters at the main desk inviting the principal officers plus I left a letter at the photo department and also confirmed my event with them. I am also doing a slot pull on Sunday and will report as to how that goes.

The crew here has been real friendly which will add to our cruise.

Until tomorrow, Tom:)

Thanks for posting and enjoy the cruise.

Keith

Thanks for the comments. We were on the Grand around SA and loved the ship and its staff

Tom ... thanks for doing the Live From thread. It will be great to read while we are counting the days till we board (as you get off the ship).

Why does the elevator have a "reservation" sign?

Have a wonderful cruise. I watched you leave San Francisco on the webcam yesterday and posted a screen capture of it on your roll call. http://www.webmarin.com/

thank you for the "live from" posts. i'll be on the same cruise on the grand in september so i'm looking forward to reading your experiences and opinions of the ship the ports and the excursions.

you're sure to have a fabulous cruise! hope the seas are calm and the weather is good for you.

cheers

:)Enjoy the Grand! I disembarked yesterday from the Hawaii itinerary, and wished I could have stayed on board. The staff was great, and we had the best time on the Grand.

I'll be following your "Live from" and living vicariously through you.

Deleting message ~ posted to wrong CC group…sorry!

Tom, please explain your statement about the elevators. :confused:

Tom:

Thanks for the updates. I just have one question that only you can answer. What is the weather like outside on deck? We are on next week's cruise to Alaska and would like to know if we need to bring shorts, swimsuits, etc.

Thanks and HAVE FUN!!!!

Ill be in this cruise in July . . . Looking forward to read about your experience in prep for mine

My husband and I will be going on June 9 to Alaska on the Princess Grand for our anniversary. We have been on two cruises out of Galveston,which we drove to from San Antonio. We will be flying out to San Francisco,any tips or pointers for us as we have never flown to take a cruise before...and yes very excited and a little worried too!

Tom, please explain your statement about the elevators. :confused:

Thanks Pia! I thought it was just me. ;)

weseacruzin....you will love the cruise to alaska. the scenery, ports and wildlife are spectacular. why are you worried? are you flying to san francisco the day before the cruise or are you flying in the morning of the cruise. there's nothing to worry about. there really isn't a cruise terminal in san francisco. the ship docks at pier 35 which has been there forever. sf is building a new cruise terminal but it won't be operational for awhile. the pier can be hectic with passengers leaving and arriving and all sorts of ground transportation vehicles parked in front of the pier however, it all gets sorted out and eveyone gets to where they are going. i wouldn't worry about it.

i'm going on this cruise in september but i've also taken other cruises from san francisco. i also lived in the bay area for 20 years. if you have anymore questions, i'll try to answer them.

cheers

Hope you enjoy the cruise. We will be on the Grand to Alaska in late June. Can you tell me if they are offering the wine packages on the sailing??

Tim

Thanks NorthPhoenixGuy, we will be flying in the morning of the cruise.We were told to meet at the baggage claims area for our transfer. When we return from the cruise we are staying a few nights in San Francisco...This will be an anniversary to remember for sure!!!

OP;

Thanks for taking the time to post your thoughts. Have a wonderful cruise and I look forward to reading your future observations.....:):):)

Bob

Thanks Pia! I thought it was just me. ;)

Considering I got off the Grand on March 16th after 49 days, what he wrote confused me. In my LIVE I commented several times about how there was never one complete functioning elevator bank, especially forward where you could always expect one or two out of order. We will just wait for Tom's response.

My husband and I will be going on June 9 to Alaska on the Princess Grand for our anniversary. We have been on two cruises out of Galveston,which we drove to from San Antonio. We will be flying out to San Francisco,any tips or pointers for us as we have never flown to take a cruise before...and yes very excited and a little worried too!

Just be sure to check your airlines policies for luggage (size, weight, costs). Each one has their own policies. Some airlines when measuring include the height of the wheels, some don't.

We are going to be on the Grand in 7 days!!! Oh my gosh, I can't believe we are this close.

I have a cruising blog of all of my research for this cruise and for the Coastal cruises we are doing next year. Most pertains to this cruise, but is a work in progress. My research has been over a year in the works. Here's the link if you would like to see it:

http://cruising.kreateskards.com/

Tom posted a great map of the SF Airport on his roll call, I will share it here for you too. It shows taxi areas, baggage etc.

You are going to have such a wonderful cruise.

One recommendation I have is to pack a snack or pick up at snack at the airport. Seems San Francisco is somewhat enforcing the staggered boarding, so you may have a bit of a wait before being allowed in the terminal. Some have commented that they dropped their luggage off at the pier, then walked over to Pier 39 to enjoy the view etc.

We are flying in the day before ... there is going to be so much to do and see from start to finish. What a wonderful way to celebrate your anniversary. Happy Anniversary.

Considering I got off the Grand on March 16th after 49 days, what he wrote confused me. In my LIVE I commented several times about how there was never one complete functioning elevator bank, especially forward where you could always expect one or two out of order. We will just wait for Tom's response.

What I believe the OP is talking about is the fact that the central bank of elevators is "reserved" for embarking passengers and they would like those who are already boarded to use the aft and forward elevators to leave the center bank free.

What I believe the OP is talking about is the fact that the central bank of elevators is "reserved" for embarking passengers and they would like those who are already boarded to use the aft and forward elevators to leave the center bank free.

All reserved elevators have operators in them and they won't allow anyone on them other than oncoming passengers. These elevators are being operated manually. They are not just middle elevators; forwards are used too.

Thanks for doing a live review...sounds like you had the same experience in the elevators that you are describing...and that using the elevators may require some training... :):):):)

Grand Princess Alaska...May 10 -20

At Sea...Saturday, May 11, 2013

I'm writing this on Sunday to explain my Saturday. I ordered room service and remember you can order things not on the order form by just writing it on the order form. Nice to sit on my balcony and enjoy a meal.

Went to my first M & G and was surprised because people came in groups. Their was some of the officers present including the Captain who stayed around to talk with other people. We did one photo with other cameras of the first group as I asked the ships photographers to came 1/2 hour after our M & G time and they took photos with part of the 1st group mixed with the second group. I found that Their may be other activities that may conflict with your meeting but this was my first M & G where most of the people were not there at the same time which was disappointing for me with the Captain and other officers there and a small group of people.

The evening show was a musical of the Jerseys Boys with many songs presented with 4 men who worked and singed well together. A great show especially if you liked the old music.

Later in the evening I went to the One 5 club and a nice lady asked me to dance. A good mix of music but does it have to be so loud?

A note from Embarkation.....We were delayed 2 hrs., I was told by the Captain, because of slow baggage handlers so some of us with early dinner missed sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge.

Next posting I will explain the slot pull that I organized that was lots of fun.

See you soon!

No Internet today so I am writing on Sunday Evening.

At Sea...Sunday, May 12, 2013

This afternoon 14 people from our M & G group met for a slot pull, the first one I have organized, with lots of fun. First I mentioned the rules and we agreed to put our room keys into a bag and turn in $15 each at the same time. I had a spread sheet with people's first names and cabin numbers on it. We took all of the money and got large bills which I fed into the machine.

I drew out the first name and then each player drew the next card out. We used a $1 Wheel of Fortune machine and each person had 5 spins on the machine. Two people got a spin on the wheel and at one point we lost track of how many turns they had. Their was a lot of cheering for each person. At the end each person got $19 back plus the person with the most money on their spin got an extra $12.80. All in all everybody enjoyed themselves and I'm glad that it was fun for everyone.

Interesting Ice Carving with 2 gentlemen from the Philippines today which was fun.

I went to a wine tasting in the afternoon and we tasted 6 different types of wines plus I had a $5 off coupon so it was nice to get a discount.

As I was ready to leave for dinner tonight there was a knock on my door and to my surprise I was given a bottle of champaign and snacks as a gift from Luigi Moretti, Matre d Hotel, which was a nice surprise. He was at our M & G. Now to figure out what I will do with the bottle, perhaps to share it with our next M & G.

Tonight was formal with a champagne party in the atrium with the captain poring champaign.

Good music show tonight and at the end the Cruise Director Warren Smith came on stage and I said something to him and I was brought up on stage and asked to sing a song. Well why not have fun.

We gain 1 hr. tonight.

Now there are the horns of the ship going off as you can't see very far.

Tomorrow we arrive in Ketchikan at 7 am.

Until there is Internet again.

Tom:)

Tom, loving your review. Thank you so much for doing this.

You can follow their journey on the Grand Princess Webcam: http://www.princess.com/bridgecams/ap/grand_bridgecam.html

Also found a site, that has live port cams of the places they will be:

Juneau:

http://www.kroooz-cams.com/portcams/us/juneau.php

Skagway:

http://kroooz-cams.com/portcams/us/skagway.php

Ketchikan:

http://www.kroooz-cams.com/portcams/us/ketchikan.php

Victoria – Royal BC Museum Webcam (altho not the port, you can at least see weather conditions etc)

http://royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/web-cam/

[/url] http://www.webmarin.com/

This is the webcam for San Francisco …. If it is NOT foggy, you will be able to see the ship when they come back to San Francisco and again later that day when we board and leave San Francisco.

Only 7 more days for us!!!!

Looking forward to more of your review.

I have heard that the water can be rough. How is it?

I'm curious too about the sea motion from San Francisco up.

We've been twice before but always from Seattle. We never felt the motion was any worse or better than our cruises to Mexican Riveria.

http://www.kroooz-cams.com/portcams/us/ketchikan.php

They are docking today at pier 3 ... looks like they are there now.