LIVE from the Grand Princess - 49 days from FLL thru South America to SFO

[Kiwi Kruzer]

Next sector...

Buenos Aries to Valparaiso

 

[sonnenschein]

Hi Pia, thank you for your nice and informative reports, I am "traveling" with you daily. :o I know you have better things to do than answering questions about the ship, but I hope you have a minute to help me. I just booked the ship for a 10 day coastal 3/31 but was only able to get cabin B428 right by the mid ship elevator,which is o.k. with me. My worry is the cabin layout, only twin beds configuration with NO nightstand. We are only 2 passengers but the cabin will sleep 4, I guess these are beds coming down from the ceiling.Maybe you can have a quick peek into the cabin and give me your opinion, should I keep it or cancel.Your help is very much appreciated. The other Gloria:)

[Impressionists]

Hi Pia, thank you for your nice and informative reports, I am "traveling" with you daily. :o I know you have better things to do than answering questions about the ship, but I hope you have a minute to help me. I just booked the ship for a 10 day coastal 3/31 but was only able to get cabin B428 right by the mid ship elevator,which is o.k. with me. My worry is the cabin layout, only twin beds configuration with NO nightstand. We are only 2 passengers but the cabin will sleep 4, I guess these are beds coming down from the ceiling.Maybe you can have a quick peek into the cabin and give me your opinion, should I keep it or cancel.Your help is very much appreciated. The other Gloria:)

 

Hi Gloria, we have cruised on the Grand in 2007 in one of these cabins with twin beds. If my memory serves me well, it was on deck 12 A401(balcony) and as this was before the refit in 2010, we had two beds which pulled down from the ceiling above us. In 2011 we sailed on her again (Aloha deck balcony cabin midships near the lift well) and had one queen size bed with no sign of the pull down beds. If you have a look at the deck plans you will see that the red dot indicates the cabins which accommodate extra passengers. Your B428 has that red dot. We found the twin beds quite good for a change although on every subsequent cruise we have chosen the queen bed option. We also like that bedside table. Hope this helps a little.

Cheers Lorri.

[sonnenschein]

Hi Gloria, we have cruised on the Grand in 2007 in one of these cabins with twin beds. If my memory serves me well, it was on deck 12 A401(balcony) and as this was before the refit in 2010, we had two beds which pulled down from the ceiling above us. In 2011 we sailed on her again (Aloha deck balcony cabin midships near the lift well) and had one queen size bed with no sign of the pull down beds. If you have a look at the deck plans you will see that the red dot indicates the cabins which accommodate extra passengers. Your B428 has that red dot. We found the twin beds quite good for a change although on every subsequent cruise we have chosen the queen bed option. We also like that bedside table. Hope this helps a little.

Cheers Lorri.

Thank you Lorri, I love cruise critics, there is always somebody around to help with questions. We have sailed the Grand before too, but I never had a room with NO nightstands or overhead beds. Having twin beds does not bother me to much and since we are not 6 foot tall people we hopefully will not bump our heads on the overhead beds. There are no choices left, the balcony cabins have all been sold out :confused: My TA is holding also cabin A205,but that cabin is all the way in the front which I really don't like, so I will stick with the mid ship one and hope for the best. Thanks again for your help,Gloria:)

[Impressionists]

Thank you Lorri, I love cruise critics, there is always somebody around to help with questions. We have sailed the Grand before too, but I never had a room with NO nightstands or overhead beds. Having twin beds does not bother me to much and since we are not 6 foot tall people we hopefully will not bump our heads on the overhead beds. There are no choices left, the balcony cabins have all been sold out :confused: My TA is holding also cabin A205,but that cabin is all the way in the front which I really don't like, so I will stick with the mid ship one and hope for the best. Thanks again for your help,Gloria:)

 

Hi again, Gloria.

The 3rd and 4th beds are stored in the ceiling. No worries about bumping your head. They have a storage alcove just behind your pillow that I suppose is instead of a night stand. The only problem we had in 2007 was bad weather coming out of Greenland. The bunk beds in the cabin below ours fell out of the ceiling. Gave me a huge fright in the middle of the night. An almighty bang and shudder. I can only surmise how the people in the cabin below us felt. I agree with keeping to midships, we always go that way, you don't want to be going up and down the waves in a cabin too far forward. Enjoy your cruise. Cheers, Lorri.

[Cruisin' Chick]

Thank you Lorri, I love cruise critics, there is always somebody around to help with questions. We have sailed the Grand before too, but I never had a room with NO nightstands or overhead beds. Having twin beds does not bother me to much and since we are not 6 foot tall people we hopefully will not bump our heads on the overhead beds. There are no choices left, the balcony cabins have all been sold out :confused: My TA is holding also cabin A205,but that cabin is all the way in the front which I really don't like, so I will stick with the mid ship one and hope for the best. Thanks again for your help,Gloria:)

 

Not sure if this helps, but we just had an inside A732 on the Golden that had the 3rd and 4th bed that came down from the wall. Here's the bed my daughter used when it was in the down position (the steward takes it down while passengers are at dinner and puts it back up the next morning):

 

Here it is back up:

 

We didn't have a problem with it being in the way during the day. We did have two nightstands between our beds.

 

 

　Tonight’s entertainment is a comic guitarist in the theater, the movie The Master in Vista and again and again and again………The Hunger Games on MUTS. How many times are they going to keep showing this movie? Does Princess really think the passengers are intothe Hunger Games?

 

 

　

Gotta go.

 

The Hunger Games was listed on our first day's Patters for our December cruise (14 days) as being one of the MUTS movies. But as it turned out, was never listed for the actual day it was shown late at night, which turned out to be a teen night at the movies. If it had been shown earlier at night when there was decent weather (which didn't happen most nights anyway on our cruise), I was planning to drag hubby as he hadn't seen it. I had taken my daughter to it, as she was too sick last March when her friends all went. Then we watched it on DVD (both times I knew when to hide my eyes as I did sneak a read of the book beforehand).

It was shown in the Princess Theater one afternoon, so I went for the last hour with my lunch's dessert. I was surprised that there were many passengers watching it (and not necessarily teens).

[Impressionists]

Gloria, I have found this photo of one side of the cabin with the single bunk. You can see in the ceiling the place where the top bunks are kept. Cheers, Lorri

Sorry does not look like I can upload that photo.

 

[sonnenschein]

Lorri thank you again, but I am so upset I can't sleep, I found a picture of cabin b428 on the Grand and can't believe what I am seeing. The cabin does not look anything like a regular balcony cabin, I thought they would move one of the beds against the wall ,removing the nightstand and leaving a small walkway between both beds but otherwise the cabin would look the same, NOT SO!!!:eek:As you walk into the cabin there is a bed on the right and one on the left wall with a walkway in between, looks like a long hallway,real ugly and I bet you the square footage is smaller then other balcony cabins. I can't believe princess does not inform passengers of the changes to the cabin, just mentioning "twin beds" and then charging the same price as a regular cabin and showing a picture of a normal balcony cabin when entering the room number is fraudulent.I am not taking this ugly room and since I just put it on my charge card this morning they better give me back my money or find me a better room. Pooh, I got that of my chest,this would have been my 28th Princess cruise :confused: looks like I might have to stay home, Gloria

[Pia1913]

Saturday February 16th and what appears to be the beginning of another warm and sunny day at sea. It is exactly 3 weeks that we boarded the Grand in Ft. Lauderdale. There are days that I think we just got here and others that feel like we’ve been here forever.

　

Last night we decided to take a peek at Dan Riley, who was billed as a comic guitarist. We took seats that would enable a quick getaway, but ended up staying for his entire show. He is entertaining. He changes lyrics to well known songs (mostly old rock and roll) and there is comedy involved. He was different and we enjoyed it.

　

All kinds of stuff this morning, but we have our 2nd M & G scheduled to conflict with everything. Sammi will be doing a rundown of What’s in Store for the second segment and following this there is a destination lecture on Puerto Madryn. I am seriously thinking of not attending the M & G. Would that be a major offense? Also this morning is a fruit and veggie carving demo and assorted dance classes and spa seminars.

　

John Maxtone-Graham returns this afternoon with a lecture titled “Safe Return Doubtful, Part I”; the ruckus over the North Pole. Also, another pop choir rehearsal is beginning, another beginners Spanish class and the movie The Princess Bride on MUTS.

　

Tonight, it’s another “why the H do they schedule two things which overlap and make like difficult?” There’s a comedian, Richie Minervini doing three shows and British Invasion doing 3 shows. In order to see both it means racing from one to the other and of course not being able to get decent seating for whatever you choose as second choice. I hate when that happens. It’s also formal night. Again.

　

BTW, still no salt and pepper shakers or extra silverware displayed, so I presume there’s still a gastro problem on board. I have a problem with the folding of the toilet paper and Kleenex and have requested my steward not to do it. He says it’s mandatory. I never ever use anything that has been folded. That Kleenex that you hold in your hand and put near your mouth, was folded by someone who emptied the trash and used a dirty rag to clean the floor. And the toilets. I might be a bit paranoid, but I’m someone who is aware of cleanliness to the nth degree and as mentioned previously, wash my hands dozens of times a day.

　

OK. Finished spouting for now. Time to wash my hands (hahaha) and get something to eat.

[Impressionists]

Hi Gloria, sorry to hear you are disappointed. Yes the beds, as I remember it, run from the hallway end toward the balcony. Not as usual with the queen beds which run across the cabin. Sorry I could not post my photos that I had found. will have to take a course in uploading to the boards. They show my hubby sitting in the one chair in front of the balcony door. As you walk into the cabin we were faced with the wardrobe area, turn to your right and the bathroom was in front of you and then just to the left of that was the entrance to the cabin proper. Walkway between the beds and beyond them was the desk one side (with stool under). the usual one backed chair and the fridge, tv on the other side. Definetly not the ambiance of the queen cabins. Hope you find an alternative. As you said Cruise Critic is a fantastic forum for finding out what you want to know. Happy future cruising. Regards Lorri.

[Pia1913]

Do I get tarred and feathered? Yes, I opted not to attend the M & G and go to Sammi’s and Julio’s lectures instead. Julio I could have missed. His accent gets stronger as we progress and there is so much I just don’t catch. I also left the Maxtone-Graham lecture less than half way through it. Very boring. Perhaps some of it is due to the niggling little cough that has invaded my throat and the tightness in my chest which is suggestive of some upcoming URI. So far head is clear and several hours sitting in the sun on my balcony (with some help from Tylenol) has thus far helped a bit. Meanwhile, I am missing trivia and may very well miss dinner too. I have enough of a food surplus in me to last quite a long time.

Albeit still afternoon, I bid thee all adieu until tomorrow.

[5326jan]

I think wine is a cure for that! If it gets worse, there's always honey, lemon and tea..... long island tea!:D

[sonnenschein]

Hi Gloria, sorry to hear you are disappointed. Yes the beds, as I remember it, run from the hallway end toward the balcony. Not as usual with the queen beds which run across the cabin. Sorry I could not post my photos that I had found. will have to take a course in uploading to the boards. They show my hubby sitting in the one chair in front of the balcony door. As you walk into the cabin we were faced with the wardrobe area, turn to your right and the bathroom was in front of you and then just to the left of that was the entrance to the cabin proper. Walkway between the beds and beyond them was the desk one side (with stool under). the usual one backed chair and the fridge, tv on the other side. Definetly not the ambiance of the queen cabins. Hope you find an alternative. As you said Cruise Critic is a fantastic forum for finding out what you want to know. Happy future cruising. Regards Lorri.

Lorri, I switched to a cabin in the front on Aloha deck,never been that far front before,hoping for calm seas,last cabin available but my TA will keep a close look at incomming cancelations which are still coming in according to her contact at Princess.Hoping for the best, Gloria:)

[Impressionists]

Lorri, I switched to a cabin in the front on Aloha deck,never been that far front before,hoping for calm seas,last cabin available but my TA will keep a close look at incomming cancelations which are still coming in according to her contact at Princess.Hoping for the best, Gloria:)

 

Gloria, good to hear you found an alternate cabin. I wish for calm seas for you also. Lorri:)

[hillslife]

Hi Pia..,saw this on another thread today...we're you at the M&G Greet...is this the way it happened....

 

At today's Meet & Greet, Capt. Herriott threatened expulsion from the ship of anyone observed in public organizing or collecting for privately organized tours. Now to be fair, this is the 49 day South America cruise, and there are mostly experienced cruisers aboard. Many did set up tables at our M&G to collect final payments. By some estimates we have organized 100 private tours, and I suppose it has been noticed by ShoreEx figures. The company considers it competition, and the warning may have originated at headquarters. Left in doubt is can we even hold up a name sign at ports of call to assemble our groups. In any event, this message was delivered sternly and unfriendly. Anyone organizing tours should take this into account.

 

Dolores

[jollyjones]

In Pia's latest post, she stated clearly that she opted to miss the M&G, altho' I guess she'll hear all about it when she feels well enough to be out and about - I hope she can fill us in then!

 

To Pia - here's hoping your little cough turns into a tiny passing nothing.

[MilliesMom]

Pia .. have there been any additional problems with the elevators?

 

We just made our final payment today for the Grand to Alaska. Can't wait.

[Shadavi]

Hi Pia..,saw this on another thread today...we're you at the M&G Greet...is this the way it happened....

 

At today's Meet & Greet, Capt. Herriott threatened expulsion from the ship of anyone observed in public organizing or collecting for privately organized tours.

Dolores

 

:eek:Must be serious for the Captain to attend the M&G. I have NEVER known a captain to attend a M&G - especially on Princess. Wouldn't be surprised if it has come from Carnival HQ. Some big changes right across the lines.

[Colo Cruiser]

:eek:Must be serious for the Captain to attend the M&G. I have NEVER known a captain to attend a M&G - especially on Princess. Wouldn't be surprised if it has come from Carnival HQ. Some big changes right across the lines.

 

 

We have had the Captain almost all of our M&G's.

[2 to cruise]

We have had the Captain almost all of our M&G's.

 

 

Same here, Captain has attended the Meet and Greet!

[Gaznjo]

Depends how good your meet and greet organiser is..... On our 2011wc we had all the top staff ..... Anne our cc organiser sent them invites as soon as she boarded the ship

[trbarton]

Depends how good your meet and greet organiser is..... On our 2011wc we had all the top staff ..... Anne our cc organiser sent them invites as soon as she boarded the ship

 

As the organizer for our M & G I have letters made out to ALL of the primary officers. I will leave them at the main desk when I board the ship. I have done M & G before but never had the captain show up so we'll see what happens.

 

I have a list of officers from Pia who is on a 49 day cruise so I will check before our cruise to see if there are any changes.

 

Tom:)

[trbarton]

When you print out your boarding tags please post if there is anything about the wine limit.

 

Tom:)

[Pia1913]

Cough cough. Sniffle sniffle. There’s something brewing, but it hasn’t yet blossomed completely. Perhaps I chased it away with last night’s dinner; hamburger, fries and pinot grigio.

　

We’re back in Argentina. Good morning from Puerto Madryn; about halfway between Buenos Aires and Cape Horn, along the

Atlantic coast. This is considered the gateway to Patagonia. The

cty has approx. 100,000 residents and was founded in 1865 by Parry Madryn, a Welsh immigrant. Welsh influence is still pervasive in this part of Patagonia, where the language is still spoken and there are Church of England religious services held on a regular basis. The tradition of tea time is still upheld and there are many tea houses in this area.

　

The harbor is dominated by a huge smelter that produces aluminum from bauxite ore shipped in from Australia, Suriname and other countries, and which is powered by hydroelectric dams in the Andes (hundreds of miles to the west)

　

There are two major attractions here:

1. Punta Tombo Nature Reserve - the place to see hundreds of thousands of Magellan penguins. This being February, we are in the midst if mating season, since in April is when they start to migrate to warmer climates such as Uruguay and Brazil.

　

2. Paleontological Museum - This museum has a collection which includes 12 complete dinosaur skeletons, petrified bones weighing up to 50lbs. And fossils that form a 300 million year history of Patagonia.

　

As of now we have no plans to venture ashore. But of course there’s nothing happening aboardduring the day except, guess what; The Hunger Games. YIKES! Tonight, we hope to see the movie Argo, which will be in Vista; two showing, at 7:30 and again at 10:00. The theater has Jeffrey Allen who is billed as a tribute act to Elton John. I am presuming he plays the piano. MUTS is showing Pitch Perfect.

　

HC is quite crowded this morning and the salt and pepper shakers have returned. The outside temperature has dropped; really dropped. To us it is already brrrrrrrrr.

　

Dolores: I have no first hand knowledge of what was or was not said at the M & G since I didn’t go. I can’t imagine the shorex office being denied revenue because of private tours, since they are totally sold out of everything for each and every port. And have been so since the beginning. Lots of passengers who are not experienced travelers have been very upset since they came aboard and nothing was available for them to book.

To all you folks who keep asking the same questions over and over and over, please be advised that my minutes are what's doing this LIVE; nothing gratis. So if you would please just read, your answers are there before you ask them.

Re: Capt at M & G. Tony Herriott always attends them unless something dire is occurring. He was at the first one too. And Shadavi, I don'tknow who sets up your meetings, but if you've never had a captain attend something is wrong.

Now it's time to feed my cold.

[pegpowell]

I've never been at a M&G where the Captain attended. I know that personal invitations were extended for some of them, but I have never been the organizer.