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

[Gimer]

Lovespositano, "FUNCH" was in the Crooners Lounge.

[Travelrd]

brian...if you'd like to contact me off the cc postings, here is my email: dirosen44@gmail.com

 

cheers

[trbarton]

Hi, Brian

Keep me in mind too! We are taking our whole family to AK on the Grand in July and I'm a little nervous about some of the feedback I've received re: food and "wetness" in some cabin areas. :eek: There are 20 of us and, naturally, I want everything to be perfect...:cool:

XOXO

Maureen

 

Moureen:

 

I just got off the Grand today. If you can be specific with your questions I'll try and answer them.

 

Tom:)

[trbarton]

TOM, Thanks for handling the Meet & Greet, Slot Pull and 2nd Meet & Greet/Exchange. You not only got Captain Tony to attend, but also his Hotel Mgr. Leo, Cruise Director Warren, 2 Paramedics and the Ship's Photographer. You did GOOD :D. I found out that I'll be cruising with Capt. Tony later on Emerald Princess, Sept 26, 2013, Copenhagen to NY. Spoke to the two Paramedics. One from NY and the other is from Seattle. Seems they can cover the ship faster. CD Warren was a real KICK. Fast wit and very funny. He was a professional ballroom dancer and he taught the Merengue dance class. Like you, the boarding was fast. We dropped off our luggage at 11:15. Return at 12:15 and sent to the check in counter for our Cruise Card. In our stateroom by 12:30. I was scheduled for Staggered Boarding 2 to 3pm. Today, getting off was even faster. Scheduled for 8 am Walkoff. Got off at 8:10, picked up my car at 8:30 and home to Walnut Creek at exactly 9:25 am. This cruise was the smoothest ever, out of 6 cruises to Alaska. Max Sea State was no more that 5 feet. Thanks again TOM. See you cruising in the future. Gimer

 

 

Gimer:

 

Thanks for your kind words. Glad that I could plan events. Hope to see you again.

 

Tom:D

[Travelrd]

tom...i felt really silly wishing you a good flight home before i realized you live in sf. thanks again for wonderful postings from your "grand" cruise. i can't wait until september.

 

cheers

[madjohn]

Thanks for the tread, it was good to read.

 

Grand has gotten some negative posts recently, could you give us an over all review of the ship shapeness of the ship.

[meemeec]

Moureen:

 

I just got off the Grand today. If you can be specific with your questions I'll try and answer them.

 

Tom:)

 

I had a report from someone I know, who sailed on the Grand recently, that there were leaks in the ceilings and water was running down the walls (they were A deck aft). Wet carpets and fans running continuously. More recently friends commented that the food quality was subpar and they noticed a lack of vegetables on their dinners! Never had a hot meal and speaking to the dining room captain was not helpful. Usually, I take these kinds of complaints as possibly a 'one of a kind' experience, however, both of these sources are Elite Princess and are not typically easily rattled by things.

Thanks for taking the time to do your "live".

Maureen

[trbarton]

madjohn....The ship is a little worn and needs touch up. My balcony deck needed work with painting and you could see rust spots. But overall things were fine in my opinion.

 

Maureen.....I was on deck 10 and saw a few ceiling links but nothing major. I never saw any fans or wet carpet. I felt that the food was excellent. Even the soup was so hot you needed to wait to eat it. I found no problems with food not being hot. And I would notice those kind of things as I have worked in food service and graduated from culinary school and these are the kind of things that I notice because food that is not hot enough is not safe. I realize that every one has different reactions but I can only speak from my experience and training. People at my table remarked as to how good and tasty the food was. I never heard any complaints about any of the meals.

 

Tom:)

[MauiLvrs]

20 people!! You're either a saint or you're crazy!! :D

Or ... starting a saint and ending crazy :eek:

 

There are 20 of us and, naturally, I want everything to be perfect...:cool:

Maureen

If you have a flexible perfect ... will help you remain a saint.

Having organized a number of large family trips ... we've discovered a flexible perfection and adjustable expectations lead to a significantly more enjoyable experience for all... :)

[meemeec]

Or ... starting a saint and ending crazy :eek:

 

 

If you have a flexible perfect ... will help you remain a saint.

Having organized a number of large family trips ... we've discovered a flexible perfection and adjustable expectations lead to a significantly more enjoyable experience for all... :)

Your description of "flexible perfect" describes us to a 'T' !!! Adjustable expectations R US!! I love the way you have defined our perfect way to travel.

Taking our whole family on a cruise has been a dream for a few years and we've finally been able to make it happen. Our love of cruising is something we want to share with them and so I'd like everything to be fairly seamless. Maureen

[meemeec]

madjohn....The ship is a little worn and needs touch up. My balcony deck needed work with painting and you could see rust spots. But overall things were fine in my opinion.

 

Maureen.....I was on deck 10 and saw a few ceiling links but nothing major. I never saw any fans or wet carpet. I felt that the food was excellent. Even the soup was so hot you needed to wait to eat it. I found no problems with food not being hot. And I would notice those kind of things as I have worked in food service and graduated from culinary school and these are the kind of things that I notice because food that is not hot enough is not safe. I realize that every one has different reactions but I can only speak from my experience and training. People at my table remarked as to how good and tasty the food was. I never heard any complaints about any of the meals.

 

Tom:)

 

Thanks, Tom! I already feel better! The food thing is always so subjective and I'm reluctant to even ask about it since we've had 30 Princess cruises and never had a bad meal!!The leaking in the hallways and rooms was another matter and I am relieved to hear you saw no issues.

Thanks for your response.

Maureen

[BEAV]

I had a report from someone I know, who sailed on the Grand recently, that there were leaks in the ceilings and water was running down the walls (they were A deck aft). Wet carpets and fans running continuously. More recently friends commented that the food quality was subpar and they noticed a lack of vegetables on their dinners! Never had a hot meal and speaking to the dining room captain was not helpful. Usually, I take these kinds of complaints as possibly a 'one of a kind' experience, however, both of these sources are Elite Princess and are not typically easily rattled by things.

Thanks for taking the time to do your "live".

Maureen

 

We were off yesterday's first Alaska sailing of Grand. Although not near our cabin on the aft of deck 10, we did notice wet carpets, fans and mildew odors in the corridor more midship. That situation improved greatly toward the end of the voyage vs. beginning. As to the veggies at dinner, I actually made a mental note because ours were always cooked perfectly -- a little crispy vs. the usual overcooked when you're dealing with a mass market dining room serving hundreds of meals!

[lovespositano]

Lovespositano, "FUNCH" was in the Crooners Lounge.

 

Thanks for the info!!

[melody hounddog]

The Grand is showing her age somewhat--we saw some cracking in our shower and the toilet had black stains...rust on the body of the ship (that's to be expected on any ship, but a bit more than we've seen on others). Otherwise, she seems in good shape and the crew was, as usual, working hard on maintenance. We didn't experience any of the water issues that folks further back were experiencing with their showers (black water, temperature control). This was our third time on the Grand and I like what they did in drydock. Love Alfredo's pizzeria :D and the IC. We had the new mattresses--very comfy! No need for an egg crate. They took the mats off the balconies, which to us is a plus--those were hard on the bare feet.

 

We had a pretty calm crossing to and from Hawaii, but even when there were some waves, the Grand was very stable. (Hmm, I should get going and write a review!)

 

We thoroughly enjoyed the Grand again. Experiencing separation anxiety this week ;)

 

I would love to read a review of your Hawaii trip on the Grand! Thinking about doing it next year.

[trbarton]

FYI.....I talked with Verizon yesterday and found out that you need a phone that is an "S" phone. I had a I Phone, 4g, but for service in Alaska you need a 4s. That's why some people that I talked with had service and some like myself did not. I would suggest that you check with your cell phone service to check about service in Alaska if you want to use your phone there. I decided to upgrade and bargained for a $40 credit for my old phone.

 

Tom:D

[meemeec]

We were off yesterday's first Alaska sailing of Grand. Although not near our cabin on the aft of deck 10, we did notice wet carpets, fans and mildew odors in the corridor more midship. That situation improved greatly toward the end of the voyage vs. beginning. As to the veggies at dinner, I actually made a mental note because ours were always cooked perfectly -- a little crispy vs. the usual overcooked when you're dealing with a mass market dining room serving hundreds of meals!

 

Thanks very much for your opinion of the food. That makes me feel much more confident. Now if we can determine why and where the water issues are I will relax even more!!

Maureen

[spingal]

Thanks very much for your opinion of the food. That makes me feel much more confident. Now if we can determine why and where the water issues are I will relax even more!!

Maureen

 

Maureen,

 

How WONDERFUL that the whole family is going!!! You are going to have a amazing time.

 

Miss you and Ed. We need to cruise again someday! :D:D

[Shippy]

I had a report from someone I know, who sailed on the Grand recently, that there were leaks in the ceilings and water was running down the walls (they were A deck aft). Wet carpets and fans running continuously. More recently friends commented that the food quality was subpar and they noticed a lack of vegetables on their dinners! Never had a hot meal and speaking to the dining room captain was not helpful. Usually, I take these kinds of complaints as possibly a 'one of a kind' experience, however, both of these sources are Elite Princess and are not typically easily rattled by things.

Thanks for taking the time to do your "live".

Maureen

 

Just off the Grand yesterday.

The food & service were fantastic....all over the ship !

As far as the leaks....

One day before the afternoon movie, I went to use the ladies room by the theater.

Water was dripping from various parts of the ceiling and out of the light fixtures.

I was quite surprised they had not closed off the bathroom. There was a bucket on the floor under one of the leaks & lots of towels on the floor so they were obviously aware of the problem. Most of the floor was wet.

I stopped the first employee I saw & told him about the situation. He seemed concerned & I saw him use a phone.

To my surprise, that evening when I went to the bathroom after dinner show, not only had the problem not been fixed but the bathroom was still not closed off.

We also met a couple that said they had to change their cabin because of the mold.

We had a JS cabin on deck 9. There was a lot of rust on our balcony.

Perhaps this ship is close to retirement.

Everything else about the cruise was great.

[bdjam]

With the multi millions that were put into Grand Princess just a couple of years ago, I don't think she's close to retirement...she's already scheduled to sail well into 2014.

[meemeec]

We would like nothing better!!! XOXOXO

Maureen,

 

How WONDERFUL that the whole family is going!!! You are going to have a amazing time.

 

Miss you and Ed. We need to cruise again someday! :D:D

[aaerobear]

On another note, yesterday they started charging for any extra wine brought onboard over the OPP (one per person) rule and confiscating liquor from carry-on bags. No word yet if liquor or wine was removed from "checked" bags. The staff at the table told me that 90% of the passengers were ok with it and just paid the "corkage" and took their wine onboard. They did not have any bottles in the bin near the end of the boarding cycle so I guess the warnings did some good and no-one lost any expensive booze.

[bluebelle2010]

TOM, Thanks for handling the Meet & Greet, Slot Pull and 2nd Meet & Greet/Exchange. You not only got Captain Tony to attend, but also his Hotel Mgr. Leo, Cruise Director Warren, 2 Paramedics and the Ship's Photographer. You did GOOD :D. I found out that I'll be cruising with Capt. Tony later on Emerald Princess, Sept 26, 2013, Copenhagen to NY. Spoke to the two Paramedics. One from NY and the other is from Seattle. Seems they can cover the ship faster. CD Warren was a real KICK. Fast wit and very funny. He was a professional ballroom dancer and he taught the Merengue dance class. Like you, the boarding was fast. We dropped off our luggage at 11:15. Return at 12:15 and sent to the check in counter for our Cruise Card. In our stateroom by 12:30. I was scheduled for Staggered Boarding 2 to 3pm. Today, getting off was even faster. Scheduled for 8 am Walkoff. Got off at 8:10, picked up my car at 8:30 and home to Walnut Creek at exactly 9:25 am. This cruise was the smoothest ever, out of 6 cruises to Alaska. Max Sea State was no more that 5 feet. Thanks again TOM. See you cruising in the future. Gimer

HEY GIMER!!! I just came to this site to get some reviews of the Alaska sailing on the Grand as I am scheduled to sail away on September 7th. What a nice surprise to "see" you here! I hope you and Frances are doing well! Sounds like you have an awesome trip coming up in your near future. Hope to sail with you two again one day!

 

Carla

[Gimer]

Hi Carla, What a great way to touch base again. Lets see, we cruised the Sea Princess to Alaska and Star Princess to Hawaii. This Alaskan Cruise was a last minute booking for us. Frances is doing well and now keeping busy playing tennis and still taking Hula classes. I'm sure Becky is doing well and give her my love. We will meet again on some cruise ship. Great hearing from you. GIMER

[MauiLvrs]

Taking our whole family on a cruise has been a dream for a few years and we've finally been able to make it happen. Our love of cruising is something we want to share with them and so I'd like everything to be fairly seamless. Maureen

We've successfully done it twice ,once with 26 folks and 4 generations from both sides of the family.

I was the worry wart ... worried and checked then double checked everything ... all worked out well ... two wonderful cruises.

You seem to be covering all the bases i would and should be on a good track.

Have an amazing family cruise!

[Donder1]

Does anyone recently off the Grand know of water/mold problems on Baja Deck 11 mid-ships? How were the beds? and, what was the deck furniture like? Thanks!