Live from the Grand

[London Lad]

Hi "Z"

 

I'm glad that you made your way back safely. It was great to meet the both of you.

 

I would agree with you regarding the entertainment. I thought it was pretty good, and DW also enjoyed the broadway shows. I would agree with you regarding the piano player, when he started to play "those were the days", DW stood up and said "OUT"... i havent laughed that hard for along time:D

 

Sabatini's was great, the steakhouse was OK, nothing special. the sit down restaurant was consistently good, as was the buffet. I thought the pizzeria and the ice cream stand was very good.

 

I'll be writing to Princess about the cruise. They need to persuade me to cruise with them again, because at the moment, I wont.

 

Gene

[Bop]

Hi Dorothy and Others,

We just left Venice and the repairs on the old Grand are still a work in progress. We are going to all planned ports but some have been shortened in duration due to the relatively slow engine speed. We got $159 pp credit but would rather not have our tours screwed up. Oh well, we are still having a great time and weather is perfect. Our CC gang just met and we have a great fun group. Venice was beautiful, as always but jammed pack with cruise ships and people.

 

Off to Dubrovnik.

 

Ciao,

Jim;)

[PINEY10]

We set sail today and the ship seems to be doing fine, just some changes for the schedule. Will let you know in a few days if anything goes wrong and it is not clear when they intend to complete the repairs to the engine. We all got 150/pp shipboard credit.

 

Sunny skies and beautiful day for sailing. With the port intensive cruise that we are on, a few extra hours sailing does not bother me too much although I understand for those who had shore excursions planned (some were cancelled I guess due to timing, but not many) and for those who wanted to see particular ports. At this point, we will be visiting all scheduled ports (some on different days and some times are less in the port, e.g., Dubrovnik and Mykonos we will be there less time). If anything else changes, we will let you know. I am sure they would not take us out if there was any concern on safety. For those going in the future, I can't predict what will happen, but hopefully all should be repaired.

 

Joan

[London Lad]

We all got 150/pp shipboard credit.

 

 

 

Bearing in mind that the $150 credit is a "use it or lose it", here's a little tip for those of you who would prefer the cash(Thanks to Cruisesusie for this tip).

 

Go to the casino and take out $300 in chips... then cash them back in cash later on in the evening. Job done... :D the ship will charge 3% for this, but its still a pretty decent amount.

 

Gene

[grace5]

Piney10, How about posting the new port schedule? That would help us future Grand cruisers to make backup plans.

 

Thanks.

[dsawyer]

Thanks so much for taking the time to post. Your information is so helpful and gives us some idea of what to expect on the our sailing.

 

I am so sorry that ports have been changed around but hopefully no one's plans have been changed enough to ruin the cruise for you.

 

Anytime you can do so, please let us know what is going on and any tips you might pass on.

 

Once again, thank you and please continue to have a great time. Stay safe!

[cruisesusie]

To get your money back by charging casino chips is even easier than Gene described. When it was suggested to me, I thought the casino would give me chips and I would have to cash them in, but as it turns out the casino will give you cash - very quick and easy, just resist the temptation to gamble.

 

Gene - I see you and Teresa made it home safely. After what seemed like forever, we made it home too. The only problem is the time change. I woke up at 12:30 a.m. today and I'm exhausted. Hopefully by tonight we'll adjust. It was great meeting you and Teresa - we loved our dinner in Venice. Did you write your letter yet? I think we'll have to wait for the weekend to do ours.

 

Susan

[zductive]

To: Princess Cruises

 

Passenger Relations Department

 

24844 Avenue Rockefeller

 

Santa Clarita, CA 91355

 

fax (661) 284-4771

 

--------------------

I was told that this address is more likely to get a response than the address on the business card that we were given. (24305 Town Center Drive)

--------------------------

So that you don't think that I am an absolute jerk about this issue - I really had a most extraordinary time on this cruise. Lots of great people - really high class - unbelievably interesting sites (Mykonos is A+) I even had fun on Samos even though I wound up spending 200 euros more there than I would have in kudasai. - I rate the parts of the cruise that worked about a 9.5

 

Don't miss Sabatinis on formal night!

--------------------------

To the people that are on the current cruise and still have a broken ship - why didn't Princess try to contact you before you flew across the atlantic?

[dsawyer]

Anything special about Sabatinis on formal night than other nights? Thanks

[lindberg]

--------------------------

To the people that are on the current cruise and still have a broken ship - why didn't Princess try to contact you before you flew across the atlantic?

 

Probably because they knew they were going to run the cruise no matter what - just as long as it could limp along between ports. Anyway I'm glad they didn't call me, or cancel the cruise. I'll take the $150 and have a great time. Just so long as they don't cancel Kushadasi!:D

Laura

[queencath]

NOT-SO-GRAND PRINCESS

Long before the mechanical problems and the ensuing melee, I was pondering a list of compliments and complaints. My only other cruise was on the RCCL Radiance of the Seas to Alaska shortly after she'd been launched. What a beauty! I think that's the kind of ship I was expecting. The Grand was rather grungy and tired-looking. Our mini-suite was nicely sized, and Dino our cabin steward was wonderful, but the carpet was stained, there were burn holes on the couch and it smelled like a urinal in a cigar bar. (Or at least how I think one would smell!) My daughter was disappointed that there were no origami towels (that's what she remembered most about the last cruise- go figure!) The towels were crummy--like at the gym. I couldn't stand the food at the Horizon Court buffet, which was a good thing for my waistline. I felt like a chum-bag in a shark-tank going there early in the morning anyway-- both the passengers and the staff were on the surly side and obnoxiously pushy. There must have been some cruise-cooties going around, because on the third day they had sentrys posted to make sure we use the disinfectant gel and had staff serve the buffet items. Afternoon tea was delicious the one time I made it there. We had the second seating at the Botticelli dining room-- it was just OK.

Didn't like the hard-sell tactics at the Spa, but did have a nice facial and hot-stone massage.

Enjoyed the movie-under-the-stars, but NOT chatter of the deck-hands during it.

Had a great time at the Cruise-Critic pre-sail party-- altho I got tipsy early on and couldn't remember anybody afterwards!

Misc. observations~

Do NOT try to do laundry on sea-days when everybody else does it. Try and do a few loads the night before a sea-day or right when you get back on the ship after a half-day shore excursion (while everyone else is dashing for the buffet!) Put your laundry detergent in a plastic water bottle and pack some dryer sheets. Not all of the change machines work, so bring quarters. The laundry is only open from 7:30 am- 10:00 pm, and they do lock the doors (most of the time)

Pack some bubble wrap for the fragile souveniers.

Ditch the shore-excursion lunches. They are in stuffy hotel resturants and you can't order off the menu. There's a reason these places are empty at lunch. Check with your tour guide when lunch will be over and find an outdoor cafe. It's worth the extra shekls to have a good meal and absorb the local ambience.

You can never drink enough water. You dehydrate VERY easily traipsing around. DRINK-DRINK-DRINK!!!

If you visit the Plaka in Athens on your own-- try to avoid window-shopping at the jewelry stores-- they come out and grab your hand to drag you to see the merchandise. I learned to walk in the middle of the road.

DO NOT rent motor-scooters unless you know what you are doing. My son and nephew were just two of about a dozen or more who wound up in the infirmary after Samos.

Although I felt bad for the people who have saved up all their lives for a cruise that included Turkey, not going there didn't bother me at all. I appreciated the extra sea-day after the first exhausting week of non-stop action, and getting into Venice four hours early was a great compromise-- that city is WONDERFUL! Since there were six of us (my husband, me and four young adults) we had two inside cabins and a mini-suite with balcony. So between the "rebate" and the cancelled shore excursions, we ended up saving about five thousand dollars off a thirty-thousand dollar bill.

But here's my two-cents about how Princess maybe could have handled it better~

When I saw the brouhaha at the Pursers desk I called our travel agent who called Princess customer service in California, who at that point didn't have a clue as to what was happening. So much for global communications. From a PR advantage and a financial one, I think Princess should have given everyone the OPTION of either taking the $400 or getting a voucher to replace THIS intinerary ONLY within the next three years. I would assume that most people would take the money; and the cost for the ones that opted for the replacement cruise would easily be absorbed by the company. Then nobody would have any right to complain-- everyone would be satisfied and not think they were being shafted. The episode at the Pursers desk that night was frightening and potentially dangerous. NOT the kind of people I'd want with me on a tour of a politically unstable country. It just takes one big-mouth to create a violent situation, and there were a lot more than one that night. I was more than happy to be sipping my Bahama Mama's on the aft deck watching the wake of the one working engine.

Bottom line-- would I cruise on Princess again? Probably not. I'd prefer a younger ship with a younger crowd. (By which I mean in their 40's and 50's!)But my family and I enjoyed our time on the Med and will cherish our memories forever!!!

[seattlekckckc]

There seems to be 2 threads going about the Grand right now. While I like to read a good debate thread now and again, I would also love it if there is a thread kept pretty much for updates from current Grand cruisers (as I will be leaving in 6 days for the next sailing!).

 

Does that make sense to anyone else?? Can we try to keep this the 'update' thread??? Not so much the 'debate"thread? Trying to nip any debating in the bud! It seems silly to start ANOTHER thread, basically with the same info we are getting from those onboard.

 

Casey

[grace5]

Ditto. It is important to keep everyone advised of what is happening with the engine problem so we can make back up plans and not get into a debate on the Grand versus other ships / lines.

[houstoncruisers2001]

people go cruising then tear the cruise apart. It's totally unfair to compare a brand new ship to one that's been around the block a few times. Of course, you should have know THAT fact long before embarking.

 

The towels sucked, the food sucked, the cruise line sucked....yada, yada, yada.

 

Spare me.

[lindberg]

The internet doesn't always work very well. It seems that about 25% of the computers aren't working. Prinncess must spend hours backing out internet charges for people who tried to connect and can never get connected.

 

About the engines. Do you think they tell us anything about the engines and what is being done to fix them? No....... But we did arrive in Dubrovnik around 9:45 am vs the advertised time of 11:00 am. Had a great day walking around Dubrovnik today and had all the time I needed to see the sights. It's been wonderful so far.

 

Laura

[Pam in CA]

The issue with the internet is not Princess but rather the fact that cruiselines use a satellite connection and the satellites are directed towards where there are the most people connecting, i.e., land. It's normal for there to be slow or non-existant internet connection. We all get spoiled with our DSL or cable modems but when you're at sea, it's a whole different story. :) It doesn't matter which cruise ship or cruiseline you're on.

[PINEY10]

As Laura said, the cruise has been fine. Weather has been outstanding. The ship may be going slower because of whatever problem it is having but we did get to Dubrovnik and had a wonderful day. At least we got to see it and the stop was not cancelled. Tomorrow is Corfu. The Santorini day is now the 16th instead of the 18th. We also get less time in Mykonos probably because the ship goes slower so they want to make sure they make it to Naples. I will try to remember to bring the schedule the next time to post it. But . . . we are scheduled to go to all the places and nothing has been indicated to us otherwise, but Princess is not likely to tell us until the last minute.

 

Will keep you posted but we are having a delightful time and have met some wonderful people from our roll call. We don't return until the 23rd so for those taking later cruises, keep the faith--I am sure all effort will be made to do those cruises and again, I do not see a major problem as yet because of the mechanical problems.

 

Joan

[cafeamericaine]

Having been on the Grand in the Med in June, I would have to say the internet slowness is NOT entirely due to the satellite connection. When my daughter and I both needed to use the internet at the same time, she consistently got faster, more reliable connection using wireless on the laptop than I ever got in the Internet Cafe.

 

The terminals in the Internet Cafe were constantly crashing and needing to be reset, and I think it was server issues. And, yes, it was very annoying to have to stand in line at purser's to get the credit. I finally decided it wasn't worth the time or aggravation during an otherwise wonderful cruise.

[dsawyer]

Thank you so much for your helpful updates. This is the kind of information that those who are on upcoming cruises are needing and looking for. I am happy to learn that the mechanical problems are not greatly impacting your cruise. Please continue to post whenever possible.

 

Thank you, thank you, thank you! :)

[dsawyer]

Sorry you didn't like The Grand. Guess what? I didn't like the Radiance. To each his own - that's what makes the world go round. :cool:

[dsawyer]

Sorry, I couldn't resist a little rebuttal. :)

[willy paul]

We were on the Grand in mid August. Loved the cruise ports, disliked the ship. Thought service was okay(except our room steward - he was great - most others didn't care if you were there or not), food okay(nothing to brag about), the Horizon court was very confusing with people going in all directions, room anemities were poor quality ( paper thins towels, holes in sheets, stains on blankets, etc.) Not the Princess we travelled on in the past. Unless they offer an itinerary we really love and no one else offers it we will not be returning to Princess. Unfortunately it was our first cruise line and we hate to see how it has deteriorated. Others we met on the cruise who have travelled with Princess over the years expressed some of the same feelings.

[TEXASMUNK]

Any update on the engine probloem?

[queencath]

people go cruising then tear the cruise apart. It's totally unfair to compare a brand new ship to one that's been around the block a few times. Of course, you should have know THAT fact long before embarking.

 

The towels sucked, the food sucked, the cruise line sucked....yada, yada, yada.

 

Spare me.

 

Excuse me, but when you are paying the kind of prices that we did I would expect a little higher maintenence. The fact that it was an older ship doesn't negate the opportunity for better food, service and amenities. Since this was only my second cruise, and I'd heard good things about Princess, maybe my expectations were a little unrealistic, but I'm entitled to express my opinion as much as you are. And unless you were on this particular cruise with all of it's issues you shouldn't be so quick to criticize the experience of those who were on it.

[queencath]

Sorry you didn't like The Grand. Guess what? I didn't like the Radiance. To each his own - that's what makes the world go round. :cool:

I'd be interested to hear why you didn't like the Radiance. I was on it in

August 2001, so I'm wondering if it's not up to par anymore. All I can say was that there were a lot of experienced Princess cruisers onboard complaining about the Grand's decline.