LIVE from Grand Princess 01/07/06 Sailing

[Cruise Gopher]

I hope and pray to god that we get to go to Grand Cayman on the Jan 21st sailing. Pleeeeeeeeeez have things fixed by then. I didn't pay good money to go to Mexico for a week. I could have done a land vacation if I wanted to do that.

 

Does anyone know if they announce before we sail that Grand Cayman will be canceled, Is there any way to switch from the Grand to like the Caribbean Princess if space is available?

[srpilo]

Admiral..

 

One last question.. As I'm trying to come to terms with the lost of Grand Caymen, will cruise A603 (this coming Saturday) also be offered the $75.00 OBC as was offered this week to passengers because of the on going "techinical problems".. ???

 

Though I wouldn't normally consider trading Grand Caymen for a 3rd stop in Mexico for $75.00 to be a very good deal.. I do think that by Princess offering the OBC it does soften the blow a bit, and it show's that Princess does care and is concerned about the quality of their passenger's vacation's.. Basicly a nice gesture.

 

 

Well ?

 

 

 

Srpilo

[scootepie66]

To check out Xul-Ha http://www.xul-ha.com

X-Caret is http://www.xcaret.com looks like fun.

[boogenspike]

Sorry for the run on copy in the last post.... for some reason, it's not taking paragraph breaks at the moment even though there were there (it wouldn't insert smile icons either). Very strange!

 

Anne. we are booked on the grand one the 28th. my wife asked me what i knew about the ship. i said honey, its leaning, it cant get up to speed, and its hard to get on and off. i asked, who does that remind you of. she hit me. but we are really looking forward to the trip. we always have a great time traveling. thanks boogenspike from colo.

[robtx100]

boogenspike, we on that sailing with you. Check out the roll call board. we're planning a cc party after sailaway.

[Skittles]

Just curious, what is causing the ship to lean??? And will the voyage A605, January 28th also have a itinerary change?

[Texed]

Texed ~ greetings....thanks for the note. LOVED Galveston .... what a great town ... would love to spend more time there. A great place to start a cruise. Still have to sail together some day ;)

 

We would love to cruise with you some day. But, probably not on Grand, huh? :D

[MSN-Travelers]

This question was posted in one of the threads below. Can you give us some info?

 

Quote-

I also read on the Princess website something about a western night....Is this done on every cruise? Do we need western clothing for this?

[darthwolf]

I hope and pray to god that we get to go to Grand Cayman on the Jan 21st sailing. Pleeeeeeeeeez have things fixed by then. I didn't pay good money to go to Mexico for a week. I could have done a land vacation if I wanted to do that.

 

Does anyone know if they announce before we sail that Grand Cayman will be canceled, Is there any way to switch from the Grand to like the Caribbean Princess if space is available?

 

agreed.

 

weird, i just called Princess and they checked saying that the Grand has been going to the GC in Jan and even for the trip this week. Guess they're lying to me. :mad: .

anyways, will we find out ahead of time (before the 1st port) If we are changing to Playa, will prob. have to revamp my excursions.

[cloveygrl]

The only reason they are changing ports is because of mechanical issues - I doubt they are "planning" on having them for more than a couple more weeks. Since its already been what 3 weeks/cruises they have been having generator issues I am sure they "plan" on getting them fixed before they end up with a hoard of angry customers who refuse to get on the ship.

[Guest AdmiralNelson]

agreed.

 

weird, i just called Princess and they checked saying that the Grand has been going to the GC in Jan and even for the trip this week. Guess they're lying to me. :mad: .

anyways, will we find out ahead of time (before the 1st port) If we are changing to Playa, will prob. have to revamp my excursions.

 

When you call Princess and ask about a destination, they are going to check the list to see the itinerary, as we are supposed to go to GC they most likely aren't aware at first hand that we never went. I hardly think policy is to 'lie' to people. I would imagine if you had asked specifcally about it they would have looked into it further and seen that we were diverted.

[bjkTX]

Guess it must be a huge company - they haven't gone to GC in what - the last 2 cruises at least, and based on what you've said they probably won't go for the next 2 - and Princess has no way to let their people know so they can answer a question. Wish I could get away with that where I work. I agree they most certainly aren't "lying" - they just don't know - and I find that rather sad.

[stephenandrew]

Hi--

 

We are on the Grand on 1/21, and frankly, based on the port times for the origninal itinerary, I would much prefer to have the "alternate" ports and the longer port times as they have had the past couple of weeks. While I realize missing GC may be a major disappointment to some people, to me the longer port times and possibly less lengthy tender experiences make this deviation a net plus for me.

 

See you on board regardless of where we go!

[Guest AdmiralNelson]

Guess it must be a huge company - they haven't gone to GC in what - the last 2 cruises at least, and based on what you've said they probably won't go for the next 2 - and Princess has no way to let their people know so they can answer a question. Wish I could get away with that where I work. I agree they most certainly aren't "lying" - they just don't know - and I find that rather sad.

That's correct, it is a huge company with thousands of people working for it. Also remember that most in this industry work far ahead in terms of booking. So asking a generic question about which ships go to GC would produce most likely the answer GC. If you asked about a precise date and also mentioned that you are aware that the ship was diverted, you would most likely received the information you require. The operator was probably assuming this person was asking about a ship in the future tense.

I work for Princess and I don't know everything about even my own ship never mind every ship in the fleet.

The situation is an unfortunate one, and one that is trying to be resolved as quickly as possible. However, we are making sure to the best of our ability that everyone gets to have a great time regardless.

[darthwolf]

sorry didn't mean it that way, just a bit disappointed at the momnet.

actually she did but me on hold and check of me, specically last week and the present cruise on right now. She came back and said that they did go to the Caymens.

 

oh well, will try to enjoy anyways.

 

btw, trying to book the excurision in Cosumel - Columbia And Palancar Reef Snorket By Sailboat. says cxl'd on line. (does that mean it's full or that the trip's been cxl'd)?

 

thanks, appreciate the info.

[Snoozeman]

Well ?Srpilo

C'mon Pete. You know he can't answer that. Although I wouldn't give it back, I'm certainly not expecting anything. See ya Saturday.:)

[JXOPF]

The situation is an unfortunate one, and one that is trying to be resolved as quickly as possible. However, we are making sure to the best of our ability that everyone gets to have a great time regardless.

 

Can you give an estimated time of repair completion on this situation?

 

Thanks for your feedback!

[Host Anne]

Hello all ~ just got back on board from a terrific day at Paradise Beach here in Cozumel. All things considered, I'd say they've done a terrific job here getting ready for cruise passengers since Wilma. Paradise Beach was in great shape -- beach was nice, new palm trees planted, great hospitality as usual here. There was a ton of devastation to the vegetation and you're going to see that for a while, but overall, it didn't impact the great day we had here. AND it didn't rain on us (altho it did appear that there was rain in the area off and on).

 

As for the ship and tendering...today was better for us but most likely because of our timing (the tender was rocking just as much today as yesterday but our total tender time was less than half). We arrived just as the tender was nearly full so we didn't have to sit and wait for them to load several hundred people (our tender today held 350 passengers and the one yesterday was equally as big if not bigger). I don't buy that the rough seas yesterday slowed down the tender process. I think its a matter of timing as it takes much longer to fill a 350 person vehicle than a 75 passenger vehicle). Filling smaller vehicles naturally goes faster. Taking more than an hour to tender is far longer than I can ever recall in all the years (more than 14) that I've been cruising.

 

Gotta run but I'll be back soon with more updates.

[Host Anne]

Sorry...got sidetracked and had to run for a moment. Just saw the most incredible double rainbow off the back of the ship. It was amazing. OK...where was I? Tendering? I think when you are in a port using these large ferry vessels to tender, your timing is everything. Today, we walked up to get on going both ways just as the tender was nearly full. So the time to tender was far less than yesterday. As for the listing...the ship has had a slight list since we left Galveston although I must say that the list yesterday was very, very noticable. We weren't worried about it but it did seem odd that throughout the cruise, there has been a slight list to the ship overall. Don't get me wrong....we've had a wonderful time and overall Princess has been a terrific line to sail with over the years. I've just never been a fan of the Grand class ships to start with (too many design challenges) and prefer the Sun class ships far more. It's a personal preferance. As for Princess customer service not knowing about the itinerary changes, I think lack of communications within a majority of cruiseline customer service departments is rampent. I don't understand it. With computer technology as it is today, there is no excuse for the cruiseline's land operations not knowing exactly what is going on with its ships. I don't buy "it's a big company." Sorry, Admiral. If you know now that the Grand isn't going to Grand Cayman for the next two cruises, why doesn't Princess customer service know about it? Many people select a cruise based on itineraries and pre-book things to do in ports of call. Knowing ahead of time that you have an itinerary change (if the cruiseline knows about it in advance) is very helpful to passengers and can ease some of the ill feelings passengers get when they feel like they've intentionally been kept in the dark. The problems Grand has been facing having been going on for at least a couple of weeks. Someone in Princess customer service should be able to answer questions by this point in time at least as far as itinerary changes go. While the change didn't affect our cruise experience at all (we've had a great time), the cruise line can make it much easier on itself and the crew by giving out info once you know about it. Time to go have some fun....and watch the sunset!

[cnmiranda]

Thanks so much Host Anne for your really helpful comments. Can you or anyone on this sailing tell me how long the visit was at Playa Del Carmen? I'll be sailing in 3 weeks, am preparing back up plans in case we end up there instead of Grand Cayman. Thanks for any info:)

[ICRE1629]

Thank you for posting these reports from the Grand Princess. It is one of my dreams to one day cruise aboard the Grand Princess. I've read numerous cruise reports and information about that ship as well have seen so many pictures of her. I can't wait until I've got the money and I'm out of school!

[Guest AdmiralNelson]

Timing is a big factor and if you walked out just as the tender was leaving then that helps. However, the swells yesterday in Playa Del Carmen where worse than today that is why the tendering went smoother. The tender you rode yesterday held 285 maximum the tender today held 350 maximum, all of the above information is fact. We have a lot of equipment on the bridge to tell us this, we don’t just look out of the window and say ‘Well looks a little choppy today.’ You can confirm this information with any member of the deck crew seeing as you are onboard, they will give you the same information I am privy to (you never know you might actually be talking to me.) What you as a passenger perceive and the facts can be very different, just being onboard Anne does not necessarily qualify you in current sea conditions.

 

As for Princess not telling people and if the itinerary changes, yes I agree, if they know for certain this change will happen then they should tell people. However, it's not certain, that's the problem with this kind of situation. It could be fixed by then. Imagine we tell people there is a change and then when they get here we say “Actually it’s changed again,” how would people feel then, they would think we were amateurs and didn’t know what was going on. I know this information and I am sharing what I know with you all. However, my information regards to itinerary changes could change at any time. I think there could be more information on the website I have said that already in other threads. However, you have to be very certain about something before changing information that has been set for a long time. I agree more information is always better, as long as it’s correct information, that’s the tricky part.

[JXOPF]

Uh Oh. I hope the lack of an answer isn't a bad sign!

Just a guesstimate, Admiral.

Will it take days, months or weeks to repair the situation? :confused:

 

 

Can you give an estimated time of repair completion on this situation?

 

Thanks for your feedback!

[Host Anne]

CNMiranada ~ we were in Playa for a full day; approximately 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM. We didn't have far to go from Costa Maya to Playa to Cozumel so there was it was easy to have a full day in each of these ports. Since it rained quite a bit while we were on shore in Playa, we didn't see very much. Planning on what you might do in case you go there is a good idea.

 

 

Admiral ~ I'm not trying to be difficult with the tendering situation but I personally stepped on an off the tenders on both days. I never claimed to be "qualified" in determing sea conditions but there was more movement getting onto and off the tender today in Cozumel than there was yesterday in Playa; at least at the times we were getting on and off the tenders. Also, the tender we were on yesterday held more than 285 persons (they were running two so perhaps they hold different amounts of passengers) but what should be questioned is using such large vessels to tender. We just got lucky today with our timing. I'm certain that many of the people on today's vessel that held 350 people waited quite a long time for the tender to fill up....and it was full going both ways. Additionally, getting onto and off the tender inside the Grand was an issue because the lines were backing up the stairs and people disembarking the tender had nowhere to go (and neither did those folks waiting to get on the tender). 300 people getting off a tender while you have a couple hundred waiting to get on...it was a mess and it wasn't even at peak tender time. I've been on a few ships over the last 15 years, tendered many times and have never experienced what we did on this cruise. In talking to other Cruise Critic members, the tendering problems don't seem to just be from yesterday. Glad we got lucky today!

 

 

ICRE ~ keep dreaming and working to make that dream come true. Cruising is awesome and I know once you get onboard it will be everything you'd like it to be.

 

 

Dinner is calling....have a great night!

[Host Anne]

Oh... I do have one more item to relay about tendering....tender tickets have yet to be given out in the location that is stated in the Princess Patter. The past two days said the tickets would be handed out in the Vista Lounge. Yesterday they were actually given out in the Princess Theater instead of Vista and today they were given out in Explorer's instead of Vista. Laura went to get the tickets this morning (she went to Vista as stated) and 20 minutes beyond the time a staff person was supposed to be there, someone showed up and said "why are you all here? We're giving out tender tickets in Explorer's." Communication -- it should be better than this.