Just Back From the Grand 1/7/06

[Catathome]

Hi everybody!

 

Just a quick review. I wrote a long one on the ship but it failed in transmission.

 

Boarding delays. The Grand was late coming into Galv. because of engine problems. We were told that no one could board until 3:30 p.m. When we arrived at the airport at 12:30 p.m. the transportation from Princess was holding everyone at the airport for hours.

 

There were 2500 people all trying to board at the same time. Most people arrived at 1:30 p.m. and didn't get on board until 6:30 p.m. There were alot of angry people. The Grand gave $50.00 per each guest for inconven.

 

Itinerary changes: Because of the late departure from Galv., they changed Costa Maya to Playa del Carmen. If you are not familiar with a port, here is a tip. I went to the ship library and found 50 books from Fodors and Frommers with ports of call information. The internet was too slow. I then planned the day with confidence.

 

Weather: Was perrrrrfect. 80 degrees and sunny, the seas were like butter. The way home we had very rough seas 8-12 foot swells. Please note, if you are in the front of the ship on rough seas, you hear this banging everytime the bow hits the waves, we didn't sleep well that night. Others further back did not hear it.

[Catathome]

Tendering Problems: Because we did the excursions from the ship, we did not have an issue. Thank you all for that advise. Cozumel, people waited 1 1/2 hours in line to reboard. It seems there was another ship at port that they kept taking them first and let Princess people wait in the sun. Why didn't they just say because we need to board RC first, we can not reboard Princess until after 5 p.m. It was hot there too.

 

I counted 6 ships in Grand Cayman. I noticed we used our tenders there.

 

Excursions: Belize - We did the Rays and Reef tour, the boat was beautiful, there was 30 of us on a 150 passenger boat. The crew was very professional, did head counts and the Rum Punch flowed after snorkeling. We all danced aboard and had a blast! They picked us up on the boat. We saw some fish and rays, but no sharks. Please read my Grand Cayman exc.

 

Hearsay: A independent snorkeling and ray trip got cancelled after the people waited for an hour at the place (Coral Breezes), they said they did not have enough people. So about 16 of them tried to get another boat, and tried to negotiate the price, they agreed, then waited 30 minutes, no boat, so they just shopped alittle and returned to the ship.

 

An independent cave tubing loved the trip, but was eaten alive by mosquitos. Bring stuff if you go on this.

 

Another person did the zipline and loved it, they said be aware it is a 40min. ride and a 15 min thrill and a 40 min ride back.

 

Cozumel: We did the Deluxe Snorkel with Beach/Lunch. They did 2 diving sites and beach. The boat was crammed with people and old, the first site was too deep to see much, my husband said, why don't you try and go shallower, so we can see something. The second dive was great! There were schools of fish all around us. One girl was yelling shark, but it was a baracuda. The current was really bad on the first dive and not a safe place to be, my husband was helping an older gentleman on and when they were on the ladder the captain floored the boat to keep from hitting some coral, so they both flew off the back. They went back to pick them up, it was in a tender route by a pier, it was really scarry. My husband was livid. They did not do a head count. So I probably would not send my kid alone on that one. The coral reef was hit hard with the hurricaine.

 

The beach was Playa Mai, it was like a giant theme beach park. The lunch was acceptable, it had open bars, lots of things for kids of all ages, canoes, tubes, rock climbing, zoo, etc. I would of rather been on a private beach, but my 20 and 23 year old loved it. They had umbrella's and clean bathrooms as well. Would I do this exc. again, yep. Just realize there will be alot of people and not enough time on the ports to be picky.

 

Hearsay: One guy rented a jeep, but he said he was a nervous wreck worring about getting back early for the tenders, he didn't know if the jeep would break down, traffic etc.

 

Grand Cayman: Rays and Reef excursion: This was our favorite dive site of all. If you can only do one snorkeling, do this one. Rays and Reef: We took the tenders thru exc. desk, no problem, ran on time, took a short bus trip to another dock. Boarded a boat that had so many people on it, I wanted to get back off.

 

Our first dive site was so breathtakingly beautiful. There was sooo much to see. I thought I would be kicking other people, but they let us spread out, on this huge reef, so I felt alone. I will never forget this place. I saw a 5 ft lime green eel with big teeth sliding thru the rocks, Yikes! Okay, back on the boat to the sting ray site. Now you are going to say this is too commercial, there are alot of other boats at the same site and they are all feeding the stingrays. After a short lesson on how to touch the rays we hop in. The rays love people, they brush right up against you, you can feed them squid and let them suck it out of your hands and hold them. It was very interactive compared to the Belize tour. We all had so much fun. My sons didn't want to get in because they have seen them in Belize, but not like this, so I told them to jump in. That was their favorite part, feeding the stingrays. There is no head count and no alcohol, if that matters.

 

On the reef part, some other boat left a guy, so we picked him up and brought him to the next site, where his boat was. :eek:

 

So in summary, with the small amount of time on each port, tendering problems, etc. It was so relaxing to have everything handled without any worries. It will be larger crowds, but it seems after talking to others, we got the biggest bang for the buck.

[dazee8]

Thanks for your very detailed review Hearing your personal comments, especially for the safety of children is very important to know. I am glad you liked your cruise. I am sorry to hear that those passengers who had independent excursions booked had trouble.

 

:)

[Catathome]

Entertainment: The only shows we attended were the Comedians and we liked them both. We saw part of the magician, it was so so.

 

The gambling was a hit with my son and husband. They had poker tournaments, etc.

 

The outside Theater was soo cool. Watching the USC game under the stars ,with a mohito, on the carribean was priceless.

 

They really had music in all their bars and there was a ton of them.

 

Dining: We had anytime dining and loved it. I never had a problem getting seated. Alot of other people were trying to get back to the boat because they had the first seating. We also loved the room service, that was our wake up call, breakfast in bed.:)

 

We ate at the Italian Rest. one night, it was a pretty setting only we were not aware that it is 14 courses, so alot of the things you may not want and it takes hours for dinner. That is great if you are prepared for the time set.

 

You can order a bottle of wine in any of the dining rooms and if you do not finish it, they tag it and no matter where you eat the next night, they have a central wine cellar and bring your bottle to you the next night. Cool huh. It saves instead of buying by the glass, and you can order better wine.

 

Hurricane Damage: After reading these sites, I felt like this trip was going to be a downer because of all the damage. It really didn't effect us at all, but again, we were on excursions. So it is the tendering, because of the hurricane, that is a problem. Cozumul, was hit hard, but my sons really didn't notice much difference at the other ports because they had never seen them to begin with. We ate in a place in Playa del Carmen, on the beach that was wiped out, but they had a white tent canapy up and they were cooking out of a shed, but the food was so good and the view of the water exceptional.

We tipped heavy where ever we went inland and they all appreciated the business.

 

Rooms: We were on the waiting list for a suite but never got it. We stayed in a minisuite in the front of the boat. I am glad we didn't get the regular suite, they are on the very back of the ship. It seemed to me that it would be loud from the wake and it would smell from the exhaust, and what about rough seas. Anyway, maybe someone can help you on that, we loved our minisuite. Just try to get one in the middle. My sons had a balcony room, it was handicapped, that was all they had, but it was so big.

 

Well, I hoped I covered everything. We had a fabulous time, all four of us. I will tell you, that we would of never known there were that many people on board, it was sold out, but there is so much space, you never felt overwhelmed with people.

 

Any negatives of the cruise that I wrote is only to inform you, I felt because of all the information I received on this board, I was prepared, which made our trip less stressful. If you expect long tendering, you sit back, relax and prepare for a wait. I do believe they were much better on the tendering issues than previously posted.

 

We are all so happy that we went on this cruise. My sons really enjoyed all the excursions. What a way to start the New Year!!! ;)

[Cruiseteach]

From reading all these posts, it sounds to me like there are serious problems with boarding in Galveston! I'm sure glad I'm sailing out of FLL.

[scootepie66]

Thank you for your informative review...my DH and I feel that knowledge is power and knowing what to expect... the good, the bad and the ugly can keep you flexible and adaptable. We can't wait for our vacation to begin in less then 2 weeks. :)

[tjebme]

What time did your Belize tour leave the ship? We are thinking of doing this tour as well next week.

[ehogan]

Creepy about that guy left behind by his excursion ship - especially after just seeing "Open Water". I've decided that DH and I will ask another couple on our excursions to check and make sure that we are on the trip home as we will make sure they are too. Obviously head counts don't work all the time.

[Catathome]

tjebme,

 

As I recall we met at the casino at 7:15 a.m. On all our excursions, they didn't fool around. We sat less than 8 min. and were wisked away. We were always 5 min early.

 

If you read the Grand Cayman review, you were able to see alot more fish and play with the rays.

 

This trip you did not see as much, but they were so professional, teaching everyone signals, counts and protective of their reef. Watch out for the rum punch. It punched my son and husband out for a few hours. Ha!

 

The ship parks away from Belize City, so the tenders there take along time to get to the city.

 

Have fun! We never saw Belize. Everyone who went said we didn't miss anything, that the girls were afraid to venture beyond the few shopping blocks.

 

Have fun!!

[LARGIN]

Thanks for the review..

[Catathome]

ehogan,

 

The only head count was in Belize. None of the other excursions counted or showed everyone the universal signs of need help, etc. I am a diver it didn't matter to me, but I had my sons on board and I appreciated it.

 

They probably didn't sweat the count because there was 100 people on board or there are so many boats coming and going to the same area, someone would pick someone up. In Belize, we were the only ones out there.

 

You will have a wonderful time!

 

Cat

 

They

[MaryPoppinz]

Am I the only one a little shocked by the idea that operators are relying on "whatever -someone will pick you up" if you lose your way back to the correct boat when you're on a snorkeling excursion?? Holy Cow!

[Catathome]

Snorkeling tip: We bought a snorkel package at Costco for $39. It was a backpack the size of a fin, it included fins, mask, and a nice snorkel. We all carried them. It had enough room for our towel and sunscreen, etc. I liked having my own snorkel, if you know what I mean.

 

I would recommend it, it is easy to carry as well and if you are not on an excursion, you can snorkel anywhere, without the hassel of renting.

 

Cat

[rxmurphy]

 

Rooms: I am glad we didn't get the regular suite, they are on the very back of the ship. It seemed to me that it would be loud from the wake and it would smell from the exhaust, and what about rough seas. Anyway, maybe someone can help you on that, we loved our minisuite.

We were on the same cruise, and were in C752, which is not a mini or a suite, it's a regular balcony (price too!). But it is on the back of the ship, in the corner. I have to say this room was fantastic! Not larger than a regular room, but the balcony sort of wraps around the side of the ship just a bit, so it is larger than other balconies. Being down the hall makes it nice and quiet, and no fumjes, odors, there is wake noise, but we find that relaxing, it's not that loud. Sunrises and sunsets are spectacular. I highly recommend the corner aft balcony, and will try to get it next cruise if available.