Just back from Med -Grand Princess 6/9 - 6/21

[CruisinKiddo]

Hello! As I prepared for my cruise, I really enjoyed reading everyone's reviews and live updates, so I thought I would return the favor.

 

We just returned from the Grand Princess - Grand Med cruise from 6/9 - 6/21. Here is my review -

 

Embarkation:

Very smoooth. We had Platnium check-in and had no waiting! Were on the ship within 10 minutes!

 

Ship:

We stayed in a mini-suite D510. It was great! I don't think I'll ever go back to a regular balcony again. We had the open style balcony which was fine. It didn't bother us that people could look onto our balcony. I didn't feel that people were doing that.

 

Minisuite amenties: We had a small bottle of champagne when we embarked. Upgraded towels and bed linens. The duvet was so soft and comfortable!

 

Food: The food was good - not spectacular. However, we only ate in the dining room twice for dinner. Since the cruise was so port intensive, we just didn't feel up to dressing up for dinner, so we ate in the Horizon Court most nights.

 

Ultimate Balcony Dinner: We did have the UBD one night. We reserved it as soon as we got on the ship. The night we were scheduled to have it, my husband wasn't feeling well, so we were able to reschedule it to another night of our choice. We were happy that they were very accomodating! The UBD was great!! Canapes, bottle of champagne, wine or cocktail of our choice, crab cake, salad, surf and turf and very yummy dessert. The dessert consisted of a chocolate "shell" with berries inside surrounded by various types of mousse. We had our pictures taken and fresh flowers. We enjoyed the flowers in our cabin for the rest of the cruise.

 

We also ate dinner one night in the Painted Desert Steak House. The steak was cooked perfectly. The service was not very good, however, even though the restaurant was not crowded.

 

MUTS: We loved MUTS - both during the day and at night! They showed various types of movies and concerts during the day - both old movies and more recent. Nighttime movies were more recent movies. They also showed the World Cup games which were very well attended!! Some of the movies were: Proof, Harry Potter, Rumor Has It, Fun with Dick and Jane, Chronicles of Narnia. The chaise lounges had special covers on them with blankets. Popcorn was also available.

 

Shows: We went to the comedy show in the Vista Lounge - very good! Also a couple of shows in the Princess Theater. They were primarily very good. The shows didn't seem as crowded as they were on other cruises we have been on - about 2/3 full. Again, maybe because the cruise was so port intensive, people were tired and didn't want to go to the shows.

 

Lounges: Music and entertainment in each lounge. Entertainment included Princess Pop Star/Kareoke, Western Hoedown, Rock & Roll Party, Newlywed/Not so Newlywed game, Liars Club Game, Bingo. I was sad to see that they didn't have Pub Night that we're previously attended on other cruises and really enjoyed. They also didn't have the Horse Races that we've also liked.

 

Disembarkation: Also very smooth. Being Platnium, we were able to wait in the Vista Lounge for our embarkation. We were pleasantly surprised to find that they had the full hot breakfast buffet in the Horizon Court on disembarkation day!

 

Next thread will be the port reviews and shore excursions.

 

I'll be happy to answer any questions anyone has! I'll also work on posting some pictures!

[kftw]

Thank you for posting your review. I had almost gone into withdrawal for a "Grand" review. Look forward to reading your next thread. Thanks for supporting my habit. :D