Bill Bride

Age: 40
Occupation: Accountant
Number of Cruises: 1
Cruise Line: Princess
Ship: Grand Princess
Sailing Date: September 8th, 2002
Itinerary: Western Caribbean

This was our first cruise and our honeymoon. We were hesitant at first but family members of ours who had been on cruises before assured us this would be great and we realized this the moment we boarded.

Transportation:
We flew from Dulles Airport to Fort Lauderdale and boarded the Grand Princess after riding a shuttle bus.

Embarkation:
Embarkation was really easy and quick. We did the express check in and after organizing our bags in the hotel after the wedding, was pleased this went so smoothly. We got our cruise cards and away we went!

Mustering:
The mustering drill was fine with us. I wasn't too thrilled at first, all I wanted to do was rerlax a bit but this is for the passengers own good and was happy they took time to do this. Grand Princess did the mustering drill in their lounges and the theatre. The Princess mustering drill was informative, simple and quick.

Coca Cola Stickers:
We purchased two Coca Cola sticker at 22.50 each. Looking back, perhaps I should have bought just one as my wife didn't use hers much, opting for smoothies and iced tea. No big deal. I can see its value though. You can go anywhere and use it, which was great.

Our Dining Experience:
The traditional seating allowed us to make friends with other cruisers. We met a couple from the same city as we were from and it was a very pleasant experience. The were married 43 years and had a lot of nice travel stories and advice for us newlyweds. I really looked forward to the evenings and it was nice to discuss the day and learn about other adventures for the next day. Traditional dining also allows you to become more intimate with your servers and we had a very friendly server, Octavian. The only downfall was that you were on a time schedule to eat dinner and we had the early seating so we had to hustle at times to meet our dinner time.

We dined in the Botticelli Dining Room and we didn't mind the tipping being added each day. I felt the service we got justified the tip amount.

We liked the 14th floor breakfast and lunch a lot. The waiters were friendly and attentive and we really enjoyed the food. My wife is from the Philippines and she enjoyed speaking with several of the staff there.

I read several complaints about having to pay for ice cream. As an ice cream addict, I am kinda glad they charged or else I would have ballooned up as I would have taken advantage of this big time.

Cabin Steward & Staff
The cabin steward (Henrique)was very efficient and very friendly and he catered to our needs. It was nice to have everything done when we would get back from excursions. The staff worked really hard to make the room look and feel like a home.

Sabatini’s
Sabatini’s was a fun experience. There was a cover charge of 15 dollars per person which I did not mind paying for. It was a great experience and the food was excellent. 17 total courses. I had to get up and walk around. Advice: Book early for this. We got in as someone cancelled at the last minute.

Excursions:

Princess Cays
Canceled due to weather. The only day it rained on our cruise. We were still tired from our wedding so we were able to relax.

Grand Cayman
We did the See and Sea Tour, where we were on a boat, then went underneath it to view fish and coral. Nice ride, but too short. The rest of the tour consisted of a trip to Hell and a trip to a Turtle Farm and a Rum Cake factory. I liked the turtle farm a lot because my wife smiled several times while picking up sea turtles and that alone was priceless to me. She was very happy seeing all the turtles.

Costa Maya
We did the Jungle Beach Break. We rode on a bus for thirty minutes to get to a beach that has been developed. Once we got there, we had a relaxing time and it was fun swimming and snorkeling in the water. There were other activities as well such as kayaks and water boats but we swam and relaxed on the beach mostly.

Cozumel
We took a tour of the San Gervasio Ruins in the morning and did a Sail and Snorkel in the afternoon. Both events were fun and well organized. in fact, all of the excursions we went on were fun and well organized. Big plus for Princess here. Beware of the shopkeepers and sales people if you go into a store to browse. Very pushy and these people are like flies following you around and will not go away.

Entertainment
We went to a couple shows, a Hollywood movie production and a Rock and Roll show in one of the lounges. You need to get to these early as you could get stuck in the back.

We liked the overall experience on board. We liked the fact we could walk after dinner and we liked the pools, especially the adult area where we could relax and not have loud music or kids running all over the place. Not that I am against that, we just wanted a quiet place to read, swim, tan and use the whirlpool.

I did notice a lot of activities for kids, which is cool.

I also liked the way Princess kept us up to date with activities. They give you a newsletter each night so you can plan your events and they have a couple TV shows with entertainment and stuff you can do. The Cruise Director Tim and his staff work hard to keep everyone up to date and entertained. Big props to Tim.

Disembarkation
Disembarkation on Grand Princess was easy and fast. We packed the night before and had a lot of our baggage picked up. Saved us a lot of headache. We were able to go to breakfast and we got to a lounge and waited for our color to be called. When it was called we walked right off the boat.

Billing
I didn't mind the prices, I felt they were quite reasonable and liked the convenience of the cruise card. I had to make a change in my method of payment so I went to the Purser's Desk and took care of business. Very efficient and I am glad I did this as there were large lines on Sunday prior to everyone leaving.

Casino and Bingo
Fun activities. We won money in the casino but fell short playing Bingo. All in all, a good experience and fun.

Summary
We had a great time on the Grand Princess and would cruise with them again. Highly recommended!

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