Nina Seturins

Age: 49
Occupation: self-employed
Number of Cruises: First Cruise
Cruise Line: Princess Cruises
Ship: Grand Princess
Sailing Date: July 21st, 2002
Itinerary: Eastern Caribbean

CHECK IN & EMBARKATION

I had heard horror stories about check in from people who had cruised previously, especially after 9/11, so we took an early flight to allow plenty of time to get settled. It turned out to be a breeze…after a short wait for a bus at the airport, we went right through the check in and were on board the ship with several hours to explore. We were welcomed at check in by a greeter who filled us in on what papers we needed to have available, and he ended his little talk with an invitation to head to the Lido deck for a welcome buffet. Eating already!

THE ROOM

We were a bit taken aback when we first saw the room…there were 4 of us, all girls (two teens, two adults), but it was beautifully appointed and spotless. We had an unobstructed window (Emerald Deck) and to look out each morning at the endless blue water was a delight. We would have loved a balcony, but being our first cruise, we were on limited budgets and were happy to just have a nice view.

The bathroom was adequate and again, spotless. There was plenty of storage space for cosmetics and toiletries. We did find the drawer space inadequate, but had plenty of room for all 4 of us to hang up our “dressy” clothes. We chose to leave shorts, t-shirts, etc. in our suitcases. Our cabin steward, Blessy, was a delight…able to answer our questions and always had the room looking wonderful, despite the shoes and bags all over the floor!

THE SHIP

None of us had ever cruised before, so it was a whole new world. The ship is lovely and offers so much, I can’t imagine anyone not being able to find something to do. Some of our most enjoyable time was spent doing nothing more than lying in deck chairs with good books, drinking the yummy concoctions from the bar and enjoying the sunshine. We made use of the walking track a few times…easier on the feet and legs than walking the deck and less slippery too. We found that most areas were not overcrowded, although the main pool got very busy after lunch. We stuck with the wave and adult pools most of the time. We attended the comedy shows every evening while on board, and without exception, they were excellent. The lounges and theater were very comfortable. My adult friend and I attended the “Rhythm of the City” show, and were disappointed in the fact that the singing and music were prerecorded. The sets and dancing were well done and very professional, but we much preferred other evening events. We also fed quite a few tokens into the one-armed bandits in the casino. We enjoyed some of the silly afternoon “fun and games” around the main pool in the afternoons we were at sea, the Belly Flop contest in particular! We found getting around the ship a bit daunting at first, but we figured all the walking we did would help offset all the calories we consumed!

THE FOOD

Without exception, we thought the food was fantastic. We did the personal choice plan so that we wouldn’t be tied into eating at the same time every day. We did the breakfast buffet each morning since the girls (age 15) enjoyed sleeping in a bit and it was open later. Everything was good, hot and plentiful. I especially enjoyed the huge assortment of fresh fruit that was available each day…I didn’t feel so guilty indulging when I was getting healthy fare as well! Our lunches usually consisted of a slice or two of pizza when we were on board the ship…the pizza stand by the main pool was great! We went to the DaVinci dining room the first night and enjoyed it thoroughly. We tried the Michelangelo the second night and for some reason liked it better…even though we sat at a different table each night, the wait staff was fantastic, and we even had several waiters who were free with recommendations about what was good and what was not so good. None of us had a bad meal and the desserts were phenomenal. My one complaint about the food was that the coffee in the morning was kind of watery….at dinner I had cappuccino, which was excellent.

EXCURSIONS

On St. Thomas, we had booked the sailing and snorkeling tour. The sail out was fun…a bit rough, but we sat up in the front of the catamaran and got thoroughly soaked, which the girls really enjoyed. My daughter and I were first time snorkelers so we were a bit nervous, and the water was kind of rough. We did see a nice array of sea life, including rays and sea turtles. We went back on board the boat earlier than our more experienced companions. We were a bit disappointed because the trip was quite a bit shorter than advertised. The sail back to port was lovely with great music playing over the sound system.

We did have time to go back to our rooms, clean up a bit, use a real bathroom and grab a few pieces of pizza before we were off on our afternoon adventure, which was the bus tour and Magens Bay Beach. Our driver was funny and personable, but let me tell you, the trip to the beach and back was quite something. St. Thomas is left hand drive, the streets are VERY narrow, and the island is quite hilly. The beach was on the opposite side of the island so we had to go up and over….and the roads are extremely narrow with lots of hairpin turns.

We made a stop at the top to take pictures, and again when we came back down from another vantage point. The scenery was lovely. Magens Bay Beach was very nice, although the water was not what I expected…very clean, but green and not clear. The girls rented a paddle boat and I sunned for a while. Eventually the sun got to my daughter and I, so we took shelter in a picnic pavilion with our books.

Our St. Maarten excursion was a sailaway on a large catamaran, the Golden Eagle. If you want to have pure fun, this is the cruise to take. The crew greeted us wearing bathing suits and black bow ties and it helped that they were all VERY good looking! (My daughter and her friend especially appreciated this!) We had to go out under motor power because the wind was wrong, but at least it was a bit smoother. We sailed around to the French side (word of warning…they allow nude sunbathing so you never know what you might see) and anchored off a lovely beach. Snorkeling equipment was available for those who wanted it, but the captain warned that due to winds and currents, it had been pretty murky, so my daughter and I opted to just take foam noodles and make a swim for the beach. Those that decided not to snorkel were served beverages from our waiters, pushing floating trays about…it was quite a sight! When it was time for everyone to come in for lunch (submarine sandwiches made by one of the crew member’s wives) the champagne came out. We sailed out a bit further and then headed back…the wind was perfect to go under sail and the champagne flowed! Toasts were lifted for birthdays, anniversaries, newlyweds…you name it! Needless to say, we had a really good time…I will not reveal what we did when we got back to port….I have to leave an element of surprise for anyone who might want to do this cruise. It was a blast.

By the time we got back, we only had time to change quickly before heading into town to do some shopping. The best value for transportation is the water taxi, which costs $5.00 a person, but you can go back and forth as many times as you want. We found some good buys, especially on gold and watches. You do have to learn to say no to the numerous people trying to braid hair, etc. My daughter and her friend both have lovely, long hair, so we were besieged by the braiders. We opted to wait until we went to Princess Cays.

Princess Cays was lovely…the nicest beach we encountered. It was a bit crowded, but there were plenty of deck chairs on the beach and shade for those who didn’t want to stay out in the sun. The girls had their hair braided as soon as we got off the tender, and it looked adorable. The buffet there was very good…huge selection of food with cold salads and lots of different BBQ items. I had bratwurst that was out of this world. There was a nice array of desserts, and again, a huge table of fresh fruit. I went snorkeling again, and found it much easier here. The water is crystal clear and calm, so the viewing was great. The fish swim right up to you looking for food…there is an observation platform above the reef so you can go out and look at and feed the fish without snorkeling. I was much more relaxed and enjoyed it thoroughly.

OVERALL IMPRESSION

Other than my honeymoon many years ago, this was far and away the best vacation I have ever had. I would definitely cruise again, and would be hard pressed to cruise any other line but Princess. The level of service was fantastic and I have never felt so relaxed and pampered in my life. My daughter and her friend really enjoyed it…they were able to go off and do their own thing without me worrying about them. One hint to parents…get a set of walkie talkies so you can reach your kids and they can reach you. They were a great help. My friend had always wanted to cruise and her husband is pretty much anti-vacation, so that was what brought us out together. She’s planning on cruising again next year…thankfully she has no kids and a really good job, so she can afford it! I will definitely cruise again some time in the future and will most like stick with Princess. A great experience!

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