Jerry Hoehn

Age: 48
Occupation: Sales
Number of Cruises: 12
Cruise Line: Princess Cruises
Ship: Grand Princess
Sailing Date: November 4th, 2001
Itinerary:  Western Carribean

Travelers: Jerry and Barb Hoehn
Travel Date: November 4 to 11, 2001
Ages: Mid to late 40s
Cruises: 12 total - CCL, RCI, Premier, HAL, NCL, Celebrity, Windjammer, and now Princess.
Stateroom: E227 Deck 8 Partially Obstructed Oceanview

I'll give you the Summary first and save the rest of you the trouble of reading my rantings.

Rating on a scale of Ten – Five

Positives

Cleanliness
Pool areas
Food
Embarkation
Cabin Steward
Cabin size and condition
Price
Tender operations

Negatives

DISEMBARKATION
PC Dining
Mass market feel
Bar service
Lack of rule enforcement

Summary

For those of you like numbers, my overall rating of this cruise would be a 5 on a scale of ten. Take away the disembarkation disaster, standing room only at the Vista Lounge, the lame port at Costa Maya and PC dining and maybe it’s a 7 or 8. It really is a lovely ship with a lot to offer. The cabins, even the standard one we had, are comfortable and the pools beautifully tiled. The food was a pleasant surprise and the casino was fine. I judge a cruise on a few simple questions.

Did I get my money's worth? - Yes. I think the cruise was a good value at the price I paid. Would I go on this ship again? - No. I didn't like my first "megaship" experience as much as the smaller ships we've been on. I didn't like PC dining. I really didn't care for the entertainment that much and I thought the number of passengers created too many logistical problems, at least for Princess and this crew. Would we sail Princess again? Maybe. Not PC dining and not on this ship. But more importantly would Grand Princess be our first choice? I'm afraid the answer is.....No. There are too many smaller and more manageable ships out there that we would put ahead of this ship. And in general, Princess version of NCL's Freestyle Cruising - Personal Choice - is just not that great. Their ships weren't built for it and their on board program isn't quite tuned in.

Did we enjoy ourselves? Yes. Well, it was a cruise for crying out loud! We went to have fun and nothing could keep us from it! It’s just a shame that the last few hours left such a bad final impression. Otherwise this cruise might have gotten a 7 or an 8 overall considering the price we paid.

I am sure I will get flamed by Princess fans. The above is just one man's opinion with a little input from his wife. If you are going on this cruise this week or any time in the future, I am sure you will find many enjoyable things about it. If in some way I have helped you avoid some unpleasant moments or helped you get more out of your cruise, then I am greatly pleased. Booking-After 9/11. Bargain price under $500 per person. Booked inside GTY got above cabin. Airfare on US Air under $175 pp. Used travel agent for cruise only. *One free plug for using an agent.* It was nice to have someone to call to get updates on the ships location. There was some concern on our part that hurricane Michelle may prevent the ship from getting into port. They were helpful and patient in handling our concerns.

Trip Down- Reagan National (DCA) a breeze. High security, no lines.

Pre-cruise- Stayed at Embassy Suites. $69+tax on Priceline. Free shuttle from airport and to the pier. Free happy hour and free buffet breakfast. Walked across the street to Chuck's steak house for dinner. Prime rib for two with glass of wine for each of us under $40 with tip. We could see our ship from the room, but the best view was from the outside staircase on top floor. Comforting to know it was in. It was close enough that we actually walked down to the port Sunday IS after breakfast to chat with some of the passengers and look around.

These next areas were within the control of Princess. For you number lovers out there, I will give them a rating from 1-10.

Embarkation- Rating 9. Very smooth. We were there early and the only thing that was not handled well was the Bahamas immigration form. This could have been sent with pre-cruise documents. So we had to get out of line and fill these in before heading to check in. There they just took an imprint of our credit card and said welcome aboard. Small hold up at the security scanner, but soon we were on the ship.

Stateroom- Rating 9. Large and pretty comfortable. The mattresses weren't the worst, and weren't the best we've ever had. The bathroom was decent sized and the shower reasonably spacious. Soap, lotion and shampoo provided. Hairdryer, too. The room was spotlessly clean. The view from the obstructed view was very good compared to the NCL Sea. You could see the complete horizon, just not directly next to the ship except for one small spot. One side chair and a chair for the vanity. No loveseat like on many other cruises. Ample storage space for two. Open closet area leading to bath. Safe. TV. Fridge.

Ship- Rating 7. BIG. But also small. Smaller spaces within the ship than you would expect. Four pools and lots of hot tubs. A wonderful spa area, adults only most of the time, swim against the current pool, two hot tubs, sauna, steam room. Work out area, and European spa treatment area. Nearly impossible to find a lounge in the sun near a pool area on sea days. Lots of saving going on during the morning. An example - one woman with just two towels trying to save 6 lounges for her group for over an hour while they had breakfast. I didn't think two towels could stretch that far! No crewmembers enforced the "no saving" rule. Lots of underused spaces. The smaller lounges- Wheelhouse, Snooker’s, Explorers - were nearly empty during cocktail times. Meanwhile the show lounges were full - too full. Figure on standing if you don't show up early. The ship doesn't flow from dinner to show to dancing or lounges. I think PC dining has a lot to do with that. This ship is not the "summer camp at sea" that you find on other ships where you would naturally flow through the evening’s activities. If you got a little off schedule, there was a domino effect of missing a lot of other things to do. This seemed to negate the advantages of PC dining. Casino was fine. I actually came home with about $100 of their money for a change. Dealers were friendly and professional. The "Skywakers Disco" was a blast, with a real party going on there every night. We are getting too old to close the place down, but we hung in there for a while and shook our booty with the whole ship rocked and rolled (especially during the hurricane!). Bring your fur coat this place is freezing!

Itinerary- Rating 7. This could have been higher if not for a "do nothing" port at Costa Maya. It’s a "made for the cruise lines" port that didn't do much for us. I think they created it there because it was a cheap alternative to Jamaica. A few shops and a little show put on by the natives with Mayan costumed dancers. A small rocky beach and a couple of Tiki bars. The shops had the same stuff you find in Cozumel only cheaper. The excursions went to some of the local ruins and a beach at a big resort. None of it appealed to us. Even the captain made a veiled apology during his "welcome to Costa Maya" announcement. We didn't take off points for the fact the Michelle prevented us from going to Princess Cay, even though we were really looking forward to it. Grand Cayman was our main goal and we spent the day lounging at the Beach Club and shopping. This was our anniversary day and we had taken this trip largely to cruise and to spend the day there together. Cozumel we spent the day shopping, then snorkeling and sunning at Chankanaab. We had done the "Dolphin Experience" and Chichen Itza by Air before and didn't have a real strict agenda. A quick snack and some shooters at Carlos and Charlie’s at it was back on the boat (er, ship that is).

Food- Rating 8. Better than we expected. Only one fish entree was not very good, but it was promptly replaced with a delicious lamb chop dish. We had a really excellent waiter that night. I gave him a comment card with an exceptional rating. Horizons was pretty nice for a buffet. The staff was attentive and there was always a clean place to sit. Late at night you could get the same meal that they served in the dining rooms there. We really missed not having at least one "Midnight Buffet" during the week. It always seemed like a nice social gathering place that was missing from this format.

We went to Sabatinis for our anniversary. Excellent food. (LOTS of garlic, which we like, but some may not). We got a TON of food served in what must be a dozen courses. Dinner lasted 2 hours and we were absolutely STUFFED when we left. We were enjoying ourselves so much so much that during dinner we asked if we could still get a reservation for brunch on the last sea day. We got 11AM. We later cancelled when we thought about how much food we would eat and how stuffed we would be. I highly commend this restaurant for its food and service. The additional $15 pp seemed a little high, but you certainly got your money's worth. We just don't think we were capable of doing it more than once during the cruise! We didn't go to the Painted Desert, but some that went there were satisfied if not overwhelmed. It seemed like it was in the hallway on deck 7 and we and others as well wandered through as people were eating. This seemed a little odd and didn't seem conducive of a relaxing atmosphere.

Service-Rating 7. Bar service in the lounges was excellent because they were largely empty. Bar service on the decks and pool areas was pretty spotty. Our cabin steward was excellent, bringing the rating up somewhat. The service in the dining rooms was average with the exception of one or two nights and Sabatini's. Never saw a wine steward. And I enjoyed several bottles of wine. Rarely saw a busperson fill a water glass. Maybe that was good, they were so inconspicuous! On the first two nights, we specifically asked to be seated at a large table. Maybe meet some interesting people. After waiting almost 30 minutes to be seated they lead us to a table for two. The first night we let it slide, because we were so hungry and didn't want to wait any longer. We were getting out of sequence for the entertainment as it was. The second night we were again too hungry and too late to argue, but when the maitre d’ came over to ask us how everything was, I let him know I wasn't pleased (my wife says "I let him have it", I say I was courteous, but very assertive). He told me he would take care of us the next time we came in. We never went back to that dining room. We used the second, lower of the two rooms designated for PC dining. The next night, we didn't take any chances. We met a nice couple and decided to have dinner with them instead of taking potluck. There is an interesting difference between the two dining rooms. The upstairs (DaVinci) used a number card system, while the downstairs (Michelangelo, I think) used a pager system. The upper always seemed more crowded. We used the lower because we could check in with the headwaiter, go to the atrium for some people watching, a drink, listen to music or go anywhere on the ship for that matter and not have to worry if we were within earshot when our number was called. If I were to go again, I would use the downstairs exclusively for PC.

Entertainment, Cruise Director and Staff - Rating 7. Graham Seymour our director was a pretty funny guy. We saw him on stage and daily on his TV shows. But that’s about it. We did pass him in the hallway one formal night. Handsome fellow who seemed a little uncomfortable on a personal level. The Assistants of which there were two were an interesting contrast. One had the handsome looks of the director but was not at all charming or funny and the other, Peter, was not much to look at, but was a real scream on stage and charming in person. Entertainment was a little on the "bawdy" side as much of the English humor is. It didn't really bother us, but then we really didn't think most of it was that funny either. Kamika was funny, didn't see Marty ("Hey, der") Allen or his singer wife in the show room although he seemed to be on the ship chatting up passengers. That was nice. We felt like we missed a lot of the shows because we got out of sync at dinner. We only made one of the "Broadway" productions and we didn't much care for it. The production, singing and dancing showed a lot of talent, but the theme and the plot seemed disjointed and left me and a lot of others flat. Seemed like a waste of a lot of talented folks. The show we saw was the last of three shows for the week and the Princess Theater was at least half-empty. I guess some people were showing their opinion with their feet. One more thing. The cruise staff and even the entertainers seemed to enjoy taking cheap shots at Carnival Cruise Lines. What was that all about? Bad form, old boy.

Intangables- Rating ZERO. I realize this is a very subjective category, but here goes. The ship at times seemed deserted and at other times seemed like a free for all. There were most of the usual rules for passengers, but generally they were ignored. One of the saddest sights you'll see is that of a young honeymoon couple wandering around the deck past dozens of saved deck lounges - ones that we know have been empty for hours while the occupants have gone to lunch and then "Crackpot Jackpot Bingo". Or seeing the elderly couple wandering around looking for a seat at the show while a half a row of seats is covered with a single jacket, a purse and one person saving seats for a bunch of their buddies. Saving seats in lounges, saving deck chairs, kids in the adult hot tub or pool all seemed to be standard practice. These rules were printed in the "Princess Patter" daily and there were even signs on deck, but no one bothered with them and no one even tried to gently or tactfully!  enforce them. This made for a real "mass market", "free for all" feel to the ship. They tried to take the Princess cruise experience and make it HUGE. All they seemed to do is inflate it to near the bursting point. Just my opinion Princess lovers. No flames please.

Disembarkation- Rating MINUS 3. Without a doubt the worst experience we have ever had on disembarkation day. Possibly the worst on any cruise, any time, ever. They leave a letter in your stateroom telling you when to report to immigration. Our time was 6:15 AM. Yes, that's right, AM. When we arrived, there was a line that was completely indistinguishable. We spent at least ten minutes wandering around trying to find the end of it. No one knew where it ended and I can't now begin to tell you how to find it. There was no Princess personnel there to assist until you reached the Vista Lounge. It was all done alphabetically. But if your name is Allen Anderson, you can be sure that Walter and Zelda Zimbrisky will be there at 5:30 AM waiting in line ahead of you. It doesn't matter that they weren't scheduled until 6:30 am. This makes the line incredibly long. There was no one there from the cruise line to tell you where to line up, which way the line moved, where the end of the line was or to discourage line cutting. I'm wandering around looking for the end of this serpentine line of 2,000 people and looking for my wife who has by now disappeared into the crowd. I am stopped trying to see over the mass of humanity. Even at 6'4" this was not possible. Unexpectedly I feel a sharp jab at my left shoulder blade. A lady in her 60s poked me in the back with her cane and then said, "get to the back of the line". I turned around and asked " Excuse me, but did you just poke me with your cane?". She said, "No, we were just trying to get by", but I saw another passengers nodding yes and another said, "Yeah, she did". I politely stepped aside and said "Don't you think a simple 'excuse me' would have been enough?" Her husband grabbed her arm and they strolled off at a brisk clip to catch up with the line. So briskly in fact that it made me think that she had brought the cane for prodding rather than for support. Maybe a past passenger armed for combat? Ouch! (Flames). Another example of the "mass market" feel of this cruise. We found the end of the line and trudged around deck 6 for a half-hour only to get to the front of the line at the Vista Lounge. This was the first time that morning I had seen any crewmember. All this just to have an immigration officer take a ONE SECOND LOOK at our passports and say thanks. That was it. We were astonished and unmissed.

I would take NCL on my next cruise if for no other reason than their "Freestyle" disembarkation. It is a 10 where this was such a negative, that we will probably not step on another Princess ship until their procedures undergo a complete overhaul. Sorry Princess fans. That's just the way it is. After this disaster, we went to breakfast and sat with other passengers who were equally displeased. Every one said they wished they had waited to fill out their evaluation forms. In the space where they were asked "would you cruise with Princess again", most marked, "yes". After this, the other 6 people at our table unanimously would have changed their answer to "no". Someone brought up the 9-11 situation and how this may have created this problem, but I don't think that immigration is any different than it ever was. The only difference is how the Grand Princess handles it. I wonder if it has always been this bad all along and what is being done differently in the wake of 9-11? If this is the way it has always been, then I wish someone on rec.travel.cruises had warned me! As we sat in our stateroom trying to calm down after this debacle, the pursers’ office made the usual pleas to passengers to settle their accounts. But they also asked that anyone, who had not gone to immigration, please proceed there immediately so the ship could be cleared. This was around 8:30 am. Suddenly it occurred to me - THERE WAS NO REASON TO GET UP EARLY AND GO TO IMMIGRATION AND BE A PART OF THAT FIASCO! All you had to do was wait until they made the last announcement and stroll down to the Vista Lounge. This made me very unhappy.

We were called off the ship by tag color and number (Silver 1) and left around 9:20 AM. Plenty of time to get to the FLL airport for our 12:45 flight. At the pier, we found our bags and rolled them outside. There were people at the pier offering bus transportation for $5.00 pp. We didn't have vouchers, but that didn't matter. We asked where we could get a taxi and the woman gruffly said "over there" and pointed to the left of the exit door. We rolled our luggage over to the curb and a taxi was waiting for us. We waved to the passengers still standing in line to get on the bus. For ten bucks we were at the airport 20 minutes before anyone else in our group. Little did we know it wouldn't matter.......

Trip Out - Fort Lauderdale Airport was also a disaster. Worse! At least we got breakfast on the Grand. We got to the airport about 9:45 and proceeded to the ticket counter to check our bags and get a boarding pass. We stood in this line for an hour and 30 minutes. As we neared the end of the line, An airline rep came around and asked if anyone was going on our flight and if so, to come to the counter immediately. After that line, we headed to the security gate. You guessed it, another gigantic line. We shuffled along in this line for another hour and 30 minutes. And that's right, the security rep came around and said any body on our flight, come to the front of the line. So for over three hours we had stood in line only to have people who showed up 20 minutes in advance come right to the front of the line. So as far as I can tell.... THERE IS NO REASON TO STAND IN ANY LINE AT THE AIRPORT. Simply find yourself a nice comfortable spot to rest and at the last minute, go up to the rep and say, "Oh, were on that flight!" Just another series of outrageous indignities we endured in the final 8 hours of our time just before leaving Florida. Ugh....

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