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Grand Princess - June 2009 |
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Reviewed By: Thompson, Cheshire on 3rd Jul 2009
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| Cruise Line: Princess Cruises |
Times cruised before: 3-5 |
| Cruise Ship: Grand Princess |
Sailed:
June,
2009 |
| Destination: Western Europe |
Age: 46-55 |
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Myself, husband and son have just returned from a cruise on the Grand Princess. What did we think of it? Where do I start? Firstly I must say the coach company we travelled down to Southampton with, Eavesway travel did not seem to be as well organised as the coach company Royal Carribean use. Office staff not as helpful. Seemed unable (or unwilling) to help with information regarding the style or seating arrangements of the coach we would be travelling on. (information was necessary as we were travelling with a collapsable wheelchair for our son, and needed to know whether we would board to reserved seats etc.. If so what would happen if our son wanted to "pick" his own which he quite often likes to do, but they weren`t able to advise). Likewise we were advised that at the pick-up point 2 of their coaches would be travelling to Southampton. One would have no passengers, and one would be coming from Preston with 40 passengers. Again we weren`t impressed when the office staff weren`t able to let us know which we would be on, despite trying to explain our son`s complex needs and telling them the empty one would be better suited for us. In the event we were on the list for the one arriving from Preston nearly full which arrived an hour late due to traffic delays. The empty one left, almost empty over an hour before ours arrived. Not a good start! But enough about the travel down. Suffice to say, we weren`t on any of Eavesway`s lists for travelling back from Southampton!!!
But enough about the journey down. On arriving at Southampton, I must congratulate the Princess staff for their speedy embarkation procedures, giving priority to wheelchair users and people with restricted mobility. Things were beginning to improve, or so we thought. Staff were on hand to show us to our cabin, another plus. But our cabin, or stateroom, as they prefer to call them was a bit of a let down. We had expected a bath, not a shower. It was quite small for three adults. We had also specifically asked that the third bed should not be an over-bed bunk. We had asked for a bed settee or roll-out bed for obvious reasons. We walked in and looked around only to find the third bed was a drop-down from the ceiling type!! On booking, Victoria travel had assured us that the room would be large enough for 4 adults. Not sure where a fourth adult would fit. I can only assume on our approx 4 foot wide balcony!!! Incidently our balcony did not ressemble those shown in the brochure. The furniture was quite run- down. We were advised during the holiday that this was one of the Princess ships that had not been re-furbished which was definitely in evidence in the cabin and around the ship. If we weren`t happy with the cabin you may ask why we didn`t complain and ask for a move? It was a case of putting up with it as the ship was full and no spare cabins were available. On the plus side again, our cabin attendent, Julio, did the best he could. Nothing was too much trouble. He even took the mattress off the bunk bed each night and put it on the floor for us. Each morning he put it back. An absolute star!!
On to the food. Whilst we had opted for the "any time dining experience" having attempted to use one of the main dining rooms, we found that for us, it was still a little too formal. We therefore chose to eat in the 24 hour Horizon Court area. We found the food was excellent there. A good choice on offer for each meal every single day. The entertainment on offer was reasonable. On a par with the other ships we have sailed on. The price of the drinks were extortionate. 6.50 $ + 15% added on for gratuities for each can of beer. 1.95 $ + 15% for each can of coke. 3.50 $ + 15% added on for each 1.5 litre bottle of water. I could go on, but I`m sure you get the picture!
The destinations we went to were good. But you weren`t really given enough info about each port we arrived at. I think this is because they wanted you to pay for their organised trips. Again extortionate. We tried two half day trips which didn`t involve much walking, which I found tiring, the cost for three adults being 440 $!!!! When really for most of the destinations we arrived at, if you are not a die-hard scenery fan, there was a courtesy bus, to take you into the nearby towns or everything was within walking distance. Or local taxis were available. At the two destinations which required a tender at port, once you had left the tender and only wanted to browse the local areas, everything was close by. I also found that covering 6 different places on consecutive days was a little too much. I would prefer a destination then a day of sailing, on alternate days. Obviously this is only my personal preference, and I realise this is not always possible.
On the whole despite some of my comments, we did enjoy our cruise. However, if we did sail with Princess again, not only would we travel on one of their re-furbished ships, but we would check, check and treble check that the cabin was suitable for our needs. Not just take the cruise agent`s word for it. I think we would also travel down to Southampton independently, maybe by train, but travel the day before the cruise so that traffic wouldn`t be a problem.
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| Quality of Food |  |
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| | Shore Excursions |  |
| | Staff | |
| Our room attendant - Julio - a star. Couldn`t do enough to help us. | | Children's Facilities | n/a |
| | Onboard Activities | |
| | Cabins | |
| No, cabin a lot smaller than expected. | | Overall Rating | |
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