Richjoxyz

I like the extra space and the couch in an OV cabin. Natural light is nice too. I like the lower level rooms to keep the ships motion to a minimum and...I NEED THE EXERCISE RUNNING UP AND DOWN THE STAIRS AFTER EATING ALL THE MEALS! :D

After many cruises to Mexico I decided to exchange Dollars to Pesos at my local bank. There were some fees required, but I just thought it would be fun to use Pesos.

It wasn't worth it. I will use Dollars going forward.

When we were in Mexico they quoted everything in Dollars. I asked how many Pesos? I constantly found myself converting Dollars to Pesos, and Pesos back to Dollars in my head at every transaction. I spent more time doing math than it was worth. In the end if I saved 50 cents or a Dollar, it just wasn't worth it. Too much thinking for too little pay off. Not worth the bother.

They knew exactly how many Pesos equaled how many Dollars they wanted. They got their money either way for the most part. I might have saved a buck or two here and there, but didn't make up for the fees I paid my back to get the Pesos!

No thanks, we wont need it. :D

WE'LL BE ON THE SAME CRUISE! ;)

WOW...I started reading your review and we will be in the exact SAME CABIN in December!

Please tell me about the room. Was it noisy, any problems? Was the location good? Was there much movement? Anything else noteworthy?

Thank you for the review!

I'm on the May 1st cruise to Mexico, and am hoping to catch the games too.

This is one thing Carnival does well on the newer ships, they have great sports bars, with big screens playing different games. I remember watching our 49rs get humiliated last December and having to listen to all the other passengers cheer as the 9ers went down.

Hate to miss any of the Warriors games, may have to cancel the cruise!

Yes, many ships have Anytime. I prefer a set dining time with same wait staff. 6:00 has always been standard on other lines I cruised, and this was the option I chose on Princess, as it did appear as an available dining time when I booked. If I could choose standard dining at 6:30 or 7:00, that would be my optimum time. But, obviously, that is never the case, so I choose 6:00 as my preference. That was a clear option when I booked. 6:00 is sometimes frantic to get to, especially on a port day, so forced changing to 5:30 is very upsetting.

Agreed, we selected Anytime Dining for our first Princess cruise departing in a few weeks because 5:30 is a bit too early. This cruise is just me and the wife so we can float with our timing!

Thank you. That clears things up.

Our cabin is a Dolphin Deck Mini-Suite near the front stairwell. Should work out just fine.

I've seen references to "no center staircase" on the Grand. What does this mean? When I check the deck plan there is a center staircase shown. :confused: We sail the Grand in May. This will be our first Princess cruise.

Bring a jacket and a pair of shorts. You'll most likely use them both.

I've taken a couple Carnival trips from Long Beach to Ensenada in Feb and March. My trips were pleasant, in the high 60s and 70s. People were in the pool and sunbathing.

I think it could also be cool and raining.

Plan for both.

Where is your mini suite?

We are Port side near the front elevators. Any perks being in a mini-suite?

We went through more reviews and found many pics of the ship. The ship looks pretty nice. We have enjoyed older ships in the past. They have a sophisticated elegance and can be less crowded. We believe this ship will be to our liking. We're planning on having a great cruise and looking forward to trying all the restaurants. Thanks for all the comments.

if you search Grand Princess on the main page there are numerous threads, here is one.....

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2306693&highlight=grand+princess

Thanks, we've been following that thread, and it is one of the most positive we have seen! Very nice review.

We booked the Grand out of San Francisco on May 1st (10 nights to Mexico). First time cruisers on Princess. Reading a lot of mixed reviews.

We have been perfectly happy on Celebrity, HAL and RCI. (Celebrity Summit, RCI Jewel, and a few of the Dam ships), also, we do fine on Carnival. I am 55, wife is 50. We cruise for the ports, food, entertainment, some chill out time, and I like the casino. We like the idea of sailing out of SF as we are locals. No Flights! We booked a mini-suite and are excited about the cabin layout, it looks nice.

Please let us know the good things about Princess and the Grand out of SF. Thanks.

Name the baby Pat!

She would have to pay me to come and watch her. It would be painful, but for the right price I would do it.

Carnival Mardi Gras out of Miami, mid to late 80's.

After the cruise we went to Miami Beach and called my parents from a payphone. It was the EXACT phone used in the Scarface movie right before the chainsaw scene!

Every time I see the movie I remember standing at that phone!

Ship cards, drivers licenses, credit card, cash, bottle of water, towels, snorkel/mask/fins, sun glasses, hat, sunscreen, epi pen w/benadyil, cell phone.

Our destination is usually the beach, as you can see. Often the best beaches are near the ship. Learned this by searching many, many beaches looking for the best beach, only to find out over the years it is sometimes very close to the ship.

16 days until our annual B2B with Mom. This year it's the Valor!

Shouldn't be a problem. We book OV cabins under the showroom without much, if any noticeable noise. Gone are the days of two shows every night. Formal nights usually have two production shows, but the remaining nights may only have one show, or none at all.

Without a doubt an OV on deck 2. Larger cabin, sitting area, large window, and much more stable ride. I know that some people want to book a higher deck to be closer to the pool or buffet, or for some unfounded fear of being on a lower deck, but for me, sacrificing a much better stateroom in favor of a higher deck makes zero sense, unless I had mobility issues, or riding elevators scared me.

That's another thing we like about Deck 2, we choose to use the stairs. By the time we reach deck 9 we've earned the meal. :)

We like the deck 2 cabins with windows. The rooms are much larger than inside rooms, and are even larger than balcony rooms! (The space used for the balcony becomes part of the room.) The window is nice and ship movement is minimal.

We book these rooms for two weeks every Christmas to see Mom, and love the location. We book near the forward elevators. Any further back and you risk being under the galley.

Enjoy your cruise!

We'll be in these same two cabins in March 2016 with the kids. We picked it for the set up. Was there enough space in the cabin? I heard it doesn't have a couch, but chairs instead. Could you relax and lounge about? Also did you feel a lot of ship motion being that far forward.

Sounds like a good cruise overall. Hopefully the food will be upgraded with the new menu.

The arrangement worked out very well. The cabins are the same size as all other cabins. The couch is missing to allow for the door to open. We were able to arrange two chairs against the bathroom wall with the small table in between, and another chair next to the door opening. The door opened into the inside cabin. The result was a nice seating area for three with a table, view to the balcony and still room to walk between cabins. We used this seating more than we ever use the sofa. I was worried about not having a sofa but this was just as good, if not better. It was great having two bathrooms, privacy at night, and two living spaces by day. No complaints.

Yes, I did feel a little more motion. I just learned to accept it. I prefer the relative calm of the lower deck mid ship cabins.

My go to beer on Carnival is Boddingtons. Carnival should upgrade the beer selection on tap to offer a more diverse selection.

When I tasted Thirsty Frog I expected a better taste. It looked better than it tasted. Maybe I'm spoiled living in Northern Ca, but it just wasn't that good.

I love a chilled glass, but not impressed the chilled PLASTIC glass at the pool deck bar.

The cabins were great, here is our review:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2266204

Belize - We ALWAYS do a Carnival excursion in Belize. Why...because they pick you up directly from the ship and take you directly to a little island for the day.

If you do anything on your own, it is a very long tender ride to town, then to your excursion destination, and back. Big waste of time.

We find it easier to just use a Carnival excursion while in Belize.

I think you are correct. Cabo was very hot! Luckily there was an air conditioned restaurant upstairs right at the end of the pier. We went in and cooled off a little before the water taxi to the beach.