LIVE-The Grand Southern Carib Holiday Cruise with Sungirl 12/21/09

[Colo Cruiser]

What an excellent day in Curacao!!

[Coolmama_1]

I have enjoyed reading about your cruise!

[YaddaBest]

i have not been on the Grand Princess since my first cruise back in March 2001 and once on a Mediterranean cruise back in 2005. That was 32 cruises ago how time flies when you are sailing with Princess cruises. oddly enough I have been going on these ten day cruises out of Fort Lauderdale since Nov 2007 first with the Emerald and now the Ruby has taken over. I was on that Thanksgiving cruise last year when you met your cruising friends. See you have enjoyed quite a few Carnival cruises this year. How do you compare that to the Princess line??? How is the Grand and how wonderful is the itinerary??? Hope you are enjoying your Holiday.

[KCSungirl]

Yesterday was a great day in Aruba. The weather certainly doesn’t get any better than Aruba for sun worshippers like me. It is always hot and sunny. We got an 11am late start due to our late night party the night before. The shops were all closed and not opening till noon or so. Fireworks debris was everywhere. It must take them weeks to clean up all the red paper. We walked to the Renaissance Hotel to inquire about buying a day pass to their private island. The were supposedly at full occupancy and turned us down. They said we could reserve a room, however, so I guess they weren’t completely full. Our platinum status with Marriott doesn’t help us at this property. On to Plan B. We couldn’t decide what beach to camp on. We hopped a $3/pp shuttle to the Hyatt Hotel on Palm Beach. I vacationed at the Hyatt many years ago before it became timeshare city. We usually go up to the Marriott on Palm Beach, but thought we should try something different. That section of Palm Beach in front of the Hyatt would be the last place I would ever go for a land vacation. It was wall to wall people and it is so over built that you can’t tell when one hotel/timeshare stops and another starts. I was trying to get my arms around the fact that I love Cancun even though it is as commercial as Aruba, but I don’t like Palm Beach at all. The people watching was a little annoying and distracting. About 50% American (from the east coast mainly) and 50% South American/Latin American/European. My DH has some new material for his act. One skit involves a man ordering a Hebrew National at the outdoor grill and shouting “Don’t toast the bun” like he was at a NY deli. Then he says loudly “I’ve got everything under control” in the best Jersey accent.. It’s important to have things under control. when you are paying $10 for a hot dog. We ordered grilled Mahi Mahi sandwiches with remoulade sauce from the Hyatt grill. They were delicious, but pricey ($20). We actually sat at the property next to the Hyatt, the Playa Linda timeshare. We scored some free chairs for the day. We left the beach at 3:30pm. We got a little burned, but loved every minute of it. We took another beach shuttle back to the ship. This beach shuttle was a yellow school bus and it was funny. The driver was blasting Michael Jackson tunes and honking the horn to round up more riders. We took a nice drive along the beach to Eagle Beach. Now this is where I should have spent my day. Eagle Beach was much more our scene. Low rise hotels, large, and spread out. Something to look forward to next time. We shopped in the cruise terminal. Aruba Aloe is a good souvenir, but I decided not to buy any because I don’t want to pay overage on my luggage going home. We bought a phone card and called home to wish everyone Happy New Year. It was $10 for about 19 minutes of talk time. This is an easy and convenient port to phone home. We have cell service in every port, but why pay roaming rates and taxes if you have the option of buying a phone card. By the time we got back to the cabin the ship was letting loose of her lines to set sail for FLL. We had a nice sunset on the balcony. I had chips/salsa and a deli sandwich in the HC. We have OD’d on food. Everything is starting to taste the same. Tonight we decided to pretend we were at home. This would involve activities such as carry out food, laundry, packing, cleaning, football on TV, and a glass of wine. We packed two bags, cleaned the room to remove all of the decorations, and got organized. I hate ruining the last few days of a cruise packing, so I start a little early. It takes me a long time to pack up all of my stuff. We met Mike and Becky at 10:15pm for the comedy show - Jim McDonald. Jim is great. He is one of the few comedians we have seen that makes my DH laugh out loud. I had seen him once before on a Mexican Riviera cruise. He is a cutie. I think he is performing again tomorrow night. We went to the buffet after the show. I had some fried shrimp.

 

I hope we have better weather coming home than we did leaving. The clouds appear to be burning off. The Captain’s Circle cocktail party is tonight. It is a formal optional evening. We have to choose between the production show “Do You Want to Dance” or the comedy of Don Bryan. Or maybe if we are really ambitious, we can see both. I can’t believe we are almost at the end of the cruise. We have loved every minute.

 

Can anyone tell me about Baby Beach in Aruba? Trying to improve our experience next time. Any suggestions are appreciated.

 

 

See you tomorrow. ;-) Sungirl

[12Cruise]

Thank you and Happy New Year!! I am lapping it up and taking notes. Thank you for sharing your cruise with us. It is greatly appreciated!! :)

[jtagphillycruiser]

Sungirl,

Loved your last two posts. New Years Eve sounded outstanding!!! What memories from your balcony. Thank you so much for all your detailed posts. Your writings put a great big smile on my face...Enjoy the last moments of your cruise and safe travels. Happy New Year to you & your family....Joanne

[Colo Cruiser]

Sounds like a nice day. :)

[Putterdude]

I am enjoying your posts, like HopSingh & Tohna we are on the Grand on 1/15 doing pretty much the same cruise.:)

[vickie_bernie]

great review, and I agree Palm Beach is just to crazy, we too prefer either Lighthouse beach or Eagle beach.

 

Two years ago we rented scooters and went all the way down to Baby beach. We loved the scooters but feel I am getting too old for them, car would work fine too.

 

The beach was completely deserted didn't see a single person there. This was the first full week of January. It was kind of rough water but we didn't go to far into the surf. We also travelled past the prison area on a sand road and came out at a beautiful beach too. Very nice to see, very very windy

[NRWPA]

DH and I visited Baby Beach when we were in Aruba for 10 days in November. I know most people love it - it is a pretty beach, but we went on a Sunday and it was wall-to-wall people/families. All shaded areas were already taken and tho I love the sun, I like to be able to get out of it when necessary. I ended up taking a 5 minute dip, sat on the beach about 15 minutes and we drove back to our hotel. We stayed at the Westin on Palm Beach - love sitting around the pool area there. Always go to Bugaloe's (at DePalm Pier, across the beach from the Radisson) for inexpensive (for Aruba), really good food - Grouper sandwich $10. Drinks there (as everywhere in Aruba) are somewhat expensive, but drink of the day is $4.

[seacrystal]

I am ALMOST as sorry to see your cruise end as you are:(. This has been a blast and thank you for every minute!!!:D

[ndavis7515]

Thank you for making time to do this blog. It has been very informative.

[KCSungirl]

Hi Everyone, I will finish up my report on the last two sea days and some final thoughts after I dig out my driveway (a foot of snow) and get some sleep. The cruise was excellent. I appreciate everyone who took the time to read and/or comment on my thread. It is fun to write about all of the fun aspects of cruising.

 

See you tomorrow. Sungirl

[speakertosuits]

Welcome back. I have been following your live posts and thank you for them. You mentioned a coffee bar on deck 5. Is that the Lobby Bar on Plaza deck? Do they offer food as well as coffee and drinks? We will be going on the Grand this fall for a TA and we liked the International Cafe on the Crown and Caribbean, though not the extra 500-600 people on them. Looking forward to you review.

[jtagphillycruiser]

Dear Sungirl,

What can I say - a foot of snow - eeekkkks!!! Very sorry to hear that!!! Take your time with your review (& pics...???) Your live thread was so wonderful and I also thank you for sharing and taking us along on your adventures.....Joanne

[ndavis7515]

Looking forward to your report, since we will be on the Grand on 2/12.

[dchip]

Thanks for your posts, KCSungirl. It was fun to "go along" with you on your cruise. Your posts were so very interesting and a joy to read. Will be looking forward to your final posts. Stay warm with all that snow.

 

We will be on the Grand 3/11/10. It will be the first time we have repeated a Princess ship. We cruised on the Grand for her Inaugural Transatlantic voyage into NYC in September 1998! Excited about seeing the "old" girl again.

 

Cheers, Denise

[Colo Cruiser]

Welcome back. I have been following your live posts and thank you for them. You mentioned a coffee bar on deck 5. Is that the Lobby Bar on Plaza deck? Do they offer food as well as coffee and drinks? We will be going on the Grand this fall for a TA and we liked the International Cafe on the Crown and Caribbean, though not the extra 500-600 people on them. Looking forward to you review.

 

It is the Lobby Bar.

No food other then a tray of pastries or cookies on the bar. :)

[Roger The Mainer]

Denise;

My wife and I will be on the Grand on 3/12/2010. You mentioned you were on 3/11. I think you may have meant 3/12.

 

Join our Roll Call for the Grand on 3/12/2010.

 

Happy Cruising.

 

Roger The Mainer

[dchip]

Denise;

My wife and I will be on the Grand on 3/12/2010. You mentioned you were on 3/11. I think you may have meant 3/12.

 

Join our Roll Call for the Grand on 3/12/2010.

 

Happy Cruising.

 

Roger The Mainer

 

Oops, we are leaving for FLL on 3/11. Can't wait to get on that ship. Weather here has been gray since we got back from the Caribbean in November :eek: I actually have been checking in on your Roll Call :D but didn't want to participate since I am not sure we could make the M&G. It is always disappointing to have many folks on the Roll Call and then 10 show up for the M&G. If you don't mind me just chatting, I will be over there tomorrow :)

 

Cheers, Denise

[KCSungirl]

Why oh why can't I live in Del Boca Vista? I am so miserable with our winter weather and I certainly can't show off the tan I worked so hard on.

 

Back to the cruise........

 

Sea Day Jan 2 - The Patter was full of actvities on sea days - shuffleboard competition, art trivia, scrapbooking, bingo, pub lunch, Ryder Cup, cocktail demonstrations, Ice carving demonstration, Bridge, dance classes, pool games, art auctions, indoor and outdoor movies, water volleyball, trivia, and a Big Game Hunters get-together. Big Game Hunters? HUH? I was disappointed that I missed the Cruise Critic Meet and Greet. The ringleader scheduled both meetings at 11am. Happy Hour works best for me. I wish he could have alternated the times on different days.

 

We had hot and sunny weather. We spent the day in the sun at the "off limits" area, close to the Sanctuary. I think this is the teen area. We had a private hot tub that was actually cooler than the spa pool. The water temps were warm. Great day, but we were all feeling a little cooked and bloated. Too much sun and too much food. I guess that means it was a successful cruise.

 

We went to the Captain's Circle cocktail party. It was a little boring and not overly crowded. It was great for getting two rounds of drinks. There were three parties - 5, 6, and 7pm approx. We went to the 6pm party. The most cruised passengers were the Farleys, 486 or so days. There were about 173 Elite passengers, so that would put me last on the list. They had the Elite members stand up, which made me feel extra special. Lots of evening activities as well - Production show "Do You Wanna Dance", Ventriloquist Don Bryan, Marriage Game Show, Princess Pop Star, and MUTS. We ate in the dining room because I wanted the rack of lamb. It was delicious. Lamb is a treat for me when cruising because I don't eat it at home very often. The service was blatantly bad. The waiters are so busy doing prep work and cleaning up the waiter station, they neglect the diners. I finally said to the waiter "Can you please take care of us" while he was busy putting silverware away for the next day. We sat for 10 minutes with dirty plates in front of us. We get so impatient, we usually pass on dessert. I guess I could have had a discussion with the maitre'd, but it wasn't worth the energy. We wandered around the ship instead of going to a show. Cabin movie - The Hangover

 

Sea Day Jan 3 - Becky and I had Girls Day Out. We met at 9am to poke around together. We went to the Captain's Circle desk to figure out why she had a blue key card on her second cruise. They had been assigned Capt Circle numbers twice. We switched luggage tags at the vacation desk. This was something new. They had a dedicated vacation desk for luggage tags from 9am to 11am on the last two sea days. It was at the shore excursion desk. We went to breakfast at the Horizon Court. I have a new addiction of bran muffins. I had the mini muffins everyday on deck 5 at the coffee/lobby bar. They had the full size muffins at the buffet. Big event of the day - the OUTLET sale! I love going to the sale to treasure hunt. Each cruise I swear I am not going, then I can't resist. I bought fleece headbands, a nylon tote bag, and a rattan beach bag. I really dig the extra 10% off for elite status. We spent an hour in Sabatini's looking through photos. We both took advantage of the buy 3 portraits for $25 and get one free. Our pictures were pretty good and showcased the holidays well. We met our DH's for lunch and got a late start at the pool. It was cool and cloudy by 2pm when I got outside. We went back to the "Off Limits" area and it was a perfect place to end the cruise - private hot tub with really hot water. It was cool outside and this was the best area on the ship. I found that my usual favorite area, the terrace pool, was much too shaded on this cruise. We were also in a forward cabin, so the area near the Sanctuary was convenient to the cabin. We toasted a perfect cruise with a few frozen adult beverages.

 

We went to the Elite lounge at Skywalker's at 6:30pm. The featured starter was cheese and crackers. We had not made time to go to the lounge the entire cruise. It was not very crowded, but probaby because it was the last night. It is a cool view from Skywalkers. Too cloudy for a sunset, but still beautiful. We ate our last meal at the HC. Mike and Becky ate a lot of pizza. They loved the pizza. The last night entertainment included the Farewell Variety show with Jim McDonald, Don Bryan and Brandi Chapman, Movie in the Vista Lounge (Public Enemies) and the Princess Pop Star Final. We had worn ourselves out having fun for two weeks and were too exhausted to go out. We had packing to finish and extra computer minutes to use. I got copies of our cabin charges and found $5.40 in errors. Both of us were too tired to deal with it. This was the first cruise that I noticed a dedicated line at the Purser's desk for Elite and Suite passengers. Maybe they have had this all along and I never noticed. Nice perk. Cabin Movie - Angels and Demons

 

Disembarkation Jan. 4- I went to the Purser's desk to dispute the $5.40 charge at 7:30am. They gave me cash back. Anything under $5 gets cash. One charge was due to the fact they forgot my Elite discount at the gift shop and the second charge was for laundry that should have been free. No problem getting it corrected, just took energy I didn't have. ;-) It was Monday, so I knew everything would go smoothly as far as getting a taxi to the aiport. We got off the ship with the first group, after the self assist group. Another perk of Elite, you can get off whenever you want. Mike and Becky had early flights to Jacksonville and we were off the ship and in a shuttle van by 8:30am. I was a little concerned about the security lines at FLL, so I figured being early would be helpful. We curbside checked our bags with SWA. We both were overweight on our bags and had to rearrange our stuff. I was not aware the overweight charge went from $25 to $50. When did that happen? I was always comfortable with the $25 charge, but $50 is a little steep. Smooth non-stop flight and I was home at 4pm. We needed boots to get out of the car with a foot of snow on the driveway.

 

I will be back tomorrow with more info, etc. I am not done talking yet. I will post photos ASAP. You will have to reread the thread and match the photos for a complete visual. Still catching up on my sleep.

 

Record low temps coming below 0, I believe. My dog is suffering the most, poor little guy.

 

See you soon, Sungirl

[12Cruise]

Thank you, KCSungirl...I can't thank you enough for your wonderful reviews. We board the Grand on 1-3-11 and your review has just been a pleasure to read.

 

Could you tell me about the "Off Limits" area? As in, where is it? My DH loves a Hot hot tub.

 

Also, did they have Wii tournaments on board, and if so, what games did they play? Any bowling and Guitar Hero? :)

 

Thanks again and sorry about all of the snow you've gotten. We got 1" yesterday, would love to have a tiny bit more, not like you and others though. :D

 

Take care and Happy Cruising!

[jtagphillycruiser]

Hey Sungirl,

Thanks for the post. It was snowing during the drive into work for me this morning, yuckkkkk - TGIF!!! Your last 2 days sound like you & Becky had fun. Can't wait to read the rest. Have a good day......Joanne

[Tast]

Hi,

I loved reading all of your posts. We met on the beach in St Kitts, on those funky chairs, not sure if you remember? We were on the Ruby and we had a chance to chat and compare some cruise notes. Glad to hear your weather improved as the cruise went on.

 

Sounds like your cruise especially New Years was great. We also continued to have good weather and a great cruise.

 

Welcome home and Happy New Year!

[KCSungirl]

Hi Tast, of course I remember chatting with you on Cockleshell beach. Thanks for taking the time to say hi. Glad you had a great cruise.

 

12 cruise - the "Off Limits" are is the next section back from the Sanctuary which is the most forward location on the ship.

 

jtagphillycruiser - thanks for those faithful responses.

 

My memories are wonderful. I will share some final thoughts with you ........................

 

We have always had an aft cabin location on Princess. It was a little shock to the system to be forward and farther away from the buffet. My DH snuck out of our cabin every night at 11:30pm to get a snack. (so he says, he might have been pulling a Tiger Woods on me) He had to walk a lot farther than he would have liked.

 

I have the patience of Job and it has served me well in my life. However, the elevators on the Grand can definitely test your patience. They were slow. It was annoying that there was no staircase in the middle of the ship. We use the stairs as much as possible and we would find ourselves at the middle elevators always looking for stairs. It was funny that we never trained ourselves to quit looking for stairs. We finally trained ourselves to use the forward area, as stairs were available. We were in cabin D317 which is halfway between the forward and middle elevators.

 

The Skywalker over hang at the Terrace Pool made the area much too shady for me. On the Crown, Emerald, and Ruby, the decks above the Terrace Pool are my slice of heaven. I had to find myself a different slice of heaven on the Grand. I did not encounter any chair hogs, but I also never want to sit in the crowded areas - poolside. Unfortunately the MUTS situation on the Grand is not ideal during the day. It's impossible to get away from the noise since the screen is located at the main pool. The Crown, Ruby, and Emerald have a much better set up obviously since the Grand is an older design. The indoor Conservatory pool is a lovely area and great for those who want shade. Mike sat indoors at the pool every sea day. His only comment was he got a little tired of the "Marco"/"Polo" shouting.

 

The ship felt as crowded as the Crown, Emerald, and Ruby even with 600 less passengers. My DH reminded me that there is more public space aft on those larger boats. On sea days, tables were at a premium at peak hours. Many people would use the tables to play cards/games all day. We never had trouble finding a table, it just took a while. Sometimes our food would be cold before we could find a table. I sometimes don't follow my own advice of finding the table first. I am drawn like a magnet to the food.

 

Princess needs some new production shows. I think it would be reasonable to introduce one new show every year or two. I know it is expensive, however.

 

The holidays were a very special time to cruise. I loved the decorations, special Christmas production show, holiday activities, and the holiday cheer all of the passengers brought on board the ship. I always say my last cruise was my favorite, but this cruise will be in the top 5 forever. Especially because we got to share it with our friends Mike and Becky.

 

I was so spoiled by the minisuite. Loved it. Remember the guy that wrote the review back in August about the CB and he was complaining that there were no shelves in the shower. I need to tell him that there are TWO shelves in the minisuite bathtub/shower. I will be back in a balcony cabin next time, but I feel super lucky that I got to enjoy two weeks in a minisuite. We enjoyed every inch of space in the cabin and felt it was worth every penny. My DH will tell you the cabin and balcony are his favorite part of a cruise. His oceanfront view is why he cruises.

 

I thought our itinerary was pretty strong. I choose cruises with the least number of sea days. I don't think a repositioning cruise is in my near future. All of the ports had good qualities. Any cruise that can get far enough south to Aruba, Bonaire, or Curacao, would be my first choice. The ABC islands are my favorites because of the perfect weather, turqoise water, and white sand.

 

My Top Three Lists on the Grand Princess Holiday Cruise

Ports

1. Curacao

2. St. Vincent

3. St. Kitts

 

Lunches on shore

1. Richard's Bake and Shark - Trinidad

2. Rumbaba Sailboat Charter - St. Thomas

3. Spice Mill - St. Kitts

 

Port Activities

1. Cas Abao Beach - Curacao

2. Villa Beach - St. Vincent

3. Scenic Drive from Port of Spain to Maracas Beach - Trinidad

 

Shopping Ports

1. St. Thomas

2. Aruba

3. Curacao

 

Scenic Ports

1. St. Vincent

2. St. Kitts

3. Trinidad

 

Shipboard Activities

1. New Year's Eve fireworks from Curacao on the balcony

2. Gingerbread House decorating competition

2. Photos/presents with Santa (the kids were darling)

 

Favorite food items on the ship

1. rack of lamb

2. souffles - french vanilla, chocolate hazelnut, grand marnier, gingerbread

3. braised short ribs or any type of rib

 

BFF's Shipboard Fun Activities

1. Santa Helpers on Christmas Eve

2. Princess Princesses on New Year's Eve

3. Cabin decorating party and gift exchange

 

I will be sorting through photos later today and will post a link. You must see the photos!

 

Becky and I are headed to Cancun for two weeks on the 23rd. If you know the Royal Resorts, we will be at VCI, the Sands, and the Mayan. I will post a blog, but I guess I can't do a "LIVE from Cancun" on the cruise board. This is Becky's first time to Cancun. I am also bringing two other girlfriends along. It should be a good party, if the tequila doesn't poison us.

 

Feel free to ask any questions and thanks for being a part of my cruise.

 

Party On! Sungirl