Shogun Live from Grand Princess 2nd June

[wickedwitchofthewest]

hi Shogun

Looks like you've had another great trip! Have enjoyed reading all the comments - and as regards the right nutter comment think you used it in the same frame we do here - I certainly wouldn't take offense - actually think its been used to describe me on many occasions!

Sounds like as per usual for you that your charm has worked wonders. I look forward to one day sailing with you again.

[crows nest club]

Thanks shogun for all you live from. Also for confirming that the Sanctuary can still be booked for the whole cruise on the day of embarkation. Could not believe that this facility had been withdrawn as had been reported on another thread. Hope your sail in to Southampton is not too choppy, although at the moment in Surrey it is blowing a gale outside.

 

Thanks once again

[seamanfs]

Thoroughly enjoyed your review and humor. I can see why the crew likes you. When will people learn you can catch more flies with honey than vinegar.

 

Absolutely agree 100%!! You get so much more out of life if you are kind and respect others. It costs nothing and rewards you daily!

[Woobstr112G]

Shogun;

 

I just noted your Live From thread. I hope you are having a great cruise. Lookinng forward to finally getting to meet you next year on the Royal.....:):):)

 

Bob

[umbertsmum]

Thank you Shogun for your daily posts, they have been really informative and have served to make me even more excited about our Grand cruise in August.

[Matcodixon]

I definitely enjoyed reading your reports and updates. You have a great writing style that makes them informative and entertaining.

 

I always wonder when I read the cruise reviews for a particular cruise why there are some really wide variations in ratings. Even a cruise or ship with a very high rating will occasionally have a review from someone that hated it and will never go again!. I have come to the conclusion that perhaps some of the problem is coming from the one that one sees when looking in a mirror.

 

Complaining loudly about a wait or some other minor problem will not get you better service, as you pointed out. Being considerate and respectful will reward you in the end.

 

After all, the only really bad part of any cruise is when it ends and I have to go back to work! :(

[spyro1952]

Shogun, you're the bomb!!! Looking forward to meeting you on the Grand TA in November and then on the Royal in 2013.

I will try to do a live thread on our 6/23 Grand trip!! :D

[Lin336]

Shogun, we always enjoy your trip reports & look forward to the next one!

[paddingtonbear]

Shogun

Thank you so much for taking the time to do the live report. Great fun to read.

[MustangGT]

Thanks for taking us all along on your cruise! We had a great time!

[LAC2]

Shogun, you're the bomb!!! Looking forward to meeting you on the Grand TA in November ....

:D

 

Ditto what they said.

 

Just one question for you....is there no staircase in the Atrium on the Grand? I don't think we've been on a ship that did not have an Atrium staircase. Can't seem to picture it.:rolleyes:

[Pia1913]

Ditto what they said.

 

Just one question for you....is there no staircase in the Atrium on the Grand? I don't think we've been on a ship that did not have an Atrium staircase. Can't seem to picture it.:rolleyes:

 

Of course there is a staircase in the Atrium. What Shogun referred to is that there is no center staircase for passenger use. The stairs are there, but you can't use them. Therefore, if you have a cabin midship, let's say on deck 8, the only way you can get down to decks 7, 6 &5, is to walk forward or aft to those stairs, or wait for the Atrium elevators to go down one floor. A real pain.

[Azjack]

Enjoyed your commentary. We sail on the Grand in July. Your daily updates provided a pre-cruise cruise.

 

Looking forward to meeting you in person on the Royal in 2013.

 

Thanks again,

 

Jack

[toberman]

Of course there is a staircase in the Atrium. What Shogun referred to is that there is no center staircase for passenger use. The stairs are there, but you can't use them. A real pain.

 

Odd... stairs but you can't use them ??:confused:

[Pia1913]

Odd... stairs but you can't use them ??:confused:

 

Never made sense to me either and I figured that when they redid the ship they would open them up. Nope. They did use them during muster; just to move people around faster. And that was it.

[caribill]

Odd... stairs but you can't use them ??:confused:

 

The stairs are there and usable by passengers between decks 5 and 7.

 

They are there from deck 7 upward, but are for crew access only as they go to crew access only areas on every deck above 7.

 

This design flaw was corrected on all Grand Class ships after the Grand itself.

[Shogun]

Hi All

Well its last day, we awake to some strange gargling sound coming from the toilet, we open the lid and the noise is even louder, so press the button and nothing happens, at least it’s the last day,

We go to Vista Lounge for Coffee, embarkation is well underway as it started at 7.00am, the whole process is going well running about 45 mins ahead of programme, we have a pre booked taxi who arrives on time to take us to the airport, breakfast at the air port is £8 coffee is toxic, so have to go to Costa to get real coffee.

As to our last night we had mussels for diner not seen this in the MDR not as good as the Crown Grill but not bad, stopped of to watch a band called the Speakers which have been playing around the ship the whole cruise, not the best band in the world but very good entertainment and well worth watching. Overall there has been more choice on this ship than I have seen before a lot of movies and life acts.

On returning to our cabin next to the chocolates there was a little card thanking you for cruising Princess not seen this before.

Even on last day folks were going down to the dining room aft and trying to make there way forward, like wise folks were trying to take the stairs to nowhere mid ship. Just to explain there are stairs behind the elevators in the atrium like any ship but at deck 7 they just stop at a small doorway.

On the passenger decks between the elevators were you expect to see a staircase there is one but is blocked of behind fire doors and is only used for muster.

Got the chance to speak to some officers not saying who, however they were very unhappy with the way Capt Ed Perrin has been dealt with by the media, now they brought this up so may be something has happened again that I have missed being at sea. We talked for over an hour the rest of the stuff I am not going to post, only to say I am looking forward to meeting them again in November, and may have diner with them. One officer did say he enjoyed talking to passengers but said so many passengers only wanted to talk to the Captain so would walk right past him.

Casino final coughed up some money and in the last two days was able to put $600 to on board account.

As we left the ship, painting of the haul was underway may be Captain read my earlier post that it was looking a bit worn.

Met some passengers heading for the Grand at the airport, the only thing they wanted to know about was how to take the auto tip off, as they wanted to tip who they wanted, and not be charged a figure of $20 a day which they though was way to high for a 14 day cruise.

We completed a number of you made the difference cards also informed a couple of crew members that I had completed these cards for them, and one crew member I will write to Head Office about, as I have never seen such a hard working Supervisor in all my time with Princess, I did think he was under staffed but he never stopped.

At the airport our flight was delayed the plane infront of us damaged its landing gear on landing and had to be towed off runway, makes you think about life when you here about these things,

As to the important stuff, when we drew up out side doggie sitter Shogun was standing at the window having recognised the sound of his car, has not stopped barking and trying to lick us for the last hour.

Any questions just ask and will try and help.

Yours Shogun

[sotong]

Thanks for the live from as we are also on the Grand in August, good to see some others are too as roll call v v quiet! Only 13 posts from 7 people! Few more on facebook, even though the cruise is nearly sold out.

Gillian

[toberman]

Thanks for the posts Shogun - glad to see you're home safe. Hugs to the dug.

[chickenwhisperer]

Thank you for your posts, very interesting. Husband and I were on this cruise too. As first time Princess guests, we were very impressed indeed and could not fault a single thing. Staff were wonderful and genuinely friendly. All food and balcony accommodation excellent.

We have cruised Cunard Queen Victoria and Queen Mary prior to this and defected due to falling standards and penny pinching. I do hope Princess continues to maintain the standards we experienced despite being part of Carnival Group and the accountants leave well alone!

We will definitely sail Princess again. Sad tonight that it is all over. Just eating my way through chocolates bought in Bruges as consolation!

[Cruiserkenn]

Shogun, thanks for all of the great posts, and thanks, too, for the thoughts about Captain Perrin.

[Shogun]

Hi All

 

Some other points from the Cruise

 

Appears that some onboard thought a Princess would be doing naming

 

of Royal, even showed a pic of her, on the Princess TV, then the sister ship the name Regal appeared to be a good match,

 

A number of Royal cruises sold out.

 

Need to thank Andreas the Hotel General Manager for sending 16 or 17 staff to cc meeting I lost count.

 

On the last sea day the Grand was heading into a 45 to 50 knot head wind

with a sea swell of 3 to 4 m using all her 6 engines to keep her on timetable, and burning quite a few tons of fuel an hour, enough infact to make a captain cry and the bean counters very unhappy.

 

yours Shogun

 

yours Shogun

[caber]

hi Shogun

as regards the right nutter comment think you used it in the same frame we do here - I certainly wouldn't take offense - actually think its been used to describe me on many occasions!

.

 

I would never have believed that Ann. :p;)

[SwissDave]

Have finally recovered from my journey home.

 

It was really good to meet Shogun and Mrs Shogun, and made lots of new friends as well whom i hope to see again in the future.

 

Our thanks go to Shogun for the great M&G with all the officers and the really excellent Crown Grill dinner.

 

I know food is subjective, however in my opinion the food was the best I have had on the Grand, be it Crown Grill, MDR or buffet.

 

Someone asked about the Sanctuary, it is not bookable for the whole cruise, only on a daily basis with first come first served. I don't know if that is the case for all cruises now but it certainly was on this one.

 

Crew were happy that they are off to the med for a couple of weeks to get some warmth back in to them, there were a few cold souls on the decks this cruise with the not so good weather.

 

One thing many people said on this cruise was that the Grand is a 'happy ship'. All the staff were cheerful, smiling, willing to help, and on the whole the passengers all seemed happy as well. I think this come from the top, a good Captain and senior team works wonders with moral and enthusiasm of the crew.

 

Probably my best cruise yet.

[Shogun]

Hi Swissdave,

 

Very nice to meet you, we had some good times onboard, Crown diner will be remembered by some for a very long time.

 

Any cruise were you win games in the Casino is a good one, well done for winning the slots.

 

I asked at the Pursars about the Sanctuary so may be my info was not good.

 

 

 

yours Shogun