LIVE from the Grand Princess - 49 days from FLL thru South America to SFO

[icat2000]

Wow. 49 days really flew by. Thanks for taking time and effort to do a live thread. I will doing some of the same stops next year on the Crown.

[san diego sue]

Pia,
I also was curious about trivia. Did you play at all? No mention of the prizes etc.
Have a nice final day at sea and good restful flight home Saturday.
Thanks for your blog .
Gloria:D

[trbarton]

[quote name='P.A.']Pia~Forgive me if you've already mentioned this somewhere in your updates, but does the Grand offer the International Cafe. I sure hope so, we are scheduled on her next June to Alaska.

Thanks![/quote]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]If you want to see a detailed review of what's on the Grand use this link[SIZE=5] [URL="http://beyondships.com/Princess-GP-Tour-1.html"][SIZE=3]http://beyondships.com/Princess-GP-Tour-1.html[/SIZE][/URL][/SIZE][SIZE=3]. It's an excellent tour of the Grand with pictures.

There is another link from USA Today with good photos [url]http://www.usatoday.com/picture-gallery/travel/cruises/2012/10/08/cruise-ship-tours-princess-cruises-grand-princess/1619993/.

Hope that this helps.[/url][/SIZE][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]Tom:D[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[burm]

[quote name='caribill']Thanks for taking us along on the journey. With over 100,000 views of this thread, obviously many enjoy "traveling" with Pia.
[/quote]


Where do you see the number of thread viewings?

[TLC535]

[quote name='burm']Where do you see the number of thread viewings?[/quote]


[B][FONT=Georgia][COLOR=royalblue]The last column to the right on the main Princess cruises CC message boards page ;)[/COLOR][/FONT][/B]

[Julia’s Journey’s]

Pia, cannot believe how quick the 49'er has gone but had a great time following along:)
Looking forward to our next trip together either on your 'live from' or onboard the Royal - who am I kidding I'm sure you will have numerous live froms before the Royal :D:D:D

[Impressionists]

[quote name='Pia1913'][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]Internet remains sporadic. Let's see if I can give some answers.[/SIZE][/FONT]
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[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]1. Maxtone-Graham went thru the alphabet one letter at a time and told a small story with a word starting with each letter. Some funny, some corny, some eh.[/SIZE][/FONT]
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[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]2. White Elephant: should have been an auction. They didn't allow enough time so people just laid out their merchandise; like a flea market. Not good.[/SIZE][/FONT]
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[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]3. We will report to immigration in Explorer's on day of departure after 9 AM. All will be done aboard instead of in "terminal."[/SIZE][/FONT]
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[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]4. We have 11:00 AM departure time, so will just hang around. As Gloria said, we have a redeye.[/SIZE][/FONT][/QUOTE]
Thanks again Pia for taking us along on your cruise. Say "hello" to the Golden Gate as you sail underneath. It is one of the iconic bridges under which one can sail. All the best for your onward journey. Regards Lorri H.

[Solara]

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"][B]Pia, Thanks for taking us along on your journey! Looking forward to meeting you on the Royal!:D[/B][/COLOR]

[Pia1913]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]Good morning, on this the last day of the cruise. It’s windy and it’s cold. Again. Time for us to go home and warm up. And, for some reason, they keep lowering the air conditioning to freezing. We spent most of yesterday in an igloo; the Vista lounge. Vista yesterday held the passenger talent show, trivia and at night the comedian. We saw Doug Funk again; great show.[/SIZE][/FONT]
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[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]Since our large suitcase is already packed, we have nothing much to do today except talk, eat and read. We seem to do all that quite well. Nothing exciting being offered in the morning except the culinary show and galley tour which is of zero interest to us. Mike knows how to make coffee, and cook is a four letter word. Viva la microwave![/SIZE][/FONT]
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[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]In the afternoon there’s a lecture Outlaws of Early Australia, the movie Chasing Mavericks in the theater, and The Sting on MUTS.[/SIZE][/FONT]
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[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]Evening will offer vocalist Brandi Chapman in the theater, the movie Here Comes the Boom on MUTS and Vista is showing Waking Ned Devine. If I can hang in there, at 9:15 there is something in Explorer’s called Ya’ Think You’ve Seen it [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]All trivia game show. I may not play, but I might go to watch. There is also a late movie scheduled in the theater; Amour.[/SIZE][/FONT]
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[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]We gave up attending the art presentations a long time ago and .just occasionally pop in there for a change of pace. Some years ago I bid and won what was supposed to be an original piece of baseball memorabilia. It was very small and weighed next to nothing, but when I said I would take it with me they wouldn’t allow it. Said it had to be shipped from their warehouse. If said item was an original, then why couldn’t I take it with me? Needless to say all trust was gone, and I backed out of it. Why am I telling you this? It’s because the following is listed in today’s Patter:[/SIZE][/FONT]
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[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][B][U]Carry Off Originals for Sale [/U][/B][/SIZE][/FONT]
[B][U][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][/SIZE][/FONT][/U][/B]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]“All pieces that are originals can be packaged for you to take home with you tomorrow.” HUH? :confused::rolleyes:[/SIZE][/FONT]
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[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]Julia: Nothing scheduled until Sept.[/SIZE][/FONT]
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[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]Gloria: we played only in the afternoon and not every day. Prizes are still the same. Clips, lanyards, water bottles and cards[/SIZE][/FONT]
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[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]I have been trying to post this for almost two hours. Internet comes and goes. Usually goes[/SIZE][/FONT]

[CruzinNoony]

Pia and Mike, I've followed you every day on your long journey and it is now almost over. Have a safe and uneventful trip home and see you in September! :D

[bronxgirl25]

[COLOR=darkorchid][B] Pia....I have so enjoyed traveling along with you on this cruise! Thanks for doing it! Have a safe trip home! [/B][/COLOR]

[Phyljim]

We have also enjoyed following along with you and Mike. Always enjoy your "Live froms". Thank you for taking the time, and your minutes, to keep us all informed.

[oma16]

:) Pia ,,,truly enjoyed following along with U and all your friends , cruising on the Grand P. All the time and your free Internet minutes U so freely gave to us all ,we thank U a bunch ,,how wonderful is that ,:):) ..U made my day every time I'll opened the "live from the Grand" ...One question Pia : what will I do tomorrow :D ??? Hope we'll meet again in the near future ,,,for now I'll say "Aufwiedersehen " ,,wish U and Mike a safe flight home !!!!
~~~~your cruising friend's~~~~Dick & Renate~~~~:)

[burm]

[quote name='TLC535'][B][FONT=Georgia][COLOR=royalblue]The last column to the right on the main Princess cruises CC message boards page ;)[/COLOR][/FONT][/B][/quote]


Silly me. I normally only go straight to the threads I have subscribed to. :o

Thanks.

[DonahCBrown]

Have a good trip home, Pia and Mike - Tina and Ken - see you on the 21st! For those who are continuing on to Hawaii - when you get close to the islands keep your eyes peeled for the humpback whales - there has been a lot of above the surface actvity (breaching, fin slapping, etc.) in the last couple of weeks as the males have started competing for the interest of the females.

[TLC535]

[B][FONT=Georgia][COLOR=royalblue]Thanks for another entertaining "Live from" Pia - have enjoyed "sailing along" with you :D[/COLOR][/FONT][/B]
[B][FONT=Georgia][COLOR=#4169e1]Looking forward to September's ;) and see you in October :D[/COLOR][/FONT][/B]
[B][FONT=Georgia][COLOR=#4169e1]Safe travels home.[/COLOR][/FONT][/B]

[Cupcrazy]

Pia, I thoroughly enjoyed following your journey. Thank you very much for taking us all on the ride with you.

[trbarton]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]Pia:[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]Thanks for taking the time to keep is informed of your travels. I'm on the first cruise to Alaska on May 10th and your information has been useful especially since I am new to Princess cruising . I am also hosting a M & G but only have 24 people signed up not like the 300 you had.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]I am meeting with one person tomorrow that is also going on the May 10 cruise to come and take a look of the ship, at least from the outside. I couldn't wait until May 10 so I signed up for a tour of the ship on March 31.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]Thanks again from ALL of us that have been reading your posts.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]Tom:D[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[Cruisin' Chick]

This thread definitely would merit a "like" or "thumbs up." I salute Pia for her perseverance when the Internet is iffy and her attention to detail (love that she mentions the sea day activities as often people claim sea days are so boring -- not for me on a Princess ship).

[Impressionists]

[quote name='san diego sue']Pia,
I also was curious about trivia. Did you play at all? No mention of the prizes etc.
Have a nice final day at sea and good restful flight home Saturday.
Thanks for your blog .
Gloria:D[/quote]

Gloria, I have played trivia on the Grand before. It is basically the same on all Princess ships. Prizes mmmmmm, e.g. Baseball caps, Pens, once even won a mini torch. Despite the prizes it can be a lot of fun.

Lorri H.

[Pia1913]

Yes, it’s just about over. Just had my last Grand Princess ice cream cone (not that I eat one that often), and other than those last minute items that have to wait until morning; we are finished!

　

　

Since the internet has been so bad these past few days, I’m hoping that I can at least get this posted before we get off. This thread has been overwhelming; I don’t everrecall a LIVE having over 100,000 hits. It’s mind boggling to think how many people are actually reading my nonsense. And it is mostly nonsense. For that I thank you. If it weren’t for you guys, there’d be no LIVE. These blogs need participants and participate you do. Even with all the side bar stuff; I.e. photos, closets, Voltaren, etc. Those diversions are important too. :D

I also

wish to especially thank my friends who save me minutes by answering some of the questions. Much appreciated.

　

Thanks also for bearing with me through my various ailments. We coughed and sneezed together. We drank cough syrup together. We limped along with a sprained ankle together. And we definitely laughed together.

See you all on the Royal in September.

[san diego sue]

Pia,

You thanked us, we should be thanking you for entertaining us these 49 days.

No one writes the way you do.

G:D

[Seafoam Green]

What a fun thread to read and look forward to every day!

 

Not sure when we will be heading off on the SA route, but I will keep your thoughts in mind when we do.

 

Safe trip to homeport for you. Looking forward to your next "LIVE".

[bbq]

Internet remains sporadic. Let's see if I can give some answers.

1. Maxtone-Graham went thru the alphabet one letter at a time and told a small story with a word starting with each letter. Some funny, some corny, some eh.

2. White Elephant: should have been an auction. They didn't allow enough time so people just laid out their merchandise; like a flea market. Not good.

3. We will report to immigration in Explorer's on day of departure after 9 AM. All will be done aboard instead of in "terminal."

4. We have 11:00 AM departure time, so will just hang around. As Gloria said, we have a redeye.

My experience has been that although each cabin has been assigned a time to meet for immigration clearance the majority of the folks all go at the same time early! So it has been really crowded and delayed departure from the ship. Good luck and happy cruising.

[Pepes Pal]

Yes, it’s just about over. Just had my last Grand Princess ice cream cone (not that I eat one that often), and other than those last minute items that have to wait until morning; we are finished!

　

　

Since the internet has been so bad these past few days, I’m hoping that I can at least get this posted before we get off. This thread has been overwhelming; I don’t everrecall a LIVE having over 100,000 hits. It’s mind boggling to think how many people are actually reading my nonsense. And it is mostly nonsense. For that I thank you. If it weren’t for you guys, there’d be no LIVE. These blogs need participants and participate you do. Even with all the side bar stuff; I.e. photos, closets, Voltaren, etc. Those diversions are important too. :D

I also

wish to especially thank my friends who save me minutes by answering some of the questions. Much appreciated.

　

Thanks also for bearing with me through my various ailments. We coughed and sneezed together. We drank cough syrup together. We limped along with a sprained ankle together. And we definitely laughed together.

See you all on the Royal in September.

Pia, the ride with you has been so fun & entertaining. It was something to look forward to each morning to read your posts. You compose very well.

I look especially forward to our trip in October & sharing a coffee or a glass of wine over some laughs. Take good care & "salut"! You've made an amazing journey and did it against all odds.

 

Hasta mañana,

Judy