Live from the Grand 4/9/14

[rpcv77]

This is not a trip review, just my observation. We left SF on 4/6 for a California Coastal. After a lovely day at sea, we made our first call at Ensenada. I heard a fair amount of complaining. No Ensenada is not a glamorous Mexican destination, but if you are open, you can find adventure anywhere. We did the Guadalupe Valley wine tour in the morning, which gave us a chance to see the countryside and enjoy some wine. Went back to the ship to leave our purchases in the cabin and then walked to the Ensenada Fish Market. We love local markets and this was lovely. Right across the narrow street are small restaurants with the best fish tacos and various fish cocteles, plus refreshing margaritas and aguas frescas. A quick stroll down Avenida Lopez Mateos and then back to the ship. A perfectly lovely day. Your time is whatever you choose to make of it. I wonder how many people fritter away today, talking about how good things used to be? And customs/immigration in Long Beach? Not fun, but it's the law. Princess must comply. The amount of carping and complaining was epic. Me? I'm having a wonderful, relaxing time. San Diego tomorrow .

[gcvt]

Oooh! How was the winery tour? We leave Sunday for Hawaii and we're signed up for the winery tour on the way back.

[san diego sue]

[B]We did the winery tour in December. Loved it. We each got a bottle of wine to take back with us. No problem bringing it back on the ship either.The bus started out quiet. Ended up very happy bunch of people, loud, singing. The tour guide was a riot , very funny lady.[/B]

[lovevacadays]

What a great post! I love it. Ensenada is far from my favorite stop but the two times I was there we had a good time. Just like you, we made it a fun day. I really can't remember having a bad port day. Certainly, there are days that are nice and then there are days that are fabulous.

Have a great day in San Diego.

[lady_cruiser]

[quote name='rpcv77']This is not a trip review, just my observation. We left SF on 4/6 for a California Coastal. After a lovely day at sea, we made our first call at Ensenada. I heard a fair amount of complaining. No Ensenada is not a glamorous Mexican destination, but if you are open, you can find adventure anywhere. We did the Guadalupe Valley wine tour in the morning, which gave us a chance to see the countryside and enjoy some wine. Went back to the ship to leave our purchases in the cabin and then walked to the Ensenada Fish Market. We love local markets and this was lovely. Right across the narrow street are small restaurants with the best fish tacos and various fish cocteles, plus refreshing margaritas and aguas frescas. A quick stroll down Avenida Lopez Mateos and then back to the ship. A perfectly lovely day. Your time is whatever you choose to make of it. I wonder how many people fritter away today, talking about how good things used to be? And customs/immigration in Long Beach? Not fun, but it's the law. Princess must comply. The amount of carping and complaining was epic. Me? I'm having a wonderful, relaxing time. San Diego tomorrow .[/QUOTE]

[COLOR="DarkSlateBlue"][B]You sound like a wonderful person who can always find a small bit of sun peeking through a dark cloud. [/B][/COLOR]

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for checking in.....

Looks like the webcam is frozen...

[IMG]http://webcam.princess.com/webcam/grand_bridge.jpg[/IMG] Edited April 10, 2014 by Colo Cruiser

[kubies]

I suspect the bridge cam on the Grand is out of order....or someone is asleep at the switch. It is April 10 and the Bridge cam still show April 8 and Ensenada:confused:

[Nancyquilts]

The Long Beach immigration was much better than on the previous cruise. They called groups who waited in the Princess Theater until their turn, and there must have been a dozen officials to look at the passports. Passengers were allowed to reboard at 11:30.
We didn't have a tour so walked over to the Queen Mary, where our cruise cards got us in for free. It was fun to see some of the first class area, as we had been on her in 1954 but in tourist class (which they didn't show). I'll bet the bathrooms in that area used by the hotel no longer are down the hall.

[Kartgv]

[quote name='kubies']I suspect the bridge cam on the Grand is out of order....or someone is asleep at the switch. It is April 10 and the Bridge cam still show April 8 and Ensenada:confused:[/QUOTE]

Yes, the bridge cam is still asleep. The Grand is currently in San Diego right along side the Crown! Here's a San Diego webcam site - put it on 'full screen' and be patient, the camera swings around a lot:

[url]http://sundiegolive.com/[/url]

[kubies]

Thanks Kartgv...was just curious as we are leaving from SF for Hawaii when you return. Oh yeah, stay clear of the Crown!

[rpcv77]

LOL! Yes, the Crown is right beside us today in San Diego. We rented bicycles right across from the pier and the shop owner asked if we were from the well ship or the sick ship. There were also 3-4 local TV news vans interviewing passengers about noro. We just zipped by on our bikes!

[Off Shore]

How is the physical condition of the ship and cabins?
Many thanks
Danny Weitz

[caribill]

[quote name='Nancyquilts'] It was fun to see some of the first class area, as we had been on her in 1954 but in tourist class (which they didn't show). I'll bet the bathrooms in that area used by the hotel no longer are down the hall.[/quote]

QM cabin bathroom. Note the four handles for water for the tub. Two for sea water and two for fresh water.

[Nancyquilts]

Thanks for the picture. I think everything has been upgraded on the QM.
So far as the Grand goes, I think it looks in great shape. I love having the blue mats back on the balconies. My only complaint is the condition of the loungers for MUTS. Many are quite wet (it's been foggy) and some blankets were sopping wet the first two nights. Last night they were stacked in a dry place so were great.

[rpcv77]

Just got home, sigh... To answer a few questions, we loved the winery tour in Ensenada. The two wineries are quite different, but each offered tastings as well as snacks. It was a chance to see the countryside. LA Cetto, gives you a free bottle of wine and the prices are good if you wish to purchase any of the wines you've tasted. I liked their sparkling wine so bought a bottle (less than 10.). None of the wine was taken from us on re-boarding. We bought jam, and olive oil at Casa Doña Lupe. A very nice half day excursion at a good price. The ship itself, seems fine to me. There was a bit of rust on the ceiling panel above our cabin door but everything else seemed clean and well maintained. My daughter had a problem with the toilet not flushing, but they fixed it ASAP and then called 2x to confirm that it was working. I do not scrutinize everything with a magnifying glass so I suppose some will find fault with the Grand but we thoroughly enjoyed our trip. I loved catching up with all the movies I hadn't gotten around to seeing and watched 3 of those movies on MUTS. I also loved the IC. Now, where to next?
PS: having nothing to do with the Grand or Princess... My daughter saw someone seated at the HC stuffing a food storage container with pastries this morning (debarkation day). Really? Really? How tacky!