Grand Princess Sept 30 - Oct 4 Mini Review

[cruzsnooze]

I just got off the Grand yesterday. Here are things I think are noteworthy............

 

I did not use the App or medallion. At check in at the pier I answered the brief question about not feeling ill regarding covid. I was issued a medallion to board. It took less then 5 minutes. I went to guest services and got a regular cruise card which worked fine. You tap the cruise card at your cabin door vs it unlocking as you get close to the door. You tap the card when disembarking and coming back , no different then the medallion. It worked in the shops and casino.

 

I walked off in both ports to do my own excursions. In San Diego I walked to seaport village and did the harbor seal tour $41.80. In Ensenada I did the Bufadora tour $17 independantly.  It is offered on the shuttle you take into town from the pier for $4

 

I was invited to a specialty dinner for the first although it is listed as an amenity to cruises of 6 nights or longer for full suites. We did Sabitini and it was delightful.

 

Breakfast was at Crown Grill and the service was superior

 

Club class has more sharing tables then I experienced before. We shared a table of 6 most lunches and dinners.  The service in club class was over the top exceptional. 

 

There were appx. 900 passengers on board so it was wonderful in many regards. The show room was barely 1/4 full. Come in 5 minutes before showtime and have seats anywhere. Elite/suite happy hour had no lines at the nibbles table and seats were abundant.

[cr8tiv1]

Thank you for your review.

[srpilo]

Thanks

Nice Tight review 

[hpeabody]

Thank you for your thoughts.  I board the Grand in 9 days!  I am looking forward to the excellent service and the uncrowded ship.  I think mine is going to be a very low number occupancy cruise from the looks of it.

[cruzsnooze]

2 hours ago, hpeabody said:

Thank you for your thoughts.  I board the Grand in 9 days!  I am looking forward to the excellent service and the uncrowded ship.  I think mine is going to be a very low number occupancy cruise from the looks of it.

Go to make a mock booking and go into each category. You will see how many unbooked cabins remain and get an idea of how empty (or full) the ship will be for your sailing. Oct 14 sailing looks very low occupancy if that's your sailing. I was told by several crew that they don't expect occupancy to bounce back to normal until next year. 

Edited October 6, 2021 by cruzsnooze

[hpeabody]

@cruzsnooze Yes, Oct 14th.  That is how I could tell it is not very full.  It seems that most people who did book this cruise opted to go cheap** Insides seem to be the most booked category.  But, Hey, I am using FCC so I went for a balcony.  Barely a handful of cabins are booked in my whole section.

 

** I suspect some are expecting a free upgrade to a balcony.  I stopped doing the wishing/hoping game a few years ago when they went to upsells most often rather than free upgrades

Edited October 6, 2021 by hpeabody

[donswife]

5 hours ago, hpeabody said:

Thank you for your thoughts.  I board the Grand in 9 days!  I am looking forward to the excellent service and the uncrowded ship.  I think mine is going to be a very low number occupancy cruise from the looks of it.

We have a roll call now for Oct 14.

[coco2014]

@cruzsnooze. Can you share more details on the Bufadora tour?  How long was the tour?  do you recommend it?   We only going to be in Ensenada 8am-5pm, and wonder if it's enough time to go