Live with Celine from Grand Princess Alaska May 25th - June 8th

[nunuc2000]

Hi Everyone!

 

Hubby John and I will be boarding the Grand Princess in Vancouver tomorrow, as long as we procure a negative covid test this afternoon.  I will do my best to stay in touch on here, answering questions and posting pictures as long as the wifi on board cooperates.  We've been on many cruises with various lines over the years, but this will be our first Princess cruise in 10 years! 

 

This will be our first cruise since covid reared its ugly head, so there will be a lot new processes for us, including flight procedures, health protocols, and the new Medallion class with Princess. We'll be in a Caribe Balcony, with plans to spend a fair bit of time out there enjoying the scenery. We've cruised Alaska before, so we don't have any pressing need to book excursions, though we might book one or two once on board... we'll see.  More than anything, just really looking forward to getting away for the first time in over 2 years, and having someone else cook and clean EVERY SINGLE DAY!!  HAHA!!  

 

Well time to finish up my packing before heading to our local Sobey's pharmacy for our covid test... fingers crossed!!  

 

Celine 

 

[Ricbr]

Looking forward to your updates. 

We are taking the Grand but going Southbound at the End of July.  It will be our first trip ever to Alaska so we are excited to get whatever information we can from those that are in the know.  I would love to get your impressions of the WiFi in particular on your first 2 days.  When we are coming back we plan on using it for our Covid Test before we fly out of Vancouver.  A little nervous how that will be the day before we get into Vancouver.

 

[Thrak]

20 minutes ago, Ricbr said:

Looking forward to your updates. 

We are taking the Grand but going Southbound at the End of July.  It will be our first trip ever to Alaska so we are excited to get whatever information we can from those that are in the know.  I would love to get your impressions of the WiFi in particular on your first 2 days.  When we are coming back we plan on using it for our Covid Test before we fly out of Vancouver.  A little nervous how that will be the day before we get into Vancouver.

 

 

Just off of Royal Princess Alaska cruise 12 days round trip from Vancouver. I can't imagine being able to do the proctored Covid test with the ship's Internet connection. It was very poor. You can pretty much count on lousy Internet connections on an Alaska cruise.

[memoak]

57 minutes ago, Thrak said:

 

Just off of Royal Princess Alaska cruise 12 days round trip from Vancouver. I can't imagine being able to do the proctored Covid test with the ship's Internet connection. It was very poor. You can pretty much count on lousy Internet connections on an Alaska cruise.

Agree totally. On our LA to Vancouver trip last month the further north worse the WiFi got. By the time we got to Canada it was dropping constantly. I would not trust it for a test

[EmuJane]

Fingers crossed for negative tests for you! Looking forward to your posts, we're taking the same trip in July, our first family vacation and our first cruise. Can't wait!

[cr8tiv1]

Enjoy your time on the Grand.  She is one of my favorite ships.  I will be following your adventures.  Thank you for taking the time to do this.  Hope the internet allows you updates.

 

Recommend you do your posts offline, saved, cut and paste.. just in case.

Edited May 24, 2022 by cr8tiv1

[nunuc2000]

3 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

Enjoy your time on the Grand.  She is one of my favorite ships.  I will be following your adventures.  Thank you for taking the time to do this.  Hope the internet allows you updates.

 

Recommend you do your posts offline, saved, cut and paste.. just in case.

Good advice on doing my stuff off-line 👍🏼

[nunuc2000]

Whew!!  We both received our negative test results this afternoon, so now we can cancel our back-up plans of camping. 

 

Just a few last minute things to pack, then a relaxing glass of wine while we watch a hockey playoff game, then off to bed... 5 am comes early!!  

 

Celine

[Coral]

Have a great cruise! I was on the Grand in December and had a blast!

[DougH]

I sail on the Grand in a few weeks so hope to hear your thoughts. Who is the current Captain?

[Britter16]

Amazing bar staff in every bar.

Ronnie in Vines is great.

Alfredos can make any pizza you want. 

DJ on the cruise director staff is super funny.

[Buddysmom10]

Following... I'll be on the same cruise northbound in two weeks.  

[MsSoCalCruiser]

I am looking forward to following along. My friend and her husband are on your cruise!  Have a wonderful time.  

[Dar & Bob]

Following along since we will be on this cruise in 4 weeks.  

[westcoaster]

I just got off the Grand Princess today after 14 days going up to Alaska and back.  We had a great time.  Enjoy your cruise!

[nunuc2000]

On 5/24/2022 at 1:19 PM, cr8tiv1 said:

 

[nunuc2000]

Got on board at 12:10 PM today… and happy to be on board, and we keep repeating the mantra “happy to be on a cruise ship, happy to be on a cruise ship, happy to be on a cruise ship!“ Lol

 

Arrived at Port at 10:20 AM following a very smooth flight with WestJet from Calgary to Vancouver. After that there was a whole lot of twists and turns that had a shaking our heads somewhat. 

 

The first part isn’t so bad in that they get people moving pretty quickly through the process at that time of day I guess… luggage drop off was well marked and easy, and then getting into the actual princess terminal is relatively easy, and then they checked our vaccination status and Covid negative test status, and then they went looking for our medallions… And we heard one of the representatives talking to a couple of guests next to us that there was “a disclaimer about those medallions with pacemakers“… when I asked the representative assisting us about that and very broken English she just told us to move to the exit to go through to the security and customs line… I asked her twice but what about the pacemaker issue? And she kept just trying to shuffle us along. She didn’t know anything about it was obvious… so once the representative next to us was done with her guests, I asked her flat out, “what’s with the pacemaker issue?” she then said “oh yes, there’s definitely a warning about our medallion devices for anyone with pacemakers“. Oh dear!! First I’ve heard of this! I have a pacemaker, so I’m really glad I overheard that, otherwise I may have worn the medallion very close to my chest!! Good grief! That should be a very prominent thing to warn people of!!

 

Anyway, we finished that part and then went through security and customs which was a fairly long line up but moved rather quickly.

 

And immediately after customs, we were shuffled into a very small space… And not just princess cruisers, that included Oceana and Holland America cruisers… hundreds of us squished into a space that was probably not meant for more than 60 or 80 people… and there we stood and wait for about half an hour as port staff conferred back-and-forth with each other and on radios asking if the ships were zero it out yet and on and on and on. In the meantime, people kept filtering through the security and customs checkpoints and into this ever-increasing crowd. Good grief… You think they’d have this figured out by now!

 

Enough seating for maybe 60 people, and another hundred or so standing up, many of which had no business standing for more than a few minutes without assistance.  

 

Finally at 11:30, they opened up dividers and told the different cruise line gas to go in opposite directions… So that we could again wait for boarding to begin. At least this time they were semi-organized and placing guests for princess according to loyalty level. Finally at about noon, they started boarding guests starting with the highest levels and working their way down, we are Ruby at this point, and we stepped on board at 12:15 PM

 

Did notice that our original dinner reservation for 5:20 PM every day in da Vinci has mysteriously changed to Botticelli… not sure why, but as long as we get a table for two, I guess it’s not that big of a deal. Went to our room right away to drop off our carry-on, and discovered that our balcony is not capable of locking… That big lever handle just spins in circles in effectively. Not sure I’ve ever heard of wildlife or drunk neighbors presenting as wildlife climbing onto other peoples balconies to break in, but it still doesn’t sit that well with me. I mentioned it to our steward who is already incredibly attentive and absolutely wonderful, and he also brought us the extra hangers as requested. 

 

Had a quick little snack at the Buffet, and a couple of different beverages to help us relax, while we repeat that same mantra “ happy to be on a cruise ship, happy to be on a cruise ship, happy to be on a cruise ship!”

 

Already experiencing multiple issues with the medallion app… It’s not loading, and then it mysteriously just pops up on my phone without trying… and two attempts to order a beverage on the app I have that with mixed results… The first time was in our room about an hour ago while we were unpacking… Took about 35 minutes for my beverage to arrive. And as I write this sitting next to Alfredos pizzeria, I had ordered a Prosecco, and after 40 minutes it still hasn’t arrived, but the status has changed to delivered and I noticed a Prosecco being delivered to a another table with a woman who happily drink it and then it said delivered on my app. I waved over the server, explained that I had ordered a Prosecco which still hasn’t arrived but suddenly now it shows as being delivered, and he stated that it must be an error at the bar that they aren’t receiving my orders. But he very graciously quickly went to grab me one, he was terrific. 

 

So, first impressions, extremely happy to be on a cruise ship! Lol but noticing that there are some tricky issues happening with that medallion app for sure, and the ship has a couple of spots that could use some refreshing, but overall she’s in OK shape… but absolutely without a doubt, the staff are the stars of the show!!! They are a truly wonderful group of people so far and we are so happy to be on a cruise ship, in big part thanks to them!!!

[MsSoCalCruiser]

Try signing out of the app and signing back on.  I had to do that a few times on my Discovery cruises and that seemed to help.  
 

Do you think that new cruisers would think the Grand is a beauty?  I hope so.

 

I know that you are happy to be on a cruise ship!  Enjoy!

[Senga]

Since we are already on board???????

[Waynetor]

Very glad to see someone doing a live from the Grand.  We are doing the north and southbound in July for our first Alaskan cruise.

 

How did you get from the airport to the cruise terminal?  I'm thinking of taking the train that goes to downtown near the port.  My wife is in a wheelchair and I 'm looking for the easiest way.

 

How many passengers on the ship for this cruise?  

[montgomeryfamily]

The easiest way is to get Princess transportation unless your wife can walk and/ or transfer to a car(taxi).  If you use Princess, you need to contact the access dept and advise of the Princess transfer and request the lift vehicle.  At Whittier, unless your wife can climb some steps/walk, you definitely need the Princess transfer because there is no taxi service to Anchorage and none of the private transportation services have lifts.

[memoak]

1 hour ago, nunuc2000 said:

Got on board at 12:10 PM today… and happy to be on board, and we keep repeating the mantra “happy to be on a cruise ship, happy to be on a cruise ship, happy to be on a cruise ship!“ Lol

 

Arrived at Port at 10:20 AM following a very smooth flight with WestJet from Calgary to Vancouver. After that there was a whole lot of twists and turns that had a shaking our heads somewhat. 

 

The first part isn’t so bad in that they get people moving pretty quickly through the process at that time of day I guess… luggage drop off was well marked and easy, and then getting into the actual princess terminal is relatively easy, and then they checked our vaccination status and Covid negative test status, and then they went looking for our medallions… And we heard one of the representatives talking to a couple of guests next to us that there was “a disclaimer about those medallions with pacemakers“… when I asked the representative assisting us about that and very broken English she just told us to move to the exit to go through to the security and customs line… I asked her twice but what about the pacemaker issue? And she kept just trying to shuffle us along. She didn’t know anything about it was obvious… so once the representative next to us was done with her guests, I asked her flat out, “what’s with the pacemaker issue?” she then said “oh yes, there’s definitely a warning about our medallion devices for anyone with pacemakers“. Oh dear!! First I’ve heard of this! I have a pacemaker, so I’m really glad I overheard that, otherwise I may have worn the medallion very close to my chest!! Good grief! That should be a very prominent thing to warn people of!!

 

Anyway, we finished that part and then went through security and customs which was a fairly long line up but moved rather quickly.

 

And immediately after customs, we were shuffled into a very small space… And not just princess cruisers, that included Oceana and Holland America cruisers… hundreds of us squished into a space that was probably not meant for more than 60 or 80 people… and there we stood and wait for about half an hour as port staff conferred back-and-forth with each other and on radios asking if the ships were zero it out yet and on and on and on. In the meantime, people kept filtering through the security and customs checkpoints and into this ever-increasing crowd. Good grief… You think they’d have this figured out by now!

 

Enough seating for maybe 60 people, and another hundred or so standing up, many of which had no business standing for more than a few minutes without assistance.  

 

Finally at 11:30, they opened up dividers and told the different cruise line gas to go in opposite directions… So that we could again wait for boarding to begin. At least this time they were semi-organized and placing guests for princess according to loyalty level. Finally at about noon, they started boarding guests starting with the highest levels and working their way down, we are Ruby at this point, and we stepped on board at 12:15 PM

 

Did notice that our original dinner reservation for 5:20 PM every day in da Vinci has mysteriously changed to Botticelli… not sure why, but as long as we get a table for two, I guess it’s not that big of a deal. Went to our room right away to drop off our carry-on, and discovered that our balcony is not capable of locking… That big lever handle just spins in circles in effectively. Not sure I’ve ever heard of wildlife or drunk neighbors presenting as wildlife climbing onto other peoples balconies to break in, but it still doesn’t sit that well with me. I mentioned it to our steward who is already incredibly attentive and absolutely wonderful, and he also brought us the extra hangers as requested. 

 

Had a quick little snack at the Buffet, and a couple of different beverages to help us relax, while we repeat that same mantra “ happy to be on a cruise ship, happy to be on a cruise ship, happy to be on a cruise ship!”

 

Already experiencing multiple issues with the medallion app… It’s not loading, and then it mysteriously just pops up on my phone without trying… and two attempts to order a beverage on the app I have that with mixed results… The first time was in our room about an hour ago while we were unpacking… Took about 35 minutes for my beverage to arrive. And as I write this sitting next to Alfredos pizzeria, I had ordered a Prosecco, and after 40 minutes it still hasn’t arrived, but the status has changed to delivered and I noticed a Prosecco being delivered to a another table with a woman who happily drink it and then it said delivered on my app. I waved over the server, explained that I had ordered a Prosecco which still hasn’t arrived but suddenly now it shows as being delivered, and he stated that it must be an error at the bar that they aren’t receiving my orders. But he very graciously quickly went to grab me one, he was terrific. 

 

So, first impressions, extremely happy to be on a cruise ship! Lol but noticing that there are some tricky issues happening with that medallion app for sure, and the ship has a couple of spots that could use some refreshing, but overall she’s in OK shape… but absolutely without a doubt, the staff are the stars of the show!!! They are a truly wonderful group of people so far and we are so happy to be on a cruise ship, in big part thanks to them!!!

Another good reason for hanging out and ordering in bars. I would not wait 40 minutes for a drink

Edited May 26, 2022 by memoak

[nunuc2000]

14 hours ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

Try signing out of the app and signing back on.  I had to do that a few times on my Discovery cruises and that seemed to help.  
 

Do you think that new cruisers would think the Grand is a beauty?  I hope so.

 

I know that you are happy to be on a cruise ship!  Enjoy!

Oh for sure I think new cruisers would be pretty wowed by this ship!

 

[nunuc2000]

13 hours ago, Waynetor said:

Very glad to see someone doing a live from the Grand.  We are doing the north and southbound in July for our first Alaskan cruise.

 

How did you get from the airport to the cruise terminal?  I'm thinking of taking the train that goes to downtown near the port.  My wife is in a wheelchair and I 'm looking for the easiest way.

 

How many passengers on the ship for this cruise?  

We took an Uber after getting our luggage - it was very easy to order one and it showed up in three minutes. Note that the taxi door is right outside the luggage Cara Cell’s in Vancouver domestic, and the Uber pick up is about 100 feet down from those doors. $32 was the cost for the two of us for an Uber, and well worth the price for door to door… It can be a little confusing or challenging to take the train if someone isn’t used to it, or if there are any physical challenges at all. Uber takes you right to the curb where you drop your luggage and then there are staff to guide you where to go from there. 

[nunuc2000]

First attempt at loading photos so I want to make sure this works before I invest a lot of time and energy loading a bunch more lol

 

after a couple of beverages, ordered the bacon cheese fries from the salty dog on the Lido deck, here’s a picture of the salty dog menu and said fries… They were delicious after a couple of drinks!!

 

please let me know if these photos turned out OK and then I will spend more time today posting photos of other things including the patters, and dinner menus, and our menu choices if there’s interest in those… oh what am I saying… Of course there’s interest in seeing the food photos! I always enjoy those too Hahaa!!