Grand Review ~ 2/25/06

[LSUNizz]

Preface

 

My wife and I consider ourselves experienced cruisers having taken 6 cruises over the past 3 years on several different lines. This cruise aboard Princess Cruises’ Grand Princess departed out of Galveston, TX and was originally scheduled to call Costa Maya, MX, Grand Cayman, Belize and Cozumel, MX. However, prior to our departure the schedule was modified to call in Costa Maya, MX, Belize, Playa del Carman, MX and Cozumel, MX. We originally booked this cruise to make the call in Grand Cayman as we had missed the call due to bad weather two previous cruises.

 

I have gone through each area of the trip from embarkation to debarkation and rated each on a scale from 1 to 5. Hope you enjoy the review as much as we enjoyed the trip!

 

Embarkation ~ 5 stars out of 5

 

After receiving several e-mails prior to our departure warning us of increased traffic due to both Mardi Gras and 4 ships in port, we were expecting the worst. However, we were pleasantly surprised when we arrived on Galveston Island at around 11:30A and drove right up to the luggage drop off point. I dropped off my wife and the luggage and then headed over to EZ Cruise Parking which is very conveniently located. After finding a parking spot, I jumped on the shuttle bus and I was back at the port at around 11:45A.

 

The line to check in and get on the ship was non existent so we zoomed right through the process; got our boarding photo taken and we were on board by noon.

 

 

Ship ~ 4 stars out of 5

 

The ship was beautiful and seemed to be in great shape. My wife and I really enjoyed the “upscale” décor. It was quite a change from the Vegas theme of our last ship, the Carnival Conquest.

 

Room ~ 4 stars out of 5

 

Our room was small, but nice. We chose the regular balcony room and we were assigned a cabin on the Caribe deck aft. Our room was equipped with a mini fridge and a nice, large balcony. The balcony in our room was actually larger than the balcony for the mini-suites one deck below.

 

We were almost immediately greeted by our cabin steward, Carlos. He was very enthusiastic and was excited to show us the ins and outs of the room and the services. Throughout the trip he was very attentive and we ended up giving him a larger tip.

 

Public Spaces ~ 4 stars out of 5

 

After dropping off our things in our room, we grabbed the map of the ship and headed out to explore. Starting at the top of the ship we were very impressed by the Skywalker’s Bar which is located on deck 17 aft high above the sea. This bar makes for some breathtaking views while at sea. The pool decks were all well laid out with several different pool options. There also seemed to be plenty of nooks and crannies in which to park a deck chair and relax. The Conservatory covered pool area was a very nicely decorated space. The larger open pool was towered over by a huge LED video screen that showed movies during the cruise. A truly great feature for movie lovers as we are. (One hint: If you are going to attend the MUTS (movies under the stars) make sure you know what direction the wind in coming in from. The first evening we picked the wrong side of the pool and were treated with constant sea spray until finally moving.) Behind the large screen was a small mini golf course that provided another activity for those lazy days at sea. At the front of the ship was a paddle tennis court. Very unique. We hit the ball around on this court once. I would have preferred a basketball court, as I am a basketball lover.

 

The atrium/shops area was also very nicely decorated and offered a variety of shopping options. The atrium was not as grand as you will find on some of the other newer ships, but we found it to be very nice. There are several bar/theater areas on the promenade level including the Princess Theater, the Vista Lounge, the Explorers Bar and several other smaller spaces. Nightly entertainment was held in each of the larger spaces mentioned above and we felt offered a nice variety for anyone’s taste. We did not attend too many of the feature shows, but we did have a chance to see a few of the comedy shows. All were very funny.

 

The casino on the Grand Princess is very large and very nice. It is also one of the few ships to include a poker room. The staff in the casino was very friendly and we had a great time winning and losing a bit of money.

 

 

Dining ~ 4 stars out of 5

 

After doing the obligatory exploring of the ship, my wife and I checked out the dining options. We had heard great things about the specialty restaurants, so we made Monday reservations at the Sterling Steakhouse, the former Painted Desert. We also switched our regular dining preferences to personal choice any time dining, which turned out to be a great decision. We really liked the freedom to dine at our convenience and it was great not be constricted by the restaurant schedule. The wait each night for a table varied from no wait to around 10 minutes. However, you can make reservations for specific times at either of the personal choice restaurants. The food in the regular dining areas was good. There was nothing special about the food, but we did enjoy our dining experience each night. One thing we did notice is that the waiters and waitresses in our dining room seemed a bit overworked and sometimes this slowed down their service. Each waiter was servicing between 5-7 tables at one time and since each table was usually on a different course it made it very difficult for them. I love the any time dining option, but in order to increase the efficiency, I would suggest a slightly lower waiter to patron ratio. With that being said, all of the waiters were working extremely hard and we enjoyed the short time we got to chat with them, especially Antonio from Portugal ~ “fantastico!”

 

As I mentioned we decided to dine at the steakhouse on Monday evening. Upon arrival we were seated at a very romantic table for two. We both enjoyed the shrimp cocktail, which was included 5 huge tiger shrimp that were so large they resembled fingers. The steaks that we ordered were extremely tasty and we felt that for $15/person that this specialty dining was well worth it for one night. This was our first specialty dining experience on any of our cruises and we will probably do it again on future voyages.

 

 

Ports

 

Costa Maya ~ N/A

 

Due to rough seas that were pushing the vessel around we were unable to dock at the pier. We were a little disappointed, but since we had been to Costa Maya before we were not too upset.

 

Belize ~ 5 stars out of 5

 

Prior to embarking on the cruise I had done extensive research on activities and shore excursions in Belize. My wife and I were interested in the Aerial Trek and Cave Tubing excursion. We ended up booking this tour with Nacho and Cynthia of NCQ Adventures (www.ncqadventures.com) and it turned out to be a great decision. Nacho had advised us to get off on the first tender boat to avoid long lines at the Jaguar Paw Resort, the site of the zip line and tubing. After wrangling a bit with the purser’s desk we were able to “sneak” onto the first boat off which was carrying only people that had booked excursions through Princess. We woke up early and got a tender ticket from the Vista Lounge and then headed down to deck 4 midship to wait on the first boat. We made friends with the security guys working the tender area and they ended up letting us on first. The tender boats vary for this port, but most are midsized vessels holding between 50-75 people. The process seemed very efficient and the waits were minimal. After a 10 minute ride to shore we were met by Nacho and Cynthia immediately after exiting the terminal. We loaded up in their van and headed out to the resort. Along the way Nacho treated us to some interesting history of Belize while he pointed out numerous sites along the way. The drive out to the Jaguar Paw resort entrance is not bad, but the dirt road entrance is another story. The dirt road leading to the resort is in very poor shape complete with pot holes that could swallow a car whole. Nacho explained that he and the resort owner have been pressing the government for years to repair the road, but all that has been done thus far is a bit of gravel placement as you get closer to the resort. The dirt road trail is approximately 8 miles so it is a long and bumpy ride. Actually, the van we were traveling in had one of its rear shock absorbers come loose during the journey. After inspecting the damage, we continued on at a slower pace and we were treated to a nice banging sound that turned heads as we passed by. Initially I was worried that the tour would be cancelled due to this development, but Nacho insisted that we push on towards the resort. Upon arrival at the resort, we were escorted by Cynthia to the Aerial Trek/Zip Line course. We were greeted by two very friendly guides that helped us suit up for the adventure. After another short hike we were atop the first of 8 platforms that make up the course high above the rain forest below. Zip lining was fantastic and our guides were excellent. They take care of you very well and their first concern is always your safety. I bring this up because if you book this excursion through the cruise line, your guide to patron ratio is approximately 15:1 or greater, while with Nacho and Cynthia’s connections we had two guides for me and my wife. Also, there was absolutely no line when we arrived since we had beaten the cruise tour there. After speaking with several of the people that chose to take the tour with Princess their Aerial Trek adventure took around 1 – 1.5 hours while we zipped through, literally, with non-stop action in around 25-30 minutes. After repelling down off the last platform, Cynthia was waiting to take us to prepare for the cave tubing. We changed in the resort restrooms, and then were escorted to get a tube, life jacket and head lamp. My wife, Cynthia and I were met by a guide and we began the trek towards the river. Along the way we passed several large tours that had a ratio of 1 guide for every 20-30 people. Again we had Cynthia and a Jaguar Paw guide for just me and my wife. The personal attention was great as Cynthia showed us numerous sites and unique plant life along the way. The hike was around 30 minutes to the place where we entered the river. Be aware that some tours that leave from the “government area” require closer to an hour hike. The hike is mildly strenuous and 30 minutes is definitely much better than 1 hour. We entered the chilly river waters, hooked up together as a group and Cynthia and our guide again navigated us through some of the larger groups. It was a very refreshing journey especially since Cynthia did much of the paddling for us! Again if you are going to do the cave tubing I highly recommend going with a tour company such as Nacho and Cynthia as the caves are very dark and at times the currents are very strong. If you get separated from a large group you could find yourself lost and drifting in the darkness. The river cave tour lasted for approximately 30-45 minutes and after a quick snapshot of our group we were out of the water and back at the resort. We changed into some dry clothes and joined Nacho and Cynthia for a wonderful, authentic Belizean lunch of chicken, rice and beans. The food was great, but be careful of the hot sauce! The word hot does not do it justice. After dining, we were taken on a tour of the resort including the butterfly exhibit and the beautiful rain forest surroundings. After the nice walking tour we headed back to the van for the return trip to Belize City. While we were away Nacho, with the assistance of some of the Jaguar Paw workers, had managed to remove the damaged shock which saved us from the noise for the return journey. The drive back was nice and we were again treated to some great stories and riddles by Nacho. We drove into downtown Belize City and explored some of the historic buildings. We opted not to shop downtown although Nacho and Cynthia were more than willing to accompany us for this. We instead decided to head back to the port as we were exhausted. After picking up a bottle of cashew wine we headed back to the tender boat and immediately loaded up and headed out for the Grand. All in all this is one of the top 5 excursions we have taken at any port. Nacho and Cynthia are absolutely wonderful and I would highly recommend them to anyone. Although you will pay slightly more for their tour, the extra few dollars are well worth it as I know we got a lot more out of our tour than any of the other larger groups. Thanks Nacho and Cynthia for a wonderful day in Belize!

 

 

Playa del Carmen ~ 4 stars out of 5

 

After visiting Playa del Carmen 3 years ago my wife and I fell in love with the sleepy fishing village. My how times have changed. The once quaint town has exploded into a tourism mecca over the past several years. Upon arrival off the coast of mainland Mexico we hopped aboard one of the large tender boats, the same vessels that are used to ferry people to and from Cozumel, and waited until the other 200 people loaded up. Contrary to the Belize tender operation this one was very slow and cumbersome. The large boats had trouble at times lining up alongside the Grand which slowed the process even more. Be advised that if you are wanted to be on shore early, you will have quite a wait ahead of you.

 

Once finally arrived at the ferry terminal, we summoned a cab and set off to the ecological park, Xel-Ha. On a previous trip we had visited X-Caret and we were looking forward to comparing the two parks. After fighting our way out of traffic in Playa we made the 30 minute drive south to Xel-Ha. Prior to departing on our cruise, I decided to pre-purchase the all inclusive ticket via the Xel-Ha website (www.xel-ha.com). Once again this turned out to be a great decision as the line for ticket purchases was quite long. We went right up to the pre-purchase window, were given wrist bands and were on our way. Upon entering the park we were greeted by workers that gave us a park map and explained where everything was. The all inclusive package at Xel-Ha included park admission, locker rental, towel rental, snorkel gear rental (with a new souvenir snorkel tube) and food at any of the many restaurants on the grounds. We took advantage of all of these services and felt that we got a good deal by going with the all inclusive.

 

After locking up our valuables and rental towels we set out on the jungle trail towards the beginning of the lazy river tubing. Along the way, I did the rope swing and the cliff diving while my wife took pictures. Both were great! After about a 30 minute relaxing walk through the jungle we arrived at the beginning of the river, checked out our snorkel gear and got a doubles tube and headed for the water. The tubing was a lot of fun. The current in the river carried us for most of the way, but after a while I decided to do some snorkeling and pulled my wife and the tube behind me. There were plenty of smaller fish at the beginning of the river and some schools of huge fish closer to the river empting into the ocean. After some more snorkeling and a trip to the underground cave for some photo opportunities, we had lunch at the Mexican buffet restaurant. We found Xel-Ha to be far superior to X-Caret in the fact that there are more activities on grounds and there is a much larger swimming and snorkeling area. This makes the crowd seem far less cumbersome while trying to relax.

 

After purchasing a few souvenirs we summoned a cab back to Playa, did a bit of shopping and headed back to the ferry terminal. We then waited in line for a little over an hour to get on a tender boat to return to the Grand. Once again the tendering process at this port is not very much fun!

 

 

 

 

Cozumel ~ 3 stars out of 5

 

Once again my wife and I have visited Cozumel many times so we were content to travel into the city and do a bit of shopping. After dealing with the same tender nightmare, we finally made it ashore and landed at the former majestic area of Puerta Maya. The once grand shopping entrance to the port has been reduced to a pile of rubble by the waves and wind of Hurricane Wilma. It was a very sad sight to see the destruction around this port and we could only imagine what the poorer side of the island looked like.

 

We summoned a cab at the port and took the short cab ride into San Miguel. Many of the shops that we had become very familiar with were changed beyond recognition. Most of them had reopened, but either with different or very limited merchandise. We found the shopping on the main ocean strip in Cozumel to be a bit more commercialized than it used to be and only select stores were even willing to bargain on price. However, one of our favorites, the “Flea Market” was open and bargaining. We ended up picking up a few gifts for our friends and family back home as well as a few keepsakes for ourselves and then headed back to Puerta Maya minutes before a major downpour! We once again waited for quite a while at the very busy piece of the pier still remaining and made our way onto a tender boat and back onto the ship.

 

It is sad to see that destruction on the island from Hurricane Wilma, but at the same time it is very evident that while the hurricane may have broken material items, it had not broken the spirit of the people on Cozumel.

 

 

Disembarkation ~ 1 star out of 5

 

The night before we disembarked we set out our luggage and dreaded that our vacation was coming to an end. We opted against the express walk off disembarkation option due to the fact that we didn’t want to have to lug our luggage ashore. This turned out to be a terrible decision as the disembarkation process, which is always slow, was extremely slow on this day. Princess began calling luggage tag colors at approximately 7:30A and our color was not called until around 10:30A. Once arriving in the cruise terminal we realized why. The lines to see a customs agent were enormous. After claiming our luggage we waited for another 30 minutes to be “processed”. We then made our way to the EZ Cruise Parking pickup spot, waited about 10 minutes and were on a bus back to the vehicle.

 

 

All in all this was once again a fabulous vacation and we thoroughly enjoyed our time aboard the Grand Princess. In relation to our other cruise vacations this one falls right in the middle. The staff aboard the Grand was very friendly and truly looked like they enjoyed being there. Our cruise director, Neil Chandler, was a little goofy for our taste, but he still kept the crowds energized even during bingo at sea.

 

Thanks to the staff and crew of the Grand Princess and all the friendly people we dealt with at each of our ports of call for a great vacation… now it is back to the real world!

 

 

 

If you have any questions about your upcoming cruise, I'd be more than happy to help, but I will be a bit jealous!

[purplefan]

Thanks so much for the review! I am taking my daughters on the Grand in March, and am looking forward to it.

 

I am surprised at how many posts have had the same complaints about the tendering. Why can't they seem to remedy this? I sailed on the Grand last August in the Mediterrannean and we never had any issues with the tendering at all. I hope Princess will work on this.

 

It sounds like you had a nice vacation. I am curious, how high up are you during the zip line?:eek: It sounds fun, but I'm afraid of heights.

[Cruise-a-holic444]

Thanks for the positive review- there have been so many negatives mentioned lately that I was starting to worry a bit!:)

[LSUNizz]

Thanks so much for the review! I am taking my daughters on the Grand in March, and am looking forward to it.

 

I am surprised at how many posts have had the same complaints about the tendering. Why can't they seem to remedy this? I sailed on the Grand last August in the Mediterrannean and we never had any issues with the tendering at all. I hope Princess will work on this.

 

It sounds like you had a nice vacation. I am curious, how high up are you during the zip line?:eek: It sounds fun, but I'm afraid of heights.

I don't think the tendering is as much Princess' problem as it is the problem with the particular ports. In Cozumel and Playa they are simply using the vessels that are available to tender. The ones that are available just happen to the ferries they use to travel between Cozumel and Playa.

 

I remember when I cruised Cozumel in 1995 before the cruise ship terminals were built and we tendered into downtown San Miguel on small tender boats simliar to those now used in Belize. I'm assuming those boats are no longer available especially when you have the cruise ship traffic that is presently in Cozumel. I think there were 5 or 6 ships there the day we stopped.

 

As for the zip line the highest platform is around 85' off of the ground. Actually the most intimidating part might be the repel down off of the last platform. It turned out to be one of the best parts. :D

[OKPetlady]

We were on the same sailing - the problems with the tendering in Playa and Cozumel is due in part to the size of the tender boats some of the boats hold in excess of 300 people and they do not leave the pier or the boat until they are packed to the gills which can take a while. We were also a little annoyed at having to be back on board the boat at 5:00pm in Playa when our next day's stop was in Cozumel which we could see from Playa. We were the the 10th and 11th people to get tender tickets to Playa (NOT ON AN EXCURSION) and it took almost 2 hours to get off the boat. Cozumel was better - we were off in about 30 minutes but the tendering does get old - we dove in Cozumel and got caught in a rain storm so no dry clothes for after the dive - but there was not enough time to tender back and change. The destruction in Cozumel is very evident. As for disembarkation - we had express - our numbers were called at about 7:00am (really caught us off guard being that early). We were off and through immigration before 7:30am - we caught the EZ Cruise shuttle and were to our car and on the road back to OK by 7:45am.

 

Overall it was a fun trip - but our next cruise will be in the eastern caribbean with docking stops and a smaller ship.

[LSUNizz]

As for disembarkation - we had express - our numbers were called at about 7:00am (really caught us off guard being that early). We were off and through immigration before 7:30am - we caught the EZ Cruise shuttle and were to our car and on the road back to OK by 7:45am.

 

Trust me, next time even if I have to pack our luggage on my back like a pack mule, I will do the express disembarkation! :D

[c_galle]

Very detailed. A very good read. Glad you enjoyed your trip.

[JXOPF]

Excellent, thorough reviews!

 

However, I am very concerned about the tender issues in PDC after reading these reports.

 

We'll be a group of 15 trying to get off for a non-Grand tour.

What's the secret to getting early tender tickets?

 

My DH and FIL will be awake by 5 a.m. Should I instruct them to stand in line for tickets somewhere? Can they get tickets for the entire group?

[bjkTX]

We were also on the Grand last week. At each tender port they give you a time that you can go to the Vista Lounge and get tender tickets the next day - but they are almost always there early and it pays to get there before the scheduled time just to be sure and get a small number. We always got off the ship after the crowds so we went and got our tender ticket and pretty much just went to the tender and got on. But as posted before - they fill the huge tenders so odds are it will take awhile. Have a great cruise.

[Mmm...coffee!]

They use the large ferries because the docks on shore are too high for the smaller ship's tenders. And, probably, because the MX government tells them they have to.

 

Great review, thanks.

[kftw]

Thanks for your review & observations.

 

 

k

[JXOPF]

We were also on the Grand last week. At each tender port they give you a time that you can go to the Vista Lounge and get tender tickets the next day - but they are almost always there early and it pays to get there before the scheduled time just to be sure and get a small number. We always got off the ship after the crowds so we went and got our tender ticket and pretty much just went to the tender and got on. But as posted before - they fill the huge tenders so odds are it will take awhile. Have a great cruise.

 

Sounds good. Can one or two from our group of 15 go get tender tickets for the group?

[OKPetlady]

On our sailing last week -people were turned away from getting tender tickets if the whole group was not present. Now we were usually in the first 10 people getting tickets so they may get more lax with that as the day goes on.

[TexasMom2]

On our Grand cruise it was announced many times that only one person needed to stand in line for the group. It cut down on the crowds.

[robtx100]

We were on the Grand last month and never had a problem with tendering. We booked through the ship at Belize and Playa del Carmen so we were on the first tender. In Cozumel, I was concerned about the time it would take to get on shore. They were passing out tickets at the vista lounge, we went early to get our tender tickets and the young lady told us if we could hurry to deck 3, there was a boat waiting there. As soon as we got on the tender it started for Cozumel. It's all about timing and luck I think.

[Coolmama_1]

Great review! Sounds like you had a great time overall.Thanks for the informative review of your cruise.