Italy52
April 13th, 2004, 03:46 PM
Before I get started, I would once again like to extend my thanks to the many wonderful people on this board who answered questions and gave us valuable hints on how to make our trip memorable. This was cruise #16 for us. We have sailed Sitmar, RCCL, NCL, Premier, Renaissance, and HAL. This trip was to be our first Princess cruise and we were really looking forward to experiencing all the wonderful things that Princess has to offer.
4/2/04-Departure/Pre-cruise Stay in San Juan
5:15AM taxi arrived to take us to San Diego International Airport. Check in with Delta went smoothly. Walked around terminal and boarded plane at 7:30 AM. About 10 minutes into boarding, we were told to deplane as there had been a breach of security at the airport. We got off the plane and headed down the escalators. We followed each other in masses without any real direction. Finally, we were told to go outside the terminal and wait until our flight times were called. Once our time was announced, we were instructed to go throught security again and head for our plane. We boarded the plane after a two-hour delay and took off for our first connection, Atlanta. At this point I was beginning to get a little concerned. I knew we had a long layover in Atlanta, but not sure if it would be enough to make our connection. We kept our fingers crossed and hoped for the best. As we listen carefully for the connecting flight announcements we thought there was a good chance we could still make our flight if we "ran like a bat our of hell" once the doors opened. I guess our connection was not in the cards as the Captain informed us that he had to circle Atlanta because he could not land. You guessed it, we missed our connection and there were no other flights available until the following day at 7:00 AM. The Delta representative was kind enough to get us on that flight and offered to give us a hotel referral (not a freebee, but a discounted rate). Not knowing Atlanta we took it. Big mistake! The Ramada Inn was in sad shape, but can't complain for $59. It did offer free airport shuttle and a place to spend the night and regroup for our much anticipated 7:00 AM flight the next day. Called Embassy Suites in San Juan and notified them of our problem and reassured them we would be checking in the following day.
4/3/04-Atlanta Departure/Arrival At San Juan
Ramada Inn shuttle picked us up at 5:15 AM and took us to the airport. Boarded our 7:00 AM flight to San Juan. Lift off went without any glitches and we arrived in San Juan at 11:17 AM. Baggage was transferred from our previous flight to our new flight and we claimed our bags at the terminal. Made sure we had our baggage claim check handy so we could present it to security upon departing terminal (hint from board member-TY). Went to taxi station (hint from board member-TY) and ordered a cab for trip to Embassy Suites. We had three pieces of luggage-total cost of trip & bags was $9.50 plus tip. Arrived at Embassy Suites. Lovely hotel, really enjoyed our stay. Room was ready upon arrival and we dropped off our bags. Made our way over to the local drug store to pick up a few last minute items. Noticed lots of fast food options within a few blocks of the hotel. Returned and decided to relax by the pool. Bad idea. Just as we were all dressed in our bathing suits, the skies opened up and we had a heavy downpour for about 45 minutes. We decided that this would be a good opportunity to get something to eat at the hotel resturant. Food was fair, nothing memorable. Since skies had cleared, we went back to the room, put our bathing suits back on and made our way out to the beautiful pool. Relaxed by the pool for a bit, returned to room for a nice nap and decided that we would go to an early dinner at Outback Steakhouse located in hotel. Went early (hint from board member-TY) and had a nice dinner. Restuarant very popular, go early and avoid crowds.
4/4/04-Embarkation
The much anticipated day had finally arrived. I was so excited, I had a hard time sleeping the night before. We had our complementary cooked-to-order breakfast and made our way back to the room. Packed our bags, checked out, and headed for the terminal around 10:30 AM. I think taxi fare with bags was around $17.50 without tip. Arrived at terminal around 10:45, gave bags to stevedor and he took them into the Princess terminal. I believe hubby tiped $6 for two bags. Proceeded to waiting line. I would guess we were about number 40 or so. There were bathrooms and a soda machine outside terminal. At around 11:45 we were let into the terminal;processing was a breeze. We got our room/charge cards, took embarkation picture, security picture for Princess room/charge card, and directed to our room. We reserved B615 (BC Balcony category). Found the balcony room to be a little bit small (179 sf) compared to our large outside cabin without balcony on HAL (194 sf). The size of the room was no big deal. Room was very clean, nice small balcony. Fully enclosed top & sides. Bathroom did not have a medicine cabinet. Utilized shelf system which caused a little concern about shifting items due to movement of ship. However, we never experienced any rough seas and items seemed to stay in place. Nice toiletries, better than on other ships. Cabin Attendant was named Mary Gay Mozo. Very friendly and conscientious. Took excellent care of us and any needs we had. Hair dryer in room, poor make-up lighting, and one available socket were negatives, but manageable. Bed was a little firm, but nothing we could not live with. Closet space adequate for two, a tight squeeze I think for more than two occupants. MORE TO COME-HAVE TO CHANGE OUT LAUNDRY.
4/2/04-Departure/Pre-cruise Stay in San Juan
5:15AM taxi arrived to take us to San Diego International Airport. Check in with Delta went smoothly. Walked around terminal and boarded plane at 7:30 AM. About 10 minutes into boarding, we were told to deplane as there had been a breach of security at the airport. We got off the plane and headed down the escalators. We followed each other in masses without any real direction. Finally, we were told to go outside the terminal and wait until our flight times were called. Once our time was announced, we were instructed to go throught security again and head for our plane. We boarded the plane after a two-hour delay and took off for our first connection, Atlanta. At this point I was beginning to get a little concerned. I knew we had a long layover in Atlanta, but not sure if it would be enough to make our connection. We kept our fingers crossed and hoped for the best. As we listen carefully for the connecting flight announcements we thought there was a good chance we could still make our flight if we "ran like a bat our of hell" once the doors opened. I guess our connection was not in the cards as the Captain informed us that he had to circle Atlanta because he could not land. You guessed it, we missed our connection and there were no other flights available until the following day at 7:00 AM. The Delta representative was kind enough to get us on that flight and offered to give us a hotel referral (not a freebee, but a discounted rate). Not knowing Atlanta we took it. Big mistake! The Ramada Inn was in sad shape, but can't complain for $59. It did offer free airport shuttle and a place to spend the night and regroup for our much anticipated 7:00 AM flight the next day. Called Embassy Suites in San Juan and notified them of our problem and reassured them we would be checking in the following day.
4/3/04-Atlanta Departure/Arrival At San Juan
Ramada Inn shuttle picked us up at 5:15 AM and took us to the airport. Boarded our 7:00 AM flight to San Juan. Lift off went without any glitches and we arrived in San Juan at 11:17 AM. Baggage was transferred from our previous flight to our new flight and we claimed our bags at the terminal. Made sure we had our baggage claim check handy so we could present it to security upon departing terminal (hint from board member-TY). Went to taxi station (hint from board member-TY) and ordered a cab for trip to Embassy Suites. We had three pieces of luggage-total cost of trip & bags was $9.50 plus tip. Arrived at Embassy Suites. Lovely hotel, really enjoyed our stay. Room was ready upon arrival and we dropped off our bags. Made our way over to the local drug store to pick up a few last minute items. Noticed lots of fast food options within a few blocks of the hotel. Returned and decided to relax by the pool. Bad idea. Just as we were all dressed in our bathing suits, the skies opened up and we had a heavy downpour for about 45 minutes. We decided that this would be a good opportunity to get something to eat at the hotel resturant. Food was fair, nothing memorable. Since skies had cleared, we went back to the room, put our bathing suits back on and made our way out to the beautiful pool. Relaxed by the pool for a bit, returned to room for a nice nap and decided that we would go to an early dinner at Outback Steakhouse located in hotel. Went early (hint from board member-TY) and had a nice dinner. Restuarant very popular, go early and avoid crowds.
4/4/04-Embarkation
The much anticipated day had finally arrived. I was so excited, I had a hard time sleeping the night before. We had our complementary cooked-to-order breakfast and made our way back to the room. Packed our bags, checked out, and headed for the terminal around 10:30 AM. I think taxi fare with bags was around $17.50 without tip. Arrived at terminal around 10:45, gave bags to stevedor and he took them into the Princess terminal. I believe hubby tiped $6 for two bags. Proceeded to waiting line. I would guess we were about number 40 or so. There were bathrooms and a soda machine outside terminal. At around 11:45 we were let into the terminal;processing was a breeze. We got our room/charge cards, took embarkation picture, security picture for Princess room/charge card, and directed to our room. We reserved B615 (BC Balcony category). Found the balcony room to be a little bit small (179 sf) compared to our large outside cabin without balcony on HAL (194 sf). The size of the room was no big deal. Room was very clean, nice small balcony. Fully enclosed top & sides. Bathroom did not have a medicine cabinet. Utilized shelf system which caused a little concern about shifting items due to movement of ship. However, we never experienced any rough seas and items seemed to stay in place. Nice toiletries, better than on other ships. Cabin Attendant was named Mary Gay Mozo. Very friendly and conscientious. Took excellent care of us and any needs we had. Hair dryer in room, poor make-up lighting, and one available socket were negatives, but manageable. Bed was a little firm, but nothing we could not live with. Closet space adequate for two, a tight squeeze I think for more than two occupants. MORE TO COME-HAVE TO CHANGE OUT LAUNDRY.