Some misc. Grand questions

[crazy4themouse]

Hi happy cruisers http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

Rather than clutter the board with several posts, I've been trying to wait and ask a few at once. Thanks in advance for any suggestions you have!

1.) I have heard people suggest that when you get onboard, you request a lounger for your balcony. We have a cat. BB on the Caribe deck, and every picture I've seen has two loungers on the balcony... do those staterooms have them there already, or will I still need to request them?

2.) Does anyone know what time the kids' club opens on embarkation day, for me to check my son in and let him meet the counselors?

3.) Are there really down pillows and mattress toppers available??

4.) How does the library work... can you check books out to read elsewhere, or do you have to stay there with them?

5.) This might sound really stupid... but please forgive me, I am only used to Disney's rotational dining. With PC dining, where exactly do you eat? How many dining rooms are there, and can you choose each night where to eat? PC dining sounds so neat, and we're so looking forward to it, but I swear it is confusing me so bad... LOL

6.) Which dining venues are open at lunch time on embarkation day?

Thanks again for any answers y'all might have!

-gina-

Grand Princess, here we come!! 3/12/05
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Disney Magic: 2/02, 2/03, 2/04

[Green4me]

Hey Gina, we cruised on the Grand this past March to the western carib. We have also done the Disney Magic western in Nov 02. Our kids are getting older 15/12/10 and they seemed to enjoy Princes somewhat more but close tie in their words. Each had plus and minuses You can tour the kids clubs as soon as you get on to meet counselors which is a good idea, but the sign ups are later in the day after boat drill and sail away. (like between 5:30-7pm) By the way Princess does not have you muster at the life boats like Disney, which I thought odd, but rather at varrious lounges where they demonstrate the proper wearing of a life jacket and the emergency procedures. We were on the Aloha deck with balcony, no room for the loungers but did see one in each carib balcony we looked down on to. They also had chair pads which is a nice touch. No input on the pillows or mattress toppers nor the library. We did pc dining and loved the flexibility. Grand had two of their three dining rooms taking pc diners, we tried both with mixed results. Suggest that if you have a good experience with wait staff, stick with them if you can. as we all know no matter who's cruise line not all servers are created equal. We also choose to eat at Sabitinis with our three kids and loved it, as they did also.. Note we are blessed with adventurous kids that will try anything at least once.

Lunch time for embarkation is Horizon court which was mobbed ( note ship was at full capacity during this spring break cruise), and at least one of the sit down restaurants. We choose to grab burgers and pizza which was perfect for sitting out side and people watching. Get there early. We were at the dock by 10:30 and one of the first on board when the doors opened up at 11:45. make sure you get all docs done in advance on the Princess web site. We filled out the Bahamas imigrations cards but they never wanted them even when asked. Better safe than sorry.

Hope it helps, let me know If I can help further.
ps,
I'm also a Disney nut

Christmas on the Caribbean Princess begins in...
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[Beryl]

When you board, if there is not a lounger on your balcony request that your steward bring one for you!

Can't help with the "kids club" question...ours are all grown up and gone from home http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif!

Down pillows and matress toppers are available upon request but are limited in number! Good luck with this one http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif!

Yes, you can check out books from the library and read them anywhere on the ship! Very convenient, but once again somewhat limited in scope! If you have a favourite author or want to read a very recent release, bring it from home! I always take a book or two but so far I've always brought them home unread. Too many distractions on a cruise....that means I'm too nosey!

As to PC dining....The Grand Princess has 3 "formal" dining rooms. One of them is set aside for traditional dining and the other 2 are used for anytime diners. You just go to the anytime dining room of your choice during dining hours and you will be seated. You can request a table of a specific size (for 2, for 4, etc) or you can ask to be seated with other diners. We used the anytime dining option on our Grand cruise in September and found it worked very well. All dining rooms offer the same menu. In addition to these 3 dining rooms there are 2 alternative restaurants available (both with extra fees) as well as the Horizon Court. Hope this helps and is not making it more confusing for you.

Horizon court is always open for lunch on embarkation day but when we sailed one of the main dining rooms was open for a couple of hours as well. If the dining room is open, choose it!! It is lovely to sit down and be waited on after a hectic day of getting to the port and you will begin to get into relax mode immediately http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

The Grand is a lovely ship! I hope you have a wonderful cruise.

Cruising! It's like being in the Garden of Eatin'!

[crazy4themouse]

WOW, thank you so much for all the great info!! My little boy (8) loves the Magic so much, but they have just gotten WAY too expensive. Plus, the Galveston cruise terminal is like 20 minutes from me, so it's a no-brainer for us to sail on Princess. http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

The lifeboat drill locations on DCL vary depending on where your stateroom is... we have always been way aft on 5, and always have gotten to sit comfortable in Animator's Palate for the drill. Way better than crowding out on the hot deck! I'm glad to hear we will be inside on the Grand, too. http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

Thanks again for your reply -- it helps a lot!

-gina-

Grand Princess, here we come!! 3/12/05
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Disney Magic: 2/02, 2/03, 2/04

[crazy4themouse]

Thank you, Beryl!! The dining info helps a whole lot!

I love CC folks. http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

Thanks again!!

-gina-

Grand Princess, here we come!! 3/12/05
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Disney Magic: 2/02, 2/03, 2/04

[bob&karen]

We obtained the down pillows and mattress toppers by faxing a request to Princess according to our TA's instructions. Simply write a letter requesting "Eggshell Mattress Cover / Down Pillows" (we offered a one-sentence explanation about having a bad back and stiff necks). Be sure to include:

* Booking Number
* Name of Passengers
* Boat / Cabin Number / Sailing Date

And then fax your request to 661-284-4745.

We did so less than a week before our cruise and had no problems. Not sure why this had to be faxed rather than dealt with by phone, but hey, it worked ...

B.

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These moments are shared, by few
And those harbor lights, lord they’re coming into view
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So drink it up, this one’s for you -
Honey, it’s been a lovely cruise."
-- James W. Buffett

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[ssbeagle]

Kids Club registration is at 7:00 in the evening on the first night. You can go up a bit earlier and see what the area looks like if there is a counselor there. Our grandsons spent a bit of time in the Kids' Zone and they enjoyed themselves. There was something going on every day. They received a free t-shirt that they decorated themselves, made necklaces, got a stuffed animal at the kids' talent show (everyone takes part), and they had fun at Pelican Pete's party where they painted cookies, got tattooes, played games for candy prizes, played guessing games and kept busy. They break the kids up by age: 3-7 years, 8-12 years, 13-18 years. They even had a pajama party one night. The only thing I didn't like about the program was the hours if you had traditional dining 1st sitting. It was hard to get the kids up there on time. I fully recommend the pc dining if you have kids. We will do that next time. The Grand has two dining rooms for pc dining and one for traditional. Of course, you have the buffet and Sabatini's and the golden desert restaurants too.

We had two loungers on our balcony and we were on Caribe deck. It is the largest balcony of any on the ship in a regular cabin. It was great!

You can check books out of the library and take them with you as long as you return them at the end of the cruise.

Hope you like your cruise on the Grand!

Tahitian Princess coming up

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[crazy4themouse]

You guys are the best... thanks so much for all the terrific info. I get more excited every day!! http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif And thanks especially for the fax number for the pillow/topper request... I am so used to my eggshell topper, and my back really hurts without it. This is great news that I can request one for the cruise!

Thanks again!

-gina-

Grand Princess, here we come!! 3/12/05
http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=4169e1&cdt=2005;3;12;16;00;00&timezone=GMT-0600
Disney Magic: 2/02, 2/03, 2/04