daydreamer16

Currently on the Grand Princess & we had problems with MDR from day one. We haven’t been on Princess since Fall 2019, so definitely out of the loop on dining! On previous cruises we just went down to the anytime dining & got a beeper. Never waited more than 30 minutes. On the Grand we boarded in Auckland, cruise originated in Sydney. First day I contacted guest services & asked about dining & she said you better start making reservations! It’s a 22 day cruise so I tried online but could only make reservations for 6 nights, various times & dining rooms. The first night no reservation, was told 2 hour wait at first dining room. Went to different room waited 10 minutes & saw many unoccupied tables. Next day went to guest services & complained about the system. Was told they would keep a table empty all night if it had been reserved at 6:00 & 7:30 that’s the way the computer system operates! Excuse was guest could be tired from excursion & might or might not show up so they keep table open. I don’t know much about the restaurant business but on dry land I think a restaurant would go out of business if that was their model! After our visit to guest services we got a table for 2 not later tha 7pm. For reference was on the Celebrity Edge in March out of Sydney. We ate a one of the MDRs ( there are 4) every night & never waited for a table for 2. It was the first time in any cruise ( Celebrity & Princess) that we did not wait even once. We usually eat around 6-6:30 so prime time!

So we leave this Saturday on the Grand Princess & yesterday I got an email from the Hilton saying that they are canceling all of the day pass reservations for April since the resort is fully booked. Good luck with your trip!

Have you tried Viator? I see Hobbiton on their site. Auckland is too far for a shore excursion. We went to Hobbiton yesterday & it’s great especially if you’re a fan. We left from Auckland & it was about 8 hrs r/t. We board the Grand Princess on Saturday.

Thanks!

So we are boarding the Grand in Auckland with the majority of passengers boarding in Sydney 4 days earlier. I'm thinking the wait shouldn't be too long? Correct me if I'm wrong.

I haven't been on Princess for awhile, can you use OBC if you book online?

Thanks for the info. We are planning to go to the Victoria Market on Easter Sunday, so hopefully I'll find something there. I already checked that they will be open that day but closed on Friday. We have theater tickets for the afternoon so we'll go there first thing that morning. Thanks again, Denise

Do you know if Pellegrino or Perrier are included with the Plus Beverage pkg? Thanks

I'll be in Melbourne for 4 days prior to flying to Auckland, maybe you can suggest some place there? Denise

Ok thanks!

We will be spending several days in Auckland prior to a South Pacific cruise. Prior to arriving in Auckland we will spend about 2 weeks in Australia & take a Celebrity NZ cruise. I'm figuring we'll have lots of souvenirs, so I'll be looking for a good size tote bag for my goodies to bring home. Can anyone recommend a store in Auckland to purchase a good size tote bag. We are staying at the JW Marriott which is in the CBD, I think. Thanks, Denise

If you order a small bottle of water, can you get sparkling water too? Thanks

We also have a nice selection of local Aussie and NZ wines available that never showed up on any menu but were included in PDP cap of $20 per glass. We just asked our sommelier in Luminae for the local wines at meals. This info is making me very happy! We'll be on the Edge starting 3/13 in a SV so regular dining, will ask if any local wines are available with Premium.

And the loud cell phone calls!

Thanks, super excited for our first E class! Love all the tips shared here!