The "Better Late Than Never" Live From and Review of the Grand Princess 7-20-14

Hi Friends-

We are already 3 days into our cruise and I am just getting started on the blog. I am completely underwhelmed with my sense of urgency in this posting. So forgive me. I will do the best I can to catch up, though it may take a day or two.

Here are the particulars-

I am Tracie-Lynn (51) and I am traveling with my husband Richard/Bradley (that is his "coffee name"- you know the fake name you give when you order fancy coffee).

We are also traveling with Tom and Cathy- my husband's brother and wife; Susan and Kevin- my niece and her husband; and Gerrie and Will- my good friend and co-worker and her husband. No names have been changed, as there is probably no need to protect their identities... Tom is just freshly out of the Federal Witness Protection Program, so no worries!

We have been planning this trip for nearly a year, and are all so grateful that the time has finally come to go sailing...

Friday, July 18

Gerrie and Will flew out a day in advance. The In-Laws (or Out-Laws, as it were--- see previous post) flew into Seattle from Connecticut. We flew in from North Carolina on Friday. We all managed to get direct flights to Seattle, which in the world of luggage retrieval, is everything. We landed in sunny Seattle at 10 am, reclaimed our luggage and jumped into our car (Already There Car Service- Highly, highly recommend- tell Charlotte that I sent you!) and were off to the W Hotel. We dropped our luggage and waited for the In/ Out Laws to show up (about 30 minutes behind us). We made our way to the market to meet with Gerrie and Will for a quick lunch at Beechers! Best Mac and Cheese and grilled cheese sammich EVER!!!!!!!! ( I am originally from the Seattle area, so this is going home for me).

We poked around the Market for some time. It was a first for the Innies/Outties(that would be Tom and Cathy, Susie and Kevin- if you weren't paying attention) so they needed to experience some fish flinging and the worlds nastiest monument to deliberate littering- The Post Alley Gum Wall. It is still there, still fascinatingly disgusting, though fortunately it was not too hot and therefore not at smelly as it can be. We did a lot of moaning and groaning and took all of the requisite photos to prove we were there. My niece and her husband even left a little contribution to the wall.

After we walked the Market, we returned to the W... and here is where it all began to go down hill. We have stayed there before, so we recommended it to our family. We paid a premium for the rooms and expected a certain level of service. At 4 pm (Check in is 3 pm) We were given the key to our room right away, but Tom and Cathy were told to wait for 15 minutes, and then 15 minutes, and then 15 minutes... At almost 5 pm, they offered to "upgrade" them to a smaller room with double beds- I guess the upgrade was to a higher floor. Not a great start. I will say, the front desk always seemed to be "one man down" and the wait to talk with the person there could be 15 to 20 minutes. The one bright spot was Michael, who managed all things luggage. He was amazing at making baggage appear and disappear at the appropriate times.

That evening for dinner, we had a reservation at the Brooklyn. Most of the party enjoyed some amazing mussels and oysters (not me... ick). We all had great food and conversation was pretty lively!

After dinner, Gerrie and Will returned to the Hilton (yep, they were the smart ones). The ladies went to get their monkey feet rectified at Ocean Nail Spa (First and Seneca- awesome AND reasonably priced). The men went to ride on the new-ish Ferris wheel and maybe stopped for an adult beverage or 6... Cathy, Susie and I went on the Ferris wheel after the men. It was a lovey ride, and because it was a very clear night, we could see Mt. Rainier. Ahhhh...home.

After that, we headed off to bed. Tired and happy. One small note... My husband notices a little blister on my foot that I did not even feel. I figured it was pretty insignificant, but it ended up playing a bit larger part in our vacation... more on that later.

Thanks for posting. Looking forward to future installments.

Saturday, July 19, 2014

Seattle- Part 2

Being "east-coasters", we woke very, very early. We decided to climb up to Broadway from our hotel. Charlotte is reasonably flat, so hills are a bit of challenge for me. Not my husband though... he is direct descendant of mountain goats, so he just goes up those hills like he was born to. I was able to keep up with minimal whining. We found some local coffee... I know, I know. Shocking in Seattle. We walked around a bit more, then returned to the hotel to meet up with the fam. Once we all gathered, like a rag tag batch of tourists, we made our way to Top Pot. I admonished the gang with warning to order only one doughnut. Some listened better than others. If you have not been there, the doughnuts are as big as a toddlers head. HUGE mounds of super deliciousness!!!! I tried the Ovaltine latte. Not so yummy, but it did have caffeine, so I was able to find its redeeming quality.

After a breakfast fashioned for champions, we headed to the Space Needle. Even though, it was really overcast in Seattle, the line was long. Gerrie and Will decided to visit the Chihuly exhibit, and skip the Needle. We purchased tickets and queued up for our ride to the top. Richard/ Bradley and I have done this before, so there were no huge surprises for us. We parted company at the top of the Needle. Tom, Cathy, Susie and Kevin were meeting old friends and Richard/ Bradley and I had a date with REI.

Richard/ Bradley and I have a knack of finding the up-hilliest way to any point on a map. We began the climb up yet another hill. Once we reached our destination, we realized this must be the very best REI in the whole wide world! It was huge and amazing and and build in the middle of a park. I am quite sure it was by design. Maybe the is the Disney World of sporting goods stores-- a lot of preplanning went into this structure.

We finished at REI and headed back uphill to our hotel. Uphill, you ask??? Why of course! We only walked uphill in Seattle. I am not sure how one can walk a mile uphill, only to head in the opposite direction, and counter intuitively find themselves walking uphill some more.

We returned to the hotel to shower and rest. That evening we headed to Anthony's at Pier 66. Gerrie and Will joined us, giving us the perfect opportunity to celebrate their 40th Wedding Anniversary! The food at Anthony's was excellent. I had a salad which was one of the best I have ever had. For dessert, we had delicious raspberry sorbet. We walked back uphill to our hotel (sensing a trend here???) to meet with Tom and Cathy and the gang. We enjoyed some beverages at the hotel, and then R/B (short hand for Richard/ Bradley) headed out for another walk... you guessed it... up hill (both ways... in the snow... barefoot...)

After all that trudging up the seemingly endless hills of Seattle, I was done! Bed time at the W for me and R/B!

yay tracie! I'm looking forward to reading more!

Onward and upward, as they say -- can't wait for more! And hoping for some photos of the Giant Mutant Doughnuts . . . but maybe not of that gum wall, which sounds just icky. Are you looking for Frasier and Niles on every street, or would that just be me?

yay tracie! I'm looking forward to reading more!

What she said.

Keep it coming- your writing is nice and loose and conversational. I love Seattle, I must say. Great starting point for excursions to Dungeness and Mount Rainer. Mount St Helens is stunning. Snosqualmie Falls is another nearby delight. Kells Pub near Pikes Place market is a great spot for Irish food. We usually stay at the Inn at the Market but I don't know where that is in relation to the cruise ships. I haven't been in Seattle in 14 years but am keen to take a cruise from there....sooner than later!

Norris

We will be boarding the Grand on the 26. Are you able to inform us which dining room was open for lunch when you boarded? Thanks. We have cruised often yet never made it to the dining room for lunch on day 1.

Onward and upward, as they say -- can't wait for more! And hoping for some photos of the Giant Mutant Doughnuts . . . but maybe not of that gum wall, which sounds just icky. Are you looking for Frasier and Niles on every street, or would that just be me?

it might just be you...though I always thought niles was cute.

mmmm food pictures.....

Thanks Tracie. :D

All I can think of is your poor foot and blister! How did you walk all that?

I too am a fan of yours and look forward to the continuation of your journey with family and friends. We too will be on the Grand even later this summer, will read and reread this many times!

Thanks for the report!

Sunday, July 20, 2014

Ship Day!!!!

Ship day! Ship day! Ship day!

We woke early and went for a walk. We hiked it on down to the Market to buy flowers for our friends and family. I absolutely love the flowers in the Market. You can get a ginormous bundles for such a reasonable amount of money. We picked out 3 gorgeous bundles and headed back to the hotel. We stopped to eat a bit of breakfast, and then went back to the hotel to change and repack.

After a brief cab ride to Pier 91 ($15 and 30 minutes), we started the process of readying for embarkation. We left the hotel at 10:30, arrived at the pier at 11:00. We were on the ship by 11:50. I will say that the Preferred Area was pretty packed. There also were no snacks or beverages. That is a first for me.

This is our first time in a full suite. We are in a midship penthouse suite, and it is better than I ever imagined. This would be the Leif Erikson suite. I am taking this as a sign because I am Scandinavian and good old Leif (see??? we are on a first name basis!) is our hero. We will argue with a certain other nationality (think--- their last names might or might not end in vowels) about which European country set foot on this great land first. But I digress... (I do that a lot).

I am not sure if I will get the opportunity to stay in a suite again, so I am really enjoying it now! Our cabin "Stewart" is Song. He was very sweet about my list of items that I need to be happy (extra pillow case, extra robe, extra glasses, ice...). I am certain that my husband made some form of a peace offering to offset my neediness... We also passed off the laundry. We actually had two bags full, as we were walking a lot in Seattle. Song was more than cheerful to send it to the super awesome laundry room (I have seen it. It is truly super awesome!). Our luggage was delivered to our room by 1 pm and we were fully unpacked by Muster Time.

Muster was in the Explorer's Lounge. It was the first time my family had an "indoor muster", and they seemed please by having a nice cushy place to sit. Of course, they tried on their "brick o' cheese". However, they refrained from putting the whistle in their mouth. I am always stunned at the people who do this. Ewwwwwwwwww....

We traditionally like to start our cruises with lunch in the main dining room. Of course, the staff attempted to direct us to the buffet, but we would not be deterred. Lunch was quiet and relaxed while we waited for the rest of our family to board. I delivered the flowers to our friends, Gerrie and Will. Later, Tom, Cathy, Kevin, and Susie joined us in our stateroom for some "champagne" and sail-away. The ladies left with their flowers and some jewelry that I had made for them from family stones (all right, guy, insert crude joke here).

We decided to meet up in the Crown Grill at 6 pm. We figured this would be a wonderful way to get the cruise started on a high note. My husband and I were granted complimentary dinners, and we had the rest of the charges diverted to our account. When we arrived, Gerrie and Will were already seated. The rest of the fam arrived shortly thereafter. We were seated at a table for 8 right off of the open kitchen. Our server was Victor, and I believe it was his personal mission to fulfill our every whim. He was stellar. The food was delicious and abundant. The company was amazing. It was truly a meal to remember!

Gerrie and Will hit a bit of snag when trying to buy the wine package. I guess they ended up on an impromptu scavenger hunt that involved 6 different stops before they finally landed at the "wine package table" at the aft 14 elevators. Many of the staff seemed to have no awareness of the package, and just sent them on a bit of a wild goose chase. It made for an amusing story, and in the end they were able to complete their mission.

I extolled the virtues of the coffee card, which I firmly believe is one of the best deals at sea. I believe I sold a number of cards with my super sales pitch. Maybe I should demand a commission.

After dinner, everybody sort of scattered. I was tired, and that little blister began to grow into a larger blister. I decided to pack it in. I love being in the suite. There is so much room to spread out and for storage. It is going to be so hard to go back...

Monday, July 21, 2014

Sea Day!

Nothing I love better than a sea day... It is so wonderful to have no obligations. Yay!

I woke reasonably early and began to walk on the Promenade Deck. It was a little brisk, but I was fine in a short sleeved T-shirt. I walked and jogged for 11 and 1/2 laps before heading to Sabatini's for breakfast. This is another fabulous suite perk. It is quiet and fast and involves free cappuccino. Yay! Love free cappuccino!

After breakfast, I headed to the gym for yoga class. I absolutely love yoga at sea. It is so much more amusing than any land-based class, especially if the boat is a bit tippy. Everybody is in a balance pose; the ship cants a bit, and everybody falls out of the pose in slow motion unison, sort of like well choreographed clumsiness.

After yoga, I decided to commit an act of community service, and I showered. It was time for our Cruise Critic Meet and Greet. Originally, we were to meet at the Wheelhouse at 11, but were diverted to Sabatini's. We arrived with name tags in tow and found that Sabatini's was locked. So we chatted on the comfy couches right out side. Finally a couple of staff arrived, opened Sabatini's and let us in. They provided waitstaff and bar snacks. This is one area that Princess just does not shine. I hate to make comparisons, but Holland serves cookies and tea. NCL puts out a full-on spread and sends every available officer to answer questions. Princess provides a waiter to take drink orders... just not the same. We had 22 in attendance.

After the Meet and Greet, the family headed to the Crown for a Pub Lunch. Love me some bangers and mash. The family (as first time Princess cruisers) have been very impressed with the food.

Well, with all of the excitement, I just had to take a nap. :) Once we woke, we spent the next hour getting ready for our first formal night. All of the men made a decision to not wear tuxes, which was just fine. This made getting ready so much easier. Richard/Bradley and I headed up to the PES (Platinum, Elite, and Suite) Lounge for a pre-dinner beverage. It was guacamole night! Score! The lounge is on Club One5, as the Grand no longer hosts a Skywalkers (there was an amputation some years ago due to structural issues).

We met the gang down at the dining room. We have early traditional dining in the Botticelli Dining Room (Aft 6). All the ladies looked lovely and the men were so handsome in their suits. I remember very little of the meal, though, as my little blister, that became a much larger blister had broken earlier in the day and now was causing some major pain (all the way up into my ankle). I limped back to the room. At my husband's suggestion, I soaked it in salt in the bathtub. Cathy brought me some little packets of Neosporin to hold me over til we were in port the next day. I have to admit, I was more than a little worried that I had an infection... This would not be the way I want to spend a cruise...

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Ketchikan, Alaska

I woke up and after continuously packing my foot with Neosporin throughout the night, I felt a bit better. I was not in as much pain, so I decided to join the family for our planned shore excursion to the Misty Fjords. We all limped off the ship and to the boat for our tour. (My family "sympathy limped" along with me). I knew I would be fine as we would be sitting for at least 4 hours, so I found a good seat and planted myself for the long haul. And it was a long haul... (think Gilligan's Island and hum along. "... 3 hour tour. 3 hour tour...") The scenery was beautiful, but there was a lot of chatter by the guide, the naturalist, the captain, and especially the sales staff. They had one girl who would get on the mic and make the most awkward sales pitches for muscle cream, salmon, and chocolate. There was much "ummmmm" and inability to complete a sentence. Eventually, we all let the boat gently rock us to sleep. When we returned to Ketchikan, I went back to the ship and R/B and the fam went up to Creek Street.

I decided to try Alfredo's. I had the Grand Pizza, and it was very tasty. Just a helpful hint here... Unless you have a super healthy appetite, you might just want to split a pizza. They are very large for one. I am glad that Princess rescinded the $10 cover charge. Thank you to all of you who wrote and posted in protest. And thank you to Princess for listening.

We decided to divide and conquer for dinner that evening. Half the group decided to try the Crab Shack and the other half decided to go to Sabatini's. I chose the Italian option. Our group was Cathy, Gerrie, Will and me. The food was fabulous but there was A LOT. I really enjoyed the pasta course, which was "off menu" as I don't eat seafood. They made a dish just for Gerrie and me. Probably the most spectacular meal was Cathy's. She had the sea bass that had been baked in a salt jacket. It came to the table replete with head, tail, and gills. They carved it table side. She said it was some of the best she had ever tasted.

When I asked my husband about the Crab Shack, he said that the amount of food they served was overwhelming. R/B can put away some seafood, so if he said it was too much, it really must have been too much. After dinner, we needed to take our food coma to bed.

On another note, my foot was feeling much better, but I was nursing it along. I did soak it in salt a couple more times, which seemed to help immensely.

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Tracy Arm

Juneau

Stop! Collaborate! and Listen!

We woke this morning to ice, ice and more ice, baby! It was glacier viewing day. The day was a bit overcast, so we were treated to the bluest ice. The water in the bay is a lovely shade of emerald, and it was pretty cold. There were many people on the decks wrapped in the red plaid lap blankets. I decided to have breakfast in Sabatini's again, and I was seated right next to the window. I watched my husband walk 15 laps (5 miles) while I ate fruit and drank cappuccino. Perfect!

After breakfast, we decided to poke around the ship some. Around 11 we were hungry again so we began our "progressive lunch". We started at Alfredo's by splitting a pizza. We made our way up to the buffet (ugh. not a fan- I did this for my husband), He ate a plate of sushi and I had watermelon. Then, we worked our way to to the MDR for salad. Kind of a strange way to eat but it was fun!

We took a short nap and prepared for Juneau. Oddly, we docked at A which is about a mile walk out of town in the middle of a tanker field. We actually docked in Juneau about and hour early. Gerrie and Will were headed out to fish for salmon, the fam decided to go to Mendenhall Glacier, and R/B and I took the tram up Mount Roberts to do some hiking. I had been saving my foot to do some serious hiking. I packed my boots and my all weather gear. I purchased bottled water. I figured a 3 mile hike to the peak of Mt. Roberts would be no issue. Heck, I have done the first leg of the acclimatization run for Everest in Nepal. But you all know that the road to Hades is paved with good intentions. What I did not account for is the fact that I have spent the last year and a half on some heavy hitting meds which, due to the fatigue it causes (along with another dozen super-fun side effects), have rendered me extremely inactive. I made it about 3/4 of a mile before I turned back. R/B headed forward and made it to Gastineau's Peak. I took the tram back down, and dejectedly walked back to the ship. I waited for Richard to come on back. Once he arrived, he was exhausted, so we ordered room service from the MDR. It was just what the Dr. ordered (yep. that's me). I went to hear Libby Riddles (Iditarod winner in 1985) speak in the Princess Theater. She was very engaging and she showed a wonderful film about the origins of the sport. Fascinating!

We packed it in by 9 pm, and we knew our next day would be an early start to a long day.

Foot report: an occasional tinge, but nothing to worry about! And now I can exhale...

We will be boarding the Grand on the 26. Are you able to inform us which dining room was open for lunch when you boarded? Thanks. We have cruised often yet never made it to the dining room for lunch on day 1.

Deck 6 Midship- DiVinci Dining room. You may have to muscle your way in there-- but persist. It is worth it!

Great report, Tracie - I'm really enjoying it!

Wow Great Stuff

Thanks for sharing it with us !!

Srpilo

Thank you for posting. I'm really enjoying reading your thread.:):):)

We are traveling on the exact same cruise in 3 weeks so please keep the info coming! Thanks!:)

can't wait to read the rest of your review. i will be on the same ship in3 days!! you are very informative to someone who has never been to seattle or alaska.

can't wait to read the rest of your review. i will be on the same ship in3 days!! you are very informative to someone who has never been to seattle or alaska.

I hope you really enjoy your first visit to these two great states! I know it won't be the last time I visit either.

yay tracie! I'm looking forward to reading more!

Awwww... too sweet! I hope I don't disappoint. :o

i'm anxiously waiting to hear what you are going to do in ketchikan and what you would recommend. did you visit the gym on the ship? how was it?

Enjoying your 'live' report and looking forward to the rest of it. Aren't Princess Suite nice....we really like them.