LIVE from the Grand Princess - 49 days from FLL thru South America to SFO

[DoulaAnn]

Pia,

 

Definitely let me know if the Pop Choir songs have changed. Enjoyed it the first time, but after listening to it on YouTube before my cruise, plus rehearsing and singing them on the cruise, I'm ready for a new challenge.

[Pia1913]

Hello again towards the end of a very uneventful and basically quiet day. We played two losing sessions of trivia, went to the Maxtone-Graham lecture, had lunch at the IC, took a few bucks from the slot machine and read on our balcony for a few hours. Exactly what I would call total R & R.

So, if I have nothing to offer, there’s really no reason for my fingers to be typing away with idle chatter.

Tom: you asked about the executive chef. He is Jeremy Snowden

DoulaAnn: Sorry, never made it to choir. My husband doesn't think I should strain my vocal chords so soon after surgery. I'm a lyric soprano.

Dinner tonight will be in HC. One of these days we may get to the MDR. It appears as if our evening entertainment will be the Discovery Channel.

I bid thee all adieu and buenos noches until tomorrow.

[WineCountryCruiser]

Hi Pia. Happy to have found your "live". We're sailing with you on the Royal this fall and will be taking the 49-day "around the horn" next year on the Crown (though it terminates in L.A. rather than S.F.). We're very interested in your experiences on this itinerary. Looking forward to all of your comments.

 

Craig

 

P.S. Say hi to Franky & Jack if you happen to see them.

[brucedodge]

Hi Pia,

 

In your "spare" time, how about giving Sammi a hug from Gail and me.

 

Heck! Give Mike one from us too. :)

 

Bruce

[Kinkacruiser]

Hello Pia,

Some familiar names there. Pretty sure it was John Maxtone-Graham with us on the Feb-March 2011 S.American Cruise.

Evon and Peter Anderson were with us last year on the Syd-Hawaii cruise.

 

That is one huge M&G...definitely a Visa Lounge affair.

Enjoy your cruise ... this time you will see the rest of S.America and Mexico.

[trbarton]

Hello again towards the end of a very uneventful and basically quiet day. We played two losing sessions of trivia, went to the Maxtone-Graham lecture, had lunch at the IC, took a few bucks from the slot machine and read on our balcony for a few hours. Exactly what I would call total R & R.

So, if I have nothing to offer, there’s really no reason for my fingers to be typing away with idle chatter.

Tom: you asked about the executive chef. He is Jeremy Snowden

DoulaAnn: Sorry, never made it to choir. My husband doesn't think I should strain my vocal chords so soon after surgery. I'm a lyric soprano.

Dinner tonight will be in HC. One of these days we may get to the MDR. It appears as if our evening entertainment will be the Discovery Channel.

I bid thee all adieu and buenos noches until tomorrow.

 

Pia:

 

Thanks for your information.

 

Enjoy your posts.

 

I will be in C209 in May to Alaska. Where is your cabin?

 

Tom:)

[cruising kirby]

Pia ~ have a great cruise

 

You cruising with a box or bottles?

 

Pia,

 

Another thread is saying that luggage tags have changed recently with messages about taking wine on board. One bottle per person and corkage charged on the rest. I never have trouble taking on a dozen or so bottles but did you notice any change in the Princess policy this time?

 

Sue

[Pia1913]

Good Tuesday morning and we are just about docked in St. Thomas. And guess what. We scored Havensight instead of the yucky Crown Bay. Temperature is supposed to be close to 80 today, but it rained last night and right now skies are overcast, but sun is trying its best to stay out. We need nothing but a new night light and perhaps a few more internet minutes. Also, our cell phones work here without roaming, so it will be nice to speak to our kids and some friends. I don’t make major decisions before breakfast. :)

　

As intended, we did nothing after dinner last night. We went back to our cabin, watched of all things Cake Boss, and then read our books.

Of course there’s not much going on aboard during a port day except morning trivia. Arbitrage showing again today at 2:30 and another trivia prior to our 5 PM sailaway.

　

Tonight’s entertainment is hypnotist Kellie Karl in Vista, who we think is awful. One time was enough for us. In the theater there will be 3 showings of the movie The Words. Not familiar with this one and will Google it

Craig: I see them all the time. We’re friends. Of course I’ll say hi.

Anna: We’ve seen the rest of South America many times, but always happy to repeat ports over and over and ………….

Gail and Bruce: Will do. She happens to live on our deck, so passes by often.

Tom: near forward elevators on Baja

Wine and tags: nothing new

Bye for now.

[bellasorella]

Good Morning on this almost sunny Sunday. A quick rundown on why we left late yesterday. It seems that a few hundred passengers arrived very late due to delayed flights. Don’t know from where, but they didn’t finish loading luggage until almost 6:30. Departure was at 6:45. Our 3:15 muster started at 4:30. No biggie. We just had our dinner in HC after sail away. The mussels were yummy.

 

 

　

Our morning started as usual in the gym, though as some of you know, I’m still recovering from my darn invasive surgery of last month. I’m moving like a snail on the treadmill, but moving I am. Enough about me.

 

 

　

We are very fortunate this voyage to have as a lecturer the famous John Maxtone-Graham; the world renowned maritime historian. He’s the consummate speaker/entertainer and even if you’re not interested in the subject, his presentation fills the house. Our lecturer for the Caribbean, Central and South America will be Julio Delgado. The only thing I know about him is that he was born in Spain and has 30 years experience in the tourism industry.

 

 

　

Here’s a bit of what’s happening on board today. Our CC M & G is at 10:00AM in Botticelli. Our roll call had over 300 participants so it will be interesting to see how many show up. The rest of the morning will be taken up with various money makers; I.e. shopping show, casino introduction, spa stuff, etc.

 

　

Afternoon brings us Maxtone-Graham’s first lecture at 1:30, the movie The Odd Life of Timothy Green in the theater at 2:45 and Mamma Mia on MUTS AT 3:00. Showtime tonight is the production show Stardust, and Michael Minor (listed as ventriloquist/singer

/impressionist) in Vista. MUTS will have 2013 NFL Pro Bowl.

 

 

Note about Vista. That’s where the Elite, Suite and Platinum Happy Hour will be held each night instead of the One5. Someone said there are 1500 Elites and Plats on board. I’ll let you know when I get the stats.

 

 

　

Ed: We will be going home from SFO No layover.

 

Whomever commented about Sammi: We’ve known her for many many years. I believe we first cruised with her in 2004 or earlier. She is the best. Her deputy is Bernie (female) from Chile.

 

Re ship: I will try to comment, but been on here so many times it's like old home week. Even since the redo. Just know that I think Leaves is a total waste and so does a staff member I spoke to yesterday.

　

Over and out for now.

 

We are on the Star from BA 29 days to LA, and will be following your adventures for last minute advice, Pia. Thanks for doing a "live from." Re: Glad to hear they moved the cocktail hour from the OneFive to Vista. We were onboard in Oct. with many Plats and Elites (but not 1500!) and it was totally unmanageable. I told the Hotel Director and Captains Club folks so, and it is good to know someone listened. (Sure we were not the only ones!) I will also be eager to hear if there are any "changes" to the Elite perks. Seems every time we cruise, something else is "missing" these days....but as long as they continue with the daily laundry and happy hour for Elite, we'll be fine. Have a wonderful trip, and we will be "reading ya."

 

Sandi

[bronxgirl25]

Hi Pia....Sorry to be coming 'aboard' so late. I've been under the weather with the dreaded Sydney Norovirus! :mad: Wash, wash, wash!

You sound so much better and we are glad to see it! Just caught up and will be sailing along with you from now on. Hi to Milt!

[Kiwi Kruzer]

They are docked head to head in St Thomas , giving us a good view of another ship today. Not sure which one it is.

 

 

[TLC535]

They are docked head to head in St Thomas , giving us a good view of another ship today. Not sure which one it is.

 

 

 

I believe that is the Carnival Dream...;)

Thanks for the "live from" Pia....something to help get us 49 days closer to our Royal TA :D Enjoy

[Pia1913]

Mission accomplished. I left the ship about 10; just me. I move a lot faster than Mike. Anyhow, I found there was a Kmart nearby; they said 10 minute walk. Ha! It started to rain and that 10 minute walk was probably ¾ of a mile. So this drowned rat reached it and they had no nightlights. Weather cleared, and on the way back to the ship I spotted a supermarket. They had nightlights. I bought two.

Lunch again at the IC and then reading on our balcony. Weather is nice and comfortable with low humidity.

There are lots of ships in port, but don’t know where all the passengers are. Most of them must be on tours. Here alongside us is Disney Fantasy and a Carnival ship. Down a ways is the monster RCI ship and anchored we can see the Celebrity Eclipse. I know there’s another Carnival ship at Crown Bay and I wonder who else is here that we can’t see.

OK, just departed and we need to start getting ready for wine and dinner. Looked up the movie and that’s what we’re doing tonight. Right now there's a guy in our cabin with a humongous vacuum and suction hose. For some reason our balcony took on lots of water. Our own private pool. Not!

See you all in the morning.

[Pepes Pal]

Mission accomplished. I left the ship about 10; just me. I move a lot faster than Mike. Anyhow, I found there was a Kmart nearby; they said 10 minute walk. Ha! It started to rain and that 10 minute walk was probably ¾ of a mile. So this drowned rat reached it and they had no nightlights. Weather cleared, and on the way back to the ship I spotted a supermarket. They had nightlights. I bought two.........

 

Pia, thanks for taking us along with you. Seems like just a few weeks ago, I passed you on the pier meandering back to the Ruby in St. Thomas. So glad a few weeks have made in your progress & recovery!

 

Keep up the good work & you're right, this is a different style "Live". I'm enjoying it! :)

 

Judy

[TracieABD]

Hey Pia,

Glad all is going well on your cruise.

We arrived in BA this morning and it is hot here. Folks on our city tour were melting like crazy!:eek:

 

I am not sure if I am going to do a live from, but will be about 2 weeks ahead of you in itinerary. I will try to check your thread.

 

Hope you are having fun!

Tracie:)

[trbarton]

Mission accomplished. I left the ship about 10; just me. I move a lot faster than Mike. Anyhow, I found there was a Kmart nearby; they said 10 minute walk. Ha! It started to rain and that 10 minute walk was probably ¾ of a mile. So this drowned rat reached it and they had no nightlights. Weather cleared, and on the way back to the ship I spotted a supermarket. They had nightlights. I bought two.

Lunch again at the IC and then reading on our balcony. Weather is nice and comfortable with low humidity.

There are lots of ships in port, but don’t know where all the passengers are. Most of them must be on tours. Here alongside us is Disney Fantasy and a Carnival ship. Down a ways is the monster RCI ship and anchored we can see the Celebrity Eclipse. I know there’s another Carnival ship at Crown Bay and I wonder who else is here that we can’t see.

OK, just departed and we need to start getting ready for wine and dinner. Looked up the movie and that’s what we’re doing tonight. Right now there's a guy in our cabin with a humongous vacuum and suction hose. For some reason our balcony took on lots of water. Our own private pool. Not!

See you all in the morning.

 

Thanks for taking the time post your cruise each day. For anybody sailing on the Grand we will have a better understanding of the ship.

 

Tom:)

[MilliesMom]

Pia ... On a few more recent reviews of the Grand, there were complaints about the elevators having problems getting stuck between floors, being out of service, etc. Overall just being unreliable. Have you noticed any problems on your cruise? Thanks.

[Pia1913]

Welcome to Antigua, the largest of all the English speaking Leeward islands. Formed by volcanoes, the island’s first settlement dates back to 2400 B.C. It doesn’t

rain much here and there are trade winds which, even though the temps average between 75 and 85, keeps the air comfortable with low humidity. As a Floridian, we appreciate low humidity when we can get it. And, this morning is not one of them. Already quite humid here. We have no formal plans for today. Our friends Tina and Ken will off shortly to go zip lining, something they often do and will do again tomorrow in Barbados. Keeping us company here is Carnival Freedom; they got here first.

　

For those hanging around the ship there are the same nothing things to do today as there were yesterday. Our ship is docked in the heart of the capital city of St. John’s and it appears that all points of interest are within walking distance. We will probably get off and meander about at the time the stores open at 10.

　

Last night we saw the movie The Words and we are still discussing it. Lots of variables with the ending. Tonight we have zero choices since the singer Jamila is on again, MUTS has Men in Black 3 and a movie in Vista is Friends with Kids. We’ve seen both movies and Jamila is not an option.

　

BTW, Princess is running a football pool for Super Bowl Sunday. $10 buy in per square for a chance to partake in a $1000 pot. I thought about it for a few minutes and decided not to do it.

Tracie: have a great cruise

Mary: Funny you just mentioned elevators. The entire forward bank of elevators were not working this morning and nobody knew about it until I called. We walked up to the gym and when we were done, all elevators were functioning properly.

Feeding time. Later.

[Impressionists]

　

　

　

Back again with updated passenger info. First, let me tell you about our M & G. WOW! This had to be the largest one ever. Even the Captain said he had never seen such a large group. 350 name tags were printed and I noticed only about 25 - 30 were not picked up. We were scheduled for 10:00, but things started happening way before that. So many private tours had been planned (more than 20) and each delegate had a table set up with their respective signs. Wonderful organization. Capt. Herriott spoke for a few minutes and then took as many questions from the floor as were asked. He is such a charming gentleman. When we left the area at 11:45, there were still lots of folks coordinating their respective groups.

 

 

　

Now, the stats. While Dawn, our hostess, could not yet tell me the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place numbers, here is the info I received. There are 2575 passengers aboard; 1100 USA and 700 Australia. The remaining are Canadians (quite a few though she didn’t have the numbers), and lots of other countries.

 

Now then, Captain Circle status as follows:

 

ELITE 908

PLATINUM 887

GOLD 459

 

And, 321 first time Princess cruisers.

 

 

Who’s waiting to hear about the lunch cutoff? YIKES! The cutoff is 697 days. We always think we’ve got the lunch sewn up and so did friends who are in the 600’s. You just never know. We’re in; they’re not. Major heavy hitters on this voyage and I believe all the most traveled folks will be on for the entire 49 days.

 

 

　

Other than the M & G and food, we did very little else today except attend John Maxtone- Graham’s “Only Way to Cross” lecture. That, and afternoon trivia. We lost. Tonight is formal night and the four of us have decided to stay in jeans and forego the dining room. We think we’ll be seeing the Michael Minor show. Maybe. We did go for a few nibbles at 5:00 in the Elite lounge, but no drinks. Nothing else to offer.

 

 

See you tomorrow.

 

Pia have a wonderful cruise. We were booked on this one but due to ill health we had to cancel. Sorry to hear that the Elite, Platinum and Suite happy hour has been moved. Loved the atmostphere of One5. I suppose given the numbers on this cruise it was just too small. Will be following your thread. Enjoy. Lorri H.

[Pia1913]

Just a bit of new info from an internet cafe on shore. Not only is Carnival here, but also RCI Adventure of the Seas and Celebrity Summit. Very crowded right now in the shopping area. Not much to see or buy that we haven't seen or bought on previous trips. Will probably go back to ship shortly so as not to fight the crowds. And the vendors. ;)

[Raamo]

Thanks Pia! This looks like a very fun itinerary, have a great cruise! I'll be reading along as you post!

[MilliesMom]

Pia ... hopefully the elevators won't continue to be a problem.

 

Enjoying your review. Thank for the updates.

[Julia’s Journey’s]

Sounds like you are having a wonderful relaxing fun time :)

Send regards to Milt and looking forward to getting down to Brazil:D

[DoulaAnn]

Pia, I'm loving keeping up with your adventures on this cruise. Keep it coming. Hope things are good for you all along.

 

Ann

[Kiwi Kruzer]