Princess Cruises - Grand Princess Review

Princess terminal was vacant! We walked in, showed passports to the military at the entrance, proceeded to DOLPHIN which had regular & express. We are express so we just walked up she tears out the tix & credit card sigs, gave us our ship cards & up the ramp we went (3 mins max, including ship ID photo). Then into the elevator to Dolphin. D425 was our home this week.  

Then we see Head Waiter, older with half glasses resembling a DOM, seating Marty Allen & wife Kate way in the back in a corner. Jerry has Stuffed Flounder, salad, shrimp cocktail for his order. Me, I want all 3 appetizers (shrimp cocktail which is a caribbean fruit/white pepper sauce, egg rolls with a fruity soy sauce & grapefruit/kiwi laced in Blue Caracoa (sp) & our waiter Adi from Romania served them onne at a time warm to cold. Then cappuccino & tiramasu and sampling it brought back memories of Dawn Princess' chef Josef from Austria.  Head Waiter Carlos asks if we would like a Pina Colada Soup. It isn't soup but the drink served in a soup bowl. We got a kick out of it & it was definately loaded with rum since we felt it. So back to the room we go, I take a hot bath, Jerry showers & we are out like a light after getting into bed.

A sea day and after breakfast at the buffet, we head to the pool. All 4 are loaded with screaming kids. Even the hot tubs has 4-7 per tub.  So back to our stateroom to discover a very sunny deck with the loungers side by side with full reclining. Table & chairs by the door & we were all set. Even room service brought chicken caeser & a pitcher of iced tea & a huge basket of ice put atop our counter. So we enjoyed ourselves til about 3pm when I washed my hair & showered, then Jerry. Get all dressed up, me in my new gown resembling Bassinger's LA Confidential gown (backless with draping material surrounding it & a slice up the side) C/Z clip pulling my long hair back, pearls with diamond lavalier attached, ankle strapped grey shoes. Jerry in his black suit, white tux shirt, and tie & diamond stick pin.

Dinner was to be celebrating our 22nd anniversary as Princess had noted on our Personalizer from last year. Tonite we have 3 Head Waiters with Vincente (the older gent with half glasses who was very Italian). As we walk in I have my arm put inside Carlo's arm as he walks us to the table & seats me. Italian night with the best Veal we have tasted. Carlos brings us a plate with shaved Procutto (sp), cubes of parmesan cheese, balsamic vinegar cruet to flavor the cheese & olives (all kinds). We saw no one else with this & it was so good. So we both thought it was for our anniversary & felt very delighted. 7PM & the show featuring a magician-comedian was at 8:15PM. So we hit the casino & lose $200 in an hour. But we headed for the stateroom since no show tonite. 

We are off to see Jamaica, digital camcorder/digital still on his shoulder in the bag. Very friendly folks, not pushy. Loads of finally dressed officers also greeting us. . Then I see big man, blonde hair, big smile IT IS JOSEF FROM AUSTRIA!  Our cook on the Dawn in Alaska who waves back at me & comes to the table for a kiss on the cheek & a chat. I hope he was making his prize struedel & he states only the last night as Princess felt it was too hot in the Caribbean for it. Jerry got a shot of both of us joking around. We learn he was married after he left the Dawn & heard about sailing & heading the gallies on the Grand. I told him we celebrated our 22nd last night & he remarked that he never was told to do a cake for us. Then he gets Vincente over to ask if our dinner had anything special for us. Then a gal comes up as we bid bye to Josef & is introduced to us as an Asst Purser named Ophelia Benjamin. She sits quite shocked to hear that yes, her computer does state  22nd anniversary for us. We have no balloons on the door, no card from the Captain, nothing.  She apologized for the poor treatment of our Cabin Steward as she received many complaints from rooms on Dolphin. She is met by others in the hall, one yelling at her that the Steward entered the stateroom while she was in the shower.

Fridge is packed now! So as I am applying makeup in the bathroom, a knock on the door has a waiter in a tux bringing us a plate of chocolate covered strawberries and a happy anniversary card from Ophelia & the Pursers' Office. WOW!!! Then down to dinner, more great service with shrimp cocktails arriving upon seating us (yeah Carlos).  Beef Tenderloins for us, crab leg cocktail, dinner salads, strawberry soup. Again as the table is cleared the the crumbs swept off the table with the Asst Waiter joking it is for the bread pudding, Here comes the cappuccino & a thick hunk of chocolate with Princess logos around it atop a plate in Carlos' hands.

This was Stingray Day & I was quite excited!. Then we walked to the Aqua Mall to meet Ruth from Capt Marvins. We booked the 10AM 3 hour trip which was 45 mins with Stingrays which was so great with they enormous black creatures, who are the females, rubbing up against you as a hello. You feed them squid by the bucketful. Some navy blue fish about 2 feet long also steal food from my hands in record speed. Then we glide over to the coral reef for snorkeling which was being live on a National Geographic Show. After 45 mins you are signaled to return to the ship. Sorry to say the entertainment in the theatres wasn't worth sitting thru. So to the Atrium and the best pianist who really works his Mozart & Chopin playbooks.  Then decided to do High Tea also in Davinci. Excellent white gloved service, the pianist entertaining with more Chopin, and some nice folks to chat with. Then dinner as Daniele shows with a large plate of thin sliced veal with greens surrounding it, again beautiful presentation. Then I freak at big hands on my shoulder & it is Josef, the Executive Chef, stopping by. So I introduce him to our friends & he invites them to his cooking show tomorrow at Noon. He makes sure we are coming & then leaves. Veal was the hit tonite with mashed potatoes high on cream & butter, presented thru a pastry bag. The roasted tomato was carved into a rose. BEAUTIFUL! 

Today is Cozumel Day. We were greeted again by crystal clear waters with many rock formations in it. So the snorkel bag goes with us as we explore the area with at least 5 miles of waterfront shops. Diamond Int'l have 6 shops down the street. 2 in the opposite direct where Carnival, RCI & Celebrity are docked. Grand has its own spot. So we hit the 4 stores getting 8 pairs of diamond stud earring for FREE.  Then over to Carlos & Charlies & I just loved the bolts & nuts tables & chairs, then very funny waiters who also perform jokes on folks (such as changing my drink straw 5 times & I didn't notice). NOW THIS IS A PINA COLADA! Jerry has a Mahi Tahi & one was more than enough. Then the bill shows - $132 but that is pesos $13.20 USD a bit steep but it included the entertainment, sing alongs, etc. Then I asked for the restrooms & the waiter points to the bar & the sign BATHROOMS with a down arrow. Under it is an enormous toilet! But the real ones are on the wall across from it. We learn that they are in Cleveland as Senor Frogs.

A very funny man in front of his store sees us walking returning to the ship, filming the sculptures on the waterline. He states that his prices are almost free! So we walk in & I see a bracelet that is very heavy, silver studs adorning with black encrusting it. $150 USD he states as I put it back. As we start for the door he goes to $100, then $80, then $60. Jerry tells him $30 pulling out the $20 & $10. SOLD!  Then the man has tableclothes even long dining room table types. I saw a Mayan Calendar style that was so eye catching & we got it for $20. Then back to the ship & again waved past the long line at check in. A long soak in my personal hot tub in our bathroom & Jerry is out cold across the bed.

Today is a sea day & a 5AM wakeup call. Today is the cooking show/galley tour day & we enter the Princess Theatre for the show to Josef banging pots on stage pointing for us to take front row seats. This was great with him cooking fettucinie Alfredo, Shrimp Scampi, then the strudel which he rolls using a tablecloth which had me jump up to catch it at stage bottom but he was able to put the brakes on it with the cloth. Totally amazing! We were served plates of food to sample & ten remark to the room our feelings. Other plates traveled the rows for folks to sample.  Ophelia received hugs again from us for her service, as did Kim, we were given forms to fill out for employees personnel files on all who made our trip special. 15 will do. But we still have to goto a bar to do the tip charges. They were packed with football watchers, but we did find a seat to get this done with a great waitress. Envelopes address & slips inside, so back to the room & start writing for all waiters, Head Waiters, Chef, Ophelia, and then I discover that my silver CZ bracelet is gone replaced by my new wrist clencher. So I dash back to the the Pursers & Michael is the only one there & I asked if he has Lost & Found & that I lost a Monet silver C/Z tennis bracelet sometime within the morning (I had it on in the stateroom when I put on my new bracelet & saw it at breakfast with folks remarking about it). So he goes in the back office & comes out with it!!!! Back on my wrist & he gets a $20 tip which he refuses & hands me a card to fill out for him for his file.  But everyone was served a true cuppacino with orange liquer in it with the struedel they ate wrapped in vanilla cream or the Swans on a Chocolate Lake (we had both had them)

 D Day we leave to normalville.