Vickie Bowne

Back to back Caribbean Cruises
Golden January 26 – February 2
Grand February 3 – 10

Cruisers – myself (Vickie 36) and my husband (Bernie 46), this was my 5th and sixth cruise, having sailed 3 times with Carnival and once prior with Princess, this was my husband’s 2nd and 3rd cruise.

We live in Vancouver, B.C. and we purchased the air through Princess, at a comparable price, and Princess included a night accommodation in Ft. Lauderdale prior to cruise.

I am going to try and make this review a little different than others I have read. I am not going to do a day to day breakdown of events, I am going to comment on what I saw, what I really liked, and what I thought could be improved. I am also going to compare the differences of the two cruises.

Air Travel
Booked air through Princess. Flight to Ft. Lauderdale was scheduled with Continental via Houston. Flights were on time, no surprises, and security was everything we had read prior on these boards. National Guard at airports in US was a surprise when I first saw but felt comfortable having them around, and understand why.

Return trip was with Air Canada via Montreal. I was originally concerned with the connection in Montreal as it was only an hour and 20 minutes, and didn’t know if we would be able to clear customs, retag our bags, and get to the gate. When we checked in at Ft. Lauderdale on the day of departure, the Montreal flight was delayed and we were informed we would have to overnight in Montreal. Needless to say we did not have clothes for cold weather with us, so we asked about any other flights. The check in representative beside us said “route them via Toronto. We ended getting on the Toronto flight and then a connection there to Vancouver. We arrived home a half hour after our scheduled flight.

­ Make sure you bring extra food as you will get hungry on the plane.
­ Bring lots of water.
­ Try not to sit in the back row, the smells from the washrooms can be interesting.
­ Give yourself enough time, check in and security line ups were long.
­ If you can fly in the day before and extend your trip by a day, much more relaxing.
­ If you fly out of Ft. Lauderdale on a weekend, prepare for extra long line ups as many ships are sending passengers home on those days.
Hotel In Ft. Lauderdale through Princess
Included in our air package was a free nights accommodation at the Hilton Hotel near the airport. If you live West of the Rockies, Princess pays for this one night and includes transfers. They do offer this hotel in their precruise package that you can purchase, which I believe is $119 Canadian per person.

A Princess rep. met us at the airport and transported us plus two other couples to the Hilton. Note you must collect your baggage now and take it with you to the hotel. The bus ride was only five minutes and the driver was helpful with some information on what we could expect the next day in regards to meeting the Princess representative.

The Hilton is an older hotel (guess about 30 years old), the lobby, bar and restaurant were very clean but seemed small for all the guests that were staying there. It took 15 minutes to get to the counter to check in, and checking out was even longer. Not only does Princess put their guests up here, there were also people from RCL as well.

The room is a good size, we had two double beds, and a good size washroom. There was only one bath towel in the room, so we called housekeeping left a voice mail, after a half hour we called the front desk and asked for another towel. The towel arrived an hour after our first request when we were checking out. The sheets that covered the bed were too small, half way through the night I woke up to find myself sleeping on the mattress, the sheet had come off, the mattress pad had come off. I must note that I am a messy sleeper.

We had been informed to have our bags outside our room at 10 am the morning of departure, and check out is 11 am; however a Princess Rep. is not scheduled to arrive until 12:30, and the bus is to arrive at 1:00. They placed all our bags, along with probably 200 other bags along the sidewalk around the driveway.

This was a very hot day and we got tired of waiting around so we got our bags and took a taxi to the pier. Cost was $6 per person, arrived at the pier at 11:45 and were in our room at 12:15. The security line was long; however it moved fast and it was nice to chat with people in line.

­ Book your own hotel, and not the Hotel Princess recommends
­ Don’t take transfers offered through cruise line, cheaper to take taxi and get there earlier
­ Don’t pack anything in your suitcase that could be affected by the sun as the bags spend a lot of time in direct sunlight at hotel and at the pier.

Cruise Comments from both cruises
­ Muster Drill was very well organized and professionally done – took place at 4:30 on first day on Golden, and at 4:00 on first day for the Grand (I believe it was moved up an hour due to Superbowl Party).
­ Make sure you meet with your CruiseCritic friends, the first week we met at 4:00 pm in Explorer’s Lounge. Sue arranged to have a sign made up from the Purser’s Desk saying that there was going to be a CruiseCritic meeting there at 4:00 (thanks Sue). The second week we were to meet at 4:00 pm, but in the Wheelhouse Bar; however it interfered with our Muster Drill which was also at 4, but we met up with Joe and Linda right after. I would recommend the Explorer’s Lounge over the Wheelhouse as you can sit right beside the Promenade and it can accommodate a large group.
­ For both cruises we had booked and inside guarantee, for the first cruise on the Golden we were upgraded to the highest inside cabin (don’t think there is much difference) cabin B536. On the second cruise we were upgraded 15 categories to an outside cabin on Plaza deck P304. The cabins were very similar with minor differences. Outside cabin had a bigger bathroom, but less space on each side of the bed. It also had two upper berths, which we often hit when getting out of bed. Inside cabin had more closet space and more shelf space. Both cabins had a safe, about five shelves for shirts and t-shirts, closet with lots of hangers (wooden), bathroom with three vanity shelves for toiletries, shelf under sink, shower which was large enough that my butt wasn’t outside of shower if I dropped the soap and of course a toilet. Princess includes soap, body lotion, conditioner, and shampoo. The last three are in cardboard holders that you have to rip the ends off to get at. Well this was very difficult to do when you are in the shower, had to often resort to using my teeth (bad taste). After that we kept small nail scissors handy to open containers up. The bedroom had a desk with chair, three shelves on side of desk, three drawers in desk, fridge, t.v., lounge chair, and small coffee table, and two end tables with two drawers in each and a shelf. On each cruise we asked the room steward to remove the small table as we don’t need it and it only got in the way. The bedside lamps are great, there is a dimmer switch which came in handy when having to get up in the middle of the night. We found the rooms to be the right temperature, but you can easily change it with the thermostat on the wall. Terry Cloth robs are provided but you must ask, they’ve seen better days, but came in handy. Fruit is available on request all you have to do is fill out the card and your room steward will replenish. There were lots of mirrors in room, inside cabin had a mirror above bed where the window is on the outside cabin. Mirror above desk, and full length mirror in closet area. We really like our inside cabin, it was easy to make very dark if you wanted to nap, and it was very quiet, quieter than our outside cabin, but that depends where cabin is located.
­ Gym on board is a very good size but could be bigger. The equipment is the same on both ships; however we noted that there were more elliptical machines and treadmills on the Golden than on the Grand. There are free weights, weight machines, floor mats, exercise balls (Golden only had one, Grand had many), bicycles for spinning classes, stationary bikes, treadmills, elliptical machines, and stair climbers. Towels are provided and there is a fountain for water. The gym was very busy early in the morning and around 4 pm. We did notice that a lot of people came the first day or two and would try some of the machines for a minute or two then move on to another. There are change rooms for men and women with a shower. The steam room and sauna are located just outside beside the lap pool. We both found the gym to be rather warm, even though there was AC, fans would be a definite plus. I never sweated so much, but it could have been all those toxins from the food and alcohol coming out.


Restaurants on Board

We chose Personal Choice Dining and personally I would never go back to traditional dining. Because we met so many of our CruiseCritic friends we often went to eat with them and this was easy to do. The same menu is served in all dining rooms and the service is just as great too. When we did choose to eat on our own we would request a large table and met many nice people, and once we ate at a table of two and enjoyed a quiet evening. Yes there was the occasional wait for a table, but it was never long and only once were we told that it would take 15 minutes and sure enough it took only 15 minutes. There never seemed to be a wait for the dining room after 8 pm on the first cruise (we did note that there were a lot of older people who I assume ate earlier). On the second cruise the busiest time was 7:45 to 8:30, but after that no problem. Twice on the first cruise we walked into the dining room requesting a table of 8 and one time 10, but we were smart and didn’t attempt this until after 8.

Horizon Court was beyond expectations, no it wasn’t the dining room; but the food was very good and plentiful. Since neither of us wanted to dress up this cruise we ate here on the formal nights, and so did many others. There are 10 stations with various foods at each. You just wander around to each station and grab what you want, if one station is busy you just go to another then return when there are fewer people. The menu at dinner usually comprised of similar items on the dining room menu. We found lobster, crab legs, scallops, shrimp, steak, pork, ham and much more. Breakfast is good here with lots of choices, there is even someone making toast so you are guaranteed hot toast. If you want an omelet made, just ask one of the toast makers and they will arrange it. There was a wide range of fruit, cereal, juice, muffins, eggs, bacon, ham etc. etc.

Grill, Pizza, and Ice Cream Bar – we tried all of these at least one time during our two weeks. The hamburger/hotdog grill was great, they had various burgers, hotdogs, fries, onion rings and I never once encountered a line. The Pizza was good, but not what I am use to; however pizza varies so much just in one country, so there is no way to guarantee that everyone will like it. They had many different varieties, and you can have one made, but there was always pepperoni available. Ice Cream Bar, I have to get the comments from my husband as I didn’t eat here. He didn’t mind paying extra for the ice cream, and it was a special treat. On the first cruise there was never a lineup, but on the second there almost always was. It seem to hit the spot for him, but he was disappointed that they served a banana split in a cup. Don’t know if this is normal.

Room service is great and always hot. If you request breakfast in your room you can order different juices, cereal, coffee, tea, muffins, bagels (don’t ask for toasted as it comes very dry), and fruit. You can put in a request for any other breakfast item like eggs, pancakes and they will deliver it. I heard from others that it came hot and I also heard that it was sometimes cold. Tipping room service, the first week we usually gave him $2. On the second week, the first day I went and got change at the Purser’s desk (20 one dollar bills) and he laughed saying were not in Mexico yet. When I said it was for room service he said that they are included in the $10 per person tip charge. After that we tipped only if he did something over and above, like feed us.

Sabatinis and Painted/Desert Rose Restaurants -- We ate in both restaurants. Sabatinis charges $15 but personally I felt it was worth it. Make sure you go there hungry because the food never stops. They asked us if we wanted water and of course we said yes, and then in the end we noticed a bottle of water was charged to our bill. We didn’t eat there the second week because there was just way too much food and the meal is very long – ours was 3 hours! Painted Desert and Desert Rose, we ate here on both cruises. The cost is $8 but that price includes a Margarita or beer. It certainly doesn’t compare to true Tex Mex, but it was a nice alternative. We did notice that the food was not spicy at all except for the salsa, but that I am sure is because not too many people can tolerate spicy foods. The location of this restaurant is in an odd spot, people going to the Princess Theatre walk through the restaurant, but we didn’t really care. They also have live music that was very nice on both ships, and dancing.

Entertainment

­ Casino – we visited the casinos on both ships. Neither of us is a big gambler. The casinos looked the same to me; I did notice a difference in some of the machines. According to Shelly, the Golden didn’t have his favorite machine that he fell in love with on the Grand. Comments from people on the ship were that it was very tight.
­ Evening Shows – we didn’t attend any of the their cabaret shows, but on the Golden they offered Lights Camera Action; Words and Music, for which we heard only great things about. The Golden had many comedians on board this cruise and we had a good laugh almost every night. A piano player that we had heard about on the message boards called Maurizio should not be missed and you always found a crowd around him. On the Grand they offered Lights, Camera Action; Gotta Sing Gotta Dance; and Rhythms of the City. There weren’t as many comedians on this ship; however we did get a good laugh from Kimika. The piano player on the Grand was David Moore and he was very funny and should not be missed either. Both cruises had Passenger Talent Show, Karaoke, Movie nights, Country Night, London Pub Night (hilarious), Tropical Island Night Deck Party, Dance Night, Family Feud, Newlywed and Not So Newlywed Gameshow, Liar’s Club, Comedy Shows, 50’s Rock and Roll Party, Golden also had a 70’s Night party. Needless to say there was so much to do in the evening. The Disco was out of this world, really, it felt like you weren’t even on the ship. It really didn’t pick up until 11 pm, but it certainly was open till the wee hours of the morning. Make sure you get there at least once on your trip.
­ Daytime activities – there is so much to do and we managed to do most of it sometime during our two weeks. We love trivia games and took part in many. On the second cruise we met a challenging team on the first day and the race was on to beat them each game, we didn’t even care what the prize was. At the end of it we came home with 4 umbrellas, 5 pens, 4 china mugs, 3 stainless steel travel mugs, 1 key chain all with Princess on it. Guess what the family is getting for Christmas. We also took part in the Scavenger Hunt on the Golden, now prepare yourself for this because it will consume you for the entire week, it is like a drug! We won a bottle of wine for this and some more umbrellas, but it sure made the week interesting, and fun.
­ Bingo and Horseracing – for Horseracing on the Golden it was a $2 bet (either in cash or with your cruise card) per horse per race. On the Grand it was much easier, you bought casino chips, they were $2 each or you could buy 12 for $20 (bonus chip), these charges could only go on your cruise card, they did not take cash; however if you won they paid you cash. Didn’t play bingo on the Golden, but on the Grand the cost was $20 for a package of cards, which consisted of five games and you had three cards for each game. If you didn’t buy the package it was $10 per game for three cards. Each game was different, with the last game always being a blackout. The prizes started at $100 and went up each game, $150, $200, $250 then $300 for the blackout if you didn’t get it in the required numbers called.
­ Voyage of Discovery – on both cruise there is a Voyage of Discovery where there are video games, air hockey etc. On the Golden the virtual ride was not working. You can buy a $20 card from a vending machine in the arcade room; however on both ships these machines were broken and you had to go to the purser’s desk and buy one. They did have an attendant in the arcade at times, but he did double duty in the Casino too. If you want to play you have to buy the $20 card, once that runs out you can add more too it in different denominations.

Stores on board -- God forbid you should forget your toothbrush or any other item of necessity because they charge an arm and a leg for one in the store. I got a very bad cold on the second cruise and commented that a nice cup of Neo Citron type medicine would be good. In the store they have an individual serving packet for $2.89; instead I went to the bar and got a Hot Toddy drink for about the same price but the rum was better. I will comment favorably on the cost of perfume and alcohol in the onboard ships. We compared both with most of the ports and in every case except with one perfume did we note the ship’s price was either the same or cheaper. However the selection on board is minimal. We didn’t really buy anything else anywhere as with the exchange rate the costs was just too high for us Canadians. They did have sales on all kinds of items around the Atrium on T-shirts, watches, gold/silver by the inch, clothes, leather items, etc.

Exchange rate for Canadians – our travel agent had commented to us that the price of the cruise was sold to us at a 1.45% exchange rate through Princess to encourage Canadian travelers. We weren’t sure what they would give us onboard but we figured lets try since the banks at that time were offering 1.61%. Once on board though they were quoting us 1.69%! Needless to say we waited till we got to port and change traveler’s cheques there. St. Thomas has a Scotia Bank right in town and in Grand Cayman, there is every imaginable bank.

Alcohol Policy – As many of you are aware by now, Princess no longer allows you bring alcohol on board. At every port including Ft. Lauderdale they x-rayed your carry on baggage and took any alcohol away. They carefully tagged it and you receive it the last day of the cruise in your room. Note you can bring on wine and champagne to enjoy in your room or in the dining room (they do charge a corkage fee). One couple we met had trouble bringing wine on board in Ft. Lauderdale, they wanted to take it, but she quickly pointed out the sign saying you could bring on wine. They waved her through. They don’t check your checked bags though, or at least not carefully. We had bought a bottle of Baileys on our first cruise and packed it in our suitcase and we didn’t get questioned about it.

Debarkation -- I can’t believe how smooth it goes, considering the numbers getting off. The night before you receive a document that clearly states what color you are and what order they will be calling people to the gangway. We had breakfast both cruise on the last day in the dining room; however the Horizon Court is available too. We carried our overnight bags to the dining room where we were able to place them to the side to keep them out of people’s way. This also gave our room steward more time to get the room made up for the next cruise. After breakfast we went to the Explorer’s Lounge and chatted with some of our new friends and waited for our color to be called. Both ships have two gangways and the process runs smoothly. On both cruises we noticed so many people crowding around the Atrium, sitting on the stairs, sitting on the floor… people, go make yourself comfortable, go sit in a lounge. Plus crowding around the gangways when it is not your turn only makes the process slower for those trying to get off. There was a US Customs form to fill out and hand over to the Customs agent, amazingly there were some people who didn’t have them filled out or didn’t have them. Make sure you have all your documents ready.

Customs and Proof of Citizenship – We both have passports and wouldn’t travel without them. For Canadians it now costs $85 and it is good for five years. All you need to travel into the US and into the Caribbean is proof of citizenship. Make sure you have either a birth certificate or passport. On the last cruise we noticed a man in front of us that showed the agent his driver’s license and the agent said “that only proves to me you can drive” show me your birth certificate. He was directed to the side and questions. He was in there a while because we waited for a half hour for our ride and he still hadn’t come out. Another lady was off to the side crying (don’t know why) but they were checking her bags and asking her lots of questions. I don’t mean to scare people here, but if they ask for proof of citizenship they mean it.

I am not going to talk about each port here, but each port is what we expected and more. We never took any Princess Excursions because that isn’t what we like to do. But heard good things from those who did, and if you have a problem, talk to the Tour Desk, in some cases they can correct the problem and perhaps offer a credit.

Favorite Things
­ Loved the Promenade deck, you could walk entirely around the ship, or just sit and look out at the ocean.
­ Latte every day in the coffee bar; we did notice that they use a powdered chocolate mix for their iced coffee drinks, not our favorite but might be to someone else.
­ Beautiful flowers, and artwork everywhere.
­ Every crew member says hi when you walked by them
­ Participating in events, great way to meet people. Don’t be afraid to join people at their tables for meals or to make up a bigger team for trivia games.
­ On the Grand (perhaps also on the Golden but didn’t go there on formal nights) in the Horizon Court they had tea light candles in decorative holders. Was very pretty, also waiters served us coffee and water right at our table.
­ Princess now gives out a Log of the Cruise at the end which outlines what was in the ship’s log. On the first cruise I thought this was so cool and a great souvenir. My feelings were short lived though, on the second cruise I scanned over the log only to notice that it stated we left Costa Maya at 1755, we were scheduled to leave at 1730; however due to an accident on the main road a few of the tour buses were late and they didn’t even arrive at the pier until 1820, so the log is not really a log of our exact cruise but a standard for every cruise. I will keep it anyway.
­ Bernie’s eyeglass lense fell out of it’s frame one night. We called to the Purser’s Desk and they said to bring them down they would fix them. And they did! It was a little tricky and it took him about 15 minutes but he never gave up. The Purser’s Desk was wonderful on both trips and invaluable and not once did I see them loose their patience with any passengers.
­ Love the voice mail option on the phones. It was easy to phone our room or any of our friends and leave a message on where we were.

Pet Peeves
­ People who saved seats for hours
­ Although smoking on either ship was not bothersome and 99% of the smokers smoke where they designated smokers, you still found the odd few that would go over to the bar get an ashtray and smoke beside you on deck even though you specifically went to the side of the ship for no smoking.
­ Why do people attend shows then talk all through them, and not even whispering
­ Not too many shows started on time, some as late at 20 minutes. Not sure why.
­ Photo display, they have this situated on the Promenade deck from the end of the Explorer Lounge to the Vista Lounge, when the displays are open and people are looking for their shots and paying for them it is almost impossible to walk through.
­ Not enough public washrooms (can only speak for the womens), in the evening I usually had to wait in line for a washroom. Outside the Vista Lounge there is only one washroom with one toilet? One night on the Golden none of the washrooms were working and all were closed, this was around 7:30 pm, wonder what everyone had eaten that day!

Tips
­ Bring small scissors to open shampoo and conditioner packets
­ Keep shower curtain completely in shower, forgot once and there was a large puddle on floor when I came out
­ Bring some air freshener, trust me
­ Make sure you wear sunscreen, it is amazing how strong the sun is. We say too many people to count that were very badly sunburned and had to skip dinners/shows etc. Also remember to reapply sunscreen if you’ve been in the Jacuzzi, I had 30 on and sat in the Jacuzzi with a beer in one hand and I guess my other resting on my leg, because that night I had a very bad sunburn on my leg that was the outline of my hand. Needless to say people looked at my leg, then looked at Bernie, it looked like I was beaten with a whip… us crazy Canucks! Should have had a beer in each hand.
­ If you plan on doing laundry bring soap tabs, they sell them individually packaged for easy transport and not as messy as soap powder. Cruise line charges $1 for soap in individual boxes. Wash is $1 and drying is $.50 for 30 minutes.
­ We did the sailaway from Ft. Lauderdale on different sides each week. The Port side is better, don’t miss the people on shore waving and making noise. It left a smile on my face for the entire night.
­ Espresso drinks are free in the dining room with dinner, and surprisingly didn’t keep me up.
­ Make sure you buy insurance for your trip, on both cruises the walking wounded came out of the woodwork. We saw many people with new casts, crutches, bandages etc. The medical services on board are great from what we heard but can be expensive if you don’t have insurance.

Comparisons Between Ships
­ Grand definitely is older, we noticed more rust, seats in the public area are more worn and often sagged in the middle, carpets have frayed spots, but these things are very minor and the ship overall looked fabulous.
­ Menus are exactly the same, even in the Horizon Court, we noticed the same salads etc. Did notice a few difference, the salad bar on the Grand didn’t have Feta cheese, and they didn’t have Bernie’s favorite cookies that he fell in love with on the Golden.
­ Florists are available on both ships; however on the Golden we only saw a table set up outside the stairwell on the third and fourth day. On the Grand he was set up in the Atrium on the first, second and third days. We ordered a bouquet of lilies for $15 and it was beautiful to look at every day in the room and the smell was out of this world. They still looked great the last day so I gave them to my favorite bartender at the coffee bar to enjoy.
­ On both ships they celebrate Anniversaries, Honeymoons, and Birthdays by decorating the doors. I did notice that the Golden does more here. They not only put balloons and a sign as the Grand did they also put up streamers.
­ The Grand has these comfortable chairs around the Atrium on deck 5 that have a sound system in the arm rest. Just plug in your earphones and choose from around 100 different artists.
­ On both ships there is a news flyer that is available at the Purser’s Desk. On the Golden there was news from either the US or Britain. However on the Grand each night we received in our room a news flyer with Canadian News. When we commented about this to one of the Pursers he thought that was interesting because on the Grand they don’t get news from the US, only Canada and Britain?
­ Cruise Directors – now we had Janet Edwards on the Golden and Graham Seymour on the Grand. Both did great jobs and both made us laugh till our sides hurt. Janet is very high strung, and Graham is very quirky. Each do a morning show, but I must say Janet and Frankie (assistant cruise director) did a 100% better with their show. Many took place in different spots all over the ship and they invited different people to talk. We heard from the gym staff, the spa staff, Sabittinis, Painted Desert, etc. etc. They also gave us a tour of the workings of the ship. We got to see the laundry room, florist, printers etc. Whereas Graham always did his show from his office and basically he read the Princess Patter. He did have some funny jokes. Janet/Frankie’s show was a half hour, and Graham’s was 10 minutes. Janet also did another show in the evening that was about 10 minutes long where she went over the evening’s events. I am not criticizing one over the other, and I really couldn’t pick my favorite but I know that if I had to spend an hour with Janet in a room I think I would of gone crazy – she has a lot of energy.
­ The Atrium area is different on each ship. On the Golden the open area looking down the three floors is bigger and the walking area around the Atrium is smaller which makes it more crowded. The Golden has two staircases in the Atrium, where the Grand only had one. The Grand has a nice waterfall on deck 5 in the Atrium.
­ The coffee bar on the Golden is on deck 5, we loved sitting at a table next to a window and looking out at the ocean; however on the Grand the coffee bar is on deck 7 and you look out at the Promenade Deck and people walking around.
­ The covered pool with a retractable roof on the Golden was never opened; but on the Grand it was opened every day.
­ There were a lot more older passengers on the Golden, don’t know why, maybe they prefer the Eastern Caribbean. Some of the older passengers made us laugh so hard, as they often had to yell for their spouse to hear them and the comments were too funny – “eat your prunes”, “come here, come here, come here!!!”, and the lovely way they still looked in each other’s eyes and held hands was priceless.

Comments
­ In Costa Maya we were told by an assistant cruise director that two people from the RCL ship that in port with us missed their ship. Our Captain allowed them to come on board and sail with us to Cozumel where they would meet their ship. Wonder if they would of done this if it was a Carnival Ship.
­ Tender process was very smooth, never waited.
­ There were not many kids on either cruise, I would say more on the Grand, but certainly not noticeable. When we did see them they seemed to be having a great time.
­ The Captain on the Grand who is actually a Commodore, we could understand. Commodore Mike Moulin from Scotland was very friendly and had a good sense of humor. Captain Giuseppe Romano from Naples was very difficult to understand but very friendly and many crew commented on how great he is to work for.
­ The first day of our second cruise was the Super Bowl, Princess did an outstanding job presenting it. They showed the game in the Explorer’s Lounge as well as in the Vista Lounge and had finger foods, drink specials as well as a host of the event. Even though I didn’t attend I heard from others that it was a great fun.
­ There were about 20 passengers that were doing back-to-back cruises with us. Ironically we never met one of them on the first cruise, but after meeting most of them at the pier after the first cruise, we saw them a lot on the second cruise.

We loved our cruises, and were glad we took back-to-back trips. After the first week we wanted more, but after the second week we were ready to go home. I think the next time though I will sail one week with Princess and another week with another line just to compare. Overall this cruise was a 9.9 out of 10.

I am sorry this was so long, but there just seem to be so much to say.

We had experienced no air conditioning in our cabin L256 balcony. The vents were making noise yet no air coming through. This was for a 7 day cruise. I use inhalers for asthma and used it to much to breathe. many complaints were lodged to the cabin steward and to the pursers office. No one there could have cared. Someone comes into our room at 7.30 a.m. while we were sleeping and asked if the air was any better. They claimed to have fixed the problem. No way was this corrected. Wrote a lengthy letter to princess main office in California. Awaiting their out come. Anyone who cares to email us we will tell you more. Princess will never see us again. Regards Michael & Geri