Hi all,
My family will be taking a 7 day cruise on the Grand in December, 06. Included will be a 4, 6 and 12 year old as well as grown children, 30 and 35. Any input from other cruises as to the ship and onboard activities? I have read many pros and cons. We have taken 2 Carnival cruises (Elation and Ecstacy) and absolutely LOVED them. The kids WANTED to go to camp instead of staying with us.
Hi - I'm going on the Grand out of Galveston Dec 2 - the week before your cruise so I will have to let you know how it goes! I've heard great things about MUS (Movies under the Stars) so I'm looking forward to that already!
I was on the Grand last year round the Med. In a word, FANTASTIC!!!. The Movies Under The Stars is fabulous - they line all the deck cahirs up specifically in the evening, put better cushions on them, and a blanket. They come round with popcorn (free - make the most of it!) and it is just a great experience.
We're both 30 and loved everything about the whole cruise, from laughing at those who get annoyed at the slightest thing (some were even shouting before we boarded about the queue to get through customs - we thought they were never going to get on and turn round and go home!!) through to the excellent food, shows and, well, everything.
Our itinery was very port intensive, so the sea days were spent relaxing on deck (the main pool was very busy, but towards the adult pool at the back was quiet and we always had a lounger). There are seperate faciltiies (including a kiddies pool) for younger people, but not having kids ourselves, we can't really comment.
You will enjoy, I'm sure. If you have any specific questions, just ask and I'll try my best to answer them.
Cheers,
Kevin
Kev - do they actually show movies on deck and if so, where do they show them? We have had 2 Carnival cruises and both were great. Decided to try the Grand Princess this time because we liked the itinerary better. Princess has 4 stops on a 7 day and CC and RCC each have only 3. Really looking forward to it.
Oh, by the way CruiseMama, I do believe we might be on the same cruise. 7 day cruise on Dec 2 out of Galveston. We go to Costa Maya, Roatan (Honduras), Belize and Cozumel. Pretty cool.
Hey BayouLady - that's awesome you'll be on the same cruise as us! Nice to meet you! Maybe we can meet up for drinks at MUS (movies under stars). I can't wait! If you haven't heard - we'll be tendering in Belize and Cozumel. We're in the process of trying to determine what shore excursions to take and all so it should be a lot of fun! Happy Cruising and see you there!
Absolutely!!!! Same here - trying to decide excursions. So far, not much except snorkeling, etc in Roatan. Belize looks nice though. I think we'll shop in Cozumel and enjoy the town. Been there twice and never have enough time to enjoy it. I'll let you know if I find anything interesting.
I've heard the Lamanai River excursion in Belize was great...we may try that one. People have told me NOT to use any excursions outside of the ship because Belize and Honduras isn't "safe" so I'm not taking chances on that. We're definitely shopping in Cozumel, though - I've never been to Costa Maya so let me know if you hear anything about it.
Regarding the Movies under the Stars, yes, they do show the movies on deck. They have a massive LED display screen up against the funnel area overlooking the main pool area. This can be seen in daylight, and is great at night. During the day, I remember there were some childrens films on (ie Disney) and some general 'ambience' visuals (dolphins and alike!). But in the evenign they run specific films at certain times (sometimes twice a night) and that's when the chairs are all laid out. There are big speakers as well so you can hear easily around that area. I'm not sure exactly, but I think the films were about 3-4 weeks after their UK release.
Cheers,
Kevin
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