Am I going to be spoiled?

2

2B@C

Guest
On June 8th I will be taking my first cruise ever, sailing on the Grand Princess, complements of a surprise bonus from my employer (completely out of the blue, quite a jaw dropper). He included air fare and transfers, and my wife and I are booked in room 526 on the Baja deck, category BC, with a balcony (we're traveling with another couple, they're in 504). Needless to say, we're just giddy with anticipation. It's still 2 months away and already I'm spending all my free time either here or on a handful of other cruise web sites, just absorbing everything I can. My question is, if I wind up getting hooked on this, am I going to be able to settle for an inside stateroom, or even an obstructed view? Am I doomed to a future of balcony or nothing (the horror!)? What about other ships or cruise lines? Am I starting at the top and it's all downhill from here? I am totally kidding, but it's got me curious. Any thoughts?



Post Edited (04-09-03 16:30)
 
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SpongeRob

Guest
I haven't quite finished my review of the Grand Princess, but if your cruise is only half as enjoyable as ours, you will be hooked, no doubts. Our first cruise was also in a balcony cabin, and you will quickly learn to love it. There's no going back inside once you've had that balcony.

Now, tell me, who do you work for, are you hiring, and where do I send my resume?



Post Edited (04-09-03 17:43)
 
M

melissa_bel

Guest
Now, that is a company taking good care of its employees!

Unfortunately, I haven't had a balcony yet (and i don't really the point because I spend so little time in my cabin). Both time my man and I went on the Grand, we booked an inside and were upgraded to an oceanview (one with obstructed view and the other with a porthole view). I wouldn't mind having am obsctructed view, as long as I have an idea if it's day or night. Also, some balconies are not really made for privacy (people on the upper decks can see you), so i hope you have a good one. Anyway, that is quite a treat for a first cruise.
Please, go visit my site: http://wave.prohosting.com/~melkrooz/index.htm for a review of my Eastern Caribbean cruise with the Grand Princess.

You will enjoy it so much, you'll desperatly want to go back (I'm even getting obssessed about it now *lol*) and went back on the Grand six months later for the Western Caribbean cruise (which will be online anytime soon on my site).

If you have any questions, all the addicts will be more than happy to help.

Mélissa
 
K

Kathy & Dave

Guest
Yes, you will be spoiled! But, so what? Life is short, enjoy it while you can! :)

Our first cruise was on the NCL Sky, in a balcony. It was absolutely awesome! We have since been on the Grand, Golden, Coral and will be on the Golden and Grand again within the next year. We booked an inside on the Coral and decided later that we HAD to have a balcony, so we upgraded! Our upcoming cruise on the Golden is currently booked for an inside. I'm hopeful for an upgrade, but if we don't get one and the price is right, we may end up with one. If not, we might be trying out our first inside cabin. As long as I'm on the ship, I'm sure I'll enjoy whatever I end up with.

There is alot of helpful information on this site, and many wonderful people willing to share their experiences with you. I'm sure you will have a great time!

Kathy
:)

p.s. I'd be more than happy to work for your employer too!!!!
 
S

sweetpea

Guest
2B@C,

You will for sure be spoiled!!! We had the same "problem" as you, we were on our first cruise last week (Hello SpongeBob!!). We were booked on an inside guarantee, and got an upgrade to BB on Caribe deck with private balcony.

I don't know how we are ever going to cruise in an inside cabin in the future, we made full use of the balcony, we had breakfast , read and take naps out there. But, we did spend more time in the cabin then other people, since the cabin was so nice. So, in the future, if we are in an inside cabin, we will just spend more time exploring the ship.

You will LOVE the Grand, it's so much fun!!!!
 
T

Toto

Guest
I totally agree with Sweetpea on the cabin time. The nicer the cabin we have, the more time we spend in it away from the crowds.
WOW, what a nice gift your employer gave you. I hope you love the Grand as much as we did and we have sailed on her twice.
It is very hard to go back to an inside cabin once you have had your own space with your own balcony. But like Sweetpea, you can always book an inside and hope for an upgrade, they seem to come more often on the mega ships then anywhere else.
(Waving frantically at SpongeRob and Sweetpea) :wave
 
2

2B@C

Guest
Is that a little bit of sarcasm, SpongeRob? That seems to be a recurring theme, the quality (or lack thereof) of the ship's coffee. But hey, if that's the worst thing we have to deal with, we're in good shape.
 
S

SpongeRob

Guest
Princess is notorious for their indescribably bad coffee, at least that which is found on the Lido Deck. I had coffee delivered to the cabin a couple of times and it was passable, though not as good as what was available from Toto's little 4-cupper. The room service coffee at least seemed to come from a drip coffee maker. They use some kind of concentrate in the buffet that just tastes yucky.



Post Edited (04-10-03 16:50)
 
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Toto

Guest
Yep, one thing I have to say Rob, I love the coffee severed out of MY cabin. LOL
Ya know, maybe I could get a bigger pot and sell it to the neighbors, might be a great way to finance my next cruise. :lol :lol
BTW-I brought the rest of that Blue Mountain coffee home and we shared the last pot made from it yesterday. Yummmmmmmmmmmmm! Great Coffee!
 
S

scotian_gold

Guest
Hi 2B@C,

I am afraid that yes, you will be spoiled!! My husband and I just took our first cruise - Western Caribbean on the Grand Princess March 30th. It was our first cruise and therefore we thought we would just book an inside cabin, saving our money for shopping etc. We had a wonderful time and the inside cabin was more than adequate for the two of us but upon seeing the cabins of several of our friends which contained balconies we have now decided that we will never cruise without a view of the outside world again!!!!

Hi to Toto and SpongeRob! (Tanya here) Had a blast on this cruise and so glad we met. Hope to keep in touch with you and meet again on the high seas!!!
 
G

gene

Guest
Absolutely! Our first was on the Grand five years ago. I have to admit that I had no interest in going but I'll bet you can still find my fingernail marks on the railing from when they had to drag me off ;~) !!! Next week we'll be leaving on our 5th cruise ... and it was the Grand that got us hooked! Bring along the right attitude (there is no such thing as a perfect cruise...but the Grand was darned close!) and treat the staff as you would want to be treated yourself. Ignore the inevitable passenger (hopefully not your table mate) who will tell you ad nauseum how their LAST cruse was the best anyone could possibly go on...avoid discussions of politics, religion, and how much everyone paid for their cruise, and you'll have the time of your life!
No problem, mon! Enjoy! Gene
 
2

2B@C

Guest
Well, I guess it's unanimous! Thanks, everyone, for all your comments, we're getting more excited by the day (only 54 left)!



Post Edited (04-14-03 23:22)
 
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