Mexican Riviera cruise on the Grand was grand! We had a good time, part of which was largely due to the Cruise Critic Roll Call group we cruised with who not only set up a very well run Meet & Greet the first sea day (with small gift exchange at the end if you wanted to participate, not obligatory) but also a few days later ran a Cruise Critic group only $5 entry fee slot tournament with some door prizes at the end and the pot (our $5 entrance fees) going to the highest scoring member of the group. That was followed up on our last full at sea day on the way home with a Cabin Crawl/Poker Run after we all met as a group by the pool area. Twenty of us toured 5 different cabins that those in our group agreed to open up (Inside/Obstructed View/ Window/ Balcony/Mini-suite). At each cabin there was a deck of cards and in the touring bunch each person drew one card at each different cabin to make a poker hand. Each cabin "host" marked their entire deck with their assigned number on the back side of each card, another words cabin 1 on the tour had marked the number 1, cabin 2 had marked 2, ect. That way we were sure every one had a card from each toured cabin. At the end we all proceeded to a public area where we compared our hands and the best hand (a pair of Aces & Kings this time) won the pot. Again a lot of fun and laughs and a great chance to see different type cabins plus maybe get lucky! It provided us with a wonderful way to get to know different fellow cruisers and a lot of fun activities plus those we already had with the large travel guide hosted cruise too.

Our room on the Baja deck had a smaller covered balcony (2 chairs, small table) than we have experienced on the Caribe deck but was more than adequate. Queen mattress and 4 pillows very comfortable with no problems with heating or air conditioning. Our steward Enrico was very attentive and pleasant. We did notice the ship is really beginning to show some wear and tear, not unexpected but too bad dry dock is not until December...could use it now. We noticed smell of mold around the 305-09 cabins hallway near the elevators that was always there and the odor of sewage most times in the large waiting area for the 6 elevators in the center of the ship. Fortunately our cabin and surrounding area was fine but wouldn't hurt to bring along a little deodorizer for the cabin bathroom after personal use. Two other things we could do without was the incessant delivery of paper fliers trying to sell services such as the spa and art auctions....enough! Also have noticed a constant attempt to sell goods in the boutiques, much more so than in the past.

Ate most of the times in Buffet (husbands choice) but was partly due to long service times in the main dining rooms during past cruises, plus it is nice to be able to have a wide variety and choice in the Buffet, even try small amounts of foods I probably wouldn't ever order elsewhere. The sea food at Crab Shack dining event for $20 was a huge disappointment. Good variety but way over salted and fresh delicate taste ruined by cooking strong tasting slices of Chorizo type sausage along with it in the same water. If you have high blood pressure or must limit salt for any reason, this is not for you! However, I'm spoiled as we crab and clam over on the coast ourselves and cook our catch right on the beach. Read more