Grand Princess Review
Rating by category
Additional details
Grand Princess 11/3-17/2012
Transatlantic Crossing
Pre-cruise. We had planned on leaving from JFK on Tuesday October 30th on American Airlines 142, a daytime flight to London Heathrow. With the impending arrival of Hurricane Sandy into the New York area around that time, we considered alternative flights leaving earlier. American Airlines did not open no-fee rebooking until Friday Oct 26th when it appeared certain that Sandy would affect flight ops on the east coast. Since I had researched what flights were available, we were able to rebook that afternoon on AA 138 leaving Saturday at 9:35P and arriving Sunday 8:30A, well ahead of the storm. Keep in mind that the AA agents were not all aware of the fee waiver so it took some time to work out the details, but we were able to get preferred seats fee waived as well. In situations like this, knowing what is available and moving quickly to rebook is essential. As I was waiting for the agent to check on the fee waiver, I saw several seats disappear on the flight we wanted. Also, if your air was booked through the cruise lines, you need to ask for group services directly to avoid lost time.
Cabin Review
We were upgraded to Baja 751 on deck 11 which is a starboard aft corner Owners suite. This suite was huge and would easily make a comfortable one bedroom apartment in Manhattan. Upon entry on the left side of the cabin, there is a round four seat dining table with a sitting area with couch. Beyond it is a desk area with six drawers for storage, a queen sofa couch, two chairs and a coffee table. To the right of the entry is the bathroom which is divided into two sections, a sink and toilet and then a shower and tub. There is ample shelf storage by the sink. The bedroom is also to the right beyond the bathroom. It has a king bed with a second desk with six drawers and a vanity mirror. There is a walk-in closet with shelves for storage and an extra set of drawers. The bedroom has a second entrance to the shower/tub area and a 19 inch flat screen TV. Back to the living area, there is a 26' flat screen TV, a mini-fridge stocked with beer, wine and soda, a wet bar and 8 single serving spirits (cognac, scotch, gin and vodka). The initial fridge and spirits loadout is included in the room price, reloads are charged at regular room service prices. The balcony runs the width of the suite, about 25 feet and had six chairs, two recliners a 30 inch table and some small side tables. There is no cover on Baja deck unlike suites on lower decks so people on the terrace pool deck can look down on your veranda.