Due to a great offer in the national press we decided to try sailing from Southampton on the Grand and as we live in the Isle of Man the free coach transfer from Liverpool seemed attractive even though it meant an over night stay in Liverpool.We stayed at the Holiday Inn,Lime Street which was a short 9 minute walk from the bus depot.However although we were very early for the 08.30 departure, when the coaches arrived total chaos ensued as there were 3 coaches all with a dedicated passenger list so you had to race up and down trying to find out just which one you were on,not a great start.The coach made a further stop to pick up more passengers,who were late,and 30 mins later another 1 hour stop for lunch.We arrived in Southampton around 2.10 pm but the local football team were playing at home so we didn't get to the dock until 3pm..Needless to say there was a queue for check in which thankfully only took 20mins and the check in staff were very helpful and efficient. We have cruised on the Grand before and were soon in our cabin,C210 Caribe deck,Caribe staterooms have the largest balconies on the ship being over 3 feet deeper than the suite balconies which we overlooked.Our balcony was partially overlooked but without doubt it was the best and largest balcony on the ship.This was the first time we have cruised with a mainly British passenger list and I must say I was surprised at the number of white trainers and shellsuits among the guests,that said a big cause for concern was the number of disabled passengers using mobility scooters to get around.Don't get me wrong I think it is great they can go cruising, but more than one of them could have been done for reckless driving.Scooters are not a good idea on a ship with 2,600 passengers !First port of call was Malaga where we had booked a private cycle tour with www.malagabike tours.eu and I must say it was a wonderful way to see the parts of Malaga visitors rarely get to visit.We were late docking due to poor weather across the bay of Biscay but our guide,Kay,was very accommodating with the 2 hour delay and we had a wonderful time cycling around old Malaga.I am in my mid 60's and did the tour with no trouble and at 23euros was great value.Highly recommended.Cartegena was next and this port offered far more than we expected,it has a great landing stage right at the edge of town with a pleasant promenade with some shops/eateries.We simply got a map from the tourism people on the quay and took in all the sites ourselves,of particular interest was the Roman amphitheater right alongside its modern counterpart.Should you wish to buy cheap local wine there is a small supermarket at the far end of the main shopping street,we did.After Cartegena we moved on to Barcelona,as with Malaga we had issues with the advised duration of the shuttle bus ride,neither being as long as Princess had told us,.Malaga was an easy 14 minute walk and Barcelona longer but not the 20-30 minute drive we had been told of,....we got our money back.In Barcelona we had booked,online, a self guided I-Pod tour and I must say it was good value at $25.00 although some may find it a little to detailed and it does not include a visit to Gaudi's masterpiece La Sagrada Familia but we enjoyed it.Another point for the drinkers out there is that on our cruise all the screening of hand baggage was carried out by the port authorities and the booze shop was after that so we went on board and then came off again and again to top up our supplies.So on to Monte Carlo,what can you say this place is so Glam it is not true,you can easily walk to all the highlights but failing that make your way to the Oceanographic museum and get the little train for 8 euros,it goes right round the place non stop and is good value.Tripadvisor tells you the Casino opens at 10am but in fact it is the ordinary casino at the Cafe de Paris which opens then, the main one opens at 2pm,you don't have to pay to visit the ante room and from there you can see into the gaming rooms for free otherwise it is 10 Euros admission . One thing you must do is have a beer or a coffee at the Cafe de Paris just to watch the world go by,it is expensive,with beer at 7Euros for a small glass but worth every cent.The Cafe de Paris casino also has toilets,a welcome relief to many.Next came Rome,we took an organized walking tour,having heard horror stories of people being left behind due to the traffic congestion.The walk was great with ,of course, a local guide who took us to all the main places of interest including St.Peters Square and the Basilica in the Vatican City.Sadly there was a cloud burst and we didn't have time to see the Sistine chapel but nonetheless a good tour with a good lunch included.The walk was about 6 miles,all on the level.Naples came next and we had booked the Sorrento/Capri/Pompeii tour,well Pompeii was simply unbelievable due to its state of preservation and its sheer size,so much bigger than we had imagined,a truly stunning place.After a high speed jet boat ride we came to Capri,very pretty,very expensive but with lovely garden walks and great photo opportunities.We took lunch in Sorrento,which was also very good,but we saw little of the town so maybe we will have to return to Sorrento.Ajacccio in Corsica was another port like Cartagena which promised less than it delivered it has an attractive promenade/quay area and is easily explored on foot.There is a good range of shops in the main street along with a nice little market area right near the landing stage although the wine here was a little expensive,better to go to the Spar supermarket just up the road from the main square. Finally we found ourselves in Gibraltar,full of history, but to us rather unappealing.The best wine value is to be found at Marks and Spencer in the main street whilst for tobacco and spirits the best prices were at the first duty free shop you come to after walking from the ship, about half a mile.Strangely there was no checking of bags when boarding I don't know if this was a one off or not but you can stock up for the last 2 sea days with comfort.Talking of sea days we found that 2 days out from Southampton and 2 back were  a waste of time,okay if you absolutely cannot fly but really with the somewhat poor quality of the entertainment offered on board time dragged.We felt Princess had made an effort for the Brit market offering a choice of 4 typical pub lunches in the Painted Desert restaurant at no extra cost.This was unlike the rest of the cruise when we felt subjected to a constant barrage of sales pitches from cheap jewelry to 'bargain' coffee cards.We did enjoy this cruise but feel Princess are starting to lag behind in the onboard entertainment stakes,the main highlight,as ever,being Maurizio and his piano.The production show shake,rattle and roll we have seen 3 times now and could do with replacing after,to our knowledge, 8years.And as for Joe Sackenheim,a fat,ageing,bald headed so called singer may the Saints preserve us.The only other gripes were as headlined the number of cazy scooter drivers and the rather glum attitude of a lot of the Eastern European staff,understandable maybe considering their upbringing but we much prefer to smiley and ever cheerful Far Eastern staff.And finally we enjoyed the food too although one of our table companions did nothing but complain,typical uphimself Brit,thank goodness he went to the Horizon Court after 2 days.

Oh my partner has just reminded mne to comment on the Port lecturer,David Toulson,what an arrogant and patronising git.