We drove up from Cornwall on the day before our cruise as the traffic in our area is particularly congested at weekends in July. Our overnight hotel in Southampton was the Highfield House; it was perfectly adequate for overnight & included a breakfast to start us off the following day.
The hotel was 20 minutes from the port & we arrived to have the porters take our luggage & park our car whilst we joined the small queue. After, 20 minutes we were on board the Grand Princess & we were very impressed. Despite some really awful reviews she was sparkling clean & in pretty good shape. We went straight to our stateroom & were very pleased with the size & amount of storage; I particularly liked the amount of drawer space. The hanging area was open but, we quite liked this & we had loads of hangers. Marlon, our room steward offered us more when he brought our robes & ice! He was brilliant & kept the room spotless in his "invisible" manner. The balcony was big!! Four chairs & a table & partly shaded due to the "overhang" above.
We left our hand luggage & set out to have lunch & explore our new home for the next 14 days. We had chosen "Anytime Dining" as we prefer to eat when we are ready & on our own. We spend precious little time together & enjoy dining with just the two of us on our holidays. Having said this, we met many lovely people during the cruise on adjacent tables or sharing tables at lunch in Horizon Court.We chose Da Vinci dining room most evenings & the food was first class. I have a few dietary problems but, had no problem finding food I could manage. The waiters were very helpful in helping me decide & were very attentive. We never had a problem getting a table for two & didn't have to wait. We ate breakfast, lunch & many "in-between" snacks in Horizon Court & found the choice to be excellent. The cakes & pastries were to die for & were always laid out beautifully. Although, there was often a shortage of tables we always managed to find a seat. At peak times we'd find the table first & then collect the food alternately.
Our balcony cabin on Cairbe deck 10 was perfect. It was a very quiet location but, near to the aft elevators so we could "pop" up to the buffet to collect a cup of tea or a snack to eat on our balcony. The balcony was a double size with 4 chairs & a table. With the "overhang" we enjoyed both sun & shade. We'd book this cabin again.