Grand SA – Summary

March 11, 2017 – Home again
March 8 – St. Martin
There were 5 other ships in port with us including 2 of the Monstrosity of the Sea ships. The Rotterdam was next to us. They had to leave early (1pm) because a damaged ship needed to dock.
Linda and I took an excursion that involved taking a truck to the top of a mountain on the French side of the island and hiking down. There were 14 of us and it was a good hike. I would not recommend it though to anyone who can’t maneuver over rocks. We hiked 3.5 miles through a rain forest.
March 9 and 10 – At Sea
These two days were spent packing and saying goodbye to the new friends I met on this cruise. We received our last pillow gift which was a platter with a map of our itinerary and a list of all the ports. I decided to pay to have my third bag sent home with my other 2 via FedEx. I was able to fit all my pillow gifts into my bags. I packed my backpack in order to use the carryon that they gave us for the trip home.
The last day I played in 2 Texas Hold’em tournaments and finally won one.
I had 2 final dinners. The first was with Linda at 5:30pm. I had a starter and 1/2 an entree. I had a good time touring the ports and playing trivia with Linda on this cruise.

My 2nd final dinner was with my regular table mates at 8pm. I had another entrée and dessert. Sally, Brian, Carlene, and Richard were great tablemates. I’ll be joining Brian for dinner next year on the World Cruise.
My flights home were uneventful. After trying to start my car, I learned that I need to have someone drive my car once a month when I travel for this long.
Summary of Cruise
I loved this cruise. It is the longest I have done and at no time did it feel too long. The ship was in good condition. My cabin – #336 Oceanview – had plenty of room. Even though the closet space was bigger than most ships, I am not sure I would have had room for a 2nd person’s clothing. Of course, I packed knowing I would have a lot of room.
The ship was is good condition. It will be 30 years old next year so there is some wear and tear but nothing that prevented me from having a great time.
The crew from the Captain on down were friendly and accessible. After 2 weeks I was greeted by name by all of the crew that I had contact with. It seemed like everyone knew our names. There were 627 passengers until Buenos Aires and then 570 for the 2nd segment. There was a crew of 470.
I thought the itinerary was very good. I was disappointed in many of the Brazil stops because they were large cities with reputations for crime. Some crew and passengers were robbed in Recife and Salvador de Bahia. I felt like I either had to take a ship’s excursion or stay on board in these ports. If I did this cruise again, I would only sail as far as Buenos Aires. To clarify, I loved Rio, Boca da Valeria, Parintins, and Manaus in Brazil but only need to see them once.
The dinner menues were not that different than a normal cruise. The food was very good.
My only complaint would be that movies were repeated 2 or 3 times during the cruise. I don’t usually spend time in my cabin watching movies but the few times I looked they were repeats.

Grand Voyage differences
Early booking incentives – baggage shipped, gratuities prepaid, and onboard credit. (see website)
3% discount for paying early.
Pillow gifts – On all but 1 gala night, we received gifts. They are listed throughout the blog.
Free shuttle buses from port to city center in many ports
Sailaway parties with appetizers and drink specials at most ports.
Before the cruise we received our documents in a blue document wallet. Included was a booklet listing all events while on board.
The rest I believe are available to some degree on all longer cruises
Location Guide who gives port lectures and has office hours
Lecturers – We had 2 or 3 lecturers on every sea day.
Events – We had 2 Officer balls, Super Bowl party, Oscar party, Pirate party, Chinese New Year, Mardi Gras and many other events.
Let me know if you have any questions. My next adventure is a 17 day Grand Circle Travel trip called “Jewels of the British Isles and Ireland”. I’ll be on a 98 passenger ship sailing from London to Edinburgh. I’ll be leaving mid-May.