We have decided on the Grand Princess for a Mediterranean cruise in May 2006. We went with this ship because of the itinerary(Barcelona to Venice with stops in Marseille, Florence, Rome, Naples, Mykonos, Istanbul, Ephesus, and Athens) and the date of sailing. We want to book a bacony room and wondered if there were any recommendations for a good location. Also any suggestions for independent travel in the port cities? We also plan to arrive a day early and stay a day later. Any hotel recommendations for Barcelona and Venice.
Thanks for your help.

Any help? Thinking of midship because of motion sickness concern, but any recommendations in regard to a particular deck?

I sailed on the Golden Princess which is a sister ship. We had a balcony cabin on the Aloha deck. For my taste, I would only get a balcony cabin on the Aloha or Baja deck because then your balcony is a private one. I could see the balconies of the Caribe and Dolphin decks because they jet out further from the ship than the Aloha and Baja ones do. Other people might like that better because then you can lay out in the sun on your balcony, but I prefer a private one where I can just relax. Other than that, midship ones are better if you are worried about being seasick.

I would take a balcony cabin at the BACK of the ship..You are NOT going to get much movement in the MED--
nothing like the Caribbean....

Barcelona- make sure you see the Picasso and Miro museums...and walk the Ramblas area...Barcelona is a walking city...

Venice--Good hotel to try for is Hotel Flora--right off St Marks Sq..and quaint but won't break the bank...If you want something super fancy, go to the Fodor's Europe Board and post the hotel questions because those people are constantly travelling to Europe and are up on everything...

As for Naples, I have not idea if you are overniting there or not...IF you are, I would rent a car ( from Hertz at the Train station) and drive down the Amalfi Coast to Positano and Sorrento-incredible breathtaking scenery...NAPLES itself is not a terrific city and you don't want to walk around as there is a lot of crime there...You could also take a tour to the Isle of Capri--but it is an either/or situation as far as time..BOTH are not doeable for a one day stop...

FLorence- get a private guide to pick you up at the Cruise port- the drive from Livorno to Florence is about 2 hrs..the cruise ship tour rate is high to use them as a bus only (they do no tours in Florence- you just use them for transport)>>If you have a private guide, you will be in an AC mercedes and be able to stop along the way for lunch and have the guide at your disposal. If you want to go to the Uffizi gallery in Florence, BUY TKTS ahead of time from www.pendini.com and bypass the long lines at the door and walk right in....

For Rome, I would get a guide-to pick you up at Civettevecchia and drive you into Rome ( about 1 1/2 hr drive)...
email [email protected] and ask for Andrea--he will have a car waiting for you and you can do a guided tour with his firm...HE is wonderful and I have used him for airport transportation, cruise transportation etc.

Sorry, but I have not been to the rest of the ports you will be hitting..

Have a blast!

Thank you both so much. This is very helpful information.

710C was terrific. It is Caribe desk and much larger balcony size. This balcony has 1/2 covered area and 1/2 open area. The totally covered ones are all on A & B decks and are tiny.

Much prefer the aft portion, just aft side of midship. 710 is 3 staterooms from the elevators. Straight up to the very frequented areas. It is also 5 or 6 staterooms off the aft decks. I just loved this location. We had it Caribbean and movement was next to nothing in a small gale.

Rooms around that area are all great.

Hi JCH, sailed the Grand last Sept. I understand the ship will be undergoing refirbishment soon (if it hasn't already). Lovely ship. Do check prices, if you book a mini suite you will also get a full bath and a larger room with 2 tv's and a sofa. Cruises-n-more.com has had the best prices for us on Princess sailings in the last year. Do be sure to call in also as the company does group sailings and offers extra onboard credit. Also, keep an eye on prices. We are sailing the Golden Princess Europe in the next 2 weeks and a mini suite went from $2200 per person to an amazing $1285 per person for a 10 night sailing.

Be sure to check out cruisecritic.com message boards where you can find out lots of info about the ship and ports and join a roll call for your sailing. Hope this helps.

Thank you. I will give cruises-n-more a call. I'm anxious to read about the refurbishment. I wonder what they have done.

Here is another vote for a cabin on the Caribe deck. These balconies are quite a bit larger than the others. I wish I could share my balcony photo with you, so you could see just how spacious it is. Half is covered (and private) and half is out in the open. I really enjoy having room for 4 chairs plus table. You can have a little bon voyage party on your balcony as you leave each port!

CARIBE DECK... yes!!!

Thanks everyone...I have a hold on two Caribe cabins...C602 and C604. Got good quotes from Bestpricecruises.com and I am hoping they will match cruise quick.com. They were about $50pp cheaper but I'm more comfortable being able to talk to an agent vs relying on email.
Has anyone ever done independent travel insurance and have a recommendation for a company? We have elderly parents and want to make sure we are not penalized for preexisting conditions.
Thanks again for all of your help and suggestions.

A Suggestion FYI:
I cruised in a group of 4 on the Caribbean Princess and we were all on the Caribe deck. My travel agent had what I thought was an excellent suggestion, since we needed two cabins. Instead of being side by side, we were "across" the ship from each other. But the walk was very short because we had cabins located right at the elevator and stairway areas. We just had to walk "across" the hall to get to each others cabins. We got to see the view from the balcony on both sides (and follow the sun's rays at the same time) when we needed to! And the balconies on Caribe deck are big enough (and with 4 chairs and a couple of tables already) we could all sit and watch the world go by together. Most balconies I've had in the past are not nearly big enough for 4 people to do that. It worked out really great. I would do it again in a heartbeat, if travelling with a group that required at least two cabins. When I am looking for a cruise, I try to get the Caribe Deck on a Princess ship!

A Suggestion FYI:
I cruised in a group of 4 on the Caribbean Princess and we were all on the Caribe deck. My travel agent had what I thought was an excellent suggestion, since we needed two cabins. Instead of being side by side, we were "across" the ship from each other. But the walk was very short because we had cabins located right at the elevator and stairway areas. We just had to walk "across" the hall to get to each others cabins. We got to see the view from the balcony on both sides (and follow the sun's rays at the same time) when we needed to! And the balconies on Caribe deck are big enough (and with 4 chairs and a couple of tables already) we could all sit and watch the world go by together. Most balconies I've had in the past are not nearly big enough for 4 people to do that. It worked out really great. I would do it again in a heartbeat, if travelling with a group that required at least two cabins. When I am looking for a cruise, I try to get the Caribe Deck on a Princess ship!
By the way, I've cruised the Med on Royal Caribbean, and it is a lovely cruise destination. Enjoy your trip.

That's a great idea!! Not only do you get views from both sides but it also allows you privacy when you need it.
Thanks.

JCH: Try CSA Travel Protection. Their rates include pre-existing conditions. 1-800-893-1985. My understanding with Princess insurance is if you have to cancel due to a pre-existing condition which is excluded, they will offer you up to 75% of your cancellation fee towards another cruise. That is better than nothing, but not as good as getting your money back.