coolcruiser777

The observatory is gone??

The "observatory" is just an elevated sundeck above the buffet... I don't know why it is called the observatory or how it was ever "gone".

We were on this same cruise. Had the same experience with a rude waiter. We waited almost 20 minutes with our empty dinner dishes in front of us and no one came to remove them and ask for coffee and desert. The place was 1/2 empty at the time. We got up and walked out! Last time for us . Food was great that night though.

 

 

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Was your server named "Luigi"?

Thanks for posting about your cruise. We have this same cruise booked for May 24, 2018. We have never sailed on RC and I am really excited to give them a try. What kind of things did you do in Bermuda? We are looking at a sunset/rum tasting tour for the first evening and maybe an island tour for the next morning. Do you have any suggestions? What is the cost of RC specialty restaurants? Thanks again for your help. I am sure I will have more questions in the coming months.

The one bad thing about this itinerary is that the port times aren't good. In Bermuda, we went to Horseshoe Bay on day one. If you are doing Horseshoe Bay definitely do it day one because you will be the only ship in port and chairs/umbrella rentals are half price by the time you get there. Keep in mind that both days you are there are weekends. On day two the Norwegian Dawn pulls in and we just hung around the Dockyard. Island tour does sound like a good idea though. Do not feel like you have to book excursions through RCCL. We tried to go to Hamilton but the ferry did not come for unknown reasons...

I believe Giovanni's is around $20 and Chops is around $30. We did the BOGO package where you pay half price for two nights but you have to go on the first two nights. If you want to book anything, wait. A sale will pop up in your online cruise planner with discounts on dining, beverage packages, excursions, etc.

I will try to post the compasses soon.

What was wrong with Giovanni's?

 

 

The service was great, the food tasted great. I got the oso buco, and they brought me half a cow.

 

 

I would have liked some more traditional Italian offerings.

Our waiter was one of the rudest servers we have ever had on a cruise and the food was definitely not up to par. We went to Giovanni's on the Adventure and it was one of the best meals we have ever had on a cruise ship. We were glad to go back and were met with lukewarm food that tasted like plastic and a snarky inattentive waiter (he had TWO tables). The manager was helpful, at least. Maybe it was just an off night for them, but it was by far our worst meal of the entire cruise.

Loved the Grandeur and hope to sail her soon. Did they have Zumba and other dancing? Who's cruise director? Was food and service still outstanding?

We're looking at Anthem which we sailed a few years ago great ship but poor food and service. Did Grandeur last year loved the food and service and activities. Wonderful fellow passengers. But Bayonne is much closer to our home in New England. Any activities schedules would be appreciated.

Thanks. Gotta keep my wife happy!

• They had dance classes almost every day in the Centrum
  
• "Cruisin" Susan Adams was the CD in July, but you should check out the running thread for the latest information (they rotate every four months or so)
  
• The food and service was pretty good almost everywhere except for Giovanni's Table, but Chops was outstanding
  
• I have all of the Cruise Compasses saved from our nine day Bermuda and Bahamas cruise, but I am not home right now, I will post them later if you want
  
• For us, the cruise was 10/10, I would highly recommend EXCEPT if you want a balcony cabin
  

We will be in Cozumel on Nov 10!

Oh, that's too bad then. We will be there on the 24th.

Go to either Grand Lucayan or go out on a boat snorkeling. Very good snorkeling there, just make sure the boat isn't held together by plywood (which did happen to us in Freeport). They also have a dolphin place if you are interested in that. The port itself is pretty much an industrial shipping port with nothing to do within miles except for a Señor Frog's.

We have been to Nacchi Cocum twice and loved it. It is sold out on our cruise. So, looking at Resorts for a Day Iberostar looked pretty nice. Just wondering if anyone has been there and how did you like it? Thanks

When are you going? We will be there in November.

3 hours? 3 HOURS from the D.C. Area? I drive to Richmond quite often from Annapolis. Three hours to VA Beach is fantasyland, it's taken me over 4-1/2 hours many times just to get to Richmond. I'll take the boat trip down the Chesapeake over driving the same route down 95, any day of the week.

 

 

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It takes us three hours to get there...

Does anyone happen to know who the "house band" (i.e. the band that plays in the Centrum in the evenings) will be in October? Hubs and I dance and have had hit and miss experiences with the Centrum band over the past couple of cruises. LOVED Fresh Beat who were onboard in the spring of 2016. Sailed with Nexus 4 this past March, and while they were entertaining, were hard to dance to. Appreciate any information as to who we can expect to hear when we board on October 19, and any opinions, professional or not, on the danceable quality of their music. Thanks!

Nexus 4 was the band in July.

Depending on when you are going, the adults only Riu is also a good option for a day pass if you are looking for that. You can book online.

I hope you are wrong. Looking forward to our next cruise from Balitmore on the Grandeur (Oct. 28th).

They do, in fact, not open the first night and close around 8:00 the last night. Casinos are allowed to operate from 9PM-5AM in Bermuda, though.

The Grandeur ports to me don't seem that bad, but the Pride has absolute crap.

I live down the road from Baltimore and its still cheaper to fly to FLL or SJU and get on a ship there than to cruise on Grandeur. So....Royal is capturing any lost casino revenue with higher cabin revenue.

 

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For a balcony cabin, yes. For an oceanview/inside, no. If you are traveling alone or with a friend I suppose it would be better to go out of FLL, but for families Baltimore is cheaper. SJU is quite a bit more than FLL, too.

Sure, it looks better, but it lost a lot of advanced search features such as specific dates and cabin type.

Having sailed the Grandeur a few times it takes approximately 8 hours to reach the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. Leaving at 4:00 P.M. puts you there around midnight. Coming back into the bay is around 8:00 P.M. though.

She might have meant when the ship is approaching Baltimore, we saw the bridge tunnel during the 8PM seating, too.

The NCL Escape sailing for this Saturday has been cancelled. Passengers will receive an 100% refund PLUS a 50% cruise credit. It was kind of inevitable that they were going to cancel because of Irma, but waited until Tuesday. In theory, if you were to book a $10,000 Haven suite Monday night right before they cancelled the cruise, couldn't you technically get a free cruise out of it with the $5000 future cruise cash?

Great question!

 

We used the cift cards to pay for our Cheers program. With the leftover $50 (and another $100 card), we bought Cruise Cash.

 

• Cruise Cash ($25, $50, $75 and $100) – Can be used for any expenses on the guest's Sail and Sign account. This includes staff gratuities.
  

We intend to use it for Chef's Table!

It IS use it or lose it once you convert those gift cards to cruise cash, however. We just wanted to have as close as possible to *everything* settled before we step on board.

Couldn't you buy casino chips and then just cash them in?

Also, can you use more than one gift card per booking?

Hmmm...the casinos must stay closed while any ship is in Hawaiian waters, and I don't see fewer ships sailing to Hawaii.

True, but nobody really goes to Baltimore for a vacation...

I have sailed from Baltimore more than once, and also Philadelphia many years back, and also Boston last year, and really hope that RCI keeps the East coast locations. I do not enjoy cruising out of Florida "all the time" and have no interest in going to the mid-West to cruise. I wish RCI would bring another similar size ship to Baltimore - to give variety.

If even one more ship from any cruise line were to come to Baltimore the port would definitely need an upgrade... it only has room for one mid-sized ship at a time and the whole boarding process is very inefficient... and don't even mention the parking...

You can book up to the day of on some cruises. Not royal, they need 24 hour notice. I may actually fly out Thursday night with my kids. My husband is stuck working, the joys of being a police officer.

 

 

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Again, the Carnival Sensation has not cancelled its cruise for Thursday unlike the Saturday cruises.

Good to know about the non carbonated options with the soda package in the freestyle machines. He will love the power aid and different lemonaids. HIc drinks aren't carbonated are they? This is seriously the only thing he's picky about. When we try giving him soda he makes a crazy face lol.

 

And how does the soda package work in the MDR? I'm guessing they just bring them whatever soda they want?

 

 

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Correct, there is no "freestyle" machine anywhere on the ship except for four in the buffet and one at Café Promenade. The other thing about using these machines it that you must use the souvenir cups they give you to fill them.

Drink service in the dining room (for soda, at least) also takes quite a bit of time.

There is no such law. Passenger manifests are submitted to CBP 60 minutes before departure time.

 

 

Based on space availability, you can book a Carnival cruise up to 11AM the day of the cruise. You have to call. You can not book it online.

Now that I think about it, you're probably right. We tried adding a passenger to a Disney cruise within two days of our sail date and they said it was illegal...

Just another reason why I'm never sailing Disney again.

If you are simply looking to escape, I suggest you book one of the Carnival cruises that departs on Friday. If you want to take a chance, though, the Escape (no pun intended) has extremely low prices for Saturday.

Scrap what I said... the Carnival Sensation departs this Thursday from Miami for a four day cruise to the western Caribbean... but if you want to book you have to do it NOW. I believe it is a law that you cannot book a cruise less than two days in advance... (aka six hours from now)

https://www.carnival.com/itinerary/4-day-western-caribbean-cruise/miami/sensation/4-days/zw0?Military=N&PastGuest=N&Senior=N&evsel=z&numGuests=2&rateCode=&roomType=IS&sailDate=09072017