DC2OC

Great thread Roy.

  We sailed her 4 years ago and will again in January which will be our first cruise as Diamond . We'll be interested in checking out the Diamond Lounge and its perks.

        ………………………..Frank and Deidra

On my recent cruise they had the Sunday 1 PM,4 pm and 830pm games.

Monday and Thursday games all on the ESPN Caribbean channel in the room plus casino and other venues with TV's. The games are chosen by ESPN who according to the ship provides the feed ,

....................Frank

11/11 sailing of the Grandeur had Escargot every night but they were large and not as good as in the past

............Frank

I'm ready to go back to the Grandeur right now.

We are also,though I need a break from the eating.

Enjoyed the ease of driving to port and all the sea views of the ship

Enjoyed your review. I also went up to the Windjammer for Coffee and pastries to bring back for the cabin for pre breakfast . The coffee was good but for some reason what we had at dinner in the MDR was bad .Had to be our section,

WE enjoyed Labadee and also met the Rum lady in ST Marteen ,She was generous with the samples. WE bought the Guavaberry and Lime then went back and told her that she was a great salesperson and she gave us more samples.

I was disappointed that the music at night was low key but the shows were surprisingly good

................Frank:)

RCCL Grandeur of the Seas Review

November 11-21

 

It had been awhile since I sailed on RCCL in 2004. Oceania has been our choice for the past 10 years and we will continue sailing with them.

 

Since the two are night and day, here is my review.

 

Embarkation was a breeze. No waiting

We chose cabin 7016 and my brother and his wife 7018 so we had connecting rooms. This cabin is above the Palladium Theatre. If you go to bed before 10 you will experience the loud bass sound. During the day if you nap around 1:00 pm, you will experience the same noise when they rehearse.

 

Muster drill before sailing away.

People watching I was amazed at the amount of infants onboard who of course were crying. What I could not believe was the amount of motorized scooters onboard. Before anyone slams me for being unkind to anyone with a disability that requies a scooter, I will tell you that is not the issue. Many of those using this motorized scooters not only drove a little too fast in a crowded area but expected other passengers to get out of their way and some would bellow not ask to push the elevator button. I normally do not take elevators, but my brother and husband have bad knees so we decided to use the elevators. One passenger entered the elevator so fast that others would have been hit had they not moved. Often times, you could not get on the elevator at all as some of these scooters were almost the size of a golf cart. I guess what irked me was they would leave their cart in a public walkway, get up and walk in the shops. RCCL should take notice and allow those with scooters to utilize a special elevator. I have traveled extensively but never seen this many scooters onboard a cruise.

 

 

 

 

I found the ship to be clean and in good condition. Someone had mentioned it was tired but I did not find it to be old and tired. The pool in Solarium could be remodeled but it was sufficient for what I needed.

 

 

 

Formal night the second day. Early afternoon, we realized the toilet would not flush. Called the Reception Desk and was told someone would be up to the cabin. 2 hours later, still no one and when we called again, were told there was a plumbing problem. That I already knew. By 6 p.m. they had fixed the problem but then we had industrial fans outside the door until we called because the noise was a bit much to try and sleep. We found out later one of the passengers threw pork chop bones down the toilet caused the stopped toilet on our deck. Obviously these people do not have indoor plumbing at their home.

 

 

Several days later, the public restroom on Deck 4 was also not working and had to be taken care of. With today’s health issues, I would think that waste sitting in public restrooms for hours would be a health risk. I also noticed several women never washed their hands after using the toilet.

 

My husband and I purchased the drink packages, which we found to be worth it. I had the ultimate package which included Starbucks coffees, premium alcohol, grey goose, Belvedere, Hendricks and premium scotches. If you like Fosters Beer as my husband does, it is included in the Premium Package only. The first few days, we found some of the bartenders to be a little grumpy when we presented our sea pass card, which has the sticker showing our drink package. Their gratuity has been included in the price and we paid up front but some expected an additional tip. I commented on this during a mid cruise survey and was contacted by the Food and Beverage Manager who would brief his staff to ensure this did not happen. It apparently worked.

 

Spa prices were reasonable for a massage. My brother had the acupuncture which help relieved his knee pain. Sister in law had a manicure and it lasted the 10-day trip.

 

As I am writing this Monday 11/17 as we have just arrived into St. Maarten, My brothers shower has stopped up and it isn’t pretty what has come up. It took maintenance over an hour to arrive to the cabin and clean up. The cabin had to be sanitized it was that bad.

 

Since Food is subjective, I can only say that Izumi’s was excellent. We enjoyed Chop Grill and Giovanni’s. The dining room was okay but you could order surf and turf for a fee of $34.95, which was worth it. The lobster served on the second formal night was awful.

 

Windjammer is crowded and people hacking and coughing near the buffet food. Children running, crying. They have an omelets station, which is good but again very crowded. We preferred the dining room.

 

 

Service in the Great Gatsby was inconsistent at times. Our evening Waiter and Assistant were wonderful. Open seating for breakfast and lunch and often times the service was very slow.

 

 

Gym opens at 6am and often times you can find it open around 545.

 

 

As usual, there are people who are rude and save seats for others not expected to join them for hours. We saw a verbal altercation between a couple and a family asking to sit down while listening to music on deck 4. Also one person will sit at the Windjammer at a table for 4 and say there are waiting for others who never seem to join them.

 

Our Steward was wonderful and didn’t realize RCCL no longer leaves chocolates on the pillow each evening. That was disappointing.

 

Reception staff with the exception of Natalie were pleasant. After the shower problem we asked to speak to the Guest Services Manager. She announced she was the Assistant Manager when she was not and continued to speak over our explaining what had just occurred. She must have a bachelor’s degree in being obnoxious. Fortunately we did speak with the Guest Relations Manager who was not happy she identified herself as his assistant.

 

 

 

Oceania does not have photographers taking photos. Since we were sailing with our Family we enjoyed each photo taken. My suggestion is get the package, which includes all photos taken during the cruise. $250 but when you consider each photo is $22.00, the package was worth it. If you are traveling with a family in another cabin, the price for the second cabin is reduced. Wilmer and Venita were wonderful and we have many professional photos for memories.

 

All in all, because this was a special occasion to share with my brother and his wife, we enjoyed our time together but I would not sail on RCCL ever again. I prefer smaller ships with 800 passengers. I usually make lemonade out of lemons but our experience on Grandeur of the Seas was less than satisfactory and we were very happy to disembark.

Cannot believe we were on the same cruise. I saw zero repeat zero infants on the cruise and maybe that was because I never heard one crying.Lots of scooters but found the riders polite overall.

The crew was outstanding ,

The shows overall were pretty good .The Motown tribute was excellent.The lobster while not Maine Lobster was Ok .The beef dishes were pretty good.

The Windjammer was a Zoo at times but that is why I prefer the MDR and Park Café.

I enjoyed all the sea views in public area.The ship is missing some of the bells and whistles of the other ships in the fleet but that not all bad

The coffee was not good in the MDR .The buffet in Giovanni's at lunch was not worth it

Overall a nice cruise . Would not hesitate to cruise on this ship again

............Frank:)

Just off the ship yesterday and had a great time.

Friendly crew, Enjoyed the entertainment ,lots of sea views and plenty of tables to enjoy them. Food in MDR decent and also enjoyed the Park Café in Solarium .

They have a lunch time buffet in Giovanni's for twenty bucks that included sparkling wine drinks and felt it was not worth the money . Shrimp and meat picked out of the pasta dishes . would rather be served at the table at extra fee venues

............Frank

All Ive read here and on Facebook is "we are done with Royal Caribbean if this goes fleetwide :mad:"

 

Maybe if all the people that say they are leaving will actually leave, prices will come down for those of us who choose to stay. :):D

 

Giving up Diamond and Diamond + status over a dining concept? REALLY?

 

Hate to be so blunt but the overdramatizing over something that hasnt even been rolled out blows me away. Reminds me of before Oasis and Allure were built.

 

Why are you surprised?

The concepts that are designed to bring on new cruisers will certainly drive some away .

I feel I have lost nothing by not sailing the Oasis . I, as others prefer the ships that keep things simple .To each their own .

I wish they had a Scandinavia/Baltic cruise without Russia. Honestly that's why we haven't pulled the trigger yet. And bring back the British Isles cruise.

I agree. As things stand now I would not go on any cruise that gives Russia any of my money

..............Frank

Long Beach Lemonade and Frozen Rum Runner with Myers Floater

..............Frank

Resellers sucked up cabins during the BOGO sale .

Also some people booked 2 or more cruises with the intent of cancelling some before final payment .It will be interesting to see what happens when final payment nears.

I checked prices the first day of the BOGO sale for my cruise and saved 400 bucks. Some friends waited a day and only saved 300. Within a week the savings were less than 100

..............Frank

This is a Fantastic thread.Thanks

...........Frank:)

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Called early first day of June sale for 2014 cruises and saved $400 on our outside cabin . The prices steadily rose over the next several days

............Frank

WOW... took a long time for someone to comment on that tidbit of information. But it is something that can't be argued with. It is easy information to find with a simple google search. Of course, you have to read through a huge convention document, outlining the options, but what it boils down to is the cost of changes vs no smoking on balconies. But... like I said... you can whine about not being able to smoke on your balcony and expect the cruise lines to change. But ships are still sailing full. Prices have not been reduced. Balconies continue to sell out before interior or outside cabins.

 

I do wish they would make all interior areas smoke free...

perhaps non-smokers who were responsible for the enforcement of these rules.

Open flames and hot surfaces have been banned for in cabins for ages . It's mind boggling that it took so long to ban smoking in cabins and balconies.

Thank goodness safety wins

Searching for a table for lunch in the windjammer on a sea day. MDR so much more relaxing

Its starting to look like I would be better off just paying the upcharge for a steak in the MDR

..............Frank

2 bathrooms with 4 people would be a huge plus

..............Frank:)

Don't forget, those that wear military uniform or dress to represent nationality (Scottish kilt) are technically breaking guidelines. While very nice these sorts of dress are neither suit nor tuxedo. That's a fact willfully ignored or purposely overlooked by the vacation police.

Actually local custom the kilt is indeed considered formal and is within guidelines as are military dress uniforms

.......................Frank:)

Why do we want teenagers dressing like old men?

 

When I married, my 3 teenage nephews came to the wedding in suits. Although I thought they looked smart, they were uncomfortable. It was a summer wedding so I told them to go and put their shorts on. They look so much better in what they feel is 'smart' for their generation.

If kids are uncomfortable certainly "old men" are too . My wife and I had a wedding on the beach seven years ago and the attire was Caribbean Casual. We didn't care how people showed up ,we just wanted friends and family to have a great time

....................Frank:)

No need to explain any further. I fully understand your point of view and disagree with it. Depending on how allergic she is to smoke, he most definitely put her at risk by booking a balcony in the first place because one cannot know if there will be smokers present on their balcony until they are already in the presence of said smoke that could cause an allergic reaction. Therefor, why risk it? Book and Inside or OV and no disappointment over paying more for a balcony that cannot be used, no loss of money due to the difference in cabin price, and no chance at all of running into smokers on a balcony. It doesn't matter if you agree with my point of view but the fact is, by sitting on a balcony and waiting to see if a smoker shows up, she was at risk. Maybe her allergy is minimal and the risk minimal, maybe one whiff and she would have a seizure, I don't know and the poster didn't elaborate. But either way, it's an unnecessary risk and it's rather absurd to take a risk and then complain about it.

Common sense would dictate that if it was drop dead deadly they would not book a cruise in the first place

Let me try to explain it a bit better. They booked a balcony playing the odds that they would not be subjected to smokers. If they were unfortunate enough to have smokers nearby, wife would stay inside at least while smokers were present. Disappointing, yes, but not life threatening. It would be the same as if they had booked a cabin with no balcony although presumably husband could still enjoy the balcony.

 

Now, the casino is another story and we may just stick with Celebrity until Royal sees the light.

Even if you get stuck inside you still have a more open feel from the larger window .

My last cruise was on Celebrity and it was great that the casino was smoke free, hopefully it will not be a problem on the Grandeur but if it is I figure I will save a few bucks

............Frank

Monday when the sale started my cabin went down $400 .If I waited until Wednesday the savings would have been $95. I checked a travel site and they had lower prices than the Rccl site,Perhaps they locked in some cabins at bargain prices

............Frank

There is a safe in the room to stow extra cash

.....Frank

Just add the tips to the cruise fare and make tipping optional .That way the crew can't get screwed by selfish passengers and we can give extra as we see fit to the ones that exceed expectations

.....................Frank:)