velmasue

We stayed in 7150 on a March 2014 cruise. 7650 and 7150 are the only JS on the Grandeur with walk-in closets. The closet was huge---made a really nice dressing room. We noticed the closet was larger than walk-in we had on JS on Explorer. We didn't notice any noise from below.

However, we noticed that the room did seem a little narrower than the side JS---from a cabin crawl we attended. And, it did not have dining table on balcony which we complained about because we noticed our neighbor had one.

Overall, it was a great cabin and we would certainly book it again in a heartbeat!

I thought this was interesting:

http://www.port-of-charleston.com/cruises/documents/Cruise_FAQs.pdf

We had questions concerning handicap parking also.

We have been out of Baltimore a couple of times on the Grandeur of the Seas. My husband has COPD and the last time we boarded he had a very difficult time going up the ramp. I noticed that some folks were boarding on a lower deck. What would we need to do in order to be extended that option?

Searching and found that POV 7582 on Grandeur has the BED BY WINDOW. Any other information concerning configuration of other POV cabins on Deck 7 is appreciated.

From reading Cruise Critic it seems like the configuration varies in the POV rooms with either the bed by the window or the sofa by the window.

We are booked on the Grandeur in December in POV 7582. It is on the end so I realize it will not have the full window. However, has anyone stayed in 7582 that could let me know the configuration of the room? We would prefer the sofa by the window.

Right now, there are no other POV's available on our cruise, but we have found in the past that rooms seem to become available as it gets closer to final payment. We want to stay on Deck 7, but may try to switch if one of the rooms open up that has the configuration we prefer.

Thanks for any information.

I agree with the previous posts. I have stayed at this hotel for both cruises and flying. The rooms were nice nd quiet and the restaurant was convenient. I found the best prices with Trinity Reservations. Their price includes the taxes.

I agree. We have stayed at the Best Western in Elkridge several times (for cruises and flying out of BWI) and booked through Trinity--better pricing than booking directly. We enjoy The Stained Glass Pub next door. We found the shuttles very convenient, the drivers very personable, and responsive in coming to get us once the ship arrived back in Baltimore. We had a bad experience with another hotel a few years ago when we got back to port and had to wait and wait and wait for the shuttle to pick us up. So, we always book Best Western now.

We were on the Grandeur for the first time in February and liked it so much we booked an early Bermuda cruise and went again in April! We have also sailed on Explorer several times and liked the Promenade. We didn't really miss any of Explorer amenities---just found favorites on Grandeur to take their place.:)

My cousin was in U165 last October and no problems at all. I was surprised there was no noise from elevator. We were in U159 and I would not recommend it. It is directly across from a door to a crew area. I am not sure what goes on in that area, perhaps they make the room service meals in there. But it was loud kitchen-like noises from there and the door started opening and slamming at 6am every morning.

Thank you for the reassurance! We did make the change to U165. We have sailed in aft-facing balcony cabins and LOVED those. However, it is a long walk to the aft and not worth the trip for a regular OV (Just my opinion!)

We've taken loose water and they shake every one---looking for it to produce bubbles, indicating alcohol. Please tell me they don't shake the plastic bottles of soda...

We had U164, which is the same room on the port side. It was a great location! Right out the door and up the stairs/elevator to go anywhere!

Thanks! We were assigned U222 which is all the way to the aft, but not aft facing. The prices have dropped since we booked so I may try to make that change.

Thanks for all the feedback. We booked guarantee, but are looking at changing to U165. It looks like it is right in front of the door as you exit from the elevator/stairwell? What do you previous Fantasy cruisers think?

We always get a room by the elevator my DH's favorite spot~no noise! Perfect spot!

Thanks for the response.:)

Are cabins close to the elevators on the Upper deck noisy? We have not found those type of rooms noisy on other cruise ships, but didn't know if the smaller ship would make a difference.

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. We have cruised quite a bit---usually just the 2 of us. Our grandson has gone with us twice before, but he was younger and we had a balcony cabin both times so we could spread out a little. I'm a little worried about having enough room---I'm sure we will work it out.

BTW, I really enjoyed your review--very to the point and easy to read.

Thanks! The room looks fairly roomy (at least with Pullman still up). One other question concerning this configuration---can the person next to the window get around the bed (duck under maybe?) when the Pullman is extended? At 16, our grandson will probably sleep in a little while we will be anxious for that first cup of coffee!

We are taking our 16 year-old grandson with us on the 7-day in August. It will be our first time on Fantasy and we have an OV room booked. I've seen some pictures online of the room, but am still a little confused. Some pictures show the king size bed close to the window with the head of the bed to the side wall and the Pullman bed down over the foot of the bed. Is the Pullman directly over the bed?

We recently had an ocean view on another ship and the beds were arranged with the window between the two beds and we liked that---more floor space and you could see out the window easier.

It is usually just the two of us cruising. What bed configuration have you found to work best with the third person in the room?

I forgot to mention---we have some Choice Hotel points that we could use to book the room. I know it is bare bones, but the reviews seem pretty positive.

We are going out of Charleston in August on the Fantasy and plan to stay the night before. We are going to park at the port. My husband has COPD and handicap placard and I have read free parking for handicap. We may try to get there early enough to take a carriage ride downtown---not sure yet.

I saw this on Trip Advisor and was wondering if anyone had stayed at the Econo Lodge, North Charleston, near the airport?

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g54370-d103403-Reviews-or10-Econo_Lodge_North_Charleston-North_Charleston_South_Carolina.html#REVIEWS

Thanks for any information.

We had 7150 on our Grandeur cruise of February 28. We loved it! 7150 and 7650 are the only 2 junior suites with the walk-in closet on the ship. The closet has lots of space and doubles as a nice dressing room. I believe the room was a little bit more narrow than the side junior suites that we saw on the cabin crawl, but no big deal. A Junior Suite is worth the difference for the bathroom alone so you don't have to deal with the small shower and clingy curtains!

The balcony was wonderful! However, we couldn't get the room steward to put a full-size table on it (like the neighbors in 7152 had):( The balcony had 2 loungers, small table, and 2 chairs. There are quite a few pictures on cruise critic if you do a search.

We booked a courtesy hold for 3 in an OV on a Fantasy cruise for a guarantee and the reminder email the next morning included the assigned cabin number---which we were very pleased with. So we booked the cruise, leaving Aug 23. Wish that could happen every time!

We've had ATD on the Fantasy twice and it was great.

 

We asked for Fernando thanks to someone on CC. He was fast, does tricks, was very funny, and the food was piping hot and he made the whole dining experience really fun. We were in and out in no time.

 

After trying ATD a few years ago, we've never gone back to early/late seating. We see the waiters singing & dancing even though we do ATD. Usually we show up at 6:00 or so.

Thanks for the information about Fernando. My husband has made a note in his trusty notebook!

Thank you for the responses! Since Fantasy is a small ship I wasn't sure if they would be able to do as good a job in coordinating. Sounds like they do an even better job than the larger ships with the My Time Dining!

We have had hit or miss luck with the late dining. We don't mind being seated with other folks and it usually works out well. However, it is very awkward when you just don't have anything in common with your dinner partners. I think the My Time will give us a little more flexibility with our grandson along also. Definitely going to give it a try!

We are going on the Fantasy for the first time at the end of August with our 16 year-old grandson. We have cruised with several lines and I think this is our 20th cruise so we are not newbies. However, we have only done the My time (or Your Time) Dining on RCCL. We tried it once and didn't love it---we've always chosen late dining otherwise.

Since our grandson is going with us I was wondering if it may be better to have more flexibility in the dining times. He has cruised with us twice before when he was younger and it seemed the youth activities were scheduled more around the early diners. That may not be the case for the teen group?

Has anyone had the Your Time dining on Fantasy? Was it a good choice for you? What did you think were the pros and cons?

Thanks for any help.

Thanks for the comments.

We are trying to decide if we will book the Fantasy courtesy hold or go on one of the larger ships out of Port Canaveral. Right now I have a courtesy hold on Freedom of the Seas for a corner aft balcony, but the cost would be almost $800 more than the Fantasy Oceanview. However, larger room and a bigger ship for my grandson to explore!

I think I'll have to sleep on this before I make a decision.

We just put a courtesy hold on Oceanview Cabin R221 for Fantasy. We have never sailed from Charleston and normally choose the higher decks, but the price is just too good to ignore. Has anyone had any noise issues from the engine when staying in the more aft cabins?

Our 16 year-old grandson will be joining us. What about the size of the room? Do they normally have Pullmans or trundles in these rooms?

Thanks for any information.

We sailed on Grandeur in 7150 the first week in March. We had 2 chaises and 2 chairs and a small table. The cabin next to us had a full-size table and same chairs. We asked about getting a full-size table rather than the small table, but the room steward did not accommodate us.