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    Canada/New England Grandeur Review w/ Compasses

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Canada/New England Grandeur Review w/ Compasses

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    Day 2 Friday, September 18, 2015 AT SEA

     

    We woke to a nice day--mix of sun and clouds. Very smooth ocean. Last year on our trip to Bermuda, it was very bumpy in the Atlantic all the way across to Bermuda. I was prepared with Bonine, but never felt the need to use it.

     

    Grabbed coffee in the Diamond Lounge and went up to the Windjammer for breakfast. Found a seat with some of our fellow cruisers without any problem. Enjoy having that first day to relax and get into the cruise.

     

    Our Meet ‘n Mingle was planned for 10am and our whole group was going. A little mix-up with the place: Before we left, the place was listed online as being held in the Viking Crown Lounge, but the invitation in our stateroom said South Pacific Lounge. Guess where it was? VC, but most of us sat in the PL for a while before someone came and got us! No matter, the activities director and staff got things going. They talked some about themselves -- they also got some of the group talking. They had coffee and a Royal Caribbean little gift for everyone. They also gave away quite a few good prizes. We got a Royal Caribbean hat and another couple with us won a bottle of champagne.

     

    Did the usual ship-type things: hung out at the pool with our friends, did a little line dancing, tried to get others to join me to no avail. DH played baggo and won. Watched the movie, The Theory of Everything. Ate lunch in the MDR, love the Tutti Salad -- service was a little slow for entrees.

     

    Tonight was the first formal night, so we went to our cabins to get all gussied up and then to the Diamond Lounge for a few drinks. This is only our fourth cruise as Diamond. Once on Liberty, once on Enchantment, and now twice on Grandeur. It is a wonderful perk that we are very happy to have. The Liberty and Enchantment were both nice, but the staff on Grandeur make the lounge very special. The DL on the Grandeur is a little out of the way, but they more than make up for it in service. Inna, the concierge, is a wonderful person. We really loved getting to know her. The wait staff, John and Tomika were amazing. My DH pretty much drinks the same thing nightly and John would get it for him as soon as he saw us coming. I was always trying something new and John always had suggestions for me. I took pictures of the Drinks Menu since I had not seen one before.

     

    http://boards.cruisecritic.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=364727&stc=1&d=1444269488

     

    http://boards.cruisecritic.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=364729&stc=1&d=1444269488

     

    Also, they used part of the South Pacific Lounge for overflow so it was never crowded.

     

    There is a great view of the wake of the ship from the DL:

     

    http://boards.cruisecritic.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=364731&stc=1&d=1444269657

     

    I wish I could tell you what I had for dinner each night, but I am not good at remembering. Next time I will keep a food diary or take pictures! I do know that one night I had the steak that they have on the regular menu. I didn’t feel like it was very good at all --tough and chewy. Pretty much the only thing I was served that I felt was not particularly good. The next night they offered steaks from Chops for $9.99 so I tried that. It was delicious. I didn’t have it again because I like to try a lot of different things, but I got to tell you, the meat lovers at our table ordered it every night for the rest of the cruise!

     

    http://boards.cruisecritic.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=364732&stc=1&d=1444269776

     

    The show tonight was Rick Novell, Master Juggler and Entertainer, but we didn’t go. Went for a walk around the ship instead.

     

    Our cabin was an oceanview on deck three near the aft elevators. We have done balconies, ov, and inside. (Don’t love inside, but can do it on a shorter cruise.) Balconies were twice the price as ov for this sailing. Our cabin was more than fine for the two of us. I really liked its location. We could get the Centrum, MDR, and outside promenade on deck 5 with a set of stairs or two. Another good thing about the Grandeur is the elevators never seemed crowded--easy to zip up to the pool or WJ.

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    Canada/New England Grandeur Review w/ Compasses

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    We had such a great cruise on the Grandeur (September 17 to New England and Canada) that I really want to do a review. Since I haven’t posted pictures or documents before to Cruise Critic, it may be a challenge. So far, scanning has been a bit of a pain, so I am going to do this in small chunks. I have to confess, I don’t take as many pictures around the ship as I used to but I will see what I can find.

     

    Background

    We were a group of 14, my dh, my brother, sister, bil, old friends, and new friends. We came from South Carolina, Ohio, and West Virginia. This is my 14th cruise--all on Royal. Obviously, I am a loyal fan, but I would like to try Celebrity in the near future.

     

    We stayed the night before at the Holiday Inn Express at the Stadiums. A great deal with parking for the week, breakfast, shuttle to the port, and also a shuttle to the Inner Harbor. It is right beside the Horseshoe Casino if you want to lose money before you get on the cruise!

     

    The shuttle took us to Mo’s in Little Italy. The crab cakes were amazing, but be warned the portions are huge. My DH and I could have easily split a dinner and still been stuffed.

     

    Day 1

    We scheduled our shuttle for 11:00am and were on the ship in no time. The port is very close to the hotel and although there were a few people in line everything moved really quickly. BTW, the shuttle drivers were very helpful, split our large group into two vans, but stayed close since some of luggage was mixed. They were right there to pick us up when we got off the cruise too.

     

    After boarding, we hung at the pool for a while, had a drink, then decided to hit the Windjammer. Was still full from breakfast (I admit it, I had my leftover crabcake for breakfast!), so I had a really nice, big salad. It was crowded and we took our food back out the pool area. Before you know it our rooms were ready. We unpacked and went exploring. Did the obligatory muster, then went upstairs for sailaway. The activities director had line dancing going so I had to join in for a bit. Would have like to take the free gaming lessons, but they always seem to be at the same time as the Sailaway. Seems odd, doesn’t it?

     

    We did the Grandeur last year to Bermuda and I knew cruising the Chesapeake Bay was a real treat so we found a good spot to sit and watch as we went under bridges.

     

    Had MyTime Dining --we got a table for 10 pretty much at the same time every night. No problem and it was a great table --one of the big round ones. Kudos to the maitre d, Roshmann. The wait staff always wanted you to be happy. If you were having trouble deciding, they would say let me bring you both! I thought the food was very good. IMHO, I think Royal food has improved a lot in the last few years from a low point around 2010-2011.

     

    We didn’t go to the Welcome Show --just too tired. Others in our group went and really liked the comedian, Kevi Rogers. More to come...

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    Help with Grandeur

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    Was just about to ask dads dream is Alaska but way out of my budget when I factor in flights from Ireland as well spotted this and liked it

     

     

    I am planning to do a (probably short) review, but I did save all the Compasses and will try to scan them in this week. Happy to try to answer any questions!

     

     

    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

    Help with Grandeur

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    Just off Grandeur, deck 3, near elevators, below Centrum. No noise at all. Cabin nice & cool. No lectures other than Captain's Corner and Environmental Officer talk. Last year we did the Grandeur to Bermuda and there were lectures on the Chesapeake Bay.

     

    We had a wonderful cruise! Love the Grandeur!

     

     

    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

    WOW - bar drinks prices increased by up to 40%

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    More information for those interested. I cruised on the Grandeur from 8/14-8/21. Drinks were actually cheaper than I had thought they would be. My goto drink, Sapphire and Tonic was 8.00. Kahlua Sombrero, 7.00. Beers were 5.50 and 6.00. Frozen drinks were 10.00. There were some specialty drinks which were 12.00. Hope this helps people in their planning!

     

    Did you happen to notice if they had any beer specials at the pool during the day? They had really good specials on the Enchantment last February. I think it was 5 beers for $20.

    St. John, NB

    in Canada/New England

    Posted

    Okay, I have oriented myself a little better to the area around St. John, NB. And while I haven't given up completely on going to Hopewell Rocks, I am also looking at the village of St. Martins, the caves, and the Fundy Bay Trail. If you have been to any of these places, what would you suggest not to miss?!!

     

    We would probably rent a car and do this on our own. We arrive Monday, Sept 17 at 7am. We would get an early start --rental car place opens at 8 --what can we expect in the way of traffic?

    Grandeur Favoites

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    It seems from so many posts that the Grandeur has great and friendly service. (Yay!) With that aside, what is one thing or place on the ship that stands out from your past cruise that you love on this ship?

     

    I really loved the Centrum in the evenings. Lots going on -- nice vibe. Very nice Diamond Lounge as well, although a little out of the way.

    St. John, NB

    in Canada/New England

    Posted

    Thank you so much for your information and suggestions, Fouremco. I wondered why I had so much trouble finding anything about the place! It looks like a really cool place to go, but since this is our first trip and we have limited time, I think I will find activities/places closer to Halifax.

     

     

    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

    New RC Terminal at Port Canaveral

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    We used the new terminal for the first time in February sailing on the Enchantment. We pulled in, parked, wheeled our bags to check in. A piece of cake. This experience was so

    much faster and more organized than ever before. Getting off was easy also. Ten minutes after our number was called we were on our way to the car.

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