Review Grandeur of the Seas Nov 10-19

We recognize that all individual cruise reviews are highly subjective because expectations differ from individual to individual and food choices and palates vary widely.

Below, we have outlined some of our impressions from our November 10th to 19th Western Caribbean Cruise on RCCI’s Grandeur of the Seas out of Baltimore. We fully realize that other itineraries or other RCI ships might be quite different. Our observations are based on solely this 9-day cruise.

As background, we generally cruise 3 or 4 times each year and all of our previous cruises involved flying to a departure port to start our cruise. On this cruise we drove one and one-half hours from Northern Virginia to depart from Baltimore, Maryland on Royal Caribbean’s Grandeur of the Seas. This was an extra cruise for us this year because it was so convenient and the special price for a Junior Suite was just too low to be passed up. Regardless of line we cruise we always opt for the Junior/mini suite category and it gives us a good benchmark to make our comparisons.

This was our first cruise on a Royal Caribbean ship and on the plus side we must highlight the exceptionally positive attitude of all of the crew and staff. We appreciated Captain Haakan’s daily update and his efforts to keep all the passengers informed of the ship’s activities. From the Captain down, each and every member with whom we came in contact was remarkably helpful, always eager to help, and pleasant under all circumstances– even those often testy personnel at the purser’s desk who listen to complaints all day. Royal Caribbean deserves a real plus for the fine crew and staff that they have provided on this ship.

Embarkation at the Baltimore Cruise Port was absolutely the quickest and easiest we have ever experienced. From parking the car, unloading the baggage to a convenient porter, entry to processing, and boarding the ship was all done in about 20 minutes.

We liked some aspects of the Grandeur’s design, especially that there were two decks that gave access to walking totally around the ship from bow to stern. Deck 5 allowed a nice ¼ mile covered route around the ship, while deck 10 had a bit shorter jogging track that was open to the elements.

The wine card system was very convenient and easy to use in the dining room and for having wine to drink in the cabin. Although the mark-ups on wine appeared to be a bit higher than on other lines and many better restaurants, the card did bring a reduction of about 15% over the list prices (the discount equaled the amount of the gratuity). Using room service to order a bottle of wine did not work out for us, but we were able to pick up a bottle of wine from the Windjammer at any time to drink at sail-aways etc. in our cabin.

However, after those pluses, things went downhill and we felt that there was a conscious effort by RCI to play to the lowest common denominator in all aspects of the cruise experience. The line appears to be going the airline route by cutting corners at every opportunity. (As stockholders in the parent company perhaps we should not complain because the stock is appreciating nicely.)

Our observations:

- The Grandeur of the Seas, a nice 10-year old ship, is really showing a lot of wear and tear. There was rust and frayed carpeting on the balcony of our Junior Suite and evident on other decks.

- Our room had a tiny 13 or 14-inch Sony TV and I believe that even cheap motel chains have long since replaced these old sets.

- This is the only cruise we have ever been on where absolutely no toiletries, other than soap, were furnished in the cabin bathrooms.

- We have become accustomed to complimentary champagne upon arrival in a Junior Suite, and missed the nicety on this cruise.

- The additional room gained in the Junior Suite over another cabin is mostly lost due to cramming the room with un-needed furniture – two large club chairs, two foot stools, and a small table, in addition to the sofa make much of the room unusable.

- Because the bed is placed so low to the ground it is impossible to stow baggage under the bed.

- The food in the main dining room was not up to the standards of even a mediocre restaurant. While most of the soups and salads were satisfactory, the entrees were substandard. Among the disappointments: a very dry prime rib was served with brown gravy in lieu of au jus and a very similar brown gravy was served the next two nights on a decent roast beef and on dry lamb chops. There was some sort of brown sauce even poured over the broiled salmon—and this was a first for us.

- The entrees appeared to have been held under a heat lamp for long periods before serving.

- The food presentation showed little flair and certainly was not that expected of any mid-range restaurant and desert choices each evening were very limited.

- Even the appearance of the menu in the Great Gatsby falls short of that on other lines. Rather than using a leather-clad folio for the printed menu, a garishly printed cardboard menu is provided each day. The menu is more like a national chain rather than a mid-range restaurant (seeing several diners eating their dinner in the main dining room while wearing baseball caps further amplified the downscale dining experience) .

- Somehow, the design of the Grandeur, unlike many other ships of about the same size, seems to emphasize big barn-like spaces rather than making any attempt at intimacy. The single dining room, the Great Gatsby, is one huge 2-level room that gives the feeling of eating in a gymnasium and poor acoustics amplify noises often making conversation at your table difficult.

- Somehow the nicety of having a waiter seat the guests at dinner appears to be too difficult, so it is not done. The waiters appear to be hurried and some of the feeling of leisurely dining is lost. (A headwaiter told us that each of the ship’s waiters and assistants cover more guests than their counterparts on other lines.)

- While many diners appeared to enjoy the dining room staff marching through the room singing or dancing, to us such performances have no place in a fine dining room.

- Somehow, eating in the Great Gatsby dining room gave the feeling of eating in a huge Denny’s.

- On many evenings the music played in the atrium, rather than the normal calming music of a string quartet, or quietly played standards by a combo, was blaring highly amplified rock that made any conversation in the atrium on decks 4 through 8 impossible.

- The atrium, normally a common area for all to enjoy, was misused on several afternoons to hold the Park West art action and the blaring loudspeaker intruded on decks 4 though 8 and down the hallways. Unlike on other lines, where the art auction is an activity that you can opt to attend in one of the lounge areas, this art auction is thrust upon you or you must avoid using the atrium during the afternoon. One should not need earplugs to walk though the atrium or from the stairwells to the room.

One can never have a bad cruise and this one certainly was not bad. However, for our perspective, the Grandeur of the Seas, on this particular cruise fell far short of meeting the many of standards that we normally expect.

Sounds like departing Baltimore is pretty painless, but sailing out of Philly spoiled us and besides, we just love our "Empress." Maybe give RCI another shot and try a newer ship since you cruise so often? :)

We are going in March, when the gray of the Pacific Northwest hangs on forever. I'm not surprised to hear there is a little wear & tear on a 10 year product. My attitude towards the food is always the same. If I didn't have to purchase,prepare & clean afterward it's fantastic. Thanks for the tip on steering away from the atrium on some days. I'll be sure and toss some extra shampoo & conditioner in the carry on and we should be good to go. Thanks again for sharing.

Thanks for the review Roses2. Could you tell me what line(s) you normally cruise on and like better?

Also, on the wine card. Who did you ask in the Windjammer to be able to get a bottle to take to your cabin? I was under the impression that was a buffet so who did you ask? Being able to have wine in the cabin will determine the # of bottles I buy in the package.

Thanks!:)

In response to your questions:

As I stated cruise line preferences are very personal and depend on many factors. In our experience thus far Princess seems to best meet our expectations.

You can ask any of the servers in the Windjammer to obtain an unopened bottle of wine to take your room. Once I asked the greeter at the entrance and another time I asked one of the servers. Both were very accomodating, got the bottle I requested, punched the card, and that was it.

We found this to be much easier and quicker than through room service. The one time I tried Room Service, they said they could not obtain a bottle until sometime later because their source was locked.

We did the 11-10 cruise on Grandeur. I agree with you're review regarding the condition of the ship. It really needs an extreme make over!

I was not happy with Cozumel. That place is just plain pricey! They are pricing the merchandise in $ and getting a premium for most things compaired to Cancun. We ate at Poncho's Backyard and spent just as much money as if we were eating Mexican in the U.S.

Funny things we heard in Cozumel.

Hey mister buy something for the neighbors wife.

Just give me a Mexican minute.

In response to looking for a mirror in a jewelry store. The Mexican T.V is over there.

As we were lining up for our tour, hey now that you're all lined up, give me a chance to rip you off.

Oh no! I hope the cruise I have lined up for April isn't awful. My Sovereign cruise was passable - but my Splendour cruise was amazing and I will be crushed if Grandeur stinks. If it's so worn now, what will it look like in April....and I hate brown stuff on my food.

Rachel

Fantasy 12/00

Imagination 6/01

Splendour 6/03

Sovereign 12/04

Grandeur 4/07

I was on the Grandeur on the Oct. 13th sailing and had a wonderful time. I thought the ship looked great for its age and did not notice any major problems with the decor. I thought it was beautiful. Our D1 balcony room was nice and did not show much wear at all. The crew was really great. Everyone was friendly and did a fine job waiting on us!

I know you will have a great cruise!

Oh no! I hope the cruise I have lined up for April isn't awful. My Sovereign cruise was passable - but my Splendour cruise was amazing and I will be crushed if Grandeur stinks. If it's so worn now, what will it look like in April....and I hate brown stuff on my food.

 

Rachel

Fantasy 12/00

Imagination 6/01

Splendour 6/03

Sovereign 12/04

Grandeur 4/07

Well, depending on when you're on her in April, they're going into drydock and supposed to fix the dent and the starboard rudder. They're finishing up the bedding upgrade and supposed to do a bunch of work in the Windjammer and other public areas. They are doing refurb work all the time in the rooms. Don't sweat the food until you're on her and see if you like it, personally I loved the food, but then I'm a picky eater and ask for specifically what I want, if you don't think you'll care for a particular sauce, then ask for the plate without it. You can click on the links in my sig to read the two formal reviews I wrote from my Grandeur cruises, and then go to many other reviews to get a flavor of what she's like. FWIW, I'm booked again for next year in October, that'll be my third cruise on Grandeur and I can't wait! Personally, I liked Grandeur better than Mariner, so like the OP said, it's all in what you like.

DW and I had some trepidations about GOS, but found it a fine ship that suited us well. For some reason this ship seems to generate love/hate reactions about its condition, the food, and just about everything associated with it on this and other sites. Coming off the 11/10 9 night W. Caribbean, we were very satisfied.

We sailed in an inside cabin on Deck 3, which was perfectly fine. Had room to stow our luggage, and I would suggest leaving the steamer trunks home in favor of collapsibles that slip under the bed. The room closet took our two primary pieces without a problem. Plenty of room to dress, too. The shower was small, like an RV, but that seemed universal.

The food was generally fine, too. The only dinner dish drawing yuks around our table was the mahi mahi tempura, which was reportedly very much oversalted and buried in batter. Steaks, lobster and prime rib were what they normally are - a simply prepared treat. But it's not Ruth's Chris, which isn't a fair expectation to begin with. The chilled soups were a nightly hit. Truthfully, I don't expect 5-star cuisine where 1000 dining room meals are being served. I wonder if some of this isn't because of the ship's one-class dining and lack of an alternative up-scale restaurant. Our table service was excellent. (Taking the waiter's suggestion on certain dishes is usually a good idea anywhere.)

Whenever someone mentioned the ship's shabbiness, I asked them what gave them the impression - no one offered a specific. I saw nothing like the rust or frayed carpets mentioned in this thread, certainly not in my room, which is not to say there was none. It is to say that the Grandeur was no banana boat by any means. I liked its scale, ease of navigation, and its uncrowded feel. I could always find a chair, table, or place in the sun. I could always find a quiet place, too. We're already making plans for taking GOS next year.

........ On many evenings the music played in the atrium, rather than the normal calming music of a string quartet, or quietly played standards by a combo, was blaring highly amplified rock that made any conversation in the atrium on decks 4 through 8 impossible......quote]

 

On our June GOS cruise this atrium music could be heard in our cabin late at night. Very annoying when you could feel the bass line pounding through the walls. I always choose a cabin away from discos, lounges, and theaters because of this reason. I didn't realize the atrium would be used for blaring amplified rock.