Just off the Grandeur with my report

[debbie311]

Just got off Grandeur last Saturday (9/16). I was very happy with our balcony stateroom. There was plenty of room for all our stuff - and DH and I took six pieces of luggage total. We did not need the things I had read about here - bungee cords, duck tape, over the door shoe hangers, etc. The bathroom had plenty of room for all our "stuff." Then again, it was just DH and I. I thought the service and entertainment were very good, and the ship was beautiful and well-maintained.

 

Monday was Cozumel. DH and I did the Tulum Ruins Express excursion that we booked through RCI. I would not recommend this one. After docking at the pier in Cozumel you have to get on a ferry to Playa Del Carmen, which takes about 30 minutes. It was very rough water and some people were getting sick - the rocking of the boat plus the fumes from the boat. :( Then you walk to the place where you board a bus, and ride for an hour to get to the ruins. In between we made a stop at a place to shop for trinkets - total waste of time. By the time we got to the ruins there was little more than an hour to see them and there were tons of people there. The tour guide was not very organized, it was disappointing. Then it was back to the bus, then the ferry ride back to Cozumel, where we had to get a taxi back to the ship as we were dropped off at a different place than we departed. :mad: Rush, rush, rush.

 

Tuesday was Grand Cayman and that was nice, although EXTREMELY crowded as there were several ships there that day.

 

Wednesday was Costa Maya. We did the Chacchoban Ruins tour. That was very, very good. It was extremely hot on the tour and some of the people could not complete the tour. I think they should be a little more clear that it is rather strenuous, not because there is that much walking or climbing, but it is just extremely hot. If you go, it goes without saying that you need to be in pretty good physical shape and to wear a hat and drink plenty of water.

 

One interesting thing, DH and I saw the couple on the Navigator who almost missed the boat. They were walking down the pier when the ship started to pull away. They broke into a run and the ship did stop and I assume they were able to board the ship via a tender or something - anyway it was a good example of the fact that yes, they will leave without you. :eek:

[lephysteria]

Thank you for posting your review. I haven’t been on this ship, but have heard great things about it. Thanks also for posting a heads up about the excursions. It’s a great help to others planning this cruise.

What did you find that you packed but didn't use, with regard to clothing? My goal is to eventually get us down to 2 suitcases and 1 carry-on. :)

[debbie311]

In regards to clothing, I found I took too much of everything - shorts, t-shirts, crop pants and shoes. I probably wore about half of what I took. I wanted to have choices, but with that then you have more to unpack, pack and schlep around. Of course the upside is that I didn't wish I had brought something I left at home. :rolleyes:

 

I don't think I could get it down to two suitcases and a carry-on, though, because of the formal nights. I did find that the ladies were quite dressed up on the formal nights (which I was happy about). :)

[lephysteria]

It is my personal preference to dress up on formal night, and I think everyone looks rather nice all decked out. But I also understand lots of people don't like to do that.

 

I did think it was really neat to see the looks of the Indian waiters when I came in wearing a saree. They did a double take to ensure they were really seeing what they thought they were seeing. They were very nice, and said it was tied correctly!

Yay! Score 1 for the white girl trying to wear Indian clothing without the assistance of my SIL or my Atiyas (Hindi for Aunts). Naren really is becomming an expert on pinning the palu (over the shoulder part). ;)

[stillfrantic]

Glad to hear you felt the balcony D1 room was nice. I have connecting ones reserved for us and children. Was the bathroom small but nice appointed, or just plain small? Shelves and nice sinks or more prison issue? :D Was there much drawer space in the cabin for clothes?

 

Were the cabins quiet? Did you hear any activity from the public areas below or noise from neighbors on the sides?

[debbie311]

The bathroom was pretty tiny and the sink was smaller scale, but there was a good sized space for storage behind the mirror. There was some counter space as well. The shower of course is tiny but there were shelves built in for holding shampoo, etc.

 

In the stateroom there were about six drawers in the dresser/desk, and there are four nightstand drawers that we did not even use. There was a good sized corner cupboard with around five shelves, then there is the closet which also had drawers built in. Every space seems to be utilized.

 

All in all, I had no complaints at all with the amount of storage space in our stateroom.

 

We were located on Deck 7 and it was very quiet. We had a balcony :) and it was also very quiet out there. It did not look like many people were using their balconies. :confused: I loved the balcony.

[KirstyGee1978]

Hi lephysteria

 

 

Your pictures are great!

 

When you were in St Maartin I see you went to mayo beach and watched the planes come in!

Can I ask how you got there? How much would it cost for a taxi there?

Thanks

 

Kirsty:)

[lephysteria]

Thank you kindly.

In St. Maarten

We then exited the ship at 10:30 and walked into the pier area. There we went to the taxi area, and shared a taxi to Maho Beach. This drive took 40 minutes because there was some traffic. But it was $7 per person, per way. We arrived at the beach at 11-11:15. It was a very nice day, not very breezy and we were dropped off at this hotel. To get to Maho Beach they said to go through their lobby, through their backyard, and then down to the water. But you could also just have followed the road around, because the beach came out on the other side of the hotel, and you didn’t have to walk in the sand … that’s hard to walk in.

 

The sand was very soft, and there weren’t any rocks in the beach part that we were in. There were a few rocks, and you could definitely see them, but if you walk down toward the restaurant there on the beach, you’ll get clear of them. The water was warm, and beautiful, and we spread our blanket out and had a great view of the runway, and the approaching planes as they came into the airport. We sat on the beach on our sheet with our towels and cameras and suntan lotion. That sun is hot and powerful. It wasn’t very humid at all. In fact, the taxi driver was saying that the island is going through a drought and there hasn’t been much rain to speak of.

 

To come home:

We left Maho at 1:45 because we wanted to get some shopping in. So we walked back to that hotel, and waiting there was a taxi and the driver. We asked the driver to take us to the shopping area. The taxi ride was $14 for us both He took us to Front Street where there were hundreds of jewelry stores and diamond stores.

 

From the shopping area to the ship, it was $3 per person.

 

..... and this "excursion" was worth every penny! :D