The Grandeur Repositions to Baltimore

[Jen248md]

One area I feel that GOTS needs to step up its game, is onboard activities. The Cruise Compass seemed very skimpy to me. There was no shopping show, no port talks, etc. I think there was only one movie under the stars on the big screen and one basketball playoff game shown there.

 

I agree with you on the activities. On our last cruise we had a husband/wife team as CD and they were EVERYWHERE. I feel like we barely saw the CD staff this time. I attributed it the first few days to being so port intensive but even on the sea days it didn't feel like there were many activities.

 

I did enjoy the Latin inspired shows which are unfortunately leaving to go back to the ship sailing out of Panama.

 

I think the big screen on deck only showed the Alicia Keys documentary/movie and then some basketball. We were up on deck one evening enjoying the weather while the basketball was on and there were only 2 other people up there. Another night there were maybe 10 on the deck (don't know if anyone was actually watching the game). Considering the Hobbit was on the tv 24/7 in many different languages it seems like they would have had some choices along with the several movies rotating on another channel).

 

It seemed like many of the activities they did offer cost extra.

 

I do hope the cruise compass gets better for future sailings. There were so many errors in it - silly things like Labadee being our third and final port (it was our 6th and final), sunrise/sunset times were off by at least an hour daily, and many of the activities with longer descriptions appeared on the wrong days in the compass (generally a day early so you didn't really miss it if you could remember it the next day).

 

But again, we did really enjoy the cruise and being on that size ship. Most days we couldn't figure out where all of the people were. The theater was usually at least half empty (we did late dining) and the decks were pretty quiet during the sea days. The centrum was very crowded during events though.

[RSLeesburg]

I am curious to know if anyone was traveling with small children, and how their experience was with the AO activities and rooms?

[DragonOfTheSeas]

I agree with you on the activities. . . .

 

I think people who sailed the Enchantment will notice a difference in the number of activities.

 

I did enjoy the Latin inspired shows which are unfortunately leaving to go back to the ship sailing out of Panama.

 

I know I heard the Tango couple [ismael & Belen] was returning to the Panama route. However, I missed the date they were leaving. I hope they stay a few cruises. They were excelllent

.

 

Also, other bright spots in activities were the dance classes. There were line dance sessions several days in the late afternoon by the pool. [around 4:30] They often began with an electric slide--but, quickly changed over to salsa, merengue or other Latin influenced line dances. The last sea day there was a big Tango class in the Centrum.

 

I think the big screen on deck only showed the Alicia Keys documentary/movie and then some basketball. We were up on deck one evening enjoying the weather while the basketball was on and there were only 2 other people up there. Another night there were maybe 10 on the deck (don't know if anyone was actually watching the game). Considering the Hobbit was on the tv 24/7 in many different languages it seems like they would have had some choices along with the several movies rotating on another channel). I agree

 

It seemed like many of the activities they did offer cost extra. Bingo, fitness classes, etc.

 

 

But again, we did really enjoy the cruise and being on that size ship. Most days we couldn't figure out where all of the people were. The theater was usually at least half empty (we did late dining) and the decks were pretty quiet during the sea days. The centrum was very crowded during events though.

 

I was pleasantly surprised that the ship did not feel more crowded. We were late seating, also. We sailed on the Enchantment 3 times. It is the same class of ship, but, was stretched [75 feet added to the middle about 10 years ago] Most of that addition was cabins. So, on that ship the public areas get crowded.

 

I am curious to know if anyone was traveling with small children, and how their experience was with the AO activities and rooms?

 

There were several small children onboard. We saw them getting off the ship on port days and around the pool. But, there were not many. No one on our roll call mentioned traveling with kids. Maybe someone will chime in here.

[itpd2901]

Thanks for the great review of your cruise. I apologize in advance if this was already covered in this thread and I missed it, but has Grandeur of the Seas starting using the new menu that Royal Caribbean is adding to the fleet during 2012 and 2013? My family and I are sailing on Grandeur on back to back cruises starting May 10th.

[DontTreadOnMe]

Thanks for the great review of your cruise. I apologize in advance if this was already covered in this thread and I missed it, but has Grandeur of the Seas starting using the new menu that Royal Caribbean is adding to the fleet during 2012 and 2013? My family and I are sailing on Grandeur on back to back cruises starting May 10th.

 

It was definitely NOT the new menu on the reposition cruise.

[skiiergirl]

Thanks for the great review of your cruise. I apologize in advance if this was already covered in this thread and I missed it, but has Grandeur of the Seas starting using the new menu that Royal Caribbean is adding to the fleet during 2012 and 2013? My family and I are sailing on Grandeur on back to back cruises starting May 10th.

 

We asked the maitre'd when the new menus would be put in place and were told they are practicing in the kitchen and will put them in place beginning May 24. (We offered for them to practice on us....but no such luck! lol)

[DragonOfTheSeas]

Thanks for the great review of your cruise. I apologize in advance if this was already covered in this thread and I missed it, but has Grandeur of the Seas starting using the new menu that Royal Caribbean is adding to the fleet during 2012 and 2013? My family and I are sailing on Grandeur on back to back cruises starting May 10th.

 

It was definitely NOT the new menu on the reposition cruise.

 

I heard they were going to roll out the new menu in May. Well, it was May when we got home. :p

 

You may have the new menu for your sailing, although that could be problematic. This crew has many new members and are still finding their way. Adding something else new--who knows how that will work.:confused:

 

Have I said lately what a good time we had? I do not want you to have a negative view going in. :)

 

Sorry--I did not see Skiier Girl's posting! :)

[spookwife]

 

Both the Diamond and Diamond Plus lounges are too small.

 

No such thing as Diamond Plus lounge.. the Concierge lounge, which does allow D+( and Pinnacle) access, is primarily for suite guests regardless of their status.

 

although based on the pictures posted of it, It does appear as if it really is poorly laid out and way too small.

 

if that is the case we will be sorely disappointed as the CL is our favorite spot on EN.

 

We are confident that the newbie kinks will be worked out in plenty of time for our Fall cruise though.

[Welovetokruze]

:D How many different types and how much trivia was there each sea day and port day? :D

[skiiergirl]

No such thing as Diamond Plus lounge.. the Concierge lounge, which does allow D+( and Pinnacle) access, is primarily for suite guests regardless of their status.

 

although based on the pictures posted of it, It does appear as if it really is poorly laid out and way too small.

 

if that is the case we will be sorely disappointed as the CL is our favorite spot on EN.

 

We are confident that the newbie kinks will be worked out in plenty of time for our Fall cruise though.

 

We thought the CL was fine. We were concerned before the cruise after having seen pix of it. The biggest reason we go to CL is to chat with folks. While all but a couple of the table/chair set-ups are for two we didn't find it hard to chat with the folks next to us or across from us. The only night it was crowded (when we were there) was the first night. I believe there were only 53+/- DP/Pinnacles (plus suite guests of course) so that may be why it didn't seem crowded. Also, we always went early and only stayed about 20-30 minutes. (Which is as long as we ever stay unless we are travelling with friends that like to stay longer.) It might not be the best design for a CL if it were a "new build" but our opinion is that they did a spectacular job utilizing the space they had in an existing ship. The concierge Ruth was phenomenal.

[DragonOfTheSeas]

No such thing as Diamond Plus lounge.. the Concierge lounge, which does allow D+( and Pinnacle) access, is primarily for suite guests regardless of their status.

 

 

We are confident that the newbie kinks will be worked out in plenty of time for our Fall cruise though.

 

You are so right. :o Sorry--I meant the Concierge Lounge.

 

:D How many different types and how much trivia was there each sea day and port day? :D

 

I looked back at my Cruise Compasses. It seems there was a morning trivia sometime between 10am and 11:30 everyday. There was an afternoon trivia or some other type [like music trivia] MOST days. there seemed to be a Brain Busters Trivia each evening at 8pm.

 

All of the trivia was in the Schooner bar.

[DragonOfTheSeas]

On Day 5 we stopped at Tortola, British Virgin Islands [7:00am-4:00pm]. It was a Sunday and we were the only ship there. [very quiet in town]

 

 

A closer view of Road Town:

 

 

We hired a taxi for an island tour at the pier. [ $25pp] We quickly headed out of the city of Road Town. Our guide pointed out Pussers landing [where you get the famous “Painkillers”] and the Sunny Caribee spice shop. I stopped there later in the afternoon. It was a great little shop—but, pricey.

 

 

 

 

The island is very green and beautiful.

 

 

 

You could tell it was a little more upscale that the other islands we visited. It seemed like there were huge houses everywhere. [building in foreground is a hotel]

 

 

Our guide told us those were not single family houses. He said the average building lot [1/8/ acre] could be anywhere from $80K -$100K] Then to build a house would be another $300K+. An average person working minimum wage would only earn $30K per year. So they cannot afford single family houses. One person will build an apartment building and keep one unit for themselves. They rent out the others to help defray the mortgage.

 

Here is one of these under construction:

 

[DragonOfTheSeas]

We visited the Callwood Distillery.

 

 

 

Inside the distillery--not a very clear picture--it was very dark.

 

 

 

They say it was built on the site of a sugar platation and that rum has been distilled there for over 400 years. [the original boiler is still operational] They were selling shots to try the different rums. [i think $1 for 5] It was way too early in the morning for me to drink] LOL

 

After some more scenic driving we stopped at Cane Garden Bay.

 

 

It is on the west side of Tortola and is the main beach destination for cruisers. There are several beach bars/restaurants [more like kiosks] along the water line. [i read on CC that Stanley's is purported to be the home of the "Cheeseburger in Paradise."] The prices at the various bars were good. The rum punch was $3 and beers were $2.

 

 

 

This beach was crowded and narrow--water was coming up under the chairs. However, it had a very “happening” Caribbean vibe.

 

 

 

We could see Jost Van Dyke off shore on the west side. It is known for its beach bars [most famous is the Soggy Dollar] and the huge New Year’s Eve party that lasts all night.

 

 

[DragonOfTheSeas]

We returned to the ship for a late lunch in the Park Café.

 

 

[The Love and Marriage Show was this evening. We missed it, but our travel companions said it was as funny as usual.]

 

At 5pm our Cruise Critic Roll Call had our cabin crawl. I had planned to take pictures of all the cabins. But, I put the cabin crawl together and was always late getting to the room. J

Inside cabin—we toured one of the rooms on deck 8 that opens to the side. You walk into the center of the room and the bed is to the right and bathroom and closet to the left. The desk/cabinet is straight ahead. I seemed to have more space than the traditional inside cabin.

 

Panoramic Ocenview cabin—Here is a picture of the new POV cabin. There are only 16 of them [4 on each side of the Centrum on decks 7 and 8]. They are selling very well and are sold out on many cruises.

The couple that was in this room did not like it. They said it was cramped and seemed unfinished. Look in the picture. You can see there is nothing on the wall facing the bed. Also, the cabinetry looked cheap. It appeared to be white pressed board inside with tracks for adjustable pegs for the shelves. The closet was narrower than even an inside cabin. They said the window was very dirty. They complained to staff and they washed it on the last sea day.

 

 

 

Balcony cabin—the cabin seemed smaller than other balcony cabins I have had. These are mostly on deck 7. [only decks 7 and 8 have balconies and suites]

 

Aft Junior Suite—Of course the attraction is the large balcony. All JS on GOTS have bath tubs, but no walk in closets. The couple that had this room was on a B2B2B cruise. This gave them plenty of space to spend that many days onboard. Their only issue was some soot on the balcony. They enjoyed their room and would book it again. Most of the other JS are on deck 8.

 

Grand Suite—What is not to like about a GS? It has a huge bathroom with two sinks and tub, a walk in closet and a sofa with a chaise lounge. The balcony is oversized and the room comes with Concierge Lounge privileges.

[Tiggercat]

Do you know what hotels have parking packages?

[DragonOfTheSeas]

We had some issues with noise overhead on the 8th floor. [cabin 8056]

 

RCL added the Park Cafe to the back of the Solarium [where pizza used to be]. We were awakened anywhere from 3:45-5:30 am by rolling carts overhead. They likely did not bother people under the pool deck because the deck is smooth there. However, the solarium is tiled.

 

You all know what a grocery cart sounds like. It is quiet on the smooth surface in the store. But, when you take it to the car and have to cross the warning strip by the curb it makes a very loud noise. We are not people that complain, but, I did talk to guest services about this. [so did several other people on our side of the ship]

Guest services acted very concerned. We had two members of the hotel staff come to talk to us. They wanted us to pinpoint times this occurred so they could look at the ship cameras and see who was doing this. [we were not trying to get anyone in trouble--but, by day three I was tired]

 

At first they told me it could not be from the galley because it was at the other end of the ship. [Well, duh! I knew that.] When I told him it was carts resupplying the Park Cafe for breakfast it was like a light bulb went off in his head. They told us they were going to hand carry item to the Park Cafe--and it got better. But, the carts never stopped. I think I just got used to them.

[DELTABLUE]

Lunaazul...try these...

 

http://www.parksleepfly.com/

 

www.stay123.com

 

www.buyreservations.com/

Check "cruiseport hotel" then put in the dates of the cruise and Baltimore, MD and you'll get a list.

[wrkfire911]

We had some issues with noise overhead on the 8th floor. [cabin 8056]

 

 

RCL added the Park Cafe to the back of the Solarium [where pizza used to be]. We were awakened anywhere from 3:45-5:30 am by rolling carts overhead. They likely did not bother people under the pool deck because the deck is smooth there. However, the solarium is tiled.

 

 

You all know what a grocery cart sounds like. It is quiet on the smooth surface in the store. But, when you take it to the car and have to cross the warning strip by the curb it makes a very loud noise. We are not people that complain, but, I did talk to guest services about this. [so did several other people on our side of the ship]

 

Guest services acted very concerned. We had two members of the hotel staff come to talk to us. They wanted us to pinpoint times this occurred so they could look at the ship cameras and see who was doing this. [we were not trying to get anyone in trouble--but, by day three I was tired]

 

At first they told me it could not be from the galley because it was at the other end of the ship. [Well, duh! I knew that.] When I told him it was carts resupplying the Park Cafe for breakfast it was like a light bulb went off in his head. They told us they were going to hand carry item to the Park Cafe--and it got better. But, the carts never stopped. I think I just got used to them.

 

BINGO !! We just returned from then Enchantment a month ago had the SAME problem..started around 4am EVERY friggin morning and continued off & on alllll day everyyyyy day!!! and you are exactly correct-its because of the tile flooring..at first on embarkation day that afternoon we thought it was thunder..but that quickly turned into what I described as an 'earthquake' every single friggin time they went by not only did we have the ungodly disturbing noise but things shook & rattled in our cabin..made for a crappy afternoon nap time to!! will NEVER stay in a cabin on the 8th floor in this area again..we were in a JS also I cant imagine what it sounded like to those in the inside rooms there:eek:

[DragonOfTheSeas]

BINGO !! We just returned from then Enchantment a month ago had the SAME problem..started around 4am EVERY friggin morning and continued off & on alllll day everyyyyy day!!! and you are exactly correct-its because of the tile flooring..at first on embarkation day that afternoon we thought it was thunder..but that quickly turned into what I described as an 'earthquake' every single friggin time they went by not only did we have the ungodly disturbing noise but things shook & rattled in our cabin..made for a crappy afternoon nap time to!! will NEVER stay in a cabin on the 8th floor in this area again..we were in a JS also I cant imagine what it sounded like to those in the inside rooms there:eek:

 

We had friends that were in an inside room just down the hall from us. They heard it--but, it did not wake them up. I do not know if they are sounder sleepers. I think we were directly under it.

 

We have booked a cabin for next March. but, we selected one on the other side of the ship.:p

[DragonOfTheSeas]

Our next to last stop was in Samana, Dominican Republic.

 

 

 

 

They welcomed us ashore:

 

 

 

The last time we visited Samana we went to Cayo Leventado [sp?]. It was a nice island, but we had not seen anything on the mainland. So, this time we researched Cruise Critic and Trip Advisor and Selected Tour Samana with Terry. We picked Tour #5: Low impact Highlights of Samana: Culture, Beach & Waterfalls in El Valle area.

 

Here is Terry [in middle] posing with 2 members of our group. [They brought him pretzels since he is from PA. ]You can see the buses in the background.

 

I posted this on the roll call and offered to coordinate a group tour. We eventually had 44 passengers on tour #5 and 6 more on the zip-line tour. Our roll call was a tight knit group and we had a very good time together.

 

The tour begins an hour after the first tender arrives and we got back to the tender pier an hour before the last tender leaves—duration 4-5 hours. $65 pp—pay at dock. [no deposit required]

Our guide was Tom. He was an American that went to the DR to volunteer and he and his family decided to stay. He told us that while the people there are very poor they are very happy.

 

He told us a really funny conversation to have with someone from Samana would be to try to explain a self-storage business. [people have so many possesions they can not use them all and they have to pay money to store them]

 

He was an excellent guide!! In fact, this tour was the best we have EVER taken. It was not that it was a posh tour. The seats on the safari bus were tight for 2 typical American butts and they were very hard. [Tom is in the front in the white hat. ]

 

On the dirt road this made it unconfortable for some. What made it so incredible was the immersion. We got to see real people doing their daily work and their houses.

 

 

 

 

[jp30338]

We were in "steerage" as we like to call it - deck 2 interior slightly aft (2053) - and our safe required a credit card to shut. It was annoying to always have to carry a credit card around. I think last year on the Enchantment we used our sea pass.

Jen

 

 

Interesting, our cabin had the safe with the number pad on it! #2529

[DragonOfTheSeas]

Like Tom, Terry first went to Samana to volunteer many years ago. He married a Dominican woman and stayed. He got into the tour business by first touring friends from home, and then their friends and it just grew by word of mouth.

 

 

He does many things for the community. For one thing he employs many people in the business. [tour guides, office staff, cooks, etc] Other people benefit when the tour makes stops at their businesses. He encourages passengers to bring school supply donations and he distributes these to local schools. [several in our group did this.] He was very easy for me to work with to arrange the group tour.

 

Our first stop was Terry’s office in "downtown Samana" to pay for the tour, use the rest room, etc. This is the main traffic circle.

 

 

 

The primary mode of transportation is the motorcycle/scooter. Notice this family of 5 on this one.

 

 

 

Also notice the fire hydrant on the road in the picture above. Our guide told us that public water is only on about 3 hours a day. So, they were of little use. But, having electricity almost all the time and water service each day makes this area better off than most.

 

The tour includes: [This is paraphrased from the website—note my comments will be in brackets] Panoramic views from 1,000 feet above the bay. Visit a typical village co-op and gift shop where you can taste and buy local handmade goods, including moonshine, chocolate and coffee from the trees around their homes! See the different fruits and nuts that grow in Samana including, bread fruit, chocolate, coffee, sugar cane, cinnamon and numerous beautiful flowers. Our guide gave us lots of good information about the DR. [All of this was delicious. It tried everything except the moonshine. ]

 

Pass though a very small country town and see a hand rolled cigar factory. [it was a very interesting demonstration. “Factory” is a stretch. It is a one-man cigar operation] It was very interestin to watch him. Tom gave us the commentary.

 

 

 

rolling the outer leaf around the cigar. He can make about 100 per day.

 

 

 

 

 

We also stopped at a “Bakery.” The bread was good. Almost all of us bought a hot loaf for $1. Likely it cost 10 cents on a normal day. LOL] She baked the dough with charcoal above the pan and below the pan.

 

 

[DragonOfTheSeas]

Then we would hit the El Valle beach for lunch (fresh fish and chicken, with a typical Dominican buffet) on the beach. (Beer, Coke, Diet Coke and Water--and maybe even some local Rum!) The El Valle beach is semi secluded (a kilometer long). The view from the beach of the mountains diving into the ocean is out of this world. The ocean can be a rough at times, so swimming/snorkeling is prohibited. There aren't any lounge chairs, but there are plenty of chairs available at the restaurant where we will eat.

 

 

[The food was delicious. The grilled Mahi Mahi was the best I have ever had. Excellent red beans and rice, a type of coleslaw, bread, and a fruit salad. We had sweet pineapple chunks for dessert and pieces of fresh coconut. We had a huge cooler with us in the truck. I had several waters and juice. Some passengers had 5-6 Presidente beers. ]

 

You'll then end the day visiting the Lulu Waterfalls for a refreshing swim and great photo opportunity. The waterfalls are a great place to swim and you can climb up and jump off of the falls into the pool below. [it was a national holiday in the DR on the day we were there—their Labor Day.

 

 

Everyone was off work and it was really too crowded to swim at the waterfall. We walked back over the swinging bridge and headed back to the port.]

 

 

 

The Zip line tour saw most of the same things we did--but, in different order. We all had lunch together and visited the waterfalls. Here are three views from the zipline tour. [Thanks SkiierGirl for providing the pictures. It looks like you had lots of fun!]

 

 

 

Wow--what a view.

 

 

 

[xmaslady]

I thought I would put in my 2 cents from the cruise. First I want to say hi to all that I met on this cruise form CC. Also Skiergirl sorry I never ending up meeting you I don't think the M&M lasted long enough to really meet that many people. Ok now for some thoughts. I thought the food in the dining room was very good. We had dinner at chops one night and the meal was very good but our favorite place was Giovanni's. We ended up eating their twice because it was so good. Try the crab raviolis they are to die for. The Park Cafe didn't open until 2 o'clock each day so I ate lunch at the buffet each day and it really wasn't that good.

We were in GS 8512 and it was really great but towards the end of the cruise we had a lot of problems with the toilet and they had to come and fix it 3 times. I had 2 run-ins with the odor once in the casino on deck 5 and once at starbucks on deck 6.

I am one of them people who loves the smaller ships so I loved it and I never felt like it was crowded when I was out and around. So any that was my 2 cents.

[spookwife]

You are so right. :o Sorry--I meant the Concierge Lounge.

 

 

 

 

wasn't you I was quoting! heheheh

 

I love your pictures, Its making me want to finagle a VI cruise some day....