Just Back From Grandeur

[VABeach]

OK, Where to start....

 

Embarkation: We got to the ship at 12:00 and got right on within 15 minutes.

 

Ship: It was beautiful, no complaints.

 

Cabin: OMG it was small!!! :eek: But it worked out OK. Our cabin was on Deck 2 #2125. We have never been on the bottom Deck before and I was worried. It really wasn't bad. I always take the stairs on cruises and found I got a lot more exercise on Deck 2. The last night, there were kids running up and down the halls, until then, there were no problems.

 

Staff: Our staff was AWSOME!! Couldn't say enough about how great they were. No improvements to be made there. The service couldn't be topped.

 

Food: It was all good. We ate in the Dining Room every night and the Windjammer for lunch. I never ate breakfast as I was usually still full from Dinner.

 

Freeport: Nothing to do as usual. We only got off the boat because it was a first cruise for most of my party as well as the first stop of the itenerary. Went shopping in Port Lucaya for 2 hours. That was about 1 1/2 hours too long.

 

Coco Cay: Loved it!! We went down to the far beach. It was beautiful. No water socks needed. We did the jetski excursion and loved it. We also brought our own snorkle equipment. Loved it. It was the clearest water I have ever seen.

 

Key West: The guys went Tarpon Fishing and only caught a baracuda(sp?). I loved Key West. I walked from one end of the island to the other in about 15 minutes.

 

Cozumel: Wonderful as always. We did the SNUBA Dive. WOW. I bought some beautiful silver jewelry at the pier. I got a pink opal ring, and the stone fell out of it before I even got off the ship.

 

Port Canaveral: Would have just stayed on the ship, but Mom wanted me to go Kayaking with her. We did see several manatees. The kayaking was great, but the "Nature Walk" at the end was sad. Basically it was a 15 yard long walkway from the parking lot to the beach. The Guide spent 1 1/2 hours pointing out all the different variations of Palm Trees veiwable from the walkway. It was 102 that day and no one was impressed.

 

At Sea Days were mostly spent in the Solarium taking much needed naps.

 

The weather was great. It rained about 1 hour the last day at sea, but I was in my room packing and hardly even noticed.

 

The Meet and Mingle was very nice. All of the people who actively posted did show up as well as many family members. I guess we had about 30 there. It was very nice to meet everyone and I really enjoyed dancing with Uncle Ronnie. Thank you Aunt Nancy.

 

I only went to one show and it was AWSOME! Everyone else said the other shows were all equally as good.

 

My favorite part of the whole cruise was going over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. We crossed it about Midnight after our final dinner. What a beautiful sight.

 

Debarkation: We carried our luggage off and were off the ship 15 minutes after it was cleared by Customs.

 

Only noticed a slight smell a few times. I probably wouldn't have even noticed it if it hadn't been talked about so much.

 

The pacth in the side of the ship is still there and is only noticable from Coco Cay and Key West.

 

9 days was definately long enough. I wouldn't want it to be any shorter, but I'm glad to be home. It was a wonderful trip and I hope to do it again next year.

 

It was so nice to meet everyone, I know you all had a great time as well because I could see it in your faces. Welcome home.

 

Jenny

[Host Kewlguy]

Thank you for your informative review. We sail on the Grandeur in September.

[Tybio]

Heyas VAbeach!

 

Sorry we missed the M&M, the wife was not feeling at all well the first day out and it's a husbands job to fetch things when the wife is ill!

 

She was fine by the second day and we had an amazing time! The whole cruise was above expectations in every way, our only complaint was one new person at the Spa who had a bit of an attitude...though she did prefix her snipish responses with "Well, I'm new but...."

 

Other then that the ship, crew and food were amazing. The ports were a bit lacking...but as you can see, next year we are trying out the eastern route on a Voyager class (Love onboard booking credit!).

 

Oh, one thing about the last morning. We were delayed because another ship pulled in at the next slot over...but was too big. They could not position the ship properly to "Meet" with the fixed Baltimore ramp. We watched from the solarium as they scrambled (Literally, 30 people moving cones, ramps...everything) before they could let things start. We were the first tag called after you all self help people left, and were in the car by 10:00 with the delay. So, all in all not nearly as bad as we had feared.

[VABeach]

Hey Tybio! We missed you at the M&M. Glad she felt better and you guys enjoyed your cruise. :)

[boandvicki]

We had a great time on the cruise. The food was good, the service excellent and the entertainment first class. We went with our son, daughter in law and grandaughter. We found the kids programs very nice for Zoe and she had a wonderful time. They have a great group of people running the activities. The extras were a little pricey but I guess you get that on cruises. The best part for me was getting to sing for Zoe. She's never seen her poppy in that way before and she was pretty excited about it. All in all, the experience was very enjoyable. We'll probably do some different ports next time. This is the first we saw this web site and will be more prepared next cruise.

 

Bo and Vicki

[mrsb]

We are sailing on the Grandeur on July 8th, and I was happy to read that you had a great cruise! I hope you don't mind answering some questions:

What nights were the formal nights?

Was the cruise director any good? (I usually think they are all a bit over the top.)

And my mother-in-law will want to know the answer to this one--Was lobster served at dinner?

Thanks!

MrsB

[VABeach]

You will have a great time on this cruise. :D I didn't think the Cruise Director was over the top. He was fun, but not "Too Much".

 

Yes, they did serve lobster, and I have to say it was the best I have ever had. It was very tender and juicy and had a very good taste. They were small. Our waiter brought us two each without us even asking, but they were really good. They served it on the second Formal Night. The Formal Nights were the first two At Sea Days. (Day Two and Day Seven)

 

Enjoy your cruise. :)

[mrsb]

VABeach, your response to my questions (thank you!) made me laugh out loud..... here's the reason why--we always kid my mother-in-law that every time she eats a lobster she says it is the best one she has ever had..... and from your comments about the lobster, now we know she will say it yet again!

MrsB

[baltimoreravensfan]

Hi, loved reading your review. We're sailing on Grandeur on July 22. What time were you able to board? Our cruise docs say 3:00, but another post says we'll be able to board earlier.

 

Thanks!

[Radio Head]

Baltimoreravensfan,

You should be able to board around 1:00-1:30.

[1HAPPYCRUISER]

another ravens fan on board!!! yeah!!!! our group is goin on the 22nd also...sign up for the mix and mingle!!

[peekskillny]

My first cruise will be on GOS on August 19th can't wait. I am also on deck # 2 We have 2 rooms next to each other two adults and 3 kids. Thanks for the info I can not wait.

[viennastatic]

Ok, So I worked through most of my depression and decided to post my review. This was my first cruise ever. The first for my wife (Karen) and daughter (3 year old Zoe). I was also traveling with my parents Bo and Vicki, second cruise for them. I have one word TERRIFFIC. This was such a great vacation, I am already planning another cruise next year.

 

 

 

Let’s start at the beginning. We got to the pier around 10am and were on the ship by 11, eating lunch in the Windjammer around that time. Couldn’t ask for a better parking space, second row from the ship. Walked around the ship and got a feel for it. Got into our rooms around 2pm and went up to the pool for the sail away. The first two days at sea were fun. Hung out at the pool for the most part. Zoe went to the Kids camp and she loved it. Totally forgot about the Meet and Mingle. Sorry about that.

 

 

I got second place in the blackjack tournament. That was nice to win $422. I played a lot of blackjack during the 9 days. I also won a lot of money. My wife lost a lot of money in the slots so we only broke even. Casino was fun. I spent most hours there after wife and daughter when to bed. Drank a lot of Red Stripe too in the Casino and the whole ship.

 

 

Freeport was ok. Took a crazy taxi to the beach. It was weird being at the hotels beach but I guess that is what you have to do. The water was beautiful. Did a little shopping there. Not much but they did have 2 for $5 Red Stripes so Dad and I had a drink.

 

 

Coco Cay was great. Water was perfect. Lunch was great. We just hung out at the beach and it was great. Saw an iguana. I could spend days there.

 

 

Key West was fun. Did some shopping. I recommend that you get the shopping book if you do any shopping. You get lots of free stuff plus it tells you where to go. We also took the train ride around town. That was interesting and fun. I ate some conch fritters but was told by other people that the conch fritters at Jimmy Buffets were better. Did not get to go there as it was too packed. Key West was a pretty place. I would like to go there again.

 

 

Cozemel was great. Shopping all day. Started at the top of top at the forum shops and walk all the way to the end of town and then took a horse ride back to the ship. Spend money but the wife got a lot of silver. Ate some good food at Poncho’s Backyard. STRONG Margarita. My parents went to Tulalu (sp?). They had a great time. We needed more days in Cozemel.

 

 

Day at sea was good. Played some Bingo. Won a shirt, wife won $50 and wife won a shirt. I also won a glass the next day at bingo. We played bingo 4 more times but did not win again.

 

 

We did not get off the ship in Port Canaveral. We slept in till 12 after we went to the customs thing. Karaoke was fun. My dad got 3rd. Yes by dad is “Bo”. He did a great job.

 

 

All the food was great. We ate breakfast in Windjammer. My parents got room service breakfast. Lunch in the Windjammer. Every night dinner in the Great Gatsby. We had the early dinner. The food was great. The only thing that surpassed the food was the service. I could not believe how nice our servers were. They catered to our every need. Plus they took care of Zoe, which is important to us. Thank you Sudeep and Eric.

 

 

We saw most of the shows. Took Zoe to them too. Did not go to the comedians. She would not like them. She loved the singing and the dancing. She would dance in the isle of the theatre. She also liked the magic show. That was cool.

 

 

Pictures, pictures, pictures. All we did was pose for pictures. And we got suckered in to buy them. They were all so great. Zoe looked so cute and Karen and I looked great. So we purchased a lot of pictures. They also asked for a shot of Zoe to be put on display. We agreed. You might have noticed a cute blond girl lying on stomach with the white background that is my Zoe. We had numerous people just stop us and say how much they liked our pictures and really thought Zoe was the cutest person ever.

 

 

Back in Baltimore we had to wait for Green to be called. Next time I am carrying off myself. I was easy to get the luggage. Our luggage is bright green and you cannot miss it. Next cruise we are going to carry off ourselves.

 

 

I loved this trip. I would take the same trip again. Once again I am sorry that I missed the meet and mingle. Thanks to all the people we did met on the ship. It was fun. Thanks to the workers, especially, Sudeep, Eric, David, Bingo Boy (skip) Kelly, and all the dealers that gave me money and took my money.

 

 

This is a great ship. I had so much fun. I hope you all enjoyed the trip as well and liked my review.

[DM]

VABeach - Thanks for the great review! I have a question for you. Did you do the kayaking through a ship excursion or did you book it on your own. We are looking into booking a non-ship kayak trip and I want to get some information about it before hand since we are first time kayakers.

 

Debbie

[berd0625]

Viennastatic

Do you remember any of the dealer's names? I was on Grandeur last year and spent ALOT of time in the Casino, and still miss those folks - they were great!

[hds249]

I am wondering how long it takes to get off the ship when you get to the ports. If we are to arrive at 10 AM, when would our feet hit land? Thanks for the help!

[mskopins]

Does the spa have a whirlpool pool? I know that sounds strange.

[Athena55am]

It would be our first time in Baltimore and would drive there the day before. We never drove to a port and are from New York so a drive seems better than flying. Any opinions?? Thanks

[CecilCtyCruiser]

It would be our first time in Baltimore and would drive there the day before. We never drove to a port and are from New York so a drive seems better than flying. Any opinions?? Thanks

 

We live about 50 minutes from the port, and took this cruise last year. We found the port easy to get to - not too far off of I-95.. Parking was (and from what I read still is) $10 per day, total must be paid the day you arrive at the cruise port.

 

Not sure how far you want to be from the port. There are some hotels in White Marsh, about 20 minutes from the port, and just off of I-95. There is a Hampton Inn and Hilton Garden Inn there, and it is right next to the White Marsh Mall. There are restaurants nearby.

 

The Inner Harbor area in downtown Baltimore is also very nice, but can be pretty pricey. Inner Harbor would probably be 15 minutes from the port. The Maryland Science Center is there as well as the National Aquarium. There are lots of shops and restaurants there too, as well as some other attractions. If you like seafood, be sure to try the crabs!

 

Of course, the times given are if there is no traffic. But you probably would be leaving the hotel after rush hour.

 

My husband just told me that he read about a Ramada in Baltimore that has a cruise package. See link below. I don't know anything about this hotel, so you may want to check it out on tripadvisor.com. They may also be a good place to look for other hotels.

 

http://www.parksleepfly.com/cruiseport_hotels/hotel_display.php?hotel_type=cruiseport&cruiseportID=4&hotelID=414&make_reservation=

 

Hope this was somewhat helpful...

[CecilCtyCruiser]

One thing I forgot...the parking fee at the port must be paid in cash.

[CityGirl398]

I'm home! For my first cruise--it was alright. I guess my friends overrated it so I expected a lot more. The ship was beautiful, the rooms were unfortunately quite small, but the best part was the service. The staff was remarkable! My waiter (Glenn)..this man is genuine and so darn caring about the guests (I know, they all want a good tip)...but such kindness comes from within...it's true! :)

 

I fell in love with one of the workers, I don't know who he was but he wore the white suit thingie, maybe he was a head chef but I doubt. No one wants to hear about this, I know...sorry :p He was just so dreamy ....!!!!

 

The Beatle Maniacs were spectacular! Them and the Tony comedian guy were the best! I have to say the R.C. Singers & Dancers are most definitely talented but the shows were cheesy and my parents fell asleep! & mind you...My mom is in her late 30's and father in early 40's so they've got plenty of life in em'!

 

Food: Starters were delish but the entrees were so/so. The pastry...literally--O-M-G...almost everything melted in my mouth--really really really really yummy! Windjammer is better b/c it has everything the Gatsby does but you don't have to wait for it to come and it's a buffet hence eat all you want w/o requesting.

 

Ports:

Bahamas-SUCKED! Poor little isolated island w/ annoying locals trying to sell you things that their sister sells next door. Wasted $80 on taxi to stores and back-awful!

Key West-Adorable and very welcoming. Very nice community and beautiful weather.

Cozumel: Water is gorgeous. And um..if you lived in Brooklyn then you'd understand my "like" (cough-cough) of Mexicans. Shopping wasn't bad, nice beach, etc. It was okay.

Coco Cay: Water to die for. Started raining like mad but it was a nice feeling while in water.

Port Canaveral: Go wherever...it's nice. Have a lot to choose from...universal, kennedy space, beach, etc...

 

 

I've basically learned how much I loathe New York b/c it really is true, people are overly rude and the atmosphere is unwelcoming in it's own way...it was an absolute pleasure to pratically live with strangers. Everyone was so so sweet and different...I can't stress it enough.

I cried during my drive home:( I already miss the people & overall surroundings!

 

I dunno who you people are online but if you remember me...my name is Sabina...I doubt you guys know but nevertheless :p

Ciao for now!

[Radio]

These are all great reviews...i can agree about most commoent that were made.

 

I was posting from the ship with "Live" from the Grandeur of the Seas trip reports and photos....If you want to see it, here it is.....

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=207059

 

I went to the Meet and Mingle too..there were alot of very nice people there....

 

Radio

;) ;)

[Merion_Mom]

Ports:

Bahamas-SUCKED! Poor little isolated island w/ annoying locals trying to sell you things that their sister sells next door. Wasted $80 on taxi to stores and back-awful!

Sabina, please explain how you managed to spend $80 on taxi???? :confused:

[indywen]

I'm home too! This was also my first cruise. I want to thank everyone on these boards for all of the amazing things I learned and used. Everything from highlighters and clothespins, to budgets and self-assist debarking. It was so helpful to find this site!!

 

Overall- I thought this cruise was excellent. We were on the boat and at the pool by noon on the first day (drove and parked ourselves). Our bags were in our rooms by 2pm. The ship was beatiful and the staff catered to our every need. I thought it was in great shape- never noticed anything needing repairs (except for the occasional stuck elevator which I blame on the small children I saw pressing every button, and their absent parents).

 

I loved sitting in the Deckfive lounge chairs enjoiying the ocean breeze and watching our sailing. I enjoyed checking books out of the library, or playing games in the game room. We played shuffle board, ping pong, and even rockclimbed! I treated myself to an amazing ginger-lime massage from Sandra in the spa. We liked the sounds of the Surfside band by the pool, and the quartet in the Champagne bar. I miss Melody my cocktail waitress in the Champagne Bar- she was so nice to talk to every day! We won some $$ in the casino a couple nights. :) I also highly recommend the art activities- we painted with watercolors twice- and loved it- it was fun for all ages. They provided really nice supplies and good instruction. I learned about ice carving and vegetable carvings too. There were so many activities- however, sadly- I missed the meet & mingle!

 

I liked the shows- although I found the dancers and the cruise entertainment crew to be pretty cheesy. My favorite shows were the Broadway review night (Rythm and Ryhme), the Beatle Maniacs, and the commedian Tony Daro.

 

I ate almost every meal in the Gatsby dining room. I just loved ordering off the menu and the service was supreme. I became friends with so many of the waiters and waitresses it was fun to see them every day. The food on the menus was delicious. I found the Windjammer to be okay- but I don't like alot of buffet style food usually. I did like the afternoon snacks- nachos, pizza, burgers- and we found lots of places to get evening appetizers- egg rolls, chicken strips in the champagne bar, or through room service. :)

 

In the Bahamas we went on the Lucayan National Park kayaking excusion- it was AMAZING. I highly recommend it. We talked to alot of other people who said it as so hot and the shopping was boring. We never even felt the heat! The kayaking was very adventurous- through tight spaces of overgrown mangroves (difficult for some couples who argued over the steering and paddling!) and we ended up with a short hike over a bridget to a beautiful deserted natural beach called Gold Rock Beach with a wonderful hour to swim and lunch provided. The guides were great too! I highly recommend this tour.

 

In Cococay we brought our own $6 snorkel and masks from CVS and then rented the vest and Fins on the island for $15, and we also brought our own $3 rafts. (but they also rent floating mats for $10) This island is beautiful and such a nice relaxed day- I don't think anyone had a bad day!

 

In Key West we took the sailing excusion on a replica 1800's schooner sailboat for 2 hours in the morning with a funny young crew. It was hot- but nice to be out on the water. We were each able to take our hand at sailing the vessel. It was fun! Then we walked downtown and ate lunch on the water at a locally recommended oyster bar- Alonzo's, and did some fun shopping.

 

In Cozumel we took the Tulum mayan ruins tour. The transportation portion of the excursion was long! But it was nice to see the ruins. It didn't look like too much damage had occured from recent storms to the actual ruins- hard to tell though. However- LOTS of damage to Playa del Carmen and Cozumel. We also shopped some in Cozumel.

 

In Canaveral we took the fun bus ourselves to Cocoa Beach and rode the waves on our rafts. They were sizeable waves!!

 

We had great weather everday on this cruise, and smooth sailing for the most part! It really was amazing.

 

I could not live without: my lanyard (so I didn't lose my sea pass), my tote bag for the pool/beach, my water bottle, comfortable flipflops, hanging laundry bag, plastic baggies

 

My only complaints: I did not like the waiting in lines (to get off the boat for excursions or to go through immigration), I did not like having to exchange the pool towels on our own (I thought they should give us new ones each day in our rooms), the elevators were very slow, I wished they offered water/tea/lemonade fountains in more locations than just the dining halls, often I thought dinner took too long to get through all the courses/ too long of a delay waiting for the dessert menus and for it to be served- I would have liked more time to digest and relax before the next activity after dinner.

 

All in all- I would definitely sail RCCCL again- and probably wouldn't pass up the Grandeur if she wanted me to climb aboard again. Cheers to all of you!

[ladybell]

I'm home! For my first cruise--it was alright. I guess my friends overrated it so I expected a lot more. The ship was beautiful, the rooms were unfortunately quite small, but the best part was the service. The staff was remarkable! My waiter (Glenn)..this man is genuine and so darn caring about the guests (I know, they all want a good tip)...but such kindness comes from within...it's true! :)

 

I fell in love with one of the workers, I don't know who he was but he wore the white suit thingie, maybe he was a head chef but I doubt. No one wants to hear about this, I know...sorry :p He was just so dreamy ....!!!!

 

The Beatle Maniacs were spectacular! Them and the Tony comedian guy were the best! I have to say the R.C. Singers & Dancers are most definitely talented but the shows were cheesy and my parents fell asleep! & mind you...My mom is in her late 30's and father in early 40's so they've got plenty of life in em'!

 

Food: Starters were delish but the entrees were so/so. The pastry...literally--O-M-G...almost everything melted in my mouth--really really really really yummy! Windjammer is better b/c it has everything the Gatsby does but you don't have to wait for it to come and it's a buffet hence eat all you want w/o requesting.

 

Ports:

Bahamas-SUCKED! Poor little isolated island w/ annoying locals trying to sell you things that their sister sells next door. Wasted $80 on taxi to stores and back-awful!

Key West-Adorable and very welcoming. Very nice community and beautiful weather.

Cozumel: Water is gorgeous. And um..if you lived in Brooklyn then you'd understand my "like" (cough-cough) of Mexicans. Shopping wasn't bad, nice beach, etc. It was okay.

Coco Cay: Water to die for. Started raining like mad but it was a nice feeling while in water.

Port Canaveral: Go wherever...it's nice. Have a lot to choose from...universal, kennedy space, beach, etc...

 

 

I've basically learned how much I loathe New York b/c it really is true, people are overly rude and the atmosphere is unwelcoming in it's own way...it was an absolute pleasure to pratically live with strangers. Everyone was so so sweet and different...I can't stress it enough.

I cried during my drive home:( I already miss the people & overall surroundings!

 

I dunno who you people are online but if you remember me...my name is Sabina...I doubt you guys know but nevertheless :p

Ciao for now!

 

We went to Taino Beach in Grand Bahama Island. We had a great time, the water was perfect, so clear and so warm. This island is best for its beaches, not shopping.

 

Cheryl

Just returned yesterday on the Grandeur