Grandeur questions

[2preschoolers]

Hello... We are thinking of a honeymoon on the Grandeur. We like the idea of not flying (we live in VA/MD) and going to Bermuda. I've been on 3-4 Carnival cruises and loved them. I was on one Celebrity cruise to Bermuda (about 10-12 yrs ago) and wasn't so thrilled with that one. My fiance has been on just one cruise - NCL in Hawaii and he wasn't super impressed. The food, they said, was horrible and service wasn't impressive either. So my first concern is if we'll be happy on a smaller ship with less bells and whistles now that we've been on some larger ones?

 

As I said we'll be on our honeymoon and to a large degree want to simply relax. But with only a couple days in port and a lot of cruising time - is there enough to do on the ship to not get bored? Neither of us have been on RCCL so I have no idea what to expect.

 

How is their food, in comparison to Carnival? I have never had a bad meal on Carnival. Though I found the lines for their buffets to be crazy insane as well as the mobs of people on the pool deck. How are things on RCCL?

 

Thanks for your help!

[Doc Rick]

You may also want to consider the Explorer of the Seas out of bayonne, NJ. It's a larger ship - with a Royal Promenade. It's a few more hours of drive time, but worth looking into. One of my favorites.

 

I just did the July 19 sailing on the Grandeur out of Baltimore. The ship was recently refurbished and is very nice. The crew/staff were excellent. The food was comparible to the rest of the Royal Caribbean fleet (never cruised Carnival, so can't compare). It is a smaller ship, but still plenty to do. The food in the specialty restaurants is always excellent...

 

I live in Delaware - just over an hour to Baltimore, and about 3 hours to NJ. Like both ships, but would probably drive the extra couple of hours to NJ if itineraries and prices were comparible.

 

What time of year are you going to cruise? Length of cruise? Cruising out of both of these ports can be cold if not cruising in the summer months.

[KeywestK]

If you are an active couple, looking for more bells 'n whistles that the larger ships offer, then Explorer out of Bayonne is for you. If, with this being your honeymoon, you are looking for a quieter setting, relaxing on a smaller ship, then you will be fine on Grandeur. It's been my experience that just about every ship we've ever been on is crowded around the pool on sea days. But there are other quiet areas to enjoy the outdoors beside by the pool. The ship was recently refurbished and has been getting very good reviews. I will add my own review after my cruise to Bermuda in 2 weeks;)

 

I sailed on one Carnival cruise, the Pride out of Baltimore, and the food was awful. Seriously awful. I'd be hard-pressed to sail Carnival again, even though I know they have a large fan base. I also didn't care for most of their entertainment. RCI's entertainment has never disappointed us. It's terrific.

[MustardStation]

My parents went last month and said everything was phenomenal and that it was one of the best cruises they've ever been on (and they've been on 30+!). They said the ship was spotless and the crew was excellent and went above and beyond.

[spookwife]

 

How is their food, in comparison to Carnival? I have never had a bad meal on Carnival. Though I found the lines for their buffets to be crazy insane as well as the mobs of people on the pool deck. How are things on RCCL?

 

Thanks for your help!

 

we found the food to be quite comparable to Carnival with a few things better on either ship( appetizer, a dessert,etc) we prefer the smaller ships and rarely partake of the on board entertainment although we will definitely be checking out the Centrum Arial show next month.

 

we LOVE the Park Cafe in the Solarium.

[MAHA]

We will be sailing on Grandeur August 30 for a B2B to Bermuda and then on to Canada and New England. We love this size ship and feel the entertainment and activites are fine for us. This will be our 3&4 cruises on Grandeur. We have also sailed on Enchantment to Bermuda. If you want the Flow Riders, Mini Golf, etc. then a larger ship would be for you. We like the Mini Golf, but don't need it. There are more venues open later at night than on Celebrity. We love the relaxing on sea days - using the pool and hot tub, reading, maybe taking a nap, etc. There are daytime activities, including pool activities that you can either watch or take part in, including the belly flop contest. There is trivia scheduled at different times of the day. At night, there are shows, musicians, comedians, the love & marriage game show, Quest (an adult scavenger hunt type of game), battle of the sexes game, and others.

Mary Anne

[KelJ]

Having done the Explorer out of Bayonne twice (to Canada/NE and to Bermuda) and having done the Grandeur out of Baltimore last month (Bahamas), I would personally drive a little farther and take the Explorer. The Grandeur was too small for my liking. YMMV.

[powelweb]

Well, you don't say when you are planning to get married, so I have to ask if Quantum out of NJ might be an option if your wedding will be after Nov 2014?

 

We did Celebrity Horizon out of NY to Bermuda for our honeymoon 14 years ago, and will be sailing on Grandeur later this month to celebrate our 14th annivesary, but we've also sailed on Explorer several times- just not to Bermuda.

 

I'll let you know when we return what we thought of the activities on board during the sea days, but just curious about the timing of your planned trip,

 

And congratulations, BTW.