"LIVE" from Grandeur of the Seas - Bahamas - Nov 8, 2013

[fred30]

We have been compensated partial cost of another cruise.

 

 

This is WRONG!

 

You should be compensated for the "current" cruise not a Future Cruise. The product you purchased was not delivered and you should be reimbursed for part of the fare.

Now if RCCL wants to go above and beyond to get you to cruise with them again they can additionally offer you a future cruise credits.

[Twibes]

We are sailing on the 11/26 sailing and also on deck 7 forward, #7553. Is that anywhere near the area where the problem is? Has the temperature improved yet?

 

I am personally aware of '22' staterooms affected per what RCCL told me, however not all rooms received the same type of compensation from what I heard by others. I received (as well as one room across the door from mine) a large amount than others, perhaps because of the soaking wet room incident.

 

Your room is on the opposite side, starboard, from my room. However, if it's forward, I believe most of deck 7 forward was affected. The last 2 days sailing home it seemed fine.. but take that with a grain of salt. Any A/C can operate in cooler temps with cloudy skies and a steady 18 knot travel speed. The test will be back in the Bahamas and FL, where it started. Hopefully while in port today after we offloaded, they were able to put some legwork into this issue.

[Twibes]

I am so sorry that you had to endure a week of hot weather inside your room. I hope the problem is fixed soon. I do believe that RCCL should compensate you for your discomfort and am glad they came through for you. The bright side of this is that you will never forget this cruise because of the a/c problems, that's a plus. I also want to applaud you for keeping a good spirit during this whole ordeal and not talking mean and vicious about RCCL. Things do happen unfortunately it happened on your cruise. You have done a great job of keeping your cool and enjoying your cruise even though you had problems. It speaks a lot for your character. Also you have done a great job with the pics and review.

 

Again I'm glad that RCCL tried to satisfy you.

 

Sharon I

 

Sharon, thanks very much for those words! As sarcastic and humorous as I am, I do mean well for people. I just try to have a good time, let loose, and get some laughs. If you can't laugh at something, then you're bound for misery right? RCCL wasn't solely responsible, and even if not the 'best' compensation, it's more than worth a little aggrivation while on vacation. I'll gladly try again... just a different area of the ship :p.

 

Deck 7 Forward =

[Twibes]

This is WRONG!

 

You should be compensated for the "current" cruise not a Future Cruise. The product you purchased was not delivered and you should be reimbursed for part of the fare.

Now if RCCL wants to go above and beyond to get you to cruise with them again they can additionally offer you a future cruise credits.

 

I agree, they should've simply compensated partial the amount paid for THIS current cruise. Then again, the marketing genius of customer service I guess, force them to try round 2 to gain the savings. It's like a coupon that requires you buy 5 of an item to save .40 :cool:. Again, I don't hold a large grudge against them, and I can tell you first hand that the Guest Relations Manager (Lourdes) is amazing at her job. Her ability to calm even myself down and make me walk away feeling like I just had 3 drinks, priceless. She deserves a WOW hands down, I'm sure her job this cruise wasn't easy. Again though everyone, this didn't ruin vacation, I still made the best of it and each cruise always ends up better than the last!

 

Here are a few more images during the last day or so. The internet through my tablet made for SLOW typing and posting so, I'll try putting up things I missed below.

 

Food for thought: I'm fairly young, at least I try to be, but the seniors on this cruise that I met all had purchased the premium drinking package. (You all reading this after getting home today know who you are lol!) I'm impressed to say the least. Not only could they out-perform my own abilities at a gathering / bar / event, they also stayed up twice as late as we did. I could not hang with these folks, they're champions, heck they performed better than the Steelers this year and that's worth something right! Kudo's to the Maniacs on Grandeur, I'll have to train thoroughly for the next dose of fun.

 

TOWEL MAKING 101

 

 

I call this strapping young man "Captain," for the hat he wore his entire cruise. I had serious competition with this fellow, but was proud to share the ship with him. 3x my age and still living the life. His white polyester suit was purchased for him by his wife for .35 cents, and he had it cleaned for this cruise in honor of her memory.

 

[Twibes]

I apologize, I don't recall who asked about Escargot, but I came as close as I could to that info on the dining room menu board!

 

Escargots

 

IZUMI - The Very Best at Sea

Shown: Tuna Seared Tataki, Salmon Lovers Roll, and something with beef on it :)

 

 

Last Formal Night

 

Our Towel Visitors

 

 

 

Edited November 16, 2013 by Twibes

[Twibes]

Oh, and one last thing in regards to our Record setting MEET N MINGLE. Take a good close look at this table:

 

 

This was the WINNING'EST Table I've ever seen lol. Featured on the immediate left is SPANKY, the leader of the table fixers. Just kidding, but seriously, they must've won 20 T Shirts, 2 bottles of liquor, and a free cruise for Pete Sake. Every time the Cruise Activities Manager pulled a ticket, these bastards took home gold. There will be a re-match Spanky & Gang! You're not out of the woods yet!

[texmex.ferr]

Hi Tim

 

Thanks for the review of your trip, now you need to get into some serious training before our TA in October. Just remember we have the drinks package for this trip too. Looking forward to meeting you onboard.

 

See you back on our roll call soon.... We've missed you.....:D;)

 

Margaret

[Chipmoose]

>I apologize, I don't recall who asked about Escargot, but I came as close >as I could to that info on the dining room menu board!

 

We just got off the Nov 8 sailing and although the escargot were not available early in the cruise, we enjoyed them late in the cruise.

 

This was our first cruise, and what a treat it was. Everything about the cruise exceeded all of our expectations, with one slight exception with the customs process leaving the ship to go into key west. Later in the cruise we went to a Q & A session with the ships officers, and the hotel manager apologized and promised that it would be done differently in the future. (too many folks needed to get off the ship for excursions and all lined up for customs in the same spot an hour ahead, lots of butting, no crowd control, and some tempers flaring). Once the customs agents finally started, it did go quickly)

 

The food in the MDR and the WJ was good to great, and the service by all the dining staff in both places and by our room steward was the best I have ever experienced. There were so may events on our at sea days that sometimes we missed things we really wanted to do in order to do something else.

 

Thankfully we did not have any of Tim's AC problems. We were all the way in the front on deck 4, and although our mattress was fine, we had a hard time sleeping thru the storm we went thru leaving Key West, quite a ride!

 

Cant wait to sail Royal again. :)

 

Mike & Jan

[emeraldcity]

Thanks again Twibes for the great review. I admire your restraint in dealing with your extreme issue and I'm delighted that RCI has offered your compensation. I wish you well on your future cruising.

 

You have set the standard for how to handle a cruise experience that is less than perfect and I commend you for it.

 

Chipmoose ... glad you had a great first cruise! RCI was my first, too ... and here I am over 25 year later counting down 27 more days until I get back on board.

[Twibes]

This was our first cruise, and what a treat it was. Everything about the cruise exceeded all of our expectations, with one slight exception with the customs process leaving the ship to go into key west. Later in the cruise we went to a Q & A session with the ships officers, and the hotel manager apologized and promised that it would be done differently in the future. (too many folks needed to get off the ship for excursions and all lined up for customs in the same spot an hour ahead, lots of butting, no crowd control, and some tempers flaring). Once the customs agents finally started, it did go quickly)

 

The food in the MDR and the WJ was good to great, and the service by all the dining staff in both places and by our room steward was the best I have ever experienced. There were so may events on our at sea days that sometimes we missed things we really wanted to do in order to do something else.

 

Thankfully we did not have any of Tim's AC problems. We were all the way in the front on deck 4, and although our mattress was fine, we had a hard time sleeping thru the storm we went thru leaving Key West, quite a ride!

 

Cant wait to sail Royal again. :)

 

Mike & Jan

 

I'm in agreement with you two also, great cruise minus my little A/C (Well it was kinda a big issue lol) issue.. I forgot to mention the Key West incident, didn't want to dwell on complications that normally happen but it's a good point.

 

In Key West, due to weather, we were shortened on our stay as well as docked on the military base which guaranteed you a 15 min each way trip, AKA 30 minutes round trip to get passed security and into the town. Taking that into considering, we had about 4 hours to be in Key West, maybe 5 if you push it, all the while subtracting that transport time from your visitation time.

 

Unfortunately, once docked, there were multiple trolley's outside with no cards, signs, nothing to say where they were headed or where the sheep should organize. Inside the ship, the line went from outside the theater, through the casino in a zigzagged direction, then extended far beyond that into the ship. Confusion and aggravation was high but, we got through it. My sympathies went out to multiple handicap shipmates who had difficulty with the trolleys or getting where they needed to go. From what I heard they did not fair well in Key West :(.

 

Again though, great cruise, literally no complaints what-so-ever aside from A/C and as stated multiple times, Royal stepped up to the plate and I was pleased with the response in the end.

 

My concerns initially with being on a smaller ship: GONE! As Mike and Jan said, we were NEVER bored. There were always at least 5 things going on every 15 minutes that you never were lost for activities. Grandeur was the perfect size and I'd gladly try her again.

[Twibes]

Thanks again Twibes for the great review. I admire your restraint in dealing with your extreme issue and I'm delighted that RCI has offered your compensation. I wish you well on your future cruising.

 

You have set the standard for how to handle a cruise experience that is less than perfect and I commend you for it.

 

Thank you! I hope to run into you on a cruise sometime, the earlier the better! ;)

[S&Slovecruises]

I have a question about Key West customs. Since Key West was your last port and you had to go through customs did you have to go through customs again in Baltimore?

 

Loved your review!

[Twibes]

I have a question about Key West customs. Since Key West was your last port and you had to go through customs did you have to go through customs again in Baltimore? !

 

We did the usual in Key West, walk up to an Officer holding your passport, he looks at you, and says have a nice day.

 

Once back in Baltimore, yes we had to walk through the customs desk but literally all we did was hand in the customs declaration form and walk by him. No real delays or worries once you're back in Baltimore.

[LMaxwell]

I could not find this thread the other day when I posted Granduer pics from Nassau (made a new thread). Feel free to use those pictures for yourself / vacation album. Thanks for this review. Fiancee loved seeing Izumi and can't wait to try it.

[Twibes]

I could not find this thread the other day when I posted Granduer pics from Nassau (made a new thread). Feel free to use those pictures for yourself / vacation album. Thanks for this review. Fiancee loved seeing Izumi and can't wait to try it.

 

Thanks! Photos from LMaxwell are here http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1944014

 

The photo with lifeboat ropes dangling, you can see me looking out over the pool deck railing!

[spanky]

Tim, I finally got caught up on your thread...excellent job and I would say Radio will be proud!

 

I am forbidden by the powers-that-be to even mentioning anything concerning possible prize-fixing, with that being said, it would have been nice if some of that luck was with us at the slot-pull, but like I said before, we did come back with some of our money and where else could you spend 2 hours gambling with $21...

 

It was great meeting you and Kelcey. I figured it was you when I saw you walking thru the Schooner Bar (even without the thong)! It was a great cruise and the Meet & Mingle was one of the best ones I've been to. My allergies cleared up for one night and I was able to do a song at karaoke...I was looking for you ;)

 

Oh, I might add...our trivia group, The Motley Cruisers, won the very first trivia (TV Themes), the Disco Trivia (34 out of 40) and with Magic Mike as the go-to, we tied for first at Classic Rock with a perfect score!! We won the key chains, disco rings and some kind of bag which we have no clue what to do with!!!

 

Spanky

 

Oh, and one last thing in regards to our Record setting MEET N MINGLE. Take a good close look at this table:

 

 

This was the WINNING'EST Table I've ever seen lol. Featured on the immediate left is SPANKY, the leader of the table fixers. Just kidding, but seriously, they must've won 20 T Shirts, 2 bottles of liquor, and a free cruise for Pete Sake. Every time the Cruise Activities Manager pulled a ticket, these bastards took home gold. There will be a re-match Spanky & Gang! You're not out of the woods yet!

Edited November 17, 2013 by spanky
add

[Yenom]

I apologize, I don't recall who asked about Escargot, but I came as close as I could to that info on the dining room menu board!

 

Escargots

 

IZUMI - The Very Best at Sea

Shown: Tuna Seared Tataki, Salmon Lovers Roll, and something with beef on it :)

 

 

Last Formal Night

 

Our Towel Visitors

 

 

 

 

I probably asked and those are it (I love how it reads "drenched" in...). I love those things. Last cruise, they kept putting them on the menu (electronic, compass, and the one they hand you), but then they would say they weren't available. Drove me crazy, but the chef and I figured out an alternative that ended up working ok (sort of nice to talk to the chef too).

 

Your review of the cruise was very good. Thank you! You made me think my A/C issues last time weren't quite as bad as I thought (only about 80 degrees for 3 days for me - then they sent a guy (3rd guy) that actually replaced a few parts and it worked great).

 

Your pics of Izumi has gotten me ready to run over there the 1st day (I LOVE sushi). Can't wait to be cruising in less than 10 days!

Edited November 17, 2013 by Yenom

[Andy&Mary]

Hi Tim - great comments on the cruise and I'm glad your A/C issues were finally resolved!

 

We were on the cruise too. We were in RFS 8584 and the size of the room and aft balcony were awesome! We loved the Concierge Lounge and Francis (concierge) and Desak (bartender/server)!! Only complaints on the room were the lack of outlets, a couple of drawers were starting to fall apart, and the master nightstand drawer and 2 closets did not have magnets. With the rough seas out of Nassau, there was a lot of banging until I used 3 pillows to block everything closed! We found the mattresses to be thin and the beds are low to the ground. It was noticeable but didn't bother us overly. (They were the same in both bedrooms.)

 

We ate lunch at Izumi on the last day and it was delicious. Food in the Windjammer (buffet) and dining room was excellent and we felt almost everything was better than our cruise 11 months ago on Celebrity Summit. All desserts were exceptional. Our waiters were much better than on Summit as well (Richard and Cyrus, table 327).

 

As expected, the public areas and Centrum look brand new and wonderful after the revitalization. I prefer the smaller ships (~2,000 passengers), however we found the public areas frequently very crowded and small for the number of passengers on this ship. For example, in order to see one of the aerial shows in the Centrum, we arrived an hour in advance and found chairs on Deck 5. With no bar or servers on that level, we walked to Deck 4 (R Bar) for drinks. Thankfully we had the Concierge Lounge and our own balcony for quieter times.

 

As Tim mentioned, disembarking in Key West was difficult. Scheduled for 10-6, we understand weather conditions that shortened the stop, but when it takes until almost noon to go through customs and take the trolley to town, RCCL shouldn't advertise the port arrival time as 10:00am. At the Captain's Q&A on the last day, they admitted there were issues with the process and were going to make changes for the next cruise.

 

I'll try to answer any other questions.

 

Mary

[Chipmoose]

Spanky,

 

From Tim's photo, I believe it was you that helped my wife and I with the trivia in the schooner bar, (Elvis Presley died in 1975)?

If so, thanks for your help!

Mike (& Jan)

[cropping cruiser]

Oh, and one last thing in regards to our Record setting MEET N MINGLE. Take a good close look at this table:

 

 

This was the WINNING'EST Table I've ever seen lol. Featured on the immediate left is SPANKY, the leader of the table fixers. Just kidding, but seriously, they must've won 20 T Shirts, 2 bottles of liquor, and a free cruise for Pete Sake. Every time the Cruise Activities Manager pulled a ticket, these bastards took home gold. There will be a re-match Spanky & Gang! You're not out of the woods yet![/quote

We were on fire for this cruise. It was great meeting everyone. We didn't need to buy wine for dinner.

Anne

[cropping cruiser]

Tim, I finally got caught up on your thread...excellent job and I would say Radio will be proud!

 

I am forbidden by the powers-that-be to even mentioning anything concerning possible prize-fixing, with that being said, it would have been nice if some of that luck was with us at the slot-pull, but like I said before, we did come back with some of our money and where else could you spend 2 hours gambling with $21...

 

It was great meeting you and Kelcey. I figured it was you when I saw you walking thru the Schooner Bar (even without the thong)! It was a great cruise and the Meet & Mingle was one of the best ones I've been to. My allergies cleared up for one night and I was able to do a song at karaoke...I was looking for you ;)

 

Oh, I might add...our trivia group, The Motley Cruisers, won the very first trivia (TV Themes), the Disco Trivia (34 out of 40) and with Magic Mike as the go-to, we tied for first at Classic Rock with a perfect score!! We won the key chains, disco rings and some kind of bag which we have no clue what to do with!!!

 

Spanky

 

I agree with Spanky. Great cruise !

Anne

[cropping cruiser]

Tim,

Great review. You never seemed upset about anything. Never would have guessed you had an a/c problem. Glad you received some compensation.

 

The beds did seem lower than usual. We couldn't fit suitcases under bed either.

Also, some one else commented about events in Centrum being crowded. I would agree that I did not enjoy those events. People would gather two hours early and if you had an issue with standing you were out of luck. We did put that on our comment card.

We did not have any problems with a/c except we did need to get a new theromostat. Once we mentioned to steward it was done in less than an hour.

Anne

[spanky]

Hey Mike, yes, that was me! After getting a cup of coffee, I was looking for Anne and got distracted by the question...I was happy to help although I did get "yelled at" from my wife because I was gone longer than expected ;)

 

Spanky/dave

 

Spanky,

 

From Tim's photo, I believe it was you that helped my wife and I with the trivia in the schooner bar, (Elvis Presley died in 1975)?

If so, thanks for your help!

Mike (& Jan)

[spanky]

The beds annoyed me...at first I couldn't get the suitcases underneath but then I got rough with the bed and pushed it to an angle...lifted it up and shoved the suitcase underneath...then I did the same for the other side. They weren't too bad to sleep in though. I will say that a few years ago on Explorer, we had new bedding and it was the MOST COMFORTABLE bed I ever slept in! Of course we haven't had a bed like that since...

 

Tim, I'm glad you were able to get something for your A/C troubles...especially since it was a legitimate problem.

 

The Centrum show that we went to with Anne...it was unreal how quickly it got crowded in there. Also the theater seems a bit too small and that row of seats in the upper level/rear...I don't think I would have been able to fit...

 

Spanky/dave

 

Tim,

Great review. You never seemed upset about anything. Never would have guessed you had an a/c problem. Glad you received some compensation.

 

The beds did seem lower than usual. We couldn't fit suitcases under bed either.

Also, some one else commented about events in Centrum being crowded. I would agree that I did not enjoy those events. People would gather two hours early and if you had an issue with standing you were out of luck. We did put that on our comment card.

We did not have any problems with a/c except we did need to get a new theromostat. Once we mentioned to steward it was done in less than an hour.

Anne

[Polomom]

Do you remember what time the dinner seatings are? I heard they were changed to 5:30 and 8:00.