Sailing on Grandeur-happy to answer any questions

[Janet524]

I don't think it was. I will check the compass. I will get them scanned and uploaded as soon as I can.

 

I believe WJ and Park cafe were the only ones open.

 

We're leaving on Grandeur 5/9. Would love to see the compasses before we go so we can do some planning. Thanks in advance for posting them.

[janice2348]

Here are some of the pics we took

 

Notice picture of the shuffleboard as requested, also pics of the damage on deck 10. Some onboard, pic of the Evergreen Trio.

 

Pics around St. Georges and of the smallest church and smallest drawbridge

 

 

Working on getting the copies of the compasses

[janice2348]

Here are the compasses, also map of our island tour, and brochures from the National Museum and St. Peter's church

 

maps and compasses.jpg

 

The rest of my review will be up shortly.

[janice2348]

Here is the rest of my review:

 

Day 2

Felt the engines humming all night. Interior cabin gives no sense of time-utterly pitch black. . Didn't leave the tv on the bridge channel as recommended and left the bathroom light on. Tonight we'll leave the tv on.

 

Got up around 8am. Beds are a little hard. But slept ok considering. Went to Windjammer for breakfast. Food was decent- had scrambled eggs, bacon,has browns and toast. Food is not hot. DH had the same. Noticed that drinks are pre-poured but you can get your own coffee? There is self serve coffee and tea outside on the pool deck. Also at dinner, rolls are served to you. Hand gel at every turn. Seems inconsistent to me. But the ship is spotless.

 

We did the Lafitte wine tasting. DH loved it but red wine is not my thing. Sommelier kept talking about Lafitte partnership with Robert Mondavi. They were out of the information packets so I was a little miffed. No guidance on eating what cheese or fruit with what wines. Left a lot to be desired.

 

We noticed also that some of the crew- especially our wait staff- seem tired. I have no doubt they are since they have been sanitizing the ship for two weeks. . Also MDR is hit and miss. Had scallop gratin as an appetizer- it was good but swimming in oil. DH had the lobster bisque. Our waiter didn't recommend it. DH had it; the waiter brought me a cup as well. It was pretty bad. No lobster even though menu stated " chunks of lobster?" Had the duck. Over cooked but tasted ok. I asked for appetizer size as I have before and waiter seemed confused. So I got full portion. I noticed that nothing was said if you don't finish. They usually ask if something is not to your liking and offer something else. Not tonight. DH had the filet of beef. He said it was good but nothing to rave about. Strawberry cheesecake was good ; skip the lemon meringue tart.

 

Listened to the Evergreen Trio. They are fabulous but if you don't like ballroom music you will be disappointed. Nice dance floor in the Centrum by the R bar. But seats fill up fast and are all in sets of four. There is seating around decks five and six but if you want to dance it's inconvenient.

I broke an acrylic nail yesterday (ugh) and made an appointment at the salon to have it repaired.

While she was very nice the tech didn't know what she was doing. Bad technique. ( I'm an ex nail tech). Took her half an hour. Eight layers of acrylic at a cost of $15. This was the only gold discount I could get. Well at least my nail is fixed.

Heading to the main show Greg London musical impressionist.

Tomorrow Bermuda.

 

Day 3 Bermuda

Greg London was a riot. He did impressions of Rod Stewart, Tom Jones, Ozzie Osbourne singing a duet with Kermit the Frog and more. Not to be missed- he had us dancing in the aisles. We went to the later show and I heard it was much more fun.

 

A word here about food. I know it is very subjective, but I have to say DH and I are truly disappointed. The chef on board now is German and I believe this shows in the food selections. German food is typically plain. Today they had a poolside barbecue. I believe it's the same as what is served on the private islands. Chicken, sausage, meatballs, German potato salad. It was just bland. Most of the meals are uninspired. It is obvious they are cutting corners. The head water is just sleazy. It's the only word I can use. It is obvious he is looking for a tip. He is so over the top and just makes me uncomfortable. They also push certain items not sure why. Tonight we had the tuna rivelles. It was pretty good. Then beef stroganoff. I dont know what this chef is thinking. Pickles, beets and no sour cream???? Not beef stroganoff. I make better food and that is just sad.

Ok... Desserts are also hit and miss. DH had the boston cream pie. He said it was ok. I saw bananas foster- love it. Flambed in rum and banana liqueur, right?. Ready?? Raw bananas and vanilla ice cream. Really???? OMG!!! I was just flabbergasted.

 

I truly think they are pushing people to the pay restaurants. I know this has been debated ad nauseum but I really believe this. If the food is bad everyone will pay for a good meal. We are probably going to Chops and Izumi. They have done their work

 

Relaxed in the solarium (hot tub) taking advantage of the empty ship. Then we went to the dockyard and went to the national/ maritime museum. Neat place but a lot of walking and stairs. Beautiful views! While we were there we shot some video at the dolphin encounter. One of them had a baby. So cute! Up early tomorrow for our island tour.

 

Day 4

Bermuda

 

The show last night, Full Access, was awful. I give them points for energy. There were some highlights. They did a Bob Fosse routine which was very good. Lots of Motown and Madonna. Girl trying to sing Alicia Keys Falling fell short. There is a very old crowd on this ship. I don't think they appreciated it. Hall of shame: lady in front of us put her bare feet up on the seat in front of her. Should have taken a picture.

People were walking out of the theatre because the singing was so bad.

 

 

Had French toast this morning. Crust was hard. DH had pancakes and said edges were hard. Toast burnt also. Bacon undercooked. I noticed that all the bread on board is hard as well.

 

Our Island Tour was great. I don't quite understand why they made us take a trolley 2 blocks to the bus stop. They used a local pink bus. We were packed in like sardines. Windows are small and can't see high up. Our driver NS Goddard was great. Very knowledgable and very funny! He took us places off the tour schedule (smallest church etc) and made several unscheduled stops. One lady complained the whole time cause someone took her seat. They weren't assigned. We went to Hamilton, then through all the parishes to St George's. Sweyne narrated the whole time and told funny childhood stories.

I'm not sure I would take a ship tour again here. Yes the guide took us places we probably wouldn't have seen but we were very cramped on the bus. Tour cost $156. Use your own judgement.

I forgot my photo ID and was afraid they wouldn't let me back on the ship. DH had to leave me there at the security building with a worried look. They had to look me up on the ship manifest. The lady doing it was very snippy. I'm guessing this happens all the time but they could have been nicer about it. Went to the windjammer for a late lunch. Again, bland food. We are going to try it for dinner tonight. At least we will have a variety. No one in the dining room seems to care. I haven't had a hot meal yet.

 

 

Tonight is the aerial show. And then they are playing big band music in the lounge. They are having a broadway review tomorrow. We are hoping it's better.

 

Dinner was ok. Had pork roast, pasta, tuna salad.

 

 

Day 5 Bermuda

Aerial show was ok- very short. Ship was rocking petty good last night. The Windjammer was better than the MDR. That says it all. I was a bit queasy last night. We skipped the big band music last night. I think it was a combination of rough seas, exhaustion and overindulgence. (Ice cream,wine and cheesecake)

 

Just hanging out on the pool deck today. Still pretty rough and getting cooler. Going to Chops tonight.

 

We have had issues getting our gold status perks. Bartenders keep giving us a hard time getting our 2/1 wine. Always a restriction. I am really getting disgusted. I know there has been a lot of debate over Rccl lately and I didn't really want to believe the negative reviews but other people on this cruise are saying the same things. Windjammer was packed last night and that says a lot. It's odd that all the food comes from the same kitchen.

A word about plumbing- as the week has gone on we have noticed delayed flushing not only in our cabin but in the public bathrooms. No sewer smells.

 

They are keeping the ship spotless. Hand gel everywhere even though it does nothing. In fact I think it contributes to the problem. No other special precaution and at this point no noro that we have heard of.

 

Have only heard the Evergreen trio at this point and the grandeur house band and both are great.

 

Day 5

Spent all day in the cabin with motion sickness. Lost day. Poor DH on his own. Said I didn't miss anything.

 

Day 6

Broke down and went to guest services and got meclazine.(thanks CC) figured I'd better show my face or they would get suspicious. I did not have noro. Queasy beads and motionease a no go. In fact couldn't stand the smell of the motionease.

Was finally able to eat. Went to WJ. Had pasta with leek sauce, ham salad, turkey stuffing with no turkey. It was ok. Skipped the farewell show. Never did get to Chops.

Early night as we are doing self disembark tomorrow.

 

Day 7

 

Up at 6 to be off the ship by 8.

Finality called at 7:30- half hour late. People already lined up in the hallways. Felt sorry for those who had flights.

Long line deck 1. As we were on deck 2 this was our deck to disembark. Waiting while crew disembarked. Not well organized. Long line into customs but much faster. Off the ship and on the road 8:15. So much for express.

 

Some tips:

Shower pressure great. Start shower after you close curtain or you will have a flood. Lots of storage space- no need for over door hanger.

Delayed flushing but no smells

Beds hard as a rock. Wanted to get egg crate but DH didn't want one.

Don't think the thermostat does anything.

Room steward never cleaned the toilet. Bare minimum service

No room service menu in cabin or on tv

If you have thick long hair bring your own hairdryer.

Interior cabin pitch black. Bring a flashlight. But good for sleeping

 

Windjammer was hit and miss. No cutting in lines or grabbing food with hands. Fellow cruisers were mostly over 50 and very courteous.

Loud music on pool deck on big screen starting 7 am. Not sure why?? Especially with the older crowd

Chair hogs with no enforcement. Did not have to check out towels. Too cool for outdoor pool IMO.

Nothing much to do on the ship. Very few announcements from captain.

 

Staff cleaned up and kept decks clean. Rust stains on front of ship. They were painting as we were leaving.

Noticed a lot of peeling paint.

Damage to deck 10 covered over.

 

Be careful with magnets. They will deactivate your sea pass. (3 times) finally got a lanyard

Make sure you bring photo ID ashore.

 

MDR mostly miss. Service bare minimum or overbearing. This was to be the highlight of our cruise and sadly fell short

 

Crew was just not into it. Fellow passenger told us wait staff told him they do not see a lot of the auto tips (traditional dining) and they are pissed off. This makes me wonder why we have to auto tip

 

Go to the pool and solarium on shore days. We had it to ourselves.

 

Not sure express disembark was worth it.

 

We are thinking next time River Cruise. Not impressed and have heard other lines are also cutting back.

 

Before you say I only want to complain, we really wanted to love this cruise. After our cruise experience on Enchantment we hoped recent negative reviews were wrong. There were some high points but most involved Bermuda itself. We had great weather and the views are breath taking. We enjoyed learning about the history and culture.

 

This review is only my opinion. Take what I have said along with what others have said and decide for yourself. Others on this cruise were saying much the sane as me. Others may have loved it.

 

I am pretty sure we are done with Royal Caribbean. We are looking at a River Cruise down the line. Maybe that is more our speed. I feel we have given Royal a fair chance and it's time to move on.

 

If I have missed any questions please ask and I will be happy to answer.

Edited May 3, 2014 by janice2348

[Harooni]

i can see how some could get bored if having traveled on it quite a bit and then start to nit pick at things. its understandable . i had a very good experience and for what i paid for it , i guess that made it worth it for me. i loved the remodel and everything went smooth i thought the weather could have been better but RC has no control over that. staff was great it was clean and the food was pretty good i thought ,again for what i paid total.

[Shabot]

Then beef stroganoff. I dont know what this chef is thinking. Pickles, beets and no sour cream???? Not beef stroganoff.

 

Beef Stroganoff is one of my favorite foods. Royal Caribbean Beef Stroganoff... it's pretty weird. I used to try to schedule specialty restaurants for that night.

 

I thought they got rid of it, even.

[janice2348]

i can see how some could get bored if having traveled on it quite a bit and then start to nit pick at things. its understandable . i had a very good experience and for what i paid for it , i guess that made it worth it for me. i loved the remodel and everything went smooth i thought the weather could have been better but RC has no control over that. staff was great it was clean and the food was pretty good i thought ,again for what i paid total.

 

I am glad you enjoyed it. Not nitpicking, just honest opinion. As I said everyone has a different experience. I don't think the service or the food were worth what we paid. Bermuda was beautiful. Rough weather on the way back did magnify things I'm sure.

[janice2348]

Beef Stroganoff is one of my favorite foods. Royal Caribbean Beef Stroganoff... it's pretty weird. I used to try to schedule specialty restaurants for that night.

 

I thought they got rid of it, even.

 

I wish they would along with the lobster bisque::eek:

Not sure if they think that food isn't that important but to us it is.

[Ivana Cruise]

Here are the compasses, also map of our island tour, and brochures from the National Museum and St. Peter's church

 

maps and compasses.jpg

 

The rest of my review will be up shortly.

 

Thanks so much for the review! All I see is the map on the link, no compasses? Am I doing something wrong?

[butternut1]

janice2348 - Thank you so much for taking the time to do the review. I am so sorry that the cruise wasn't what you were hoping for. I know that you were so excited to go and I feel badly that the ship wasn't a more enjoyable experience for you. I am happy that you enjoyed Bermuda though. We have never sailed on Royal Caribbean but are booked on the Oasis next year. We had thought about booking the Grandeur for 2016 out of Baltimore but I think we will hold out for a while. Again, thanks so much for posting your experiences. I hope that your next cruise will be great and you will come home with some wonderful memories.

[janice2348]

Thanks so much for the review! All I see is the map on the link, no compasses? Am I doing something wrong?

 

No not you. Looks like I'll have to redo it. It's giving me problems.

[janice2348]

janice2348 - Thank you so much for taking the time to do the review. I am so sorry that the cruise wasn't what you were hoping for. I know that you were so excited to go and I feel badly that the ship wasn't a more enjoyable experience for you. I am happy that you enjoyed Bermuda though. We have never sailed on Royal Caribbean but are booked on the Oasis next year. We had thought about booking the Grandeur for 2016 out of Baltimore but I think we will hold out for a while. Again, thanks so much for posting your experiences. I hope that your next cruise will be great and you will come home with some wonderful memories.

 

Thank you butternut1. I'm hoping my review will help others decide as well. We did enjoy Bermuda but as far as cruising I don't think it's for us. Glad I could be of help.

[janice2348]

My apologies for the bad link for the compasses. I will try to redo it by tomorrow.

[Ivana Cruise]

My apologies for the bad link for the compasses. I will try to redo it by tomorrow.

 

No problem! Thank You so much!

[Harooni]

I am glad you enjoyed it. Not nitpicking, just honest opinion. As I said everyone has a different experience. I don't think the service or the food were worth what we paid. Bermuda was beautiful. Rough weather on the way back did magnify things I'm sure.

 

yes , i totally understand , because it wasnt the best and its not a new ship and again we may have paid different amounts, i got a very good deal maybe you didnt. so you are entitled to your opinion, and i dont mean this in an sarcastic way.

 

I work in a upscale condo building and whenever someone comes in for the first time they say wow how nice and this and that, but i have residents that have been there a while and start to see the short comings and the not so great parts and complain to me day and night. lol so i was just thinking the more someone goes the more they notice these short comings i guess.

[janice2348]

yes , i totally understand , because it wasnt the best and its not a new ship and again we may have paid different amounts, i got a very good deal maybe you didnt. so you are entitled to your opinion, and i dont mean this in an sarcastic way.

 

I work in a upscale condo building and whenever someone comes in for the first time they say wow how nice and this and that, but i have residents that have been there a while and start to see the short comings and the not so great parts and complain to me day and night. lol so i was just thinking the more someone goes the more they notice these short comings i guess.

 

I totally agree. Just saw a tremendous difference from two years ago. It's just like I said before, everyone has a different experience. Thank you for your opinion; it is just as valid as mine.

[janice2348]

No problem! Thank You so much!

 

Happy to do it. Technology is great when it works right :rolleyes:

[schlimazel_traveler]

Oh, dear. I'm sorry to hear about your experience. We're sailing the same itinerary in a few weeks. I hope the crew has a chance to recharge but I can't imagine how they would.

 

Nothing much to do on the ship.

 

That is particularly distressing to hear. Were there not the usual evening entertainments, like Quest and the Love and Marriage game? Dance lessons, trivia games, karaoke?

 

I know that stuff is cheesy, but my family liked it on our previous cruise on Enchantment, and it was sorely missing when we tried an all-inclusive resort instead this year. Can you clarify what you thought was missing?

[rclibertygirl5]

Thanks for your honest review. Do you happen to remember the order of the dining room menus? We will be on Grandeur in August and I am trying to plan our specialty restaurants. Thanks for your help!

[janice2348]

Oh, dear. I'm sorry to hear about your experience. We're sailing the same itinerary in a few weeks. I hope the crew has a chance to recharge but I can't imagine how they would.

 

 

 

That is particularly distressing to hear. Were there not the usual evening entertainments, like Quest and the Love and Marriage game? Dance lessons, trivia games, karaoke?

 

I know that stuff is cheesy, but my family liked it on our previous cruise on Enchantment, and it was sorely missing when we tried an all-inclusive resort instead this year. Can you clarify what you thought was missing?

 

Yes they did have all of those things. Not much of anything during the day. I will be posting the compasses later today. I would like to see more cultural things and less money grubbing activities. We aren't into Quest, etc. it seems that most activities require that you pay extra. Just MHO.

[janice2348]

Thanks for your honest review. Do you happen to remember the order of the dining room menus? We will be on Grandeur in August and I am trying to plan our specialty restaurants. Thanks for your help!

 

We only spent three nights in the dining room; I was unable to get copies of the menus. I believe there is a thread somewhere on here that lists the menus. I believe the first was ****ake. They have a new touch screen system where you can look up the menus. Sorry I couldn't be of more help.

[seeshore]

Janice-Thanks so much for your honest review. Could you please tell me which food service venues are open for a late night snack? Thanks!

[AeroBaldness]

Janice-Thanks so much for your honest review. Could you please tell me which food service venues are open for a late night snack? Thanks!

 

Park Cafe was open late night. I had an awesome coney dog after watching late night comedy one night and so OK pizza after The Quest. My son typically had 4th meal there around midnight each day.

[Clarea]

Janice-Thanks so much for your honest review. Could you please tell me which food service venues are open for a late night snack? Thanks!

Park Cafe and room service.

[Harooni]

the only real complaint i had was the not being able to keep tabs on your account in the room tv to know what you are spending. and my cabin steward was a little lazy. but i just roll with small stuff so as to not spoil my time. if you have a positive attitude and know nothing is perfect you will have a good time. unless everything goes wrong then yeah i wouldnt blame anyone for not wanting to travel it again.