Would love to hear about Grandeur of the Seas

[bubba83]

Our son enjoyed Adventure Ocean. We took him on his (and our) first cruise last year on Grandeur - you can see our review and the AO compasses in my signature (need to login from PC, not the app to see the links). The pool is kind of divided, so the shallow portion is great for little kids (if they are out of diapers). Our son lived there. Also, our son did not like MDR, but we found a few tables just outside WJ where you had great views of the ocean. We ate there almost every night. It was also close to the free ice cream machine - we all loved that, a bit too much...lol

 

We hit some rough water just outside Chesapeake Bay, and there was some motion - we were on deck 8 forward. Based on the comments we heard, the motion was felt throughout the ship. I loved deck 8, so close to pool deck. If you are in panoramic, you are near Centrum, so there may be a little noise during events. But, you are in the middle of ship, so short walk to forward where WJ and Adventure Ocean, and short walk aft to Spa, Solerium, MDR, theatre, etc.

 

Enjoy your cruise - you have a long wait, but it will pass quickly. We booked our Thanksgiving cruise last Oct, and we finally board tomorrow. :)

 

 

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thank you for your feedback...I show my kids pictures and videos of cruises all the time....getting them super excited, HAHA! When we sail RC will have (maybe they do now) something called like "My family time dinning" where you eat in the MDR for the first sitting...the kiddos meals are pushed quicker, and within 45 minutes staff from adventure ocean come and pick them up so the parents can enjoy a normal lenght meal in the MDR....I love the expierence of eating in the MDR so hopefully my kiddos can last the 45 minutes :)

 

Im anxious to see what the weather will be like in April....we will be at sea the first two days so hopefully we can enjoy the pools/hot tubs during those days....heck give me enough drinks it wont feel cold at all:D

[xtremegk]

This will be our first time on Granduer as well, but we have to wait all the way until April 2016 when we get to board her! So far we have a group of 11 I think booked, would love to get more, but the prices are just going up vs the deal we got when we booked.

 

We will be on deck 8 as well in a panoramic ocean view....my first ocean view!!

Those who have stayed on deck 8, do you feel much motion?

We will also have our daughters with us who will be 3 and 5.5 at the time and I really hope they enjoy Adventure Ocean as there really wont be much more for them to do on the ship other than swim....its a 10 day cruise too!

 

Motion on Deck 8 is not horrible at all. We sailed in a Deck 8 Panoramic Oceanview over Labor Day, you will LOVE it. Location is perfect, right outside the elevators, but with a wall separating you from the Centrum, so there's no noise. There's a window sill that's a perfect bench...several times during sea days, I just sat on it, put my feet up and cracked open a book.

[roseshayit]

Following this thread. Will be on Grandeur next summer and can't wait! Very happy to hear dis/embarkation is easy in Baltimore.

[RSLeesburg]

thank you for your feedback...I show my kids pictures and videos of cruises all the time....getting them super excited, HAHA! When we sail RC will have (maybe they do now) something called like "My family time dinning" where you eat in the MDR for the first sitting...the kiddos meals are pushed quicker, and within 45 minutes staff from adventure ocean come and pick them up so the parents can enjoy a normal lenght meal in the MDR....I love the expierence of eating in the MDR so hopefully my kiddos can last the 45 minutes :)

 

Im anxious to see what the weather will be like in April....we will be at sea the first two days so hopefully we can enjoy the pools/hot tubs during those days....heck give me enough drinks it wont feel cold at all:D

 

 

Yes. They had My Family Time Dining for our cruise, and we signed up for it, but never got the chance to use it. Our son was a bit overwhelmed with the MDR - too loud and too many people, so we left early the first night and never went back. Plus, I am not sure if it was sea air, all the sun, all the time in pool, or combo of all three, but by 3-4pm he was spent, and started falling asleep in the cabin. A few days, we would never have made to MDR for the early seating. This next cruise we went with MTD, so we have flexibility to go when we want. We may have him eat at WJ or go to Adventure Dining, and then my wife and I will go to MDR or go to one of the specialty dining places.

 

We went in late September, and our son was in pool the first seas day...lol. I would think in April, you should be able to use pool on first day.

 

 

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[Whitnee1]

Will be sailing the Grandeur fornthe first time in March and agree Baltimore is a breeze. A couple of quick questions. I understand that since refurb the balcony dividers do not open :mad:? I don't know why all ships do not enable this feature as it makes it so nice when traveling with multiple cabins. Also does anyone know if the balcony cabins have a mini fridge in the room? Not the cold plate type but an actual fridge??

[beachseeker]

We are looking at a cruise on the Grandeur to Bermuda. We are currently on the Vision in a GS. The bed is the hardest bed in all of our cruises. We talked to the room steward and Concierge and they put extra comforters under the mattress protector but it did not help. Many, many people are complaining about the hard beds on board. Can anyone give me information on the mattresses on the Grandeur, especially in a GS?

 

Also, since the ships are similar avoid 8508. The noise from the WJ starting about 5:30 is very loud. First cruise that I do not feel rested after a week at sea.

 

Appreciate any information on the beds.

[RSLeesburg]

We are looking at a cruise on the Grandeur to Bermuda. We are currently on the Vision in a GS. The bed is the hardest bed in all of our cruises. We talked to the room steward and Concierge and they put extra comforters under the mattress protector but it did not help. Many, many people are complaining about the hard beds on board. Can anyone give me information on the mattresses on the Grandeur, especially in a GS?

 

 

 

Also, since the ships are similar avoid 8508. The noise from the WJ starting about 5:30 is very loud. First cruise that I do not feel rested after a week at sea.

 

 

 

Appreciate any information on the beds.

 

 

We were in 8514 last year and the bed was fine, but that may be a subjective thing. We are on board Grandeur right now - just boarded this morning. We are in another GS - will check out bed when they let us in.

 

 

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[bubba83]

I am happy to read all this, about her:D

Set to sail on her 10 days April 2015.

Also, happy to only drive to the port, going the day before and staying at a parksleepcruise hotel ( a few dollars cheaper than parking at the port and a chance to explore the inner harbor):D

 

 

Are you doing a 10 day western? I would be interested in hearing your experience with weather and everything since we are doing a 10 day western on Granduer in April 2016:)

[bubba83]

We were in 8514 last year and the bed was fine, but that may be a subjective thing. We are on board Grandeur right now - just boarded this morning. We are in another GS - will check out bed when they let us in.

 

 

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Enjoy your cruise :D

[jules71]

Sailed the Grandeur in September. We chose it because of the ease of being able to drive to the port and the opportunity to go to Bermuda. We had an outside on Deck 2. Most of our previous cruises have been in balconies on bigger ships, so we were wondering how we would like it. We loved it! The smaller ship was so much easier to get around. Surprisingly, the elevators were never crowded. We liked all the entertainment in the Centrum --just gave a nice Vibe to the ship. We like the bigger ships with promenades too, but there were a few times late in the evening when we wondered where everyone was!

 

We enjoyed the movies on the deck. The cruise director and his staff were great --enjoyed the activities on the sea days. We didn't go to every show, but enjoyed the ones we did attend. Thought the main dining room food and service was very good. Didn't try any of the speciality restaurants. Loved Bermuda, just wish we had been there a little longer.

 

We liked the Grandeur so much we booked her again for next September.

 

PS Biggest surprise: We didn't miss the balcony.

[BND]

Everything in Baltimore is easy-embark, debark, location of the port. We've cruised out of Baltimore 5 times, 3 times on GR. We really like GR. Crew is very friendly and it's not terribly crowded. We've been on deck 8 all 3 trips in JS. Easy ship to use stairs since it's not huge. One of my complaints is with the addition of Park Cafe they took out lots of loungers and put in tables which means less loungers and they're all in the sun. We always enjoyed loungers on the sides in the shade so we don't even us the Solarium anymore. Plenty of shade on deck 9 and 10 though so we just find a spot and hang out. We've eaten in Giovanni's twice and really enjoyed it.

 

Our other complaint is the lack of use of the big screen on the pool deck. They show a stupid slide show of sea/beach scenes all day long. At least in March we had the morning CD show and some comedy (like candid camera) skits, but a couple of weeks ago, it was all beach/ocean scenes and then a few football games and movies at night. What a waste of a screen. They didn't even show the Cowboys game from London which really suprised me.

 

Our entertainment was outstanding all week.

Edited November 22, 2014 by BND

[DC2OC]

Just off the ship yesterday and had a great time.

Friendly crew, Enjoyed the entertainment ,lots of sea views and plenty of tables to enjoy them. Food in MDR decent and also enjoyed the Park Café in Solarium .

They have a lunch time buffet in Giovanni's for twenty bucks that included sparkling wine drinks and felt it was not worth the money . Shrimp and meat picked out of the pasta dishes . would rather be served at the table at extra fee venues

............Frank

Edited November 22, 2014 by DC2OC

[CruisingBNFAB]

Good afternoon!

 

We will be on deck 3 for Eastern Caribbean on Grandeur of the Seas 4/28/2015.

 

Jim

[firestopr]

we just got off the Granduer. If your 3 year old is potty trained the adveture ocean should work well for you however if your little one still requires diapers (like our 16 month old did) i Caution you there is very very little for your toddler to do. they do have structured baby sitting for a fee, and a small block of open play time in the nursery, they also have a small bags of toys that can be borrowed. However there is no events or activities planned for you to engage in WITH your toddler. For us we wanted to spend time with our children not just drop them off in day care(we could have left them home for all that and saved the cost of a ticket.)add that to no pool use for the little ones in diapers and it can be a very difficult cruise for a toddler. if you're port heavy and bring things to off set the lack of young kids activities (small blow up tub to splash in on the pool deck and ample toys,books, and games.) you can make due we expected the ship to have some under three activities planned thanks to a less then honest booking agent, however we planned for no pool with a blow up tub and we booked excursions that our whole family could do.

 

As an adult, the ship is wonderful and i have nothing to say negative about the ship or her crew. Baltimore was great (getting off using self departure was hilarious and i would advise against it at all costs).

 

the only real issues i had not including my little one had to do with other cruisers which RCCL has nothing at all they can do to control.

[Rogueperson]

I will be on the Grandeur in 27 days. I'm looking forward to this. I was on the Carnival Pride 2 years ago so it will be interesting to see how they compare. The Pride set a high bar. We shall see how they compare.

 

 

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[RSLeesburg]

I will be on the Grandeur in 27 days. I'm looking forward to this. I was on the Carnival Pride 2 years ago so it will be interesting to see how they compare. The Pride set a high bar. We shall see how they compare.

 

 

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Please post a comparison after you sail.

 

 

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[Candleonwater]

Just got off Grandeur Saturday. Here are my Pros and Cons.

 

Pros:

Size - I'm a fan of the large ships, but loved this small ship

Dining room lunch on sea days - love the salad bar

VCL - cozy place to curl up and read a book

Embarkation - usually one of the first to board, this time showed up mid day, walked right on

Escargot

 

Cons:

Odors at the back of the ship. Not horrible, but bad enough.

Lounge noise & thumping in aft cabin - knew to expect this, so I brought ear plugs... does nothing for the thumping.

Diamond Lounge - the coffee maker was out of service more than it was wasn't

Missed the only aerial show of the week, something broke so they weren't able to perform during the "revel" show the last night

Disembarkation - carried our bags off for the first time, that was a mess.

Library - poor selection, but still found 2 books to read. Also added a dozen paperbacks to their collection

Casino - boring slot machine selection

Staff trying to pass the buck. Was continuously told my Diamond benefits weren't on my card, to go see Guest Relations. Of course, Guest Relations said my card was fine each time.

[DragonOfTheSeas]

We have been on Grandeur several times. We like they ship a lot and really like Baltimore. It is a few hours from us and any easy port to navigate. [pun intended]

 

We were on the cruise were GOTS repositioned to Baltimore [i know that was over a year ago --but, the ship has not changed its appearance]. I did a picture review of that cruise. This is the link--starting with page 2 [where the pictures of the ship begin]

 

Also, skip down to where I discuss the noise from above. We had a JS [deck 8] that was under the "flight path" of carts going to the Park Cafe. Think of what the grocery cart sounds like when it goes across the rumble strip at the curb. We were on a 10 day W Caribbean in March of this year and we made sure to be on the other side of the ship. [no noise] :D

 

The GOTS is a smaller ship but we do not miss the bells and whistles.

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1838382&page=2

[American Bear]

Just booked a cruise on Grandeur of the Seas. Can anyone tell me some things you liked about this ship? I know it was just refurbished, Thanks for any info!!

 

Let me put it simply for you, the Grandeur was Grand enough that we took her 2x in a 4 week period! Classy ship!:D

[webteach]

Love this ship! Take us with you. The crew is wonderful, entertainment usually good to great. We drive down to Harris Teeter just to wave when she is in.

[GoldenDomer]

We were on the recent Grandeur Thanksgiving sailing. For absolute economy, our family of four [daughter 11 and son 12] opted for an interior stateroom with two uppers. Tight quarters for sure, but we managed better than I had expected. To alleviate the stateroom shower assembly line congestion, I found that I could relive my college dorm days by bringing a change of clothes and my Dopp bag to the Vitality spa on deck 9 and use their more than spacious shower facilities to clean up. It was really convenient. I hope this option is available on other RCCL ships, as I would take advantage of it again on future voyages.

[livinginyellow]

I was also on the Thanksgiving sailing. This was such a great ship. Plenty of things to do, not too big for a first cruise, didn't feel cramped. The staff is amazing. We had MTD and the waiter we had the last two nights made my BF laugh and laugh. And Kevin in the Schooner bar is worth a cruise alone. He is awesome!

 

The only complaint I had is if you don't get off the ship much (I only got off for a full day at CocoCay and about 4 hours in Nassau meaning we skipped Canaveral and obviously that itinerary had Key West cancelled) it IS easy to run out of things to do. I will say by Thursday (and we were getting off of the ship on Saturday) I was a little bored and may have just spent the morning in my room the last two days. This shouldn't be a problem if the full itinerary is available to you. I still didn't do everything - I completely missed rock climbing, never saw the aerial show and a few other things. Regardless, great ship and we are already thinking about going back soon!

[stellarose]

We were on the recent Grandeur Thanksgiving sailing. For absolute economy, our family of four [daughter 11 and son 12] opted for an interior stateroom with two uppers. Tight quarters for sure, but we managed better than I had expected. To alleviate the stateroom shower assembly line congestion, I found that I could relive my college dorm days by bringing a change of clothes and my Dopp bag to the Vitality spa on deck 9 and use their more than spacious shower facilities to clean up. It was really convenient. I hope this option is available on other RCCL ships, as I would take advantage of it again on future voyages.

 

We have an interior with the two uppers. Did your kids use those? My 10 and 12 year old are worried about uppers. Love the idea of shower in spa. Thanks.

[petel]

That might not be too bad. We also sailed on Grandeur in GS on deck 8, and the noise we mostly heard was deck chairs being moved (dragged across deck) - so, if there are no deck chairs above you cabin, it might be a bit quieter. Similar to the PP, we heard a little noise, but it was not that bad.

 

 

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For the record.....deck chairs are to be lifted, not dragged. One chat with the Facilities Manager will get that fixed. There should be no crew noise heard on deck 8. WJ guest noise stops around midnight. Pax noise happens everywhere but the cabins usually block it out. If you are a very light sleeper you may notice some short time noise but all in all the cabins are much quieter than any hotel....IMHO

We are always on deck 8 on Vision class ships.

[GoldenDomer]

We have an interior with the two uppers. Did your kids use those? My 10 and 12 year old are worried about uppers. Love the idea of shower in spa. Thanks.

 

Indeed they did. My son is 5'8'' and my daughter is 5'2'' and both had no problems getting in an out of the upper berths with the ladders provided by the stateroom attendant. Our bed below was in the queen configuration, and as a result required us to crawl in and out via the front of the bed as the bedside passages were blocked by the upper berths. Again really not an issue for me or my wife. I'll also suggest you get a few small cheap flashlights for late night trips to the bathroom as it nearly pitch black in an interior stateroom. I affixed carabiners to my children's flashlights so they could hang them securely on the small wall shelf at the head of the upper berths.