Well, we gave it a shot but I think we're heading back to DCL

[Smurfette27]

We just got off the Grandeur yesterday, following a Bahamas cruise to Port Canaveral, CocoCay, Nassau and Key West. Having sailed 4 previous times with Disney (Dream, Fantasy and Wonder), we thought we'd save on airfare for a family of 4 and drive the 8hrs from Ottawa to Baltimore. On top of that, it was much cheaper to cruise on the Grandeur than on DCL. We figured what the heck, let's give it a try!

 

We went into it with expectations set... we were sailing on a smaller, older ship (although updated) without as many amenities as we're used to which we were completely fine with because that's not high on our list of priorities. What is high on our list is customer service, cleanliness and the overall general 'feel' or experience.

 

First let me tell you what we really liked about sailing on the Grandeur...

 

- She was small and easy to get around. I loved having our balcony room on the 7th deck where we could easily walk up to the pool deck, Windjammer and Ocean Adventure for my 9yr old son.

- Ocean Adventure doesn't have computers and is a much smaller space than what we're used to with DCL. Sounds odd that these are good things but my son actively took part in all kinds of activities on the Grandeur but usually stuck to drawing/coloring and playing video games with other kids on DCL. I have to say that he LOVED going to OA and he was always sad to leave!

- I was impressed with the size of our balcony stateroom. Save for the split bath (which I missed immensely!), it's comparable to the size of the same type room with DCL.

- I really liked the Centrum area. It was really nice sitting there with a drink (or 2, or 3!) before dinner and listen to the live music.

- It was great that the Solarium pool opened up for kids on the cool weather days... it was super windy and cold sailing out and heading back to Baltimore so it was nice that they had a place to swim since the pool on the main pool deck was freezing.

- We purchased the drink package that gave us mixed cocktails, beer and wine (can't remember what it was called now). It was great not having to worry about the extra cost, knowing that we had budgeted for it ahead of time. I have to say that the bar staff was not skimpy at all with the amount of alcohol in the drinks.

- CocoCay was great! We were the only ship docked there (I had heard horror stories about having too many people there with 2 ships in port). The water wasn't as nice and clear of seaweed as Castaway Cay but I really liked how there was so much space and chair availability. The kids loved playing on the giant blowup slide so it was worth forking over $50 on it.

 

Here's what I was disappointed about...

 

- Although AO was great for my 9yr old, my 12 yr old daughter was part of the teens group (12-17). There's a huge difference between a 12 yr old and a 17yr old... even a 15yr old and I didn't feel comfortable having her with that group. All they ever seemed to do in that small room was just hang out looking bored. They did things like "Hottie Search" (yes, that was actually an event listed in the daily planner that according to the staff there, involved looking for guests that looked like 'hot celebrities').

- Unfriendly staff - Many were great... our stateroom host was always pleasant and always greeted us with a smile. The AO staff too were great. The bar staff except for the one girl in Schooner Bar seemed to be tired or annoyed most of the time. They were better up at the pool bar though. The people working the Park Cafe seemed like the most miserable people out there. They wouldn't even say a word to you or crack a smile. Once when I ordered a roast beef sandwich (which was delicious!), he just told me I was in the wrong line, although there was no other guests there other than me. I went over to the other side where the other guy just did a head nod instead of asking what I wanted.

- Lack of utensil availability - there were so many mornings where it was as if guests were standing around the utensil area like vultures just waiting for staff to bring utensils so we could eat. That sort of thing is just unacceptable to me.

- Lack of food availability - I have to say that we are not big eaters and we don't go on cruises for the food although I do like good quality stuff. I just found it odd that there were times where you couldn't get simple things like a small bag of chips to nibble on, or a late night snack of a small slice of pizza for the kids. On CocoCay, we showed up for lunch at 1:15 and all that was left were a handful of hotdogs, a few broken up burgers, a bit of soggy coleslaw and no ketchup or mustard. Really... no condiments for your hotdog or broken burger. :( Lastly, I was disappointed about the options of drinks at the bars on CocoCay. I don't drink beer and will have wine with dinner but I was so looking forward to some frozen cocktails or other mixed drinks while at CocoCay... it was one of the reasons why we purchased the drink package but sadly, all they had was CocoLoco that was served out of grubby, orange coolers.

- Food in general (except the roast beef sandwich on pretzel bun which was delicious!) was just 'ok' to us. I know this is a highly subjective topic but we thought it was far superior on DCL.

- Shows were disappointing... we didn't even have the aerialists that are the talk of the Grandeur! :eek: One night we had the guy that wrote and sang the theme from Happy Days and that's all he talked about and sang about for an hour. He was a pleasant, happy guy but enough with the Happy Days stuff already. He even did a "what if other singers sang Happy Days" segment where he tried to impersonate people like Mick Jagger and Ray Charles singing the theme song. Sadly, it got tiring pretty quickly.

- No accountability for big mixup when docking at Key West... this was my biggest issue while on the cruise. So in the compass for that day, it said that all non-US citizens (we're Canadian) were to show up at the main dining room on deck 4 at 8:45am to go through immigration. We show up with all of our stuff for the day, along with other non-US citizens and the staff at the dining room are just perplexed about us being there. We explain that we were told to go there and the one officer lady (Natalie) just kept telling us we all must have made a mistake because they're just wrapping up breakfast service and to take a seat in the Centrum area. We all go back and sit down as told but after a 10-15 minutes of waiting I go up to Guest Services to ask where we're supposed to go (we had a private chartered boat tour at 11am and it was now 9:20 and the kids were hungry since we thought we'd grab something small to eat after getting off the ship. Guest Services tells us (and shows us on the compass) that it's 8:45 at the dining room so I go back down and speak to Natalie... I'm getting worried that we won't make it in time for our private charter as it's now 9:30 and we have to take a cab to Stock Island. I explain to her that Guest Services told me to go to the main dining room and she flat out tells me "no they didn't, it's never 8:45am". That started to get me angry so I explain that we are all waiting around with nobody taking any accountability about this issue... there was a group of about 30 of us now without anyone helping us. When I told her that everyone's compass said to be there at 8:45, she again cut me off and told me no. I told her that it was written in the compass and she said "then go get it". I couldn't believe it. Really, all she had to do was call Guest Services to settle this. I went back up and got the compass, and brought it down to show her that we weren't all mistaken. She ends up just telling us that it's a misprint and that we needed to go take a seat. As I explained to her, I wasn't upset about the misprint... hey, mistakes happen. I was just incredibly disappointed with her reaction to all of us and her unwillingness to take accountability or ownership of this issue. This is the sort of thing that would really never happen with Disney.

 

- There were many other little things that added up together just didn't give us that good, overall experience we were looking for. Our desk was never wiped down from the first night when my son left a lollipop on it... the toilet in our stateroom only flushed when it felt like it, no joke sometimes it would flush 5 minutes after we tried (at least it flushed, I would have been mortified calling in our stateroom host!)... if you didn't position the toilet paper directly in the center of the toilet, it wouldn't flush down with the water... bags of linen and room service were left out for long periods of time in the hallways... although the staff was pleasant and friendly, service at both Giovanni's and Chops was sub par... we had to wait a really long time for our drinks to come and we even missed a course at Giovanni's because it was taking so long.

 

So all in all, we had a great vacation and I REALLY enjoyed the ports of call... my favorite being Key West, but although I wasn't expecting the extras we get with DCL, I assumed the staff and service would be the same or close to the same. Maybe it would be different on a larger RCI ship?? I don't know... I guess it is true that you get what you pay for. An 8-night cruise on the Grandeur cost us $3500 including gratuities where with DCL, a 7-night cost us $4700 plus gratuities. In speaking to some other guests who were 'loyal royals', they've seen a decline in the service and quality. I guess it's all a business and you have to offer competitive pricing where DCL has a very defined niche of customers that they don't really have as many worries about competition especially since they only have 4 ships and "Disney lovers" will cruise with them just because it's Disney and you know what to expect with their product whether it's at one of their parks or one of their cruise ships.

 

Wow, this was a long post but I didn't want it to sound like I was just "trashing" RCI without providing examples or insight into things. I hope it doesn't come across that way.

 

Our cruise was WAY better than anything we would have been doing at home this past week and we had a great time together as a family which is what I was looking for!:cool:

[BekkaW]

I'm sorry to hear you had a less than ideal experience. I don't think you came off as trying to trash royal at all - I would have been very unimpressed about the way Natalie handled the situation in Key West. You might consider mentioning that on your post cruise survey if you haven't already.

 

We are huge Disney fans - AP holders even though we live in Australia - but until they install Casinos we won't be cruising with them :)

[Laid-back]

Sorry to hear that so many things were below par. However, after many cruises I can say that some things seem to go wrong on most of them no matter the line. Generally they are not too significant so they are forgotten pretty quickly. I guess that is why there are so many different cruise lines out there, as different people have different needs and expectations. It is inexcusable on any cruise line for staff members to be snooty and when something is advertised, correctly or incorrectly, there are definite ways to handle the issue with becoming snooty. It certainly appears that this particular person needs a little re-education. If you included the incident with names, as you did here, on your post cruise summary I feel pretty sure that the particular individual would mend her ways in the future.

 

The main thing is though that you seemed to have had a good time and if your experiment with Royal Caribbean resulted in your not wanting to do further business with them, you at least gave them a shot. As you realize if everyone only liked the same cruise line can you imagine how the supply and demand would drive the prices for that one cruise line. Every line has something to offer and you have now determined that RC does not provide what you desire or expect.

[reallyitsmema]

Thanks for the review.

 

We specifically chose newer, larger ships when our son cruised with us for the activities for a teen and food options for our 24/7 eating machine.;):p I do think if you tried a different ship, you would have a better experience. I also think if Disney makes everyone happy, then stay with them until you are willing to give Royal Caribbean another try. I am loyal to my family and their needs, if that has us on one cruise line, great, but if we are happy somewhere else, so be it.:)

[Desert Cruizers]

Sorry you ran across disappointing aspects of your cruise, but before you write off RCCL all together, why don't you try one of the larger Class ship, like the Radiance, Voyager or Freedom. I personally never fault an entire cruise line because of one ship. Each have their own crew and the larger ships may offer you more enjoyment.

[NightOne]

- Shows were disappointing... we didn't even have the aerialists that are the talk of the Grandeur!

 

Just off the Serenade yesterday and we didn't get the 2 aerial shows either. Did not hear anything through the official channels on the ship but an insider let us know that they are short on riggers and they may not have aerial show for several more months on Serenade as a result. :(

[zippydo1]

Thanks for your review. We've been on 9 cruises with DCL (10 in August) and we will be on the Grandeur in April. It is our first non DCL cruise and picked it for the same reasons you mentioned. I'm looking forward to going out of Baltimore and seeing Key West.

[Desert Cruizers]

Carl hopefully they will be back on in Oct, looking foward to seeing them.

[knittinggirl]

Do Disney ships have libraries?

[Smurfette27]

Thanks for your review. We've been on 9 cruises with DCL (10 in August) and we will be on the Grandeur in April. It is our first non DCL cruise and picked it for the same reasons you mentioned. I'm looking forward to going out of Baltimore and seeing Key West.

 

Yep, I have to say we were happy to save the cost of flights for a family of 4! Parking at the port is very easy too. It was fun going on a new ship and exploring things. The Grandeur has a lot to offer but nonetheless, it isn't what we're used to. All the best on your upcoming trip!

[Smurfette27]

Do Disney ships have libraries?

 

I have no idea to be honest. I always have a couple of unread books on my Kobo when I go on vacation.

[wingedpigskin]

Awesome review! We can relate to so many of your comments, as we have sailed on the Grandeur three times and have booked a fourth for January 2016. (45-minute drive for us)

We, too, had the Happy Days guy for entertainment on our Bahamas cruise. Poor choice. We have, however, had many excellent comedians and entertainers!

Our family will be sailing on Disney at the end of 2016.....can't wait!!!

Question: What is the "split bathroom" you refer to on Disney?

[Carolla5501]

Are you sure you want on some of my DCL cruises. I did the nightmare, others refer to it as the Dream, rudest staff on the seas, most incompetent dining staff ever.

 

And don't even get me started on the mixup on the ports on my Mediterranean cruise with Disney last year. Let's just say it's a miracle they were able to find Rome from what I could tell. They change their mind on when and where we were going to Port three or four times leaving everyone totally confused

 

 

I've had some good crises on Disney, but they can also screw up

[Smurfette27]

Awesome review! We can relate to so many of your comments, as we have sailed on the Grandeur three times and have booked a fourth for January 2016. (45-minute drive for us)

We, too, had the Happy Days guy for entertainment on our Bahamas cruise. Poor choice. We have, however, had many excellent comedians and entertainers!

Our family will be sailing on Disney at the end of 2016.....can't wait!!!

Question: What is the "split bathroom" you refer to on Disney?

 

Wow, 45 minutes away from the port... that makes things so nice and easy.

 

The split bathroom is where you have a separate room with the toilet, sink and mirror and the other with the small bathtub / shower. It makes mornings much more productive when you're a family of 4.

 

Enjoy your upcoming cruises... I'm very jealous!

[wingedpigskin]

Thanks for the info!

:cool:

[cb at sea]

No one entertains like Disney!

[Smurfette27]

Are you sure you want on some of my DCL cruises. I did the nightmare, others refer to it as the Dream, rudest staff on the seas, most incompetent dining staff ever.

 

And don't even get me started on the mixup on the ports on my Mediterranean cruise with Disney last year. Let's just say it's a miracle they were able to find Rome from what I could tell. They change their mind on when and where we were going to Port three or four times leaving everyone totally confused

 

 

I've had some good crises on Disney, but they can also screw up

 

I agree... everyone can screw up but what matters to me is how they handle those issues and how they treat their guests. I always make an effort to treat people with respect and give them the benefit of the doubt and I expect the same in return as a guest on a cruise line. I certainly didn't get anything near that when my group along with 30-40 other people were dismissed over and over again until we showed them what was written in the compass about the meeting time and location. They eventually apologized about the misprint in the compass regarding the timing and location but that's not what I was concerned about. My issue was that we had spoken to 5 different people (2 of them officers) at the dining room and Guest Services and nobody took ownership or tried to figure out where and when we needed to meet until the officer (Natalie) told me to go and get the Compass to show her the stated time. She didn't say that she didn't believe me but clearly, that was the inference. Once I showed her she flippantly told me that it was a mistake and we should come back at 10am. There were no apologies for not believing us and no attempts to call Guest Services on their own to confirm what was in the Compass. They didn't even come out to where the other guests were to let them know what time to come back after seeing the Compass... my husband had to do that.

 

We're an easy going family but when you just dismiss me as a paying guest on your ship, that's not ok.

 

We're not all going to agree on what cruise line is the best since we've all had different experiences on different cruise lines.

[alinnj]

Lets get real! How can the Grandeur be compared to the Disney Dream or Fantasy LOL LOL ! Apples and oranges even with price ! One advantage for Disney which I have been on is the FREE SODA included in the inflated price :rolleyes:

[alinnj]

Do Disney ships have libraries?

 

Grandeur had a library, however it was converted into 4 new rooms . I was in two of them December 2013. Christmas New Year cruise !

[PTAngel]

Did you complain at Guest Services about the confusion & poor attitude? I have read many times that it is recommended you notify them right away about any issues. I would also suggest that it be in writing. I have sailed on GOS twice & have 2 more cruises booked. I love her, but I can understand your upset. I'm sorry you had a bad experience.

[nwcruisemamma]

I have the same concern about putting my 12 year old in with all the older teens! Would they let you put your twelve year old in with the younger group 9-11?

[fla gang]

I too have been on Disney and loved it! Would really like to have a casino, and wish there were a couple of Production shows that were more for adults. My problem with Disney is the price. Oh,I could pay the higher price for the cabin but when I can do the Oasis class ship for less it's a no brainer.

Everything about my Disney cruises was very impressive, and if they would run a Florida Resident rate when I can do vacation I would cruise with them again.

I have been on the Sovereign,the Monarch,The Vision, the Navigator and the Oasis twice.Did not like the Sovereign or Monarch but loved the Vision. Would my kids in their twenties like the Vision? Probably not. Used to be a diehard Carnival cruiser but had horrible dining room service every single day on the Dream and that was my last cruise with Carnival. They kept calling me with big casino perks,but I just wouldn't go.

Take the kids on a Freedom class or Oasis class ship and they will have a blast!

[big al]

We just got off the Grandeur yesterday, following a Bahamas cruise to Port Canaveral, CocoCay, Nassau and Key West. Having sailed 4 previous times with Disney (Dream, Fantasy and Wonder), we thought we'd save on airfare for a family of 4 and drive the 8hrs from Ottawa to Baltimore. On top of that, it was much cheaper to cruise on the Grandeur than on DCL. We figured what the heck, let's give it a try!

 

 

Cruise agent & RCI/ DCL lover as well here...First ( and most important) , you cannot compare a 74,000 ton ship that's almost 19 years old to the new & amazing 130,000 ton Dream & Fantasy..just not fair...IF you want to make a fair comparison to those 2 Disney ships, try a Voyager class ship, or better, a Freedom class ship, the latter which has more kids things like a kid's pool area called H20 Fun Zone, also the Flowrider surf simulator, and the ice- skating shows ( also kids love that)..the Grandeur is an old & small ship with few perqs and even fewer for kids...our 4 night Dream cruise was THEE best short cruise we've ever taken..cabins, MDR food, Palo, Castaway Cay, bathrooms, service & the musical shows at night were the best we've seen on 30 cruises..loved the Pirates party & fireworks at night...the Disney ships are ranked # 1 & 3 overall by CC cruisers..the Grandeur will never be in that league...also LOVED the rotation dining..animator's Palate so much fun...BTW, I'm STILL trying to recover from the brunch at Palo's one morning- and that was 16 months ago, LOL!!

 

Big Al

[Aquahound]

Immigrations in KW is a PITA as it is. Throw in a misprint and I can see how frustrating that could get. Sorry to hear your cruise was a disappointment.

Edited March 23, 2015 by Aquahound

[waterbug123]

Question: What is the "split bathroom" you refer to on Disney?

 

I have not been on Disney, but from what I understand, the tub/shower is in a separate area from the toilet, and I think there is a sink with each. Not sure if it's all staterooms or not. Either way, it is designed to be more suitable for families traveling together in one cabin, which makes sense since Disney caters to families with children.