Grandeur of the Seas 9-17 to 9-25 Review

[Mikey8Ohio]

Having returned from the Grandeur of the Seas Sept 25th, the following review is offered. Please be aware that this is simply my impression, and that anything that sounds like a complaint is just my take on the events. I had a great time and would sail on this ship again in a minute.

 

The Drive

The travel time from my part of Ohio to Baltimore looked to be about 6 hours, so we loaded up the car and embarked on our journey just past 4:30 AM on Saturday the 17th. Of course everyone knows that this was a day later than scheduled due to the vagaries of Hurricane Ophelia and her slow wandering ways. The drive was what I expected, mainly the Pennsylvania Turnpike and the winding route that it follows.

MapPoint’s directions were flawless, and within the appointed time we saw the signs for the Cruise Ship Terminal. There were some cars in line ahead of us, and we impatiently waited as we were directed to the offloading area.

Once there, it was a simple matter of paying $80.00, opening the trunk for the fellows to grab the luggage and tipping them a fair amount. We were then directed to the next available parking spot and grabbed our carryon items and boarded a bus to take us to the terminal.

The terminal was quite crowded, but it really took no time at all to get to an agent, as they had literally 40 or 50 agents working feverishly. We had completed the SetSail paperwork, so it only took us 5 minutes to check in and then we headed through the maze of barriers to the boarding ramp. After the requisite photo for the Sea Pass card, we walked to the ramp and across the gangway getting our first glimpse of the beautiful ship.

 

The Ship

Grandeur of the Seas will be 10 years old next year, but honestly, it looks wonderful. The beautiful gleaming brass wood and marble used in the centrum is as perfect as it was when new.

The carpets throughout the public areas looked good to me, and there was no real damage or major wear that I noticed throughout the voyage. One of the elevators had a mind of its own and would stop on the wrong floor, or display the wrong floor on the panel, but that was the only functional problem I noted.

The Great Gatsby dining room was absolutely beautiful, the carpets, tables and chairs all looked brand new and the room had a very elegant feel to it.

The Palladium Theater was also an impressive venue. I will note that the seats were very small. I am certainly above average in height and weight, but I think even a regular sized man would feel a bit close in those seats.

The pool deck is very well laid out, but I must confess that I dislike the extensive use of indoor/outdoor carpeting in that area. The deck chairs were fine, but of course most of the ones surrounding the pool were taken most of the day.

The solarium is a wonderfully calming oasis with lovely décor and much foliage and white stone structures. Even though it was quite hot during most of the trip, with a blazing sun, they never felt compelled to open the canopy roof. This created a sort of sauna inside the solarium and may have contributed to the lack of people using this venue.

The library was beautiful and very well appointed. The game room was also a lovely room, with a balcony, and large and easy to feel comfortable in. The selection of games was fine, but the backgammon games had no pieces or dice rendering them useless. The decks of cards were new and clean. The chairs were great to look at, but a bit uncomfortable after sitting for a while.

 

The Food

Great Gatsby Breakfast: This is an area that is always a bit sub par for me. I am an amateur gourmet chef, and breakfasts are my specialty. Nothing I find is usually up to my standards (in my mind at least) so bear that in mind as I write this. The eggs benedict were good, but the sauce was a bit flat for me. The omelet’s were fine, all cooked perfectly. The hash browns were okay, but in patties for easier cooking and did not appear to be fresh.

Great Gatsby Lunch: We ate in the dining room for lunch on 5 of the 7 available days. The menu is the same each day except for a different special presented daily. The meals were uniformly excellent on every occasion. The variety and quality of the food was consistent every time we ate there. The service was not as good as it is for dinner, but this is to be expected given that it is open seating with a different waiter each day.

Great Gatsby Dinner: The quality and presentation of all the meals were very good and the taste was excellent 90% of the time. Some of the items were a bit uneven, the clam chowder and lobster bisque were overly salty to me; the lobster was small and slightly overcooked. Every beef dish I ordered was cooked perfectly and the pasta dish I tried was good, but the sauce was a little too thick. Overall, given that these are mass produced meals, I thought they did a great job of giving us a great dinner. I did not go hungry at any time….

 

The Windjammer

I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the breakfast food in the WJ. I rather expected the eggs to be runny or overly dried out, but they were consistently perfect. The made-to-order omelets were excellent, however, there was usually a long line for them as people would get 2 or even 3 at a time for others at their tables. The grilled ham was always good, the sausage never overcooked and the bacon only a little greasy. The potato cakes were of the McDonald’s variety and probably deep fried. The pancakes were fluffy, the Belgian waffles looked fabulous (never tried one) and the assorted fruits and cereals were more than anyone could ask for. The sausage and biscuits were fair to sub par, overcooked biscuits and tasteless gravy.

The lunches that we did go to were fine, but it is almost too many options and you end up getting a hundred tastes of different things like in a Chinese buffet. Every fish and meat dish I sampled, however, was top notch and very tasty.

We did not have any dinner meals in the WJ, so I will omit comment regarding those meals.

The layout of the WJ is not too bad, certainly better than a traditional buffet line. Some areas of congestion are around the drink area and at the omelet station.

 

Overall, I feel that we received excellent food and were given a high quality varied selection of wonderful meals.

 

The Service

I must be the luckiest person in the world. It seems that every cruise I have gone on I get the best waiter, best assistant and best room steward the ship has to offer. Our waiter, Tomas, was a real pro and a very entertaining fellow. His assistant, Alfredo was quiet but very efficient and solicitous. Once he learned our preferences, they were there without any questions. Tomas would direct the meal with a conductor’s precision ensuring that my meal (with a lot of selections) kept pace with my tablemates (who had fewer selections). His recommendations were always good, and his personality was a nice blend of fun and business. Our table was always served promptly and finished items removed without delay.

Newton was our room attendant, and he had a real flair for design. The arrangement of the bed and pillows each night was always geometrically correct and fanciful. His towel animals delighted us and we had a veritable zoo at the end of the cruise. He promptly found a mattress pad and blanket for my girlfriend (she would be cold in 90º weather) and traced a missing bon voyage gift within minutes. Newton always had a friendly word when we passed him in the hall, as well as a great smile.

The service from all of the staff that we came in contact with was quick, efficient and always friendly. Everyone you passed has a smile and a pleasant “Good Morning, Sir”. I miss all of the attention and great service; the real world is not a great place to go after a cruise.

 

The Cruise Staff

I was not very impressed with Ashley Kerr as cruise director. She seemed lost in the job, and was notably absent most of the time. She presented the shows, and tried to put on a brave face, but I almost felt like I was watching a deer in the headlights. The Love and Marriage really showed her lack of quickness on her feet and experience. Her staff, especially Skippy, did a great job of filling in for her on the other events. The announcements for bingo were, of course, annoying after the first day, but this is a minor complaint. I passed Ashley in the hall one evening, but she briskly walked by after a perfunctory hello clearly trying to avoid any one on one contact. The trivia contests and game shows were a lot of fun, even though I didn’t win anything. We missed the Quest; I was feeling a bit under the weather that evening, so I stayed in the room while my girlfriend went to the casino to contribute to RCCL’s bottom line.

 

The Ports

There is not too much to say here, we missed most of our ports of call. Due to the delay departing Baltimore, we skipped Grand Bahamas Island and CoCo Cay. We were heading for Key West, when Rita came calling. We diverted to Cozumel with the plan of staying overnight and heading to Key West the following day, but alas, Key West was closed until Friday so we stayed in Cozumel until late evening and then sailed to Port Canaveral. We spent one day at Paradise Beach and loved every minute, and another shopping. The Captain was always very eager to keep us informed and seemed genuinely sorry that he couldn’t deliver on the promised ports of call. He did keep us out of harm’s way and in the sun and heat most of the time, so I have no complaints. I enjoyed all of the time on the ship and made the most of my vacation away from work, telephones and the like. We did not get off the ship in Port Canaveral, and enjoyed the final day at sea as we headed back to Baltimore.

 

Conclusion

This was a great cruise. The ship, the staff and the food were all top notch overall. I would easily and quickly recommend this cruise and crew to anyone interested. The short drive and the low pricing made this one very economical vacation. When you factor in the $250 room credit for the missed day and ports, two of us had an eight day cruise for just over $700. WOW! For the purists out there, I tipped well above the suggested guidelines, and wore a tux to both formal nights and appropriate clothing the other evenings. I always hate coming home, it seems to never fail that it is a dreary morning, much like my mood. The drive home seemed to take twice as long and facing the prospect of returning to work completed the dread. Still, I can take solace in the prospect of returning next year and maybe trying the Jewel out of Boston. Feel free to ask any questions, and thanks for taking the time to read this missive.

[greatdanemom]

Very nice review! Thanks for taking the time to write it. It's nice to see that you enjoyed the Grandeur as much as we did.

 

Cheryl

[redcat72]

Thank you so much for your honest and informative review! We are sailing on her at the end of this month - it sounds like everything will be great! :) What cabin did you stay in?

[NC Native]

Thanks for a great review! I was on the cruise before yours. I'm sorry your itinerary was shortened, but I enjoyed our extra day at sea-it was a good ending (though a little rough at times!) to a perfect cruise.

I hope your next cruise is smoother sailing!

[Merion_Mom]

Mikey, what cabin did you have, and how did the two of you like its size and amenities?

 

(By the way, GREAT review - thank you for being articulate and precise in your excellent use of the English language :))

[rdillon2]

Thanks for the review, I'm heading out on Sunday on the GOS. I'm a little confused - everything I've read said the parking lot is next to the port and you can walk to the ship. Is this not the case - where is the parking lot in relation to the ship?

[Host Kewlguy]

We met Ashley Kerr while she was getting coffee at the Ben & Jerry's/Seattle's Best. She was EXTREMELY friendly and chatted with us for quite awhile as her coffee was getting cold. My opinion of her is completely opposite of yours. She had only been on the Grandeur for a week. That may have explained her seeming a bit uncomfortable at times. Isn't everyone a bit awkward when starting a new job around new coworkers? We had a wonderful cruise and loved the ship but Grandeur needs to be refurbished soon. The carpeting on the stairs was filthy. Dining room service was only "OK" and speaking as a steak lover, Chops can't come soon enough. Besides that we would book Grandeur again in a heart beat and in fact already did.

[Mlkkc]

Hey neighbor I live in Austintown and will be cruising on GOS at the end of Oct. Great review glad to hear you had good time even with miss ports.

i

[eweig2]

Thank you so much for your honest and informative review! We are sailing on her at the end of this month - it sounds like everything will be great! :) What cabin did you stay in?

 

 

My mother will be on the same cruise. I was on grandeur A few months ago -it was great!

[greatdanemom]

Thanks for the review, I'm heading out on Sunday on the GOS. I'm a little confused - everything I've read said the parking lot is next to the port and you can walk to the ship. Is this not the case - where is the parking lot in relation to the ship?

 

The parking lot is right next to the ship. Last month we sat on deck near the pool and waved good-bye to our car as we sailed away! It may be that people who board late park a little farther away but if you get there in the 12-1 timeframe you will be a 2 minute walk from the ship.

 

Cheryl

[PSCruiser]

Great, detailed, review! We loved the Grandeur last year and will be sailing again in Nov. on the repo. I've read elsewhere also about the reluctance to open the solarium - hope they will open it on our cruise.

One question - did Skippy make any mention about how his family made out during Katrina? A great guy, and there have been other threads asking this question, but I've never seen an answer. I remember that his family has a long history in Cajun country.

[chessie68]

Once there, it was a simple matter of paying $80.00, opening the trunk for the fellows to grab the luggage and tipping them a fair amount.

 

 

 

 

 

What is a fair tip for the fellows who grab your luggage?

[Mikey8Ohio]

Thanks for all of the kind comments regarding my review. Merion_Mom: we were in stateroom 3559. It was small yet functional though I must confess that I will probably not try an inside room again. I miss the sunlight in the morning and the open feel it brings. The TV worked fine, the bathroom was small but again functional and the storage was adequate. I liked the closet design, double hanging rods on the left for shirts and such, a single rod on the right for long gowns and pants. I did notice a slight sewer smell in the bathroom after each shower, but it went away within an hour and was not a problem if you closed the door.

RDillon2: I'm sorry if I confused the parking issue. Yes, you do park very close to the ship, in fact the "bus" ride only lasted about 3 minutes. They drove us from the parking area to the ship. We could have easily walked the distance, and, in fact, we did walk from the ship to the car at the conclusion of the cruise.

Kewlguy: I can appreciate your opinion regarding Ashley. I wasn't trying to say that she wasn't a nice person, just that in my view she did not measure up to CDs we have had on previous cruises. I also must have missed the dirty carpeting on the stairs, but I did use the elevators a lot more than the stairs. I did see workers replacing the carpet in the Champagne Lounge one day at sea.

Maria: I am as jealous as can be that you are going and I have gone. Have a great time!!

PSCruiser: Skippy briefly mentioned that as far as he knew everyone was ok, but he didn't focus very much on the devastation stemming from Katrina.

chessie: Given my girlfriend's propensity to overpack a suitcase, I tipped the handler $5.00 for three bags. I do believe that $1.00 per bag is appropriate.

 

Thanks again for all of the kind comments :)

[cruissett]

:) Mikey, Thanks for taking the time to write such a long and honest review. We were also on the Sept 17th sailing and loved every minuite of it! And the cost of the trip was good even before the $250 cabin credit, which sure was nice. We were also on the 3rd deck, OV room and had no problems. The window was huge and really brought a lot of light into the room! The beds could have been a few inches higher since we couldn't store our luggage under them but had no problem keeping them in the closet. I read another review yesterday on our sailing that I thought was very unfair. Yes, she's an older boat but we all knew that when we signed on. I thought her condition was fine, I can overlook a few spots on the carpet. The fellow outside the windjammer did an excellent job every morning clearing tables and I seldom saw dirty dishes sitting out on tables like you do on some sailings. And I though the Captain was great, he not only kept us informed but had a sense of humor. And the weather, the sun was out every day, how he avoided rain with all the storms out there I'll never know.

[Host Kewlguy]

Great, detailed, review! We loved the Grandeur last year and will be sailing again in Nov. on the repo. I've read elsewhere also about the reluctance to open the solarium - hope they will open it on our cruise.

One question - did Skippy make any mention about how his family made out during Katrina? A great guy, and there have been other threads asking this question, but I've never seen an answer. I remember that his family has a long history in Cajun country.

 

Skippy said his family was fine. He also said he was moving to the Explorer of the Seas after 9/25.

[Coolcruise02]

I had to laugh about the elevator. It seems we always forgot and got in the elevator with a mind of its own! :) Sometimes the door wouldn't even close, other times you would push the #9 button and it would not move. We would push #8 and walk up to the Lido deck. One time we were on with a group of people and it just stopped. We phoned and waited a few minutes and it started moving again. Get that fixed!! :)

[Green4me]

A buck a bag is kind of old scool at airport checkin stations. Becasue us cruisers tend to overload our bags, especially the ones like me that drive to the ports :rolleyes: I tend to tip at least 2 bucks and some times more per bag. Escpecially if I have breakable cargo ;)

 

Great review, thanks for taking the time. We have just booked the five day between Christmas and New Years. This will be our first on this line so looking forward to the differences between Disney, Princess and Carnival.

All the best

[MariTenor1]

So sorry to hear that Skippy would be leaving the Grandeur. We enjoyed him immensly on our Grandeur sailing last year and were looking forward to seeing him again on the repo cruise in November. Alas! But more importantly, his family is safe. I certainly hope his replacement is as good.

[Mikey8Ohio]

Green4Me: Thanks for the heads up, I agree with you totally that I am basing the tips on dated criteria. I never gave it much thought, but It has been quite a while that I have not adjusted that guideline up. I will certainly in the future adhere to the $2 per bag or more rule.

Cruissett: I was able to work our bags under the bed by lifting the bed slightly while my G/F pushed the bags under. I am, however, definitely looking for a OV cabin next time.

[granny24]

We will be sailing on this ship the end of the month. You sure make me want to leave today. Sounds like you had a good time. I hope we don't run in to any storms, but it sounds like the captain will keep us out of harms way. We are staying in an inside cabin, midship. Maybe we won't bounce around too much. Thanks again for taking the time to write about the Grandeur.

[Merion_Mom]

A buck a bag is kind of old scool at airport checkin stations. Becasue us cruisers tend to overload our bags, especially the ones like me that drive to the ports :rolleyes: I tend to tip at least 2 bucks and some times more per bag. Escpecially if I have breakable cargo ;)

 

Great review, thanks for taking the time. We have just booked the five day between Christmas and New Years. This will be our first on this line so looking forward to the differences between Disney, Princess and Carnival.

All the best

Green4Me: Thanks for the heads up, I agree with you totally that I am basing the tips on dated criteria. I never gave it much thought, but It has been quite a while that I have not adjusted that guideline up. I will certainly in the future adhere to the $2 per bag or more rule.

Tipping is a highly personal and subjective matter. Green, YOU may think that tipping $5 for 3 bags is (your phrase) "old school", but not everyone does. Some might even consider it generous, based on $1 a bag. If you are tipping $2 a bag, that's your choice, but even at that rate, that's just ONE dollar more than Mikey said he tipped.

 

I really don't think that it's fair OR appropriate OR, for that matter, CORRECT to tell Mikey that he was WRONG and OUT OF DATE for tipping what he did.

 

JMO YMMV.

 

Carol

[hunydewdrp]

Wow - that was an awesome review - KUDOS for taking the time to write it. I'll be sailing October 28th and can't wait!!

[redcat72]

Glad I read this - I didn't remember having to tip someone on the dock. We are being dropped off by a family member. (We will have a party of 4.) Has anyone been dropped off before, and knows how it will work? Do they have to carry your luggage far, or is it just going a couple feet from your trunk to a container? Should each individual tip?

[Green4me]

Hey merion Mom, get a grip, I did not mean anything to hurt anyone. I just gave my 2 cents or 2 dolllars in this case to a question that was put out for comment. I do tend to tip above the normal and customary for all services received. It is just a thing for me that the people providing the services more than likely will never be on a cruiseand they work very hard for what they do. If sharing some $$ on my vacation make me feel better than so be it. I also give the room steward(s) a 20 the first time we meet above and beyond what the final tip will be. Maybe that is why i always have ice cold beer and my luggage is in the room by 1 or 2 pm. :)

 

Have a nice day.

[Merion_Mom]

Hey merion Mom, get a grip, I did not mean anything to hurt anyone. I just gave my 2 cents or 2 dolllars in this case to a question that was put out for comment. I do tend to tip above the normal and customary for all services received. It is just a thing for me that the people providing the services more than likely will never be on a cruiseand they work very hard for what they do. If sharing some $$ on my vacation make me feel better than so be it. I also give the room steward(s) a 20 the first time we meet above and beyond what the final tip will be. Maybe that is why i always have ice cold beer and my luggage is in the room by 1 or 2 pm. :)

 

Have a nice day.

I'm gripping just fine, thank you, Green. I have and had no intention of hurting anyone, either. If you took offense at my post, that's YOUR inference NOT MY implication.

 

You stated your opinion; I stated mine. No competition here.