Grandeur of the Seas - need a review

[CruizinTigers]

I am considering a cruise out of Baltimore on the Grandeur of the Seas. I've cruised several times on RCI, but never on this ship. It seems smaller and with less "bells and whistles" of the larger ships I've sailed on. So I'm looking for a little feedback from my fellow cruisers who may have sailed on the GOTS, preferably recently. Any opinions of this ship, good or bad?

 

Thanks!

[sea shepherd]

My favorite ship. The crew makes that ship. Have been on her 11 times this year and doing 3 more in two weeks. It's older going into dry dock April 2017 for make over.

[Biker19]

You can read through some of these: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/royal-caribbean/grandeur

[CruizinTigers]

Thanks sea shepherd! You sound like a big fan.

[CruizinTigers]

sea shepherd, looking at your next three cruises, they appear to be back to back. Just curious, when you do a back to back cruise, do you have to disembark with your luggage and embark again for the next trip, or can you stay on board with your luggage? Where will you next three on the GOTS be headed to?

[Rolla4fun]

Yes, the Grandeur is a smaller ship but also has "small ship" feel. The service is fabulous on small ships. You tend to see the same people- staff and passengers. You become "family!" Less bells and whistles but more quaint. I absolutely love the Grandeur! Sailed on her a few times and never a bad experience.

 

 

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[CruizinTigers]

Thanks, Rolla4fun!

[sea shepherd]

If you have the same room you leave everything as is. You go to the schooner bar at 9:30 that's where the B2B meet. You will get your new sea pass then when the ship is cleared they walk you down to customs. You ding out your old pass. You go down show them your passport and hand over your customs form. Then they walk you back on, you ding in with your new pass. After that you can go back to your room or do what you want at that point. If you have a different room you would pack you bags of bathroom stuff and anything in draws. If it is hanging in the closet, the room guy will move it along with your bags to your new room. But you can't go to your new room until 1pm with everyone else. I usually try to move my own stuff if the new room is open. Before I go to schooner.

[sea shepherd]

We go to St Thomas, St John, Barbados, St Lucia, St Maartin, then Port Canaveral, Miami, Grand Bahamas, Nassau, Cococay, then back to Port Canaveral, Cococay, Nassau. Thanksgiving week.

[CruizinTigers]

Thanks for sharing the info, sea shepherd!

 

Safe travels!

[BND]

We love Grandeur. There are plenty of people who cruise regularly on her. We've met people who cruise 5-6 times per year on her. Port is convenient and the crew is great. Can't wait til we're on her again in 15 days and again in April.

 

To us, less bells and whistles means more relaxation. There's always something going on in the Centrum and the Schooner Bar is a favorite.

Edited October 16, 2016 by BND

[Dave4120]

We also love the Grandeur and will be sailing again on February 4th. We love some of the bigger ships too, but our opinion is the ship has some distinct personality, it's fun and peaceful at the same time and, while it doesn't have as many bells and whistles, we're fine with. It's like I'm on an old Charlie Chan movie ship.

 

Again, this is how we feel based on our personalities and expectations, and are not pushing our views on you, because only you can determine what you may or may not like, but, at least you get some insight.

 

Hope this helps a little.

 

Dave

 

 

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[mad-dog74]

For adults or couples... you're OK. We knew not to take our kids. After Freedom and Allure, they'd be pretty miserable.

 

We actually talked to a lot of "families" who were disappointed in the activities and things to do for kids. They even said Adventure ocean wasn't as good as it should be.

 

Like I said, for my wife and I... we accomplished what we wanted... a week of R&R with no schedules!

[Bow Tie]

I just got off the Grandeur. I was on the cruise from Baltimore that went to New Jersey instead of Bermuda.

 

The ship itself was fine. I can't compare it to other RCCL ships, since I have not been on any others, but it is the smallest and oldest ship.

 

They did not enforce the dress code in the dining room or the non-smoking policy in the casino. On formal night, only about half the folks I saw were dressed up.

 

Don't stay on deck 8. The pool area will be above you and you will hear the scraping of deck chairs every morning at 6:00 a.m. as the staff cleans the floor. And again throughout the day as passengers move the chairs.

 

At 2000 passengers, I did not have the experience of seeing people I met again and again, other than the folks I dined with. It did not feel like a small ship to me.

 

The cabin staff and dining room staff were excellent. The folks at guests services were lame. Even before "disaster" struck they were completely useless.

 

If it matters to you, please be aware that there are no religious services on board, even if you are at sea on a Sunday. I was surprised by this. I had expected an least an interdenominational service.

 

The WiFi was extremely slow and did not work at all on some days, but that seems to be true on all ships and you may have a better service provider than mine.

 

They charge for every last little thing on this ship. So if you are a snacker, bring your own snacks on board!

 

The ship is definitely showing its age in the decor and lack of deep cleaning.

 

I can't think of anything else to say about the ship itself. If you have a specific question, please ask.

[lenquixote66]

I am considering a cruise out of Baltimore on the Grandeur of the Seas. I've cruised several times on RCI, but never on this ship. It seems smaller and with less "bells and whistles" of the larger ships I've sailed on. So I'm looking for a little feedback from my fellow cruisers who may have sailed on the GOTS, preferably recently. Any opinions of this ship, good or bad?

 

Thanks!

 

We were on the Grandeur last year and loved nearly everything about the ship .We booked a cruise for this year (next month) with the same cabin as last year and hopefully the same Cabin Steward .He was the best ever .

The only negative for me is that the fitness center is not accessible by elevator .You have to walk up a flight of stairs and i have great difficulty walking down stairs.

[Bow Tie]

Just thought of something else. The gym is a good size, with lots of machines and free weights. Unlike other ships I have been on, there is a locker room with towels, showers, a large sauna and a very large steam room.

 

Avoid the Windjammer (their cafeteria) at breakfast. It is a mob scene. I could not find a place to sit. Go to the dining room and get table service. Much more civilized.

 

Not all events are posted in the newsletter that is delivered to your cabin. Check the tiny board near guests services for other meetings. You may have to ask at guest services to find out where it is. It is not easy to find.

[BND]

I just got off the Grandeur. I was on the cruise from Baltimore that went to New Jersey instead of Bermuda.

 

The ship itself was fine. I can't compare it to other RCCL ships, since I have not been on any others, but it is the smallest and oldest ship.

 

They did not enforce the dress code in the dining room or the non-smoking policy in the casino. On formal night, only about half the folks I saw were dressed up.

 

Don't stay on deck 8. The pool area will be above you and you will hear the scraping of deck chairs every morning at 6:00 a.m. as the staff cleans the floor. And again throughout the day as passengers move the chairs.

 

At 2000 passengers, I did not have the experience of seeing people I met again and again, other than the folks I dined with. It did not feel like a small ship to me.

 

The cabin staff and dining room staff were excellent. The folks at guests services were lame. Even before "disaster" struck they were completely useless.

 

If it matters to you, please be aware that there are no religious services on board, even if you are at sea on a Sunday. I was surprised by this. I had expected an least an interdenominational service.

 

The WiFi was extremely slow and did not work at all on some days, but that seems to be true on all ships and you may have a better service provider than mine.

 

They charge for every last little thing on this ship. So if you are a snacker, bring your own snacks on board!

 

The ship is definitely showing its age in the decor and lack of deep cleaning.

 

I can't think of anything else to say about the ship itself. If you have a specific question, please ask.

 

The casino is not non-smoking, although there is a non-smoking section. Also, no ship has official services on Sunday. Sometimes there is someone onboard who wants to hold one and that is how services are held. We have had the CD hold a service before, but that is entirely them volunteering to do so. There are free snacks onboard, maybe not to the level of larger ships, but there are. Anytime you stay under the pool deck, you get noise. That's just a fact. Since you have never cruised RCI before, you can't really compare it as a smaller ship to larger ones in the same line.

[BND]

Just thought of something else. The gym is a good size, with lots of machines and free weights. Unlike other ships I have been on, there is a locker room with towels, showers, a large sauna and a very large steam room.

 

Avoid the Windjammer (their cafeteria) at breakfast. It is a mob scene. I could not find a place to sit. Go to the dining room and get table service. Much more civilized.

 

Not all events are posted in the newsletter that is delivered to your cabin. Check the tiny board near guests services for other meetings. You may have to ask at guest services to find out where it is. It is not easy to find.

 

Events on the board near Guest Services are not official RCI events. They are meet ups done by cruisers.

[Bow Tie]

The casino is not non-smoking, although there is a non-smoking section. Also, no ship has official services on Sunday. Sometimes there is someone onboard who wants to hold one and that is how services are held. We have had the CD hold a service before, but that is entirely them volunteering to do so. There are free snacks onboard, maybe not to the level of larger ships, but there are. Anytime you stay under the pool deck, you get noise. That's just a fact. Since you have never cruised RCI before, you can't really compare it as a smaller ship to larger ones in the same line.

 

 

OK, I should have been clearer. People were smoking in the non-smoking section of the casino, with no enforcement of the policy.

 

I was on Holland America in July, on a smaller ship than the Grandeur. There were religious services every day, including a Catholic mass. I'll assume that your "no ship has official services" was limited to RCCL ships.

 

"It's just a fact" that the staff makes no attempt to limit the noise from the pool level or to clean it and move the furniture at a decent hour when people aren't trying to sleep. It is also a fact that there was no warning when I booked the cruise that this would be an issue on this deck.

 

I made it clear in my post that this was not a comparison to other RCCL ships. I am telling the person who made this request what I wish I had known. I really wasn't looking for an argument.

[BND]

OK, I should have been clearer. People were smoking in the non-smoking section of the casino, with no enforcement of the policy.

 

I was on Holland America in July, on a smaller ship than the Grandeur. There were religious services every day, including a Catholic mass. I'll assume that your "no ship has official services" was limited to RCCL ships.

 

"It's just a fact" that the staff makes no attempt to limit the noise from the pool level or to clean it and move the furniture at a decent hour when people aren't trying to sleep. It is also a fact that there was no warning when I booked the cruise that this would be an issue on this deck.

 

I made it clear in my post that this was not a comparison to other RCCL ships. I am telling the person who made this request what I wish I had known. I really wasn't looking for an argument.

 

No, you're obviously looking only for people who will agree with you.:rolleyes:

 

And, yes, a lot of posts would be better comprehended if they were clearer and contained complete information. It's not the reader's fault if they aren't.

 

If you do a search here with reviews (there are reviews on CC for GR) you will see several that mention deck noise on Vision class ships (and others).

 

HAL had services everyday? Run by whom? On Princess, RCI and Carnival, we have never seen anything except for services occasionally run by cruisers. There are sometimes pastors, priests, rabbis, etc who are cruising and offer to hold services as well as other individuals who wish to do so. I don't know of any cruiseline that has a paid position for regligious services.

Edited October 16, 2016 by BND

[sellwingri]

We were on Grandeur in August and absolutely loved it. If you're a casino person like I am, the size is much larger than ships that are a lot bigger. There were 2 3-card poker tables and 1 Ultimate Texas Holdem tables. We were on Serenade in April and they only had 1 3-card poker table and no Ultimate Texas Holdem.

 

The ship is beautiful and staff was fabulous. We'd love to sail on her again. There were a lot of kids but that should be expected for a 5 day cruise in August.

[bananawindnj]

Just thought of something else. The gym is a good size, with lots of machines and free weights. Unlike other ships I have been on, there is a locker room with towels, showers, a large sauna and a very large steam room.

 

Avoid the Windjammer (their cafeteria) at breakfast. It is a mob scene. I could not find a place to sit. Go to the dining room and get table service. Much more civilized.

 

Not all events are posted in the newsletter that is delivered to your cabin. Check the tiny board near guests services for other meetings. You may have to ask at guest services to find out where it is. It is not easy to find.

 

Wow, I thought the gym was the smallest I have been on in any ship, but It is no big deal as there are fewer passengers on it.

Never found the WJ to be that crowded other than the first and last days of the cruise. We love to sit at the window where the stools are, but we do go early in the morning. We are going on it for a 9 day cruise next Saturday the 22nd.

Edited October 16, 2016 by bananawindnj

[biomedbob]

Worst ship in the fleet! We'll be on her for a 12 night Halloween cruise! :D

[rafinmd]

CruizinTigers, I posted a review of the Enchantment of the Seas out of Baltimore here:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=103298

 

I have done a number of reviews of a diverse group of ships so you can see a bit of a comparison if you click on my name there and see how it compares to my other reviews. A high rating from me requires a spectacular ship so my three stars is a pretty good rating. I did not do a formal review of the Grandeur but it is a twin of Enchantment so all my comments there would apply equally to the Grandeur. I'll add that one special character of the Grandeur is that she does an amazing variety of itineraries for a mass market ship based in a small port. I'll be back onboard Grandeur in January,

 

BowTie, you should probably bookmark this site:

 

http://www.thecatholictravelguide.com/

 

The only lines regular carrying priests are HAL, Crystal (Ocean ships, not yacht or river boat), and Queen Mary 2. A few carry them on holiday or world cruises but no others on routine cruises.

 

Roy

Edited October 16, 2016 by rafinmd

[BND]

Worst ship in the fleet! We'll be on her for a 12 night Halloween cruise! :D

 

LOL. You're going to overplay your hand soon;)