Live Review from Varganator

[varganator]

My wife and I are leaving today on Grandeur of the seas. We will be celebrating our 7th anniversary and due to circumstances back home we will have the internet package for the first time.

 

I have decided to take advantage of this to spend my evenings after my DW goes to bed giving an update on our day and how the cruise is going.

Edited January 3, 2017 by varganator

[varganator]

We arrived last night in Baltimore, checked into the hotel and went to meet a friend from a prior cruise at a casino in Downtown Baltimore. We stayed at the Comfort Inn BWI. They have a stay and park program, and a free shuttle to the Cruise terminal.

 

The rate for parking is $10 a day, and the hotel rate varies from $60 to however much you are willing to pay. It is a clean hotel, a member of the Choice Chain, and I stay in hotels approx. 100-150 nights a year for work and this is one of them. There is nothing about the hotel to make me recommend it, but it is a room for the night and filled the need.

 

My wife and I went to dinner at a Guy Fieri restaurant, inside the casino. I had a burger and felt like I was back on the Carnival cruise from a few years back. The food was good, and my wife and our friend both had huge plates of ribs and Macaroni and cheese respectively.

 

Of course, we met at a casino, because my wife LOVES the casino, and I guess an 11 day cruise on a floating casino was not quite enough, LOL. One HUGE advantage to the casino was that we were able to change our $20 bills of cash for smaller bills. Since yesterday was a bank holiday, and we are leaving this morning, we were going to board with a wad of 20's for tips if we didn't do this. It seems a bit awkward to me to give someone a 20 for a tip and then ask for change, so this worked out well.

 

We will be boarding in about 2 hours, so I will take copious notes and have a full report this evening over a nice bourbon and cigar after I tuck my sweetheart in.

[Jarmo]

Love Grandeur. Hope you have a great time, looking forward to your review.

[sellwingri]

You'll love the casino on Grandeur if you play cards. Although it's a small Royal Caribbean ship, the casino is much larger than bigger ships. Their dealers and casino manager and host were the best ever!

 

I sailed on her in August and will again in May.

[BillOh]

I'll watch to see what day you can use the pool for the first time.

[realtorclm]

Watching for food reviews. Just got off Serenade and had a great experience while other complained copiously. Also looking forward to port thoughts.

Happy sailing and have a great cruise!!!

[varganator]

Day one is in the books and I am sitting drinking an adult beverage in the Solarium. Did someone mention adult beverages? for those thinking about the drink package, you do your own math, but it is fairly standard $10 well drinks and $6 beer. That is just the starter but now back to the real review.

 

If there is an easier port than Baltimore I would LOVE to see it. The only way it would be easier is of they pulled the ship up to my house. Initial bog at the first check, but after that it was "smooth sailing'- First bad joke and it;s the second paragraph of the second post, not bad.

 

We arrived at the port building at 1053, we were at the desk at 1108 and on the ship at 1128. The ship is still boarding at the lower level, and with the NASTY weather there was a slight slow down so that there were no lines with people waiting in the rain. It slowed the process; if you think those times are slow; but it turned out to be a nice touch. At 1130, we were seated at the Champagne bar with drink in hand. The WJC was very busy, but my DW and I went to the Solarium to sign up for some Spa treatments, and the lines in the solarium were non existent. The food looked healthy so I passed it, but there was no one there.

 

The next stop was to Guest services, not because of anything the ship had done, just to see if our TL had actually come through with any of their promises- NO, so mad DW while she called as we were still tied to the dock.

 

As soon as the second hand on my watch hit 1pm the doors opened and we were allowed to go to our rooms. There was luggage waiting outside our door, and it was even our Luggage. The DW's upgrade to Platinum is paying off big time already! She was having her feet done so I was able to unpack first. I of course left her all of the drawers in the bathroom to put her clothes and joined her in the spa for my feet to be done.

 

No sooner was I out of the Pedi chair and the muster drill started. Due to the weather we mustered inside. What a great choice. Everyone was there and we are off.

 

4pm saw us in the Viking lounge waiting to sail away and meet the wonderful folks from CC for a warm up to our 100+ person meet and mingle tomorrow. 435 and the ship is pulling away. Curious choice of music in the Viking Crown, the theme to Titanic. I am sure that we will not see any ice outside of our glasses in the Caribbean, but strange non the less. Remember this song for later.

 

The DW and I purchased the 3 meal special for specialty dining and I will tell you that the meal we ate at Chops was as good as any i have had on a cruise ship. My DW and I enjoy the specialty places, and neither of us have been cruising long enough to remember when the food in the specialites was the food in the MDR.

 

For those that are wondering, the movies have changed over. There was much gnashing of teeth when the reviews from the previous cruise mentioned a much younger movie selection and a lot of holiday fare. The movie tonight was "Minions". Not exactly first run, but if you want o sit in the 40 degree rain and watcha movie you probably are not looking to watch Rogue One.

 

The 'comedian' in the Palladium, quotes because his show is as stale as the bread at breakfast this morning, leaves a lot to be desired. The Group playing in the Centrum has played a variety of music and they have been going for a long time. When we boarded there was a string duet and they were very relaxing and played beautifully.

 

Tomorrow is a sea day and there is no shortage of activities planned. From a couple of tournaments in the casino, a scavenger hunt, and of course, 2 or 3 rounds of trivia. If none of this strikes your fancy, there will be a coloring for adults course and the standard ball room class too. If you are bored on this shop it is your own fault.

 

For those looking to find a hotel, the group many of the CC people used is "trinityreservations.com". Many of the folks in our CC M&M stayed at the Best Western in Elkridge, Free parking and Free shuttle.

 

Well, it is after 11, and I have Rooms service lined up for breakfast #1 at 730, so I will be signing off.

[easyboy]

Nice start. Will be following along.

[schlimazel_traveler]

On board as well--following along to compare impressions!

[do_not_spindle]

We were on the 12/12 cruise. "Our" strings duet was "Rosario Strings". Wife & I loved them - very easy to listen to and much of their music was danceable (wife & I are big dancers). The dance band (3 musicians & female singer) our trip was "Real Time". Also enjoyed them, although their song list was limited in a few areas (3-4 of the same waltzes gets repetitious over 12 nights). They did take requests (at least for song style).

 

Glad they let you muster indoors with all the rain! On our trip, the outside areas were usable on day 3 outbound and 2nd-last day returning. Bobby was great as CD, Tanya as AD, and Kelly (cruise staff) ran a good dance class (we really need to go on a dance theme cruise someday!). Have a great trip!

[varganator]

Today was a long and exciting sea day from start to end. It started with breakfast #1 in the room, coffee and danishes as is our tradition. My DW does not like to get up early on vacation, and I LOVE to go to the MDR to be waited on. Breakfast is an interesting meal on the shop as you are usually seated with a bunch of people that you do not know and do not start talking to them until you are ready to leave.

 

Today's breakfast started to be no exception to the rule, then suddenly the captain came over the loud speakers to make an announcement that we were turning around. Now, I know I didn't put all of my bad activities on this board so I wouldn't incriminate myself, but I also know the captain has eyes everywhere.

 

It turns out that there was a medical emergency on board, and the passenger had to be picked up by helicopter and flown back to a hospital. Horrible situation and I am sure I speak for all on board in saying I hope all is well now. I know the area we were in the trip, since I can follow that map in the room, and I know the passenger is getting good treatment in one of my local home hospitals.

 

This little bit of excitement got the table talking for sure, and by the end the waiter, very politely asked us if we needed anything else enough times that we finally got the hint and left.

 

10am came and it was off to the meet and mingle. Tanya, Bobby's assistant ran the event since Bobby was busy with the Helicopter and making announcements and I for one think she did a wonderful job. She explained a little about her history with cruising and the company and then off to the races with the drawings. Multiple prize packages including a bottle of champagne which will be shared with new friends as Mimosas at breakfast tomorrow morning. DW included this time.

 

Since our M&M was in the South Pacific Lounge I was able to take advantage of $5 Bloody Mary's as the drink special until camera scavenger hunt started. HUGE FUN. DW and I teamed up with 4 others and ran all over the ship taking pictures of many things. Semi Spoiler- Look at the statues by the pool to prep for this event. We took second place, but I later was awarded a medal by one of the winners when we shared Multiple $1 mimosas in the casino bar.

 

Back to trivia in the schooner bar, which is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. Cartoon Dog Trivia- obscure? Not as obscure as Cartoon Rodent trivia which will be tomorrow. My team took second again, maybe a pattern is forming here, LOL.

 

After a relaxing stay in the pool/hot tub- not a great day for this, but I did it and D*mn it, I'm on vacation. I returned to the Schooner bar for Motown trivia. 15 out of 16 won the contest, but I am filing a formal complaint with the National Board of Trivia on cruise ships since I am fairly certain the ladies who won were part of an actual Motown group, just because of how well they sang along with the songs and the choreography they demonstrated. Second place again.

 

DW did very well at the Casino this evening and it was off to Great Gatsby for My Time Dining. When we arrived the Matre' d told us it would be better to call and arrange a time, so that we would not have to wait. Of course he said all of this while he was walking us to an empty table. Strange, but we all have our jobs to do, and he did his.

 

For all of the bad mouthing I have heard about the food on this ship, I will tell you that so far; and I know we are 2 days into the journey I am impressed. Am I 1985 Cruise ship standards impressed? No, but DW and I had a great meal tonight. I always try the cold soups while I am on a ship, simply because I will not order them when I am at home. The Banana Rum soup tonight was great. My wife had the lobster bisque, which she said was more tomato soup than lobster, but at least it was tried and you have 2 different appetizers reviewed. She also had a Caesar Salad. I did not ask about it, it was a salad. I am not a salad guy and never will be. :)

 

Main courses where Artichoke Stuffed Crepes Au Gratin, which I found to be wonderful. Again, not something I would order at home, but I like to branch out when I am on the high seas. More about the High seas later. My wife ordered the Sirloin, which was cooked rare, as ordered, and came out more Prime rib style than Sirloin. To include Horse Radish on the side. She enjoyed it and it looked good from my side of the table.

 

Dessert was a chocolate Souffle' and a cheese plate for me. Both were outstanding. Again, I am not going to order cheese for dessert when I am home, but I enjoy it on the ship and there you go.

 

Back to one of the standard complaints I hear so often on these boards. There were no stand out non "Formal" dressed people for the the "Formal" night. There were some jackets and ties, but the Ladies all looked lovely and I always enjoy the chance to put on my Tux for my DW.

 

Captains welcome party was in full swing when we left the dining room with "free" champagne and lots of pictures being taken all over the Centrum. I felt absolutely no pressure to have my picture taken, and they were set back out of the main walk ways so that walking through was not impeded. It appears there is a full swing band on board, and they broke them out tonight for the welcome party, horn section and all. So nice to see the couples dancing away to the music, but of course my DW and I had just eaten, so all we did was watch.

 

Now, back to the "High seas" comment from earlier. We are sailing through some rough waters right now, crab walking is the order of the day. The ship is swaying, but the seas look much rougher than the ride would suggest.

 

The Captain is doing a marvelous job keeping us informed of the happenings, and, although he looks younger than me, I like him. I guess I am getting old when these things start happening, but being old is just a way of life on this cruise. There are 38 'kids' total on board. If you want to sail on a RCCL ship without children, this is the cruise to take. The team next to us in the camera scavenger hunt had children, but they placed behind us so I am all right with them participating :).

 

We loose an hour of vacation this evening, to get us on local time, so I will be sending a strongly worded message to RCCL about this travesty of sailing justice. I will expect a full refund, a captain's suite on my next ten cruises and all of my meals in Chops. I will keep you all up to date, but I also know I will settle for one of the cool Key chains I am destined to be so close and yet so far from this cruise.

 

We will be at sea again tomorrow, and a full schedule of events is laid out in the compass for everyone. The crew is some of the nicest I have sailed with, and the ship, although dated in decorations, is by no means as "run Down" as people would like us to believe. Maybe all of the bad spots are covered because of some gloomy weather and the activities, but I am having trouble believing that.

[Ichiban Nekko]

Vargonator: Thank you for taking the time to share your observations and good humor! Your postings bring a smile to the face and update your readers. It certainly ramps up our anticipation for our January 14th getaway on the Grandeur. Rodent and cartoon dog trivia are not among our fortes; Motown (without the dance moves & sound effects though) sounds like fun. Let us know if you are successful in negotiating your future comps of Captains suite & Chops meals, LOL! Keychain results also welcome.;)

 

BTW: Not sure about VA Beach, but here in Culpeper, snow (up to one inch!!!) forecast for tonight.

 

We look forward to reading your next installment.:D

[meatloafsfan]

Great review and it sounds like you are having a wonderful time.

 

I too love sailing out of Baltimore (but on the Carnival Pride). The Grandeur is on my radar for a future cruise though.

[varganator]

OK, I know the question on everyone's mind, "WHAT HAPPENED TO VARGANATOR????". I am safe and sound, just a late fun night on Grandeur.

 

Wow, what a day. We enjoyed Mimosas made with the Champagne won at the Meet and greet. So fun to tell the Cocktail waiter, No we are not paying for mimosas ours are FREE!

 

After a wonderful breakfast where we made 2 more friends, it was off to the slot pull. Eva did a WONDERFUL job coordinating and we all made almost all of out investment back. We more than doubled and I dare say tripled our investment if you factor in the fun had by all cheering on the fellow CCer's as they played the machine. We had a $1 per side pot for the high "puller" if that is the right word, and of course yours truly came in 2nd place, 4/4 at this point with the placing. So instead of $31 I received a priceless Casino Royal Golf shirt. 3 days in I guess I needed to change my shirt anyhow.

 

Since I was in the casino anyhow, and my wife was going to stay in the casino I decided to take advantage of the low table stakes and play some blackjack. After about an hour I was up $10, and realized that the dirty looks I was getting from people was because they could not hear the sound of the slot machines over my stomach growling. Of to the Windjammer for the first lunch, or for that matter meal of any kind in there.

 

Full disclosure, I am retired military, so I do not like carrying my own food. I did it long enough, in a bag on my back, or a tray to my front. The windjammer is not my favorite place to eat on any ship. That being said, the selection was decent, the fries were good, and as soon as the last fry was eaten, the wait staff snatched the plate out from in front of me and my wife and I sat and watched the ocean for a nice little while.

 

We left windjammer and headed to more trivia at the Schooner bar. I know I have mentioned it before, but this is a great bar to do what ever you want to do. Never over crowded, but no matter how many people are there the staff gets to you in a hurry. The activities on the ship are based here, or in the S Pacific lounge which is beyond this bar. This enables a shy guy like me to just sit and watch a majority of my shipmates walk by and enjoy the people watching.

 

By the way, to the question of when you are able to get on the pool deck, today is the answer. When my wife and I walked the deck this afternoon it was PACKED. Lots of chairs available, but a LOT of people.

 

I missed out on the opportunity to go 5/5 in trivia ( Cartoon Rodents) and took a nap. Sorry, no review available on this activity except to say my wife mentioned I was sleeping "soundly".

 

After this a quick trip back to the casino for a little bit, now down $6 after another hour and a half, and then off to dinner.

 

For appetizers my wife and I both selected "Paupitte of Roast Beef"- Roled roast beef with spiced cream cheese in the middle. Again, nothing I would ever order, or even have the opportunity to order at home, but it was Very good. I also had the Mango Soup, served cold and my wife had a salad. This time her salad was greek. It was a salad, please do not ask details, because as soon as I saw how green it was I had to turn away.

 

I ordered beef strogannof as a main course. It was not the traditional beef strog. I am used to, but I enjoyed it. Some have mentioned the beef being a little tough, I will say that mine was great and I enjoyed it. My wife had Pollack (tempura Fried) and by the amount left on her plate I would say it was good too. I did not try it, as I have a fish allergy and one evacuation is enough for the cruise.

 

After dinner it was off to the Shopping Desk for a couple of questions. If you want to see a crew member break down there is one easy thing to do. Ask the shopping expert for advice on purchasing anything ashore that is not covered on the map. If you need to know which of the 7 Diamonds International to visit, she can tell you. If you need to know where to buy some pairs of athletic socks or a smoking pipe, you may bring her to tears. Spoken with first hand experience folks.

 

My DW and I then headed to S Pacific Lounge for Karaoke to followed by video Movie Trivia. The Karaoke was so good that we decided to wait in the schooner bar for the trivia. I am by no means a great singer, but my wife has actually been reprimanded that "professional singers should not sing Karaoke", but wow, my ears may not recover for a while. Your milage may vary on this, so go and have fun.

 

Titanic Theme #3 for the day was heard in the movie trivia, there is definitely a pattern forming here, and my wife want to make it a drinking game. Every time you hear that song you have to take a drink. My liver may not handle it, but I'm willing to try.

 

Spoiler alert - Team CANVAPA (Canadian-our 'old' cruise friends, Virginia-DW and I, and Pennsylvania- our 'newest' cruise friends) took SECOND in Movie Trivia.

 

After trivia we headed back to the casino. You could sit at the casino bar all day and drink specials, from Mimosas, to well drinks, to well martinis, and have a small tab and a large hangover. While in the bar I gambled a little more and I don't know if RCCL will be in business after the hurting I put on them in the 2 hours to close the night. I am $10 up for the day.

 

Between this is the intense negotiations happening between the lawyers about things I can no longer discuss (I am probably getting a key chain AND a highlighter because of the hour loss), further RCCL cruises may be cancelled.

 

On a more serious note. If you do not have a good time when you are out to sea, it is your fault. There is as little or as much as you could want to do while on this ship. The compass is full of activities, from sun up- evidently there is a 7am, who knew? And they actually have stuff planned as if people are awake at this time. Through out the day there is not a part of the ship that is not being utilized for Bean bag toss, Jumbo Jenga, Trivia, Ball room, Line dancing, the list goes on and on. The staff "Bobby" and "Tanya" are constantly going and they are going strong.

 

When I was tucking my DW in, these two were on the TV for their daily show highlighting the plans for the next day. Truly two of the hardest working people on the high seas, and they are making sure that we are all having a good time.

 

Thank you for all of the views. I wish my nephew was on the ship so that I could figure out how to get the pictures from the camera to here, but hopefully one of the 38 kids on board will come out of hiding and I will grab them up to help me.

[varganator]

Day 4 is in the books and another great day was had by all. Started with breakfast, with a wonderful group of people from PA. A mother daughter and a lovely DH/DW team. Standard fare again in the Great Gatsby, but I really enjoy having my food brought to me and not getting into a scrum for the last english muffin on earth.

 

Following breakfast I returned to the state room to gather up my DW and she joined me in the Watch shopping seminar. I would usually chew on a light bulb than attend one of these, but I do need a nice watch, and I had nothing else to do. Due to mechanical malfunctions, there was no video available for the session. Thankfully this shortened the seminar time to a reasonable 20-30 minutes and we were out the door with a fistful of coupons and ready to take on the Diamond International mall that is St Thomas.

 

Again, my apologies to anyone who may have booked a cruise in the future with RCCL, but after 45 minutes or so in the casino I was again up another $2. At this rate they may be asking for the crew to volunteer for the rest of our journey as they will not be able to pay them.

 

Lunch in the windjammer followed and the lovely ladies I dined with, DW and 2 new friends all enjoyed the Asian noodles and raviolis, and my Self made Dagwood Sandwich was outstanding. Again, fries were some of the best I have eaten.

 

We returned to the casino and there is hope, I was only even after about an hour of play.

 

Then it was time to report to the S Pacific lounge for another Scavenger hunt. This time, getting information and items, not just pictures. Of course, second place, was the result, in addition to a ton of fun and a lot of running up and down the stairs. I guess the adults running up and down the stairs makes up for the lack of kids on board.

 

As a side note, when you go to the schooner bar look for Karen. She is amazing and always has a huge smile on her face. Ya Ya, in the casino is also a highlight, but be prepared to hold on to something after either of these ladies makes you a drink. They both love their jobs, and love to see happy passengers.

 

The Scavenger hunt was followed up with Cereal picture trivia, and another disappointing but expected third place.

 

I picked my DW up from the room and we headed down to see the Next cruise people. Joel is another rock star on this ship. Your deposit is matched by on board credit, either on this sailing or the one you book, so of course we booked our next 2 cruises! I guess I need to call off the legal hounds a little bit, at least until we sail again in July '17 and Jan '18.

 

Dinner was back in the MDR, and was nothing to write home about this evening. Calimari for the DW- which she gave an 'OK' and chicken consume for me. no cold soup offered on the menu tonight.

 

Pork Strombocca- please forgive me if I did not spell this correctly. Very tasty and a lot of it on the plate. DW and I both ordered a baked potato as the side vs the offered polenta, and our asst waiter tried to give us enough sour cream to keep Wisconsin in business for a year.

 

The very nice couple sitting next to us were overheard to say that they were happy to see that the menu is different from the menu last week. Either they are on a back to back, or had some inside information, but that is what my DW heard them say.

 

As to the dry dock, there is nothing major wrong with this ship. Are there things happening here and there, yes. But remember, She is 20 years old, and anyone can tell you that a 20 year old child is not as much fun as a new born. And 20 years of wear and tear adds up. The solarium roof opens, and again, if you are bored, that is a you problem not a grandeur problem.

 

The centrum show was well received and attended this evening and the casino, while not crowded, seems to be paying back what people are willing to donate, and I am seeing a lot more smiling faces than frowns. As to the frowns, we all know the person that is going to complain that they got wet when they went in the pool and they food was not up to the standards they have come to expect at home where Gordan Ramsey is their personal chef.

 

The crew has been fantastic up to this point, and out side of a polar bear being found sitting on our bed when we arrived home this evening I have less than no complaints.

 

It will be interesting to see a couple of things tomorrow. One, how the ship and crew handle the excursions and all that entails, and two, whether or not I will be able to type a coherent review after a Johnny Walker seminar at 8pm.

[reallyhooked]

Great review.

[Thetrail]

My wife and I are leaving today on Grandeur of the seas. We will be celebrating our 7th anniversary and due to circumstances back home we will have the internet package for the first time.

 

I have decided to take advantage of this to spend my evenings after my DW goes to bed giving an update on our day and how the cruise is going.

Will be back on lady Grandeur again this August, happy cruising and thanks for taking us along with you!....K.O.:)

[Thetrail]

You'll love the casino on Grandeur if you play cards. Although it's a small Royal Caribbean ship, the casino is much larger than bigger ships. Their dealers and casino manager and host were the best ever!

 

I sailed on her in August and will again in May.

Grandeur actually has the smallest casino in the fleet next to Empress and Majesty.....K.O.:confused:

[sellwingri]

Grandeur actually has the smallest casino in the fleet next to Empress and Majesty.....K.O.:confused:

 

I'm not sure about slots but I do know there were more tables on Grandeur than ships in higher categories like Serenade and Brilliance.

[easyboy]

Enjoying your review.

[varganator]

First I want to dispel any rumors that the casino is big. There are 2 black jack tables, a lot of slots, and 2 roulette tables. There may be 2 dice tables, but I only play blackjack and my wife plays slots when Black jack isn't working out.

 

Now on to the review section of your regularly scheduled programming.

 

Today was the first day where we stopped anywhere. St Thomas to be exact. My DW and I had stopped at St Thomas before and were less than impressed. I wish I could say this was the most magical stop ever, but I am trying to be as honest as the internet will allow one to be. We were cleared by the local authorities at 907 and by 915 DW and I were at the dockside trying to figure out where we were supposed to line up.

 

The ship had told a number (at least 3) excursions, that they were to line up at #9 for their excursions. This lead to some confusion, but it bought me enough time to go buy some socks. Yes, I had a packing list, I used said packing list. Brought 3 bags and a carry on. I have dress socks for the 4 different formal night suits/tuxedos my wife told me to bring, and I did not have a single pair of plain old white socks to my name.

 

We did enjoy the thrill ride that is called a taxi in St Thomas. By we, I mean, me. I was probably the only person who did not feel nausea, or see their life flash before their eyes on at least one segment of the journey.

 

DW and I took the Site, Beach. Shopping excursion, because those three things are what we like to do in the islands. Perfect fit right? Not really. We had approx 30 minutes on the peak of the island, which is really a beautiful view, but it only requires 10 minutes to see it, and then you have 20 minutes to kill looking at items made in China with St Thomas written on them. It was a nice preview to Megans Bay, which was to be our second stop. With my keen eyesight, from over 1400 feet above sea level I could see that the bay was not crowded so I was excited to get to the beach.

 

Guess what, next stop THE BEACH! This beach has been voted top 10 most beautiful beaches in the world by the people who vote for this kind of thing. If I was the person to vote for this kind of thing I would vote for it too. Amazingly clear blue water, nice sand, snack bar, BAR, showers, bathrooms at the center and at least one end. It has it all. A little shack to rent a lounge chair or floaty thing. We did not rent either item, but they seemed popular with the less than 100 people that were there. As a full disclosure type thing, we were the only ship in town. The majority of the people at the beach were clearly locals, or people in St Thomas as their final destination/vacation spot. The driver gave us 2 hours to spend at the beach and it was plenty of time for me. I am not a huge beach guy, give me a pool any day over a beach, but DW loves the beach and I am not dumb enough to argue this 2 hours of my life.

 

If you take this tour, act like you are being nice and let everyone get on the taxi before you. This will place you on the left hand side of the taxi and you will not have a lot of pictures of your neighbors head when the driver points out sites to you.

 

After the beach we then headed down town to do some shopping. My wife and I are celebrating our 7th anniversary on this cruise, or as I tell people 4 happy years of marriage, and my wife wanted to buy me a nice watch. St Thomas is the place to do this. We saw watches from $50-$8000 dollars and finally picked one that I really do love. No the $8000 watch was not the one we chose, and no that is not a typo!

 

Again the driver gave us 2 hours, and it worked out since we had a very defined (by DW) list of what we "had to get" in St Thomas, and a very clear route marked on our map. If we did not want to ride back to the ship, we could have told the driver and grabbed a cab back. Every time I paused to take a drink of water, or look at a strange bird in the sky a cab stopped along side me and asked if I wanted to go back to the ship. Cabs are not hard to come by in this town, especially when you are all alone at the docks.

 

The last people arrived about 10 minutes before a run would have been necessary and we were off to sea again.

 

We sat and watched St Thomas fade into the distance and then headed to the MDR for dinner. Shrimp Carpacio as an app for DW, and Cold Mango soup for me. The waiter actually said to me "Here is your juice" which my DW thought was the funniest thing she has heard on the cruise. I am sure I have said something funnier, but again, I am not going to argue. 4 happy years are hard to come by in a marriage involving me.

 

We both had the Chicken Kiev for our main course, and while some complained of it being dry, I found it to be a good representation of the dish, and both my DW and I enjoyed it. Dessert was chocolate cake and cheese plate, standard and nothing to write home about.

 

As a side note, one of the 38 Jr cruisers is a guest at the table next to us. In all of the meals we have eaten, this young lady has been a picture of good manners and a pleasure to have seated close by. Tonight, for whatever reason she was having a rough go of it. The wait staff did everything in their power to bring out a smile, but to no avail. Again, she was just having a bad day, as we all do. Still a well behaved Jr Cruiser, just not as happy as I had seen in the past. Now, the only reason I bring her up is I overheard the waiter mention to her that the Macaroni and Cheese was very good tonight. I am the type of guy that would pass up a 5 star restaurant for good mac and cheese, so I felt a little slighted that I don't have this option. I will have a report on this before the cruise is complete. Bet on it.

 

Speaking of betting, the chances of RCCL continuing business have improved. After spending a few hours in the casino tonight my wife and I did a little calculating of where we stand on the Casino Royale front. We are actually $32 down at this point, so RCCL will have money to buy deisel for at least one more cruise. At least until tomorrow, when we will try to break the bank again.

 

In my other competitive endeavors on the ship your favorite reviewer finally figures out how to win a Trivia contest. I came in at the end, sat with my normal team, and when they got 15/16 in general trivia the Cruise Staff gave me a highlighter. I guess some would consider this cheating, but hey, I had to get some type prize at some point.

 

The Grandeur Orchestra performed on the main stage for only one show and it was amazing. The musicians that they get are really top notch. I know there are not a ton of opportunities for people who perform live music but hats off to RCCL for really doing well in this category. In addition to the live musicians of the professional variety, the Karaoke was performed in the Centrum tonight with the back up of the 4 piece ensemble that has been playing there each evening.

 

I know there are those on this site, and for that matter, many who scoff at the karaoke as "Cruisers creating their own entertainment" but from what I heard the entertainment was decent and my DW and I actually enjoyed it.

 

We are stopping in St John tomorrow. We have booked an excursion through someone outside of the ship. This is a first for DW and I, so I am sure there will be adventures aplenty to report on later in the night.

 

I hope all of you back hope have survived the first storm of 2017. It pains me that I was walking around in shorts and a golf shirt all day while some of my fellow CCers were shoveling snow. If it makes you feel any better, my ears are a little burned and the water in the Bay was cold until you got used to it.

 

Early day coming later today, so I will sign off now. Thanks for reading and I hope I can answer some questions if anyone has them.

[karmacats]

I overheard the waiter mention to her that the Macaroni and Cheese was very good tonight. I am the type of guy that would pass up a 5 star restaurant for good mac and cheese, so I felt a little slighted that I don't have this option. I will have a report on this before the cruise is complete. Bet on it.

 

thank you for the review! DH and i are on grandeur for the first time next june, and it will be our first time on such a small royal ship so i am reading everything i can about it, as i'm a little bit nervous about the size. sounds like there is plenty to do and you are having a great time, though.

 

definitely ask for some mac and cheese! on my last cruise i ordered the kids' chicken fingers for dinner twice (i'm in my 40s). the first night my tablemates laughed, but after that a couple of them also ordered the chicken fingers. i ordered the kids' brownie sundae a couple of times, too, and got part of the table doing that also. now that i know that there's mac and cheese, i may have to expand my repertoire....

[Janet524]

I hope all of you back hope have survived the first storm of 2017. It pains me that I was walking around in shorts and a golf shirt all day while some of my fellow CCers were shoveling snow. If it makes you feel any better, my ears are a little burned and the water in the Bay was cold until you got used to it.

 

Your sympathy is heartwarming! Just finished shoveling 15 inches of snow off my driveway. Such a tragedy about the chilly water and rosy red ears. I do hope conditions improve for you very soon! ;)

 

Thanks for your review. Will be on Grandeur next month - timing is everything!

[varganator]

Here we go folks, another day on the shore. Antigua was AMAZING. We booked a tour through Lawrence of Antigua, and when it was done, the DW and I were talking about our next trip and booking the same tour again.

 

Day started with a little bit of of late arrival at Antigua, but we hit the ground running. 9am scheduled arrival, 915 ship cleared, 940 we were on the dock and looking for Lawrence. Lawrence wears a vest of the National Colors, and is a GREAT guy. 4 people scheduled for the tour. His bus is a 12-15 passenger van. He not only didn't cancel, but gave us a great tour. We saw all of the sites, and an amazing trip around the majority of the island. I know what most of you are thinking, "Did you get to see the Cricket Grounds and Stadium?" Yes, we did, and he even slowed the van so I could get a great picture of it!

 

The first actual stop was at the fort, which is now a national park. The wind effect difference from the Atlantic side to the Caribbean side made this stop worth it alone. Beer, soft drinks and bottled water were provided, AC, which is the exception vs the rule in Antigua, and he was at the dock waiting. Great man, life long resident of Antigua, and very knowledgeable. Book your tour with him.

 

He was willing to stop at the beach, which there are a lot of. None in our group wanted to, so he just pointed out the beach we were going to stop at. Even for a guy who does not like the beach (hates the beach), it looked beautiful.

 

Our stop after the Fort was the Nelson's Dock Yard. Incredible history lesson and a guided tour by the Dock Yard Staff. Very interesting facts learned, and well worth the time.

 

Sunday is a rough day in Antigua. This is one of the places left on earth that actually considers Sunday a day of rest, whether there is a cruise ship or 2 in port or not. 1/3- 1/2 of the stores were closed.

 

After returning to the ship DW went to the room for a well deserved nap and I went to the Pool deck to watch NFL football. I am not a huge NFL guy, but surprisingly, a number of the people on this ship were from PA and actually Steelers fans. Who knew? When the game was in hand, and the sprinkling of rain started to fall I decided to go try to nap too.

 

Dinner was a date in Giovanni's and was very nice. It is definitely better food than the MDR, but in all honestly probably what Cruise food used to be. DW and I shared 3 apps between us, one of which was a hug epile of Mozzarella cheese that was taken away before I was done. But I LOVE that cheese. We each ordered a side main and split 2 different types of pasta between us. My Main was the Veal and it was the best meal I have had on board, and was probably in the top 10 of my life. I will most likely repeat this later in the week.

 

There was no movie on the big screen tonight, as the GB Packers played what appeared to be a HS team from NYC in a football game instead.

 

I went to the show in the Palladium theater during my break from the game. The main act was a ventriloquist and he was hilarious. Called a guy up on stage from the audience, so if that is not your thing, do not sit in the front row. Very good, clean humor.

 

Also happening tonight was the 4 piece group in the centrum. I decided that I would ruin all of your, and my future plans of sailing on RCCL and play some more in the casino.

 

I am currently up $125 in the casino, which I am sure will bring RCCL to a grinding halt. I only hope that they will be able to finish this cruise and not leave DW and I stranded in the Caribbean. If this happens, will one of you please look after my wife's dog?

 

Another note from the DW about the cabins. The department of something recently took all of the Egg Crates that so many people raved about for so long off the ship. Our Cabin Steward has added some Duvet covers under the bottom sheet, and I am sleeping like a log. Full disclosure, I have slept in a swamp on more than one occasion, so I am not a good judge of sleeping conditions. My DW on the other had is a princess that would feel a pea under the house she was sleeping in and has noticed a difference with the duvets. These are not provided unless you ask, so hard mattress haters need to know this in advance.

 

Another note for the future cruisers. Tell Dane in the casino bar that Rich sent you and expect a heavy pour. Also, you may want to ask hima bout his daughters who are both running track in the states, or his days of playing on the national soccer team for Jamaica. Your welcome. :)

[varganator]

Another day survived on the high seas and among the low life of St Lucia. I have been in a number of places in my life. In what I like to refer to as my previous life, I have even been in fear for my life on more than one occasion. But I have to admit that there were more than one occasion today that I did not feel comfortable for myself or my DW. A couple of these occasions we were actually in a moving vehicle full of people. It was not because of the driver, or the drive. It was because of the people in and of St Lucia.

 

We took an excursion today through a very reputable third party. They lined us up with the Sights and Sea package, or some such name. Basically we drove around St Lucia for 4 hours and saw all there is to see. What there is to see is a couple of things. One, An amazing landscape full of beautiful vegetation. Two, a country covered in Fruit trees of every variety and fashion, growing right along side the road. Three, a third world country, where if you are not inside a van, a Diamonds International Mall, or a 5 star resort, you may or may not be safe.

 

Our tour was supposed to meet at 9am on the busiest street in the capital city of St Lucia. Obviously, we had about a 3 block walk to meet the van which was driving us around today. This involved about 1 block of sidewalk, and 2 blocks of crossing a busy street at Rush Hour and no sidewalks. Once in the van we were off and running.

 

Now I am not the 'safest' of drivers, but I do use my turn signals. These items should be removed from every vehicle in this tiny country. NO ONE USES them, to include our driver. The average road is also approx. 6 feet too narrow for 2 cars to pass each other. All in all it made for an exciting ride.

 

We did stop at a collective for local artisans. incredible cloth and wood carving, and chocolate that was sold out within 10 minutes of the tour completing in the gift shop. My DW and I are huge believers of supporting local business, whether it means eating a mom and pop shop vs Appleby's or buying from local people on a cruise. $200 or so late, we have accomplished this mission and we have souvenirs for everyone back home, including people we haven't even met yet.

 

Our next stop was for the beach. We drove past a Sandals resort, which had claimed a majority of the prime beach front property (one of three sandals resorts in St Lucia) and went into a National park which had a beach set up.

 

DW and I decided to forgo the rocky, crowded beach and eat at a restaurant that was a few hundred yards away. If you decide to eat here, you will get a true feel for what 'Island Time' means. We had a great snack, and for 4 beers, chips and a very interesting but good cheese dip we came away $13 lighter in the pocket. No complaints at all.

 

After the stop at the fort we returned to the cruise terminal. While we were waiting for the rest of our excursion buddies, my DW and I talked to the driver about the local 'spice' market that was directly across from where the ship was berthed for the day. He not only drove us the 3 blocks to the market, but he went inside with us, and helped us negotiate the price. Again, $15 late we came away with 2 baggies of Cinnamon and Ginger and about a pound of coffee. All locally grown. I will fully admit that I would not have been comfortable in this market without our guide, but your milage may vary.

 

We returned to the ship and stood by the rail to watch what I had come to expect to be the panicked run to the ship as the gang plank was pulled away. Instead I saw a couple of leisurely walks to the ship by 6 people who were obviously more important than everyone else on board.

 

I scheduled a shave in the spa, since my DW prefers me to be clean shaven, and I gave her this for our 6th wedding anniversary. In addition to dinner at Chops. Dinner was all that you can imagine and more. PAY THE MONEY, it is worth it. My only regret is that there are no doggy bags on the ship.

 

Another shout out to Dane, the bartender in the casino bar. His birthday was on 1 January, and he shared his Birthday Champagne with DW and I in a toast to us. Amazing gesture by an amazing crew member.

 

As for the casino and my continuing effort to put RCCL out of business through winnings, I have for the first time ever, gained possession of a purple chip. That's right folks, your favorite semi live reviewer has a $500 chip in his room safe tonight. Sorry, but I may just bring RCCL to it's knees yet and get that key ring!

 

Due to weather related issues we are at this time arriving in St Marteen an hour earlier than scheduled and will be leaving 2 hours earlier than planned. The captain has promised, and I am sure he will, to keep us informed as to whether or not this actually happens. I for one hope that the schedule does not change and I am able to finally find the elusive Diamonds International store that everyone keeps talking about.