Up next....the Grandeur

[champagne123]

Soooo, we recently returned from the Carnival Victory. I actually wrote a short review for the first time. We have NEVER had a bad cruise until now. Even the other four Carnival cruises we have been on were pretty good.

 

 

Anyway, not much written about the Grandeur. I know it is an old, smaller ship than we are used to. (yes we love the mega ships..Oasis, Allure, Breakaway, Anthem). This will be a 12 day cruise and we are very much looking forward to it, but we are hoping it is a mostly relaxing cruise. My question is: Is the atmosphere more laid back, romantic, calm and generally friendly? Not looking for bells and whistles this time. Does this "fit the bill"? Any tips or opinions? Greatly appreciated. :cool:

[papaflamingo]

What is the itinerary? Personally I love the Vision Class ships. Yes, IMHO, they are more relaxing. No real bells and whistles. More like the "old days" of cruising where you enjoyed the pool, balcony, and simply relaxing. They still have trivia, bingo, art auctions, etc. So there are things to do. But for me, I simply love the relaxing sea days. Especially if you are on a port intensive cruise like the Med. or Greek Isles. The entertainment can't hold a candle to the larger ships, still ok shows, but nothing special IMHO. But the Schooner Bar is still the Schooner Bar, and they do concerts and dance bands in the main Atrium.

For me, Grandeur fits the bill you asked for. I think if you are looking for a more intimate, laid back, relaxing cruise you won't be disappointed.

[davy jones]

 

Anyway, not much written about the Grandeur. I know it is an old, smaller ship than we are used to. (yes we love the mega ships..Oasis, Allure, Breakaway, Anthem). This will be a 12 day cruise and we are very much looking forward to it, but we are hoping it is a mostly relaxing cruise. My question is: Is the atmosphere more laid back, romantic, calm and generally friendly? Not looking for bells and whistles this time. Does this "fit the bill"? Any tips or opinions? Greatly appreciated. :cool:

 

Then you picked the right ship. Our 9 day cruise during this summer never felt crowded and was very relaxing and the crew is friendly and outgoing. To us, this more than made up for the missing mega ship amenities. Because it's older, there are not a lot of balcony cabins.

 

If you choose the right deck, you can go all week without taking the elevator.

 

Embarkation and debarkation were the easiest that we have had in quite a long time.

 

It's not for everyone, but if you can live without the mega ship bells and whistles, it is great choice.

[champagne123]

Thank You All!!!! Just the answer I was hoping for.

[Rogueperson]

Each cruise is its own unique animal. You know what my worst cruise ever was? Jewel of the Seas. This was also my first Royal Caribbean cruise, so it soured me for a couple of years. You know what the BEST overall cruise for me was? Grandeur of the Seas. I've sailed across 5 lines so far and its not really the cruise line, though they prioritize certain experience.

 

I did a live thread with pictures and photos about 3 months ago, I can find my thread if you want more insight to it.

 

Personally, I think the Vision class and Radiance class are icons of more traditional cruising. Shows set against traditional dining times, that sort of thing. In some ways, I prefer them to the super large ships like the Freedom class and above. I have not done the Voyager class (That's in November), nor have i tried to Oasis class (that's next year).

[champagne123]

Each cruise is its own unique animal. You know what my worst cruise ever was? Jewel of the Seas. This was also my first Royal Caribbean cruise, so it soured me for a couple of years. You know what the BEST overall cruise for me was? Grandeur of the Seas. I've sailed across 5 lines so far and its not really the cruise line, though they prioritize certain experience.

 

I did a live thread with pictures and photos about 3 months ago, I can find my thread if you want more insight to it.

 

Personally, I think the Vision class and Radiance class are icons of more traditional cruising. Shows set against traditional dining times, that sort of thing. In some ways, I prefer them to the super large ships like the Freedom class and above. I have not done the Voyager class (That's in November), nor have i tried to Oasis class (that's next year).

THANK YOU! Just did a search and found it!!!! 18 pages..lol....I think I have a lot of reading to do. YAY....thank you thank you...

[SRF]

Let's see, last year August we did a cruise on Grandeur (9 day Bermuda/Bahamas). It was so bad, we booked the same cruise, in the same suite for this year. :)

 

Oh, and booked a 12 night in the same suite again for next April. :D

 

I find Grandeur to be relaxing, but energetic enough to not be boring.

[shippmates]

We love the Grandeur. The crew is one of the friendliest of all the ships we have been. There are not lots of bells and whistles, but enough things to do on sea days. Baltimore is one of the easiest ports to get too. Enjoy your cruise.

[Giantfan13]

We have sailed the Grandeur twice now. We were on her when she celebrated the 20 anniversary of her launch, Dec 1996, and we sailed Dec 2016. They had a wonderful party. We loved the laid back atmosphere, plus, we really love the smaller ships. We returned this past March for another sailing and just loved it again. At the time, the Captain was hilarious (I think he has moved on) but the crew works so hard to make you happy, and the shows on our last sailing were some of the best we have seen in 20 years of cruising..

 

Cheers

Len

[kalliekae]

Good post, op. We are considering an Enchantment cruise out of Galveston this fall. We've sailed on Oasis and Allure several times so I was wondering what to expect on a smaller ship. We have sailed on HAL which has smaller ships, but those cruises were port intensive so having no bells and whistles were not a factor to us. Glad to hear several good comments on Royal's smaller ships.

[kalliekae]

Good post, op. We are considering an Enchantment cruise out of Galveston this fall. We've sailed on Oasis and Allure several times so I was wondering what to expect on a smaller ship. We have sailed on HAL which has smaller ships, but those cruises were port intensive so having no bells and whistles were not a factor to us. Glad to hear several good comments on Royal's smaller ships.

 

Well, I must have had a senior moment when I wrote Galveston. I meant FL. Sorry!

[champagne123]

YAY!!!! Just wanted to thank everyone for their wonderful imput! More excited than ever.

[Arzeena]

YAY!!!! Just wanted to thank everyone for their wonderful imput! More excited than ever.

 

We too are thinking about the Grandeur. Which cruise did you book?

We have been on the Grandeur once before. I do not remember much about the ship itself. We had a great CC group and I remember the fun we had with them.

[champagne123]

We too are thinking about the Grandeur. Which cruise did you book?

We have been on the Grandeur once before. I do not remember much about the ship itself. We had a great CC group and I remember the fun we had with them.

Nov. 10th-22nd. I am truly excited about this particular cruise, as we need a nice relaxing environment...and by what everyone has stated, I think it will be perfect. Unfortunately, the day we return (did not realize it at the time of booking) is Thanksgiving. I don't know WHAT my kids are going to do without mom home cooking....lol. :'):'):') Our roll call is pretty large with DELTABLUE running it. (what a nice lady she is).

[retiredgram]

Nov. 10th-22nd. I am truly excited about this particular cruise, as we need a nice relaxing environment...and by what everyone has stated, I think it will be perfect. Unfortunately, the day we return (did not realize it at the time of booking) is Thanksgiving. I don't know WHAT my kids are going to do without mom home cooking....lol. :'):'):') Our roll call is pretty large with DELTABLUE running it. (what a nice lady she is).

You're not the only one who did not realize we returned on Thanksgiving. :o You are going to love the Grandeur. We do an annual B2B on her in the winter every year. Doing a B2B with this cruise also.

[Nessa1dc]

We are booked on the Grandeur for December. We sailed her a couple of years ago. We loved it. We have done all the larger ships as well. Our favorite is the Freedom class...but we never skipped a beat on the Grandeur. You will enjoy.

 

Bon Voyage.

[ariesknowbest]

Soooo, we recently returned from the Carnival Victory. I actually wrote a short review for the first time. We have NEVER had a bad cruise until now. Even the other four Carnival cruises we have been on were pretty good.

 

 

Anyway, not much written about the Grandeur. I know it is an old, smaller ship than we are used to. (yes we love the mega ships..Oasis, Allure, Breakaway, Anthem). This will be a 12 day cruise and we are very much looking forward to it, but we are hoping it is a mostly relaxing cruise. My question is: Is the atmosphere more laid back, romantic, calm and generally friendly? Not looking for bells and whistles this time. Does this "fit the bill"? Any tips or opinions? Greatly appreciated. :cool:

 

Was on the Grandeur in March. I found that it was very difficult to find a place to relax without music blaring and commotion everywhere. This was the first cruise I gave 1 star too. Even the Diamond Club was noisy with the Art Auction. The ship is dirty, unkept and in GREAT need of refurbishment. For the whole story please look on the Review Board. I highly recommend cruising on another ship.

[Eeyore1962]

Was on the Grandeur in March. I found that it was very difficult to find a place to relax without music blaring and commotion everywhere. This was the first cruise I gave 1 star too. Even the Diamond Club was noisy with the Art Auction. The ship is dirty, unkept and in GREAT need of refurbishment. For the whole story please look on the Review Board. I highly recommend cruising on another ship.

 

 

Okay then. So you joined CC just to write a negative review???? Really?

 

The Grandeur is in no way, shape or form "dirty, unkept and in need of refurbishment". She has a great, friendly staff and you will constantly see that staff cleaning, painting and keeping up the ship.

 

You will definitely be able to relax and unwind. The solarium is wonderful and adult only.

[Rogueperson]

THANK YOU! Just did a search and found it!!!! 18 pages..lol....I think I have a lot of reading to do. YAY....thank you thank you...

 

I hope you enjoy it.

 

I had fun doing that last live thread, I will *probably* do a live thread for the Navigator as well in November. Stay tuned.

[champagne123]

Was on the Grandeur in March. I found that it was very difficult to find a place to relax without music blaring and commotion everywhere. This was the first cruise I gave 1 star too. Even the Diamond Club was noisy with the Art Auction. The ship is dirty, unkept and in GREAT need of refurbishment. For the whole story please look on the Review Board. I highly recommend cruising on another ship.

Thanks for your input. I am going to believe the experienced long time members of CC however. Dirty ship? Have never been on a dirty ship in all of my many cruises. That statement alone tells me you’re full of baloney.

[feelingnauti]

We booked our first Grandeur cruise to Bermuda for April 2019 spring break. Sounds like its going to be a relaxing time after reading all of these great posts. Looking forward to enjoying the aft junior suite wrap balcony on those sea days! Can't wait.

[SRF]

There are quiet places, but they change through the day.

 

I have a friend who cruises on Grandeur a couple of times a year, and has her routine. Get up, get coffee, do to X spot for quiet. Then when X starts to get noisy, move to Y, and so forth. She can spend an entire sea day in peace and quiet, reading.

[cruzinlady1947]

We are taking the Grandeur for our 17th or 18th time on her next month. Then 2 more in Nov and Dec. Needless to say, we love the Grandeur......it's our 2nd home, or as I say, our retirement home! ;)

Gwen :D

[Rogueperson]

There are quiet places, but they change through the day.

 

I have a friend who cruises on Grandeur a couple of times a year, and has her routine. Get up, get coffee, do to X spot for quiet. Then when X starts to get noisy, move to Y, and so forth. She can spend an entire sea day in peace and quiet, reading.

 

Were you on the July 13th Bermuda/Bahamas 9 night last year? I think I sailed with you.

 

Anyways, there are plenty of quiet places. The Solarium is usually quiet and I've never seen music played in there. The ONLY time I've ever seen the place partying was New Years Eve and it was kind of treacherous dancing to music with a wet deck.

 

Viking Crown Lounge is usually quiet too. Outdoors, if you look Fore or Aft, you'll be far enough away from the music of the mid-deck that it shouldn't be a problem, especially if you go a deck up to deck where you'll have a floor between you and the source of music.

 

The atrium is hit or miss unfortunately as well as the Seven Seas lounge. The Schooner lounge area is usually quiet during the day, but they have trivia there sometimes when not in the Atrium.

 

So, yeah, there are plenty of quiet areas.

[Arzeena]

Nov. 10th-22nd. I am truly excited about this particular cruise, as we need a nice relaxing environment...and by what everyone has stated, I think it will be perfect. Unfortunately, the day we return (did not realize it at the time of booking) is Thanksgiving. I don't know WHAT my kids are going to do without mom home cooking....lol. :'):'):') Our roll call is pretty large with DELTABLUE running it. (what a nice lady she is).

 

LOL! I suppose the kids will be either making dinner or dinner reservations:D:D

We are thinking about a 12 night one in 2019.

Not had the honor of meeting DeltaBlue yet, but hopefully I do someday.