Jump to content
[[Template core/front/global/announcementTop is throwing an error. This theme may be out of date. Run the support tool in the AdminCP to restore the default theme.]]
Cruise Critic Community
[[Template core/front/global/announcementContentTop is throwing an error. This theme may be out of date. Run the support tool in the AdminCP to restore the default theme.]]

Live! DragonOfTheSeas' B2B on the Grandeur of the Seas 3.28 to 4.18.19

DragonOfTheSeas
 Share

Recommended Posts

DragonOfTheSeas "Live from...." Rare

DragonOfTheSeas

Posted
Posted (edited)

Welcome to our B2B cruise. We are very excited to begin our adventure.  This cruise will be made up of a 9-night Southeast Coast cruise [Charleston, Port Canaveral, Miami, Nassau overnight] and a 12-night Southern Caribbean cruise [St Croix, St Lucia, Antigua, St Kitts, St Martin].  Yep, we are onboard for 21 days.  This will be the longest continuous time onboard and the longest away from home for us.  I will let you know how we do.

 

We had a few issues getting to this point. Below is not intended as a rant or even a complaint.  I thought someone may want to know what the procedure is in case of a cancellation.

 

1.      Two years ago, we booked the Grandeur March 16 cruise with the same S. Caribbean itinerary listed above.  Then in November RCL announced Grandeur had to go into a drydock for a routine maintenance in early March. They cancelled 2 cruises, including ours. The explanation on Cruise Critic was that RCL had gotten an extension for the last drydock.  RCL felt they had a given length of time for the next drydock from that date.  The Coast Guard said, Nope!  The clock started ticking from the original date. 

 

2.      They gave us 3 cruise dates with the same itinerary [2 in February and the April 6 cruise] that they would price match our cruise for the same category.  We chose April 6.  However, that close to the sail date most/many categories were sold out—including our Panoramic Ocean View cabin.  There were no suites or balconies and only 3 ocean-view cabins left, all on deck 2 [also some inside cabins].  So, we booked an OV-2538.  Our Travel agent had to go to bat for us, so we did not have to pay more to get one of these cabins.  I was bummed.

 

3.      One thing we noticed was that the new cabin was available for the March 28 cruise, too.  DH said let’s make lemonade out of lemons and we booked that cruise. So, here we are with a B2B.  So, I am not bummed anymore.  Happy wife. . . Happy life.

 

  

Edited by DragonOfTheSeas
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites
DragonOfTheSeas "Live from...." Rare

DragonOfTheSeas

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Here we are on the beautiful Grandeur of the Seas. This was the easiest check-in we've ever had. We arrived at the port at 11 am. We were the only people in the Diamond and Diamond Plus line. They called us next to get our seapass card and take our picture and we were on board 10 minutes after we finished.  

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites
DragonOfTheSeas "Live from...." Rare

DragonOfTheSeas

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Yes Dixie, it is a little chilly here in Baltimore by the water.  However, it is warm and friendly inside.  Our cabins were ready right at 1pm. We found lots of reading material in our cabin.  :classic_cool:

 

We noted in the letter from the loyalty ambassador [Marcus Cabral] that D+ is still welcome in the concierge lounge.  

 

The Meet and Mingle is at 9:15 am in the South Pacific Lounge. I tend to be an early bird, so I am OK with that.  However, I am sure some passengers will not love that time. The "Top Tier Event" is in the Palladium theatre the same morning at 10 am. We have never seen this so early in the cruise or listed for the morning.  There must be a large number of platinum and above cruisers to hold it in the theatre rather than one of the lounges. 

 

Here are a couple of pictures of the centrum and windjammer café as we boarded. 

papers.jpg

centrum.jpg

20190328_114255.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites
DragonOfTheSeas "Live from...." Rare

DragonOfTheSeas

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Today's activities:

 

  • A Sail-away Party in the Centrum at 4 pm. 
  • A Welcome Aboard show at 7pm with the comedy of Nora Lynch.
  • A "Seasons Floor Show" in the centrum at 9pm.  Veteran Grandeur cruisers will remember this was the aerial show.  Now it is confined to a floor show.  
  • March Madness will be shown in the Casino Bar and on the big screen poolside from 7pm to midnight [satellite permitting]. We should be fine since we will still be in the Chesapeake Bay for most of that time. DH hopes our luck holds for tomorrow night. :classic_biggrin:
  • Also, the usual trivia and karaoke.
  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites
BND

BND

Posted
Posted
3 minutes ago, DragonOfTheSeas said:

Today's activities:

 

  • A Sail-away Party in the Centrum at 4 pm. 
  • A Welcome Aboard show at 7pm with the comedy of Nora Lynch.
  • A "Seasons Floor Show" in the centrum at 9pm.  Veteran Grandeur cruisers will remember this was the aerial show.  Now it is confined to a floor show.  
  • March Madness will be shown in the Casino Bar and on the big screen poolside from 7pm to midnight [satellite permitting]. We should be fine since we will still be in the Chesapeake Bay for most of that time. DH hopes our luck holds for tomorrow night. :classic_biggrin:
  • Also, the usual trivia and karaoke.

Yep, when they discontinued the aerial show a couple of years ago, they went to the floor show.  We enjoyed the aerial show which we saw 2-3 times.  I'm glad D+ is still allowed in the CL.   We'll see you in 9 days when we board. 🙂

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
DragonOfTheSeas "Live from...." Rare

DragonOfTheSeas

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)
44 minutes ago, tcmagnum said:

21 days!!  Wow!!  My dream cruise...

 

Yes, I am looking forward to it, too. . . . my DH will let you know when it is over. 😁

 

No worries CruisinCrow--I post lots of pictures. 

 

We just finished the muster drill.  The captain pulled out of the dock about 10 minutes early.  We are off!

 

 

Edited by DragonOfTheSeas
  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Merion_Mom

Merion_Mom

Posted
Posted
7 hours ago, DragonOfTheSeas said:

Welcome to our B2B cruise. We are very excited to begin our adventure.  This cruise will be made up of a 9-night Southeast Coast cruise [Charleston, Port Canaveral, Miami, Nassau overnight] and a 12-night Southern Caribbean cruise [St Croix, St Lucia, Antigua, St Kitts, St Martin].  Yep, we are onboard for 21 days. 

  

 

I sailed this same itinerary in January.  I'll be following along with interest to see YOUR reactions and experiences.  🙂

Link to comment
Share on other sites
DragonOfTheSeas "Live from...." Rare

DragonOfTheSeas

Posted
  • Author
Posted
1 hour ago, EeyoreRN said:

Bon voyage!  Following!  Can you clarify what you mean by your TA had to go to bat for you so you didn't have to pay more?  Wouldn't your panoramic ocean view been more expensive than the deck 2 ocean view?

Yes, it was more expensive. 

 

There are only 16 of these cabins on the Grandeur and they cost almost as much as a balcony--but, not quite.  RCL took what was public space and turned it into cabins a couple of drydocks ago.  These cabins have floor to ceiling windows and are located on the centrum. 

 

We decided to book one because we had never had one and we felt the first and last couple of days would be too cold to use a balcony. [remember we had originally booked for March 16] Two years ago we came back to Baltimore from a cruise on March 16 to a snow storm. We all had to clear our cars to get out of the parking lot.

 

The ocean view cabin we are in now [2538] is near the forward elevator bank.  That makes it a little more expensive than the other 2 available OV cabins that were VERY forward.  

 

RCL has actually changed the name of these cabins to Ocean View Suite. That sounds like they will be charging even more for them.  We received an "opportunity" to bid on a cabin upgrade for the cabin we had originally booked. LOL  But we did not get it. This was the description:

Ocean View Suite (No Balcony)

Enjoy beautiful views of exotic ports, landscapes, seas and skies from your Suite.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
DragonOfTheSeas "Live from...." Rare

DragonOfTheSeas

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)

One of my favorite things is to be on the deck when we pass under the bay bridge.

 

It looks like the ship will not clear the bridge--but, it does.  I have often wondered what the people driving on the bridge think.  

bridge b.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

bridge a.jpg

 

 

 

so close.jpg

 

under the bridge.jpg

Edited by DragonOfTheSeas
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • ANNOUNCEMENT: Set Sail Beyond the Ordinary with Oceania Cruises
      • ANNOUNCEMENT: The Widest View in the Whole Wide World
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
[[Template core/front/global/sidebar is throwing an error. This theme may be out of date. Run the support tool in the AdminCP to restore the default theme.]]
×
×
  • Create New...