REVIEW - Grandeur of the Seas - 2/11/06

[lv2bcruzin]

First off I would like to say that for a ship that is 10 years old it is in fantastic shape! I wasn't sure what to expect, but it could've passed for a newer one. This is rather long, hopefully it's worth the read. ;)

 

Ship

As said before this ship was in fantastic shape for her age, even though 10 years isn't that old, for the amount of passengers per year these things take on there's definitely something to be said for it. The woodwork, the artwork, tables, chairs, walls, carpet and stonework all were in great shape. The artwork around the ship is some of my favorite. The giant wall length paintings in the stairwells were brilliant.

 

There were obviously some things that were noticeable, as in stains on carpet and furniture, but those stains could've been 10 days old. The most noticeable issue was the sewer smell on decks 4 and 5 in and near the centrum. It wasn't really bad, but it shouldn't be there at all.

 

On the topic of sewer smell is the starboard tendering area. For the love of God I have never in my life smelled something so rancid! It was completely disgusting. This smell was so heavy and strong even if you held your breath you could still feel it in your nostrils. :eek: We, along with many others were waiting for our number to be called to board the tenders above them on deck 5 in Grand Cayman. Most people couldn't stand it for more than a second while others were there with shirts over their faces. It was like they dumped 100,000 ton of waste right under our noses. That needs to be fixed without a doubt.

 

Grand Cayman was an issue tendering because of the weather. It wasn't bad enough to keep the tenders from going, but they had to use the life boats because the government ones were not going until the afternoon. Also, while tendering in GC we noticed the giant dent in the lower/front starboard side of the ship. I guess that was from an accident where they ran the ship into a pier while docking a while back, although at first we were told it had happened that day from a life boat slamming into it because of the weather.

 

Atomosphere

The atmosphere on the ship was all in all a good one. The crew was most always upbeat and kept the feeling of the ship lively and enjoyable. The guest were always well behaved most of the time :rolleyes: without any real problem causers. This cruise had the least amount of kids on it that I have ever seen. Probably no more than 100 give or take a few.

 

Service

I have never had any service issues on any RCI ship I have been and this was no exception. Our room attendant was great. We had brought some of our own liquor on board and she was kind enough to chill some mini-champagnes for us. All we did was leave her a note with a couple dollars and the champagne and it was there waiting for us at the end of the night. My wife had also brought on some Kahlua for her and my sister to share, my sister and brother-in-law were in a connecting room, and all we had to do was ask for some cartons of milk for them to mix their drinks and it was no problem at all. Then there's my brother-in-law and my drink of choice, Vodka and orange juice. We brought our own Vodka and being right next door to the Champagne Bar and him having a soda and juice card all we had to do is walk outside our room and ask for a couple of large glasses of orange and we were set. Even with what we brought on board we still spent about $700 on drinks between my wife and I and my sister and brother-in-law, so they still got their drink money from us. ;)

 

Or waiter, assistant waiter and head waiter were fantastic also. They were always right on top of things, remember our preferences ever night. This person likes extra pepper on their food, this person drinks iced tea, etc. The head waiter put in more work then any other I have seen. I have never tipped the head waiter before, but this time it had to be done. He was at our table half a dozen times every night throughout the cruise, doing things normally done by the waiter and assistant.

 

Every place we had been that served drinks, bar, Palladium, pool deck, South Pacific Lounge, etc the drink tenders were very attentive and could always be found. The only one that was slow was the one in the main dining room. We usually had to ask for him, not a big deal being that after asking he was there right away, but on previous cruises he was there quickly every night.

 

Food

This is where I have in general been relatively satisfied with all RCI food, it's good, but not great. This is the same here. The food in the main dining had it's good sides and its bad. I not once had a meal were each item I ordered was good. The steaks were usually tough with not a lot of taste, but the sauce served with it was good so that helped. This was usually the case, the food was not always great, but the sauce made up the difference.

 

The food in the WindJammer was the best I have had at any WindJammer on a RCI cruise. Always a giant selection with food that was usually better than the main dining room. I was very impressed this time around. On our last day at sea they had a bbq going on the pool deck. This also was some great food. Line was a little long but worth the wait.

 

Entertainment / Activities

The entertainment and activities on board we the normal RCI stuff. Ok, but nothing too fantastic. We did the Bingo thing, jackpot got up to $5,300. We tried a dance show in the palladium and walked out 5 minutes into it. The art auction is something we always make, we won about 5 paintings between us and my sister. Great paintings, great prices. Probably one of the funniest comedians I have seen anywhere let alone on a cruise ship. Hit the casino because we were mad at our money, although my brother-in-law came in third place in the Black Jack tournament. Unfortunately, they had that tournament at the same time as the Meet & Mingle so we couldn't attend. As a matter of fact those two things along with the art action which my wife and sister went to and I think one or two other things were scheduled at the same time. What is that about? They need to do a better a job scheduling considering after those were done there wasn't any thing else scheduled.

 

Conclusion

To end this hopefully informative tid bit I have to say that this ship is definitely worth its dollars. It's not perfect, but what is. All facets of this ships pros far out way its cons. It has plenty of things to keep you busy during the days at sea and it's up keep has you feeling as if you were on a newer ship. Very well done by RCI to keep this girl going. But, they may want to fix that dent someday, more so than what they have already.

 

 

Photos - Grandeur of the Seas

[kpauley]

Thanks for the review. We'll be sailing on her for the 3rd time in five weeks. :) Can't wait.

[P&DinDE2]

thanks for the great review. we will also be sailing her our 3rd time in July!

[Murphy]

Thanks for the teaser! We sail her in April and it's below zero here today, so I was in desparate need of a cruise fix today. Sounds like you had a great time. Who was your head waiter? We had Ajay on the Enchantment and I thought he was the best head waiter... good to know he's got some competition and we may experience it soon!

[GranysT]

Hi Pam, how are you and David doing? Looking forward to your next Grandeur cruise,eh? My Panama one is coming up in April,finally.Sure been a long haul waiting for this one. LOL

 

Lv2be,thanks for the review. Glad to hear that the Grandeur is still in great shape. I agree that she is,100% I remember the great head waiter,always looking after things. The Maitre-D was a female,and she visited each night as well,and was excellent.

[mrsrosner]

Thanks for the review. I will be sailing her on 3/11 for my 2nd time. You mentioned something about a meet and mingle. Was your cruise a 5 night? I didn't think they had them on anything less than 7 nights! Sorry to hear about the "smell". Hope we won't have too much trouble with it on the 3rd deck! The Sovereign has that same problem too! Glad you had a nice cruise!

[smrn]

Thanks for the review. We go in April. Do you have any pictures of the menus or compass? If not, do you know where I can find them?

Thanks!

:)

[lv2bcruzin]

Thanks for the review. I will be sailing her on 3/11 for my 2nd time. You mentioned something about a meet and mingle. Was your cruise a 5 night? I didn't think they had them on anything less than 7 nights!

 

This cruise was originally a 7nt out of Galveston, TX and they had already taken registrations so when it changed to a 5nt out of Tampa, FL they just kept it.

[signman]

Dent is from an April 05 kiss with the pier in Costa Maya.

[BrynnP]

lv2bcruzin,

You said you brought liquor on board. Did you put it in your checked luggage or your carry on? There was no problem bringing it on board?

[lv2bcruzin]

lv2bcruzin,

You said you brought liquor on board. Did you put it in your checked luggage or your carry on? There was no problem bringing it on board?

 

Put in the checked luggage. The Kahlua was the 1.75ml plastic bottle, the champagne we bought in Tampa and made sure it was wrapped in clothes to prevent breakage, the Vodka was bought on board and they gave it back to us on the second to last night. We also bought some liquor in Cozumel. I didn't worry about hiding it wrapped in a towel in a bag when we came back on board because we already had some to drink, so I wasn't worried if they took it, matter of fact I was hoping they would so we didn't need to deal with it in the room. Two large bottles of Kahlua and some tequila in a liquor store bag. Put in through the machine, not only was there no one there to confiscate it they picked it up and handed it to me. :p

[ZippySuzy]

Thanks for the review. Glad to hear you guys had a good time.

[Kokomos]

We were also on this sailing. It was originally a 7 day out of New Orleans.

Our waiter was OSCAR and he was fantastic. I agree the head-waiter was at our table several times during the cruise also.

Our tablemates were wonderful but we did have a really strange couple who showed a few nights , They would show up late and leave during the middle of dinner. Oh well they sure gave us a few laughs.

We were on the first tender at both Cozumel and Grand Cayman. At Cozumel the party boat had to push us against the pier because they couldnt get in close enough. AT Grand Cayman seemed to take forever took 4 trys around . Celebrity had 3 tender boats come up and leave while we were still trying to get tied in. :confused:

 

The meet and mingle was a pretty good success. Id say there were at least 25 people there. It was nice to put some faces with cc names.

Quest was the hilight of our trip. Our tablemates joined us for this and had no idea what to expect.

We had a wonderful time and cant wait to do it again. Altough next time I hope to go to ports that dock. After the smell going to the tender at grand cayman Id rather stay on the ship. Guess it would have been worth it if our excursion wasnt cancelled.

[kruisecat]

Thanks for the review! We leave one week from today!!!! Can't wait. Never been on a RCI cruise so am really looking forward to it.

[Ollie_WA]

Thank you so much for taking the time and writing such a great Review. I am really excited about my cruise on the Grandeur in April. I have only done the "big" ships, so this cruise will be different....looking forward to less crowds!

Thanks Again,

Ollie:)

[lv2bcruzin]

We were also on this sailing. It was originally a 7 day out of New Orleans.

 

Ya, that's what I meant. Because of the hurricane it was moved. My bad. :p

[Phaedra_11]

What deck was your room on?

I see it was an inside room (which we have). Was it comfy?

[lv2bcruzin]

What deck was your room on?

I see it was an inside room (which we have). Was it comfy?

 

We were in cabin #4571, so Deck 4. It was like any other inside stateroom, small and cozy. :p They are obviously small, but they work just fine for 2 people. You have to walk through the smoking side of the Champagne Bar to get to that cabin. The port side of the Champagen Bar is non-smoking.

[kenandlaura06]

Thanks for the review...the sewer smell is concerning, however. I hope RCCL reads this thread and takes care of it!!! Does anyone have any ideas on what the source of this might be?

[lv2bcruzin]

Thanks for the review...the sewer smell is concerning, however. I hope RCCL reads this thread and takes care of it!!! Does anyone have any ideas on what the source of this might be?

 

From what I've seen on here this has been documented for some time now. Not sure what they are planning on doing about it if anything.

[leasas]

We are booked the same sailing as kruisecat on Feb 25th. Our room is just behind were lv2bcruzin was, in 4071. Should we try to move our room for the smell or is it just minor at times in the hallway? please let us know what you think. thanks

[P&DinDE2]

GranysT.. Hey Cheryl!

how have you been? David & I are doing great, looking forward to our next cruise, this time we are taking the kids! should be an experience..will definately cut our "casino time" down!! have fun on you Panama cruise, we expect a full review when you return!

Take Care

[lv2bcruzin]

We are booked the same sailing as kruisecat on Feb 25th. Our room is just behind were lv2bcruzin was, in 4071. Should we try to move our room for the smell or is it just minor at times in the hallway? please let us know what you think. thanks

 

The smell is constant, not just at times. It's not an overwhelming smell, but it's enough to notice. If I had no choice but to be in the same area again I would still go, although I would switch to the port side which is non-smoking in the Champagne Bar, but If I had a choice I would choose a higher deck. A ship has many smells, sewage should not be one.

 

I must also note that even with the sewage smell and being on the smoking side the cabin had no smell at all. They do a great job keeping the cabins fresh.

[Murphy]

I should know this, but I don't remember...

 

We are looking for a place to meet for the sailaway party. I've checked the online deck plans and there isn't a bar listed by the pool. I know there has to be a bar!!! Is it outside the Windjammer? Or at the other end of the pool? Is there a bar on the deck above the pool too? And is there one in the Solarium? TIA!

[SUZCRUZ]

The SHIP WAS GREAT! It was a perfect cruise. I have to say, I couldn't find anything wrong with the Grandeur. We arrived early on the day of sailing, so we were the first ones in line to board.( Kids said "Nerds")They start boarding at 10:30am and we were on her at 11:00. The ship is in great shape, didn't see anything to show her age. We've sailed many RCCL and Celebrity ships and this one has a great layout. The Centrum reminded me of the Jewel in it's location as well as the Scooner Bar (favorite bar) Also the casino was very big and you really didn't feel cramped and was easy to get through from tables to machines with ease. We did well on this ship=WINNERS, as in didn't hit a jackpot but definately came out ahead. They have a really neat video Blackjack and 3 card poker to play. If you don't know or want to learn how to play, these are really fun to play. We also played 3 card poker at a table, where we hit for straight flush and trips a few times. I also player Roulette, a blast.

Our cabin was an outside on the third deck. We booked this kinda last minute, so a balcony wasn't available. The room was very nice with a large square window, and would book this category again Cat G. Beds were FANTASTIC, big thick mattress. No aches and pains when you got up in the am.

Tendering to Cozumel was no problem. I understand if you book a ships excursion, you get off earlier, but that wasn't really an option for us. We were usually up at the casino until 2am and up at 7:30, visiting the coffee bar Seattlesbest for a daily coffee Americana, to wake up. We actually caught the tender around 10:15 and it was very easy, no wait, and was pleasantly surprised at how nice it was. It felt like being in an airplane, had a/c, no hot sun beating on you and was quick.

Our seas were smooth, with sun each day for all the northerners to bask in.

I feel this is a disorganized review, as I'm trying to recoop from a vacation that we had TOO MUCH FUN ON!

Don't want to forget, when sailing away from Tampa, go to the front of the ship and watch for the dolphins. So neat!

Any questions, would be glad to answer.

Can't wait to find another sailing on this ship.

Back to work tomorrow.