Talk to me about Grandeur of the Seas, please

[Mum2Mercury]

 

We just returned from a wonderful trip on Explorer, and we've booked another cruise on Grandeur -- a ship that doesn't get so much chatter on this board.  I'd like to ask a couple questions about Grandeur.  We chose this cruise for a couple reasons:  the island stops, the price and because it doesn't sail out of Miami. 

 

Thanks in advance to anyone who can give me some advice.  

 

- I know Grandeur is older and much smaller than the other ships on which I've sailed.  How does this change the experience?  

- Grandeur's Solarium has a glassed-in roof.  What's this like?  Do they open it up, or does it inhibit air movement?

- How's boarding in Tampa?  (We had an insane experience in Miami, and I don't mean insanely good.)  

- Are MDR menus standard across Royal's ships?  

- How does the Park Cafe compare to Promenade Cafe? 

- Looks like Windjammer has a beverage center outside the venue -- does this stay open even when Windjammer is closed?  I ask because many times we ran up to Windjammer just for a drink or cup of ice, and this would be very nice.  

- After our last-week cruise, we are inside-stateroom lovers!  The room for which we've signed up on Grandeur is a "sideways" room -- Grandeur seems to have a lot of these.  How do they compare to a standard inside?  

- I see that Grandeur's interior rooms are a little smaller than Explorer's.  136 square feet vs. 160 square feet.  How does this feel in real life? 

- How's the gym?  

 

Thanks again to anyone who can share any information.  

[shippmates]

Grandeur was our favorite go to ship when it sailed out of Baltimore.  The crew was great and when we would get on the ship the crew would remember us from previous cruises and it was like old home week.  So many of the passengers on the ship would cruise that ship often and we all knew each other.

 

The solarium is very nice with all the big windows and the glass roof.  They would open the roof when the weather permitted.  If you have an inside cabin make sure you get your beds separated as that gives you more space in the cabin.  If the beds are together you have to crawl over the bed to get out.  Not much floor space on either side of the bed.

 

It is a smaller ship so board the ship with an open mind and remember you are not going to have all the bells and whistles like the Anthem.

 

[GJustice]

We were on her for a 4 night back in May and I really enjoyed the "classic" nature and small size. We've done every class below Quantum, even the Majesty and long retired Empress OTS when she was still the Nordic Empress.

 

We cruise for cruising and watching the water go by WAY more than eating and playing, so the minimalist style was fine with us. 

 

The beverage station is "outside" the WJ on the pool deck, so open (may not be fully stocked) 24 hours a day. Ice/Water machine and coffee/tea.

 

IF you're a light sleeper you might bring earplugs as she does tend to creak and moan a lot 🙂 

[lifes-a-beach]

Just got off Grandeur yesterday.  We like the Vision class ships.  Much easier to get around and we don’t need as much entertainment as some might.
 

The solarium was very nice.  They didn’t open the roof and I have no idea if it actually opens.  

 

We sailed out of Galveston so I can’t help you with Tampa.  

Don’t know about the menus but I can tell you that they are very short handed.  The result of that is those men and women are working their tails off and it still took over 2 hours for dinner in the MDR.  After the first night we ate at Windjammer but tried the MDR again on the last night and it went 2-1/2 hours.  
 

Didn’t eat at Park Cafe but it looked about the same as Promenade.  Sandwiches, pizza, I think there was a small salad bar.  There were lots of folks partaking so I assume it was ok.

 

If by beverage center you mean one of the machines that you can fill your beverage cup at, there’s one on deck 5 above the centrum next to the coffee shop.

 

We always book inside cabins and this one was maybe a little smaller but otherwise about the same.  One thing that we didn’t expect, there was no mini-fridge in the room.  
 

Try to avoid the elevators midship.  The ones by the Palladium were hardly ever crowded.  Most times even empty.  They don’t go past deck 9 though.  
 

Our’s was a good, relaxing trip.  Hope y’all enjoy it too.  

 

[Mum2Mercury]

2 hours ago, shippmates said:

Grandeur was our favorite go to ship when it sailed out of Baltimore.  The crew was great and when we would get on the ship the crew would remember us from previous cruises and it was like old home week.  So many of the passengers on the ship would cruise that ship often and we all knew each other.

 

The solarium is very nice with all the big windows and the glass roof.  They would open the roof when the weather permitted.  If you have an inside cabin make sure you get your beds separated as that gives you more space in the cabin.  If the beds are together you have to crawl over the bed to get out.  Not much floor space on either side of the bed.

 

It is a smaller ship so board the ship with an open mind and remember you are not going to have all the bells and whistles like the Anthem.

 

Hmmm, I wouldn't want to be the "odd man out" while everyone else knew one another. 

 

Good info on the Solarium.  

 

I'm fine without bells and whistles. 

16 minutes ago, GJustice said:

We were on her for a 4 night back in May and I really enjoyed the "classic" nature and small size. We've done every class below Quantum, even the Majesty and long retired Empress OTS when she was still the Nordic Empress.

 

We cruise for cruising and watching the water go by WAY more than eating and playing, so the minimalist style was fine with us. 

 

The beverage station is "outside" the WJ on the pool deck, so open (may not be fully stocked) 24 hours a day. Ice/Water machine and coffee/tea.

 

IF you're a light sleeper you might bring earplugs as she does tend to creak and moan a lot 🙂 

I can go for minimalist, though we do enjoy the eating part. 

 

Good information on the beverage station.  

 

Me a light sleeper?  Nah, I sleep so deeply that it's kinda a family joke.  

6 minutes ago, lifes-a-beach said:

Just got off Grandeur yesterday.  We like the Vision class ships.  Much easier to get around and we don’t need as much entertainment as some might.
 

The solarium was very nice.  They didn’t open the roof and I have no idea if it actually opens.  

 

We sailed out of Galveston so I can’t help you with Tampa.  

Don’t know about the menus but I can tell you that they are very short handed.  The result of that is those men and women are working their tails off and it still took over 2 hours for dinner in the MDR.  After the first night we ate at Windjammer but tried the MDR again on the last night and it went 2-1/2 hours.  
 

Didn’t eat at Park Cafe but it looked about the same as Promenade.  Sandwiches, pizza, I think there was a small salad bar.  There were lots of folks partaking so I assume it was ok.

 

If by beverage center you mean one of the machines that you can fill your beverage cup at, there’s one on deck 5 above the centrum next to the coffee shop.

 

We always book inside cabins and this one was maybe a little smaller but otherwise about the same.  One thing that we didn’t expect, there was no mini-fridge in the room.  
 

Try to avoid the elevators midship.  The ones by the Palladium were hardly ever crowded.  Most times even empty.  They don’t go past deck 9 though.  
 

Our’s was a good, relaxing trip.  Hope y’all enjoy it too.  

As for getting around, we're on Deck 8 /under the spa/gym.  I'm thinking that's a good spot for getting up to the pool and Windjammer quickly.  

 

I'm a little nervous about that roof thing -- I do love to get up early on at-sea days and plant my butt in a chair 'til it's time for a late lunch, and I definitely prefer the adult pool.  Well, let me ask this:  is the main pool on Grandeur as loud as it is on the larger ships?  

 

Wait staff on Explorer was definitely working hard -- but we were very pleased with our service.  

 

No, we don't buy the Coke packages.  I took some Diet Dr. Peppers with me, but we drank mostly water and lemonade.  I'm interested in whether those things are available all day long outside the Windjammer.  

 

No mini-fridge?  That's news to me -- and, yeah, I do care.  My husband likes to buy Buckets of Beer.  We don't usually ask the cabin steward for ice, but I guess we will on this trip -- and we'll take our small cooler. 

 

Avoid mid-ship elevators, and they only go to 9.  Okay, noted.  

 

Thanks, All, for your help!  

 

[alex_drew]

37 minutes ago, GJustice said:

We were on her for a 4 night back in May and I really enjoyed the "classic" nature and small size. We've done every class below Quantum, even the Majesty and long retired Empress OTS when she was still the Nordic Empress.

OMG, our first and second cruises 30 years ago were on the Nordic Empress...nice to hear that reference as it brings back such wonderful memories. 😎

[Spurschick]

Tampa is different to every and I mean every other port we have ever sailed from. We drove and car park is conveniently located across the street. However security made all passengers wait queued up on the main road until they got clearance - not even allowed to queue outside the terminal literally on the Main Street. When they allowed people in it was then a free for all trying to walk from the Main Street to the terminal. ( be prepared if inclement weather) 

 

If you were trying to be dropped off by car or taxi,  again not allowed past Main Road so you had to bring everything with you from main road. 
 

it was definitely a very different set up to any port we have ever sailed from before.

Edited September 14, 2022 by Spurschick
Addition.

[Merion_Mom]

4 hours ago, Mum2Mercury said:

 

 

 

No mini-fridge?  That's news to me -- and, yeah, I do care.  My husband likes to buy Buckets of Beer.  We don't usually ask the cabin steward for ice, but I guess we will on this trip -- and we'll take our small cooler. 

 

 

 

 

On Vision class ships (now just Vision, Rhapsody, Grandeur and Enchantment), no cooler (mini-fridge) in the oceanview and interior cabins.  (exception: the added panoramic OV that are midship on Decks 7 & 8).  All the other ships currently in the fleet have them in every cabin, but not Vision class.

[BND]

We've done GR 7 times out of Baltimore.  She does show normal wear and tear for a ship her age.  Solarium roof hasn't opened for a while.  Not sure if it's currently broken or not, but they are notorious for having problems and they don't want to get it stuck in the open position.  BTW, even when it's closed, if it's raining, it leaks.  We love GR and miss her now out of Baltimore.  Crew was always fabulous.  Menus are the same across the fleet (US anyway).  Park cafe is okay for what it is.  We have only stayed on deck 8 on Vision class.  It's a good location for everything, but be aware it's under the pool deck/WJ/Solarium/Spa so some areas can be noisy.  Doesn't bother us as we're fairly early risers.

Edited September 14, 2022 by BND

[Anton]

9 hours ago, lifes-a-beach said:

Don’t know about the menus but I can tell you that they are very short handed.  The result of that is those men and women are working their tails off and it still took over 2 hours for dinner in the MDR.  After the first night we ate at Windjammer but tried the MDR again on the last night and it went 2-1/2 hours.  
 

 

 

I'm doing B2B for 9 nights on Grandeur next week and had already decided on WJ dinners, mostly because I'm sick of the MDR menus but I'm also someone who is ready to be done with dinner in 90 minutes or less.  I hope the WJ doesn't get too crowded at dinner hours.

[moposh]

Grandeur was my first cruise.  We had a great time.  I'm sure some things have changed, but I remember it fondly.

[BecciBoo]

6 hours ago, Merion_Mom said:

On Vision class ships (now just Vision, Rhapsody, Grandeur and Enchantment), no cooler (mini-fridge) in the oceanview and interior cabins. 

That would never bother me, as a rule, they never even got cool.

[BecciBoo]

55 minutes ago, Anton said:

I'm doing B2B for 9 nights on Grandeur next week

We'll board on the Sept. 26th run...see ya

[cementhands]

18 hours ago, Mum2Mercury said:

 

We just returned from a wonderful trip on Explorer, and we've booked another cruise on Grandeur -- a ship that doesn't get so much chatter on this board.  I'd like to ask a couple questions about Grandeur.  We chose this cruise for a couple reasons:  the island stops, the price and because it doesn't sail out of Miami. 

 

Thanks in advance to anyone who can give me some advice.  

 

- I know Grandeur is older and much smaller than the other ships on which I've sailed.  How does this change the experience?  

- Grandeur's Solarium has a glassed-in roof.  What's this like?  Do they open it up, or does it inhibit air movement?

- How's boarding in Tampa?  (We had an insane experience in Miami, and I don't mean insanely good.)  

- Are MDR menus standard across Royal's ships?  

- How does the Park Cafe compare to Promenade Cafe? 

- Looks like Windjammer has a beverage center outside the venue -- does this stay open even when Windjammer is closed?  I ask because many times we ran up to Windjammer just for a drink or cup of ice, and this would be very nice.  

- After our last-week cruise, we are inside-stateroom lovers!  The room for which we've signed up on Grandeur is a "sideways" room -- Grandeur seems to have a lot of these.  How do they compare to a standard inside?  

- I see that Grandeur's interior rooms are a little smaller than Explorer's.  136 square feet vs. 160 square feet.  How does this feel in real life? 

- How's the gym?  

 

Thanks again to anyone who can share any information.  

Enjoyed the Grandeur a few times outta Baltimore. Great. Service was outstanding and many folks cruised her multiple times. Not a lot of activities but if Talita Leone is cruise director you’ll find outstanding great time. She might be onboard now.

[Travel R]

Some good information on this thread.  We are looking at sailing Lady Grand next year out of Tampa. [Not yet booked, looking for a good sale]. There has not been much chatter about her on these boards, glad the OP put it out there and people are giving positive results.

 

The comments about the boarding in Tampa is interesting - will probably stay a day or two pre-cruise, so will be taking a cab/Uber to the port.  Hope it is not raining!!!!

 

We've sailed on the Legend a few years ago, and enjoyed the Vision Class experience, so okay without the bells and whistles.

 

As to MDR - we were on the Serenade about 2 months ago [also a "smaller" ship], and although they were short staffed, our dinners ranged between 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours most nights (with the exception being one evening we shared a table with another family).  PS: With MTD, we were usually taken to our table within 2-3 minutes, with one night (formal night) taking about 10-12; but each ship has their own issues.

 

 

 

 

Edited September 14, 2022 by Travel R

[Mum2Mercury]

9 hours ago, Spurschick said:

Tampa is different to every and I mean every other port we have ever sailed from. We drove and car park is conveniently located across the street. However security made all passengers wait queued up on the main road until they got clearance - not even allowed to queue outside the terminal literally on the Main Street. When they allowed people in it was then a free for all trying to walk from the Main Street to the terminal. ( be prepared if inclement weather) 

 

If you were trying to be dropped off by car or taxi,  again not allowed past Main Road so you had to bring everything with you from main road. 
 

it was definitely a very different set up to any port we have ever sailed from before.

That's not promising.  We just had a crazy experience boarding in Miami and were hoping that Tampa would offer a less frenzied embarkation -- guess not. 

 

You mean until they clear the previous week's guests?  

You still have your luggage across the street while you're waiting?  

I'm having a little trouble grasping this concept.  

8 hours ago, Merion_Mom said:

On Vision class ships (now just Vision, Rhapsody, Grandeur and Enchantment), no cooler (mini-fridge) in the oceanview and interior cabins.  (exception: the added panoramic OV that are midship on Decks 7 & 8).  All the other ships currently in the fleet have them in every cabin, but not Vision class.

I do care about the in-room cooler, but I've decided it's not a make-or-break.  I will bring a small cooler and ask the cabin steward for ice each evening.  

4 hours ago, BND said:

We've done GR 7 times out of Baltimore.  She does show normal wear and tear for a ship her age.  Solarium roof hasn't opened for a while.  Not sure if it's currently broken or not, but they are notorious for having problems and they don't want to get it stuck in the open position.  BTW, even when it's closed, if it's raining, it leaks.  We love GR and miss her now out of Baltimore.  Crew was always fabulous.  Menus are the same across the fleet (US anyway).  Park cafe is okay for what it is.  We have only stayed on deck 8 on Vision class.  It's a good location for everything, but be aware it's under the pool deck/WJ/Solarium/Spa so some areas can be noisy.  Doesn't bother us as we're fairly early risers.

I know Grandeur is an older ship -- but we can always go to the main pool, if this is a bother.  

We enjoyed the menu last week on Explorer, so this is good news.  

We are on Deck 8 of Grandeur, and we're under the Spa/Gym, so we figure that'll be relatively qiuet.  

2 hours ago, Anton said:

I'm doing B2B for 9 nights on Grandeur next week and had already decided on WJ dinners, mostly because I'm sick of the MDR menus but I'm also someone who is ready to be done with dinner in 90 minutes or less.  I hope the WJ doesn't get too crowded at dinner hours.

We grew tired of lengthy dinners last week, so we fell into the habit of asking for our dessert to be packaged "to go", and we'd enjoy it an hour or so later in our room.  Wasn't ideal when we ordered a hot dessert /a la mode, but we came to like this method. 

1 hour ago, BecciBoo said:

That would never bother me, as a rule, they never even got cool.

They definitely aren't refrigerators -- just coolers.  

[davy jones]

Many people like Grandeur because of its smaller size.  If you don't need the rock walls, amusement amenities, and grand production shows, you will enjoy the more relaxed vibe.

 

I preferred the Park Cafe over Cafe Promenade.  It had more variety and better late night offerings.  

 

The cruise was fine, but be very careful with inside cabin selection.  The doors on the IS cabins on decks 7 and 8 open into the center of the cabin, not the corridor between the closets and bathroom.  This greatly reducing the effective area of an already tiny cabin.  The door constantly interfered with the single chair in the room.  You could either sit in the chair, or open the door.  Avoid those cabins at all costs.

 

The gym was pretty much standard stuff except for the aft location.

 

 

[Mum2Mercury]

9 minutes ago, Travel R said:

Some good information on this thread.  We are looking at sailing Lady Grand next year out of Tampa. [Not yet booked, looking for a good sale]. There has not been much chatter about her on these boards, glad the OP put it out there and people are giving positive results.

 

The comments about the boarding in Tampa is interesting - will probably stay a day or two pre-cruise, so will be taking a cab/Uber to the port.  Hope it is not raining!!!!

 

We've sailed on the Legend a few years ago, and enjoyed the Vision Class experience, so okay without the bells and whistles.

 

As to MDR - we were on the Serenade about 2 months ago [also a "smaller" ship], and although they were short staffed, our dinners ranged between 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours most nights (with the exception being one evening we shared a table with another family).  PS: With MTD, we were usually taken to our table within 2-3 minutes, with one night (formal night) taking about 10-12; but each ship has their own issues.

Definitely good information on this thread -- thanks to all who've helped!  

 

Thinking of rain -- is the parking in a deck?  

 

About reservations:  We just sailed Explorer last week and had My Time DIning.  I made reservations for 7:30 every night before leaving home.  Onboard we found that they had two lines -- No reservations to the left, Reservations to the right.  With reservations, we walked right in every night; they didn't seem to care if we were 15 minutes early or late -- but they did care that we had reservations.  We never had more than one group ahead of us to be seated, and we never waited more than 2-3 minutes to get to the podium and give our room number.  I can't understand why people didn't bother to make reservations!  

[BND]

3 minutes ago, davy jones said:

Many people like Grandeur because of its smaller size.  If you don't need the rock walls, amusement amenities, and grand production shows, you will enjoy the more relaxed vibe.

 

I preferred the Park Cafe over Cafe Promenade.  It had more variety and better late night offerings.  

 

The cruise was fine, but be very careful with inside cabin selection.  The doors on the IS cabins on decks 7 and 8 open into the center of the cabin, not the corridor between the closets and bathroom.  This greatly reducing the effective area of an already tiny cabin.  The door constantly interfered with the single chair in the room.  You could either sit in the chair, or open the door.  Avoid those cabins at all costs.

 

The gym was pretty much standard stuff except for the aft location.

 

 

GR has a rock wall.

[Mum2Mercury]

7 minutes ago, davy jones said:

The cruise was fine, but be very careful with inside cabin selection.  The doors on the IS cabins on decks 7 and 8 open into the center of the cabin, not the corridor between the closets and bathroom.  This greatly reducing the effective area of an already tiny cabin.  The door constantly interfered with the single chair in the room.  You could either sit in the chair, or open the door.  Avoid those cabins at all costs.

I do have a cabin like that.  I watched a YouTube video detailing this cabin, and I didn't like it as much as the "standard" inside we just had on Explorer, but I thought it was acceptable.  I took it because it was literally the last cabin on Deck 8, and I thought I really wanted to be near Deck 9.  If I want a "standard" inside cabin, I'd have to go down to Deck 2 or 3.  

 

You think I've made a mistake? 

Anyone else want to chime in on this?  

I'm concerned now. 

Edited September 14, 2022 by Mum2Mercury

[JessyCruises]

This thread has been very helpful.  We just booked our 1st cruise on Grandeur so I am in full research mode.  We normally sail on Oasis/Freedom/Quantum class. Hubby has never been on anything smaller than the Freedom and the only smaller ship I have been on with RCL is Empress.

 

It should be an interesting vacation.  Unless our plans change, we are currently booked on a B2B on Wonder March 5-19th and then we are renting a car and driving from Port Canaveral to Miami to board the Grandeur.  Should be quite the swing in size/activities 🙂

 

[Junkhouse]

No fridge but we requested a wine cooler. We then set it inside the big room trash can, put a couple of beers in the wine cooler, filled it with ice and covered it with a couple of pool towels. Ice didn’t melt for about a day.

 

We get confused on her because the WJ(front), gym(back), and solarium (back) are reversed from most ships.

 

Gym is small, hardly any free weight space, but it does have free steam and sauna rooms.

 

Theater has love seats.

 

Small schooner bar and diamond club was an after thought and takes up space in the South Pacific Lounge.

It’s easy to get around and a good relaxing ship for shorter cruises.

 

[Mum2Mercury]

7 hours ago, JessyCruises said:

This thread has been very helpful.  We just booked our 1st cruise on Grandeur so I am in full research mode.  We normally sail on Oasis/Freedom/Quantum class. Hubby has never been on anything smaller than the Freedom and the only smaller ship I have been on with RCL is Empress.

 

It should be an interesting vacation.  Unless our plans change, we are currently booked on a B2B on Wonder March 5-19th and then we are renting a car and driving from Port Canaveral to Miami to board the Grandeur.  Should be quite the swing in size/activities 🙂

 

Yes, very helpful!  

Hope you enjoy your March trip! 

7 hours ago, Junkhouse said:

No fridge but we requested a wine cooler. We then set it inside the big room trash can, put a couple of beers in the wine cooler, filled it with ice and covered it with a couple of pool towels. Ice didn’t melt for about a day.

 

We get confused on her because the WJ(front), gym(back), and solarium (back) are reversed from most ships.

 

Gym is small, hardly any free weight space, but it does have free steam and sauna rooms.

 

Theater has love seats.

 

Small schooner bar and diamond club was an after thought and takes up space in the South Pacific Lounge.

It’s easy to get around and a good relaxing ship for shorter cruises.

 

Wine cooler?  You mean just a tub of ice shaped for a bottle of wine?  That'd do -- the cabin steward has them?  I was thinking of bringing a small cooler -- we have a freebie that we picked up at a Big Green Egg event; it has a liner and doesn't leak.  And it's not precious to me.  

 

Yes, Windjammer to the front will be kinda weird, and we seem to go to the Windjammer 6-8 times a day for a drink or a cup of ice.

 

I typically use the stationary bikes and the kettle bell in the gym, and those are kinda basic.  

 

Love seats in the theater?  What a great idea!  We've been married 32 years, but I still love snuggling up to my Honey.  

 

Thanks, All, for your help!  I'm keeping notes and appreciate your advice tremendously.  And two new questions: 

 

Any suggestions for where to stay night-before?  We'll have a 9-hour drive, so our priorities are a clean place and a comfortable bed -- we won't use any of the hotel amenities.  We don't have to be right on top of the port, but we'd like our embarkation-day drive to be less than an hour.  We won't even go out to dinner -- our family tradition is that we pack a charcuterie board, spread a towel across the foot of the bed, and munch on a snacky dinner while watching a movie on TV.  It makes for an easy evening in our PJs.   

 

Do y'all park at the port, or does a better option exist?  

 

Edited September 14, 2022 by Mum2Mercury

[Merion_Mom]

1 hour ago, Mum2Mercury said:

 

Love seats in the theater?  What a great idea!  We've been married 32 years, but I still love snuggling up to my Honey.  

 

 

That's a bit misleading.  The theater is set up with standard theater seating.  At the very back of the main level of the theater, there is a slightly raised section with some sofa-type seating.  That area is reserved for Suites, Pinnacles and (sometimes) D+.  Opens up to anyone ten minutes before the start of the show.

 

🙂

 

[allesonwonderland]

This is just the topic I came to research! Looking at the Grandeur in January for a Southern Caribbean itinerary. I'm thinking if we go in with the mindset we had when we went on Pride of America in Hawaii--that the ship is just a floating hotel to get us to different ports each day we'll be good.