Granduer of the Seas

[MISTER 67]

We have taken 69 cruises but only 2 on Royal Caribbean. We are looking to sail this summer on the Granduer out of Tampa, we sailed on her sister ship the Rhapsody of the Seas back in 2017. We loved the ship as we are not wild about big ships, not a lot of bells and whistles but nice decor and very clean, the food was very good as was the entertainment. So that was 6 years ago and I was wondering what kind of shape the Granduer is in and is Royal cutting back on things like just about every other cruise line is.

[goldfish65]

Was on last month, if you enjoyed Rhapsody then I am pretty sure you will enjoy Grandeur. It was very clean, food was good, dining service was very good, bar service was slow. The aft part of the ship had noticeable vibration. Not sure if that's temporary or a persistent thing. Personally I thought the decor was beautiful, though it is definitely dated. A 25 year old ship will show wear but nothing was objectionable, windows had salt crust; maybe they've cut back on regular window cleaning? Live music was very good, shows were as expected, hit or miss, and I missed all of them. Cabin location deck 7 forward of the centrum was great and nothing to complain about with it. Cabin service is once a day now, you choose morning or evening, but in my case I tipped the steward extra every day or two (he was a wonderful individual) and received service twice a day. Only started cruising last year, so I don't know how it was in the past. I'll be on again Sept 21 out of Tampa. 

Edited February 1, 2023 by goldfish65

[firefly333]

I thought the shows were good. I didnt like the pizza being out of the cafe in the solarium. It wasnt as hot to me as having it in the promenade. 

 

Lots of glass, but fewer food options as big ships. No ice show. 

 

I prefer the big ships simply for better shows and more food choices. It had a nice library with lots of books. 

[shipgeeks]

I always have to chuckle when I read that the decor on Grandeur or Enchantment is dated, as we were aboard Grandeur just before and just after the Centrum area was completely redone, just a few years ago.  At first I really disliked it (I am a minimalist), but when I understood that it is based on the glamour of a retro Hollywood club, I got it, and now I enjoy it.  The sofas and chairs are swoopy and funky, likewise the R Bar is old-school.

As mentioned, one of the best things about this class of ships is the huge amount of glass in public areas, for seeing the sea and sky.

[Wineaux007]

We were just on Grandeur a couple of weeks ago.  Love the smaller ships.  Taking Vision later this month.  The food was much better than our sailing in November on Brilliance, but with the new menus coming out, it's hard to say.  We spent most of our time in the Viking Crown pre-dinner.    Enjoy your cruise.

[Giantfan13]

We have sailed the Grandeur several times when she was based out of Baltimore. In fact, we were on here 20th anniversary cruise back when it was her 20th anniversary well before Covid. anyway, we loved her as well as the Rhapsody and even the Enchantment. We were just off the Anthem and for all her bells and whistles that we never partake in, we still prefer the smaller, a bit older ships. Maybe because we are also older, so we fit well together. 

 

Cheers

Len

[ONECRUISER]

23 hours ago, firefly333 said:

I thought the shows were good. I didnt like the pizza being out of the cafe in the solarium. It wasnt as hot to me as having it in the promenade. 

 

Lots of glass, but fewer food options as big ships. No ice show. 

 

I prefer the big ships simply for better shows and more food choices. It had a nice library with lots of books. 

Pizza was good when I was on Grandeur, but that was 25yrs ago... Back then we packed 5 of us in a 4 passenger OV Cabin, fortunate as my 3 kids were 2, 4 and 7. Enjoy feel of Ocean and no Crowds, will stick with Radiance and Vision Class long as they still sail

[lenquixote66]

On 2/1/2023 at 5:01 PM, MISTER 67 said:

We have taken 69 cruises but only 2 on Royal Caribbean. We are looking to sail this summer on the Granduer out of Tampa, we sailed on her sister ship the Rhapsody of the Seas back in 2017. We loved the ship as we are not wild about big ships, not a lot of bells and whistles but nice decor and very clean, the food was very good as was the entertainment. So that was 6 years ago and I was wondering what kind of shape the Granduer is in and is Royal cutting back on things like just about every other cruise line is.

The Grandeur is our all time favorite ship.Not only have we been on the ship many times but we always book the same OV cabin .

[Nilbog]

12 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

The Grandeur is our all time favorite ship.Not only have we been on the ship many times but we always book the same OV cabin .

We've been on Radiance and Harmony on RCCL, and doing the Grandeur in August.  On NCL we've been on the Pearl three times and the Jewel in September.  We like the smaller ships as we like the more personal touch.  We don't to rock climbing, or wave surfing, or those types of activities.  We like people watching, intimate venues, and relaxing on our trip.

[lenquixote66]

10 hours ago, Nilbog said:

We've been on Radiance and Harmony on RCCL, and doing the Grandeur in August.  On NCL we've been on the Pearl three times and the Jewel in September.  We like the smaller ships as we like the more personal touch.  We don't to rock climbing, or wave surfing, or those types of activities.  We like people watching, intimate venues, and relaxing on our trip.

We found that people who cruise on the Grandeur tend to return.We met a couple on our 2017 cruise and became very good friends.We met a couple on our 2018 cruise and became good friends with them and we are e-mail friends with a couple we met on a 2015 cruise.

[goldfish65]

Given the fact Grandeur was supposed to leave the fleet, and due to her age, as these ships are retired, the small ship experience will move into being being a more upscale niche market, so I'm enjoying Grandeur while I can.