bren61 Posted October 14, 2023 #1 Share Posted October 14, 2023 We have a cruise booked out of Miami on the Grandeur in January based on the itinerary, (ABC Islands). I hope I don't regret booking such a small ship after sailing so many other big ships. I think the smallest ship we have been on is the Jewel, which was our 1st cruise, so I had nothing to compare it to, and thought it was great. Most of the activities we used to do, we can't do any longer due to physical limitations, such as flowrider, etc. but that is not what concerns me. What is important, is a nice Solarium, good shows, great entertainment and good food. We love the Broadway shows and know that they are not on this ship, which ok, because we've seen them all and love the ice shows and hope they are on this ship along with other good entertainment. I hope, being that this is an older ship, that it is still in great shape and updated recently. We usually drive to port & cruise out of Cape Liberty. We have been on the medium & bigger ships & when the Grandeur was in Baltimore, even though it was closer for us to drive to, we never wanted to sail her because of her size. Now that we are older and can't do all the "fun" stuff, I am hoping that the Grandeur will be more of a fit for us. Are there any cruisers out there that had the same concerns, & were content after going back to the small ships you started on? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo Posted October 14, 2023 #2 Share Posted October 14, 2023 31 minutes ago, bren61 said: We have a cruise booked out of Miami on the Grandeur in January based on the itinerary, (ABC Islands). I hope I don't regret booking such a small ship after sailing so many other big ships. I think the smallest ship we have been on is the Jewel, which was our 1st cruise, so I had nothing to compare it to, and thought it was great. Most of the activities we used to do, we can't do any longer due to physical limitations, such as flowrider, etc. but that is not what concerns me. What is important, is a nice Solarium, good shows, great entertainment and good food. We love the Broadway shows and know that they are not on this ship, which ok, because we've seen them all and love the ice shows and hope they are on this ship along with other good entertainment. I hope, being that this is an older ship, that it is still in great shape and updated recently. We usually drive to port & cruise out of Cape Liberty. We have been on the medium & bigger ships & when the Grandeur was in Baltimore, even though it was closer for us to drive to, we never wanted to sail her because of her size. Now that we are older and can't do all the "fun" stuff, I am hoping that the Grandeur will be more of a fit for us. Are there any cruisers out there that had the same concerns, & were content after going back to the small ships you started on? The good thing, you have 7 port stops on a 12 night cruise. So what the ship has to offer on sea days and evenings won't matter much to you. Just use those times to relax and rest up for the next ports. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tlbecker1 Posted October 14, 2023 #3 Share Posted October 14, 2023 We just spent 3 weeks on the Grandeur and had a fun time. The staff were all amazing. You mentioned ice shows, which the Grandeur doesn’t have. We are going on the Anthem today and I am looking forward to it, much more to do. The Grandeur doesn’t have many bells and whistles, but we are just happy to be on a ship. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo Posted October 14, 2023 #4 Share Posted October 14, 2023 2 minutes ago, Tlbecker1 said: The Grandeur doesn’t have many bells and whistles, but we are just happy to be on a ship. Well said, just doesn't have the "Wow" factor at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texmex.ferr Posted October 14, 2023 #5 Share Posted October 14, 2023 We sailed on Grandeur for 3 weeks (7 night & 14 night B2B) in February/March 2022,it sailed from Barbados around the ports of the Caribbean, and we had a great time. I can't do most of the 'fun' stuff, but we still enjoyed our 3 weeks onboard. The staff onboard at that time were the best, which also helped us to enjoy our trip. The ship doesn't have all the 'bells & whistles' like the bigger ships, but it does have character, and we just enjoy being on a ship in the sunshine, relaxing. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare orville99 Posted October 15, 2023 #6 Share Posted October 15, 2023 We were on Grandeur two weeks ago, and loved the ship. Great crew, veery well kept ship 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mum2Mercury Posted October 15, 2023 #7 Share Posted October 15, 2023 I'll be on Grandeur in a few weeks, and I'm quite excited! No, it doesn't have the "bells and whistles", but we're looking forward to a quiet, relaxing experience along with good food, fun island stops, and time together. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lenquixote66 Posted October 15, 2023 #8 Share Posted October 15, 2023 Grandeur is my all time favorite RCI ship 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bren61 Posted October 15, 2023 Author #9 Share Posted October 15, 2023 Thank you all for your replies, you've made me feel better about just going to relax. Afterall, that is what vacation is all about & my husband will love that...I always have a full list of things to do & places to go not wanting to miss anything, lol! We always love to go to the card room, have a few cocktails while playing cards or a game. Do they do 70's disco night? Just wanted to know because I will take my get up if they do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefly333 Posted October 15, 2023 #10 Share Posted October 15, 2023 2 hours ago, bren61 said: Thank you all for your replies, you've made me feel better about just going to relax. Afterall, that is what vacation is all about & my husband will love that...I always have a full list of things to do & places to go not wanting to miss anything, lol! We always love to go to the card room, have a few cocktails while playing cards or a game. Do they do 70's disco night? Just wanted to know because I will take my get up if they do. I seem to be in the minority and didnt love grandeur. I think my bathroom smelled, they deep cleaned it twice. I had a bug problem for 2 legs. I was on 4 legs. I like pizza piping hot from sorrentos oven, not carried up to the solarium where it wasnt as hot as I like. It was fine, just not my cup of tea. I watched their musical show and thought to myself lacking a bit. I was on the first legs out of texas when it came from the islands and they werent ready for twice as full of a ship imo. Internet I couldnt attach a attachment to a email, but I could email. I havent heard any plans to update grandeur. It was to be sold then they kept it. I prefer a larger ship with better shows and more food choices. Lots of glass to see out, but the cafe where they served coffee for instance, one crew who was doing everything and the line wrapped around one side of the deck. Needed one person doing coffee and the other ringing stuff up. They werent ready for texas. Had a problem with 2 hour dinners, mdr staff lacking. But the steward I talked to said all staff was short. I'm sure that's rectified by now. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcur Posted October 15, 2023 #11 Share Posted October 15, 2023 42 minutes ago, firefly333 said: I seem to be in the minority and didnt love grandeur. I think my bathroom smelled, they deep cleaned it twice. I had a bug problem for 2 legs. I was on 4 legs. I like pizza piping hot from sorrentos oven, not carried up to the solarium where it wasnt as hot as I like. It was fine, just not my cup of tea. I watched their musical show and thought to myself lacking a bit. I was on the first legs out of texas when it came from the islands and they werent ready for twice as full of a ship imo. Internet I couldnt attach a attachment to a email, but I could email. I havent heard any plans to update grandeur. It was to be sold then they kept it. I prefer a larger ship with better shows and more food choices. Lots of glass to see out, but the cafe where they served coffee for instance, one crew who was doing everything and the line wrapped around one side of the deck. Needed one person doing coffee and the other ringing stuff up. They werent ready for texas. Had a problem with 2 hour dinners, mdr staff lacking. But the steward I talked to said all staff was short. I'm sure that's rectified by now. I was not thrilled with my March 2023 Grandeur cruise, either. It was the food. I could not get a decent dinner in the MDR. New crew in the kitchen, not adjusted to the new menus: I'm not sure what the problem was. The Windjammer was also way below normal, too. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunluva Posted October 15, 2023 #12 Share Posted October 15, 2023 My sister and I were also worried about going on Grandeur. We cruise every year with our husbands and wanted a girls getaway. We went last month for 5 nights. We've never been on a ship that old or small. On top of it, we had our first inside cabin. Always had balconies. We were nervous. Did we make a mistake? No!! Everything about it was good. We always found something to do. We are in our 50s. Stayed up til midnight every night (we don't do this with our spouses!) I have 2 complaints. The shower is tiny! And that darn shower curtain. Also I always felt so warm in the Windjammer. All those windows have heat pouring in during the day. We just didn't stay long. I hope you enjoy your cruise. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bren61 Posted October 17, 2023 Author #13 Share Posted October 17, 2023 Do they do 70s Disco Night? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunluva Posted October 17, 2023 #14 Share Posted October 17, 2023 Yes! We were on a 5 night and they still had disco night. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffettphan1 Posted January 24 #15 Share Posted January 24 I see you’re leaving today!! Have a great time. We go in March Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mum2Mercury Posted January 24 #16 Share Posted January 24 (edited) We sailed Grandeur recently and had a great time. I response to your querries: - I enjoyed the Solarium. It has a covered glass ceiling, and the Park Cafe is over in the corner -- we really enjoyed its proximity. Loungers were readily available. - Entertainment was not as good as other ships. They often have music in the Centrum. It can be loud on that first level, but we enjoyed finding a seat on a higher level. - No ice show. I did miss that. - All the entertainment seems to "wrap up" a little early, but it was okay with us. They do have MUTS and music in the bars late night. - The theater, though smaller, is nicer than that on larger ships. I enjoyed sitting on the loveseats for afternoon movies. - We really enjoyed the Windjammer. Their grilled chicken thighs (different recipe each day) were excellent at lunch ... I always eat a big salad with either a bit of chicken or fish at lunch. Salad materials were fresh. One small detail we enjoyed in the Windjammer: They have barstools /countertop seating on the edges looking out over the water. Nice if you're eating alone. One afternoon my husband and I sat on the barstools for lunch and watched a storm rolling in from the sea ... that was rather special. - The MDR was okay; food was good but not super memorable. - The staff was great. - Yes, the ship is showing its age, but since we only paid $364 each to sail, I wasn't fussing. If you walk around looking for problems, you will find them ... but I didn't do that. The one thing that I did note: We had a real storm our last day out ... so bad that they closed the top deck and picked up /stacked and lashed the lounge chairs to metal posts ... and the roof in the Windjammer was leaking. They put out buckets. - We had an Inside Guarantee and were assigned to a handicapped room ... loved that extra space. I didn't like the handicapped shower, but I understand why it was designed as it was. - One thing we really enjoyed -- and this is such a small thing -- was sailing out under the bridge. It's a solid 4 hours out of port, but a lot of people were out to see it. My husband accidentally woke up early and went out for an early morning walk ... and he saw us come under the bridge for the return trip. Said it was lit up and was really something to see. - The gym is small but wasn't full. - Boarding and disembarkation is super easy on a small ship. Would I like to sail Grandeur again? Yes! I'd love it! Would I pay the same price I'd pay for a larger ship with more amenities? No. Edited January 24 by Mum2Mercury 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elaine5 Posted January 24 #17 Share Posted January 24 (edited) On 10/14/2023 at 6:39 PM, bren61 said: Are there any cruisers out there that had the same concerns, & were content after going back to the small ships you started on? Please post back how you liked your cruise. We are considering for 2025. We sailed Vision in 2022. I expected a smaller, older ship, and thought it was fine--but definitely not a big ship experience (compared to Anthem or even Explorer). So wondering on Grandeur about Entertainment, MDR and buffet food, activities in Centrum--game show, silent disco, 70s night, etc.? Edited January 24 by elaine5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biomedbob Posted January 26 #18 Share Posted January 26 We've only been on 104 cruises. I'll take the Grandeur any day over anything! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Babyjax12 Posted July 1 #19 Share Posted July 1 Biomedbob, seriously?? Is 104 humanly possible?? 😳 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3yorkies Posted July 2 #20 Share Posted July 2 1 hour ago, Babyjax12 said: Biomedbob, seriously?? Is 104 humanly possible?? 😳 I am now doing about one every 6 to 8 weeks, so I hope to hit 100 soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhillyFan33579 Posted July 2 #21 Share Posted July 2 I think Grandeur is a great ship. I cruised on her twice last year and my next cruise is on her next week. The only negative in my book is I wouldn’t take kids on this ship, but that is not an issue for me (my kids are adults). 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ManfromFrance Posted July 2 #22 Share Posted July 2 I agree, The Grandeur is made for adults as kids of today won't like it, if they have ever cruised most other Royal ships. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bouhunter Posted July 2 #23 Share Posted July 2 On 10/14/2023 at 9:39 PM, bren61 said: Thank you all for your replies, you've made me feel better about just going to relax. Afterall, that is what vacation is all about & my husband will love that...I always have a full list of things to do & places to go not wanting to miss anything, lol! We always love to go to the card room, have a few cocktails while playing cards or a game. Do they do 70's disco night? Just wanted to know because I will take my get up if they do. Every RCCL ship will do the disco night. We loved Grandeur last winter. It's a perfect ship to relax and enjoy. Loved it so much more than Symphony after that. I think you'll love it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biomedbob Posted July 2 #24 Share Posted July 2 For clarification those cruises weren't all on Grandeur or even Royal. We spread the wealth around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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