Opinions on the Grandeur?

[qorc]

I realize there are reviews and such, but has anyone here been on it lately out of Tampa? Their thoughts on the ship, port, itinerary? We are experienced RCI cruisers but have never taken one of this size/class. Comparison - our last 3 ships have been the Enchantment, Navigator and Mariner.

 

Thoughts? Flames? Rotten fruit to throw?

[petel]

I realize there are reviews and such, but has anyone here been on it lately out of Tampa? Their thoughts on the ship, port, itinerary? We are experienced RCI cruisers but have never taken one of this size/class. Comparison - our last 3 ships have been the Enchantment, Navigator and Mariner.

 

Thoughts? Flames? Rotten fruit to throw?

 

Vallet parking at the Tampa ports. They did good.

 

Grandeur has a lot of light in the centrum - lots of brass and glass but doesn't have the number of lounges and food choices as Navigator and Mariner.

 

The crew and staff and the size of the ship make it a favorite of many because of the non-crowded intimate atmosphere. You probably will not get lost. :)

 

Haven't had or heard any reason for Flamesor Rotten fruit. Enjoy :)

[Gonzo70]

I realize there are reviews and such, but has anyone here been on it lately out of Tampa? Their thoughts on the ship, port, itinerary? We are experienced RCI cruisers but have never taken one of this size/class. Comparison - our last 3 ships have been the Enchantment, Navigator and Mariner.

 

 

The Grandeur was nearly identical to the Enchantment before the Enchantment's recent make-over. If you liked the Enchantment you should enjoy the Grandeur. It is just like Enchantment minus the recent additions (i.e. no bungee jumping, specialty restaurant, suspension bridge).

[qorc]

The Grandeur was nearly identical to the Enchantment before the Enchantment's recent make-over. If you liked the Enchantment you should enjoy the Grandeur. It is just like Enchantment minus the recent additions (i.e. no bungee jumping, specialty restaurant, suspension bridge).

 

NO BUNGEE???!!!!

 

well forget it then...

 

;0

[PH8]

Their thoughts on the ship, port, itinerary? We are experienced RCI cruisers but have never taken one of this size/class. Comparison - our last 3 ships have been the Enchantment, Navigator and Mariner.

 

?

Well,seeing as the EN and GR are both Vision class ships,yes,you have been on that class............but I get your point........we are trying the GR for the first time this month...........we have been on the EN too,but thats the only one in that class........

 

We'll see............

[go noles]

Just got off the Grandeur's New Year's cruise this morning, it was great. President Carter and his family seemed to enjoy it too.

[PAGA]

We also just got off the New Year's cruise. We very much enjoyed the smaller ship (Grandeur was our first cruise 10 years ago, but we've been doing bigger ships - Voyager Class/Freedom-class in recent years with our kids).

 

Grandeur has more of that classic ship feel, and less "floating resort" feel. The only place that felt overcroweded on this ship was the fitness center...other than that, the ratio of seats/tables/bar servers/staff, etc. felt jsut right - Unlike Voyager-class ships where there is seldom a free table in the Windjammer and you need to go 30 minutes early for any event (like karaoke) for fear of having to sit in the far corner of the room in the smoking section - this was never a problem on Grandeur.

 

I will say we had a rough trip...it started being fogged-in in Tampa (the ship finally sailed around 2 or 3am), then we lost our day in Key West (instead of being there all day we were only there from 6pm - 10pm), and the last 30 or so hours were the worst sea conditions I've ever experienced in our 20 cruises...the staff literally lined the stair cases with barf bags. Weather is a fluky thing though, so I wouldn't take it into consideration when deciding whether to sail Grandeur from Tampa.

 

I thought Grandeur was in excellent condition and the Cruise Director's staff did an excellent job rolling with the punches (e.g., adding activities, keeping things upbeat) as they struggled first with the change in Key West and then with the closing of the outside decks starting on night 4 and continuing for the remainder of the 5-night sailing.

 

The production shows were good and we really enjoyed the New Years Eve celebration (including the performance by mian theater performance by Abbra-cadabra...an ABBA "cover band.").

 

I'd say our only real gripe was that our dining room team was one of the worst we've had...I'd say they were in the bottom 2 of our 20 cruises. They were not familiar with some of the food items we requested (e.g., salsa, cantaloupe), they missed serving the intermezzo/sorbet course duirng the New Years Eve dinner, and we were always some of the last people out of the dining room even though we arrived on time and were only a table of 4. I think part of the problem was the Grandeur's dining room layout - there are a lot of smaller tables (i.e. 4-tops) and our waiter had 5 tables. He waited until all 5 had palced their order before putting in any orders. I'm sure this is "procedure," but it didn't seem to work very well.

 

Any specific questions, feel free to ask!

[0ldog]

Great Ship, did a B2B this fall and loved her. The Capitan is a blast with his announcements. There is a little Chinese girl named Minnie that hosted adult karaoke. She was so funny, she said she spoke Chinglish. No specialty restaurants other than Ben & Jerry's.

[PH8]

 

I will say we had a rough trip...it started being fogged-in in Tampa (the ship finally sailed around 2 or 3am), then we lost our day in Key West (instead of being there all day we were only there from 6pm - 10pm), !

 

I would LOVE to be in Key West for nighttime,but I do understand people had other plans which had to be cancelled......

[Rancher Dave]

I would LOVE to be in Key West for nighttime,but I do understand people had other plans which had to be cancelled......

 

It would have been nice if it was 1. planned, and 2. late enough departure to make it a night of activity...6-10 was not enough time to really do much. DD wanted to go get the Teddy Bear with color changing paws at Del Sol...closed by the time we got over to that shop. In the end that worked out well as Marty the shopping guide gave DD the display bear he had. I am sure his seeing my big purchase of a shipwreck coin in K/W helped as I am sure he/his company got paid well for that purchase.

 

Biggest complaint about cruise was disembarkation...no announcement we had to figure it out ourselves...we had White 1 so were first group, allowing us to get to WDW by 10am. Otherwise except for bad weather departing and surfing the waves yesterday the trip was good from RCCL standpoint, our Cozumel excursion was the pits but that was the tour operator not RCCL.

 

We did book NYE 2008 aboard Voyager the other day so we will do NYE again unless something odd comes up.

 

I will post a full review next week when I am finally home from vacation. In the interim I plan to enjoy WDW and the associated crowds. Animal Kingdom seemed so crowded after getting off GOS which was not crowded other than the time this morning awaiting getting off the ship.

 

Happy Sailing in 2008!!!:)

[pjlee3333]

I haven't been on the other ships to compare. Personally I love the size and configuration of this ship--yes some may call me a cheerleader. I know it doesn't have some of the aminities of some of the larger ships like the skating rinks, flow riders, etc. but for me I don't use these things.

 

We enjoy the fact you can listen to the music in the centrium from the internet cafe (if you use it) the loyalty ambassordors office, and many other places. The layout is comfortable on this ship. The staff and crew have been help nothing but helpful and friendly to me and my mom. We've had several of them remember our name a year later. It is also nice to see so many remain with the ship from year to year. We had one waiter and assistant waiter see us a year later as we went through the dining room to get to the lounge for immigration and came over and welcomed us back and asked us if we were getting enough of our potato and vegitables--our favorite supper. It amazed us that they not only remembered our name but what we got a year later. This type of memory seems to be a common occurance amount the people that work on this ship.

 

I agree that Marty is helpful. He was going to be off the ship for one cruise we were on. He made sure to give us hints for that cruise.

 

The only complaint I may have is that to get from the dining room on deck five to the theater you have to go through the casino (which does get a bit smokey like most casinos) or go on the walking deck outside.

 

Another evidence of how we like this ship (and the port of Baltimore) we have taken this ship twice in 2005, twice in 2006, three times in 2007 and have three scheduled for 2008. I know I'm very fortunate to have the time and money to be able to do this.

[cruisegalfl]

Any rumors of a Concierge lounge like its sister ships????

[beach_lover_58]

We will be on this ship in April for the repo from San Juan to Baltimore. We are taking our 16 yo son with us and I have a couple of questions...

 

1. Is there a 'fuel' teen lounge on this ship?

2. Is there an arcade on this ship?

3. Do they serve pizza and burgers in the solarium?

4. The only specialty restaurant in B&Js right? How much is the average ice cream? (I'm trying to figure out his per day allowance). I know there is ice cream by the windjammer as well...at least I assume there is.

 

I think that's all the info I couldn't find the answers to on the board or the RCCL website.

 

TIA

[Tinkerbellcgy]

Beach lover, I can answer questions #3 and #4:

 

3. Yes, they serve pizza, burgers, hot dogs and french fries in the Solarium.

 

4. I can't tell you how much Ben & Jerry's charge for ice cream but they do have a frozen yogurt machine outside of the Windjammer on the port side where you can get vanilla, chocolate and twist yogurt cones. It's yummy and free.

 

I did the Baltimore to Tampa repo on November and had an absolutely fabulous time. Enjoy your repo.

[Realtorgirl]

DH and I have sailed the Granduer twice now, most recently this May on 7 nighter to the Bahamas (out of Baltimore). We absolutely love the ship and will probably go again. My hubby and I like to ballroom dance and were able to most evenings in the Centrum Lounge area. Our restaurant servers were wonderful, remembering preferences and allergies. Especially nice was our Assistant Waiter, Manny, remembering us from our 1st trip. He immediately started coaching our waiters on our preferences and stopped by every evening to say hi. We think Captain Ron Hemstead (last name right?) has a terrific sense of humor with his daily reports and announcements. Our first time on the Granduer was 9/1/06 - with a hurricane roaring up the east coast. We barely made it out of the Chesapeake before it was closed. It was a little bumpy that first night but fine sailing afterwards. If you're up on Granduer history, our trip was also the one where she (unofficially) slipped off of her mooring in Cozumel, damaging one of two main rudders. We were not informed of this until we were back at Cape Canaveral and never noticed any changes in ride. The bad news was that once we reached the Chesapeak, we'd be forced to pull over - so to speak - to allow the coast gaurd to "dive" the rudder. That was fun - stayed up until 2 in the morning to watch. It was found that the rudder was stable (not going to depart the ship) but we were forced to have a tug boat escort the whole way up the bay, with a top speed of 12 knots! Yikes - we were super late getting back in (about 3PM). Not a problem for us - we're locals. Captain Ron handled it by having a conference in the main theater to field questions and concerns. He assured everyone that everything was being done to assist people with travel issues (flights, accomodations etc). And as we all know, for some people it's all about the food. So it wasn't really surprising when a lady raised her hand and said - "What will we do for food, since service stops after breakfast." The captain's response "Madam, this isn't a pirate ship - we will feed you." Everyone laughed. Needless to say they did feed us both breakfast and lunch that day.

 

We also had the adavantage of being the second cruise after their re-fitting this spring and could see all of the updates - basically carpeting, upholstery, bedding and etc. All very nice. We'd sail on her again!

[wraithe]

Any rumors of a Concierge lounge like its sister ships????

 

No, none that I've heard

 

We will be on this ship in April for the repo from San Juan to Baltimore. We are taking our 16 yo son with us and I have a couple of questions...

 

1. Is there a 'fuel' teen lounge on this ship?

2. Is there an arcade on this ship?

3. Do they serve pizza and burgers in the solarium?

4. The only specialty restaurant in B&Js right? How much is the average ice cream? (I'm trying to figure out his per day allowance). I know there is ice cream by the windjammer as well...at least I assume there is.

 

I think that's all the info I couldn't find the answers to on the board or the RCCL website.

 

TIA

 

1. No

2. yes

3. yes

4. best I remember, 3 to 5 dollar range with complimentary cookies and pastries available, too

 

I'm a serious Grandeur cheerleader, sailed her 3 out of 5 cruises, with 3 more in 2008, B2B repo in April, and repo in October. Grandeur and Enchantment were true sisters, before Enchantments' stretch. They were 1 of the 3 different subclasses of Vision class ships. My experience has been great crew, clean & bright ship, very comfortable and wonderful dancing. Outside of that, it seems that people either love her or hate her, no in between. Good luck, hope you enjoy the cruise.

[andyjo0930]

We did the repo last year from san juan to baltimore. Prior to this, we had been on even smaller ships than her, Soverign and the Empress twice. We liked the ship and actually originally had her booked for april for the first leg of the repo this year, but because of airfare being so high, we decided to go on the exployer out of Bayonne so that we can drive to the port.

 

THe ship itself was actually one week out of drydock when we went on her. The bedding was new and very comfortable. It was very clean, although they were still doing some visible work. We liked the fact that you can eat outside of the windjammer which the empress does not have. The solarium was never packed and we enjoyed swimming in there at night time. The solarium cafe had burgers, hot dogs, fries and pizza, but the only downside is that you were not able to get any of those items in the windjammer at lunchtime. I used to have to send my husband to the solarium to get me a hotdog, while I went to the windjammer to get anything else.

 

The staff was great and the cruise director and his staff were awsome. We participated in a lot of events such as the liar's club game, the quest and battle of the sexes and had a ball.

 

All in all, we loved the ship and wouldn't hesistate twice to sail on her again.

[TwitterCruise1]

Going on Monday the 7th.

Question- staying the aft Royal Family Suite. Since there is no concierge lounge, what suite perks can we expect in there? I am also Platinum, but I have heard whether you are gold, nothing..etc staying in that suite gives you new "perks"? Anyone know?

 

Also- is there lobster on the 5-nighter on the Grandeur? Not that I really care, but I'm curious. :D

[Rancher Dave]

Going on Monday the 7th.

Question- staying the aft Royal Family Suite. Since there is no concierge lounge, what suite perks can we expect in there? I am also Platinum, but I have heard whether you are gold, nothing..etc staying in that suite gives you new "perks"? Anyone know?

 

Also- is there lobster on the 5-nighter on the Grandeur? Not that I really care, but I'm curious. :D

 

Lobster yes, Fisherman's platter. Served Wednesday in 20' seas...I saw few order it. Taste was OK...we are heading in an hour to Narcosee's at WDW so we will get good Lobster in a couple of hours.

 

Not sure on the Suites. Sorry I can't help on that!

[dramaqueen4lyfe]

DH and I have sailed the Granduer twice now, most recently this May on 7 nighter to the Bahamas (out of Baltimore). We absolutely love the ship and will probably go again. My hubby and I like to ballroom dance and were able to most evenings in the Centrum Lounge area. Our restaurant servers were wonderful, remembering preferences and allergies. Especially nice was our Assistant Waiter, Manny, remembering us from our 1st trip. He immediately started coaching our waiters on our preferences and stopped by every evening to say hi. We think Captain Ron Hemstead (last name right?) has a terrific sense of humor with his daily reports and announcements. Our first time on the Granduer was 9/1/06 - with a hurricane roaring up the east coast. We barely made it out of the Chesapeake before it was closed. It was a little bumpy that first night but fine sailing afterwards. If you're up on Granduer history, our trip was also the one where she (unofficially) slipped off of her mooring in Cozumel, damaging one of two main rudders. We were not informed of this until we were back at Cape Canaveral and never noticed any changes in ride. The bad news was that once we reached the Chesapeak, we'd be forced to pull over - so to speak - to allow the coast gaurd to "dive" the rudder. That was fun - stayed up until 2 in the morning to watch. It was found that the rudder was stable (not going to depart the ship) but we were forced to have a tug boat escort the whole way up the bay, with a top speed of 12 knots! Yikes - we were super late getting back in (about 3PM). Not a problem for us - we're locals. Captain Ron handled it by having a conference in the main theater to field questions and concerns. He assured everyone that everything was being done to assist people with travel issues (flights, accomodations etc). And as we all know, for some people it's all about the food. So it wasn't really surprising when a lady raised her hand and said - "What will we do for food, since service stops after breakfast." The captain's response "Madam, this isn't a pirate ship - we will feed you." Everyone laughed. Needless to say they did feed us both breakfast and lunch that day.

 

We also had the adavantage of being the second cruise after their re-fitting this spring and could see all of the updates - basically carpeting, upholstery, bedding and etc. All very nice. We'd sail on her again!

 

Laurie, I was on that cruise and I agree that they handled it well. I really liked the CD on that cruise Eric Dowis and his alter ego Dale. I just read that he's now on Voyager. I was so hoping he'd be there next week when we cruise out of Tampa.

[Realtorgirl]

Laurie, I was on that cruise and I agree that they handled it well. I really liked the CD on that cruise Eric Dowis and his alter ego Dale. I just read that he's now on Voyager. I was so hoping he'd be there next week when we cruise out of Tampa.

 

I'm glad to hear you had a good time too. Eric as Dale was hilarious - I'm not surprised to hear he's been bumped up a class or two. My next trip is this Jan 21 on the Sovereign out of Cape Canaveral. Going with my sisters to the Bahamas (cannot wait). The sovereign's even smaller than the Granduer - so it'll be interesting to see the differences. Have a great cruise on the Granduer - let me know if Metroline (quartet that plays in the centrum) is still there! My husband and I ballroom dance and held down center stage in the centrum both trips. Metroline played every ballroom dance they could think of for us. On our last trip they teased us by playing a song that went from swing to cha cha and back to swing. We laughed and the whole Centrum crowd cheered us as we tried to change back and forth. Again - a terrific time on the Granduer - we'd definately do it again!

[PAGA]

We will be on this ship in April for the repo from San Juan to Baltimore. We are taking our 16 yo son with us and I have a couple of questions...

 

1. Is there a 'fuel' teen lounge on this ship?

2. Is there an arcade on this ship?

3. Do they serve pizza and burgers in the solarium?

4. The only specialty restaurant in B&Js right? How much is the average ice cream? (I'm trying to figure out his per day allowance). I know there is ice cream by the windjammer as well...at least I assume there is.

 

I think that's all the info I couldn't find the answers to on the board or the RCCL website.

 

TIA

 

My daughter was in the 15-17 age group. Yes there is a teen lounge, however it is not called "Fuel"...it is "Fantaseas." You enter Fantaseas thru the arcade.

 

The 12-14 year olds had access to Fantaseas from 10pm-midnight and the 15-17 year olds had access from midnight until "late" (which was about 2am...there is a ship curfew of 1am for unaccompanied kids unless they are in Fantaseas or Adventure Ocean).

 

The one thing that is different about Fantaseas than Fuel is that during regualr Adventure Ocean hours (9am - 10pm with some breaks on sea days) Fantaseas is used by the 9-11 year old age group.

 

Teen activities were also held in various lounges throughout the ship.

[PAGA]

Biggest complaint about cruise was disembarkation...no announcement we had to figure it out ourselves...we had White 1 so were first group, allowing us to get to WDW by 10am. )

 

Out of curiosity, were you in the Platinum/Diamond priority disembark lounge? I've been on a few ships where they failed to turn the PA system on in the priority lounge...I ask because we also had white tags and were just walking out of the Windjammer when "White" was called over the PA system, so there definitley were announcements made. If the announcement wasn't made in the prioroty lounge (where most of the White tag holders probably were waiting), that explains why we had such an easy time getting thru Immigration and finding our luggage!!

 

The whole priority disembark lounge thing confuses me lately. This is our second cruise in a row where the priority lounge is so far from the actual disembarkation deck that it is actually better not to go there - especially since the majority of the people in the lounge all have the same tag color: White. On Explorer, the priority lounge was in Maharajas, but the disembark point was at the opposite end of the ship (and they closed the casino doors, so you couldn't pass thru). On Grandeur, the priority lounge was in the Viking Crown on the highest deck of the ship...

[PH8]

On Grandeur, the priority lounge was in the Viking Crown on the highest deck of the ship...

Same with the Jewel.........I didnt think that was the best place for a disembarkation lounge...

[beach_lover_58]

Thanks for your answers everyone and PAGA thanks for the additional info on what older teens can do on the ship.