Anyone back from Grandeur?

[yuyi64]

Just wondering if any of the Grandeur March 27th cruisers made it back home yet and would like to post a quickie review of the cruise. I hope you all had a great time!

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[FOXTROT]

Also who is the captain & cruise director?

[yuyi64]

I believe Tom Canosa is still the cruise director (until May 10th). I'm not sure if Captain Zini is still onboard; I thought I read in an earlier review that there had been a change of captains a few weeks ago. I'm hoping those Grandeur cruisers that returned yesterday can update us on the captain situation.

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[kelmac]

The Captain is Hakan Admarker and the CC is Tom Canosa.

[Cayenne & Hot Sauce]

Would also like to know if the Grandeur was able to stop in Grand Caymen. Been watching the boards and seems like RCCL along with other cruise lines over the past few weeks had to skip or dock on the other side of the island.

[kelmac]

On the March 20th cruise, the Grandeur was able to make all three stops. The wind was out of the east, and the seas were 6 -- 12 feet all week. Some shore excursions were cancelled (like stingray city in GC and aquaboats in Costa Maya) but I would guess that 90% operated as planned. Traveling east from GC to Costa Maya the wind was 19 knots and the ship was traveling at 19 knots--zero breeze on deck--it was great! Enjoy! Kel

[MJL]

We were on the 3/27 GOS. If there is anything specific you are interested in, go ahead and post a question. I probably won't post a review.

We made the stop last week (3/30) in Grand Cayman without any problems. One note for what it's worth - The itinerary on the websites shows departure from Costa Maya at 1 AM Thursday. We actually departed at 8 PM Wed.

Mike

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[El Barto]

Hi: I'm sorry if this has been asked and answered a thousand times, but I have a question about dress for dinner. I know that there will be two formal nights. Are all the remaining nights casual, or are there also "informal" or "semi-formal" nights.

Thanks.

[yuyi64]

Thanks for checking in MJL. I have a few questions: Are the formal nights on this itinerary Sunday and Wednesday, or Sunday and Thursday? What was your impression of Tom Canosa as a cruise director? Did you go to any beaches in Costa Maya, and if so, what did you think of them? Thanks in advance for your reply.

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[kelmac]

ElBarto and yuyi64
There are two formal nights; day two(Sunday) and day six(Thursday). All other nights are casual--no informal or smart casual nights.
Tom Canosa was energetic and passionate about his job. A very good CD. His wife is the Loyalty ambassador on the ship.
In Costa Maya, we did the Jungle beach break. Nice beach, but jellyfish season; 1% of people in the water. Open bar, paddle boats, kayaks, volleyball, water volleyball, social leaders...,
Turtles follow the jellyfish and this should be their season to lay eggs on the beach. I'm not sure if they close down for this, or not? New airconditioned buses take you to this spot (35 minute drive). Problem is, the Grandeur arrives at 12:00 noon, and the beach closes down around 4:00--this does not give you much time at the beach. In addition, the ship leaves port at 8:00pm, not the scheduled 1:00am time listed. Very little to do in Costa Maya after 6:00pm. Still, a nice place! [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]
Enjoy! Kel

[hollowTree]

yuyi64 ...
We were on the 3/27 sailing and had a very good time overall. We're not experienced cruisers, but I thought the Cruise Director and his staff (and the entire crew, in fact) did a great job.

We did not find much to like about Costa Maya, though. Had an unpleasant experience with a snorkling excursion we set up at the pier (although the snorkling itself was very good). Saw the beaches at Mahahual and didn't feel comfortable staying there with our 8 and 12 yo kids. In fact, couldn't wait to get the kids back on the ship. Might have been better to stick with an excursion booked through the cruise line at Costa Maya.

Sorry to sound so negative. We had a great time otherwise.

[HERDFAN]

hollowTree,

Please elaborate on your unpleasant experience with the snorkling excursion at Costa Maya.

Also, what made you feel uncomfortable about spending time at the beach with your little ones.

We are going on the 4/10 sailing and was planning to do a snorkle excursion (not thru the cruisline) at CM and then find a beach bar and just have a few Corona's and get some sun.

BTW, we won't have young children with us.


Please respond,

[img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]HERDFAN [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

"LET THE WINDS OF TIME BLOW OVER MY HEAD, I'D RATHER DIE WHILE I'M LIVING THAN LIVE WHILE I'M DEAD" - J. BUFFETT

[MJL]

We thought that Tom and the staff did a very good job. Most of the programs and activities were handled very well. Entertainment was good quality and variety.

Yes, formal nights were Sunday and Thursday. Both days were at sea. The remaining nights were casual. There was not an identified "smart casual". Very few sport coats for casual. Seems like 80% to 90% suits in lieu of tuxedos for the formal nights.

We did not have a problem with setting up a snorkel excursion at Costa Maya. We got information and set it up at the shopping/entertainment area adjacent to the pier. We paid $15 pp for about an hour and a half. The ship snorkeling excursion was $30 to $40. This was plenty of snorkel time for us, and allowed some time to walk around Majahual, relax and have a few beverages. The ship snorkeling excursion was $30 to $40.

Majahual was a different experience. After the established ports of Cozumel and Grand Cayman, you come to a port dropped two miles from a small fishing village. There is not much else around, and the area has barely been developed other than the shopping and entertainment complex at the pier. RCCL offered a number of interesting excursions, so those people who are interested in excitment, may want to book something in advance.

Grand Cayman and Cozumel are well covered on the Ports of Call Board. In Cozumel we did some shopping and then went to Chanakaab for the Swim with the Dolphins. In Grand Cayman, we just relaxed at Seven Mile Beach.

I hope this helps.

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[yuyi64]

What part of Seven Mile Beach did you go to in Grand Cayman MJL? Did you buy a day pass at one of the resorts or did you just go to one of the public areas? Having done the stingray excursion already, I'd like to just spend a few hours at Seven Mile Beach but I'm not sure if it would be worth it to buy a pass at a resort since I understand that all beaches in Grand Cayman are public by law.

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[MJL]

There is a public beach access point next to the Governor's home. This is just north of the Westin. A taxi can drop you off, then you can walk to the Westin and pick up a cab or catch one of the buses that runs on this road. The taxi was $4 pp.

We did not have the use of any beach chairs, so if that's a must, you may need to make other plans. I believe you could grab some food and beverages at the Westin, but we waited until we got back to Georgetown. The beach was not crowded even though there were 5 ships in port.

If you are interested in snorkeling, there is a section of reef about 60-70 yards off shore that offered interesting underwater scenery.

This turned out to be a nice beach visit at a reasonable cost.

Mike

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[yuyi64]

Thanks MJL. I remembered reading a while back about a public beach access near the Westin and you confirmed its existence. That sounds like something we will do since we've already done the snorkeling and stingray swim in Grand Cayman. Were there any kind of shelters, trees, or any other forms of shade at this public beach?

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[MJL]

There were trees at the public beach access point that provided shade or filtered sunlight. Very comfortable.

Mike

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