Live from Grandeur-- 11/20/08

[Loyal2RCCL]

Hi Everyone,

 

We boarded the Grandeur in Tampa yesterday for the 4 night Western Caribbean itinerary.

 

Got to the pier at 12 noon and literally walked right onboard. No lines anywhere. Went to lunch in the WJ while waiting for the cabins to be ready at 1pm.

 

The ship is in good shape.. very clean-- a bit of wear and tear, but nothing out of the ordinary for a ship this age (12 yrs old).

 

So far, service has been excellent and the food good, not great but much better than our last cruise on the Brilliance this past summer.

 

We're approaching Key West now... I'll post more later....

[johnlcruise]

Thanks for the up-date. enjoy your cruise.

[Tanker4]

Glad to know that the old gal is in good shape and doing well. We'll be onboard her in 17 days.:D

[Chesterbid]

Loyal2RCCL,

Could you dig up any info about a concierge lounge addition (adaption from the card room) for me? Rumor had it that they would convert the card room by the first of the year. We are looking into a Granduer cruise in May from Norfolk.

 

Also to the OP, please email me at my sign in name plus wellatgmaildotcom.You'll recognize the name.

[CQG67]

Am going on the 4 night Grandeur out of Tampa on Dec 4 with 7 gal pals and would like all the info you could possibly send me, if possible. It has been awhile since I have been in Cozumel and about 7 years since I have sailed on the Grandeur. The ship has a nice layout and despite her 12 year history I think will be fun. Some of us are going on the Tulum trip (it's been 30 years since I visited that site) but a few others are in a quandry as to what to do besides Tulum. A couple of their choices are Dolphin Swim and Ride, Xcare with Dolphins and Dolphin Push, Pull & Swim. Do you have any knowledge of these excursions and if so what are your thoughts. Thanks, Barb B (you can email me at brantb65@cox.net if you like thanks):)

[Gator0178]

Look forward to your reports!

[Coralc]

Loyal2RCCL,

Could you dig up any info about a concierge lounge addition (adaption from the card room) for me? Rumor had it that they would convert the card room by the first of the year. We are looking into a Granduer cruise in May from Norfolk.

 

Also to the OP, please email me at my sign in name plus wellatgmaildotcom.You'll recognize the name.

 

We just disembarked from Grandeur yesterday, the 10 day itinerary. It was a nice cruise. A little (lot?) rough and chilly on the 2 days down and the 2 days back.

 

Captain Jim is on board, and there are no plans to add a concierge lounge to Grandeur anytime soon. There was an 11:15 AM brunch for D/+/P members.

 

We did sail past Montseratt one evening at 10:30 PM. We were probably 3 to 5 miles away. It was very difficult to see anything except a faint glow.

 

But we had a really fun time, the service was very good. AJ and Hans in the Schooner Bar were very good and Tom Riccio, the piano player was entertaining. The CD Simeon Baker and Cruise Activities director Belle, were very friendly and interacted frequently with the passengers.

 

It will be interesting to hear what your impressions are. Thanks for writing! :D

[DIGTHIS]

Hi,

look forward to hearing more.please say hello to anahita who runs the wj for dave and carol from ny

[Tanker4]

We just disembarked from Grandeur yesterday, the 10 day itinerary. It was a nice cruise. A little (lot?) rough and chilly on the 2 days down and the 2 days back.

 

Captain Jim is on board, and there are no plans to add a concierge lounge to Grandeur anytime soon. There was an 11:15 AM brunch for D/+/P members.

 

We did sail past Montseratt one evening at 10:30 PM. We were probably 3 to 5 miles away. It was very difficult to see anything except a faint glow.

 

But we had a really fun time, the service was very good. AJ and Hans in the Schooner Bar were very good and Tom Riccio, the piano player was entertaining. The CD Simeon Baker and Cruise Activities director Belle, were very friendly and interacted frequently with the passengers.

 

It will be interesting to hear what your impressions are. Thanks for writing! :D

 

Bummer about the CL. We had hoped that they would have set one up like they did on the Enchantment.

 

We'll be onboard Grandeur in a little over 2 weeks and looking forward to it.

[Loyal2RCCL]

Good Morning from Cozumel.

 

Yesterday we had a nice day in Key West-- the weather was sunny but a bit on the chilly side. Since we'll be back here again next week onboard the Majesty we basically just left the ship and spent a few hours at the Mel Fisher Museum and then returned to the ship for the balance of the afternoon.

 

Last night, dinner was good, as was the show-- my only wish is that RCCL would phase out the older production shows and replace them with the newer, more elaborate production shows that are in place on the newer ships. While the singer and dancers did a good job, the material, set decorations and costumes are a bit dated-- not to mention these shows have been seen numerous times on past cruises since 1996!!

 

That said, the entertainment from the various lounge entertainers has been good and the old standbys of the Schooner Lounge, Casino and Viking Crown are more than enough to keep you entertained into the early hours of the morning. :D The casino was actually a bit kind and rewarded me with an extra $40.00.

 

Today, the plan is to rent a jeep and drive to the opposite side of the island, away from the crowds of tourists. I'm taking 3 of my crew member friends with me for a day of lunch, drinks and of course the obligatory shopping stop so they can buy items they need for their cabins onboard.

[rwilk1129]

What happened to Captain Rob? He was captain in Jan 08. Anybody know where he is now?

[patrioticgirl]

Hi Everyone,

 

We boarded the Grandeur in Tampa yesterday for the 4 night Western Caribbean itinerary.

 

Got to the pier at 12 noon and literally walked right onboard. No lines anywhere. Went to lunch in the WJ while waiting for the cabins to be ready at 1pm.

 

The ship is in good shape.. very clean-- a bit of wear and tear, but nothing out of the ordinary for a ship this age (12 yrs old).

 

So far, service has been excellent and the food good, not great but much better than our last cruise on the Brilliance this past summer.

 

We're approaching Key West now... I'll post more later....

Glad to hear that you are having a great voyage! I'm onboard Grandeur in December, so I am enjoying your updates. I have a favor .... if you find the opportunity, I wondered if you might ask the cruise director whether 2 or 3 formal nights will be held on the 10 night New Year's cruise? Crown and Anchor stated that there would definately be 2, but that a third might be held at he discretion of the ship. Having a heads up would help with packing. Thanks and enjoy the remainer of your voyage!:)

[UGA Fan]

Thanks for taking time out for your updates. We will be on her in March . I am looking forward to more of your reports and hopefully, a nice long review when you get back.

[pjlee3333]

What happened to Captain Rob? He was captain in Jan 08. Anybody know where he is now?

His vacation started October 25. I assume he'll be back at the normal rotation for this ship (at least I hope so). We were on a cruise with him in October when he mentioned going on vaction at the end of the month.

[signman]

Capt. Rob is on vacation.

[Grannycb]

How long are the rotations? I wonder which captain will be on the Jan. 10th sailing?

 

Like cruisequeen above, I'm interested in what you did in Cozumel. We were thinking of going to Playa Uvas but are open to suggestions.

 

Thanks for posting.

[pjlee3333]

There is a thead that lists captians that can be followed--I'm sorry I don't know how to post it here. Rotations can be 10-14 weeks depending on what the captians agree to. It seems that the captians on this ship has been on a 10 week rotation. Captian Olson came on October 25 so the next rotation will take place around the end of December, beginning of January.

[Loyal2RCCL]

Good Morning from a lovely, although chilly day at sea. Today is our last day as we head back to Tampa. The weather is sunny, but cool which is what we experienced for the entire cruise along with a slight chop in the seas, but nothing major.

 

Yesterday in Cozumel, we rented a Jeep and took a few of our crew member friends to the opposite side of the island where we had lunch and drink at a small restaurant away from the crowds of tourists that flock to the beaches and restaurants near the ships. The "other" side of the island was virtually deserted and we had a nice day bar hopping our way around, until we wound up back in downtown San Miguel and it's masses of tourists and party go-ers. We made one stop for our crew friends at a large Mexican store (similar to Wal-Mart) so they could shop for things they needed and then we returned to the ship. It was a very relaxing, fun afternoon.

 

Having been to CZM many times before, we usually wind up renting a Jeep and getting away from the crowds. I know there have been posts on these boards regarding problems renting cars in Mexico but we've never had any troubles.

 

Tomorrow, we plan to do Express Departure from the ship as early as possible as we have to drive from Tampa to Miami where we're going to board the Majesty for the 4 night Bahamas cruise so watch for my "Live from the Majesty" posts to begin starting tomorrow :)

 

I will try and post again tonight and of course I will do a full, proper review of each cruise when I get back home. I'll also try to find out the answers to each of your questions and post them here later..

 

Stay tuned....

[b1babe]

How was check in at the Port..How do they take luggage..Trying to figure out how to drop it off..At other ports you pull up and unload then go park.We have never been out of Tampa..Also did you see anyone check thru cases of water..

[Loyal2RCCL]

Glad to hear that you are having a great voyage! I'm onboard Grandeur in December, so I am enjoying your updates. I have a favor .... if you find the opportunity, I wondered if you might ask the cruise director whether 2 or 3 formal nights will be held on the 10 night New Year's cruise? Crown and Anchor stated that there would definately be 2, but that a third might be held at he discretion of the ship. Having a heads up would help with packing. Thanks and enjoy the remainer of your voyage!:)

 

 

Plan on 3 formal nights for the 10 night Christmas cruise.

[Loyal2RCCL]

How was check in at the Port..How do they take luggage..Trying to figure out how to drop it off..At other ports you pull up and unload then go park.We have never been out of Tampa..Also did you see anyone check thru cases of water..

 

 

You can pull up to the pier and unload luggage, then park the car in the garage across the street. It may be quicker if you just park your car and take your luggage with you to the terminal as the line of cars trying to get into the terminal was very long. I didn't see anyone checking cases of water, but I'm sure someone did.

[b1babe]

Thanks..We are staying at the Embassy and taking their shuttle..Thought about sending hubby with the bags first thou.

[b1babe]

Any pointers on what to do and what to miss..I have heard there is a coffee shop on board..Do they have the blinking glasses as drink of the day when you board

[tha sista]

You can pull up to the pier and unload luggage, then park the car in the garage across the street. It may be quicker if you just park your car and take your luggage with you to the terminal as the line of cars trying to get into the terminal was very long. I didn't see anyone checking cases of water, but I'm sure someone did.

Is this the same pier the Inspiration docks at??

[Coralc]

Any pointers on what to do and what to miss..I have heard there is a coffee shop on board..Do they have the blinking glasses as drink of the day when you board

 

There is a Latatudes (Seattle's Best) Coffee shop onboard with coffee and coffee beverages for purchase. The pastries and cookies are free (or possibly with purchase?)

 

We only saw the blinking glasses available at the pool/deck party, they may have been available at other times in the Viking Crown. :)