Grandeur of the Seas Review

[Tanker4]

Recently returned from a 10 day Eastern Caribbean cruise on the Grandeur 12/8-12/18. This was our second cruise on this ship (the previous one was a 5 day Western). Grandeur is 12 years old and although she doesn't have all of the bells and whistles of the newer and larger floating resorts, for us at least she is the perfect size and her crew is one of the best we've ever experianced. We also found her to be in great shape and noticed little if any wear and tear. We would gladly sail her again and plan to do so.

 

Embarkation was quick and easy. DW and I live in the Tampa Bay area and we arrived at the pier shortly before 10:30 am. By the time we had dropped off our luggage and taken the escalator up to the second level, they were opening up security. Once through security we were directed to the priority check in area as we are Diamond members and were also sailing in a Grand Suite, cabin # 8510. After check in, we were directed to the priority waiting area and they began boarding our group at 11:00 am. Checked out our table in the dining room (we had first seating at a 10 top table) then on to lunch in the Windjammer, and yes, they did have "Honey Stung Chicken." The cabins were opened at 1:00 pm and we got settled in, met our cabin attendant and by then, our luggage began to arrive. Unpacked then headed down to the Schooner Bar to meet our CC "meet&mingle" group What a neat group it was! (Hi everbody. Hope that you are all having a great Holiday Season) and it was nice to be able to put faces with names.

 

The itinerary for this cruise was: Two sea days followed by port calls in San Juan, St Martin, St Kitt's, Antigua, Tortola then two sea days returning to Tampa. The weather was great for the entire trip. 80-85 with only a couple of brief showers although it was fairly windy on deck the first two days as we were sailing into the wind on the way down to San Juan. The only downside to the first two sea days was and Alpha Alpha Alpha (medical alert) on the first day to a cabin down the hallway from us. The next day, Captain Rob announced that he was turning the ship Northward to meet a Coast Guard helicopter to evacuate a critically ill passenger. The chopper arrived about 3 hours later and the passenger was evacuated from the ship but we later heard that he did not make it to the hospital.:(

 

The food onboard ranged from very good to excellent compared to our previous cruises. We ate all of our breakfasts and most of our lunches in the Windjammer and all dinners with the exception of the evening in San Juan in the main dining room. Dining times in the dining room have been changed (at least for this cruise) with first seating at 5:30 pm and second seating at 8:00 pm. Also, lunch in the main dining room on sea days has changed. They now call it the Brassiere 30. Offering a more limited menu along with a salad bar and pasta station, they state that you can have lunch in only 30 minutes. We tried it one day and although the food was good, we preferred the larger choices available in the Windjammer. Our table and some of the other tables around us in the dining room did experiance slow service on a couple of nights and although our waiter didn't come right out and say so, it was evident that some problem was occuring in the kitchen.

 

Can't really comment much about the evening entertainment as we only caught two shows. They were ok. Perhaps others who have cruised the Grandeur recently have better information about the entertainment.

 

As for the crew, in a word it was outstanding! To a person, we never experianced anything less than a smile and a warm greeting with many calling us by name after the first few days and everyone going out of their way to be helpful in any way that they could. As for the Master, Captain Rob Hempstead, consider yourself lucky if you have the opportunity to meet and talk with him. He's a real hoot! Very approachable, easy to talk to and has a really dry sense of humor. His daily announcements are not to be missed!

 

As previously mentioned, the ship seemed to be in excellent condition with crew members constantly cleaning and polishing. They also had decorated the ship for the holidays which added a nice touch. One other thing that seemed to stand out compared to some cruises we've taken was the fact that although the ship was sailing full, it never seemed crowded anywhere (except for the Winjammer at peak mealtimes) and there were always lounges available around the pool area and Solarium.

 

Debarkation was fast and efficent with the colored tags and assigned waiting areas which pretty much eliminated the crowds in the Centrum and stairway areas. Our color was called about 8:15 am and we were off of the ship, through customs and at curbside by 8:30 am just as our neighbor arrived to pick us up.

 

Grandeur is and older ship without some of the amenities of the newer ones but if you prefer a more relaxed cruise experiance with IMHO the best crew in RCL's fleet, she will not disappoint. She is certainly one of our favorite ships and we will definitely cruise onboard her again in the near future.:)

 

If anyone has questions about the ship or ports of call I will be glad to try and answer them for you.

[ArkieCruisin]

Thanks so much for sharing your review with us. Sounds like you had a great time.

[Tanker4]

Thanks so much for sharing your review with us. Sounds like you had a great time.

 

Really did. It was one of our best cruises.:)

[dolfansam]

The Grandeur will always be special for me as she was the first ship I cruised on. She has changed a little since the first time I sailed on her 5 years ago. The lengthened and expanded the Windjammer added Ben and Jerrys (I did not need that temptation). It has never failed to impress service wise. Everyone is so friendly and right there when you need them. Captain Bob is a real hoot. I remember as we were sailing down the East Coast and he came on for his morning announcements and said did his usual introduction and when the Captain usually gives the location of the ship he said "I have no idea where we are at."

[dixieva]

He really is a hoot isn't he? I hope he never leaves the fleet. I've been on the Grandeur a couple of times and he never fails to get me laughing. He's always saying things like "I have no idea where we are" and when he gives the dept of the water we're currently sailing in he gives it right down to ---and 5 inches. I wish more captains had his sense of humor.

Once when he was telling us where we were he said we were off the coast of New Jersey--but not to worry, we were perfectly safe on the Grandeur of the Seas!

We love this ship and are sailing her once again in 2009.

[Tanker4]

The Grandeur will always be special for me as she was the first ship I cruised on. She has changed a little since the first time I sailed on her 5 years ago. The lengthened and expanded the Windjammer added Ben and Jerrys (I did not need that temptation). It has never failed to impress service wise. Everyone is so friendly and right there when you need them. Captain Bob is a real hoot. I remember as we were sailing down the East Coast and he came on for his morning announcements and said did his usual introduction and when the Captain usually gives the location of the ship he said "I have no idea where we are at."

 

Captain Rob used that same line on us one day. He also said one morning, "For those of you who are interested, since leaving Tampa, we have sailed 1200 miles, 8 feet and 2 inches." :)

[mjyanne]

Nice review. Did you hear whether or not Grandeur will get a Conceirge Lounge in the near future (within the next year)?

[NancyIL]

Do you have any idea how long until Captain Rob's next vacation? We'll be on the April 25 San Juan-Norfolk cruise, and I hope he'll still be onboard.

[Tanker4]

Nice review. Did you hear whether or not Grandeur will get a Conceirge Lounge in the near future (within the next year)?

 

We were hoping that they would have one for our sailing as the rumor was that they would be converting the card room over in Nov but it did not come to pass. No one that we talked to onboard really knew about future plans but the best we could get was that there were no plans to do so in the immediate future.:( We really like the ship but that is the only thing we'd like to see improved.

[Tanker4]

Do you have any idea how long until Captain Rob's next vacation? We'll be on the April 25 San Juan-Norfolk cruise, and I hope he'll still be onboard.

 

No I don't. Hope that you get the chance to sail with him. He's and American guy originally from Rhode Island. Went to sea as a young boy with his Dad who was Captain of a variety of vessels. Ended up at the California Maritime Academy. After graduating he spent quite a few years in the North Pacific and was Master of quite a few factory fishing vessels before coming to RCI in 1999. 25 years at sea and he has led quite and interesting life.

[pjlee3333]

Do you have any idea how long until Captain Rob's next vacation? We'll be on the April 25 San Juan-Norfolk cruise, and I hope he'll still be onboard.

 

You may have a chance. They do 10 week rotations and he just came back on about the 18th. Roughly (without a calendar) this would put his next vacation in mid February. This would mean he might be coming back on about the time of your cruise.

 

I agree with the others. He adds something special to a cruise. j

 

We can't wait until the ship gets back to Baltimore next summer.

[Gator0178]

Thanks for the review! We look forward to sailing on her in March!

[Tanker4]

You may have a chance. They do 10 week rotations and he just came back on about the 18th. Roughly (without a calendar) this would put his next vacation in mid February. This would mean he might be coming back on about the time of your cruise.

 

I agree with the others. He adds something special to a cruise. j

 

We can't wait until the ship gets back to Baltimore next summer.

 

He came back onboard on Dec 8th, the same day that we boarded.

[pjlee3333]

The rotations must have been short this time, for some reason. He got off October 25, just as we were getting on. We were sorry to have missed him. Captian Olson is good but not quite the same. I have heard that the rotatations can be done up to 14 weeks or down based on negotiations between captians. They had been going pretty consistantly 10 weeks.

[ChattaCruzer]

Yippee! pjlee3333, I hope your calculations are correct. If so, that means that my mom and sister and I will be able to enjoy Captain Rob and his sense of humor when we sail on Feb. 2. :)

[NancyIL]

You may have a chance. They do 10 week rotations and he just came back on about the 18th. Roughly (without a calendar) this would put his next vacation in mid February. This would mean he might be coming back on about the time of your cruise.

 

I agree with the others. He adds something special to a cruise. j

 

We can't wait until the ship gets back to Baltimore next summer.

 

Thanks for the info. Ten weeks on/off/on would indeed put him back on the ship in time for our April 25 cruise!

[Pitbull1130]

The Grandeur is a great ship............

[Tanker4]

Thanks for the review! We look forward to sailing on her in March!

 

 

I'm already envious and have only been back a week.;)

[aoinmd]

I am currently booked in GS8516 for a trip in July. We were in a JS in June 2006. If anyone has been in both GS and JS on the Grandeur, can you compare/contrast? I am wondering if the GS is worth the extra $$$.

[Coralc]

I am currently booked in GS8516 for a trip in July. We were in a JS in June 2006. If anyone has been in both GS and JS on the Grandeur, can you compare/contrast? I am wondering if the GS is worth the extra $$$.

 

Yes, we have been in both on Grandeur. They are both very nice. Tanker4 and we? us?.... Bill & I both received surprise (free) upgrades to the same Grand suite on Grandeur. The balcony door was repaired and rehung...so it should have been fine for Tanker's. Is it worth the money to upgrade? I don't know...that depends on your pocketbook. We loved the grand suite! We would love to be able to afford them in the future....but for 2 people, the Junior Suite was fine as well. We may continue to book those in the future...and keep our fingers crossed for another visit from the upgrade fairy! :D:):D

 

The bathroom has double sinks and a tub, and it is a good size room in GS. The bedroom is in a seperate alcove. There is a large sitting area with a wrap-around couch. The balcony is long, with 2 loungers, 2 chairs and a wider table. It was great! CD player and stereo system, DVD player, free bottle of wine, goodies on formal nights. It was very nice, but I don't know that we will be able to afford a GS on future cruises.

[aoinmd]

Thanks for the info. The JS was very crowded for us in 06, probably due to the crib. Spacewise, for 2 adults and 2 kids I am wondering if the GS is worth the extra $800. Grandeur doesn't have a concierge lounge and I doubt I'd use priority tenders (other people going will not be in suite). I think I'd be buying more room and balcony space, right?

 

Back to OP, I really hope the Captain is on in July, he was very funny.

[Priusprof]

I'm already envious and have only been back a week.;)

Hi Tanker...I posted my review in the official review section. I was on this trip with Carl & Ida and we all had a great time. I spoke to the hotel director at the loyalty party about a Concierge Lounge and he didn't give any indication that they were doing it anytime soon, if at all. Capt Rob had told one of my CC buddies months ago that they were going to convert the card room by now.

 

I am currently booked in GS8516 for a trip in July. We were in a JS in June 2006. If anyone has been in both GS and JS on the Grandeur, can you compare/contrast? I am wondering if the GS is worth the extra $$$.

We had 3 J/S cabins and one of our group had GS8516. It was a great location and the better bath area is really nice. We had aft cabins with the huge balconies and the GS, IMHO, was not worth the extra money. There is more walking around room in the GS when you come through the door and the balcony is bigger compared to a regular JS.

[Tanker4]

Yes, we have been in both on Grandeur. They are both very nice. Tanker4 and we? us?.... Bill & I both received surprise (free) upgrades to the same Grand suite on Grandeur. The balcony door was repaired and rehung...so it should have been fine for Tanker's. Is it worth the money to upgrade? I don't know...that depends on your pocketbook. We loved the grand suite! We would love to be able to afford them in the future....but for 2 people, the Junior Suite was fine as well. We may continue to book those in the future...and keep our fingers crossed for another visit from the upgrade fairy! :D:):D

 

The bathroom has double sinks and a tub, and it is a good size room in GS. The bedroom is in a seperate alcove. There is a large sitting area with a wrap-around couch. The balcony is long, with 2 loungers, 2 chairs and a wider table. It was great! CD player and stereo system, DVD player, free bottle of wine, goodies on formal nights. It was very nice, but I don't know that we will be able to afford a GS on future cruises.

 

PB covered the GS very well. (Thanks PB for getting the door repaired. It worked well for us).:D About the only thing that I would add is the GS cabin is roughly 1/3 larger then the JS on the Grandeur but, as PB said, the JS's are plenty large enough for 2 people. For us, it was a nice upgrade surprise and we'll be glad to accept any future offers from the upgrade fairy but for the difference in cost, I'd personally stay with a JS (particularly if it's and aft one).

[Tanker4]

Hi Tanker...I posted my review in the official review section. I was on this trip with Carl & Ida and we all had a great time. I spoke to the hotel director at the loyalty party about a Concierge Lounge and he didn't give any indication that they were doing it anytime soon, if at all. Capt Rob had told one of my CC buddies months ago that they were going to convert the card room by now.

 

 

We had 3 J/S cabins and one of our group had GS8516. It was a great location and the better bath area is really nice. We had aft cabins with the huge balconies and the GS, IMHO, was not worth the extra money. There is more walking around room in the GS when you come through the door and the balcony is bigger compared to a regular JS.

 

Hi Guys, I read your review the other day and really enjoyed it. It was a great cruise wasn't it? Also really enjoyed meeting everyone. Hope you guys are having a nice holiday season.:)

 

Agree with you that the GS isn't worth the extra money at least for us. It was nice and we did enjoy the extra room especially for the 10 day but we still missed the view from back aft and especially the size of the corner aft balcony that we gave up.

 

Take care and Happy Cruisin........

 

Carl&Ida

[Tanker4]

Thanks for the info. The JS was very crowded for us in 06, probably due to the crib. Spacewise, for 2 adults and 2 kids I am wondering if the GS is worth the extra $800. Grandeur doesn't have a concierge lounge and I doubt I'd use priority tenders (other people going will not be in suite). I think I'd be buying more room and balcony space, right?

 

Back to OP, I really hope the Captain is on in July, he was very funny.

 

Didn't realize that you were planning on 4 people. That would be a little crowded in a JS and yes, you would be buying more cabin and balcony space with the GS. Hope that you have CPT Rob in command for your upcoming trip.