Recently on Grandeur OFS - Dissapointed

[Murphs]

My wife and I were on Grandeur the week of 2/7 and were surprised by a noticeable decrease in service and staffing. This was our 4th cruise, and while the ship did not seem very full, the service was lacking. Little things like in the dining room, they did not pull your chair out for you, did not put your napkin in your lap or clean the table off prior to dessert. Little things I know, but having experienced these touches in the past it was noticeable this time. Steaks in the dining room were horrible, I get better steaks at the local Ponderosa steak house, which is not sayng much. Also, the laundry service failed to get our laundry back to us by the agreed to time which caused problems for a group of us who planned to have pictures taken before dinner. When we questioned the status of laundry with guest relations we were told they had a lot to do, no appology. Not impressed. In additon to this, there was a water leak in a wall outside our stateroom that left the carpet saturated with water. Wen you walked down the hall it litterally splashed up and got your feet wet. Because of this they had a large noisy fan running outside our room the entire cruise, only benefit was that when we came down the hall, we always knew right were out door was. Finally there were 2 different times where all of the toilets failed on four of the decks, including ours. There was no notice that they were working on them, and it caused problems beacause many people on the ship were sick due to rough seas, toilets would be out for couple of hours at a time leaving you to search for a restroom on another deck. While we are still fans of RCCL, we are not impressed with Grandeur. While she seemed to be understaffed, I have to say that most of the crew was busting their butts to do the best they could with what they were being given. Still, guest relations was not helpfull when there were problems. If you are looking at a Vision class ship I would steer away from Grandeur and instead give Enchantment of the Seas a try. Enchantment is much nicer! We will continue to cruise with RCCL and are looking to cruise on Freedom in 2010, and trust that we will see the RCCL we have come to expect in the past.

 

Mike & Lori

[baileyadog]

Wow I hate to hear that you guys had a bad experience. I sure would not be happy with motion sickness and a toilet that didn't work. We went on the Grandeur in March of 2008 and had a great trip. Our cruise was out of Tampa. I know Grandeur changes ports, where was your trip out of? Just wondering if this might affect some of the service concerns you have noted.

[dgwags]

Wow I hate to hear that you guys had a bad experience. I sure would not be happy with motion sickness and a toilet that didn't work. We went on the Grandeur in March of 2008 and had a great trip. Our cruise was out of Tampa. I know Grandeur changes ports, where was your trip out of? Just wondering if this might affect some of the service concerns you have noted.

I wasn't on it but the GOS is in Tampa, then and now, until later this spring/early summer when it comes to Baltimore

[sj25]

Sorry to hear that..* you didn't have a nice time...I am going on the Grandeur in June from Norfolk. I have been on this ship before and enjoyed it very much. So hope yours was just an off week since this cruise is going to be a 9 day cruise.

[Atomica]

Sorry to hear you didn't have a good experience.

 

When I was on the Grandeur in January, I had a tremendous experience - chairs were pulled out in the dining room, napkins placed on laps and tables cleaned. Never had any problems with toilets or plumbing of any kind.

 

Did you bring any of this to the attention of the Hotel Manager onboard?

 

Hopefully your next cruise will be better.

[realtreebar]

sorry you had a bad experience I hope we do not run into that ever!!

[cb at sea]

Your dining room experience seems to be the "norm" now...the overall feeling of the entire eating experience has really declined. And that's not just on Granduer.

Thankfully, we haven't had any equipment/plumbing failures...I know when that happens, it's horrendous!

I'm pretty sure the economy has alot to do with reduced staffing and such.

[mustangjoe]

Sorry to hear about your bad experience. I have to be it is anomaly. We have sail on GOTS 3 times including a 2 week repo cruise and never had a problem. Then again, like you, it doesn't take much to please me.

[pcur]

The leaks and electrical and toilets are truly unfortunate and annoying. However, there is always something that can be done in the dining room.

 

If they are not doing something right, then politely tell them what you prefer, even if it's to ask they clean the table before dessert. The chair and the napkin I'll pass on, but the service and food is important.

 

Send the steak back and order something else. My DH always is ordering the steaks, and he knows they aren't the best. I'm happy-happy with my selections, because I'm a chicken and fish eater.

 

Once the dining staff know your expectations, they should try to please you. It can all be done very nicely and with a smile, even if you have to talk to the head waiter about it.

[greydog]

Little things like in the dining room, they did not pull your chair out for you, did not put your napkin in your lap or clean the table off prior to dessert. Little things I know, but having experienced these touches in the past it was noticeable this time. Steaks in the dining room were horrible, I get better steaks at the local Ponderosa steak house, which is not sayng much.

Mike & Lori

 

We did Grandeur this past year - agreed the steaks were lackluster. Had decent table service in MDR. No fun having the leak problems you describe. We will not sail this category of ship again due to small cabin size and lack of specialty restaurants, lack of concierge lounge for diamond CC. Better luck next cruise experience.

[Ripley's Lady]

Sorry to hear you were less than pleased.

 

Please remember that some first time cruisers forget or may not know - that ships' toilets are very sensitive. Putting foreign objects - other than the special bathroom tissue on a roll - can be a very disconcerting experience for all with staterooms near the guilty ones!

 

We were on Grandeur of the Seas twice last November B2B and adored that little ship.

Service was impeccable and the food was great. I have booked her for my birthday next year in November 09 for the repo.

 

We hope your next cruise is delightful and without incidents.

[Rancher Dave]

You should put it all in a letter to RCCL corporate so they can address the shortcomings. Much of what was mentioned seems very different than our RCCL expereince a couple months ago, so I think it is more that ship or the particular crew you encountered as opposed to a fleetwide issue. To the extent it is the ship or specifric crew that can be resolved by corporate thru directives to the ship.

 

Sad to hear this since that is one of 3-4 ships I am considering for a cruise in the next couple of months. If all else was equal I would pick one of the other 2-3 ships (all RCCL) over Grandeur if I heard from others the same issues were what they saw as well. Of course on of the other ships I like is Voyager so to some extent more good reasons to go local if I can eliminate Grandeur, Navigator, and possibly Freedom from the running.

[Merion_Mom]

Your dining room experience seems to be the "norm" now...the overall feeling of the entire eating experience has really declined. And that's not just on Granduer.

Thankfully, we haven't had any equipment/plumbing failures...I know when that happens, it's horrendous!

I'm pretty sure the economy has alot to do with reduced staffing and such.

 

It is a shame that Murphs had a less than stellar cruise experience, but your sentence is just completely out of line, cb at sea.

 

I have had wonderful experiences in the main dining room, most recently for 53 nights on the Mariner. THAT is the "norm".

 

I am sorry if your experience has been otherwise, but you have no reason to make that sort of statement.

 

Baileyadog, sj25, Atomica, mustangjoe & Ripley's Lady all seem to agree with me.

[wraithe]

Been on Grandeur 6 times, and coming up again in November for 14 nights. Everyone's opinion is different, and the OP's experience with one set of waiters does not represent the entire DR. I've checked recent formal reviews, and overall, they're pretty positive. YMMV of course.

[boulders]

I have to agree with the op and cb at sea. I have found the dining room experience and any contact with customer service to be really lacking on RCCL. We will be cruising with Carnival in a couple of weeks and Princess in the summer. We won't be going back to RCCL until I hear consistent reports of improvement in these areas.

[Allaboutsailingrc]

Sorry, Murphs, that you did not enjoy Grandeur. I will be on my 5th Grandeur cruise in a few weeks. Keep going back because I love, love that little cruise ship. Grandeur and Jewel are my favorites. I have been on Freedom and Independence, although they are absolutely beautiful cruise ships, my preference is for the smaller ships. Back to Grandeur---she remains one of my favorites and I will continue to book future sailings on her. Have always had over and above service on all RC cruises.

Royal rocks! :)

[JSnow789]

I'm sailing on Grandeur on Thursday. I'll be sure to update this thread when I return to let you all know how it goes.

[nolimits]

It is funny I was on the same cruise and had a great time .We did have to miss the one port but got extra day in Cozemel .We were so impressed about # of staff we questioned CnA rep she told us a lot of ships have extra staff 2/3% because training has started for Oasis.We enjoyed the food .Myself or my DW dont feel the effect of high seas so we weren't sick.Also never noticed toilets not working.But I do remember seeing a fan in 1 hallway not ours. Iwish the Murphs calmer seas

[wraithe]

Been on Grandeur 6 times, and coming up again in November for 14 nights. Everyone's opinion is different, and the OP's experience with one set of waiters does not represent the entire DR. I've checked recent formal reviews, and overall, they're pretty positive. YMMV of course.

 

Should have said "everyone's opinion on food is different". Teach me to try and post at 05:45 before work. For real, sorry the Grandeur didn't live up to the Murphs expectations, but it's not unusual. Grandeur evokes a love/hate relationship. Either you love the ship, or hate it, there isn't usually much in between.

[sj25]

Sorry, Murphs, that you did not enjoy Grandeur. I will be on my 5th Grandeur cruise in a few weeks. Keep going back because I love, love that little cruise ship. Grandeur and Jewel are my favorites. I have been on Freedom and Independence, although they are absolutely beautiful cruise ships, my preference is for the smaller ships. Back to Grandeur---she remains one of my favorites and I will continue to book future sailings on her. Have always had over and above service on all RC cruises.

Royal rocks! :)

Well I am lucky then the two ships that I am going on this year...the Grandeur and Jewel...I know I loved the smaller ship when we went on the Empress...so really looking forward to a smaller ship once again.

 

 

I'm sailing on Grandeur on Thursday. I'll be sure to update this thread when I return to let you all know how it goes.

 

Please do update us...what port are you going out?

 

 

It is a shame that Murphs had a less than stellar cruise experience, but your sentence is just completely out of line, cb at sea.

 

I have had wonderful experiences in the main dining room, most recently for 53 nights on the Mariner. THAT is the "norm".

 

I am sorry if your experience has been otherwise, but you have no reason to make that sort of statement.

 

Baileyadog, sj25, Atomica, mustangjoe & Ripley's Lady all seem to agree with me.

Agree...

I could only imgaine how wonderful it would of been on the Mariner for that long! Mariner is my favorite ship.

I know when we did the b2b everyone said we would be ready to get off...I wasn't.

Now did you really have the sea legs when you got off?

[Allaboutsailingrc]

Hi sj25----See you guys in October. I will be on the 10/27 Jewel sailing too. Have taken her every year when she repo's from Boston to Florida. Always a very popular sailing. Were you on her in 2008 with the rough seas?

[kicker]

Wow! I just came across this thread - compare it to my Grandeur 2/21 Review Thread. We had the usual outstanding service with chairs pulled out, napkins placed - read my review for more details. I did not come across a single crew member who was anything less than helpful and friendly.

 

We only cruise once a year usually. Comparing my recent cruise to six years ago, I've honestly seen no real drop-off in service or quality. I'm sorry to hear of your problems, but people should know you are (at least from what I've seen and people I've cruised with and talked to) in a small minority of cruisers who aren't pleased with RCI's product.

[Puffinater]

I am sorry if your experience has been otherwise, but you have no reason to make that sort of statement.

 

If that is how someones dining room experience has been and that is how they feel about the service then they have every right to post it. Not everyone views RCL through rose colored glasses and thats their choice.

That being said we cruised the Granduer back in 04 and the dining room service was excellent. On more recent cruises I would have to say that the service has shown a decline. Will I stop cruising RCL because of it...no way!

Some glasses are just not as rose colored as others. Opinions are just opinions...and everyone has one be it right, wrong or indifferent.

[LuckiStac13*Majesty*]

If that is how someones dining room experience has been and that is how they feel about the service then they have every right to post it. Not everyone views RCL through rose colored glasses and thats their choice.

That being said we cruised the Granduer back in 04 and the dining room service was excellent. On more recent cruises I would have to say that the service has shown a decline. Will I stop cruising RCL because of it...no way!

Some glasses are just not as rose colored as others. Opinions are just opinions...and everyone has one be it right, wrong or indifferent.

 

Exactly, how does anyone have the right to tell another poster that they are incorrect in their thoughts or experiences?

 

I am a Diamond-Plus member with over 40 cruises under my belt, and I would definitely have to agree that the service/eating experience has drastically gone down-hill from previous cruises years ago. Even the STAFF knows it and has openly admitted it to me, with many thigns being the cause (i.e. economic times, $$, staff available, etc.). I think it's very unfair, and rather presumptuous to tell another person they're wrong with such a statement. They are 100% correct. I believe that some people have not experienced the high level of personal service/attention to detail that it USED to be in the 90's and prior, so that could be why you're so strong in your statement. For those of us that KNOW what it was, it is quite different now. Quite different. I could make a list of 30-40 FACTS of how it has changed for the worse, not the better. By the way, this is not a secret, to Royal Caribbean or to anyone. Everyone knows it.

[ruskatab]

Of course they had every right to share their opinion. You just negated any opinion you may yield due to your blind loyalty. Hip Hip Hooray, you're one of those.

 

I couldnt agree more. When I read overzealous opinions and reviews it cancels out any credibility. To tell someone their opinion is completely out of line is wrong.