Just returned from Grandeur 12/11/04

[joeyancho]

We just returned from the Grandeur 12/11/04 sailing and here are my comments. First the ship is in terrific condition. It really sparkled. No signs of wear and tear mentioned on other posts. We were really impressed with the condition of the ship. We had a standard balcony cabin on deck 7. The room was very nice and also in excellent condition. The entertainment was very good. I don't usually go for production shows. However I must say that they were very good. The comic juggler was also great. The comedian was very funny. All the live music on board was very good. Major Handy and Frances played zydeco music in the Schooner Lounge that was great. The jazz combo in the centrum was also very good. They young lady singer they had with them was especially good. They played quite a lot of Christmas music which was very nice. The first stop was Cozumel. There we took the catamaran, snorkel, beach party tour for $52.00 pp. The snorkeling was only fair. The beach was very nice. IMHO it was way overpriced. We did get to go to Grand Cayman which is recovering nicely from the storm damage. However many of the trees have no leaves. It will take time for the island to come back fully. The snorkeling from Eden Rock was terrific. It is just a 2 block walk from the ship. There is a nice bar and restaurant and they will rent you all the equipment you need for just $12.00 There is a small beach with lounge chairs. The last stop was Costa Maya. We went on our own to Mahahual. We took a bus there for $3.00 pp. The little town was very rustic. No paved roads or much developement at all. We went to the Pez Quadro Bar for drinks. Instead of stools the had swings! It was fun to just sit there and watch the ocean. The beach had lounge chairs for our use. The beach was very nice. The ladies got a massage in the little hotel accross from the bar. It was $30.00 for 40 minutes. They both said it was the best massage they ever had. And believe me these girls know from massages. Our day in Mahahual was cut short by the rain. It rained hard for the rest of the cruise. It did not spoil our good time however. Now for the bad news. The sewer smell still exists. It was very strong on deck 4. We had friends staying on that deck and you could smell it everytime we went to their room. One night you could smell it outside the dining room on deck 5. We thought it was the Mississippi river but when we went out on deck there was no odor. We were also very disappointed by the quality of the food in the dining room. We have always enjoyed the food on Royal Caribbean in the past. I am very sad to say that on this cruise it was downright lousy. The steak was tasteless. The cod the first night was terrible. The pork chop with the fruit glaze was tough and very salty. Several dishes were good though. The jerk chicken was good, as was the shrimp scampi. The lobster was good also, however it was quite small. All the dessert were very good. The burgers in the solarium were tough and dry. The food in the Windjammer was about a 6 on a scale of 10.

All in all we had a great cruise. The food was the only major let down. If anyone has any questions feel free to email me at: joeyancho@yahoo.com

[Monte65]

Thanks for the review. We will be on the 1-15-05 cruise. Take care and happy holidays.

[Angiem]

Thanks for your report. Hubby and I will be on 1/29/05 sailing. We;re on the 8th floor and I hope to goodness we don't smell sewage!!!!! Hate to hear the food was lousy....should i be getting nervous?

 

Angie

[VABeach]

Exactly how bad is the smell? (On a scale of 1-10). Our room is on deck 4.

[truffles2]

I would say 3-4.

[joeyancho]

In regard to the smell. We were on deck 7 and the smell was non-existent. However on deck 4 the smell was always there. I don't know if the smell was in the cabins, but in the hallway (on the starboard side) it was constant. I am a plumbing contractor and have smelled that smell many times so I may not be as sensitive as others. However my wife was very put off by it. I would agree that it was 3-4 on a scale of 10.