urc12

I originally posted this 2 months ago shortly after some of the price increases were announced. I'd like to ask it again now that some more time has passed. Are the price increases resulting in any service/quality improvements?

"In the past I have seen many posts that stated " I would be happy to pay a little more for better quality food, service, perks etc.." I am curious, now that we are paying significantly more for just about everything has anyone seen a better quality product from Royal?"

My pregnant wife received 5 large round burn after a hot stone message on a Princess ship. After she complained we received a 75.00 OBC for our next cruise. We we checked with the purser after checking in on our next cruise he told us that she had a 750.00 credit. He looked at herd and said with a great British accent, "Oh my, what did we do to you!"

We had one heck of a cruise!

On the Grandeur two years ago we were having problems with our keys not working. On my third trip to the pursers desk the assistant purser fixed the key and gave me her card and told me to call if I needed anything at all. Then she told me that our two boys were some of the nicest and most polite children that she had seen in a long time. I mentioned that it was my oldest sons 13th birthday.

The next day when we got back to the room there was an invitation to a bridge tour for the family. The day after that we came back to our room (connecting insides) and his side was decorated beautifully for his birthday and there was a bottle of Champagne on my side. The day after that we received an invitation to tour the computer room that runs the engine room.

TALK ABOUT WOW.

In the past I have seen many posts that stated " I would be happy to pay a little more for better quality food, service, perks etc.." I am curious, now that we are paying significantly more for just about everything has anyone seen a better quality product from Royal?

Eric

The votes from the family are in and tallied and it looks like I will be taking my first Carnival Cruise in 17 years. Thank you for all your input. I think that the whole family is looking forward to trying something a little different. If any of you are going over Thanksgiving 2015, I'll buy you a drink at sail-a way!

Eric

Very good Info. Thank you. OK you got me excited about making the switch. I'm going to make my pitch and I'll let you know how it goes over. I get 2 votes since I'm the Dad!

Thanks Lindamr. Again I appreciate the feedback. Did you notice a lot of smoke in the casino? On the Grandeur, the casino has been extremely Smokey to the point where my wife won't even go in.

LyndaMr,

We usually eat one night at Giovanni's Table (Italian) and one night in Chops. Sometimes we do a sushi lunch too.

Thank you everyone for the replies and insight. I forgot how great the pizza was and I think the kids will like the waterslide.

Good Morning,

I fell in love with cruising on Carnival in my 20's. I am 50 now. I sailed both the Holiday and the Imagination when they were new and I also sailed the Festival. I haven't sailed Carnival in the last 17 years although we cruise one ore two times per year.

This year we are planning another cruise over Thanksgiving. My wife and I will be going with our 2 boys (15) and (10). We have sailed the Grandeur 5 times in the last 5 years and we love going out of Baltimore.

All of our cruises on the Grandeur have been excellent but I am considering switching things up a little. My boys and wife are not anxious to make the change. The itineraries are similar, we have been to all the ports before and we would probably go to the beach on port days. Price is about the same too with Carnival being about 100.00 less.

I would appreciate it if someone who has been on both ships could give me a comparison on:

Pool Area Indoor and out (most important to us)

Casino

Food and Alternative Dining

Public areas

Level of service.

Kids program.

If there is anything else that I could use to help "sell" making the switch to my family, please let me know. I really appreciate your help and expertice.

Thank you!

Eric

Beautifully done. Thank you. Can't wait to get back on.

Love the ship, crew and the new addition of the Park Café. The only negative that I can think of is that the casino is very smokey. I wish they would do something to improve the ventilation.

I think that this is a perfect opportunity to do that. I have been on the Grandeur several times and you won't have a problem finding a seat at the bar and a friendly bartender. Make sure to try some of the special martinis. Have fun!

Eric

We have done the same thing on several occasions on the Grandeur and we have saved big bucks and enjoyed the extra bathroom and the privacy. For our next cruise we booked a quad Panoramic Room on Deck 7. I think we are going to miss that extra bathroom.

Crookedhalo.

ME TOO!!!

Thanks everyone for the information. I appreciate it. We are on the 1/3/14 cruise. What a great way to start a new year.

I am setting up a slot pull for our CC group on our upcoming Grandeur cruise. Is there a way I can email the casino host in advance of boarding?

Also, has any CC group had a "Big Win" on their slot pull?

Thank you!

Eric

The doors on the Grandeur are metal.