Just back from the Grandeur... 2/28 - 3/5

My husband and I just returned from our cruise on the Grandeur, cruise dates 2/28 - 3/5 out of Baltimore. This was our 6th cruise, first time on Royal. Our previous cruises were on Carnival (1), Princess (2) and NCL (2). I've heard nothing but good things about Royal so we wanted to give them a try. We chose this cruise for a couple of reasons:

- wanting to try Royal

- wanting to try a cruise out of the NE to avoid travel to Florida. (we live in upstate NY) I was a little hesitant to cruise out of the NE and travel the Atlantic as I've heard the seas can be rough. MORE on THAT to follow.

We traveled to Baltimore on 2/27 and stayed at the Best Western Plus. While the drive was only 5 hours, we thought we'd get vacation started a day early and avoid my fears of "what if we have a flat tire, what if we get into traffic, what if we get yet another snow storm??!! Turned out to be a great decision. The hotel was $139/night, included parking during the cruise, provided a really nice breakfast and very reliable transportation to/from the port. We had dinner at the hotel as we didn't want to drive anywhere (the hotel does offer a shuttle to the inner harbor) and it was okay. The hotel was in good shape, very clean and the service was great, I highly recommend this hotel.

On the morning of 2/28 we were up early, I was soooo excited! The breakfast was a full hot one, offering eggs, sausage, make your own waffles, potatoes and a toaster with bagels, bread and English muffins. Also an assortment of cold items. After breakfast we collected our luggage, headed to the lobby and waited for our shuttle. The shuttle operators had a table set up in the lobby, it was very convenient. Boarded the shuttle and off we went! I quickly started scanning for the ship and it wasn't long before I saw her. The pier is a few minute drive from the hotel. Pulled up in front of the pier, off loaded our bags to the porters and headed inside around 10:30.

Check in couldn't have been easier. We did the usual routine and were sitting in the boarding area by 10:45 and they started letting us board by 11:00. Once on board, we purchased the Premium Beverage Package for $55/day. We headed to the Schooner Bar on deck 6 to find a warm place as the outside temp was about 38 degrees and with the doors open, many areas of the ship were a bit chilly! Cabins were ready a bit after 1:00 and we headed to find ours. We usually book a balcony cabin, but thought with the cold weather the first day or two and last couple of days, we would get more "bang for our buck" with an oceanview. Our cabin was 3520 a bit forward, starboard side with a large window. I was pleasantly surprised at the size of the cabin, we had plenty of room and lots of storage space. The bathroom was, well, typical which was expected. The only complaint I had was the shower was really small with a thin shower curtain that liked to hug your body while showering. I had read about this "issue" and followed a suggestion to bring heavy metal clips to fasten to the bottom of the shower curtain. I do think it helped some.

:subscribe: Hoping to hear more about the Premium Package specific to Grandeur as we've purchased it on her for a cruise in April. Also hoping to hear about theme nights (70's/80s) and other onboard events. Thanks in advance for the review (I sense some foreshadowing that all did not come off according to plan).

I'll be on the April 19 Grandeur sailing as well. Looking forward to more information. Specialty restaurants? Excursions?:p:p

I'll be on the April 19 Grandeur sailing as well. Looking forward to more information. Specialty restaurants? Excursions?:p:p

Grandeur has Chops, Giovanni's, Izumi, and Chef's Table - we ate at Izumi and it was fantastic. I am going to get the three restaurant package for our next cruise on Grandeur.

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I'll be on the April 19 Grandeur sailing as well. Looking forward to more information. Specialty restaurants? Excursions?:p:p

We were on her 9 days last year. We bought the 3 meal package (a meal at each) and then we had an extra meal from our TA, so we ate a chops twice. All were very good.

Thanks for the info. I was wondering about Izumi, never having been before. Can a basically non-sushi eater find food choices? My DW and I love shellfish, tempura. Thanks:)

Looking forward to this review as we are book on Grandeur in September and this will be our first RC cruise. Like you, we have sailed on Carnival, Princess and Norwegian.

Thanks for the info. I was wondering about Izumi, never having been before. Can a basically non-sushi eater find food choices? My DW and I love shellfish, tempura. Thanks:)

Yes, no problem. Besides the tempura, there are various soups and salads, sukiyaki, and the hot rock grill with chicken, beef, or fish.

Yes, no problem. Besides the tempura, there are various soups and salads, sukiyaki, and the hot rock grill with chicken, beef, or fish.

Yes. I don't eat sushi and tried the hot rock with beef. It was fantastic.

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We were on this sailing too.

Other than the last day with 30' waves that actually reached up to the Windjammer everything was wonderful.

We had upgraded on a price drop after final payment to the RFS. Very big room for 2 people. 8584 was nice

pics at

https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/113899271670205923110/albums/5988921626358320289

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We were on this sailing too.

 

Other than the last day with 30' waves that actually reached up to the Windjammer everything was wonderful.

 

We had upgraded on a price drop after final payment to the RFS. Very big room for 2 people. 8584 was nice

 

pics at

https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/113899271670205923110/albums/5988921626358320289

 

The link may not work-trying out picasa web albums

Permission is needed to access photo

I'm looking forward to reading the rest. We've been on the Grandeur. Like her. :)

I would love to hear more about this, as a friend and I are going on the Grandeur in May, and I don't hear very much about it on these boards.

BTW that Best Western hotel is one of the ones I was looking at while researching our staying/parking options...sounds pretty good, did you feel like it was safe parking there? We also have about a 4-5 hour drive, and I think it will be much less stressful driving down the day before, even if it means getting there rather late.

BTW that Best Western hotel is one of the ones I was looking at while researching our staying/parking options...sounds pretty good, did you feel like it was safe parking there? We also have about a 4-5 hour drive, and I think it will be much less stressful driving down the day before, even if it means getting there rather late.

As a local (well sort of) I have to say, where you stay really depends on your goals for the night and your budget. The "Inner Harbor" is the best place to see and do things, but the rooms are very costly. You will have to park at the port too since I shudder to think what the bill would be for leaving your car at one of those hotels of rate week. If you are just looking for a bed, the BW is a good choice.

Yes, no problem. Besides the tempura, there are various soups and salads, sukiyaki, and the hot rock grill with chicken, beef, or fish.

Thanks Bob, we'll definitely give it a try:)

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I get an error trying to see the photos. Would love to see any you care to post as I am booked in this room in the fall.

:subscribe: Hoping to hear more about the Premium Package specific to Grandeur as we've purchased it on her for a cruise in April. Also hoping to hear about theme nights (70's/80s) and other onboard events. Thanks in advance for the review (I sense some foreshadowing that all did not come off according to plan).

The Premium package on Royal is better than the package on NCL (in my opinion) because 1) not everyone in the cabin has to purchase it. 2) the package can be used in CoCoCay 3) you do not have to sign for each drink ordered, although they do swipe your card for inventory purposes. As a 15% gratuity is added at time of purchase, you do not have to add additional tips unless you want to.

More on the entertainment to come... as well as the weather!

I'll be on the April 19 Grandeur sailing as well. Looking forward to more information. Specialty restaurants? Excursions?:p:p

We did not book any excursions on this cruise. We did dine at Chops the first formal night and it was terrific!

I would love to hear more about this, as a friend and I are going on the Grandeur in May, and I don't hear very much about it on these boards.

 

BTW that Best Western hotel is one of the ones I was looking at while researching our staying/parking options...sounds pretty good, did you feel like it was safe parking there? We also have about a 4-5 hour drive, and I think it will be much less stressful driving down the day before, even if it means getting there rather late.

The safety issue of leaving the car did cross my mind when we booked this hotel. However, upon arrival, seeing the hotel and the numerous cars in the long term lot, I felt better. All was fine when we arrived back at the hotel to pick up our car.

Review continued:

SERVICE: I found all crew members to be courteous and helpful. I've read reviews stating the service in the Windjammer was lacking, in terms of tables being bussed. Never found this to be the case. Even at peak meal times, finding a table was never much of a problem and if we sat at a dirty table, it was cleared right away.

I did find, while the bar tenders were efficient, they were not as "cheerful/entertaining" as I've experienced on other cruises.

Special shout out to Connie, our cabin attendant. She was cheerful, efficient and our cabin was always kept well.

FOOD: Of course this topic is very subjective. I found the food to be average to excellent at all venues.

- Windjammer: While I'm not a huge buffet fan, I found the food here to be really good. Hot foods were hot, cold foods were cold. Variety was great. Ate most of our breakfasts here and was not once disappointed. Lines for the cook to order eggs moved quickly. Each day they had a bread with cherries in it, topped with course sugar that was delish.

Lunches were good, a lot of dinner type foods served. Good soups. Could have used more cold cuts/cheeses/rolls/bread in my opinion.

Dinner foods were varied and very good.

- MDR: We had the 8:00 seating, which worked well for us. Had a table for 6, however only 4 (us and another party of 2) dined each night. Food ranged from good to really good. Most meals were served hot and cooked correctly. Only disappointment was my eggplant parm, which was cold. I should have sent it back, but didn't, my mistake. Our waiters were outstanding, service could not have been better.

- Park Café: don't miss this venue! It is located in the Solarium. Didn't try it for breakfast, only lunch/snacks. They serve a great roast beef sandwich, carved to order. Other offerings are pre-made sandwiches, some of which they warm on a Panini press. Also offered hot dogs/ burgers/ fries and a made to order salad. A dessert table was offered, too.

- Chops: Dined here the first formal night. Excellent meal and service. I had the filet, which was cooked perfectly.

ENTERTAINEMENT: We attended a Motown show in the theatre. Very wells done. Enjoyed it a lot. Music was offered several times during the day at the centrum. Great variety and quality. I think the number one entertainment was a group called "Riddum Wave". They are a 4 piece playing Caribbean, Motown, reggae music by the pool. (also played at CoCoCay). They are not to be missed!

We attended a wine tasting (paid event) at Chops on Saturday. Price was $20.00 and included 4 wines, a plate of cheese/crackers/fruit and a very informative sommelier. At the end, the left over, open bottles of wine were passed to share. I enjoyed this event and recommend it.

There was a chili cook-off pool side in which they got volunteers to cook with chefs from the ship. Judging to place by volunteers. We were able to sample the creations at the end. The event was fun.

And then there is the belly flop contest... always good for a laugh especially after a couple of cocktails.

Also, there was a poolside bbq offered one day, but the lines were really long, so we ate at the Park Café. (good egg salad and tuna sandwiches!)

CASINO: Sigh, when will I learn to walk away? First 2-3 days paid out pretty well on the slots. After that, I donated much more than I was given back. Heard this from several other cruisers as well. Also played roulette, my husband played craps. While on the subject of the casino, I'll will address the smoke issue. I am a non-smoker and smoke sensitive. With that said, while there was definitely smoking going on, and some days were worse than others, it never bothered me too much. There is a small non-smoking section. Smoking at the casino bar was bad at times. Overall, smoking on the ship didn't bother me at all. I found smoking was contained to the designated areas. * Your take away here is do your gambling early on in the cruise!

PORTS: We decided prior to the cruise we would not book excursions and instead stay on the ship most of the time. We really enjoyed the "emptiness" of the ship and relaxation.

- First stop Port Canaveral. Didn't leave the ship as it didn't appear to be a place worth getting off unless you had booked an excursion. We later learned that there is a public beach, close by which would have walked to had we known.

- Nassau: We are not fans of Nassau and only got off the ship briefly to walk around and have a cocktail. Back to the ship within 2 hours.

- CoCoCay: AMAZING! I've been to the private islands of Princess and NCL and those stops were fine. CoCoCay is much better. Beautiful beaches, LOTS of lounge chairs available in the sun and shade. The lunch buffet was outstanding. Hot dogs/burgers/ribs/chicken/ mac and cheese/ corn on the cob/ TONS of salads and good desserts. Another thing I liked about this stop is that Royal has it down right when getting its guests to the island and back to the ship. No life boats are used, such as with Princess and NCL. Double decker boats are used for tendering. Much more pleasant. Also worth mentioning that there were 2 RCCL ships in port. I was a little worried it might be crowded, but not the case. Plenty of room for all!

- KEY WEST: We love KW, and having been there for a couple of land based vacations, we were excited to return. We did our own thing, shopped and strolled on Duval Street. It was really busy in KW that day as the Norwegian Pearl was also in port.

Prior to getting off the ship in KW, all passengers (whether going ashore or not) have to go thru the immigration process. You report to the theatre at designated times, ours was at 9:30. We were off the ship about an hour later. Speed depends on the immigration agents. Arrive with patience, expect the worst and hopefully be pleasantly surprised. Those passengers with booked excursions were called first. The upside is because immigration takes place in KW, only customs is necessary when arriving back in Baltimore, which was very quick. * Take away? Book an excursion or have patience here as the stop in KW isn't long.

GYM: I attended the 7:00 stretch and 7:30 abs class a few days. The class was free and a good way to get the day going. By 8:00 the gym would fill up, so my husband and I would walk on deck 10. 4 times around is a mile... We did use some of the gym equipment, which was well maintained and a good number of machines given the size of the gym.

SPA: AHHHH, the spa! My husband gave me a certificate for a Swedish message for a Christmas present. I had the message on day 7, it was wonderful and I didn't feel pressured into purchasing anything further.

PREMIUM BEVERAGE PACKAGE: We purchased the package for $55.00/day. It was convenient, not having to sign for each drink (although they do swipe your card for inventory purposes) The package is valid at CocoCay, which is nice. (not the case with NCL and their private island) Would I purchase it again? Before purchasing, I would review the wine choices when boarding. I didn't find a great variety of wines by the glass for me.

WEATHER: Pretty cold the day we boarded on Friday, but what is one to do? No control over the weather. By noon on Saturday, we were in shorts, enjoying the sunshine. Weather remained excellent until... late Thursday. Starting late Thursday, and lasting for about 24 hours we had 30-35 foot swells going N/S and E/W. I've never been such a lovely shade of green and while all at the same time! A crew member told me in her 5 years of service, this storm was in the top 3 of bad ones. A passenger with 72 cruises under her belt, most of them from the NE said this was the worst she had seen it. The good news is it eventually ended and it the storm is a distant memory (almost!).

DEBARKATION: Just as smooth as embarkation. We cleared customs within seconds (literally) found our luggage easily and were outside to find our shuttle back to the Best Western.

To summarize, it was a wonderful vacation. Lots to do, wonderful crew, good cross section of passengers, great food and we have lots of good memories. Were there negatives? Probably. But as with anything, if you go searching for the bad, you will find it. The positives for me, FAR exceeded the negatives. This was my first cruise with RCCL. Would I cruise with them again? You bet! This was my first cruise from the NE. Would I do that again? Not so sure. My fears of sailing in the Atlantic came true and while it may never happen again, I'm not sure I'll take the chance. My experience has been sailing the Caribbean during January - March out of Florida and I'll probably stick with that routine. Hope I didn't just jinx myself!

Thanks in advance for reading my review, and please feel free to ask questions~

Do you remember which other ship was with you at Coco Cay? Was it Enchantment? I think she is scheduled to be at Coco Cay when we are there on Grandeur. Nice to hear that the island was not too crowded.

Love the idea of a chili cook off and BBQ on the pool deck. I don't think either was done last time we were on Grandeur. Sounds like fun.

Thanks for the review - we are doing same itinerary next fall.

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Thanks again for the review. Did you happen to notice if there were spa discounts on the port days and, if so, how much (and if they differed by port)? We're not all the excited about Nassau either and would rather spend excursion type $ of massages.

Do you remember which other ship was with you at Coco Cay? Was it Enchantment? I think she is scheduled to be at Coco Cay when we are there on Grandeur. Nice to hear that the island was not too crowded.

 

Love the idea of a chili cook off and BBQ on the pool deck. I don't think either was done last time we were on Grandeur. Sounds like fun.

 

Thanks for the review - we are doing same itinerary next fall.

 

 

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I was on this cruise also. It was the Enchantment that was with us at Coco Cay. That ship seemed to have a lot of Spring Breakers aboard.

To add a little about the seas we went through, we were mostly sailing into the waves so that the pitch was far wore noticeable than the roll. It was especially interesting up in the Windjammer on deck 9 looking forward. At times I would check our speed on the TV and during the worst of it we were down to 5 knots. I think there were times after plowing through a wave we were almost stationary. That all said, we only ended up a couple of hours late back in Baltimore.

I also have noticed another thing about going out of Baltimore, both on the Enchantment and now the Grandeur. There are a large number of people who do the self assist departure. If I had to venture a guess, I'd say a quarter to a third of the passengers going off both deck 4 and deck 1.

Thanks again for the review. Did you happen to notice if there were spa discounts on the port days and, if so, how much (and if they differed by port)? We're not all the excited about Nassau either and would rather spend excursion type $ of massages.

I saved some of the inserts from my Cruise Compass's:

Day 2: 50 min Swedish Message w/foot and ankle message. $133.00

Day 4: 20-20-20 special. choose 3 20-min treatments: back, necka and shoulders; hand and arm message; foot and ankle message or facial or body brush exfoliation. This one was offered a few times.

I remember seeing Go-White specials as well as specials for men. Wish I had kept all the inserts....

I was on this cruise also. It was the Enchantment that was with us at Coco Cay. That ship seemed to have a lot of Spring Breakers aboard.

 

 

 

To add a little about the seas we went through, we were mostly sailing into the waves so that the pitch was far wore noticeable than the roll. It was especially interesting up in the Windjammer on deck 9 looking forward. At times I would check our speed on the TV and during the worst of it we were down to 5 knots. I think there were times after plowing through a wave we were almost stationary. That all said, we only ended up a couple of hours late back in Baltimore.

 

 

 

I also have noticed another thing about going out of Baltimore, both on the Enchantment and now the Grandeur. There are a large number of people who do the self assist departure. If I had to venture a guess, I'd say a quarter to a third of the passengers going off both deck 4 and deck 1.

Yes. We hit some rough water just as we left the Chesapeake Bay on our way to Bermuda, and you could feel the pitch a lot. We had a forward cabin on deck 8, and it was very noticeable. I have no idea how big the waves were, so cannot compare but I would guess it was not nearly as bad as what you hit. I remember going up to WJ and practically having it to myself as so many people stayed in their cabins. It seems that this is a recurring theme - rough seas.

So, Coco Cay was not too crowded with Enchantment there? That is a relief.

Baltimore is so easy to self-disembark and walk to car, so I can believe it. We left our room by 7:30am or so, walked off by 8:30am, and were back at home in Leesburg by 10:30-11:00am. Was the easiest trip home from a vacation ever! lol

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