Owners Suite on Grandeur

[RSLeesburg]

My wife and I are planning to take our son, who will be almost 4, on his first cruise (our first cruide too) out of Baltimore to either Bermuda or Bahamas in Oct. Not knowing what the weather will be like, or how he will like the ship, we thought to book an OS so we have plenty of room. I saw some other postings that suggested that these may be a bit overpriced, as most people do not spend a lot of time in their rooms, but we might. However, I was curious as to how safe these balcony room are for a toddler. I cannot see him climbing up or anything, but are their child locks on the balcony doors? Also is there any advantages to being at the back of the boat? Will these rooms be noisy? Are there any recent pic of these suites posted in the forum?

[Merion_Mom]

A four year old will not be able to open a locked balcony door. The lock itself and the door - VERY heavy.

 

All of the Owner's Suites are all the way forward, not aft.

[RSLeesburg]

Thanks. You were right - for some reason I assumed the top of the diagram was aft, but the OS is forward. Is this a desirable place to be?

[Clarea]

Thanks. You were right - for some reason I assumed the top of the diagram was aft, but the OS is forward. Is this a desirable place to be?

The location would be fine with us. Very close to the forward elevator and stairs, and one deck up to Windjammer and the pool deck.

[dasi11]

I think a JS is also a nice size for a family of 3 since you spend so little time in the room.

 

As for the balcony, the rail is high and even an adult would have a hard time falling over it... My kids could tell the danger since it is clear acrylic? and you can see down. Even at 3 my kids backed up when they first walked right up to it and looked down.

 

The balcony door is very heavy. Young kids can't open it. My mother in law has trouble opening it...LOL...

[cruisenfever]

Thanks. You were right - for some reason I assumed the top of the diagram was aft, but the OS is forward. Is this a desirable place to be?

The only problem might be if you encounter rough seas, being forward you will feel the motion of the ocean.

[ksmcali]

My wife and I are planning to take our son, who will be almost 4, on his first cruise (our first cruide too) out of Baltimore to either Bermuda or Bahamas in Oct. Not knowing what the weather will be like, or how he will like the ship, we thought to book an OS so we have plenty of room. I saw some other postings that suggested that these may be a bit overpriced, as most people do not spend a lot of time in their rooms, but we might. However, I was curious as to how safe these balcony room are for a toddler. I cannot see him climbing up or anything, but are their child locks on the balcony doors? Also is there any advantages to being at the back of the boat? Will these rooms be noisy? Are there any recent pic of these suites posted in the forum?

 

We're looking into booking the Grandeur in either a Grand Suite or Owners Suite for July. Right now, I do feel the OS are a bit overpriced, so it will likely be a GS.

 

Me, husband, and daughter (then 4) took the voyager in 2011 in a Grand Suite. If you feel the OS are overpriced, consider looking at the GS. It was very roomy for the 3 of us. We never felt crowded. The previous posters are correct in saying that the balcony doors are very heavy. I had no concern that she would be capable of opening it. Also, the GS comes with the same perks as the OS. Children are not allowed in the Concierge Lounge during cocktail hours, but my husband would have a before dinner drink while me and daughter were getting dressed for dinner and I would visit after dinner for a quick drink and chocolate covered strawberries. Reserved theater seating is also nice. No waiting 45 minutes ahead of time to grad a seat, while trying to keep a preschooler entertained. You meet your concierge 20 minutes ahead of the show in the Concierge Lounge and he escorts you to your reserved seats.

 

Also, since this is your first cruise with a 4 year old I'll share some of my in-room activities that we brought along. I ordered the Crayola fun kit from Royal Caribbean and had it waiting in the room as a Welcome Aboard gift for Brenna. At the time it was a crayola finger paint set. Check their Gifts and Gear Aboard Just For Kids section to see what the current offerings are. Also, I brought along bubbles for the balcony (which was a favorite, the ocean breeze makes this really fun), resealable bag packages of play-dough (you can get them from Wal-Mart for $1 each), and paint with water activity books (which we usually did on the balcony). We frequented the library onboard, where she picked out new books each time to bring back to the room to read. We also did Pets At Sea one afternoon (which is like Build-A-Bear on a boat), spent some time in the arcade, played some of the Children's Program family activities, and played alot of putt-putt (but the Grandeur doesn't have putt-putt).

 

We take vacations to relax and enjoy things at a slow pace. So, the comfort of the room and the perks that come along with it means alot to us. Hope this info helps. Have fun planning!

[Merion_Mom]

We're looking into booking the Grandeur in either a Grand Suite or Owners Suite for July. Right now, I do feel the OS are a bit overpriced, so it will likely be a GS.

 

Me, husband, and daughter (then 4) took the voyager in 2011 in a Grand Suite. If you feel the OS are overpriced, consider looking at the GS. It was very roomy for the 3 of us. We never felt crowded. The previous posters are correct in saying that the balcony doors are very heavy. I had no concern that she would be capable of opening it. Also, the GS comes with the same perks as the OS. Children are not allowed in the Concierge Lounge during cocktail hours, but my husband would have a before dinner drink while me and daughter were getting dressed for dinner and I would visit after dinner for a quick drink and chocolate covered strawberries. Reserved theater seating is also nice. No waiting 45 minutes ahead of time to grab a seat, while trying to keep a preschooler entertained. You meet your concierge 20 minutes ahead of the show in the Concierge Lounge and he escorts you to your reserved seats.

 

Also, since this is your first cruise with a 4 year old I'll share some of my in-room activities that we brought along. I ordered the Crayola fun kit from Royal Caribbean and had it waiting in the room as a Welcome Aboard gift for Brenna. At the time it was a crayola finger paint set. Check their Gifts and Gear Aboard Just For Kids section to see what the current offerings are. Also, I brought along bubbles for the balcony (which was a favorite, the ocean breeze makes this really fun), resealable bag packages of play-dough (you can get them from Wal-Mart for $1 each), and paint with water activity books (which we usually did on the balcony). We frequented the library onboard, where she picked out new books each time to bring back to the room to read. We also did Pets At Sea one afternoon (which is like Build-A-Bear on a boat), spent some time in the arcade, played some of the Children's Program family activities, and played alot of putt-putt (but the Grandeur doesn't have putt-putt).

 

We take vacations to relax and enjoy things at a slow pace. So, the comfort of the room and the perks that come along with it means alot to us. Hope this info helps. Have fun planning!

 

No longer true.

[emeraldcity]

We had a GS on Grandeur (8010) ... and we were invited to several evenings for appetizers and conversation in an OS. I would think the only reason to spring for the extra $$ for an OS would be if you were planning on entertaining a large group. The party of a dozen people would have been cramped in the GS, but it was a wonderfully gracious space for the two of us and wouldn't have been cramped to add a third person at all.

[ksmcali]

No longer true.

 

Is that to say that children are allowed in during cocktail hours??? I don't have an issue either way, as we worked around it like I mentioned above and went at different times so we could both enjoy the lounge. Just wondering for the purposes of planning for our next cruise.

[Clarea]

Is that to say that children are allowed in during cocktail hours??? I don't have an issue either way, as we worked around it like I mentioned above and went at different times so we could both enjoy the lounge. Just wondering for the purposes of planning for our next cruise.

Yes, children booked in full suites are allowed in the CL during the nightly cocktail hour.

[RSLeesburg]

Thanks for the advice. I will check to see if there are any JS or GS available. If I recall, the OS was the only suite type available.

[RSLeesburg]

OK, just looked - they have Owners Suite, Royal Family Suite, or Superior Ocean Suite. I think the last is the same as Junior Suite.

 

The price did not seem to bother me as it was cheaper than 6 nights Poly at WDW, where we went last year.

[RSLeesburg]

We were wondering about what to bring in case we hit bad weather, or if he just doesn't go to bed early. And I think we are going to look for a GS to save some cash...

[brillohead]

Bring children's Benadryl -- it's what they give kids for seasickness. Way easier to have your own on hand than to pay for a medical visit to the ship's clinic! ;)

[ShakyBeef]

Another suite perk that you might want to use is:

 

· Mattel® board games available to order for in-room entertainment for the kids

:)

[RSLeesburg]

We are definitely not planning to entertain - just wanted some extra space to hang out and relax. Plus we like some of the perks that come along with the suites.

 

I did not realize that children's Benadryl was used for seasickness. Will definitely bring some of that and wristbands too.

 

Looking forward to booking our first cruise. Will probably have lots of questions once we know when we are going - will most likely be one of the Sept/Oct cruises to Bermuda. Just waiting for the May bonus to come in.

[brillohead]

I did not realize that children's Benadryl was used for seasickness. Will definitely bring some of that and wristbands too.

 

Most of the seasickness meds for adults are some form of antihistamine medication. Benadryl can cause drowsiness so it's not preferred for adults (who wants to sleep the whole cruise?), and the "preferred" meds aren't tested on children, so Benadryl is the go-to med for kids experiencing motion sickness.

[RSLeesburg]

Funny enough, our son was just prescribed some antihistamines for his allergies, so maybe we could use that too. Then again, for all I know, it will be my wife and I getting sick, and he will be fine.

[KarlS]

Our first experience with an Owners Suite was on Enchantment in mid-February 2012 out of Baltimore. Just my wife and me. The OSs' configurations/locations are identical on Enchantment & Grandeur. Little did we know when we booked our February cruise it was during Presidents' Birthday "week" school recess. There were over 600 (!!!) kids on that cruise. (The cruise before, ten kids, the cruise after ours, twelve kids). Our OS was a wonderful place to escape when we wanted a quiet place on our at-sea days. The only objectionable noise will be on the ceiling,... from the rolling carts in the Windjammer, which is directly above the Owners Suites.

 

We liked our first Owners Suite experience so much we cruised on Enchantment in an Owners Suite again to Bermuda in late September 2012.

 

We're already booked on Grandeur for late November. In another OS, of course. We're spoiled now. Cheers! :)

 

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