Grandeur of the Seas Review 11/11-11/21

[A Knitter]

RCCL Grandeur of the Seas Review

November 11-21

 

It had been awhile since I sailed on RCCL in 2004. Oceania has been our choice for the past 10 years and we will continue sailing with them.

 

Since the two are night and day, here is my review.

 

Embarkation was a breeze. No waiting

We chose cabin 7016 and my brother and his wife 7018 so we had connecting rooms. This cabin is above the Palladium Theatre. If you go to bed before 10 you will experience the loud bass sound. During the day if you nap around 1:00 pm, you will experience the same noise when they rehearse.

 

Muster drill before sailing away.

People watching I was amazed at the amount of infants onboard who of course were crying. What I could not believe was the amount of motorized scooters onboard. Before anyone slams me for being unkind to anyone with a disability that requies a scooter, I will tell you that is not the issue. Many of those using this motorized scooters not only drove a little too fast in a crowded area but expected other passengers to get out of their way and some would bellow not ask to push the elevator button. I normally do not take elevators, but my brother and husband have bad knees so we decided to use the elevators. One passenger entered the elevator so fast that others would have been hit had they not moved. Often times, you could not get on the elevator at all as some of these scooters were almost the size of a golf cart. I guess what irked me was they would leave their cart in a public walkway, get up and walk in the shops. RCCL should take notice and allow those with scooters to utilize a special elevator. I have traveled extensively but never seen this many scooters onboard a cruise.

 

 

 

 

I found the ship to be clean and in good condition. Someone had mentioned it was tired but I did not find it to be old and tired. The pool in Solarium could be remodeled but it was sufficient for what I needed.

 

 

 

Formal night the second day. Early afternoon, we realized the toilet would not flush. Called the Reception Desk and was told someone would be up to the cabin. 2 hours later, still no one and when we called again, were told there was a plumbing problem. That I already knew. By 6 p.m. they had fixed the problem but then we had industrial fans outside the door until we called because the noise was a bit much to try and sleep. We found out later one of the passengers threw pork chop bones down the toilet caused the stopped toilet on our deck. Obviously these people do not have indoor plumbing at their home.

 

 

Several days later, the public restroom on Deck 4 was also not working and had to be taken care of. With today’s health issues, I would think that waste sitting in public restrooms for hours would be a health risk. I also noticed several women never washed their hands after using the toilet.

 

My husband and I purchased the drink packages, which we found to be worth it. I had the ultimate package which included Starbucks coffees, premium alcohol, grey goose, Belvedere, Hendricks and premium scotches. If you like Fosters Beer as my husband does, it is included in the Premium Package only. The first few days, we found some of the bartenders to be a little grumpy when we presented our sea pass card, which has the sticker showing our drink package. Their gratuity has been included in the price and we paid up front but some expected an additional tip. I commented on this during a mid cruise survey and was contacted by the Food and Beverage Manager who would brief his staff to ensure this did not happen. It apparently worked.

 

Spa prices were reasonable for a massage. My brother had the acupuncture which help relieved his knee pain. Sister in law had a manicure and it lasted the 10-day trip.

 

As I am writing this Monday 11/17 as we have just arrived into St. Maarten, My brothers shower has stopped up and it isn’t pretty what has come up. It took maintenance over an hour to arrive to the cabin and clean up. The cabin had to be sanitized it was that bad.

 

Since Food is subjective, I can only say that Izumi’s was excellent. We enjoyed Chop Grill and Giovanni’s. The dining room was okay but you could order surf and turf for a fee of $34.95, which was worth it. The lobster served on the second formal night was awful.

 

Windjammer is crowded and people hacking and coughing near the buffet food. Children running, crying. They have an omelets station, which is good but again very crowded. We preferred the dining room.

 

 

Service in the Great Gatsby was inconsistent at times. Our evening Waiter and Assistant were wonderful. Open seating for breakfast and lunch and often times the service was very slow.

 

 

Gym opens at 6am and often times you can find it open around 545.

 

 

As usual, there are people who are rude and save seats for others not expected to join them for hours. We saw a verbal altercation between a couple and a family asking to sit down while listening to music on deck 4. Also one person will sit at the Windjammer at a table for 4 and say there are waiting for others who never seem to join them.

 

Our Steward was wonderful and didn’t realize RCCL no longer leaves chocolates on the pillow each evening. That was disappointing.

 

Reception staff with the exception of Natalie were pleasant. After the shower problem we asked to speak to the Guest Services Manager. She announced she was the Assistant Manager when she was not and continued to speak over our explaining what had just occurred. She must have a bachelor’s degree in being obnoxious. Fortunately we did speak with the Guest Relations Manager who was not happy she identified herself as his assistant.

 

 

 

Oceania does not have photographers taking photos. Since we were sailing with our Family we enjoyed each photo taken. My suggestion is get the package, which includes all photos taken during the cruise. $250 but when you consider each photo is $22.00, the package was worth it. If you are traveling with a family in another cabin, the price for the second cabin is reduced. Wilmer and Venita were wonderful and we have many professional photos for memories.

 

All in all, because this was a special occasion to share with my brother and his wife, we enjoyed our time together but I would not sail on RCCL ever again. I prefer smaller ships with 800 passengers. I usually make lemonade out of lemons but our experience on Grandeur of the Seas was less than satisfactory and we were very happy to disembark.

[checkard]

Other than the musicals, what was the entertainment in the evenings. Who was the headliner?

 

Going on Grandeur for my 9th time shortly and yes, there are some problems but we still prefer that size ship and sailing from Baltimore. We don't need to sit right by the pool so we never have an issue finding chairs and let others deal with the chair hogs. Makes for some really good entertainment.

 

Yes, the scooters can be annoying but I don't know what hidden medical issues these people may have and I'm glad that I haven't had to rely on a scooter to get from place to place. Same goes for people I see parking in the handicapped spots at the shopping mall.

 

Someone or multiple someones on every cruise we've been on, no matter which ship, manages to flush something down the toilet and clogs up the system. Its like "what were they thinking when they did that?" but as the saying goes - you can't fix stupid. We had an issue last cruise with the shower leaking and caused part of the cabin carpet to be soaked. We called and they were there quickly. Took them 2 tries and big noisy fans but we had dry carpet in 2 days plus a nice discount on our next cruise

 

When you have that many people together the rude ones are the ones that stsnd out in your mind.

[stellarose]

We leave in a month for grandeur. Thanks for the tips. We are deck 4. Want to try the sushi.

 

Any other tips? How was the gym?

 

:-)

[A Knitter]

Other than the musicals, what was the entertainment in the evenings. Who was the headliner?

 

Going on Grandeur for my 9th time shortly and yes, there are some problems but we still prefer that size ship and sailing from Baltimore. We don't need to sit right by the pool so we never have an issue finding chairs and let others deal with the chair hogs. Makes for some really good entertainment.

 

Yes, the scooters can be annoying but I don't know what hidden medical issues these people may have and I'm glad that I haven't had to rely on a scooter to get from place to place. Same goes for people I see parking in the handicapped spots at the shopping mall.

 

Someone or multiple someones on every cruise we've been on, no matter which ship, manages to flush something down the toilet and clogs up the system. Its like "what were they thinking when they did that?" but as the saying goes - you can't fix stupid. We had an issue last cruise with the shower leaking and caused part of the cabin carpet to be soaked. We called and they were there quickly. Took them 2 tries and big noisy fans but we had dry carpet in 2 days plus a nice discount on our next cruise

 

When you have that many people together the rude ones are the ones that stsnd out in your mind.

 

We did not see any of the shows but did listen to the music at Schooner Bar and the Centrum area.

 

I too am thankful I do not need the assistance of a scooter, but it doesnt give you a prescription to be rude while in one.

 

i have not experienced a toliet problem on any of my 35+ cruises. I am sure there have been problems but my cabin was not affected.

 

I absolutely concur that you cannot fix stupid. Enjoy your upcoming trip.

[A Knitter]

We leave in a month for grandeur. Thanks for the tips. We are deck 4. Want to try the sushi.

 

Any other tips? How was the gym?

 

:-)

 

The gym was okay. Lots of elliptical bikes and treadmills. I was there almost daily and I swam in the Solarium pool. I tried the spinning class because my brother is used to them and wanted to try it. Classes are $12.00 per class. They have yoga classes, etc. weights, etc.

 

My brother is a sushi guy and he really enjoyed it. I had the California roll and a spider roll that had cooked crab. Prices are reasonable. Enjoy your cruise.

 

You can bring onboard two bottles of wine at embarkation.

[RSR1951]

We were also on this cruise and enjoyed it thoroughly. I find it interesting that you stated you found the cruise less than satisfactory but then say you did not attend any of the shows. Are you serious? The shows are the highlight of any cruise for us and every show on this cruise was excellent. If you had attended even a few of the shows, I am sure your experience would have been much different.

[A Knitter]

We were also on this cruise and enjoyed it thoroughly. I find it interesting that you stated you found the cruise less than satisfactory but then say you did not attend any of the shows. Are you serious? The shows are the highlight of any cruise for us and every show on this cruise was excellent. If you had attended even a few of the shows, I am sure your experience would have been much different.

 

Yes. I am serious. We seldom if ever go to the shows. I don't go to shows on Oceania either. I thought the acrobatics in the Centrum were good but glad you can add your opinion to let others know about the entertainment because I was unable to answer checkard's question. I did enjoy the entertainment of people watching. That was a good show. :)

[DC2OC]

RCCL Grandeur of the Seas Review

November 11-21

 

It had been awhile since I sailed on RCCL in 2004. Oceania has been our choice for the past 10 years and we will continue sailing with them.

 

Since the two are night and day, here is my review.

 

Embarkation was a breeze. No waiting

We chose cabin 7016 and my brother and his wife 7018 so we had connecting rooms. This cabin is above the Palladium Theatre. If you go to bed before 10 you will experience the loud bass sound. During the day if you nap around 1:00 pm, you will experience the same noise when they rehearse.

 

Muster drill before sailing away.

People watching I was amazed at the amount of infants onboard who of course were crying. What I could not believe was the amount of motorized scooters onboard. Before anyone slams me for being unkind to anyone with a disability that requies a scooter, I will tell you that is not the issue. Many of those using this motorized scooters not only drove a little too fast in a crowded area but expected other passengers to get out of their way and some would bellow not ask to push the elevator button. I normally do not take elevators, but my brother and husband have bad knees so we decided to use the elevators. One passenger entered the elevator so fast that others would have been hit had they not moved. Often times, you could not get on the elevator at all as some of these scooters were almost the size of a golf cart. I guess what irked me was they would leave their cart in a public walkway, get up and walk in the shops. RCCL should take notice and allow those with scooters to utilize a special elevator. I have traveled extensively but never seen this many scooters onboard a cruise.

 

 

 

 

I found the ship to be clean and in good condition. Someone had mentioned it was tired but I did not find it to be old and tired. The pool in Solarium could be remodeled but it was sufficient for what I needed.

 

 

 

Formal night the second day. Early afternoon, we realized the toilet would not flush. Called the Reception Desk and was told someone would be up to the cabin. 2 hours later, still no one and when we called again, were told there was a plumbing problem. That I already knew. By 6 p.m. they had fixed the problem but then we had industrial fans outside the door until we called because the noise was a bit much to try and sleep. We found out later one of the passengers threw pork chop bones down the toilet caused the stopped toilet on our deck. Obviously these people do not have indoor plumbing at their home.

 

 

Several days later, the public restroom on Deck 4 was also not working and had to be taken care of. With today’s health issues, I would think that waste sitting in public restrooms for hours would be a health risk. I also noticed several women never washed their hands after using the toilet.

 

My husband and I purchased the drink packages, which we found to be worth it. I had the ultimate package which included Starbucks coffees, premium alcohol, grey goose, Belvedere, Hendricks and premium scotches. If you like Fosters Beer as my husband does, it is included in the Premium Package only. The first few days, we found some of the bartenders to be a little grumpy when we presented our sea pass card, which has the sticker showing our drink package. Their gratuity has been included in the price and we paid up front but some expected an additional tip. I commented on this during a mid cruise survey and was contacted by the Food and Beverage Manager who would brief his staff to ensure this did not happen. It apparently worked.

 

Spa prices were reasonable for a massage. My brother had the acupuncture which help relieved his knee pain. Sister in law had a manicure and it lasted the 10-day trip.

 

As I am writing this Monday 11/17 as we have just arrived into St. Maarten, My brothers shower has stopped up and it isn’t pretty what has come up. It took maintenance over an hour to arrive to the cabin and clean up. The cabin had to be sanitized it was that bad.

 

Since Food is subjective, I can only say that Izumi’s was excellent. We enjoyed Chop Grill and Giovanni’s. The dining room was okay but you could order surf and turf for a fee of $34.95, which was worth it. The lobster served on the second formal night was awful.

 

Windjammer is crowded and people hacking and coughing near the buffet food. Children running, crying. They have an omelets station, which is good but again very crowded. We preferred the dining room.

 

 

Service in the Great Gatsby was inconsistent at times. Our evening Waiter and Assistant were wonderful. Open seating for breakfast and lunch and often times the service was very slow.

 

 

Gym opens at 6am and often times you can find it open around 545.

 

 

As usual, there are people who are rude and save seats for others not expected to join them for hours. We saw a verbal altercation between a couple and a family asking to sit down while listening to music on deck 4. Also one person will sit at the Windjammer at a table for 4 and say there are waiting for others who never seem to join them.

 

Our Steward was wonderful and didn’t realize RCCL no longer leaves chocolates on the pillow each evening. That was disappointing.

 

Reception staff with the exception of Natalie were pleasant. After the shower problem we asked to speak to the Guest Services Manager. She announced she was the Assistant Manager when she was not and continued to speak over our explaining what had just occurred. She must have a bachelor’s degree in being obnoxious. Fortunately we did speak with the Guest Relations Manager who was not happy she identified herself as his assistant.

 

 

 

Oceania does not have photographers taking photos. Since we were sailing with our Family we enjoyed each photo taken. My suggestion is get the package, which includes all photos taken during the cruise. $250 but when you consider each photo is $22.00, the package was worth it. If you are traveling with a family in another cabin, the price for the second cabin is reduced. Wilmer and Venita were wonderful and we have many professional photos for memories.

 

All in all, because this was a special occasion to share with my brother and his wife, we enjoyed our time together but I would not sail on RCCL ever again. I prefer smaller ships with 800 passengers. I usually make lemonade out of lemons but our experience on Grandeur of the Seas was less than satisfactory and we were very happy to disembark.

 

Cannot believe we were on the same cruise. I saw zero repeat zero infants on the cruise and maybe that was because I never heard one crying.Lots of scooters but found the riders polite overall.

The crew was outstanding ,

The shows overall were pretty good .The Motown tribute was excellent.The lobster while not Maine Lobster was Ok .The beef dishes were pretty good.

The Windjammer was a Zoo at times but that is why I prefer the MDR and Park Café.

I enjoyed all the sea views in public area.The ship is missing some of the bells and whistles of the other ships in the fleet but that not all bad

 

The coffee was not good in the MDR .The buffet in Giovanni's at lunch was not worth it

Overall a nice cruise . Would not hesitate to cruise on this ship again

............Frank:)

[retiredgram]

Thank you for your review. Each person's expectations are different. We have cruised on the Grandeur several times and really like her. Of course it is less than a 1/2 hour away, so that makes it very convenient. Like DC20C said, the crew is outstanding.

 

We are looking forward to our next cruise on her. Sorry she did not meet your expectations. Thanks again for taking the time to post the review.

Edited November 23, 2014 by retiredgram

[grneyes]

Do you know the names of the bands that played in the centrum?

Also do you have the compass for this cruise?

Thank you!!

[A Knitter]

Thank you for your review. Each person's expectations are different. We have cruised on the Grandeur several times and really like her. Of course it is less than a 1/2 hour away, so that makes it very convenient. Like DC20C said, the crew is outstanding.

 

We are looking forward to our next cruise on her. Sorry she did not meet your expectations. Thanks again for taking the time to post the review.

 

Thanks. We are entitled to an opinion which is why there is a cruise critic. I have been on the Spendour, Rhapsody, Legend and Radiance and all were outstanding. Those sailings were many years ago and perhaps I am less tolerant of rudeness in my old age. My brother and sister-in-law helped a lady up that had fallen off her scooter. She was very nice but it was apparent from other bruises she fell often. Enjoy your next sailing with her.

[A Knitter]

Do you know the names of the bands that played in the centrum?

Also do you have the compass for this cruise?

Thank you!!

 

I dont have the names of the bands and did not keep the Compass. Maybe I or someone else can answer a particular question.

[grneyes]

Thank you for your quick reply.

Last cruise on the GR the bands were both Latin

which we enjoyed.

[bubba83]

So are your wishes that people don't bring their infants/children of a cruise and if they do, they can't make a peep, and must be blessed little angels at all times?

[Donut23]

I'm passing this along to a friend cruising in March.

 

My only comment.....as a scooter rider. I guarantee they would give just about anything to walk well without it. I know I would.

 

I enjoy following the pretty Grandeur. Besides embarking 30 minutes from me, we first met when she was brand new and I was a travel professional. She is a charming little ship.

[A Knitter]

So are your wishes that people don't bring their infants/children of a cruise and if they do, they can't make a peep, and must be blessed little angels at all times?

 

Bringing children onboard whose actions infringe upon other passengers yes. Perhaps you would not have minded listening to a baby cry constantly or throwing a tantrum in the Windjammer. I am confident that the passengers across and next to the baby crying would have graciously traded cabins with you. Some parents kept a close watch of their kids, others cared less.

[A Knitter]

I'm passing this along to a friend cruising in March.

 

My only comment.....as a scooter rider. I guarantee they would give just about anything to walk well without it. I know I would.

 

I enjoy following the pretty Grandeur. Besides embarking 30 minutes from me, we first met when she was brand new and I was a travel professional. She is a charming little ship.

 

 

I agree with your comment, however we saw several scooter owners who walked just fine out on Port.

 

I hope I will never need one but people have to be responsible whether on foot or on wheels.

[Sugar*Magnolia]

Enjoyed your review and info on Grandeur of the Seas! Rude people are everywhere, sorry you encountered them. DH eagerly look forward to sailing smaller ships, will look into Oceania!

[A Knitter]

Enjoyed your review and info on Grandeur of the Seas! Rude people are everywhere, sorry you encountered them. DH eagerly look forward to sailing smaller ships, will look into Oceania!

 

Absolutely rude people everywhere but You will love the smaller ships. Oceania's R ships carry 800 passengers and the Rivera and Marina I believe hold around 1,200 passengers.

[Karemark]

Sorry to hear your experience on the Grandeur wasn't a good one. We sailed on her last month and had a fabulous time. The weather was kind of crappy (went through a tropical storm) but we didn't let that ruin our trip. The food was great, the service was great, the ship is beautiful. We would love to sail on her again!

[kleo30]

We were on this same sailing. I did see babies, but didn't hear any crying. We did encounter, on several occasions, one boy (must have been 10 or 11) who was rather rude. Otherwise, the 62 kids on board didn't seem to be a problem for us. I did remark to my husband how on Explorer, the 62 kids were hardly visible, but on Grandeur, you saw them frequently.

 

We didn't encounter rude scooter passengers. There were quite a few of them, but they never felt rude to me.

 

We had an amazing crew. We also had toilet issues....all through the cruise. It was like Russian Roulette whether or not the toilet would flush the entire time. We used public bathrooms frequently. My husband called Guest Relations frequently and ended up with a meeting with the manager of Guest Relations.

 

We thought the crew was amazing. This is only our 3rd cruise, but the best one we've ever had. I'm going to be doing a detailed review with lots of pictures over the next few days (on my blog) and will post a link when I do.

 

We are looking forward to sailing Grandeur again next year of the following, depending on our schedules. We like sailing in November, and our son is getting married 11/14 next year.

[SeaPeaInn]

Aknitter -

 

We also cruise Oceania and RCCL. You are stepping down several notches on the cruise scale with RCCL. It is a different experience with a different clientel. Just another case of getting what you pay for.

[A Knitter]

We were on this same sailing. I did see babies, but didn't hear any crying. We did encounter, on several occasions, one boy (must have been 10 or 11) who was rather rude. Otherwise, the 62 kids on board didn't seem to be a problem for us. I did remark to my husband how on Explorer, the 62 kids were hardly visible, but on Grandeur, you saw them frequently.

 

We didn't encounter rude scooter passengers. There were quite a few of them, but they never felt rude to me.

 

We had an amazing crew. We also had toilet issues....all through the cruise. It was like Russian Roulette whether or not the toilet would flush the entire time. We used public bathrooms frequently. My husband called Guest Relations frequently and ended up with a meeting with the manager of Guest Relations.

 

We thought the crew was amazing. This is only our 3rd cruise, but the best one we've ever had. I'm going to be doing a detailed review with lots of pictures over the next few days (on my blog) and will post a link when I do.

 

We are looking forward to sailing Grandeur again next year of the following, depending on our schedules. We like sailing in November, and our son is getting married 11/14 next year.

 

According to the Guest Relations Manager, Edgar there were numerous plumbing problems including the shower which overflowed with sewage. When I showed them a photo of the shower showing what had come up, it was handled including sanitizing the room. With health issues plaguing many cruise ships lately, it could have been worse. Egor the maintenance supervisor inspected the pipe chase near our cabin and it was full of dirty water. They handled it immediately following a meet with Edgar. This was after several calls to the front desk and waiting an hour for someone to respond before we went down to GS.

[A Knitter]

Aknitter -

 

We also cruise Oceania and RCCL. You are stepping down several notches on the cruise scale with RCCL. It is a different experience with a different clientel. Just another case of getting what you pay for.

 

True but we sailed RCCL numerous times with our son when he was 11-16 and thoroughly enjoyed each one. Oceania attracts 50 and above retired passengers and there are no activities or entertainment for children so we seldom see anyone under the age of 14.

 

 

One sailing a lady had a segway she thought she could use onboard which was not permitted. She could only use it when in Port.

[kleo30]

Doug also met with Edgar. They told him somebody flushed chicken bones, but who knows what the real story was. We were on deck 8 on the aft. It was just annoying that most every day there was a problem with our toilet. And on the 2nd day, within a 24 hour period, it quit flushing 5 times for hours at a time. But otherwise, we had a great cruise.

 

ETA: The only other negative would be the woman in the cabin next to us wore an obnoxious amount of perfume. So much so that we often went in from our balcony when she came out. You could smell her perfume while walking up the hallway to get to the aft. And always when walking past her room....with the door closed. I'm not sure how her daughter stayed in there with her without a headache.

 

According to the Guest Relations Manager, Edgar there were numerous plumbing problems including the shower which overflowed with sewage. When I showed them a photo of the shower showing what had come up, it was handled including sanitizing the room. With health issues plaguing many cruise ships lately, it could have been worse. Egor the maintenance supervisor inspected the pipe chase near our cabin and it was full of dirty water. They handled it immediately following a meet with Edgar. This was after several calls to the front desk and waiting an hour for someone to respond before we went down to GS.

Edited November 23, 2014 by kleo30