My opinion (long) of the Grandeur Bermuda cruise from August 28-Sept 2

[BulldogR]

My opinion (long) of the Grandeur Bermuda cruise from August 28-Sept 2

Ship – Nice, lots of glass. Outdated and worn but still very beautiful. You felt like you were on a ship, not in a shopping mall…Pools are nice and loved the Solarium. Some kids came in the pool and an attendant immediately asked them to leave. There are some very neat fountains that are heads on each side of this pool. The bartender in the Solarium can turn them on if you ask him. The teak desk on 5 outside the casino is a nice place to relax with a book if the pools get to loud or hot.

Room – Had a balcony room on deck 7. Room was nice size with a ton of space. Had a table on the balcony that fit our breakfast room service just fine! Not sure why everyone says the bathrooms and showers are so small, it’s not a hotel. Unless you are very big they should not be an issue. Bring your own soap and hair products, theirs are not any good. Slept with the sliding door open at sea and it was wonderful.

Food – Had room service every morning, which is much better quality than Windjammer (ate there once and didn’t care for it). Dinner was very good. Had prime rib (very good and cooked to order perfect!), lamb shank, filet of beef (cooked to order perfect!), and New York Strip (ok but not great quality but was cooked to order med-rare perfect!). The appetizers and desserts were good. I have eaten at some of the best restaurants in the country. This is not five star food but the very good and the prime rib was so tender it rivaled the best I have had.

Drinks – Very good. Wine was good and priced with about the same mark-up that you would have in a restaurant. The cocktails have gone up in price from some of the menus I have seen posted on the Internet but are not crazy. If you order high end alcohol, martinis, or champagne it will cost you more than beer or a rail drink.

Staff – Humm this is tough. Loved the Captain. Our room attendant was friendly but not overly so even though we gave her an extra tip at the beginning. We never called on her for anything. The bar tenders need some help. We tipped they above and beyond the 15% they automatically get (sometimes $5 on a $10 bill) and this got us nowhere with them. They were never very friendly except they one in the Solarium. I don’t want to name any names. Other staff complained about not getting enough time off. Our Head Waiter (female) was GREAT! She was from St. Vincent we sat at table 190 with two other couples. She gave us suggestions and did everything perfect. She was the best waiter I have ever had anywhere (and that is saying something). If I could have brought her back with me I would have. The front desk was helpful with anything we needed, didn’t get any flack from them. The casino staff was nice except for the cashiers who were rude.

Bermuda – Loved it. Booked our own excursions and rented scooters for two days. Yes we were very careful and pulled over so we didn’t hold up traffic. Went scuba diving with Blue Water divers in Somerset Parish. They were fun. Went to Gibbs Lighthouse and to five beaches. Snorkeled all over. It is an expensive island but the buildings are beautiful and there is a lot of history as well.

Complaints – Many staff seems like they were not very happy to be there and we overheard a lot of public complaining by them about RCCL (which is not fun to hear when you are dropping a couple grand for a trip). Would like the Bermuda stay to be longer (3-4 days). SALES PITCHES…I felt like they were constantly trying to sell you things. It got irritating. Other passengers were complaining about this as well, as in “Didn’t they get enough of our money already”. It was to the point of being tacky. They need to lighten up on this a little. Art, bingo, duty free, cocktail of the day, and wine packages were pushed very heavily.

[lrovnan]

quick question .... when you had the slidding door open in your room has the air conditioning still running? Most units in hotels shut off when open wondering if this is the same?

[BulldogR]

Yes but with 21.0 knots of boat speed and 15.0 knots of wind at sea you really didnt need it. I closed it while in port and when getting ready for dinner.

[CruisinInAugust]

Glad to hear another positive opinion about this cruise. I was on the same cruise and had a wonderful time.

 

I was not bothered (nor did I even notice) any constant sales pitches. I guess I just tuned it out since I knew I wasn't interested. I totally agree that the stay in Bermuda should be longer. There just wasn't enough time to do all we wanted to do, and it's such a beautiful place. Oh well, it appears we'll have to go back. :)

 

We had good luck with our cabin steward, Alexis. He was very friendly, funny, and extremely efficient. The rest of the crew and staff were very friendly and helpful. The only slightly negative experience we had was when we were in the theater watching the Captain's Q&A session, two staff members sat down behind us and talked loudly during the session. So loud we couldn't hear and had to get up and move. Kinda rude, but not that big a deal.

 

We did enjoy the Windjammer, eating there for all but three meals. The Dining Room was nice, but I don't like having to be there at 6:00 sharp and taking 90 minutes to eat. However, our table mates were a wonderful couple that we enjoyed talking with.

 

All in all, my first cruise was an amazing, unforgettable experience. I can't wait to go again!