pxy cda Posted May 10, 2015 #1 Share Posted May 10, 2015 (edited) Overall a great cruise. We had some issues with our aft JS cabin :mad: and some of the specialty dining venues :( but the ship herself is great, wonderful crew, well maintained and great sail. Chefs table is a must do if you enjoy food. I would do this and then stick to MDR for future. MDR is some of the best food we`ve had in recent sails and our staff were impeccable - they earned a 10 out of 10.:) Cabana at Nellies Beach in Labadee was worth every penny - we had a great day! More details in my formal review but let me know if any questions and I will do what I can to answer. Edited May 10, 2015 by pxy cda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubba83 Posted May 11, 2015 #2 Share Posted May 11, 2015 Overall a great cruise. We had some issues with our aft JS cabin :mad: and some of the specialty dining venues :( but the ship herself is great, wonderful crew, well maintained and great sail. Chefs table is a must do if you enjoy food. I would do this and then stick to MDR for future. MDR is some of the best food we`ve had in recent sails and our staff were impeccable - they earned a 10 out of 10.:) Cabana at Nellies Beach in Labadee was worth every penny - we had a great day! More details in my formal review but let me know if any questions and I will do what I can to answer. Looking forward to the formal review! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pxy cda Posted May 11, 2015 Author #3 Share Posted May 11, 2015 Looking forward to the formal review! Submitted yesterday - just waiting for CC to post in member reviews and I will link it! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ihopfar Posted May 11, 2015 #4 Share Posted May 11, 2015 Overall a great cruise. We had some issues with our aft JS cabin :mad: Can you please elaborate on your issues with your aft JS? We have our first aft JS booked for our next cruise on the Grandeur, so you got me curious. Thanks! Brad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pxy cda Posted May 14, 2015 Author #5 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Can you please elaborate on your issues with your aft JS? We have our first aft JS booked for our next cruise on the Grandeur, so you got me curious. Thanks! Brad Here is the excerpt from my review. If you can, I would recommend a hump JS or one further up the middle - even with the plumbing issues - the smell of diesel was very strong throughout the cruise and we had unprecedented amount of soot making the balcony fairly unusable. ""NOT SO WOWED" We had issues with a broken plumbing pipe leaking onto our stateroom floor (#7152) that continued over several days of our cruise spoiling the use of our room (the carpet as you entered was soaked through over a 3 square foot area). Although it was reported on our first day to our stateroom attendant, Ricardo and twice to the CS desk staff, it took several escalating conversations to have the issue acknowledged, addressed and resolved. Gerardo at CS is to be commended for pushing to have the issue addressed - without his commitment; we doubt the leak would have been addressed at all. Throughout this issue, communication was always instigated by us as the guest - at no time were we provided any update on a plan or progress of solution. We were moved to an inside for one night as 7152 was unusable - air blowers ran constantly for 2 full days of the cruise. The room smelled of damp and welding residue for the remainder of the cruise (We expressed concern there may be mildew resulting from this problem but it seemed to fall on deaf ears). We typically enjoy balcony rooms and were looking forward to the sea days on this particular cruise- especially the aft and are happy to pay the premium - we were only able to use cabin 7152 for sleeping and our usual enjoyment of our cabin was spoiled by the plumbing issue - certainly not worth the price difference we paid. The Stateroom Manager, Reuben, offered to have our upcoming dinner at Giovannis removed from our bill as consolation - this did not begin to compensate the premium we paid and loss of room benefits. Giovanni's was insult to injury. It took several requests to have our waiter, Kenneth, offer a glass of wine (no wine list for a glass of wine was provided and I was told white wine is not served). He was very aggressive with the sale of bottles of wine. We finally managed to order just a glass of red. He returned shortly after only to be brow beat us into the purchase a bottle at a discount. The bottle was good but not really needed. When our bill arrived Kenneth advised the "consolation compensation" from Reuben (stateroom manager) would cancel our discount for the dining package (the $96 package for Chops, Giovannis and Chef Table) and that our discounts would be reversed if we took the compensation. Both this and the wine felt like a bait and switch. It left a bad taste and spoiled our 19th wedding anniversary dinner. We were advised the bottle of wine would be at our table in MDR the next night. Again we had to ask about it and it had to be retrieved last minute by our MDR wait staff - who were incidentally head and shoulders over the service we received at Giovanni's. Apparently Giovanni's "forgot" to bring it up to the MDR. Final issue was the IZUMI sushi making lesson - I registered early in the cruise (during a cooking demo for specialty dining) for 1130 lessons late in the cruise (this info was printed on the sheet provided to me). From what I can gather, they split this into 2 sessions 1030 and 1230. I attended at 1130 to be told my session started at 1030 and that I had missed it. An Izumi staff person ran after me and advised that apparently my stateroom "phone was not working" to notify me of the change. Interesting to note - our friends were able to leave messages but no one from GOS seemed able to do so. We received the written notice of change at 1pm in our room (I suspect as a result of my visit at 1130). I was very disappointed but at this point not surprised as the only specialty dining reservation that was confirmed in writing was the Chef’s table." Before I get flamed by a bunch of people, my formal review includes a number of kudos and where we were wowed - food was great - I highly recommend chefs table. MDR staff was amongst best we've had. Cruise activity staff are high energy, well organized and very engaging. We had a great time. Just these issues were disappointing and aggravating to deal when all you want to do is relax on vacation. Just be sure to confirm and reconfirm times/dates of anything you sign up for as communication needs work. I doubt you would encounter the plumbing issues but floor 7 seemed to have some issues with other cabins also (we noticed the blowers were out in other rooms too). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dixieva Posted May 14, 2015 #6 Share Posted May 14, 2015 (edited) We were also on this cruise and had aft stateroom 7650 (this was a corner aft and on the opposite side of the ship from 7152). Sorry we didn't get to meet at the M & M. And so sorry you had so much trouble with your room. I would have been kicking and screaming for a credit on a future cruise for all the trouble. But I did want to say that we had no trouble in our room. The plumbing issues must have been on your side (starboard) because we didn't see any fans in rooms or in the hall on the port side. No soot at all on our balcony and we used it every day (a lot). The fuel smell was bad from the first bank of elevators all the way down the hall to the aft rooms. We called about it and were first told that they were refueling the ship, this call was made on a port day. Ok so maybe that made sense. But the smell continued even on sea days so I doubt they were refueling:rolleyes:! I think Grandeur is having a make over sometime next year and hopefully they will fix the fuel smell and plumbing issues. We had a great cruise and agree that the food in the MDR was much better than last year when we were on the ship. We tried My Time Dining for the first time and loved it! Edited May 14, 2015 by dixieva Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pxy cda Posted May 15, 2015 Author #7 Share Posted May 15, 2015 We were also on this cruise and had aft stateroom 7650 (this was a corner aft and on the opposite side of the ship from 7152). Sorry we didn't get to meet at the M & M. And so sorry you had so much trouble with your room. I would have been kicking and screaming for a credit on a future cruise for all the trouble. But I did want to say that we had no trouble in our room. The plumbing issues must have been on your side (starboard) because we didn't see any fans in rooms or in the hall on the port side. No soot at all on our balcony and we used it every day (a lot). The fuel smell was bad from the first bank of elevators all the way down the hall to the aft rooms. We called about it and were first told that they were refueling the ship, this call was made on a port day. Ok so maybe that made sense. But the smell continued even on sea days so I doubt they were refueling:rolleyes:! I think Grandeur is having a make over sometime next year and hopefully they will fix the fuel smell and plumbing issues. We had a great cruise and agree that the food in the MDR was much better than last year when we were on the ship. We tried My Time Dining for the first time and loved it! Hi Dixie, As I said above, we didn't let it spoil our cruise and we had a fabulous time. I have sent an email to Michael Bayly and his assistant has contacted me so we will see what they can do. We are actually sailing with X on the Summit in November so maybe they can do something for us there. Food was amongst the best I've had - Chef Shemar has an amazing passion for food and it shows in the dining room. We were port side aft (left side of ship) and we did see blowers in other rooms and other guests on other nights also moved to the spare inside we were moved to for one night so there are clearly some issues - I hope they either fix her up or find another smaller vessel to sail out of Balt as it is a great port and itinerary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dixieva Posted May 15, 2015 #8 Share Posted May 15, 2015 I'm glad your issues didn't spoil your cruise. We also had a fabulous time. A few years ago we were staying in 7150, the corner aft next to your room, and had some issues there. One night my daughter decided to take a bath and that was a big mistake. When she pulled the plug water began spurting out of the drain in the bathroom next to the toilet. It started as water and ended up as sewage!:eek: Luckily she had made it out of the bathroom before that happened. So then we had workmen and our room steward trying to clean up the mess. There were also a couple of other small issues we had which I don't remember and we ended up getting a generous amount off our next cruise. We were pleased with that so I hope they do something similar for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
albether7 Posted May 15, 2015 #9 Share Posted May 15, 2015 (edited) Hi! Wondering about the Grandeur's current drink prices: I know gratuities are increased to 18% What was your experience of the price of beer, simplke mixed drinks, drink of the day, etc? Also, has the atrium's aeriel performance returned ? Thanks Al Edited May 15, 2015 by albether7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dixieva Posted May 15, 2015 #10 Share Posted May 15, 2015 There was no aerial show on our cruise. Apparently the equipment has not been repaired because we had calm seas so that was not the reason for no shows. Can't help with the drink prices. We had a wonderful cruise! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
not2old Posted May 16, 2015 #11 Share Posted May 16, 2015 (edited) There was no aerial show on our cruise. Apparently the equipment has not been repaired because we had calm seas so that was not the reason for no shows. Can't help with the drink prices. We had a wonderful cruise! just got off Grandeur/Bermuda cruise today. Drinks were very good, we had the premium package and definitely got our money's worth! Our favorite bartenders were Noel at the pool bar, Aaron (I think that was his name?) in the Solarium Bar and Stephen at the pool bar. I believe Aaron also was a bar server in the Concierge lounge in the evening cocktail hour. no aerial show yet :-( Edited May 16, 2015 by not2old Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ciadriamom Posted May 16, 2015 #12 Share Posted May 16, 2015 Glad to hear you enjoyed your trip. Were there drink menus on board? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pxy cda Posted May 26, 2015 Author #13 Share Posted May 26, 2015 Glad to hear you enjoyed your trip. Were there drink menus on board? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Drink menus made an appearance on day three but they will make you anything you ask for. Martini's were on special in Schooner and Crown from 5-7 (I think). I think $15 but 1/2 price on special so we made use of that. Wine range from $8-over $15 for a glass. Basically city bar prices. They are adding a pretty high gratuity (I think 18%) so it can get pricey. I was good with my 2 bottles of wine (cabin) and the odd cocktail here and there. You can always get the low rent bubbly at the art events and captains party if you can stomach it. Best night of the cruise was the chefs table. Worth every penny. Wine was paired to 7 courses and poured freely. Food was amazing. Best dining of the cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pxy cda Posted May 26, 2015 Author #14 Share Posted May 26, 2015 I'm glad your issues didn't spoil your cruise. We also had a fabulous time. A few years ago we were staying in 7150, the corner aft next to your room, and had some issues there. One night my daughter decided to take a bath and that was a big mistake. When she pulled the plug water began spurting out of the drain in the bathroom next to the toilet. It started as water and ended up as sewage!:eek: Luckily she had made it out of the bathroom before that happened. So then we had workmen and our room steward trying to clean up the mess. There were also a couple of other small issues we had which I don't remember and we ended up getting a generous amount off our next cruise. We were pleased with that so I hope they do something similar for you. They did make us whole - a nice future credit that will cover at least one of us on a future cruise so we are very happy with that. Looking forward to the Summit in November now. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dixieva Posted May 27, 2015 #15 Share Posted May 27, 2015 Very happy to hear that you were compensated for all the trouble you had on your cruise! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FMB Posted May 31, 2015 #16 Share Posted May 31, 2015 Overall a great cruise. We had some issues with our aft JS cabin :mad: and some of the specialty dining venues :( but the ship herself is great, wonderful crew, well maintained and great sail. Chefs table is a must do if you enjoy food. I would do this and then stick to MDR for future. MDR is some of the best food we`ve had in recent sails and our staff were impeccable - they earned a 10 out of 10.:) Cabana at Nellies Beach in Labadee was worth every penny - we had a great day! More details in my formal review but let me know if any questions and I will do what I can to answer. Hi, I am staying in a aft JS on Grandeur, deck 7, corner, sailing this weekend (June 5th) Last year I also stayed in aft JS and enjoyed it, so am curious about your issue with the aft JS. I also did the Chef's table lat year, and loved it! I couldn't believe I ate everything, and wasn't even full after a 4 hour meal! Looking forward to reading your full review. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FMB Posted May 31, 2015 #17 Share Posted May 31, 2015 Also, I booked a meal for sail away at Chops. You mentioned disappointment with other dining venues, so I would appreciate more detail. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merion_Mom Posted May 31, 2015 #18 Share Posted May 31, 2015 Hi, I am staying in a aft JS on Grandeur, deck 7, corner, sailing this weekend (June 5th) Last year I also stayed in aft JS and enjoyed it, so am curious about your issue with the aft JS. I also did the Chef's table lat year, and loved it! I couldn't believe I ate everything, and wasn't even full after a 4 hour meal! Looking forward to reading your full review. S/He posted the details in post #5 above. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merion_Mom Posted May 31, 2015 #19 Share Posted May 31, 2015 Hi, I am staying in a aft JS on Grandeur, deck 7, corner, sailing this weekend (June 5th) Last year I also stayed in aft JS and enjoyed it, so am curious about your issue with the aft JS. I also did the Chef's table lat year, and loved it! I couldn't believe I ate everything, and wasn't even full after a 4 hour meal! Looking forward to reading your full review. Also, I booked a meal for sail away at Chops. You mentioned disappointment with other dining venues, so I would appreciate more detail. Thanks. Here is his/her/their review from the review section: http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=503342 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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