Grandeur must know!

[Jeff&Mel]

Hello :)

 

We are cruising Grandeur in 9 days. The first time on Grandeur and the first time to the Caribbean.

 

Any "must know" items? Any little secret tidbits are helpful :)

 

We are cruising with our 14 year old son.

 

Thanks in Advance.

[ADS94]

If it's in the cards, go to Chops. The Chops staff is fantastic. We had a late reservation and were the last ones there, the manager sat down with us an talked, a lovely experience.

 

The food and service at Giovanni's was not that good. We liked Chops a whole lot better.

 

Paul is a great CD, love the guy. Always check out things he's doing. One of the best in the business, right up there next to Marc Walker.

 

Park Cafe is a great place for a snack in the solarium. It's a lot better than the main dining room or the windjammer when you only want something small. Everyone is really pleasant up there.

 

If you have an aft cabin, you'll probably hear the South Pacific Lounge. We had 8086 on the stern, JS. We could hear the music coming from there well into the early morning hours, quite annoying.

 

I remember a ton about this ship, just got off it not too long ago! I'd be willing to answer any specific questions too.

[Jeff&Mel]

If it's in the cards, go to Chops. The Chops staff is fantastic. We had a late reservation and were the last ones there, the manager sat down with us an talked, a lovely experience.

 

The food and service at Giovanni's was not that good. We liked Chops a whole lot better.

 

Paul is a great CD, love the guy. Always check out things he's doing. One of the best in the business, right up there next to Marc Walker.

 

Park Cafe is a great place for a snack in the solarium. It's a lot better than the main dining room or the windjammer when you only want something small. Everyone is really pleasant up there.

 

If you have an aft cabin, you'll probably hear the South Pacific Lounge. We had 8086 on the stern, JS. We could hear the music coming from there well into the early morning hours, quite annoying.

 

I remember a ton about this ship, just got off it not too long ago! I'd be willing to answer any specific questions too.

 

Thanks for the feedback!

We have been on 6 cruises and we have never eaten at a specialty restaurant :) Maybe we will try it this time!

 

Thanks so much for the information. I am happy to hear positive reviews about the CD. My husband and I are all about the shows and the trivia :)

 

We recently moved to about 2 hours from Baltimore so I have a feeling that this will be the first of many cruises on the Grandeur :)

[Seaside2358]

Our experience at Chops on Grandeur was just the opposite. We sailed last year for New Years. There were four of us and we were all disappointed. They kept trying to push wine on us and we felt like they were rushing us out the door. Now that the fee for Chops has gone up we will stick with MDR and Windjammer.

[SnorkelAway]

Welcome to Grandeur! If you would like to join a group of us right after muster drill in our cabin, email me at DSimonsenJ at AOL dot com.

 

We have enjoyed both Chops and Giovanni's Table on Grandeur. They usually have specials going so that the price is not as bad as the rack rate.

 

David

[mek]

I was on Grandeur last month. You can order the Chops filet in the MDR for an extra charge - I did this 2X on our 10 night cruise. My husband and I are light eaters and find there is simply too much food offered in the speciality restaurants, but we enjoy the better quality steak, so it's a win win for us. The second night we ordered the steak, they were promoting a special for $10.

[PTAngel]

One tip from me. If you are handed a paper on check-in or when you board titled "Officer Scavenger Hunt", take advantage & do it. You have 3 or 4 days to complete it. I don't think many people follow through & complete it. The prize is a dinner for 2 at Giavonni's - FREE. The officers were very friendly, talked with us for a few minutes & signed our paper. They are aware of what they need to do. We even caught a couple of officers with 4 stripes. It is also a chance to meet people you would not meet otherwise. We had a good time doing it & met some nice people.

 

Donna

[Jeff&Mel]

One tip from me. If you are handed a paper on check-in or when you board titled "Officer Scavenger Hunt", take advantage & do it. You have 3 or 4 days to complete it. I don't think many people follow through & complete it. The prize is a dinner for 2 at Giavonni's - FREE. The officers were very friendly, talked with us for a few minutes & signed our paper. They are aware of what they need to do. We even caught a couple of officers with 4 stripes. It is also a chance to meet people you would not meet otherwise. We had a good time doing it & met some nice people.

 

Donna

 

Man this sounds like a LOT of fun! I hope we get asked to do this :)

 

Thanks for the info :)

[PTAngel]

One tip from me. If you are handed a paper on check-in or when you board titled "Officer Scavenger Hunt", take advantage & do it. You have 3 or 4 days to complete it. I don't think many people follow through & complete it. The prize is a dinner for 2 at Giavonni's - FREE. The officers were very friendly, talked with us for a few minutes & signed our paper. They are aware of what they need to do. We even caught a couple of officers with 4 stripes. It is also a chance to meet people you would not meet otherwise. We had a good time doing it & met some nice people.

 

Donna

 

Just to clarify, you have to search for officers with 2, 3 or 4 stripes on their shoulders. You then have to ask them to sign your paper. When you have completed all the lines, you turn it in. They put a card on our door that we had won. I didn't see many people looking for officers after the second or third day. The hotel manager, a 4 striper, was very friendly when he signed his name. They are aware that they also have to write their rank when they sign. We just had to remember to carry the paper with us & they told us how to tell how many stripes each officer had. Have fun with this scavenger hunt.

 

You aren't asked to do this. A paper is handed to you either when you check in or when you first enter the ship. I can't remember which.

 

Donna

Edited December 20, 2015 by PTAngel

[kleo30]

We just got off Grandeur on the 9th. Our second sailing on her. It's our favorite ship. There are links to both of my reviews in my signature. Have so much fun!

[Jeff&Mel]

We just got off Grandeur on the 9th. Our second sailing on her. It's our favorite ship. There are links to both of my reviews in my signature. Have so much fun!

 

This is the same exact cruise we are doing :)

Can you tell me which nights were formal nights?

 

Are the pools heated? Since some of the days it is cold- I was just wondering :)

[MOcruiserman]

The main dining room is excellent - great food and service. During lunchtime they have an awesome salad bar where the staff will make the salad for you, adding anything you want.

 

The Windjammer buffet is a mixed bag. My wife loved the different types of scrambled eggs, I liked the muffins. The turkey sausages were awful. Went there for 2 lunches and 1 dinner - pretty good, but the main dining room is better. We both loved the mango water, which you can't get in the main dining room.

 

We really liked the Park Cafe and the Solarium - our favorite part of the ship.

 

The aerial show in the Centrum is terrific - don't miss it.

[pixie123]

Just got off the Grandeur yesterday morning. It was not one of my favorite cruises. The solarium was nice as was the Park Cafe. The pool is not heated. Paul was one of my favorite cruise directors. The arial show was awesome. One of the things I didn't like was that they would put stuff for sale anywhere they could. They were selling merchandise on the pool deck and one day they had the the t-shirt sale up there. It started to feel like a flea market. They were constantly trying to sell drink packages everyday. Service in the dining room for dinner was so-so. We had a table for six and next us a couple sat a table for two and for some reason the waiters were bending over backwards for.. We noticed after the third night the couple would order and get at least six shrimp cocktails every night. The following night my husband, daughter and her boyfriend asked if they could get shrimp cocktails even though they weren't on the menu. Our waiter told them that he would have to check with the kitchen even though the two people were on their third. He brought some to our but made it sound like it was a big hassle. My mom and I would order tea with our dessert and sometimes wouldn't get it until after we were done, A couple times we got it with our dessert and a few times we didn't get it at all. I have sailed with Royal Caribbean four times before and have never gotten bad service before.

[checkard]

We also just got off Grandeur yesterday. This was my 10th time sailing Lady G and can't wait till the 11th time. Our dining room service was not perfect all the time hut our waiter and assistsnt waiter worked hard for us. We had no problem getting 2 shrimp cocktails if we asked. The food was good. Tutti salad in the dining room at lunchtime is great. .

 

First formal night was Day 2 and second formal night was Day 9. Didn't notice a lot of tuxes this year. Picture lines are long but move pretty fast.

 

One problem with sea pass account charge was taken care of quickly.

 

Deck 5 is a great place to sit and relax on sea days. Nice and quiet place to read, nap or get away from the hustle & bustle. Starboard side (right facing forward) is the smoking side.

 

Free self serve ice cream machines outside the Windjammer (deck 9) in the afternoons. If one side is covered up check the machine on the other side.

[Jeff&Mel]

We also just got off Grandeur yesterday. This was my 10th time sailing Lady G and can't wait till the 11th time. Our dining room service was not perfect all the time hut our waiter and assistsnt waiter worked hard for us. We had no problem getting 2 shrimp cocktails if we asked. The food was good. Tutti salad in the dining room at lunchtime is great. .

 

First formal night was Day 2 and second formal night was Day 9. Didn't notice a lot of tuxes this year. Picture lines are long but move pretty fast.

 

One problem with sea pass account charge was taken care of quickly.

 

Deck 5 is a great place to sit and relax on sea days. Nice and quiet place to read, nap or get away from the hustle & bustle. Starboard side (right facing forward) is the smoking side.

 

Free self serve ice cream machines outside the Windjammer (deck 9) in the afternoons. If one side is covered up check the machine on the other side.

 

The exact sort of tidbits I was looking for :) Especially about the ice cream for the son :)

 

Also- where on deck 5 do you sit and read? I am a reader and I do love to be away from the hustle and bustle :)

[Jeff&Mel]

Just got off the Grandeur yesterday morning. It was not one of my favorite cruises. The solarium was nice as was the Park Cafe. The pool is not heated. Paul was one of my favorite cruise directors. The arial show was awesome. One of the things I didn't like was that they would put stuff for sale anywhere they could. They were selling merchandise on the pool deck and one day they had the the t-shirt sale up there. It started to feel like a flea market. They were constantly trying to sell drink packages everyday. Service in the dining room for dinner was so-so. We had a table for six and next us a couple sat a table for two and for some reason the waiters were bending over backwards for.. We noticed after the third night the couple would order and get at least six shrimp cocktails every night. The following night my husband, daughter and her boyfriend asked if they could get shrimp cocktails even though they weren't on the menu. Our waiter told them that he would have to check with the kitchen even though the two people were on their third. He brought some to our but made it sound like it was a big hassle. My mom and I would order tea with our dessert and sometimes wouldn't get it until after we were done, A couple times we got it with our dessert and a few times we didn't get it at all. I have sailed with Royal Caribbean four times before and have never gotten bad service before.

 

I am sorry to hear this... hopefully we have better servers.

We are doing My Time Dining this time. First time we chose to do this... hopefully it will go well.

[Jeff&Mel]

The main dining room is excellent - great food and service. During lunchtime they have an awesome salad bar where the staff will make the salad for you, adding anything you want.

 

The Windjammer buffet is a mixed bag. My wife loved the different types of scrambled eggs, I liked the muffins. The turkey sausages were awful. Went there for 2 lunches and 1 dinner - pretty good, but the main dining room is better. We both loved the mango water, which you can't get in the main dining room.

 

We really liked the Park Cafe and the Solarium - our favorite part of the ship.

 

The aerial show in the Centrum is terrific - don't miss it.

 

I love the Solarium. I am hoping that this ship actually enforces the no kids policy.... The last RC ship we were on did not!

[Jeff&Mel]

Just to clarify, you have to search for officers with 2, 3 or 4 stripes on their shoulders. You then have to ask them to sign your paper. When you have completed all the lines, you turn it in. They put a card on our door that we had won. I didn't see many people looking for officers after the second or third day. The hotel manager, a 4 striper, was very friendly when he signed his name. They are aware that they also have to write their rank when they sign. We just had to remember to carry the paper with us & they told us how to tell how many stripes each officer had. Have fun with this scavenger hunt.

 

You aren't asked to do this. A paper is handed to you either when you check in or when you first enter the ship. I can't remember which.

 

Donna

 

 

Thanks for the info!

[checkard]

Jeff&Mel - we like to sit outside on deck 5, Just walk out there and find a couple of vacant chairs. Pull them over to the railing, put your feet up anf relax.

 

Park Cafe in the Solarium is good for snacks - pizza, burgers, hotdogs, nachos, sweets, etc. Open till 3 am.

 

Deck chairs on deck 10 are easier to get than right around the pool.

 

Omelet station in the Windjammer has the best omelets with your choice of ingredients. Line goes pretty fast. Or you can get eggs made to order, sunny side up or over easy.

[shipgeeks]

My #1 tip for a Baltimore departure is to be on an upper deck, just beyond the pool, for departure, even if it is cold. The first hour or so you will pass lots of historic and interesting sights, and the highlight (be sure your son is there) is the approach, and passing under, the bridges. It always looks like the ship is too tall to make it; very cool when you do.

Grandeur is one of our favorite ships, and Baltimore is an excellent port to sail from. Smooth boarding process, and very nice and helpful staff.

Enjoy your cruise!

[kleo30]

This is the same exact cruise we are doing :)

Can you tell me which nights were formal nights?

 

Are the pools heated? Since some of the days it is cold- I was just wondering :)

 

The 2nd and 9th nights were formal nights.

 

My husband said the pools were cold the entire trip.

 

Have fun! We love Grandeur. We're doing a 12 night southern trip next year and taking our 3 sons and daughter in law.

[Jeff&Mel]

My #1 tip for a Baltimore departure is to be on an upper deck, just beyond the pool, for departure, even if it is cold. The first hour or so you will pass lots of historic and interesting sights, and the highlight (be sure your son is there) is the approach, and passing under, the bridges. It always looks like the ship is too tall to make it; very cool when you do.

Grandeur is one of our favorite ships, and Baltimore is an excellent port to sail from. Smooth boarding process, and very nice and helpful staff.

Enjoy your cruise!

 

Thanks for this great information. Does this ship have a Viking lounge? I think that is what it called... the bar that is on the 11th deck I think?

If so, would be able to see everything from here?

[MOcruiserman]

Thanks for this great information. Does this ship have a Viking lounge? I think that is what it called... the bar that is on the 11th deck I think?

If so, would be able to see everything from here?

Yes, the Viking Crown lounge is a good place to be when the ship sails out of Baltimore.