An Englishman on Grandeur - Baltimore Bermuda 21 July 2016

[Newtoncruise]

Thanks for all the help from cruise critic members in planning our 7th cruise with Royal Caribbean on their smallest ship the Lady G. Having previously cruised on Freedom and Voyager class ships we were a little apprehensive about sailing the smaller ship and the lack of amenity. Would the lack of Royal Promenade, golf putting, basketball court, flowrider etc be a major issue?

 

We had heard lots about how the Lady G was a friendly ship and how amazing the crew were! That turned out to be so true......we had a wonderful cruise crew and vast majority of fellow cruisers were amazing!

 

We were staying in New York prior to the cruise and I researched how we were best to get to Baltimore.......cruise critic came up trumps and thank you Markeb for your wonderful advice to take the Amtrak and hire a redcap at NYC Penn Station. Wonderful advice........and a great start to the cruise.

 

Amtrak was on time and a great experience. As a family of 4 we had never travelled by train together. We always drive in the UK! The journey was smooth and stress free thanks to Markeb!!

 

Thanks for all the other advice too!

 

We arrived at Cruise Maryland at 11.30 is having taken a taxi from Penn. $15 was a good fare we thought and the taxi driver was chatty and informative about Ball-more. We learned that Michael Phelps lived in the bay....

 

Embarkation

 

Embarkation was quick and easy! We had booked a suite so no lines for us there! To be fair there were only small lines anyway......a benefit of a smaller ship maybe!

 

As usual we headed straight for the Windjammer to get acquainted with the local cuisine. I have a few criticisms of the ship and the windjammer is one of them.

 

It's too small with not enough seating and was invariably difficulty to find a table......right through the cruise!

 

But that's a minor issue really......we were well and truly on vacation!

 

The Ship

 

At first we found it small!

 

By the end of the cruise we loved it!

 

Here are a few observations on the differences with the Freedom/Voyager Class

 

Centrum v Royal Promenade. The centrum was the hub of the entertainment on Lady G. It works brilliantly. It is more intimate than the Royal Promenade and was a real focus for lots of activities. Centrum wins....

 

Lack of Golf/basketball/flowrider. This was initially irritating but again...after a few days we didn't really miss them. After all. The price of cruising Grandeur is quite a bit less than the bigger ships. A bargain really!

 

Our fellow cruisers

 

Having never sailed from Baltimore we were unsure what to expect? Would there be an lot of international guests on board? Would there be lots of fellow Brits like when we sailed out of Florida last year? Would we meet lots of lovely people?

 

Well we had a blast.......the residents of Baltimore Washington Philly and the mid east coast made up about 90% of the guests and what a lovely bunch you are! There were very few international guests and only one or two fellow Brits.....that made us unusual on board and I found most people were amazed by our accents!

 

We met lots of lovely people on board and new friendships have been made by all 4 of us....... We met a very special couple from Baltimore with whom we shared many a cocktail in the concierge lounge and dinner in the MDR!

 

It's now late here so I will continue tomorrow with.......

 

The Crew

[alexkrn46]

Nice review so far looking forward to more.

[shippmates]

So glad you liked our ship and were so welcomed by the friendly east coast residents. Hope you will sail on the Lady G again.

[arob21]

Looking forward to continue reading your review. We are going on this ship in April & we can not wait ! :)

[Yorkvillain]

Great stuff. Looking forward to the rest.

[Clarea]

Looking forward to more.

[markeb]

I'm so happy the advice paid off! I don't think I get called out on Cruise Critic at all, but glad it worked out! (We discovered the Red Caps a few years ago. Best thing ever in Penn Station!)

 

Looking forward to the rest of your thoughts!

[JamesEM]

Thanks for your review.

[sea shepherd]

I think I talked to you at the schooner bar one day. Good to hear you had a good time.

[KeywestK]

More! More please! Great start, even though you are making me homesick!:)

[Philly Steve]

Enjoying your review. We're Grandeur fans too! :cool:

[cruisnpat]

great review so far. waiting for the next part of it.

[DragonOfTheSeas]

We were on this cruise, too. We had a British couple next to us at dinner. they were from Kent. I hope you got to meet them.

 

Yes, it was a very good cruise. I look forward to reading you other impressions of the Grandeur.:)

[Thetrail]

Thanks for all the help from cruise critic members in planning our 7th cruise with Royal Caribbean on their smallest ship the Lady G. Having previously cruised on Freedom and Voyager class ships we were a little apprehensive about sailing the smaller ship and the lack of amenity. Would the lack of Royal Promenade, golf putting, basketball court, flowrider etc be a major issue?

 

We had heard lots about how the Lady G was a friendly ship and how amazing the crew were! That turned out to be so true......we had a wonderful cruise crew and vast majority of fellow cruisers were amazing!

 

We were staying in New York prior to the cruise and I researched how we were best to get to Baltimore.......cruise critic came up trumps and thank you Markeb for your wonderful advice to take the Amtrak and hire a redcap at NYC Penn Station. Wonderful advice........and a great start to the cruise.

 

Amtrak was on time and a great experience. As a family of 4 we had never travelled by train together. We always drive in the UK! The journey was smooth and stress free thanks to Markeb!!

 

Thanks for all the other advice too!

 

We arrived at Cruise Maryland at 11.30 is having taken a taxi from Penn. $15 was a good fare we thought and the taxi driver was chatty and informative about Ball-more. We learned that Michael Phelps lived in the bay....

 

Embarkation

 

Embarkation was quick and easy! We had booked a suite so no lines for us there! To be fair there were only small lines anyway......a benefit of a smaller ship maybe!

 

As usual we headed straight for the Windjammer to get acquainted with the local cuisine. I have a few criticisms of the ship and the windjammer is one of them.

 

It's too small with not enough seating and was invariably difficulty to find a table......right through the cruise!

 

But that's a minor issue really......we were well and truly on vacation!

 

The Ship

 

At first we found it small!

 

By the end of the cruise we loved it!

 

Here are a few observations on the differences with the Freedom/Voyager Class

 

Centrum v Royal Promenade. The centrum was the hub of the entertainment on Lady G. It works brilliantly. It is more intimate than the Royal Promenade and was a real focus for lots of activities. Centrum wins....

 

Lack of Golf/basketball/flowrider. This was initially irritating but again...after a few days we didn't really miss them. After all. The price of cruising Grandeur is quite a bit less than the bigger ships. A bargain really!

 

Our fellow cruisers

 

Having never sailed from Baltimore we were unsure what to expect? Would there be an lot of international guests on board? Would there be lots of fellow Brits like when we sailed out of Florida last year? Would we meet lots of lovely people?

 

Well we had a blast.......the residents of Baltimore Washington Philly and the mid east coast made up about 90% of the guests and what a lovely bunch you are! There were very few international guests and only one or two fellow Brits.....that made us unusual on board and I found most people were amazed by our accents!

 

We met lots of lovely people on board and new friendships have been made by all 4 of us....... We met a very special couple from Baltimore with whom we shared many a cocktail in the concierge lounge and dinner in the MDR!

 

It's now late here so I will continue tomorrow with.......

 

The Crew

you had a wonderful cruise. Will be sailing on Lady G in two days! Have always loved the crew and passengers we have met on Garndeur!.......K.O.:)

[eaglesfaninfl]

Enjoying your review so far. We sail on Lady G next week to Bermuda, glad to hear you had such a fine time and enjoyed our East Coast hospitality!

[Newtoncruise]

So glad you liked our ship and were so welcomed by the friendly east coast residents. Hope you will sail on the Lady G again.

 

 

We would love to.......

[Newtoncruise]

Looking forward to continue reading your review. We are going on this ship in April & we can not wait ! :)

 

 

You will love it.....wish I was coming!

[Newtoncruise]

I think I talked to you at the schooner bar one day. Good to hear you had a good time.

 

 

Is that Bill?

[Newtoncruise]

More! More please! Great start, even though you are making me homesick!:)

 

 

Sorry!

[Newtoncruise]

We were on this cruise, too. We had a British couple next to us at dinner. they were from Kent. I hope you got to meet them.

 

 

 

Yes, it was a very good cruise. I look forward to reading you other impressions of the Grandeur.:)

 

 

That might have been Karen and Ron.....journalists from London? Perhaps.....we did meet one or two other English couples. Karen knew my wife Diane's best friends husband! Small world!

[Newtoncruise]

Enjoying your review so far. We sail on Lady G next week to Bermuda, glad to hear you had such a fine time and enjoyed our East Coast hospitality!

 

 

Oh we did thank you. We were in awe of the

East Coasters....

 

The young people we met were so polite. I even got called Sir many times. That would not happen in England......very impressed!

[Newtoncruise]

Here is part two.......thank you all for reading.......

 

The Crew

 

Cruise critic rated the Lady G crew one of the best crews on the fleet. Once again the advice was sound. We were wowed continually by

Alroy the waiter and Ludovic his assistant in the MDR. Actually the whole crew seemed to go the extra mile most of the time.....

 

And I think I know why!

 

Michael Landrum, the hotel director was highly visible for the entire cruise. We had several conversations with him during our stay. Twice in the MDR on his rounds. Twice in the concierge lounge, and again in the centrum and South Pacific.

 

His has a strong presence, is blessed with a fun personality and his deep brown eyes don't miss a trick.

 

I believe his love of his job rubs off on the entire staff. Brilliant!

 

Francis the Concierge Lounge host was wonderful......the way he magically whisks you past the disembarkation lines has to be seen to be believed.....

 

I might be a touch controversial in thinking that perhaps Paul the cruise director has lost his sparkle a little. He is a lovely man but I think that some of his entertainment team might be positioning themselves for the top job.......

 

All of the crew were lovely though.....they helped make our cruise special.

 

Oh and how young is Captain Anders? 47 actually but when we suggested he looked young he cleverly stated that he believed that 18 was old enough legally to captain the ship........cool dude.

 

The Sailing and the Ports of Call

 

We had previously sailed two days from Southampton to the Med. it was cold and we experience rough seas both ways.......how would the Atlantic Ocean treat us?

 

Well the sun shined brightly for most of the two day voyage to Bermuda and the ocean was as smooth as glass. A wonderful trip......both ways......

 

Bermuda

 

It was our first visit to the islands....and we had an overnight stay......I was somewhat disappointed at the late arrival which just about gave us time to visit the wonderful pink sandy beach of Horseshoe Bay.......this is one of the prettiest beached we have visited ....ever! We dined aboard that evening but the elder DD escaped the ship with some teenage party people to dance the night away and have a few legal drinks in a nightclub ashore.

 

The next morning bright n early we had booked a tour of the island thanks to cruising curious. Thank you. It was a pleasant and informative tour by guide Ricky/Brian. Marred slightly by the damp rainy day and with it being Sunday a lack of activity generally. One or two of our group got a little tetchy with the lunch break! Sorry!

 

Nassau

 

We found a beach, got hassled by local traders and had a swim. A lively island with a hint of danger in the air.......ticked off!

 

Coco cay

 

We love this laid back RCI owned island.......such a chilled day.........we got the very last tender back to the ship.........

 

We all loved the itinerary and would cruise it again in a heartbeat..

 

I just captain would burn a little more fuel and get us to the islands earlier in the day to spend more time on the beaches on day one!

 

Tomorrow I will tackle to food and dining experiences aboard.....hasta manana..........

[sellwingri]

We sail on Grandeur next week and I'm really looking forward to the excellent service that this ship's reputation says it delivers. RCI has been slipping in service so it'll be great to experience the positive again.

[Merion_Mom]

Here is part two.......thank you all for reading.......

 

The Crew

 

Cruise critic rated the Lady G crew one of the best crews on the fleet. Once again the advice was sound. We were wowed continually by

Alroy the waiter and Ludovic his assistant in the MDR. Actually the whole crew seemed to go the extra mile most of the time.....

 

And I think I know why!

 

Michael Landrum, the hotel director was highly visible for the entire cruise. We had several conversations with him during our stay. Twice in the MDR on his rounds. Twice in the concierge lounge, and again in the centrum and South Pacific.

 

His has a strong presence, is blessed with a fun personality and his deep brown eyes don't miss a trick.

 

I believe his love of his job rubs off on the entire staff. Brilliant!

 

Francis the Concierge Lounge host was wonderful......the way he magically whisks you past the disembarkation lines has to be seen to be believed.....

 

I might be a touch controversial in thinking that perhaps Paul the cruise director has lost his sparkle a little. He is a lovely man but I think that some of his entertainment team might be positioning themselves for the top job.......

 

All of the crew were lovely though.....they helped make our cruise special.

 

Oh and how young is Captain Anders? 47 actually but when we suggested he looked young he cleverly stated that he believed that 18 was old enough legally to captain the ship........cool dude.

 

The Sailing and the Ports of Call

 

We had previously sailed two days from Southampton to the Med. it was cold and we experience rough seas both ways.......how would the Atlantic Ocean treat us?

 

Well the sun shined brightly for most of the two day voyage to Bermuda and the ocean was as smooth as glass. A wonderful trip......both ways......

 

Bermuda

 

It was our first visit to the islands....and we had an overnight stay......I was somewhat disappointed at the late arrival which just about gave us time to visit the wonderful pink sandy beach of Horseshoe Bay.......this is one of the prettiest beached we have visited ....ever! We dined aboard that evening but the elder DD escaped the ship with some teenage party people to dance the night away and have a few legal drinks in a nightclub ashore.

 

The next morning bright n early we had booked a tour of the island thanks to cruising curious. Thank you. It was a pleasant and informative tour by guide Ricky/Brian. Marred slightly by the damp rainy day and with it being Sunday a lack of activity generally. One or two of our group got a little tetchy with the lunch break! Sorry!

 

Nassau

 

We found a beach, got hassled by local traders and had a swim. A lively island with a hint of danger in the air.......ticked off!

 

Coco cay

 

We love this laid back RCI owned island.......such a chilled day.........we got the very last tender back to the ship.........

 

We all loved the itinerary and would cruise it again in a heartbeat..

 

I just captain would burn a little more fuel and get us to the islands earlier in the day to spend more time on the beaches on day one!

 

Tomorrow I will tackle to food and dining experiences aboard.....hasta manana..........

 

I agree with you about the short time in Bermuda. Anthem seems to get there a lot faster. Yes, she doesn't have to go down the Chesapeake Bay, but Grandeur is farther south, and much closer to Bermuda.

[Newtoncruise]

It must be about burning fuel or docking fees