Grandeur of the Seas quick review

[cruiselvr04]

We just got off the Grandeur from Galveston.  We did 5 nights in an ocean view.  Ports were Costa Maya and Cozumel.  
 

For the first time, we couldn’t drive down the night before because of a schedule conflict.  We left the Dallas area at 4 am to beat the traffic in Dallas and took the Sam Houston tollway around Houston.  We had very little heavy traffic and got to the pier before 10 am. Getting up at 3:30 isn’t fun but I’m used to early mornings so it really wasn’t bad. Grandeur leaves at 3 pm so that leaves less room for error.

 

Grandeur really is a lovely old ship.  She is so easy to get around in and it’s quick to get anywhere on the ship.  The solarium doesn’t open anymore so it gets warm in there but the pool is cool and refreshing.  We love the Park cafe and on sea days didn’t even bother to go the windjammer.  We watched a movie on the big screen at night.  The theater is great with bucket type chairs and loveseats in the back.  The safari lounge at the back of the ship gives a sea view during the day and lots of seating at night.  She does need a redo as many chairs in the centrum were stained or torn. They still do the old system of printing up all your pictures.  
 

 Our cabin was small with no cooler but instead had 3 big drawers.  The cabins also have large  2 drawer bedside tables so there is a huge amount of storage for a small room.  We take way too much and still had 2 empty drawers.  The bed is lower then usual and we had a hard time getting our suitcases under the bed which is not usually a problem.  Our steward kept our ice bucket full and we didn’t miss the cooler.  The pipes are rusty so when you first turn on the water it will be yellow.  We let it run and drank bottled water.  The shower curtains are always gross, I took a clear one from the dollar store to put inside the cloth one so we didn’t touch it.  
 

We didn’t do any speciality restaurants this time.  We didn’t go hungry but the food in the MDR was just okay. It wasn’t awful but not memorable either.  We are not foodies so this is less important to us.  Our waiter was very good and tried hard to please everyone at the table.  Bar service was very good but we usually go to the bar rather then wait for a server.  
 

We heard lots of coughing the last 2 days of the cruise and heard of at least one who was sick with fever and chills.  Several others commented about stomach upset.  We feel fine so far and hope it stays that way.  No one is masked anymore including the crew although we saw a few crew with them on. This is our 4th cruise since the restart. Prior cruises we’ve worn masks a lot, stayed off elevators, ate away from others, didn’t join in games etc.  This time we put our masks away, met great people and really had a great time and are hoping our immune systems work.  TBD.  
 

We normally like the production shows but the singers this time just weren’t up to Royal standards.  It really does make a difference.  The dancers were good, the tango dancers were great.  The headliner shows were good.  We went to several game shows which were fun and had us laughing.  The cruise director was full of energy.  The best entertainment on the ship was the Band in Motion who could play pretty much any music and was fun to listen to and dance to.  They had the centrum busy until midnight.  Do not pick a cabin under or near the centrum if you want to go sleep early.  
 

We are back on Grandeur in December and looking forward to it.  She’s a great little ship with a great crew.  If you need all the bells and whistles this is not your ship.  If you like seeing and feeling the ocean, friendly crew, getting to know others and a short walk to your cabin you will like her.  

[livingonthebeach]

1 hour ago, cruiselvr04 said:

We just got off the Grandeur from Galveston.  We did 5 nights in an ocean view.  Ports were Costa Maya and Cozumel.  
 

For the first time, we couldn’t drive down the night before because of a schedule conflict.  We left the Dallas area at 4 am to beat the traffic in Dallas and took the Sam Houston tollway around Houston.  We had very little heavy traffic and got to the pier before 10 am. Getting up at 3:30 isn’t fun but I’m used to early mornings so it really wasn’t bad. Grandeur leaves at 3 pm so that leaves less room for error.

 

Grandeur really is a lovely old ship.  She is so easy to get around in and it’s quick to get anywhere on the ship.  The solarium doesn’t open anymore so it gets warm in there but the pool is cool and refreshing.  We love the Park cafe and on sea days didn’t even bother to go the windjammer.  We watched a movie on the big screen at night.  The theater is great with bucket type chairs and loveseats in the back.  The safari lounge at the back of the ship gives a sea view during the day and lots of seating at night.  She does need a redo as many chairs in the centrum were stained or torn. They still do the old system of printing up all your pictures.  
 

 Our cabin was small with no cooler but instead had 3 big drawers.  The cabins also have large  2 drawer bedside tables so there is a huge amount of storage for a small room.  We take way too much and still had 2 empty drawers.  The bed is lower then usual and we had a hard time getting our suitcases under the bed which is not usually a problem.  Our steward kept our ice bucket full and we didn’t miss the cooler.  The pipes are rusty so when you first turn on the water it will be yellow.  We let it run and drank bottled water.  The shower curtains are always gross, I took a clear one from the dollar store to put inside the cloth one so we didn’t touch it.  
 

We didn’t do any speciality restaurants this time.  We didn’t go hungry but the food in the MDR was just okay. It wasn’t awful but not memorable either.  We are not foodies so this is less important to us.  Our waiter was very good and tried hard to please everyone at the table.  Bar service was very good but we usually go to the bar rather then wait for a server.  
 

We heard lots of coughing the last 2 days of the cruise and heard of at least one who was sick with fever and chills.  Several others commented about stomach upset.  We feel fine so far and hope it stays that way.  No one is masked anymore including the crew although we saw a few crew with them on. This is our 4th cruise since the restart. Prior cruises we’ve worn masks a lot, stayed off elevators, ate away from others, didn’t join in games etc.  This time we put our masks away, met great people and really had a great time and are hoping our immune systems work.  TBD.  
 

We normally like the production shows but the singers this time just weren’t up to Royal standards.  It really does make a difference.  The dancers were good, the tango dancers were great.  The headliner shows were good.  We went to several game shows which were fun and had us laughing.  The cruise director was full of energy.  The best entertainment on the ship was the Band in Motion who could play pretty much any music and was fun to listen to and dance to.  They had the centrum busy until midnight.  Do not pick a cabin under or near the centrum if you want to go sleep early.  
 

We are back on Grandeur in December and looking forward to it.  She’s a great little ship with a great crew.  If you need all the bells and whistles this is not your ship.  If you like seeing and feeling the ocean, friendly crew, getting to know others and a short walk to your cabin you will like her.  

 

Thanks for sharing. I'll be sailing Grandeur out of Miami in November and this is good to know. 

[Jimbo]

1 hour ago, cruiselvr04 said:

We just got off the Grandeur from Galveston.  We did 5 nights in an ocean view.  Ports were Costa Maya and Cozumel.  
 

For the first time, we couldn’t drive down the night before because of a schedule conflict.  We left the Dallas area at 4 am to beat the traffic in Dallas and took the Sam Houston tollway around Houston.  We had very little heavy traffic and got to the pier before 10 am. Getting up at 3:30 isn’t fun but I’m used to early mornings so it really wasn’t bad. Grandeur leaves at 3 pm so that leaves less room for error.

 

Grandeur really is a lovely old ship.  She is so easy to get around in and it’s quick to get anywhere on the ship.  The solarium doesn’t open anymore so it gets warm in there but the pool is cool and refreshing.  We love the Park cafe and on sea days didn’t even bother to go the windjammer.  We watched a movie on the big screen at night.  The theater is great with bucket type chairs and loveseats in the back.  The safari lounge at the back of the ship gives a sea view during the day and lots of seating at night.  She does need a redo as many chairs in the centrum were stained or torn. They still do the old system of printing up all your pictures.  
 

 Our cabin was small with no cooler but instead had 3 big drawers.  The cabins also have large  2 drawer bedside tables so there is a huge amount of storage for a small room.  We take way too much and still had 2 empty drawers.  The bed is lower then usual and we had a hard time getting our suitcases under the bed which is not usually a problem.  Our steward kept our ice bucket full and we didn’t miss the cooler.  The pipes are rusty so when you first turn on the water it will be yellow.  We let it run and drank bottled water.  The shower curtains are always gross, I took a clear one from the dollar store to put inside the cloth one so we didn’t touch it.  
 

We didn’t do any speciality restaurants this time.  We didn’t go hungry but the food in the MDR was just okay. It wasn’t awful but not memorable either.  We are not foodies so this is less important to us.  Our waiter was very good and tried hard to please everyone at the table.  Bar service was very good but we usually go to the bar rather then wait for a server.  
 

We heard lots of coughing the last 2 days of the cruise and heard of at least one who was sick with fever and chills.  Several others commented about stomach upset.  We feel fine so far and hope it stays that way.  No one is masked anymore including the crew although we saw a few crew with them on. This is our 4th cruise since the restart. Prior cruises we’ve worn masks a lot, stayed off elevators, ate away from others, didn’t join in games etc.  This time we put our masks away, met great people and really had a great time and are hoping our immune systems work.  TBD.  
 

We normally like the production shows but the singers this time just weren’t up to Royal standards.  It really does make a difference.  The dancers were good, the tango dancers were great.  The headliner shows were good.  We went to several game shows which were fun and had us laughing.  The cruise director was full of energy.  The best entertainment on the ship was the Band in Motion who could play pretty much any music and was fun to listen to and dance to.  They had the centrum busy until midnight.  Do not pick a cabin under or near the centrum if you want to go sleep early.  
 

We are back on Grandeur in December and looking forward to it.  She’s a great little ship with a great crew.  If you need all the bells and whistles this is not your ship.  If you like seeing and feeling the ocean, friendly crew, getting to know others and a short walk to your cabin you will like her.  

Not so sure the yellow water would be something we would want to see on a cruise. If you ran it longer would it clear up?

[cruiselvr04]

We’ve seen yellow water on older cruise ships before.  Just run it for a while and it clears.  I especially notice it in the bathtubs sometimes.  

[Tlbecker1]

We were on the Grandeur last month for 3 cruises.  The water was always hot in our shower and sink.  We were in a JS, so we did have a nice fridge, plenty of storage and it wasn’t difficult to put our suitcases under the bed.  The crew was amazing, we enjoyed all of them.

[tustin3]

On 10/6/2022 at 10:44 AM, livingonthebeach said:

 

Thanks for sharing. I'll be sailing Grandeur out of Miami in November and this is good to know. 

We’ll be taking the grandeur the first time in November also. We got a good deal on a JS cabin. After that the Wonder in April.

[firefly333]

"Several others commented about stomach upset. "

 

we had a lot of us with stomach upset on liberty sept 11. ..including me.

 

odd grandeur too also out of Galveston. I had no other symptoms and felt fine otherwise. 

 

I had bugs in my bathroom for 3 of the 4 legs. They finally sprayed the pipes I guess and got rid of them hatching. I thought the beds seemed normal height. ..but my suitcase was in the closet. I liked the musical number on grandeur.