The time I took my kids on a 90's cruise *LIVE* Grandeur of the Seas April 2-7th

[mandyleighflies]

17 hours ago, goldfish65 said:

Is the violin/guitar duo called Entourage Duo playing? They took my breath away back in Jan.

They played in Schooner Lounge last night and were incredible. Unfortunately, a rowdy family (who we also encountered at Chops) was in Schooner Lounge also allowing kids (1-9 age ranges and at least 6 of them) to treat the Schooner Bar like Adventure Ocean. They were eventually either asked to leave or just left but it was highly distracting and disrespectful of the parents to allow the behavior. 

[mandyleighflies]

17 hours ago, depplep said:

I'm trying to understand how the Taste of Mexico menu is half items that aren't Mexican. 🤔

My daughter got Butter chicken 😆😆😆

[Lorey2007]

7 minutes ago, mandyleighflies said:

My daughter got Butter chicken 😆😆😆

Can you explain what butter chicken is?

[Rubyfisch]

1 hour ago, Lorey2007 said:

Can you explain what butter chicken is?

It's an Indian dish - chicken in a creamy tomato curry sauce: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butter_chicken

 

It tends to not be particularly hot, but obviously, preparation vary.

[mandyleighflies]

Coming to y’all LIVE from our overwater bungalow on Barefoot Beach!! 
 

 

The walk to Barefoot Beach is an easy one from the ship. Lots of signs and it’s mostly shaded. There are trams available. 
 

 

If you’re hesitant on a Bungalow, don’t be. Do it. These are the ultimate splurge and so far, worth every penny. The staff at Barefoot Beach are so friendly and helpful. Just a JOY. 
 

 

Here is the bungalow menu and our waiter, Marlo, even suggest NA options for my daughter. 
 

 

Ava is clearly having a hard time. 
 

Edited April 5, 2023 by mandyleighflies

[goldfish65]

5 hours ago, mandyleighflies said:

They played in Schooner Lounge last night and were incredible. Unfortunately, a rowdy family (who we also encountered at Chops) was in Schooner Lounge also allowing kids (1-9 age ranges and at least 6 of them) to treat the Schooner Bar like Adventure Ocean. They were eventually either asked to leave or just left but it was highly distracting and disrespectful of the parents to allow the behavior. 

I had to take action two separate times. Teenagers who responded very nicely, and two obnoxious couples, it was challenging but I can’t stand disrespect to artists. 

[davekathy]

5 hours ago, mandyleighflies said:

They played in Schooner Lounge last night and were incredible. Unfortunately, a rowdy family (who we also encountered at Chops) was in Schooner Lounge also allowing kids (1-9 age ranges and at least 6 of them) to treat the Schooner Bar like Adventure Ocean. They were eventually either asked to leave or just left but it was highly distracting and disrespectful of the parents to allow the behavior. 

And those kids are following by their parents actions/example and on and on it goes. 

[SteelCityCruiser10]

4 hours ago, mandyleighflies said:

Coming to y’all LIVE from our overwater bungalow on Barefoot Beach!! 
 

 

The walk to Barefoot Beach is an easy one from the ship. Lots of signs and it’s mostly shaded. There are trams available. 
 

 

 

 

 

If you’re hesitant on a Bungalow, don’t be. Do it. These are the ultimate splurge and so far, worth every penny. The staff at Barefoot Beach are so friendly and helpful. Just a JOY. 
 

 

Here is the bungalow menu and our waiter, Marlo, even suggest NA options for my daughter. 
 

 

Ava is clearly having a hard time. 
 

 

Very nice!  We always like the cabanas on barefoot beach.  Hope you are loving it.

 Curious on that thing in the water in one of your pics.  Is that open to all as a lounger type platform?  Never seen a menu either but also never asked.  

[GetToLivin]

We've been to Labadee twice and it's not our favorite stop, but I've always wondered about the Bungalows, looks like a great way to experience your day 🙂

[depplep]

7 hours ago, mandyleighflies said:

My daughter got Butter chicken 😆😆😆

I hear that's all the rage in Mexico.

[perfect match]

Love your over water bungalow! Unfortunately it doesn’t make much sense when it’s just me and my DH, and DH wants to walk around and explore. 

[Merion_Mom]

9 hours ago, SteelCityCruiser10 said:

Very nice!  We always like the cabanas on barefoot beach.  Hope you are loving it.

 Curious on that thing in the water in one of your pics.  Is that open to all as a lounger type platform?  Never seen a menu either but also never asked.  

 

It's a floating "cabana". You climb into it and can sit or lie down.  Very relaxing.  (and it even has inflated steps!)

[gizmo42]

Thank you for taking us along on your cruise. Looks like you and your kids are having a wonderful time! I'm looking forward to cruising with my three sons and their SOs on Wonder in early 2025. So a looong wait!

[VEPE]

On 4/5/2023 at 9:21 AM, mandyleighflies said:

You guys will have a blast!! My kids have really had a great time but they are older so they have been ala cart style with Adventure Ocean. 
 

We honestly haven’t seen any shows and the shows haven’t really been offered. Last night was a Comedian but no dance/show numbers. The bands have been fantastic. Caribbean band by the main pool, modern/classic band in Centrum. Violinist and guitar duo, pianist and singer in Schooner on different evenings. 
 

The STAFF are INCREDIBLE. Everyone has been friendly, hardworking and happy. It’s such a breath of fresh air. 
 

Have fun next week!!!

Can't wait for some fun poolside music! The girls will probably not want too leave Adventure Ocean so let's see if the activities for the younger ones is as good as on other RCI ships. 

 

Not surprised to hear how wonderful the staff has been. We have had THE BEST staff on RCI and can't wait to meet those on Lady G.

 

Enjoy  the last couple days!!!

[mandyleighflies]

On 4/5/2023 at 3:49 PM, SteelCityCruiser10 said:

Very nice!  We always like the cabanas on barefoot beach.  Hope you are loving it.

 Curious on that thing in the water in one of your pics.  Is that open to all as a lounger type platform?  Never seen a menu either but also never asked.  

Yes!! The loungers in the water are open for anyone to enjoy! They were lovely!!

[mandyleighflies]

Hey y’all!! 
 

Did not mean to abandon y’all but WiFi was once again iffy and I wanted to unplug and spend the last day or so with the family. 
 

Labadee was incredible. Cannot wait to go back, I wish Royal had a sailing that was just private islands lol 

 

 

We took in two shows on this sailing. The Broadway style Rhythm and Rhyme and the Farewell/comedy show. Both were entertaining, nothing breathtaking but enjoyable. Come with reasonable expectations, it’s not the Aquatheatre and not the most state of the art BUT it’s quality old school entertainment none the less. We enjoyed ourselves. 
 

We had dinner in the Windjammer the last couple of nights and I have to say, I was not disappointed. The quality was good and quantity/options were varied. I’m not typically a Windjammer fan but it was nice for a quick/easy meal. 
 

 

[cruiselvr04]

We were on Lady G 14 nights last year.  We have done 21 nights since then on Oasis class and we miss her.  The staff was awesome and so easy and quick to get around the ship.  Send her back to Galveston!

 

[mandyleighflies]

Our flights home are not until this evening. The kids and I fly out at 430pm and my parents, 720pm. 
 

We were able to book a day use room and I HIGHLY recommend it for anyone who finds themselves with evening flights. 
 

We had a nice leisurely day at the Springhill Suites MIA. It’s by nothing, but they have a free shuttle that will take you to a mall nearby and also complimentary  airport shuttle runs on the half hour. We chose to just relax on the covered patio with coffee and watch Iguanas. 
 

 

 

Hotel is clean. Staff are nice and rooms have microwave/mini fridge, large sitting area and a desk. Perfect for what we needed. We have the room from 9am-5pm today. 
 

Kids and I will be on our way to the airport in about 20 minutes. Will post from the MIA admirals club. ❤️✈️

[Cherful59]

8 minutes ago, mandyleighflies said:

Our flights home are not until this evening. The kids and I fly out at 430pm and my parents, 720pm. 
 

We were able to book a day use room and I HIGHLY recommend it for anyone who finds themselves with evening flights. 
 

We had a nice leisurely day at the Springhill Suites MIA. It’s by nothing, but they have a free shuttle that will take you to a mall nearby and also complimentary  airport shuttle runs on the half hour. We chose to just relax on the covered patio with coffee and watch Iguanas. 
 

 

 

Hotel is clean. Staff are nice and rooms have microwave/mini fridge, large sitting area and a desk. Perfect for what we needed. We have the room from 9am-5pm today. 
 

Kids and I will be on our way to the airport in about 20 minutes. Will post from the MIA admirals club. ❤️✈️

What a good idea, I never thought of getting a day use room, but have been lucky and not had later flights unless there were delays.  I will keep it in mind for future use.

 

Your cruise sounded wonderful.  So glad you all enjoyed it and Lady G, I know I certainly did and am hopeful to get back on in the not to distant future.   Staff on board were wonderful.  Thank you for sharing.  Safe trips home to you and your family.  Patti

[Sherry84]

Great review, thanks for sharing. Safe travels home. 🙂 

[mandyleighflies]

Good Morning from home!!

 

Easy flight home. All of our bags made it safely and in one piece. Two very happy Guinea Pigs greeted us with WHEEKS. I LOVE cruising but there truly is no place like home. 

 

Recovery day today. Will complete review this evening when I have more energy and less laundry. Overall we had a fantastic time, had a couple of issues but RCCL handled them as they often do, swiftly and professionally. 

[mandyleighflies]

Good Morning!!

 

Laundry is almost complete and kids go back to school tomorrow! 

 

Continuing our review on Lady G with some thoughts good and bad on our vacation. 

 

Good

Staff is excellent and service was usually very fast. The bar service at the main pool and Solarium bars was slow, but that’s going to happen on busy days. 

 

Lady G is showing her age in a few places. We were informed she is going into dry dock for a full refit next year. We were on Deck 8 and my dad found a massive leak from the ceiling walking from his room to ours. 

 

 

This was the result. I am not sure if those interior cabins were affected or if they were offered any kind of compensation but it for sure smelled “wet” in that corridor. 

 

If you look closely at the ship you’re going to find signs of aging. The places I saw it the most were in the Solarium and the outdoor spaces. There was visible rust in the solarium pool and portions of the jogging track were wearing out and previous layers of paint were visible. 

 

In our own stateroom, the bar around our bar area came loose. I was leaning on it slightly to put my heeled shoe on and the whole thing “jumped” out of its fittings. I was not hurt and upon further inspection, it had clearly been glued in place previously. I mentioned this to my room steward and Concierge and they both immediately asked about my health, they did not seem concerned with anything else, which was refreshing. It was fixed immediately. 

 

 

In fact, our Concierge surprised us with a 15% of this cruise value credit to use for another sailing valid for one year for our “troubles”. I thought she was handing me a bill for damages 😂. Very sweet and we will for sure book with this certificate soon, we have a gap year of sailings so far for 2024 so guess it’s time to start looking for something. 

 

 

Bad

 

Other People’s Children (OPC’s as we call them) There were 600 kids on this sailing and we saw MANY examples of “freestyle” parenting. This is NOT RCL’s problem, in fact, the poor staff were doing their best to manage situations, but they are not the parents so little they can do. Since my kids are older and prefer quiet spaces to noise, we hung out in the solarium the majority of the time. My son is 16 so “legal” for the solarium but my daughter is 14 so technically breaking the rules there but all she did was sit on a lounger and read her book so I doubt it really bothered anyone. Children were running a muck on sea days, that was the only time we heard or encountered them. We saw one group of adults traveling with at least 5 children under 6 who were using Schooner Lounge and Viking Crown Lounge as their own personal Adventure Ocean. One evening, my mom and I stayed up late to listen to the live music, this group was still at Schooner Bar drinking and carrying on while their poor kids were literally sleeping on the floor below their bar tables. Awful. We knew it was Spring Break so we dealt with it and luckily had suites so we had our space to hang out away from the crowd, but my own children were even asking about Virgin Voyages LOL. 

 

We had lunch in Izumi one sea day and it took nearly 3 hours due to some kind of inspection in the kitchen? They comped our meal which was nice but it did take up a majority of our sea day afternoon and aforementioned group was using Viking Crown as Adventure Ocean so 3 hours of waiting on food and screaming children was not an ideal way to spend an afternoon. 

 

 

Overall we had a great spring break!! Disembarkation was a BREEZE but being a suite guest that is probably the norm. We had our last breakfast at Chops, went to the suites “lounge” and was then escorted off the ship to the front of the lines. The entire process from leaving our stateroom to waiting for the Uber took an hour. 

 

 

I ALWAYS strip my beds and leave the space clean when we depart. Not pictured is the bathroom where I place all our used towels into the bathtub. I like to leave the room as easy for them to flip as possible, I know how quick that turnaround is for them and how busy they are on that day. 

 

 

Our farewell gift as well as a thank you card and additional tip for our room steward. He was amazing. 

 

 

He even made us Guinea Pig towel animals, which he said we could keep. 

 

 

They now reside in our upstairs hallway. 

 

 

Happy Easter from our “bunnies” to your family and that concludes this *Live* review!! Stay tuned for my next one!! December 2023 on Allure!! 

 

 

[loug1601]

Great review, and sorry to see it end!

A big thanks for bringing us along on your cruise…

[relaxatsea]

Thanks so much, wonderful review!

 

[perfect match]

Thank you! I really enjoyed your review!