Second thoughts about the Grandeur.

[bren61]

We have a cruise booked out of Miami on the Grandeur in January based on the itinerary, (ABC Islands).  I hope I don't regret booking such a small ship after sailing so many other big ships. I think the smallest ship we have been on is the Jewel, which was our 1st cruise, so I had nothing to compare it to, and thought it was great.

 

Most of the activities we used to do, we can't do any longer due to physical limitations, such as flowrider, etc. but that is not what concerns me. What is important, is a nice Solarium, good shows, great entertainment and good food. We love the Broadway shows and know that they are not on this ship, which ok, because we've seen them all and love the ice shows and hope they are on this ship along with other good entertainment. 

 

I hope, being that this is an older ship, that it is still in great shape and updated recently. We usually drive to port & cruise out of Cape Liberty. We have been on the medium & bigger ships & when the Grandeur was in Baltimore, even though it was closer for us to drive to, we never wanted to sail her because of her size. Now that we are older and can't do all the "fun" stuff, I am hoping that the Grandeur will be more of a fit for us. Are there any cruisers out there that had the same concerns, & were content after going back to the small ships you started on?

[Jimbo]

31 minutes ago, bren61 said:

We have a cruise booked out of Miami on the Grandeur in January based on the itinerary, (ABC Islands).  I hope I don't regret booking such a small ship after sailing so many other big ships. I think the smallest ship we have been on is the Jewel, which was our 1st cruise, so I had nothing to compare it to, and thought it was great.

 

Most of the activities we used to do, we can't do any longer due to physical limitations, such as flowrider, etc. but that is not what concerns me. What is important, is a nice Solarium, good shows, great entertainment and good food. We love the Broadway shows and know that they are not on this ship, which ok, because we've seen them all and love the ice shows and hope they are on this ship along with other good entertainment. 

 

I hope, being that this is an older ship, that it is still in great shape and updated recently. We usually drive to port & cruise out of Cape Liberty. We have been on the medium & bigger ships & when the Grandeur was in Baltimore, even though it was closer for us to drive to, we never wanted to sail her because of her size. Now that we are older and can't do all the "fun" stuff, I am hoping that the Grandeur will be more of a fit for us. Are there any cruisers out there that had the same concerns, & were content after going back to the small ships you started on?

The good thing, you have 7 port stops on a 12 night cruise. So  what the ship has to offer on sea days and evenings won't matter much to you. Just use those times to relax and rest up  for the next ports.

[Tlbecker1]

We just spent 3 weeks on the Grandeur and had a fun time. The staff were all amazing.  You mentioned ice shows, which the Grandeur doesn’t have.  We are going on the Anthem today and I am looking forward to it, much more to do.  The Grandeur doesn’t have many bells and whistles, but we are just happy to be on a ship.

[Jimbo]

2 minutes ago, Tlbecker1 said:

  The Grandeur doesn’t have many bells and whistles, but we are just happy to be on a ship.

 Well said, just doesn't have the "Wow" factor at all.

[texmex.ferr]

We sailed on Grandeur for 3 weeks (7 night & 14 night B2B) in February/March 2022,it sailed from Barbados around the ports of the Caribbean, and we had a great time.   I can't do most of the 'fun' stuff, but we still enjoyed our 3 weeks onboard.    The staff onboard at that time were the best, which also helped us to enjoy our trip.     The ship doesn't have all the 'bells & whistles' like the bigger ships, but it does have character, and we just enjoy being on a ship in the sunshine, relaxing.

[orville99]

We were on Grandeur two weeks ago, and loved the ship. Great crew, veery well kept ship

 

[Mum2Mercury]

I'll be on Grandeur in a few weeks, and I'm quite excited!  No, it doesn't have the "bells and whistles", but we're looking forward to a quiet, relaxing experience along with good food, fun island stops, and time together.  

[lenquixote66]

Grandeur is my all time favorite RCI ship

[bren61]

Thank you all for your replies, you've made me feel better about just going to relax. Afterall, that is what vacation is all about & my husband will love that...I always have a full list of things to do & places to go not wanting to miss anything, lol!

 

We always love to go to the card room, have a few cocktails while playing cards or a game.

 

Do they do 70's disco night? Just wanted to know because I will take my get up if they do.

[firefly333]

2 hours ago, bren61 said:

Thank you all for your replies, you've made me feel better about just going to relax. Afterall, that is what vacation is all about & my husband will love that...I always have a full list of things to do & places to go not wanting to miss anything, lol!

 

We always love to go to the card room, have a few cocktails while playing cards or a game.

 

Do they do 70's disco night? Just wanted to know because I will take my get up if they do.

I seem to be in the minority and didnt love grandeur. I think my bathroom smelled, they deep cleaned it twice. I had a bug problem for 2 legs. I was on 4 legs. I like pizza piping hot from sorrentos oven, not carried up to the solarium where it wasnt as hot as I like. 

 

It was fine, just not my cup of tea. I watched their musical show and thought to myself lacking a bit.

 

I was on the first legs out of texas when it came from the islands and they werent ready for twice as full of a ship imo. Internet I couldnt attach a attachment to a email, but I could email. I havent heard any plans to update grandeur. It was to be sold then they kept it.

 

I prefer a larger ship with better shows and more food choices. Lots of glass to see out, but the cafe where they served coffee for instance, one crew who was doing everything and the line wrapped around one side of the deck. Needed one person doing coffee and the other ringing stuff up. They werent ready for texas. Had a problem with 2 hour dinners, mdr staff lacking. But the steward I talked to said all staff was short. I'm sure that's rectified by now. 

[pcur]

42 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

I seem to be in the minority and didnt love grandeur. I think my bathroom smelled, they deep cleaned it twice. I had a bug problem for 2 legs. I was on 4 legs. I like pizza piping hot from sorrentos oven, not carried up to the solarium where it wasnt as hot as I like. 

 

It was fine, just not my cup of tea. I watched their musical show and thought to myself lacking a bit.

 

I was on the first legs out of texas when it came from the islands and they werent ready for twice as full of a ship imo. Internet I couldnt attach a attachment to a email, but I could email. I havent heard any plans to update grandeur. It was to be sold then they kept it.

 

I prefer a larger ship with better shows and more food choices. Lots of glass to see out, but the cafe where they served coffee for instance, one crew who was doing everything and the line wrapped around one side of the deck. Needed one person doing coffee and the other ringing stuff up. They werent ready for texas. Had a problem with 2 hour dinners, mdr staff lacking. But the steward I talked to said all staff was short. I'm sure that's rectified by now. 

I was not thrilled with my March 2023 Grandeur cruise, either. It was the food.  I could not get a decent dinner in the MDR.  New crew in the kitchen, not adjusted to the new menus: I'm not sure what the problem was.  

 

The Windjammer was also way below normal, too.

 

 

[sunluva]

My sister and I were also worried about going on Grandeur.  We cruise every year with our husbands and wanted a girls getaway.  We went last month for 5 nights. We've never been on a ship that old or small. On top of it, we had our first inside cabin. Always had balconies.  We were nervous. Did we make a mistake? No!! Everything about it was good. We always found something to do. We are in our 50s.  Stayed up til midnight every night (we don't do this with our spouses!)

I have 2 complaints. The shower is tiny! And that darn shower curtain. 

Also I always felt so warm in the Windjammer. All those windows have heat pouring in during the day. We just didn't stay long. I hope you enjoy your cruise.

[bren61]

Do they do 70s Disco Night?

 

[sunluva]

Yes! We were on a 5 night and they still had disco night.

[Buffettphan1]

I see you’re leaving today!! Have a great time. We go in March 

[Mum2Mercury]

We sailed Grandeur recently and had a great time.  I response to your querries:

 

- I enjoyed the Solarium.  It has a covered glass ceiling, and the Park Cafe is over in the corner -- we really enjoyed its proximity.  Loungers were readily available.  

- Entertainment was not as good as other ships.  They often have music in the Centrum.  It can be loud on that first level, but we enjoyed finding a seat on a higher level.  

- No ice show.  I did miss that.  

- All the entertainment seems to "wrap up" a little early, but it was okay with us.  They do have MUTS and music in the bars late night.  

- The theater, though smaller, is nicer than that on larger ships.  I enjoyed sitting on the loveseats for afternoon movies.  

- We really enjoyed the Windjammer.  Their grilled chicken thighs (different recipe each day) were excellent at lunch ... I always eat a big salad with either a bit of chicken or fish at lunch.  Salad materials were fresh.  One small detail we enjoyed in the Windjammer:  They have barstools /countertop seating on the edges looking out over the water.  Nice if you're eating alone.  One afternoon my husband and I sat on the barstools for lunch and watched a storm rolling in from the sea ... that was rather special.  

- The MDR was okay; food was good but not super memorable.  

- The staff was great. 

- Yes, the ship is showing its age, but since we only paid $364 each to sail, I wasn't fussing. If you walk around looking for problems, you will find them ... but I didn't do that.  The one thing that I did note:  We had a real storm our last day out ... so bad that they closed the top deck and picked up /stacked and lashed the lounge chairs to metal posts ... and the roof in the Windjammer was leaking.  They put out buckets.  

- We had an Inside Guarantee and were assigned to a handicapped room ... loved that extra space.  I didn't like the handicapped shower, but I understand why it was designed as it was.  

- One thing we really enjoyed -- and this is such a small thing -- was sailing out under the bridge.  It's a solid 4 hours out of port, but a lot of people were out to see it.  My husband accidentally woke up early and went out for an early morning walk ... and he saw us come under the bridge for the return trip.  Said it was lit up and was really something to see.  

- The gym is small but wasn't full.  

- Boarding and disembarkation is super easy on a small ship.  

 

Would I like to sail Grandeur again?  Yes!  I'd love it!  Would I pay the same price I'd pay for a larger ship with more amenities?  No.  

 

 

 

Edited January 24 by Mum2Mercury

[elaine5]

On 10/14/2023 at 6:39 PM, bren61 said:

Are there any cruisers out there that had the same concerns, & were content after going back to the small ships you started on?

Please post back how you liked your cruise. We are considering for 2025.

We sailed Vision in 2022. I expected a smaller, older ship, and thought it was fine--but definitely not a big ship experience (compared to Anthem or even Explorer). So wondering on Grandeur about Entertainment, MDR and buffet food, activities in Centrum--game show, silent disco, 70s night, etc.?  

Edited January 24 by elaine5

[biomedbob]

We've only been on 104 cruises.  I'll take the Grandeur any day over anything!