Grandeur of the Seas Be Wary 12/17-12/27

[BigPapi21]

We have removed names of RC employees and ours. The letter with names was sent in December to RC, there has been no reply. Last week we contact RC and they offered us 15% of our next cruise. We refused and felt it was better to share our experience here. They don’t care and there is very little that is Grand about this ship. We have sailed three lines and on multiple RC ships. They should be ashamed of themselves for taking families money given with what we found. We have had no response written or otherwise from RC. RC rates this ship as 4.5 stars, laughable. Cruisers Beware!
“We want to thank you and your colleague, xxxxx, for speaking with us regarding our experience as guests on Grandeur of the Seas from December 17-27. Our cabin number is ****. As we expressed during our time together we have been exceedingly disappointed with the condition of the ship, the condition of our cabin, the quality and variety of food. As returning guests to the RC brand we have become accustomed to a certain level of quality in service, environment, and dining. As we mentioned, our experiences with all of the staff has been pleasant on every level. Your people are truly the strength of your company. The RC website rates the ship at 4.5 stars out of 5 where it says “Game Changing Getaway on the Grandeur of the Seas”. As you acknowledged during our time together, RC is aware of the condition of this ship and plans to place it in dry dock in March for service. That does little for the passengers who are now onboard or will sail between now and March. Even so, RC continues to operate this ship internationally out of US ports and charge its passengers full sailing price knowing that it is subpar, in disrepair, and in need of serious and thorough renovation. Charging passengers full price for these conditions, some of whom we imagine are first time cruisers or have saved to have a RC experience, is at best poor management and at worst unethical. This is the conclusion we arrived at given our experience. As we alluded to during our meeting we have tried to be thoughtful and reasonable in providing feedback regarding this 10 day cruise. The ports of call have certainly been everything we had hoped for and our time off the ship was great. During our meeting we mentioned a “list” of concerns and experiences we have had that has made this voyage, which is quite likely our last with RC . We have attached the list below along with photos and videos in this and another email of 2 being sent to you including some of our additional concerns that we did not cover during our meeting. Recognizing that the Grandeur of the Seas is an older ship among the RC fleet, our experience has been unbelievably below standard in maintenance of furnishings and amenities for which we paid RC in good faith. The age of the ship was not a deterrent for us given our previous experience with RC and the belief that the age of the ship did not matter as long as it was well maintained. You indicated during our discussion that if the ship was not maintained, it would not be able to sail. While we are no experts on the mechanical necessities to make a ship sea worthy, the deplorable interior conditions and lack of maintenance of the ship’s public areas does not appear to be part of the equation. We are shocked. When we purchased this cruise no representative from RC contacted us with notification or warning that furniture would be tattered, torn and worn out, the ship would be filthy in many places, that the jacuzzi would be non-functioning and the pool in the solarium would be so aesthetically unpleasant that we would not get in it due to the rust and mildew stains. No one contacted us to tell us that the internet would be significantly problematic, that flooring would be in ill repair (in some instances dangerous), or linens and towels would be stained or unclean and threadbare. No one described that we could expect a hanging thermostat or caked dust in our stateroom. As we discussed, if this was a land resort that we walked into and experienced any, let alone ALL, of these issues, we would have found other accommodations and changed our itinerary. Unfortunately, given the nature of cruise travel, we could not do this which left us trapped with these conditions for the whole of our 10 day vacation. Most frustrating is the fact, that over our ten days of vacation, as the attached will show, in almost every area, we spent the majority of our time on a filthy and ill maintained ship. Knowing from our conversation that RC is aware of many of these issues yet continues to operate it without addressing them, we conclude that RC is choosing to maximize profitability at the expense of passengers’ time money and memories. Removing the subjective perceptions of quality and variety of food and entertainment, the attached photos, videos, and our narrative experiences, the renumeration you have offered pales in comparison to the loss of trust in RC as a company operating in good faith. It is our hope that you will connect us with someone who can explain the condition of the Grandeur of the Seas as acceptable and effectively defend accepting people’s money without transparency as to its condition.
Thank you for your time and attention today. We want to again recognize that quality of your crew. They too deserve to live and work in better conditions. As indicated, this is the list referenced above. Unacceptable Conditions 1. Dirty, stained or both bed and bath linens 2. Threadbare towels 3. Furniture (a majority of) stained, dirty, worn and broken in most every areas 4. Railings at aft of ship by rock climbing wall area worn and splintered from lack of varnish 5. Our room had clearly not been deep cleaned in quite awhile. Dust and crumbs etc. I had to use a washcloth to clean behind the sconces and the shelf above our bed 6. Additional stateroom bedding stained, dusty and shoved under bed in a crumpled mess 7. Ice maker in our floor “broke” according to our steward so I had to find my own ice for our room twice a day every day from day 3 to day 9 8. The thermostat in room is hanging off the wall 9. Chlorine smell in our hallway 10. Furniture and flooring every room is dirty and in disrepair 11. Solarium is deplorable condition. -Hot tubs in Solarium don’t work -Non slip tape in disarray around Solarium pool -Rust, mildew stains, broken tiles and lack of any attention makes it a completely foul place to be 12. WiFi doesn’t work most of the time. Can’t use it in room 13. App is barely functional and deficient of correct info 14. Food below par in every aspect except for room service and chops 15. Windjammer served the same food every day (there was one new entree choice switched every other day) for 10 days. The food quality is horrible. 16. Entertainment variety was insufficient for 10 day cruise 17. Men’s restrooms by Casino are in ill repair and sinks not functional 18. Men’s restroom by Giovanni’s has missing patches of wallpaper (noticed this trend in several other places around ship) 19. Fitness room is equipment is unbelievably outdated 20. Rotting deck thresholds in front of many doors.

Edited January 21 by BigPapi21

[goldfish65]

There's a firestorm of scathing reviews from that sailing!  All sorts of allegations. I was on Grandeur in January and in September. I was aware of the ship's age, and I noticed some wear and areas that needed maintenance, and the sewage odor. No issues with cleanliness or bad food. Even in a Suite, the towels were frayed, I let it go.  I cruise to disconnect and to be on the water. Eleven nights on Grandeur might be too much for me, if the ship is full. Thank you for sharing your experience. Here's hoping the ship gets back in shape during dry dock. 

[Biker19]

4 hours ago, BigPapi21 said:

Last week we contact RC and they offered us 15% off our next cruise.

 Be glad they offered anything. 

[jean87510]

 Normally I read these posts and roll my eyes.  I have to say I do agree on towels and gym equipment as I did notice this in July.  I also think you should have taken 15% and gone on a new ship.

[lovesthebeach2]

I’m sorry to say I sadly agree on the condition of their older smaller ships, because we love them.

 

Royal is showing us that their focus is huge amusement park ships and they won’t be spending much money or effort on smaller ships that go to other locations other than the Caribbean. 

We’ve been cruising Royal for many years, but our satisfaction has been slowly lessening and we’re looking at other lines that give better quality and food for the prices they charge.

 

[Crazy planning mom]

My Aunt, who is loyal to Royal, sailed on the Grandeur last year, was very unhappy with the condition of the ship and said she would no longer sail on a ship of that age.  Our last cruise was on an older NCL ship and it had been completely refurbished.  Perhaps, RCL isn't refurbishing the oldest ships because they are planning on building new smaller ships as discussed.  However, they should still be maintaining them in the meantime.

[JJK2008]

We've also been Loyal to Royal but agree that things have changed with the company, and these are NOT positive changes. Sometimes when companies get so big, they disconnect. Perhaps this is what is happening with RCCL.  

[twangster]

I recently had an opportunity to sail with another line in the RCG family on a ship that first sailed in 1995.  With Grandeur being a year newer than the Silver Wind it's an interesting comparison.

 

The Silver Wind has been refreshed over the years much like Grandeur has been refreshed.  The contrast between the two ships is stunning.  The Silversea ship has multiple electrical outlets in multiple places through the cabin including bedside.  There are USB-A and USB-C charging ports in four different locations in the cabin including both sides of the bed.  There is a wifi access point in each cabin and it's a new modern access point.  Around the ship in bars, lounges and restaurants it doesn't feel dated.  The decor is modern.  You can still sense that it is an older ship but you might never guess just how old it is.

 

Having sailed many more Royal cruises and often on the older ships I've long thought it must be impractical to do a meaningful update on an old ship.  Yet RCG has accomplished exactly that on more than one ship in the Silversea fleet.  

 

Granted Silversea is a luxury line yet it goes to show it is possible to properly update an old ship.  One could argue that luxury is different than mass cruising but then there should be more support for replacing old ships for proper luxury, yet they didn't take that approach.

 

I've come to realize the state of Royal's older ships is a choice that Royal has made.  The state of the older ships appears to be good enough for Royal's executive team.  Clearly it is possible to better keep these ships but they have made the choice not to.    People keep booking the old ships so why spend money to maintain them better? 

 

Grandeur was supposed to be gone by now but we all know why that didn't happen.  It appears Royal wants to get rid of them but can't right now.  It seems they must have decided to run them into the ground to the point they can sail them on to a beach in some far off country to scrap them.  Until then they will squeak out a few more dollars while they pay off the loans that were secured using these ships as collateral.   

 

It's a shame really.

 

[kruzerci]

I hate to see this because I love the older ships, but this is on par with our last experiences with Royal. It is very disappointing and disheartening because they used to take such pride in their ships condition. The food I agree has become unacceptable also. 
 

I am surprised they offered anything- they are well aware of all of this and based on this being the norm for their older ships now, they don’t care. They’re betting on a new clientele with apparently next to no expectations or standards. 

[kruzerci]

2 hours ago, lovesthebeach2 said:

I’m sorry to say I sadly agree on the condition of their older smaller ships, because we love them.

 

Royal is showing us that their focus is huge amusement park ships and they won’t be spending much money or effort on smaller ships that go to other locations other than the Caribbean. 

We’ve been cruising Royal for many years, but our satisfaction has been slowly lessening and we’re looking at other lines that give better quality and food for the prices they charge.

 

I never thought we would leave Royal, but after 25 years, we have largely moved on. An occasional 3 night from our backyard, but never again for a “true” vacation type trip. It’s really sad to not be able to continue those traditions and not to be able to have the experience we used to with RC. 

[cruiselvr04]

I have seen some nasty pool towels on just about every ship I’ve sailed but yes, it’s gross. Dirty cabins are not acceptable. Maintenance should be at a certain level, temperature control hanging by wires are unacceptable.  

Twice on our last cruise I stepped on the floor in our bathroom and the tiles came up on the bottom of my foot.  I told the steward and it was fixed both times by the end of the day. We’ve had maintenance issues even on brand new ships, leaking pipes but it was handled quickly.  Maybe she’s so old they can’t keep up.  
 

[mafig]

Thanks for your well-written review.  I don't blame you for being upset.

 

[lovesthebeach2]

50 minutes ago, kruzerci said:

I never thought we would leave Royal, but after 25 years, we have largely moved on. An occasional 3 night from our backyard, but never again for a “true” vacation type trip. It’s really sad to not be able to continue those traditions and not to be able to have the experience we used to with RC. 

We have cruises booked on Royal for this year and next year, and finally we booked a Celebrity….and have hesitated to jump ship but each time we get on the older ships it just chips away from our loyalty and I find I’m looking around at other upscale cruise lines more and more.

Will you share which lines you’ve moved on to other than Celebrity?

[kruzerci]

40 minutes ago, lovesthebeach2 said:

We have cruises booked on Royal for this year and next year, and finally we booked a Celebrity….and have hesitated to jump ship but each time we get on the older ships it just chips away from our loyalty and I find I’m looking around at other upscale cruise lines more and more.

Will you share which lines you’ve moved on to other than Celebrity?

We did a Ritz Carlton cruise last summer which was excellent however was to be expected at the price point. 
 

Celebrity has experienced a decline, but is still far and away better than Royal and we have almost exclusively been sailing their newer ships and revolutionized ships. I usually find big box travel agents with a group rate that includes drink package and internet at about the price listed without perks directly through Celebrity, so that has been another good reason to keep sailing them

I did do a HAL and the food and service was much better for the same price as Royal but the crowd was very very old. 

[PhillyFan33579]

To the OP, I am sorry to read about your experience. I cruised on Grandeur twice last year and had a great time on both cruises. Fortunately I didn’t encounter any of the issues you experienced. Additionally, SuperMario was on one of these cruises. No one is more loyal to RCI than him. I figure if the ship is good enough for him, it’s good enough for me. 

[shippmates]

I also do not sail RC as much as I use too.  Last trip on the Enchantment was ok but different than some of the previous ones.  The food was not up to the standard I remember, the ship is always crowded.  I was moved on to Cunard and Holland America.  My experiences on these 2 lines are so different that Royal.  Just so you know this decision was not made quickly as I am Diamond Plus,

[PhillyFan33579]

1 hour ago, lovesthebeach2 said:

We have cruises booked on Royal for this year and next year, and finally we booked a Celebrity….and have hesitated to jump ship but each time we get on the older ships it just chips away from our loyalty and I find I’m looking around at other upscale cruise lines more and more.

Will you share which lines you’ve moved on to other than Celebrity?

I mainly cruise on RCI, but I usually go on Celebrity twice a year. I just got back last week from a 9 day cruise on Constellation. The ship is definitely showing its age, but overall I thought the ship was in good shape. I think on any older ship, and even some newer ships, if you look hard enough you can find many “issues” around the ship. 

[mjkacmom]

Complaint letter 101, short and to the point, leave emotions out, and paragraphs are your friend. https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/sample-customer-complaint-letter

[lenquixote66]

We cruised on the Grandeur in 2015,2016,2017 and 2018 all in the same cabin because our Stewards were great and we loved the cabin.

I am visibly handicapped and the Hotel Manager was wonderful to me as was the wait staff.There were no negatives for us.However,having not been on the ship for 5 plus years I cannot comment on the OP’s issues.

[fpcruiser]

Friends of ours sailed on Grandeur in December and said the food was the best they have ever had on any Royal ship. They have been on quite a few cruises.

[LobsterStalker]

3 hours ago, cruiselvr04 said:

I have seen some nasty pool towels on just about every ship I’ve sailed but yes, it’s gross. Dirty cabins are not acceptable. Maintenance should be at a certain level, temperature control hanging by wires are unacceptable.  

Twice on our last cruise I stepped on the floor in our bathroom and the tiles came up on the bottom of my foot.  I told the steward and it was fixed both times by the end of the day. We’ve had maintenance issues even on brand new ships, leaking pipes but it was handled quickly.  Maybe she’s so old they can’t keep up.  
 

I understand what you are saying , but I would argue that no it wasn't fixed the first time. the bathroom is not so large that when he came to fix it the first , he couldn't have checked the integrity of the remaining tiles ... Job done poorly IMO

 

Cheers

[lovesthebeach2]

1 hour ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

I mainly cruise on RCI, but I usually go on Celebrity twice a year. I just got back last week from a 9 day cruise on Constellation. The ship is definitely showing its age, but overall I thought the ship was in good shape. I think on any older ship, and even some newer ships, if you look hard enough you can find many “issues” around the ship. 

We did 9 nights on Radiance during NYE and while I think the ship was in very good shape - actually better than our cruise last February on Serenade, we’re finding the food is getting worse and worse, and that cruise was way more than I usually would spend (I guess because of the holiday) so I was very disappointed.

We did 27 nIghts on Odyssey in October-November and even the WJ food was very good! Lots of choices, no red or brown gravy with mystery meat…real meat!

I just saw a post in FB posted today showing the spread in WJ on Icon. It’s disgraceful that Royal has gone so much downhill with their food on older smaller ships, and then has an elaborate, enormous display of foods including mounds of king crab legs that we’ve never seen on any a Royal ship, ever!

So what’s the message Royal? I guess out with the old, and in with the new….and that goes for food and loyal customers.

[blueslily]

5 hours ago, kruzerci said:

I hate to see this because I love the older ships, but this is on par with our last experiences with Royal. It is very disappointing and disheartening because they used to take such pride in their ships condition. The food I agree has become unacceptable also. 
 

I am surprised they offered anything- they are well aware of all of this and based on this being the norm for their older ships now, they don’t care. They’re betting on a new clientele with apparently next to no expectations or standards. 

 

Which other older ships look like what was shown in the posted pictures? Thanks so much!

[kruzerci]

5 hours ago, blueslily said:

 

Which other older ships look like what was shown in the posted pictures? Thanks so much!

Enchantment and likely the other Vision class (Rhapsody and Vision).
 

Serenade, not sure if she had any work done prior to World Cruise, but she was rough in March.
 

They have really seemingly started to neglect all the ships below Freedom class. Even the ships that had been refurbished, the general cleanliness and TLC seems neglected and much lesser than prior to 2020. 

[kruzerci]

6 hours ago, lovesthebeach2 said:

We did 9 nights on Radiance during NYE and while I think the ship was in very good shape - actually better than our cruise last February on Serenade, we’re finding the food is getting worse and worse, and that cruise was way more than I usually would spend (I guess because of the holiday) so I was very disappointed.

We did 27 nIghts on Odyssey in October-November and even the WJ food was very good! Lots of choices, no red or brown gravy with mystery meat…real meat!

I just saw a post in FB posted today showing the spread in WJ on Icon. It’s disgraceful that Royal has gone so much downhill with their food on older smaller ships, and then has an elaborate, enormous display of foods including mounds of king crab legs that we’ve never seen on any a Royal ship, ever!

So what’s the message Royal? I guess out with the old, and in with the new….and that goes for food and loyal customers.

Agreed. But to be fair, they always do this on pre-inaugural and inaugural sailings due to the presence of media and travel partners.