GOS Review (9/24 - 10/4) ~ Part 1

[maxs mom]

Craig,

 

Sorry you had such a bad cruise. Sorry we didn't get to meet you during the week. Meeting up with the folks at the M&M and also our tablemates that week made the biggest difference in our experience. We made some wonderful friends and I am very thankful that we came away with that. We had some of the same concerns that you did and deemed this the worst of our cruise experiences.

 

I'm so glad that you are going to give RC another chance. I've been on the Voyager twice and it is remarkable. We've cruised with RC for almost 20 years now and one bad cruise experience won't stop us from repeating. We've had too many good ones to know that just wasn't the norm. I hope your next experience will be much better.

 

Happy Cruising to you as well.

[bananarama]

Hi,

 

I am shceduled to go on the grandeur in December, 2004.

I was just wondering who the cruise director and assistant cruise director were and if they were good or not? How was the Bingo, regular activities, etc...?

[GranysT]

Hi Baron,sorry about your bad experience,but am glad that RCL did compensate you somewhat.I am booked to sail on GOS,July of 05,and do hope that the drydock takes care of the problems. If I read your above post right,you stated that Voyager of the Seas,was a newer ship.In contrast to the Grandeur,yes Voyager is newer,but in regard to the Voyager class,the Voyager is the oldest ship.She was introduced in 99.The newest ship,of that class,is the Mariner introduced last Nov. I sailed the Mariner in April,and she's awesome. I highly recommend the Mariner to anyone. Happy sails on whatever ship you choose.

[kmb1654]

I've come to the conclusion that attitude makes the difference. This was our 9th cruise, our second RCI cruise (ironically, both were casualties of storm systems that completely changed itineraries), and a really great vacation.

Eight of us traveled together. Granted, our cabins (decks 3 and 4, forward) were not victimized by the sewer smell, and we were aware of it at times and places, but nowhere to the extremes others have described. (And we used the Centrium elevators frequently.) The plumbing was turned off twice--from 3 to 5am--for emergency repairs. We were asleep.

We were better off changing itineraries and avoiding crossing Jeanne's path. Period. No vacation is worth that risk. One should be flexible when one books a Caribbean cruise in the height of hurricane season!! We thoroughly enjoyed the ports, which were new to most of our group. Unfortunately, a lot of scrambling was required by the excursion staff. Ironically, they seemed to have the most trouble providing activities on their own private location! I have been on lousy excursions on other cruises, on our scheduled stops. The best recourse there is to notify the excursion staff and/or RCI. We have received money back this way before, and they appreciate the feedback.

I do agree completely with most of the posts about the service; it was slow at times and in places, and super at other times. We found most of the staff to be competent, accommodating and proficient, although not particularly jovial and engaging. However, as it pertains to the dining staff, we attribute this at least in part to the industry's demise of assigned seating for breakfast and lunch. On other cruises, our assigned wait staff knew by day two that I did not drink coffee and that DH always wanted the chocolate dessert. (On our previous cruise to this, everything was open seating, and the wait staff was all but indifferent to anything but presenting you what you ordered.) Ten days, and they did not appear to figure out either, but they were doting whenever my daughter joined us for meals, and genuinely disappointed when she did not. And, I have NEVER experienced such involvement and attention from a head waiter before. He'd have fed my daughter, had she let him.

The Ocean Adventure program was AWESOME. They opened early to accommodate us going diving, and kept my daughter (3 years) for 14 hours continuously one day, while we were in port. She wouldn't come out even to spend time with her grandparents!! She dined with the youth staff on several occasions, and brought home a suitcase FULL of age-appropriate craft projects and memorabilia. My daughter LOVED the program, and left reluctantly and TIRED at 10pm each night. We had the best of both worlds--quality time with and without our daughter--without the "guilt" of having left her for 11 days. She asks repeatedly to go on another cruise, and I will definitely take her on RCI in a heartbeat.

The entertainment was great, the activities plentiful, the cruise staff energetic and entertaining. Not all shows were to our taste, but we still thought they were well done.

We ran out of tea, butter, milk, liquid cream and other commodities (except for tea, we only experienced the shortages the morning of debarkation) and accepted it as a gradual return to the "real world". I will concede the pineapple was consistently lousy. And our server was visibly embarrassed to offer the same ice cream flavors night after night, as apparently the ice cream shipment did not make the ship in time for our departure, so they had to go with what was on hand.

Having read reviews that the ship was aging and in need of work, my DH was LOOKING for areas that were neglected, and didn't find anything noteworthy. Shoddy was not a description I'd use for anything we encountered.

Yes, there were other occasional annoyances--things we consider unfortunate, not deliberate--but all things considered, we'd rather be back on the boat!!

Our best cruise? Our worst cruise? Undecided, but a great cruise for us, nonetheless. Wish we'd had stayed on and gone to New England and Canada! Sorry everyone else did not have as good an experience. Maybe next time!!

[LuvMyVette]

:) Hi There:

 

Happy to hear that you'll try RCI again. I've never been on Voyager but heard it is absolutely gorgeous! It puts Grandeur to shame. DH/I have the video on the making of Voyager and it's really amazing on how much goes into designing a cruise ship, building it, dealing with problems, etc. I hope your next cruise experience will be much more rewarding. Leaving out of NYC is wonderful and the skyline is breathtaking. Good luck and enjoy!

 

If it wasn't for meeting great friends on the cruise, I think DH/I wouldn't have had as much fun. We spent a lot of time with Max's Mom and her DH. They are wonderful friends and we had a blast with them. We saw TedHain and his lovely wife at the Solarium Pool a lot and spent time with them as well. Very sweet couple. Our table was fun as well and really nice couples. Meeting new people, going to the M&M party and having new friends was indeed the highlight of our cruise.

 

The disappointments were enough where we may not sail on RCI again. DH/I are sending a letter to RCI and we are curious to see what their response will be. Things that we are normally used to (friendly crew, great/fast service, etc.) didn't really exist on this cruise. I can say that the cruise director, activities staff and Champagne Bar staff were excellent. Other than that many crew members had that "leave me alone" attitude and that's not normal.

[Comet Cruiser]

I don't like to disagree with people but I was also on the Grandeur Sept. 24th and I think we must have been on a different cruise entirely! My sister and her husband and my husband and I had the BEST time of our lives! We found the crew and all the staff very helpful and FRIENDLY at all times. I don't understand people on here that say they had a terrible time and would not go on RCI again. Granted, this was our first cruise and we are Canadian, maybe that is why? Canadians don't like to rock the SHIP?? For anyone LUCKY enough to be booked on the Grandeur, count your blessings! They did happen to run out of butter(margarine was still available) and cream(they had the coffee whitener or milk up to the time we left the ship, my sister asked for milk and was given it). The only thing we had to complain about was that we had to leave and drive 11 hours to get home.We also found ALL of the staff to be accomodating, competent, jovial and engaging! The staff made us laugh and smile constantly, lucky Canadians I guess, perhaps we are more approachable? I also met Ted and his wife on the cruise at the pool one day, and yes they are very nice people. We met a lot of nice people on the cruise, also met Bernie and Fran from Pennsyvania and our table mate for the dining room was a 91 yr old gentleman from England who was travelling alone. His name is Charles and we have kept in touch with him, very friendly and enjoyable man to spend time with.One other thing people were complaining about, I would like to rectify, my sister and I went to the "mall" at the clock tower on Sunday and SHOPPED, it was open and we did some shopping, not crowded at all, guess cause most people didn't know about it being open. We were very happy and surprised to find it open. I am going to be sending RCI my own letter to let them know how GREAT and WONDERFUL the staff and crew made our vacation, and to let them know that we can't wait to get back to the GRANDEUR and see all of our friends again.( yes I do mean the crew and staff!) Just remember everyone...you get what you give.

Happy Cruising to all....and relax! ITS A VACATION!:)

 

Comet Cruiser ( Gail ) and the Happy Canadian Cruisers!!

[Taps]

Hi all,

 

Just thought I,d say hello and sorry that I did'nt make it to the M&M party to meet all you folks.I did how ever meet some great people on this cruise and meeting them just about saved what was other wise a very poor cruise.

As far as the frendliness of the staff went "Bas"the bartender in the Schooner bar was the cream of the crop,excellent.

I know a lot of people were overall disaponted with the itinery but what really were the alternatives.Our previous cruise with RCI had been on the Navigator of the Seas and would suggest that if anyone wants to see how fantastic a cruise can be,book a trip on it,I would have to say that the GOS crew and staff are only little league compared to the Navigator.

My wife and I have booked with Celebrity for next year so we can only hope things are better organised with them.

PS.--- Just a word about travel arrangements, it took us 27 hours to get to Baltimore, we disembarked the ship at 10.30 am Monday and arivved home at 14.30pm on Tuesday another 28 hours, were we the last home? Is this some kind of record for RCI.