Talk of replacing Grandeur in Baltimore?

We love Baltimore but, unfortunately, are not happy with Grandeur. Not for the reasons you may think. She is probably the most handicapped UN-friendly ship in the fleet and my DW requires those adaptations for normal day to day living...

Uh oh! MedicKen, please elaborate. We have a handicap cabin booked on the Grandeur for next August. Hubby will have a scooter. He can walk short distances. Any problems?

The Grandeur of the Seas has only been in Baltimore for about 1 1/2 years. It replaced the Enchantment of the Seas. I don't see them replacing it quit yet. Also, the ships out of Baltimore have to be a certain height because of the bridges it has to go under.

Not quite accurate. I believe Enchantment covered Baltimore during Grandeur's dry-dock. I sailed out of B-more Thanksgiving 2007 so it has definitely been sailing for more than 1.5 years.

I love the ease of sailing locally, but would like to see new ships and different itineraries as well. I understand the issues w/ the bridges, but doing a little ship shuffle might be nice!

Not quite accurate. I believe Enchantment covered Baltimore during Grandeur's dry-dock. I sailed out of B-more Thanksgiving 2007 so it has definitely been sailing for more than 1.5 years.

 

I love the ease of sailing locally, but would like to see new ships and different itineraries as well. I understand the issues w/ the bridges, but doing a little ship shuffle might be nice!

Actually, Grandeur was in Baltimore for several years and when it left, EN took her place for a couple of years. GR then returned after her refurb and EN went to FL. We cruised GR in 2009 for the first time and then the next time out of Baltimore was on EN in 2011 and 2012 til GR returned again.

Add me to the list of folks who would love to see a Radiance class ship out of Baltimore! We cruised on Grandeur and had a good time (and I've heard that the Carnival Pride is ok too), but it would be nice to get a little variety.

One of the friends who cruised with us on Grandeur predicted that RCI would rebrand and rename that ship after the fire. While that hasn't happened, Grandeur hasn't had a lot of good publicity over the last few years outside of the loyal cruising fans. I wouldn't be surprised to see RCI sell her or rebrand her.

When we met with the future cruise person on the Grandeur last month, he said that Grandeur is scheduled to be replaced in 2017 with the same size ship.

Grandeur always sail full. But according to RCCL they don't make the profit they would like to on it. Time will tell.

Grandeur always sail full. But according to RCCL they don't make the profit they would like to on it. Time will tell.

Good grief! It's usually less expensive to fly to Florida to get on a ship, airfare accounted for! So how much profit do they need?

Tapermann, where did you hear this?

Grandeur always sail full. But according to RCCL they don't make the profit they would like to on it. Time will tell.

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Cost of product + desired profit = cost to customer.

Big ship, small ship makes no difference. If they sail near or at full capacity, as most all the cruises I have been on out of Baltimore (Royal and Celebrity) and they seem not be heavily discounted the profit must there.

OMO

bosco

When we met with the future cruise person on the Grandeur last month, he said that Grandeur is scheduled to be replaced in 2017 with the same size ship.

That would meaning bring in Vision, Rhapsody, Legend, or Splendour - would any of these offer anything that Grandeur does provide? I think one or two have mini golf, but otherwise they are all fairly similar, right?

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Hi Pugylicious,

I have some news on the Grandeur of the Seas I was on her last month and this question came up and I was told that in 2019 it will be replaced with another ship. This information came from someone who worked on the ship. So I am only repeating what I had heard.

Wendy

I wondered if there has been any talk of putting a different ship in Baltimore and moving Grandeur elsewhere. I really liked sailing out of Baltimore. Not so sure I would like that ship.

People sure like to talk a lot of garbage.

Take a look at the contract Rccl has with the port once it's over the ship is gone, grandeur was a waste of time there , there is no profit

People sure like to talk a lot of garbage.

 

Take a look at the contract Rccl has with the port once it's over the ship is gone, grandeur was a waste of time there , there is no profit

Could you post a copy of the contract ?

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There are 2 accounting systems used. The cost of a cruise is covered mostly by the fare charged. The profit comes mostly by what is spent on the ship. ( Drinks,Port Tours, Shops,etc) I guess people that sail out of Baltimore don't spend a lot on the ship. I sailed in Dec and they were really pushing the special Rest. I looked in and every night only 1-3 couples were in them.

I guess that's why they are trying to get Dynamic Dining in place. So people think about trying the pay Rest. I think people like having diferent Dinner (food) choices. But don't want to make Rez. The nice part of a cruise is meeting new people and not having to think where to eat at night. If I wanted that I would do a Land Vacation. Some of the info came from a high HQ person.

Big ship, small ship makes no difference. If they sail near or at full capacity, as most all the cruises I have been on out of Baltimore (Royal and Celebrity) and they seem not be heavily discounted the profit must there...

Thom

PS I see while I was typing (slowly:o) tapemann was making some of the same points.

It is a rare cruise that makes a profit from cruise fares. In general the Cruise line hopes to not lose too much in "loss leader" cruise fares; on-board sales are where they make money. Personally I have no idea how the on-board revenue per customer per day out of Baltimore compares to elsewhere. It may be that there is no profit out of Baltimore, but for someone to state that unequivocally with NO explanation is garbage in my book.

 

Thom

 

PS I see while I was typing (slowly:o) tapemann was making some of the same points.

I hope they would at least cover the cost of the cruise and might possibly work in a slight profit, however since all the cruises I have been on from Baltimore to the Caribbean have a decent number of days at sea.. I know I spend a lot more on board while at sea during a 10 day cruise with only 4 ports of call.

Only the bean counters now for sure, but I hope there is enough to keep Baltimore as an active port of RCCL.

bosco

Hi Pugylicious,

 

I have some news on the Grandeur of the Seas I was on her last month and this question came up and I was told that in 2019 it will be replaced with another ship. This information came from someone who worked on the ship. So I am only repeating what I had heard.

 

Wendy

2019??? is that typo. No way RCCL has planned that far out or is sharing it employees on the ship.

As far as Baltimore, the only options are the Vision class and Radiance class. would love to see a Radiance class vessel.

SaintL-while I can appreciate your position, please back it up with facts. Otherwise, it is pure speculation, much like 90% of what is on these boards.

There are 2 accounting systems used. The cost of a cruise is covered mostly by the fare charged. The profit comes mostly by what is spent on the ship. ( Drinks,Port Tours, Shops,etc) I guess people that sail out of Baltimore don't spend a lot on the ship. I sailed in Dec and they were really pushing the special Rest. I looked in and every night only 1-3 couples were in them.

I guess that's why they are trying to get Dynamic Dining in place. So people think about trying the pay Rest. I think people like having diferent Dinner (food) choices. But don't want to make Rez. The nice part of a cruise is meeting new people and not having to think where to eat at night. If I wanted that I would do a Land Vacation. Some of the info came from a high HQ person.

When we sailed over Thanksgiving, the only specialty restaurant that seemed busy was Chops. The night we are at Giovanni's and Izumi, there were maybe 10 people. We made our reservations around 3-4pm for 7:30 dinner for all three nights with no problems at all, and our cruise was full to capacity. And the hostesses in both Giovanni's and Izumi offered us 20 percent discount to come back from a second dinner. My brain said YES, but my waistline said NO :).

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We LOVE cruising from Baltimore. EASY. The port has done their homework, easy in/out, easy to park, easy on&off ship. I LOVE the ships. Have done every one Celebrity, NCL, RCL and even CCL has had in port over the years. I would enjoy a return of Celebrity but don't think they have a ship that will fit the bridges???? (Anyone know???) I really like the Royal brand and am most loyal to it. Every year I bring family on a cruise from B-more and they all have enjoyed it. Royal is adding some longer cruises with some Caribbean ports and Mexican Ports. We have already booked one and are looking now for a summer cruise. As for the kids, someone back a bit asked about 11&13 yr olds. My family has has 10 mo olds to 12 1/2 and everyone was happy. They knew going on ship that there would not be Allure type entertainment or activities and they planned accordingly. My DGD LOVES the GOS and doesn't want to sail on any other ship. The crew won her over 4 cruises ago!!!

. . . My family has has 10 mo olds to 12 1/2 and everyone was happy. . .

Good to hear. My wife and I are looking at a Bermuda cruise for the summer of 2016 and would be taking our son who will be a little over a year, which would be his first time at sea. Any tips?

Baltimore and NYC draw more "homeport" cruisers than Florida ports. Their location limits the 7 day itineraries to the PC/Nassau (which is poor), Bermuda (great port), and Canada (nice ports, but different and not for everyone). After a while, people may look for more variety, either ship or ports. Carnival has exited Baltimore and NYC during the winter months already, probably because of the problem of attracting people to the PC/Nassau itinerary during the winter months.

Baltimore is also restricted to smaller ships, so options are limited. Royal is trying longer itineraries to the Eastern and Western Caribbean for now. However, in the long term, the older ships will need replacement and smaller new ships certainly buck the current new build trend set by Royal and it's competitors. Sadly, it is for that reason I could see it happening in the 2020 timeframe.

What do you think?

Baltimore and NYC draw more "homeport" cruisers than Florida ports. Their location limits the 7 day itineraries to the PC/Nassau (which is poor), Bermuda (great port), and Canada (nice ports, but different and not for everyone). After a while, people may look for more variety, either ship or ports. Carnival has exited Baltimore and NYC during the winter months already, probably because of the problem of attracting people to the PC/Nassau itinerary during the winter months.

 

Baltimore is also restricted to smaller ships, so options are limited. Royal is trying longer itineraries to the Eastern and Western Caribbean for now. However, in the long term, the older ships will need replacement and smaller new ships certainly buck the current new build trend set by Royal and it's competitors. Sadly, it is for that reason I could see it happening in the 2020 timeframe.

 

What do you think?

"Homeport" cruising is important to cruise lines as a means of attracting new cruisers who might be uncertain about investing the time and effort to get to Florida for an experience they are unsure of, so some of this can be written off as "advertising".

In general I think you gave a good summation.

Thom

RCI has been very successful sailing out of Baltimore--first the Grandeur, then Enchantment, and now Grandeur again. Carnival has also been successful in Baltimore. The Port of Baltimore is easily accessible to I-95, BWI airport, and the east coast Amtrak line. Also, due to an excellent mid-Atlantic location, RCI has been able to switch up the itineraries based on the seasons. Not every port that ships sail out of can make that claim. RCI and Carnival ships have been sailing full, or darn close to it, every sailing. I'm not sure why Celebrity and NCL didn't do well here, and it might just be that they didn't give it enough of a chance to make their presence known. Personally, I think any cruise line that homeports in Baltimore will now be successful. People love sailing from here.

this is true.. i would think there aren't many ports out there that have the population they have around that port within a 3 hour +/- drive.. nyc, philly, dc, balti, etc...

And having the cruise ships docked right next to I-95 gives them free additional advertising.

R&D

I just don't think sailing from Baltimore has been that successful, I would say that once the agreement with the port expires they are out,

Surely you must be joking- Baltimore has a huge following and is very well-organized and everyone LOVES sailing out of Baltimore that I have talked to! :)