"LIVE" from the Grandeur of the Seas !

Hello Cruise Critics..... I am writing to you "live" from Key West, FL on the beautiful Grandeur of the Seas !

The connection from the internet cafe onboard has been very slow. I am now able to connect through my cellphone/laptop hookup.

Embarkation from Baltimore was very easy...The process has improved from previous reports. Passengers were able to enter the port area at 10am. Passenger boarding began at about 1pm. The weather was hot/muggy, and rainy...The weather has improved since then with sunny weather and mostly clear skies. It took about 8 hours to navigate the bay down to Cape Henry. The seas were moderate the first 36 hours.

I attended the Meet and Mingle party at the Viking Crown Lounge on Monday at 1145am. About 30 people were there. It was nice to meet all of the Cruise Critics I've talked with online. One of the Cruise Staff were their and had a raffle for a couple of prizes.

I will try to connect later today and post some photos....

Stay tuned..

Radio

;) ;)

HOW COOL !!

Keep us posted! I have to wait until 9/4/04 to be in your spot, but I'm anxious to hear all about your experience. ;) HAVE FUN

Thanks for the "LIVE" post......we enjoyed the Grandeur in '97 and hope to cruise on her again.

Hope your weather holds and you enjoy the rest of your cruise!

i was disembarking at 1045am 7-18 from a wonderful 7-11 cruise.

did I see your car go into the lot?

Key West is a wonderful town, but you wont have the rosie show at the pier!!!!! Ive got pix of a guy holding up the "Gay conch tour train"

A whole bunch of happy gay parents were there.

Tomorrow you have coco cay...... the ac at the on the rocks bar is very chilly. It was a beautiful island.

sad note.... your cruise is half over at 11pm tonight!!!

Hi Radio,

So lucky to be on the ship right now. I'm sailing on Grandeur next May. Please let me know how everything is on the ship. I know some of us are dying to see menus from Grandeur. If you have time, can you snap a photo of a menu and post it online? That would be really cool. I'm curious about the dining room lunch menus too...because someone had said it was the same menu for lunch every day. Is that true...but is it good anyhow?

Hope you're having a wonderful time!

Tammy:D

Please tell me all about the Grandeur and the cruise, and the whole overall experience. We are thinking of taking that cruise in the future since we are in the D.C. area and it would be nice not to have to fly anywhere.

Hello there,

Is it really rainy in Baltimore at the moment ? We are considering booking the Grandeur for the end of august.

Littlegoo,

You are from the DC area. I hope you can help us with the following :

To which airport do we have to fly for this cruise ?

How far is it from the airport to the cruise terminal ? ( what is best : a taxi, a shuttle ? What does it cost ? )

We have the impression that Baltimore is close to Washington DC : how far is it from Washington DC ( the White House ) to the pier : could we combine a citytrip to Washington with this cruise ? What transport do we need and how much will it cost ?

Thanks in advance !!!!!!!!!

Today was very hot day in Key West...I walked around downtown for a while then I rented a scooter for a couple of hours.

I was able to get around pretty easy, and I 'm glad I wasn't walking....today was not a goos day for that. I was ableto go to the Southernmost Point, Smathers Beach, Higgs Beach, Blight(sp?) Marina, Truman House, Audobon House.

It was a great day in Key West..a little hot, but it was better than the rain we left behind in Baltimore. We leave today at 6pm to head for Coco Cay..only about 275 miles.

TLBesser..Yes the lunch menus are the same every day...except for the daily special..THe special changes from cruise to cruise though. I will try to get a copy of the menu and scan it when I get home......

LAst night there was a Caribbean Pool party up on deck 9...There was alot of food..music and dancing.

I may not be able to post again until Friday (Port Canaveral)...but I will try to if I can. My Verizon connection works well here, but I think it will be down at Coco Cay (Little Stirrup Cay)

Thanks for tuning in....

Radio

;) ;)

Freeport, BHS above.....and Welcome to Key West ( Below)

If you get to the casino let the Craps table know Alberta wishes she was there!!!!!!! I've been crying since we got off on 7/18.

Thanks

Dear NEWKJO

The airport to fly into is Baltimore-Washinton Internation (BWI). It is about a 30 minute ride from the airport to the port. Washington, DC is about 60-80 minutes away depending on time of day and traffic. You could fly in the day ahead and rent a car and do Washington, DC.

Hope this helps.

Marilee

New KAJO, BWI is definitely the best choice of airport for convenience to the Port of Baltimore! An alternative plan for your "pre-cruise" day versus a day in D.C. would be to spend the day at Baltimore's Inner Harbor. It is a charming spot with more than enough to occupy yourself for the day! There is an amazing aquarium, a terrific science museum, many interesting shops, restaurants, cafes, etc...Not to mention the beautiful harbor and many historical vessels open for public tours. I'd recommend spending your pre-cruise night in a Harborside Hotel so you can just wander around the area at your leisure. It is very easy to get to the Port from the Inner Harbor area too! Some of the Hotels may provide shuttle service but I'm not sure about this. Do some research on The Inner Harbor! It's a lovely destination. I live about an hour from Baltimore and we love to come down and enjoy the Harbor!

Hey Bonnie!

Rock on gal. This is aft-gal. Thanks for your help with the Diamond Princess. My co-worker is on that cruise with you. We are from Baltimore and I'm glad to here the port has improved.

Talk to ya soon,

aft-gal

Radio -

Who is the Captain of the Grandeur now?

Thanks,

John

John, it's Svein Steinmoen

Is the captain and crew onboard now, likely to be the same onboard next May 2005? I was wondering how often they change crews. I've heard so many good things about the service onboard, that I'm hoping they will stay on.

John, it's Svein Steinmoen

I'm boarding on Sunday 7/25. I'll be the guy with a smile on his face. Thanks for the update.

Regards, Chuck

Hello all...We are currently leaving Coco Cay...on aour way to Port Canaveral. Coco Cay was a perfect day...the morning started off a little cloudy, then the sun came out for the rest of the day... We saw the NCL Dawn next to us at Great Stirrup Cay. There have been many improvements at Coco Cay, with many new building and rest facilities...it looks like RCI has invested alot of money in CocoCay and plans to be there for a long while.

We wnet to the C&A part last night and several people tried to ask the Captain details about Ultra Voyager, and Grandeur drydock details.... He would not discuss any detailss about either of the 2.

I will try to post some pics tommorrow from Pt Canaveral...when my VZW service is good....

Thanks for tuning in...

Radio

;) ;)

Radio: if possible, please look at the large painting in the dining room and let me know the name of the artist. I've been trying to find out for over a year now! thank you!!

Radio,

Thanks again for the live reports. You do such a wonderful job. We live on the Eastern Shore down in the Va. part and have been very curious about how long it takes to get to the Chesapeake Bay BridgeTunnel (CBBT) and thus Cape Henry on the Grandeur. Now we know! How is the clearance under the Bay Bridge at Annapolis? If you were awake at the time, could you see the lights of Tangier Island? We have booked the GOTS for next June. I am excited about the whole trip but the navigation of the Chesapeake Bay is a big part of it for us. I do wish that it wasn't at night. We would be down at the CBBT waving to you on the way back if it were daylight (and we were here - we are leaving on the Voyager for Canada along with Bonnie Voyager on Sunday evening. Passing under the Verranzano Narrows Bridge has me excited!!).

Have fun in Port Canaveral today and thanks again for your posts.

:D Radio,good to read your post again!!!

If possible,can you get a pic of a Grand Suite?

Looking foward to your updates.Is Mrs Radio

on this cruise?

Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Vee

Hello all...We're in Port Canaveral today.....the weather is hot and sunny...

Many passengers went to the KSC and several Eco tours that were offered. Port Canaveral has the "Fun Bus" that will take you to the Mall, Cocoa Beach, or Wall Mart. The cost is $6 for all day.....THe driver will tell you where to be for bus pick up. There are several rental companies nearby...their shuttle will pick you up at the terminal.

Deesgirl......Thanks for the comments, Mrs Radio did not come on this cruise...this was a Seminar at Sea for me ( for three of the seven days )...

I will try to get some GS pics on Sunday morning.

Barva...It took about 8hours to get to Cape Henry...just past the Chesapeake Bay bridge tunnel....we passed between the west bridges. Coming north...we should be there around midnight.

I could see many lights to the east..I 'm not sure what city it was though. Coming south it took about 1 1/2 hrs to reach the Bay Bridge. I tseemed that there was only about 10-12ft from the mast to the bottom of the bridge.

Mavismarie..I will try to check the painting and artist tonight at dinner.

Thanks for tuning in.....

Radio

;) ;)

Here's a couple more pics from this week.......More will be added when I return...

Radio

;) ;)

Radio:

I've been enjoying your live posts. It's been great living vicariously through you this week. ;)

We sailed Grandeur when she was a newer ship and just loved her.

Thanks for sharing.

Radio, if you can try and take a few pics in one of the midship family suites, would love to see them, I have seen the pictures of the aft ones but not the midship ones.

Also would love to hear how smooth the ship is on the open water, especially in the cabins up on deck 8 at night, dont mind a little rocking but dont want to be rolling out of bed either.

Thanks for all the online posts and pictures, they are great.

Radio,

Thanks for your reports. You're detail and willingness to answer all of our questions is very much appreciated.