heyabbott

Thank you for the Grandeur review. Sorry to hear the Windjammer was not your cup of tea. There is a reason why it can be difficult at times to find vacant lounge chairs in the Solarium. Once you find a perfect spot, it's so hard to leave!

On the last 2 sea days I was up and at the Solarium by 8:30 to get 2 loungers. Was there all day, both days. We did get up to walk about the pool deck a couple of times but we were always there. A number of couples came by early, dropped their towels off and then left for hours at a time. Just proves that age is no substitute for good manners.

Just wondering, do you happen to know if they held the guest thriller dance classes and do you know what day they held the chocolate breakfast in MDR???

We saw no mention of the chocolate breakfast and we read our Cruise Compass every evening. Aardvark, pig, rat and elephant were our towel animals. We are 52 and 49 and still looked forward to seeing them.

Didn't see a Thriller Dance, but they did have a pool deck Dance Under the Stars. Lots of dancing everywhere.

We went to the Finale Show where they had part of the video of the Cruise DVD you can buy. There were lots of activities that we didn't do, actually we didn't do any activities accept a show almost every night, the high wire act and some trips to the Casino. If you want to have a quiet cruise on the Grandeur you can. If you want to have a party every night, its possible to do that too.

A great thing about the Solarium is that even though you are relatively close to the main pool, you never heard a sound from there. None of the music, games, dancing or pool deck buffets. Only when we would stroll about the deck above the pool did we see how active it was.

We did meet a couple of families with children between 7 and 13 that thought there wasn't enough for those age kids to do, compared with other ships. Lots of younger teens seemed to make friends with each and roam the boat, but since we stayed in the adult pool or later shows we didn't see them or felt bothered by them.

The Centrum seemed to be of a hub of activity than anywhere else.

BTW, there seemed to plenty of time to do the Disney excursion from Port Canaveral but the Nassau stop was not conducive to anything but shop. We did walk through main street of Nassau and saw 100 stores selling the same 10 t-shirts.

We had lunch at Señor Frogs and that seemed like a fun place just to drink.

The longer the cruise and the bigger the ship the more a larger cabin is advantageous, IMO

Internet back. Cruising up the Bay (written last night posted this morning)

First, GREAT CRUISE. Weather couldn't be better. The Solarium roof was open every day!

Smoothest sailing possible. Even long time cruisers commented how smooth the trip was. Captain did a great job of keeping out of impending weather.

Entertainment was very good. Both comics were very funny. At Nassau we dropped off a singer and comedian and picked up a rock band and a new comedian. The centrum high wire act was a WOW. Better than I expected.

Everyday on the ship we were at Solarium. Didn't go to main pool at all.

The movies on the screen though were good. Frozen, Captain America, Spider-Man 2, Annie.

Windjammer? Avoid it. We ate only 2 meals there. 1 breakfast and 1lunch. Terrible food. And even worse manners by the many passengers.

The Park Cafe was such a hit. We ate breakfast and lunch there a lot. Just spectacular. Bagel and lox station in the morning where the salad station is during the day. Fruit and sandwiches paninis were perfect. The Cuban and the Ham and Brie were so good. We Had room service breakfast twice. On time and hot. Thanks guys!, best free coffee on the trip

1 breakfast In The MDR and it was crowded. They put people at tables with others then said the Omelets would be 25 minutes. Nothing special. Coffee sucked.

Izumi and Giovanni's were truly wonderful. Izumi gave us a20% discount because we were so effusive in our praise. The sushi was good not great but everything else was really superb. Didn't go to Chops.

MDR dinner was fine, no complaints about the food, no compliments. Great service.

Great service everywhere. Really. I'm cynical as can be. Everyone we encountered was a real pro and very nice. I gave a WOW card and $10 to a bus boy, not even mine, he was at the Solarium cleaning up during the day and busing in the MDR every night. And worked his tail off. Said hi to me everyday. I just gave him the card and tip and told him he impressed me with how hard he worked. SEEMED TO BE GENUINELY HAPPY by my gesture.

Coco Cay was way too crowded. 2 small ships, GOS and Enchantment at the same time and it was insane. The trick is to get there as early as possible. We did the JetSki. Best time. Ever. Wow. Great. Great. Great. Bring towels. Officer on the ship said we could get them at a Coco Cay. NO NO NO. PISSED ME OFF.

Our biggest complaint was the uncivilized and ill mannered passengers. Rude to each other and staff. Most were fine but way too many were jerks. Older people accusing others of stealing towels from pool chairs or taking their loungers. Very hostile jerks. Too many jerks.

Certain group of people seem to have no use for 'please' and 'thank you' and other polite terms. Nasty loud and obnoxious.

Met lots of nice people as well, the majority, but the class of cruisers is sliding down hill

Getting off the ship was easy. Out of our cabin at 8:00 and on the street with baggage by 8:40.

For those that care, the Diamond Lounge is located in the South Pacific Lounge. The South Pacific Lounge itself was under utilized during the trip and the Diamond Lounge looked out of place. The Concierge

Lounge is on Deck 11 near Izumi and Crown Lounge. Never saw a soul go near it. With the wonderful food served at the Park Cafe and the great space it occupies, both DL and CL seem unnecessary.

Formal nights there some Tux wearing and some jerks in T-shirts and shorts. I wore shorts on the last night and a blazer without a tie on Formal Nights and I was never out of place. If you want to dress down no one bothers you. we found that MDR tables were at about a 70% occupancy on the 5 nights we ate there.

The hits were much better than the misses. Loved our cruise. Would recommend Grandeur for others.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Having a wonderful time. No cork screw needed, champagne.

Windjammer is bad. Sorry. It's just not very good for breakfast or lunch. You have to ask for lox, they keep it hidden. It is available only upon request. Food just isn't great. Desserts are better this trip. Melon and pineapple are very good.

One of the 2 ice cream machines has been broken since we set sail.

The Freestyle Coke Machines are great in theory, in practice they are pissing people off. Runs out of coke too fast and when people realize there's no coke, they have to wait 15 minutes. My last Cherry Coke was seltzer with cherry syrup.

I had to teach 3 different bartenders to make an Americano, Cinzano, Campari and Club Soda with an orange slice. But they learned and did it well. No one knows how to make a Paloma.

We are stationed in the Solarium and the roof has been open all 3 days, praise The Lord .

The Park Cafe is outstanding. The roast beef sandwiches are better than the bad reviews. Really good, the other sandwiches have been very nice and the salad is fabulous. Can't say enough good things about it.

Giovanni's was also great. Going to Izumi tonight. MDR on formal night 1 was fine. Formal attire was worn by less than 5% of the passengers in the late seating. Suits by maybe another 45%. About 5% of people were slobs. The food was good. The lobster bisque wasn't really bisque but still good, the sliced tenderloins was perfectly cooked and butter knife tender.

I am 40 pounds overweight. I am thin on this cruise. There are some big folk on this cruise

We are Not near the main pool and not eating early and there are Plenty of kids but we are not seeing them.

The All Access show by the ships dancers was just ok. Better than a good high school but not great. Adult comic is tonight.

The touch screen maps are great. You can access the MDR menu is available on the map.

I can be critical and still love it.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Our JS was considered a suite for checkin and boarding. 15 minutes from dropping off baggage to sitting at R Bar for a Bloody Mary. Solarium roof is open. It's a good day

On the Grandeur if that matters

Sent from my iPad using Forums

The question came up because my DD wants to go on a cruise when she graduates high school in June. She wants me to go and she wants a few friends to go as well (their parents will be paying their way). They will all be 18. I just did not know the rules on the ship but knew the rules in port.

 

The last cruise we took she was only 14, so it was a non-issue.

 

I now need to find out if an 18 yr old can board without a parent? I am guessing they can since they are of age and will have passports. I just don't know if I want to take them on a cruise or just take them to an AI resort. Only thing about NOS out of Galveston is that there is no airfare needed since we live close to the port.

 

Whatever I decide, I guess I need to do it quickly. August is already here!

Anyone have any thoughts?

My daughter too did HS graduation cruise, out of Venice. No parents at all. 10 18 year olds, 1 17 year old and 2 teachers and a teacher's spouse. No note from Mom or Dad needed. Legal adults. The Drinking age was 18 and so was she. Later that year we did a Bermuda cruise out of Baltimore, the drinking age is 21. She was mighty bummed.

Thanks for providing this information. It would explain why the "lobster tails" on RCCL are usually small, dry, and hardly worth the time to eat them:D

 

The last time I had one was on Portofino on Jewel - small, dry and pathetic:(

I have had some great Caribbean lobster, when fresh, what we call spiny lobster. There are no claws to eat, but the tails are great. I like my lobsters like I like my women, big-n-fresh

Seafood is only truly good when fresh. You can't have fresh seafood on a mass cruise. Maybe Cunard has fresh lobster, oysters and clams, but not for thousands of people.

It's shrimp. Do you eat shrimp?

Read Wednesday's NYTimes article in the food section on shrimp. It will make a little for discriminating when it comes to shrimp. Grocery store shrimp and commercial asian shrimp are tasteless, to me.

The never ending obsession with lobster.........

 

Pick up some tails at Sams Club. Not expensive. Split em' open and broil em', they'll be better than anything you can get for "free" on the cruise:D

BJs has stellar lobster and steaks. Personally, if its just the tail, I grill it. Or wrap it in foil with some lemon and white wine, seal it and grill it. No fuss, No Mess. Steamed lobster in wine is fantastic

When reviewing a cruise I wish people would state the approximate capacity of the ship or are we to always assume that a Royal cruise is greater than 90% of capacity? Lower Occupancy and a quality cruise can be related. Though high occupancy doesn't and should not lead to diminished service or quality. And passengers should demand the same service whether there are 1000 passengers or 5000.

Some people are such cruise enthusiasts that they often turn a blind eye to a less than desirable happening on board. Others are such enthusiasts that they expect bumps in the road, or waves at sea, and accept when things don't go as planned.

Some people are the princess and the pea.

Most of us are in the between:D

Beverage service...an oxymoron, if I ever heard one! We always stop at a bar before heading to dinner, as service is pretty slow. That way, we have a drink to tide us over until someone asks if we would like a drink!

Us too. One of the reason we eat late, or as my mom and dad call it, at a civilized hour, stop and have a cocktail and don't be part of the cattle call of people waiting for doors to open.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Seriously, $34 for a small lobster? (Anything under2lbs is an appetizer ) that's crazy!

Sent from my iPad using Forums

It's great. You almost can't criticize ice cream, though Breyers Frozen Dairy Desserts are on the buffet in h..l

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Uh..oh...trouble maker! :p :p

 

Me, I am holding out for a pink sea pass card. :D

That would be for the V1agra* class passengers

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Does early arrival correspond with early baggage delivery?

Sent from my iPad using Forums

HAL, Celebrity, Crystal, Carnival all have loyalty programs, is Royal's appreciably better?

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Great thread with wonderful pics! This Friday we'll be on the Grandeur for the first time. We were supposed to do the same trip in June '13, but the fire caused a change of plans! Glad to be getting another chance. :)

 

 

 

I have a somewhat crazy question for those who've been on recently. Have any of you noticed if Absolut Mango is sold in the shop onboard. It's my husband's favorite and he's requesting it for his birthday. It's impossible to get Mango in PA, so buying it on board would be great. I got it a couple of years ago on Explorer, so hoping I'll find it on Grandeur as well.

I'll be on the Grandeur with you. If they don't have the Absolute Mango on board, stop at a total a wine in Towson on the way home. They have it and at good prices

Sent from my iPad using Forums

RCCL has two female captains, Karen on the Majesty and Liz in the Vision. On my June cruise on the Vision, a dinner with the captain was one of the ship's raffle items for the Make a Wish Foundation. It went for $500.

Very happy to hear about Women Captains

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Thanks. I have the menus on my iPad. Mojo not my favorite how's the salmon ?

Sent from my iPad using Forums

I know there is a 20% off the specialty dining venues on the 1st night, is there a traditional 1st night meal in the MDR? We don't care if we meet our servers the 1st night and we have our own MDR table. I guess Royal is encouraging passengers to use Chops, Giovanis or Izumi (our options) the first night by offering a discount.

Is the food the freshest on the 1st night, having been re supplied at port or is it the leftovers from the previous cruise making way for the new supplies?

Giovanni's alfresco sailing down the Chesapeake Bay sounds romantic.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Are there female officers? I'd rather dine with them. Does the Captains table get a special menu? Are his meals in the MDR better than the regular meals off the menu?

Sent from my iPad using Forums

I've stayed in Caribbean resorts when the ships come in and it's bloody h&$l. Seemingly out of no where hoards of vacationers with 3 hours to do everything fill up every bar stool and beach chair. Scary. Stay on the ship. Next vacation go to the Virgin Islands and stay there for a week.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

As long as there are 14 year old girls, 15 year old boys will be occupied.

Sent from my iPad using Forums