GiannaD

Here she is near Annapolis, MD

 

Love the photos! Thanks

Attached is a thumbnail of a D2 Accessible room. We are sailing the Grandeur for our 50th Anniversary and looking forward to a great time. We are in 7102 which should be a wonderful location.

We enjoy the marvelous crew on Lady G and are happy that Rick and Daryl will be on board for our sailing.

Looking forward to meeting all of you. Can someone arrange a sailaway gathering or Meet n Mingle since Royal does not do and official meeting for six day cruises.

Hi Seeshore!

The D2 Accessible Staterooms are very well located near the midship stairs and elevators. They are huge with loads of storage and space to maneuver.

Cabin 7602 is over the entrance to the Schooner Bar and we did not have any noise from the bar. In the evening we could hear music when we were on the balcony but it was not at all annoying. There are cabins above the D2 accessible cabins. If you click your stateroom number in your reservation you can see a photo of the cabin. It is a great cabin.

I'm sure you are aware that it will be cold sailing out of Baltimore in winter but it will warm up the second or third day.

Enjoy your cruise.

Our shower curtain on the Grandeur had the track which did indeed keep the curtain inside the shower but the curtain still blew in and stuck to us as we tried to shower. I had a plastic clip but never did figure out how to use it to prevent the curtain "attacks."

Suggestions would be welcome.

Here is a shot I took from our balcony as we passed under the Chesapeake Bay Bridge(s).

I do believe it was just at 1 hour after sailing that we went under the bridge.

On the May 30 sailing out of Baltimore we passed under the Key Bridge at 4:44 pm (time stamp on my photo).

The OP said he had early dining and slow service.

Did you also have the slow service in early dining, 2thesea? Or was it MTD or late?

 

We have MTD on our B2B next month. I am hoping MTD is not taking 2 1/2 hours, else the lines will be long and the people cranky (almost certainly including DH, maybe me, too). Any feedback about recent MTD experiences would be appeciated.

We were on the May 30 departure on Grandeur. We had MTD and did not a have more than a few minutes wait at any time. The service was good and one night we were out in about an hour. Like any restaurant the service can be slow or fast. We usually arrived between 7 & 8 and had a table for two. I think service takes longer in traditional dining because everyone is seated at once. Also service for large tables takes longer.

Enjoy your cruise.

There have been questions raised on another thread as to whether or not the repairs to the jogging track / deck 10 have been completed. Can you confirm status?

On our sailing May 30-June 6 the deck cracks had not been repaired. There were two speed bump type temporary repairs on deck 10.

I personally prefer the extended balcony cabins on the hump near the elevators. All of the cabins (except for suites) are the same size with only the balconies varying in size.

Check the Sticky on the Celebrity Forum for information on specific cabins.

For me the long walk wouldn't be worth it for a larger balcony. I prefer the midship cabins for convenience and less motion of the ship.

I booked a cruise in October 2013 for August 2014. At the time I got a balcony discount and was told to call back when I became diamond.

I reached Elite on Celebrity in March 2014 which made me Diamond on RCI.

I called RCI and was given the additional discount without rebooking my cabin. The price had increased but I did not have to pay an increase.

I live in the US and the phone call only took a few minutes. I don't remember how long after my call the discount appeared on my account.

It certainly would be nice if there was some consistency of policy on RCI.

Quote: On the Grandeur we had shower curtains that would have stuck to us but we brought chip clips.

We were just on the Grandeur and will be on her again in August. She is a great ship except for the shower curtains.

I took along clips but never got the knack of using them so the curtain "attacked" me daily. How many clips do you use and where do you place them?

Thanks

Trond is the current captain and Paul Rutter is the Cruise Director.

We were on Deck 7 cabin 7530 of the Grandeur and our balcony divider opened.

The cruise director on the May 30 departure was Paul Rutter.

The food in the Windjammer was average and the food in the Main Dining Room was good to great.

There were a lot of activities for the 200+ children on our departure. The activities in November will depend on the number of children on board. When school is in session there are many less children and less activities.

Our departure last week had many multigenerational groups but that was during summer vacation. The Grandeur does not have all the venues of the larger ships. If your children want slides, mini golf, ice skating etc. you will not find them on the Grandeur.

Access the Meet and Mingle Board for the departure and ask about children who will be on board.

Some of the above information is not accurate. Diamond is equivalent to Elite on Celebrity. The middle part of the above list is for a lower level.

Check the Celebrity website for a list of Elite Benefits once you have enrolled in the Celebrity Captain's Club.

Enjoy your cruise!

1 of the cabins is marked....sofa bed and extra bed from the wall....will they take that one away from us if a family needs a cabin??? I wanted to be closest to the middle but those few cabins are already taken for Feb. 2016....should I go to deck 8 for more money? Will it really make a difference??

If you book a cabin with a sofa bed and extra bunk it is yours once you make your deposit. Those cabins have the bed by the bathroom. The location forward and aft is more important than deck 7, 8, or 9. It all depends on what you want. Keep an eye on prices and cabin availability after you book. You can get a price adjustment as long as it is before final payment or you can change your cabin if a better location becomes available. Hump 1A balcony cabins are very popular because of the larger balconies and book up fast. We like both 1A and 1B cabins on the hump

because of the location. Cabins on deck 6 on the hump are not obstructed view.

All of the standard cabins are the same size including concierge and aqua class. Only the amenities are different.

Both balconies can be sunny depending on the time of day and the direction the ship is sailing. There is no overhang on these balconies, only the floor of the balcony above. 7282 should have the bed near the balcony and 7284 has the bed near the bath if that makes a difference in your selection. Both cabins are very convenient to the main elevators and quiet even though they are near the centrum.

The amount of sun depends on your itinerary and the time of year.

GiannaD, Thank You for the reply.

I am very reassured hearing from you and the previous poster, stating that Grandeur is a great ship. I see that you sailed on Equinox and other newer, larger vessels. I was really worried about Grandeur due to all negative reviews. On the other hand, we recently sailed Breakaway and we could not comprehend what people were complaining about. Thanks again.

Each ship has its own personality and while we like the larger Solstice class Celebrity ships we also really enjoy the smaller Grandeur. The crew on Grandeur is wonderful and even though it is an older ship it has been recently updated and is sparkling. If you are looking for slides, wave runners, ice skating, miniature golf and aqua shows you are on the wrong ship. Grandeur is quieter in a very nice way. It is good for relaxation and not being part of a mob. There are still plenty of activities including shows, bingo, the casino, activities in the Centrum, aerial shows, trivia,demonstrations, tours, and movies on the big screen on the pool deck but not the WOW of the Oasis and larger ships. Success and satisfaction on any voyage has a lot to do with expectations. I expect to relax, eat well, be entertained and enjoy myself with a nice group of fellow travelers. The celebrity ships are larger than the Grandeur and we enjoy their understated elegance and low key activities. :)

I wouldn't worry about the cabin location. Once your stateroom door is closed the room will be quiet. We've been in a cabin near the Centrum and didn't have any noise issues.

My only concern about going out of Baltimore in February is that there could be snow on the deck until you get a day or so out of port!

We love the Grandeur and have two cruises booked on her in 2014.

Just ask your room steward for extra hangers. I usually ask for wire hangers because they take up less space in the closet.

I have really enjoyed reading your report and am sorry to see your suitcases in the corridor!

I agree that Quasar is wasted space. The only time I went in there is was much too loud etc. The best use I saw for it was as a space for one of those "everything $10.00 sales."

The photos are marvelous. I've been on the Equinox and Eclipse several times and never thought about taking some of the closeups that you have in your album. They really capture a sense of place.

Thanks

Back to Port

 

So after the arrival KLM we stuck around for a little bit and I made sure I did not make the same mistake. I didn't buy a t-shirt at Sunset Bar last year so this year we got the t-shirt. I think I might just wear it this summer when I go down to watch our cruise ships leave form Charlottetown Harbour. Out Taxi driver was there at 1:00 PM to pick us up.

 

Look who I see Mark and Beth returning with bags in their hands. I Didn't see any Go Pro bags in Marks' hands.

 

 

After lunch we gave came back out to do some window shopping. In the far right of the next pano you can see they are building some new buildings for diamond stores of course.

 

 

I like where they placed this next sign at the Taxi drop off.

 

 

A final pano of all three ships before we go back before departure.

 

 

A picture of the port from Equinox's bow.

 

 

While I was wandering I noticed this barge that was tucked up real close to the starboard aft side of Equinox. Anybody have any idea what it was for?

 

 

The barge is refueling the ship. The process is called bunkering. The fueling takes place at ports with refineries that can provide the type of bunker fuel required to run the generators on the ships.

No, there is no mini golf on the Grandeur.

Thanks for the replies. So far I haven't found any group listed on the Grandeur for August 29 but am still wondering why the n/a appeared rather suddenly in March.

Any other ideas would be appreciated and I certainly don't want to get a call from RCI saying my reservation has to be rebooked. This is a special cruise for us.

Thanks again.

I booked a cruise from Baltimore that departs in late August 2014. In early March there was availability in all categories. Around March 21 the cruise was listed as N/A and since then only two very expensive suites have been available for the departure.

I find it unusual that a departure would be sold out six months in advance and wonder if a large group has reserved all of the remaining cabins.

Any ideas?