Questions about Grandeur Cabins

Question for the Grandeur gurus:

Ocean View or Interior? Which would you pick?

Good cabin locations? Any other suggestions?

Some people are calling it "Rust Bucket".....any truth to it? (When we went some years back, it was fine).

Any cabins with shower doors or only a curtain?

Thank you.

I was on the Graduer last year with my family. We had 3 cabins, 2 ocean view and one interior. I preferred the window view but there was nothing wrong with the interior cabin. Parts of the ship are definitely showing it’s age but I think it’s far from a rust bucket; everything in our cabin was functional and clean. I’m not sure if there are shower doors in other cabins but all of our cabins had shower curtains. We were on deck 3 and it seemed a fairly convenient location.

We always get an Interior Stateroom in the middle of Deck 4 between the Centrum and the front stairs/elevators. This area gives quick access to most activities, shows and MDR. Also convenient for a quick pit-stop if needed. ;) Ocean View if you prefer natural light, Interior for darkness. We are rarely in our room except for sleep, shower or change.

These rooms have the affectionate shower curtain. :eek:

We had one of our best cruises on her in April and will be back on her again in December. :D

Thank you both.

Sounds quite encouraging.

Just got off the Grandeur a few hours ago. We stayed in suite 3517, an inside cabin far towards the bow just off the main hallway.

Interior vs Oceanview - I'd take an Oceanview over an Interior 8 ways from Sunday now. Don't get me wrong, ours was nice and comfortable and we mostly just slept in it, but there's something jarring when you wake up and there's no quick way to know if you overslept or if it's raining outside. The oceanviews have a little more room from what I remember of our friend's OV cabin.

Cabin Location? - I feel like this might be personal preference. Like I said, we were in the bow area on deck 3, so most things were a bit of a walk. Additionally, there's a good bit of equipment noise a deck or two above so light sleepers might want something a few rows back. The buffet is 6 decks up, but most of the other dining options are towards the aft so again, a walk. Whats your preference?

Rust bucket? - She's showing some age. I wouldn't call her a rust bucket, but there's no doubt that she's pushing 25 years old iirc. She's got a few minor modern touches, but she's still got a distinctly '90s cruise ship' feel to her. If you are used to the more modern ships (last 10 years or so), you may find some of her charming quirks a little less charming.

Just got off the Grandeur a few hours ago. We stayed in suite 3517, an inside cabin far towards the bow just off the main hallway.

 

Interior vs Oceanview - I'd take an Oceanview over an Interior 8 ways from Sunday now. Don't get me wrong, ours was nice and comfortable and we mostly just slept in it, but there's something jarring when you wake up and there's no quick way to know if you overslept or if it's raining outside. The oceanviews have a little more room from what I remember of our friend's OV cabin.

 

Cabin Location? - I feel like this might be personal preference. Like I said, we were in the bow area on deck 3, so most things were a bit of a walk. Additionally, there's a good bit of equipment noise a deck or two above so light sleepers might want something a few rows back. The buffet is 6 decks up, but most of the other dining options are towards the aft so again, a walk. Whats your preference?

 

Rust bucket? - She's showing some age. I wouldn't call her a rust bucket, but there's no doubt that she's pushing 25 years old iirc. She's got a few minor modern touches, but she's still got a distinctly '90s cruise ship' feel to her. If you are used to the more modern ships (last 10 years or so), you may find some of her charming quirks a little less charming.

Thanks. I like the way you explained it. I am really happy to learn that she is not a rust bucket.

How would you compare HAL's Veendam to the Grandeur?

..sorry duplicate post

How would you compare HAL's Veendam to the Grandeur?

I can't speak to the Veendam, but our first cruise was HAL's Oosterdam and to us, it's not even a close comparison. (I will probably get lynched by the Grandeur loyalists, but this is just my opinion) We LOVED our experience on HAL and were a bit let down by our experience on RCCL. We were still on vacation and are pretty laid back, so it's all good, just comparatively, we would go back to HAL in a heartbeat. The room service, drink service, food service (we really liked on HAL that even the buffet was hands off, vice serve yourself), everything seemed just a bit higher end with HAL. We honestly aren't sure if we just got lucky with the staff on HAL, or whether it's indicative of the over all cruise line, so are trying RCCL again in November, giving it a fair shot. I can definitely see us going back to HAL in the future though.

Question for the Grandeur gurus:

 

Ocean View or Interior? Which would you pick? Suite. failing that, balcony.

Good cabin locations? Any other suggestions? depends entirely on what you plan/want to do on board..

Some people are calling it "Rust Bucket".....any truth to it? (When we went some years back, it was fine).

Any cabins with shower doors or only a curtain? Owner's suites

 

Thank you.

GR is older, so of course there will be rust and general wear and tear. shabby is relative. we always find her to be immaculately kept and thats more important to us than a few signs of age.

I can't speak to the Veendam, but our first cruise was HAL's Oosterdam and to us, it's not even a close comparison. (I will probably get lynched by the Grandeur loyalists, but this is just my opinion) We LOVED our experience on HAL and were a bit let down by our experience on RCCL. We were still on vacation and are pretty laid back, so it's all good, just comparatively, we would go back to HAL in a heartbeat. The room service, drink service, food service (we really liked on HAL that even the buffet was hands off, vice serve yourself), everything seemed just a bit higher end with HAL. We honestly aren't sure if we just got lucky with the staff on HAL, or whether it's indicative of the over all cruise line, so are trying RCCL again in November, giving it a fair shot. I can definitely see us going back to HAL in the future though.

I have been on both the Grandeur (2014) and the Veendam (2017 & 2018). And I completely agree on your assessment,

From a hardware perspective, I would say the Grandeur has a more modern feel to it, and it is generally better maintained than the Veendam. But the Veedam do feel less crowded than the Grandeur.

But from a "software" perspective, which can be very subjective and personal, I prefer activities on the Veendam such as American Test Kitchen`s cooking demonstration, Digital Workshop by Windows, or its BBC partnership over the activities like Bingo, Trivia, bean bag toss offered on RCCL/Grandeur. And I also enjoy the food options offered on the Veendam more than what's being offer on the Grandeur. Veendam has offer more varieties like New York Pizza, Dive In Burger whereas Grandeur only has the Park Cafe. Furthermore, HAL offers better and more expensive ingredients in the included dinning as they still offers items like ducks, rack of lambs, filet mignon and fois gois in one of the evening in the main dining room. Whereas items like these are only now served on RCCL's specialty restaurants.

In short, both ships lacks attractions that some cruisers expects from a modern cruise ships. The difference is on the Veendam they made up for it with enhanced "software" whereas I do not feel RCCL try to make up for Grandeur's hardware shortcoming by enhancing its "software".

Personally,despite its age and somewhat spotty maintenance, I would have no hesitation booking another cruise on the Veendam. But I'm debating whether I should cancel my booking on the Grandeur and jump ship to either the NCL Gem or the Anthem for March break 2019 .

GR is older, so of course there will be rust and general wear and tear. shabby is relative. we always find her to be immaculately kept and thats more important to us than a few signs of age.

Thank you.

I have been on both the Grandeur (2014) and the Veendam (2017 & 2018). And I completely agree on your assessment,

 

From a hardware perspective, I would say the Grandeur has a more modern feel to it, and it is generally better maintained than the Veendam. But the Veedam do feel less crowded than the Grandeur.

 

But from a "software" perspective, which can be very subjective and personal, I prefer activities on the Veendam such as American Test Kitchen`s cooking demonstration, Digital Workshop by Windows, or its BBC partnership over the activities like Bingo, Trivia, bean bag toss offered on RCCL/Grandeur. And I also enjoy the food options offered on the Veendam more than what's being offer on the Grandeur. Veendam has offer more varieties like New York Pizza, Dive In Burger whereas Grandeur only has the Park Cafe. Furthermore, HAL offers better and more expensive ingredients in the included dinning as they still offers items like ducks, rack of lambs, filet mignon and fois gois in one of the evening in the main dining room. Whereas items like these are only now served on RCCL's specialty restaurants.

 

In short, both ships lacks attractions that some cruisers expects from a modern cruise ships. The difference is on the Veendam they made up for it with enhanced "software" whereas I do not feel RCCL try to make up for Grandeur's hardware shortcoming by enhancing its "software".

 

Personally,despite its age and somewhat spotty maintenance, I would have no hesitation booking another cruise on the Veendam. But I'm debating whether I should cancel my booking on the Grandeur and jump ship to either the NCL Gem or the Anthem for March break 2019 .

Thanks. Very well explained.

We just got off the Veendam (14 night Cuba and Caribbean) and I too felt that HAL was a bit upscale in the "software" as you mentioned (compared to other cruise lines we have been on). But the Veendam was really tired looking in general. (other HAL ships may be excellent, but I cannot comment, since I have not been on any other HAL ship but the Veendam). Kept clean and polished, but you can see her age. I had no complaints/problems but a lot of cabins had complaints, mainly being no air conditioning for 14 days, in some cabins.... "hardware" problem. And I absolutely felt that this HAL ship had no stabilizers!!!

From what I remember of the Grandeur, it was a bit more grander, so I thought I would ask what others who had cruised on both ships thought. I have not been on the Grandeur in a long time.

Any thoughts on Deck 3 ocean views or insides on deck 7 and 8?

Question for the Grandeur gurus:

 

Ocean View or Interior? Which would you pick?

Good cabin locations? Any other suggestions?

Some people are calling it "Rust Bucket".....any truth to it? (When we went some years back, it was fine).

Any cabins with shower doors or only a curtain?

 

Thank you.

Ocean View or Interior? Which would you pick? Personal preference. If you choose interior, cabins that are perpendicular to the hallway are better than those that are parallel to the hallway. In the parallel cabins, the door opens into the center of the cabin, which significantly reduces the useful space.

Good cabin locations? Any other suggestions? Deck 7 is perfect for us. The majority of public areas are within 2 decks, 3 at most. We used the steps 2 time on a 9 day cruise (both times were upon reboarding on port calls to go from deck 1 to WJ on deck 9.

Some people are calling it "Rust Bucket".....any truth to it? (When we went some years back, it was fine). It is older, but well maintained. Due to the lack of more larger ship things like water slide, flow riders, etc., it is not for everyone. It works for us very well. The crew is friendly. The ship never felt crowded on a summer sailing. It had the most relaxed vibe of any ship that we have been on for a long time.

Any cabins with shower doors or only a curtain? We had a curtain. The shower was so small that a door would have been worse. Suites may be different

Any thoughts on Deck 3 ocean views or insides on deck 7 and 8?

Our inside on 7 was a great location, but the cabin was small and felt even smaller due to the door in the center of the cabin. You have to put the chair and table in the center of the cabin to make room for the door to open. The wasted space there and in the area where the door usually is made an already small cabin feel even smaller. It is the biggest shortfall on a ship that we enjoyed immensely.

We've stayed in suites on Grandeur and there are curtains not doors in the shower.

Personal preference for me is interior on deck 7, midship. Deck 7 is quiet with a passenger deck above, but you don't hear much from below. Its quick to either elevator (fore or aft) and easy access to everything.

Grandeur, being an older ship, has less balcony rooms than the newer ships, therefore, you may actually pay more for a balcony on this ship vs. Anthem or Freedom.

I was actually on Deck 3 on my last cruise earlier this year. I had a live thread, if you want a link to it, let me know. I was far aft interior. One warning about the last cabins on this floor (and may deck 2 or 4, not 100% sure). On every cruise supposedly, the crew has a huge party. It was only 1 night, but it sounded like there was a club next door (I was the very last cabin). I suspect it may only affect that last cabins, and maybe the cabin next to mine, but the bass permeated through the wall like tissue. It kept going till 2:30am. Just a fair warning for those rooms.

My first Royal cruise was on Grandeur, one of the least expensive inside staterooms, and it almost turned me off RCI permanently. The room was absolutely *tiny*, the closet was woefully too small, and the bathroom bordered on unusable. The sink was so small, I could barely get my hands wet in it. My 300 pound husband was very unhappy with the size of the shower. The room was so small that we couldn't even pass each other - one of us would have to step into the bathroom or out of the room if the other wanted by. Luckily, our friends talked us into trying a promenade room on the Freedom of the Seas, and we've loved Royal ever since. But I'll never stay in one of those teeny interior rooms on the older ships again!

Janis

We have sailed on Grandeur 3 times in the past 3 years. We love her because she is small and we have always had wonderful personal service. We’ve also been on the larger ships and love them, too But there is something special about Grandeur.

We always stayed in an aft jr Suite. Cost less than a grand suite, but there was plenty of room. The aft balcony was perfect for sitting with a glass of the wine we brought on board while sailing away from a port, or just watching the sea.

Enjoy Grandeur!

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Question for the Grandeur gurus:

 

Ocean View or Interior? Which would you pick?

Good cabin locations? Any other suggestions?

Some people are calling it "Rust Bucket".....any truth to it? (When we went some years back, it was fine).

Any cabins with shower doors or only a curtain?

 

Thank you.

We are going on our 4th.Grandeur cruise in December .This will be our 4th.December cruise .We book the same cabin every time .It is an OV .

We tried an inside cabin once (not on the Grandeur) and said never again .We need to see the ocean when we wake up.

Any thoughts on Deck 3 ocean views or insides on deck 7 and 8?

Arzeena, I was on the Grandeur for 9 days; got off last Saturday July 14th. Email me. I had cabin 3552; very satisfied with cabin and location.

Just got off the ship yesterday. This was our fourth trip on her and our fourth time to Bermuda.

This was our first time in an interior room on Deck Seven...more forward than aft. A little tight space wise but doable.

We usually do a balcony and so we are spoiled. Oceanview after that and port hole last (unless it is a lower deck and underwater at times). An Interior room, I think forces you to get out or else you could go cabin crazy.

They are doing work on her. I saw a lot of the deck crew out and about painting above the Solarium and some noisy sawing and work there also. At Bermuda I saw external painting at the stern.

She looked great from the freeway I-95 as we rolled into the cruise port. We have gone from small (Grandeur) to mid size (Explorer) to large (Freedom, Oasis and Quantum) and each ship has been great.

Treat yourself and get a balcony!

Question for the Grandeur gurus:

 

Ocean View or Interior? Which would you pick? We always had an OV on deck 4 mid ship. Loved them. This past time we went with an interior. on deck 7. We did not care for deck 7. Now we will be having an interior, (deck 4) on the next 4 cruises on the Grandeur. Unless you are spending a lot of time in cabin, go with an interior.

Good cabin locations? Any other suggestions?

Mid ship for us deck 4

Some people are calling it "Rust Bucket".....any truth to it? (When we went some years back, it was fine).

 

Any cabins with shower doors or only a curtain?

Curtain.

Thank you.

We always ask that our beds be separated. Makes the cabin much more open and easier to get around.

The above comments are our personal opinions, others might disagree.

OP, funny you should ask.....we just booked our 7th Grandeur cruise. We obviously like the ship and the port of Baltimore.

We like seeing the sea, so we prefer OV cabins. The only ones we would avoid are the far forward ones, which have portholes rather than windows. I see the reference to the "sideways" inside cabins; they do seem to have more space, so they might be desirable, too.

I don't agree that a balcony is a must. We had a balcony once in 40+ cruises, and only used it one time on the 10-night cruise. And on Grandeur, unlike some cruises, there is a vast difference in price.

I also don't agree with the "rust bucket" reference. It is clean, well maintained, and has excellent crew.

Our most recent cruise was on Veendam. She is much smaller than Grandeur, and she felt smaller. We like them both, but in different ways.

Grandeur continues to sell out on virtually all her cruises; there must be something good about her!