Grandeur out of Baltimore

[PBNJ620]

We have a large group planning on a cruise next August and they are choosing between Explorer out of NJ or Grandeur out of Baltimore.

 

For those of you who have traveled on Grandeur (and any larger ships), how would you compare Grandeur? Looks like they've just renovated it????

 

Thanks for your help (again).

[ebonybee]

Explorer....due to the promenade and additional activities. Grandeur is good for relaxing.

[buffi001]

Where do you guys live? If you are close to B'more , that is a big

plus. Baltimore is a very easy port to get in and out of. The pix

of the Grandeur after refurbishing look very nice......although it is

smaller than Explorer, it still has lots of amenities.

 

I have found that you can usually get a better price on cruises out of NJ

than those out of Baltimore.

[retiredgram]

The Grandeur will not be in Baltimore until next year, I believe in May.

 

We cruised on her in 08 and loved it. Have cruised on the FOS out of Fl. and felt that the ship not easy to navigate. Constantly got lost.:confused:Of course you are talking about seniors.

 

Did like the cabin on FOS, we had a promenade view. Loved it. The ExOS

has prom views. Granduer does not.

 

The Grandeur is getting renovated. She had not gone thru this when we took her out of Baltimore when she was here before.

 

Never having been on the Explorer, I would probably go with her. We do know that when the Grandeur comes back to Baltimore, we will definetly be cruising on her.

 

Over all, we prefer a smaller ship, that is just our preference.

 

Best of cruising with which ever ship you decide on. Sorry I was not that much help.

[Merion_Mom]

Where are you, and where are the members of your group? Convenience in traveling to the port can be a factor, too.

 

It is less expensive to stay near the port and park at or near the port in Baltimore than in Bayonne.

 

The Grandeur has JUST been renovated; Explorer's renovation is scheduled for the very end of 2014.

 

Explorer is larger, with the Royal Promenade and more venues like bars and lounges. Grandeur is smaller and "cozier". Explorer has a wider range of cabin options. Explorer has the Café Promenade, which is open almost 24/7 (closes briefly for cleaning in pre-dawn hours). At this point, Grandeur has more specialty restaurants than Explorer, which has only Portofino.

 

Explorer has more "stuff" on the upper decks: another pool, sports courts, the mini-golf course, bigger area for kids and teens.

 

Both are, in my opinion, somewhat overpriced for what you get (compared to cruises that sail out of Florida), but apparently people, and lots of them, are willing to pay this "convenience fee".

 

Explorer was our first ship, and I will always love her for that. But she NEEDS those updates and renovations!

[vlynn]

Where are you, and where are the members of your group? Convenience in traveling to the port can be a factor, too.

 

It is less expensive to stay near the port and park at or near the port in Baltimore than in Bayonne.

 

The Grandeur has JUST been renovated; Explorer's renovation is scheduled for the very end of 2014.

 

Explorer is larger, with the Royal Promenade and more venues like bars and lounges. Grandeur is smaller and "cozier". Explorer has a wider range of cabin options. Explorer has the Café Promenade, which is open almost 24/7 (closes briefly for cleaning in pre-dawn hours). At this point, Grandeur has more specialty restaurants than Explorer, which has only Portofino.

 

Explorer has more "stuff" on the upper decks: another pool, sports courts, the mini-golf course, bigger area for kids and teens.

 

Both are, in my opinion, somewhat overpriced for what you get (compared to cruises that sail out of Florida), but apparently people, and lots of them, are willing to pay this "convenience fee".

 

Explorer was our first ship, and I will always love her for that. But she NEEDS those updates and renovations!

 

I agree the cost of the cruise is more sailing out of Baltimore than FL but once you add the cost of flying and staying a night or so in FL I believe for those of us who live closer to Baltimore the price is actually cheaper. Baltimore is a super easy port; great for first - timers. :p I will be sailing with RCI for the first time in 90 days on the Enchantment and I couldn't be more excited.

[funfamilyof6]

Both are, in my opinion, somewhat overpriced for what you get (compared to cruises that sail out of Florida), but apparently people, and lots of them, are willing to pay this "convenience fee".

 

 

I second this!! We amaze our family because we would rather drive straight for 20 hours and cruise out of Florida for the nicer ships than sail out of NY our home state which we have only done once on the Explorer. Since we drive to Florida instead of flying, it ends up being the cheaper way anyway.

 

 

To the OP, since you are travelling with a large group, I would choose the port you are closer to and is more convenient for everybody going.

[spookwife]

We have a large group planning on a cruise next August and they are choosing between Explorer out of NJ or Grandeur out of Baltimore.

 

For those of you who have traveled on Grandeur (and any larger ships), how would you compare Grandeur? Looks like they've just renovated it????

 

Thanks for your help (again).

 

the Grandeur is one of the smaller ships and we do prefer that to the big huge ones ourselves, if your group wants lots of stuff to keep them occupied it's probably not the best choice.

 

I find GR and EN better for just kicking back....

[Tony O]

We have a large group planning on a cruise next August and they are choosing between Explorer out of NJ or Grandeur out of Baltimore.

 

For those of you who have traveled on Grandeur (and any larger ships), how would you compare Grandeur? Looks like they've just renovated it????

 

Thanks for your help (again).

 

DW and I sailed the Voyager(same class as Explorer) Grandeur and Enchantment.

We both agree we like Grandeur and Enchantment better. More intimate and relaxing and the staff seemed a little bit more personable on the smaller ships. Again, this is our preference.

Just look at your logisitcs and see what make more sense to do ,either way you will have fun.

[JMG]

We were on the Grandeur many years ago and have found memories of that cruise. As many have mentioned, the larger ships have more activites. But, the Grandeur, and Enchantment, offer great cruise experiences. We cruised out of Balt and it was so easy! Yes, due to the number of berths that need to be filled in Florida, the price is more competitive. With NJ, the cost of the Pilot is much less and the ship is larger so again, the prices are lower. But sailing out of Baltimore is so completely different than cruising out of Florida. It is amazing to see the ship sail under the Francis Scott Key Bridge, The Bay Bridge, and sail over the Bay Bridge Tunnel. For the first 9 hours of the cruise you are on the Chesapeake Bay and the Red and Green/Port and Starboard buoys are one right after the other. (The pilot is onbaord for that entire 9 hour trip so the cost is higher than a pilot that is off the ship within an hour of leaving port.)

 

Ask the people in your group what is important to them. Do they want to cruise the Chesapeake? Do they prefer to see an Ice Show? Would they prefer to have a Promenade Parade and more public rooms? Is Balt more convenient than NJ. In NJ, you have to take a shuttle from the terminal to the ship, In Balt, you walk right on board from the terminal. Parking in Balt is less than NJ. Are you using a bus or individual cars? We were off the Enchantment by 8:30 and in our car by 9am. We could have been off earlier/later but the time suited us!

 

Which ship has the better itinerary or sail date? There are so many variables to consider and with a group, you will never satisfy everyone. There are pluses and minuses to every ship/itinerary and port.

[wandb]

We sailed out of Baltimore on the Grandeur several years ago and would do it again in a heartbeat! It was our first RCL cruise and the first time out of the Baltimore port. It was the easiest port (in and out) that we have ever been through. And we really enjoyed the Grandeur!

[MAHA]

Love sailing out of Baltimore as it is less than 30 minutes from home. We can leave home and be on the ship in less than an hour! Wish they would switch up the itineraries more, though! We do love Bermuda and a 7 night cruise to Bermuda is great as you have time to really see the island! Grandeur is smaller with less amenities than Explorer, but we personally love the Vision and Radiance class ships better than Voyager or Freedom class ships.

 

Mary Anne

[cruiseclues]

We like the idea of another ship sailing out of Baltimore as it is convenient for us and we've been on the Enchantment of the Seas out of Baltimore. However, recent reviews have all mentioned the sewage smell problem which appears to be all over the ship and especially bad in the atrium. Hopefully, they will get control of that problem before the Grandeur comes to Baltimore. :(