9/11 Granduer sold out Advice to deal with full ship

[OC PAT]

Hi there. Our ship has a capacity of 2172 passengers and the Granduer is sold out. We are going out of Baltimore to Bermuda. We are frequent cruisers and have not had this experience. Any advise on how to cope/deal with a crowded ship? We are doing any time dining (first time) We have 2 full days at sea. Our cabin is on the third deck and sadly no balcony. So wise ones any hints to deal with the big crowd from dining, attending shows, at the pool and solarium?

 

Does anyone know what time you can board in Baltimore...earliest time?

 

Thanks for the information and your time.

[Clarea]

Hi there. Our ship has a capacity of 2172 passengers and the Granduer is sold out. We are going out of Baltimore to Bermuda. We are frequent cruisers and have not had this experience. Any advise on how to cope/deal with a crowded ship? We are doing any time dining (first time) We have 2 full days at sea. Our cabin is on the third deck and sadly no balcony. So wise ones any hints to deal with the big crowd from dining, attending shows, at the pool and solarium?

 

Does anyone know what time you can board in Baltimore...earliest time?

 

Thanks for the information and your time.

The ships are virtually always sold out. Maybe your sailing appears to be sold out earlier than other sailings, but it probably won't be much different than other sailings on the same ship.

[John Reid]

As already posted, "sold-out" is the norm. Only when Grandeur sails with more kids during vacation periods (third and fourth in a room) will you see any additional crowding.

[m*u*g*]

Enjoy

[Spurschick]

Sold out doesn't necessarily mean max capacity. Max capacity is when all mulptiple berths that can be sold are sold. Without knowing your sail date can't say for certain, but unlikely to be full of families.

 

We travel peak times a lot. Never found it overcrowded on a normal, peak time, full capacity cruise. Only time we ever found issues with crowding was when we unwittingly booked a short cruise only to get on board and find it was super bowl weekend:eek::eek: then we avoided the bars:D

Edited April 28, 2015 by Spurschick

[Twibes]

I was on the Grandeur in 2013 and had a problem in the cabin a few days into the cruise. Guest relations advised they too were booked solid.. which was surprising, because you wouldn't have known it. I don't think you have anything to worry about other than chair hogs on the pool deck. :D

[LilBlackDress]

Sold out doesn't necessarily mean max capacity. Max capacity is when all mulptiple berths that can be sold are sold. Without knowing your sail date can't say for certain, but unlikely to be full of families.

 

We travel peak times a lot. Never found it overcrowded on a normal, peak time, full capacity cruise. Only time we ever found issues with crowding was when we unwittingly booked a short cruise only to get on board and find it was super bowl weekend:eek::eek: then we avoided the bars:D

 

I was surprised to see the cruise we were looking at doing over superbowl weekend were sold out... It was kinda a last minute thing but I know so many men and women plan their lives around superbowl sunday!! And the age group never matters!

Edited April 29, 2015 by LilBlackDress

[davy jones]

I was surprised to see the cruise we were looking at doing over superbowl weekend were sold out... It was kinda a last minute thing but I know so many men and women plan their lives around superbowl sunday!! And the age group never matters!

 

Cruise ships usually have some kind of Super Bowl viewing event.

[carolkaravidas]

We just returned from this same cruise last week. We stayed overnight at the Hotel Monoco in Baltimore. We took a taxi to port at 10:30. They had already started the security and check in when we got there twenty minutes later. It went quickly and we sat in a waiting area for about half an hour. We were on board and having lunch before noon. We were a sold out cruise as well There were only a few times we felt crowded. The muster drill and disembarking in Bermuda and Baltimore but they all went fairly quickly. The excursion we booked for Bonfires on the Beach is no longer available And we were refunded our money. Dinner with the Chef is amazing. If you splurge on one dinner do this one. Absolutely amazing. The crew on this ship is the friendliest and most helpful The ship is kept impeccably clean. Do not waste your time with Izumi especially the Lobster and Filet lunch. If you like Asian food or sushi you will be sorely disappointed here. They do offer prime rib and lobster dinners at the Great Gatsby on the same night however you can get them both as my husband did and our server even brought him a third plate with two tails as well. This shows you how eager they are to please. Dinner went a little quickly for my taste but we gad early seating so I assume it was to prepare for second seating. Also a quick note if you do not have transportation back to Baltimore you cannot book transfers from the desk after the third day and they run around $37.00 pp but you can get a taxi right outside the terminal for $30.00 to take you to the airport if needed. All in all to sum it up I didn't feel crowded nor had long waits at any time. It was a very nice cruise I just wish there was more time in Bermuda. The first day you get in late afternoon and the last day you leave early afternoon so you only really get one full day to see Bermuda. Have fun!

[seaman11]

they are almost always sold out, i have been on this ship twice, great staff, entertainment and good food (if menu change and lower food budget didnt hurt it)

 

lots of elderly leave from this port and aren't always out and about, you will be fine.

[cb at sea]

All sailing s are pretty much "sold out"...they only accept a certain number of "souls"...even if there are cabins left empty, the MAX passengers are onboard. No difference from any other time.

[dacsmom]

Hi there. Our ship has a capacity of 2172 passengers and the Granduer is sold out. We are going out of Baltimore to Bermuda. We are frequent cruisers and have not had this experience. Any advise on how to cope/deal with a crowded ship? We are doing any time dining (first time) We have 2 full days at sea. Our cabin is on the third deck and sadly no balcony. So wise ones any hints to deal with the big crowd from dining, attending shows, at the pool and solarium?

 

Does anyone know what time you can board in Baltimore...earliest time?

 

Thanks for the information and your time.

 

Most of my cruises have been sold out or close to it. How did you know your others were not sold out? For My Time Dining, if you show up during peak time you may have to wait a few minutes if you don't have a reservation, other than that I don't think you will even notice the crowds. RCI does a good job of passenger management. What cruise lines have you sailed in the past?

[Sascol]

The ships are virtually always sold out. Maybe your sailing appears to be sold out earlier than other sailings, but it probably won't be much different than other sailings on the same ship.

 

Agreed. In today's cruise market it is rare for a ship not to be sold out. The OP's cruises were probably full and he/she just did not realize that was he case.

[Biker19]

RCI reports sailing at an average of 105% double occupancy capacity and that has not changed in the last 5 years.

[bouhunter]

The ships are virtually always sold out. Maybe your sailing appears to be sold out earlier than other sailings, but it probably won't be much different than other sailings on the same ship.

 

Exactly. They are almost always sold out or close to it. Won't be different than any other cruise you've been on.

[yj2cute]

snip....The excursion we booked for Bonfires on the Beach is no longer available And we were refunded our money. ...snip

 

I'll be leaving for Bermuda on the Liberty next weekend and had planned on booking this excursion. Do you know if it's totally unavailable period or just for your sailing?

[carolkaravidas]

They just told us that they were not offering this excursion anymore that it was discontinued about a month ago. They didn't tell us if it was ship or cruise line specific. We were rather disappointed as we looked forward to going. We were not informed about it either. We happened to go to the shore excursion desk the day prior to inquire about another excursion during the day and told them we had that booked for the evening and that's when they told us it was discontinued and that they would credit our account.

[ravens.grl]

I was on this ship in June 2015. As others have said, the ship is frequently sold out and ours was listed as sold out 2 months before sailing and some of our planned party could not book.

 

As for crowds, I did not notice it being overly crowded, except obviously the first day and last morning in the buffet. The buffet area is extremely small. In the mornings, we always eat in the buffet area because it is quicker, but it was impossible to find seating. We also had anytime dining and did not have a problem being seated at night. We generally ate around 7. The only night that had a small wait was the second formal night (lobster night), but we were prepared for this and had told the staff what time we would be dining that evening before we left dinner the night before.

 

The theater is also very small, but we arrived about 15 minutes prior to each show and had a choice of front row seats. I would think seating is only a problem if you arrive late, but the shows did fill up to almost capacity on our sailing by the start of the show. The show held in the atrium is the worst one because it is a small area with limited seats. My parents went and sat and held my husband and I a pair of seats because we were running behind from another event. I believe they said they arrived 45 minutes early. We arrived 20 minutes early to meet them and the atrium was packed. There was a live band so you could sit and listen to that. Servers walked around taking drink orders before the show started and they passed out free appetizers (5th deck I believe, one near the bar/one up from the atrium main seating).

 

As for the pools, we had my parents with us, so we did not try to get seating at the outdoor lido pool. We always tried for the solarium, which did get very crowded and can get very hot. Sea days as usual are hard to find seats. Chairs/tables in the solarium are always empty, but there are few loungers. We usually had to go up a deck closer to the rock climbing wall to find chairs. Also the 5th floor has a shaded deck that has loungers and no one out there if it is too hot because there is not much shade to be found.

 

Hope this answered your questions and helps you. I know a group going on the same sailing as you for a family reunion, so I'm hoping all of you have a good week.

[OC PAT]

Most of my cruises have been sold out or close to it. How did you know your others were not sold out? For My Time Dining, if you show up during peak time you may have to wait a few minutes if you don't have a reservation, other than that I don't think you will even notice the crowds. RCI does a good job of passenger management. What cruise lines have you sailed in the past?

 

I always check to see if they are offering cabins right up to the date to the cruise and there always seemed to be something offered. This cruise was sold out at least 6 months ahead of time which I have never experienced in my 20 some cruises. We usually go out of San Juan. My favorite line is RCCL but we have traveled on Norwegian, Carnival, Princess, Celebrity, Holland America. We went to Alaska May, 2013 and due to the expense we did not cruise 2014. So it has been at least 3 yrs. since we have been on RCCL. Thanks for the info on My Time Dining.

[OC PAT]

We just returned from this same cruise last week. We stayed overnight at the Hotel Monoco in Baltimore. We took a taxi to port at 10:30. They had already started the security and check in when we got there twenty minutes later. It went quickly and we sat in a waiting area for about half an hour. We were on board and having lunch before noon. We were a sold out cruise as well There were only a few times we felt crowded. The muster drill and disembarking in Bermuda and Baltimore but they all went fairly quickly. The excursion we booked for Bonfires on the Beach is no longer available And we were refunded our money. Dinner with the Chef is amazing. If you splurge on one dinner do this one. Absolutely amazing. The crew on this ship is the friendliest and most helpful The ship is kept impeccably clean. Do not waste your time with Izumi especially the Lobster and Filet lunch. If you like Asian food or sushi you will be sorely disappointed here. They do offer prime rib and lobster dinners at the Great Gatsby on the same night however you can get them both as my husband did and our server even brought him a third plate with two tails as well. This shows you how eager they are to please. Dinner went a little quickly for my taste but we gad early seating so I assume it was to prepare for second seating. Also a quick note if you do not have transportation back to Baltimore you cannot book transfers from the desk after the third day and they run around $37.00 pp but you can get a taxi right outside the terminal for $30.00 to take you to the airport if needed. All in all to sum it up I didn't feel crowded nor had long waits at any time. It was a very nice cruise I just wish there was more time in Bermuda. The first day you get in late afternoon and the last day you leave early afternoon so you only really get one full day to see Bermuda. Have fun!

 

Thank you for your detailed response. It was so helpful

I too had looked at Bonfire and it was a major rip off. Someone would escourt you to the beach next door, walking quickly and folks would stand around an electric/gas fire pit. Folks were really upset that they paid dollars whereas, you can walk there on your own, free admission in the early evening and stare at the fire pit. So although in convenient you saved dollars.

The dinner with the Chef sounds great, thanks for the info.

[OC PAT]

they are almost always sold out, i have been on this ship twice, great staff, entertainment and good food (if menu change and lower food budget didnt hurt it)

 

lots of elderly leave from this port and aren't always out and about, you will be fine.

 

As one of the elderly my husband and I cracked up over your comment. Got your point. You should see an Alaskan voyage...everyone is in their bed by 10 PM.

[OC PAT]

I was on this ship in June 2015. As others have said, the ship is frequently sold out and ours was listed as sold out 2 months before sailing and some of our planned party could not book.

 

As for crowds, I did not notice it being overly crowded, except obviously the first day and last morning in the buffet. The buffet area is extremely small. In the mornings, we always eat in the buffet area because it is quicker, but it was impossible to find seating. We also had anytime dining and did not have a problem being seated at night. We generally ate around 7. The only night that had a small wait was the second formal night (lobster night), but we were prepared for this and had told the staff what time we would be dining that evening before we left dinner the night before.

 

The theater is also very small, but we arrived about 15 minutes prior to each show and had a choice of front row seats. I would think seating is only a problem if you arrive late, but the shows did fill up to almost capacity on our sailing by the start of the show. The show held in the atrium is the worst one because it is a small area with limited seats. My parents went and sat and held my husband and I a pair of seats because we were running behind from another event. I believe they said they arrived 45 minutes early. We arrived 20 minutes early to meet them and the atrium was packed. There was a live band so you could sit and listen to that. Servers walked around taking drink orders before the show started and they passed out free appetizers (5th deck I believe, one near the bar/one up from the atrium main seating).

 

As for the pools, we had my parents with us, so we did not try to get seating at the outdoor lido pool. We always tried for the solarium, which did get very crowded and can get very hot. Sea days as usual are hard to find seats. Chairs/tables in the solarium are always empty, but there are few loungers. We usually had to go up a deck closer to the rock climbing wall to find chairs. Also the 5th floor has a shaded deck that has loungers and no one out there if it is too hot because there is not much shade to be found.

 

Hope this answered your questions and helps you. I know a group going on the same sailing as you for a family reunion, so I'm hoping all of you have a good week.

 

You really have some good info. What nights are the formal nights? Did people dress up in My Time Dining? Also is their seating on decks 7 and 8 to view the Atrium Show? I heard that these decks were the best viewing areas.

[OC PAT]

Some how my subscription request failed and I did not see your responses. So sorry and thank you for your info.

[carolkaravidas]

You are most welcome. If you need anymore info feel free to ask as I believe I am the latest cruiser on this particular cruise and I would be happy to answer any questions you may have. Have a great time

[Thetrail]

Hi there. Our ship has a capacity of 2172 passengers and the Granduer is sold out. We are going out of Baltimore to Bermuda. We are frequent cruisers and have not had this experience. Any advise on how to cope/deal with a crowded ship? We are doing any time dining (first time) We have 2 full days at sea. Our cabin is on the third deck and sadly no balcony. So wise ones any hints to deal with the big crowd from dining, attending shows, at the pool and solarium?

 

Does anyone know what time you can board in Baltimore...earliest time?

 

Thanks for the information and your time.

Ships are almost always sailing "sold out" or full....:cool: