Just off Grandeur of The Seas

[ZandZ]

Hello,

 

Looking to book Grandeur for 2016.. I have never been on her but based on what I've done so far, I think my preference is towards the smaller ships.

 

This cruise will be different because I would be cruising with the kids (ages 12 and 7 at the time) and my best friend and her family. Their kids will be 8 and 2. Also, her husband gets seasick on small boats but has never been on a cruise...

 

We are not picky people when it comes to food or anything else actually. Will look to get some downtime where the kids would be occupied and we would sleep by the pool :)

 

Based on the above, do you think Grandeur is a good choice for us?

Thank you!

[DELTABLUE]

ZandZ...I've cruised Lady G 12 times and currently have her booked for 4 more, so she works for me!:D Although there always seems to be at least a few kiddos aboard, there will be many more depending on the time of year you pick. Summers, holidays and spring break time draws more kids than time when school is in session. If you are looking for lots of companions for the little ones, consider that.;)

 

Re mal de mare, although smaller than a lot of other RCCL ships, Grandeur is not a 'small boat'. That being said, all boats are small if you look at the size of the ocean!:eek: By far and away, most of the time you are cruising on Grandeur things are very smooth and calm and your friend should be very comfortable. They do try VERY hard to keep things that way by avoiding bad seas as much as possible. However, there is no controlling Mother Nature!:rolleyes: If you head south from Baltimore, sometimes things can get a little choppy as you round Cape Hatteras and enter the Gulf Stream. Products containing meclizine hydrochloride, like Dramine II-non drowsy formula or Bonine, work well to keep things settled.

 

Hope this helps your deliberations. I think you'd have a great time on Grandeur!

Edited August 12, 2015 by DELTABLUE

[RadioRob]

My friends/family and I had a fantastic time onboard as you can already see on my comments here in this thread.

 

Based on what you've posted, I think you will too. Yes, Grandeur is not the largest ship in the fleet (only about half of the size of the biggest), but it's not "small" by any means. It's still a good sized ship... in fact it's a little city in itself! The crew is absolutely amazing. I loved everyone onboard.

 

The kids will absolutely love Deck 9 (pool deck) as well as Deck 10 (kid zone/arcade, etc).

 

Regarding sea sickness... remember to compare the "small" cruise ship vs the traditional small boats the DW might have been on. Even the small cruise ships are MASSIVELY bigger than the traditional boats people go out on. Cruise ships also have (and use) their stabilizers to help keep things smooth. You will feel a little motion, but it by no means be massive typically. You'll feel it most in the front of the boat (so near the casino and the theater).

 

To be honest, the hardest part of my cruise was the day I got home. It got very easy to just leave the towel on the bathroom floor and find it magically replaced with a clean one. It was even easier to just walk into the Windjammer or the MDR and have a delicious meal in front of me and not have to worry about the dishes!

[ZandZ]

Thank you everyone for your replies!! Ive looked at her all day and at 4pm completely by accident reserved Brilliance. . Lol. It was a very good deal. I love smaller ships and i am happy to be cruising at all. I hope my friend will be ok.

 

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[RadioRob]

You'll have a blast. If you go in with a good attitude... thinking you'll have fun, you WILL! :)

 

Enjoy the trip!! The worst day at sea is better than the best day at work! :D

[ZandZ]

Haha that is sad but true. Thank you.

 

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[John&LaLa]

ZandZ...I've cruised Lady G 12 times and currently have her booked for 4 more, so she works for me!:D Although there always seems to be at least a few kiddos aboard, there will be many more depending on the time of year you pick. Summers, holidays and spring break time draws more kids than time when school is in session. If you are looking for lots of companions for the little ones, consider that.;)

 

Re mal de mare, although smaller than a lot of other RCCL ships, Grandeur is not a 'small boat'. That being said, all boats are small if you look at the size of the ocean!:eek: By far and away, most of the time you are cruising on Grandeur things are very smooth and calm and your friend should be very comfortable. They do try VERY hard to keep things that way by avoiding bad seas as much as possible. However, there is no controlling Mother Nature!:rolleyes: If you head south from Baltimore, sometimes things can get a little choppy as you round Cape Hatteras and enter the Gulf Stream. Products containing meclizine hydrochloride, like Dramine II-non drowsy formula or Bonine, work well to keep things settled.

 

Hope this helps your deliberations. I think you'd have a great time on Grandeur!

 

Just curious, is it really the ship that brings you back, or the departure port :what:

 

We have sailed Freedom 8 times with 7 more on the books. Not necessarily because she if our favorite, more because she is 10 minutes from home.

 

BTW, we used to live in Crofton

[valifeisgood]

Hi- thanks for your review. Am taking family of 18 on a Christmas cruise and I wanted to know what FREE drinks are available during breakfast, lunch and dinner. A couple of members don't drink much other than water and coffee. Trying to determine which package I should purchase, or none at all. Thanks in advance for your reply. :)

[ggroup]

Does Grandeur have any splash areas (fountains or similar) that toddlers under age 2 can use?

[RadioRob]

Hi- thanks for your review. Am taking family of 18 on a Christmas cruise and I wanted to know what FREE drinks are available during breakfast, lunch and dinner. A couple of members don't drink much other than water and coffee. Trying to determine which package I should purchase, or none at all. Thanks in advance for your reply. :)

 

Included with the base cost of the cruise is:

 

tap water

milk

tea

coffee (regular and decaf)

lemonade

iced tea

flavored waters

juices (at breakfast and not fresh squeezed)

Hot chocolate (via instant packets)

 

What is NOT included is:

 

soda

beer

wine

liquor

cocktails

premium coffee and tea, such as Starbucks

bottled water (still or sparkling)

fresh squeezed juice

 

The available drink packages can be found at:

 

http://media.royalcaribbean.com/content/shared_assets/pdf/menus/beverage_packages.pdf

 

Hope that helps!

[RadioRob]

Does Grandeur have any splash areas (fountains or similar) that toddlers under age 2 can use?

 

There is not a kids swimming area like there is on the larger ships. Grandeur only really has 2 pools, both on deck 9. (The main pool in the open outside area and the Solarium pool which is covered inside.)

[Boilermaker77]

According to the rules, children who are not 100% toilet trained are not allowed in any pool. Unfortunately there wasn't anyone enforcing the rule and there were 5 kids in diapers in the pool. Yuck.

[ZandZ]

Regular diapers or swimmies?

 

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[Boilermaker77]

Under Notices in the Compass

 

No Diapers - In accordance with United States Public Health regulations,, young children in diapers/pull-ups/swimmers may not use the pools/whirlpools, even if accompanied by a parent/guardian. Guests are reminded that there is no lifeguard on duty and all pool rules must be observed. Children must be supervised at all times.

Edited August 15, 2015 by Boilermaker77

[ZandZ]

Ah good to know. I would think swimmers would be ok. Either way im glad my kids are older.

 

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