The Grandeur, A Grand Time June 1, 2017

[teacher2cruiser]

This was our 12th cruise, but our first one to not be in the Caribbean. We have cruised in the past with Carnival and Norwegian, as well as Royal Caribbean.Our very first cruise was ten years ago on The Grandeur, and it is still as grand as it was then. Granted, it doesn't have some of the dining options of the bigger ships, and the activities aren't as widespread, but for this cruise with five ports keeping us quite busy, we appreciated the two sea days on the end with not much to do!

 

We drove from Mississippi and stayed two nights pre-cruise at a Holiday Inn near the airport on Aero Drive in Linthicum Heights.We made an excellent choicewith them.Our bed was comfy, our room was perfect, but not fancy, and the price was fantastic.We had a great breakfast, and we were shuttled to the port, and picked up afterwards.We basically parked for free, a great value! The first evening we ate at Olive Grove, and we had crab cakes. The salad was served family style like Olive Garden. It was ok, but we thought the crab cakes were much too dry and rather bland. The second evening we ate at G & M's and we thoroughly enjoyed that meal. If you go there, I highly recommend the crab dip. Delicious!

 

Embarkation in Baltimore was a breeze.We were on the boat by11:00am and in our room at 1:00. Disembarkation went just as smoothly, and we didn't do the self-assist this time. Our luggage was easy to find, and going through customs was hassle free.

 

What drew us to this cruise were the ports.Being from Mississippi, we had never had the opportunity to visit this area.We were awed with the beauty.

 

In Boston, we made a good choice of a RCI excursion that lasted close to eight hours. Boston,Lexington, Concord, and lunch was included at Union Oyster House, with clam chowder, a choice of a chicken or fish dish, and a dessert. This was a great tour for getting to see a lot in a day. Our tour guide was Olive, and she was quite knowledgeable.

 

In Portland we took a tour of Portland and Kennebunkportwhich was also a RCI excursion and another good choice for us. We stopped at Cape Elizabeth for a while and it was gorgeous. We loved Kennebunkport and had time there for lunch on ourown. We had lobster rolls at Allison's. DELICIOUS! Kennebunkport was such a neat place!

 

Bar Harbor was COLD. We did a tour on our own with Oli's Trolley, and it included touring the town plus Acadia National Park where we went to the top of Cadillac Mountain with a few stops along the way.This tour was well worth what we paid, and again, beautiful scenery and a tourguide, Jim, who was knowledgeable and pleasant.

 

The last two ports were in Canada, Saint John and Halifax. In Saint John we did a RCI tour and saw the reversing rapids, the town, and stopped at City Market and walked back to the ship on our own. We enjoyed our time at City Market.

 

In Halifax we decided not to book a tour, and we walked to the Citadel, quite a hike, but it was a gorgeous day, and we went at our own pace and enjoyed it all.

 

We enjoyed the ship and spent our evenings in the piano bar, the casino, near the atrium, or walking around the ship. We went to the Viking Crown Bar on the last night,We did not attend any of the shows on board. We purchased a drink card for $79.95 plus gratuity that was good for ten drinks. If you've seen their drink prices you know this is a good deal. We don't drink enough to justify a beverage package. We did carry bottled water and Diet Mountain Dews back onboard from a couple of the ports - no problem as long as they were unopened.

 

We purchased the Internet package and it worked well. It disconnects you when you aren't using it for a couple of hours, and you have to sign back in, but we had service whenever we tried to use it.

 

This was our first time to try an inside cabin, but it won't be the last.We were nervous since we'd always had a balcony or a window, but we were fine.Yes, it was small, but we never felt claustrophobic,The worst part was the shower curtain, but it's the same that's in the balcony cabin we had on ourprevious Grandeur cruise.They reallyneed to do something about those!Ourcabin was on the seventh floor and our cabin attendant was very attentive and kept our collapsible ice cooler filled with ice. (I did miss not having arefrigerator.) I had read on Cruise Critic that having hooks for the wall comes in quite handy, and this was a great tip. It definitely helped to keep our cabin tidy!

 

Our only problem on this trip was with the laundry. We did the "fill a bag special", and when they returned our laundry, my husband had four or five white tee shirts (crew neck undershirts) missing. I called and asked about it, but there was a language barrier, and I pretty much just told them to forget it. I suppose someone is enjoying his Kirkland tees.

 

Dining was excellent. Breakfast for us was usually in theWindjammer buffet, but we did go to the dining room one morning. I do wonder, however, why they no longer have chocolate milk. Where we live, chocolate milk and white milk cost basically the same thing. Why was there no chocolate milk available? Seems strange to me. When we asked they offered to make us some by stirring hot chocolate mix into cold milk, but we declined.

 

Lunch when we were on the boat the firstcouple of days was just getting a sandwich or salad in the Windjammer, but onthe last two sea days we discovered the joy of having a salad in the diningroom.This is a MUST DO.We truly enjoyed those lunches. You go through a line and tell a server what ingredients you want in your salad, then he takes it and chops it. DH and I both thought these salads were great!

We ate most night meals in The Great Gatsby,and dined one night at Giovanni's. Our opinion is that Giovanni's wasn't worththe price.Next time we will try Chops.One night we upgraded our meal to a fillet from Chops for $10 and it wasgreat. This was offered most every night, and one night there was a dining room upgrade offer of a lobster and a fillet for $15. On the second formal night,lobster tail and prime rib were offered as regular entrees in the dining room, We enjoyed our dining and have no complaints about the foodin general. We had "my time dining" and our servers were Tony and Airy. They were very efficient as well as pleasant. The Windjammer can get quitecrowded and on the days where it's too cold and windy to eat outside finding aseat can be quite difficult. The earlier you arrive, the better your choices are.

I pre-ordered the coffee card because I like iced coffees and frappes. This was a good deal at fifteen specialty coffees for $35 or so plus gratuity. They punch your card, and a large coffee gets you two punches where a regular is one punch. There were several unhappy customers, myself included, because they ran out of white chocolate on the third day and never replenished.

 

We were pleased with the service we received all around theship. The Grandeur has a pleasant crew, and we always felt that they wanted usto have a great vacation.

I hope that we have the opportunity to sail again on TheGrandeur of the Seas in the future.

If anyone has questions, I will be more than happy to try to answer. We truly had a great time.

Edited June 18, 2017 by teacher2cruiser

[breezy_carol]

Thanks for the great review. We go on Lady G in 26 days. Glad you had such a nice trip.

The Windjammer can get quitecrowded and on the days where it's too cold and windy to eat outside finding aseat can be quite difficult. The earlier you arrive, the better your choices are.

Is there outdoor seating at the Windjammer? I've only cruised on Freedom and the WJ was all inside.

[easyboy]

Glad you had a wonderful cruise! Thank you for your feedback.

 

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Forums mobile app

[nivrag4511]

I will be cruising on the Grandeur for the sixth time in October. I love the ship and the crew.When they mentioned outdoor seating. It is tables around the main pool.Another thing that I love about the Grandeur is that the port is less than an hour from where I live.

[teacher2cruiser]

Thanks for the great review. We go on Lady G in 26 days. Glad you had such a nice trip.

Is there outdoor seating at the Windjammer? I've only cruised on Freedom and the WJ was all inside.

 

There are tables and chairs outside the Windjammer entrance. It's certainly close enough to take your tray and eat out there if the weather is nice.

[retiredgram]

Thanks for your review. We enjoy the Grandeur also.

 

Glad you found G&M. We have ate there many times.

[breezy_carol]

Thanks for the replies about eating outside from the Windjammer. Sounds like a good place for the first night's dinner as I am really looking forward to watching the cruise down the bay.

[DaisyL]

Great review, thanks! We'll be on the Grandeur in October, for the first time but we've cruised with RC a number of times and love it.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[rafinmd]

You had me wondering why someone from Mississippi would drive to Baltimore for a cruise but once I saw the itinerary it made perfect sense. I really had no idea that Lady G had northern cruises this early in the season. I hope you got a nice dose of Maryland hospitality before/after the cruise and will return some day.

 

breezy_carol, I wouldn't really call the outside seating "around the pool". It's a line of tables and all are close to the windows. Should be a great place to be while heading down the Chesapeake.

 

Roy

[teacher2cruiser]

You had me wondering why someone from Mississippi would drive to Baltimore for a cruise but once I saw the itinerary it made perfect sense. I really had no idea that Lady G had northern cruises this early in the season. I hope you got a nice dose of Maryland hospitality before/after the cruise and will return some day.

 

 

Roy

Our previous cruises had been out of New Orleans, Mobile, and Port Canaveral. The itinerary was the draw for us, plus we wanted our car for seeing Washington DC afterwards. We absolutely loved this trip!:hearteyes:

[stobe1]

Thanls for the report. It really is great to know that it wasn't a rust bucket and that the fact that the casinos weren't open while in the Chesapeake Bay wasn't an issue for you!

[riclop]

Glad you had a grand time.

[londongal796]

The second evening we ate at G & M's and we thoroughly enjoyed that meal. If you go there, I highly recommend the crab dip. Delicious!

 

Glad you found G&M. We have ate there many times.

 

Just a minor hijack here -- G & M's YES!!!!! I grew up 10 minutes' drive from G & M's and never went there until I was nearly 30. My dad casually mentioned we should go there since I was craving crab cakes and after I had my first G & M crab cake I asked him how long had this place been there. 'Oh, forever.' Basically I lived on the doorstep of some of the best crab cakes in Maryland and only found out about them after I moved to the UK! I still have not completely forgiven my father for his little 'omission'. I've had crab cakes from a range of establishments in Maryland and these are definitely my personal 'favourite'. Timbuktu (also nearby) has some really good crab cakes too.

 

Glad you had a great cruise -- we're sailing on Grandeur in December (our second time on her after a long absence as well) and we are really looking forward to sailing conveniently out of Baltimore.

[Philly Steve]

Thanks for the (easy to read) review! :)

[sellwingri]

Grandeur is the only ship (I believe) with the Windjammer at the front of the ship. The outside seating is the tables near the pool. Grandeur doesn't have the outside seating like that on the Radiance class ships.

 

I actually love the Windjammer on Grandeur. There are lots of tables for 2 which is unusual. I usually cruise only with my husband and we usually have to sit with others at a table for 6 or 8.

[jaimevoyager]

Grandeur is the only ship (I believe) with the Windjammer at the front of the ship. The outside seating is the tables near the pool. Grandeur doesn't have the outside seating like that on the Radiance class ships.

 

 

 

I actually love the Windjammer on Grandeur. There are lots of tables for 2 which is unusual. I usually cruise only with my husband and we usually have to sit with others at a table for 6 or 8.

 

 

 

I believe that all of the Vision Class ships have the WJ in the front. I have been on Enchantment, Vision, Legend, and Grandeur. I love it in the front. Makes for a great dinner view when I take a few breaks from the dining room and eat there.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[george layla]

Thanks for the review. We were on the same cruise and also on deck 7. I generally agree with your assessment of the cruise and particularly the food. Lunch salads in the MDR were great and Giovanni's was disappointing, both in food and service. Chops, on the other hand, was terrific. We usually went later to Windjammer and never had a problem finding seats,though we frequently shared the larger tables.We thought the service staff was outstanding, particularly our waiters in the MDR (we moved around) and the bar staff at Schooner's. The entertainment generally was OK, but the guitar and violin duo was excellent. One aspect you did not mention, and I have not found discussed elsewhere, is that the ship was really, really noisy, much more so than I have experienced on other cruise lines, including Celebrity and Holland America. The open Centrum wafted noisy through decks 4 through 8. Thank God for the Solarium and, during the afternoon, the Viking Crown Lounge.

[CLE2CRUISE]

Thanks so much for this!! Taking this exactly cruise in Sept and don't get to see a lot of the NE/Canada reviews so it's greatly appreciated. I'm excited to try those lunch salads too!

 

I think we will be doing a lot of dining in the WJ, so hopefully it won't be too crowded. Did you notice that it was especially bad at particular time of day or night?

 

Thanks again!

Lisa

[roxierox]

We are on this itinerary in October. Which nights are the formal nights? :)

[Thetrail]

Our previous cruises had been out of New Orleans, Mobile, and Port Canaveral. The itinerary was the draw for us, plus we wanted our car for seeing Washington DC afterwards. We absolutely loved this trip!:hearteyes:

Glad you had a wonderful trip. Will be sailing on the Grandeur in August, love the crew on this ship.:D

[Laney219]

I love Airy! Hope to have him in July!

 

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Forums mobile app

[maysill88]

I pre-ordered the coffee card because I like iced coffees and frappes. This was a good deal at fifteen specialty coffees for $35 or so plus gratuity. They punch your card, and a large coffee gets you two punches where a regular is one punch.

 

I am trying to figure out if this card will be worth it for me on my first ever cruise in December. It looks like there are 3 sizes for coffee drinks (tall, grande, venti). Do they take two punches for grande and venti, or just venti?

[CLE2CRUISE]

I am trying to figure out if this card will be worth it for me on my first ever cruise in December. It looks like there are 3 sizes for coffee drinks (tall, grande, venti). Do they take two punches for grande and venti, or just venti?

 

I read on another post here that all sizes except for the smallest (tall?) counted as two punches. The person who posted it was not happy with the card purchase.

 

Lisa N.

[maysill88]

I read on another post here that all sizes except for the smallest (tall?) counted as two punches. The person who posted it was not happy with the card purchase.

 

Lisa N.

 

That is what I was afraid of. Seems like I would break even or sometimes lose money on the grande and venti drinks. Oh well!

[teacher2cruiser]

Thanks so much for this!! Taking this exactly cruise in Sept and don't get to see a lot of the NE/Canada reviews so it's greatly appreciated. I'm excited to try those lunch salads too!

 

I think we will be doing a lot of dining in the WJ, so hopefully it won't be too crowded. Did you notice that it was especially bad at particular time of day or night?

 

Thanks again!

Lisa

 

Breakfast was when we had a hard time finding a table, especially on port days. It seemed that many would eat then linger there. I am not complaining, but on days that we weren't there early, it was more difficult.