Live! DragonOfTheSeas' B2B on the Grandeur of the Seas 3.28 to 4.18.19

[Rogueperson]

22 hours ago, DragonOfTheSeas said:

Yes, I have noticed the roof open when the weather is good and we are in port. I like it when it is open because on a really sunny day it can be cooking in there.  

 

I do not remember it being open when we are at sea.  [It is not open today]

 

 

I've been on the Grandeur 4 times, 9 or 10 nights each time, never seen it open!  You're right, it gets hot in there during the days.

[DragonOfTheSeas]

41 minutes ago, Rogueperson said:

I've been on the Grandeur 4 times, 9 or 10 nights each time, never seen it open!  You're right, it gets hot in there during the days.

They do not open it all that much.  But, I have been on the Grandeur other times when it was open.  Someone asked on a roll call thread once if they ever opened the roof and I replied yes.  I was beat down by several cruisers who assured me it was NEVER open. So, I made sure I took a picture this time.  LOL As they say on Sport Center. . . irrefutable visual evidence. 😂

[DragonOfTheSeas]

Today was the chocolate breakfast.  Those of you on the next cruise that are new to Royal Caribbean make sure you ask which morning they are serving this. I think it is always  a sea day. 

 

They have chocolate waffles, chocolate pancakes, chocolate parfait, chocolate Danish and what they call a chocolate milkshake.  The milkshake is more like chocolate milk--but, very good.  This is always a crowd favorite and the kids love it. 

[DragonOfTheSeas]

Have you ever been on a ship and found a cruising duck?  This is a whole new thing for me.  

 

I hope I do not get myself in trouble with Cruise Critic regarding this. [I guess I will know if they remove my post. ]

 

It seems the "Cruising Ducks" idea began on that website we are not allowed to promote on Cruise Critic.  The original group as more than 22,000 members.  Their goal is to see how far the ducks can travel.  

 

There are at least 2 different passengers hiding ducks on this cruise.  You can tell by the different notes that are attached.  I have an acquaintance on the ship that is great at finding them.  She has found 4 already.  Of course I have not found any. 

 

Here are a couple of pics. 

 

 

 

She found the duck below as she left breakfast this morning and gave it to me.  I am going to keep this one.  . . . however, I will be buying a few ducks before my next cruise. 

 

 

 

Edited April 16, 2019 by DragonOfTheSeas

[DragonOfTheSeas]

This may seem like a random thought, but you will thank me when you board the ship.

 

Royal Caribbean, like many land based bars, no longer uses plastic straws.  That is fine.  However, they now use paper straws.  These straws have a distinct paper taste.  [like cardboard]  The other drawback is that before you can finish a frozen drink they get soggy. [unless you are a guzzler] 

 

Never fear there is a solution. Yes, I know I could just not use a straw.  That is what I do for cocktails.  But, for a frozen drink I really need a straw.  

 

I bought these stainless steel straws [50 cents each] in St Croix.  They work perfectly.  I am going to add these to the box of "cruise only" items I store between cruises. 

 

PS--I can see my DD rolling her eyes from here. 😍

[Cru1s1ng2009]

1 hour ago, DragonOfTheSeas said:

Have you ever been on a ship and found a cruising duck?  This is a whole new thing for me.  

 

I hope I do not get myself in trouble with Cruise Critic regarding this. [I guess I will know if they remove my post. ]

 

It seems the "Cruising Ducks" idea began on that website we are not allowed to promote on Cruise Critic.  The original group as more than 22,000 members.  Their goal is to see how far the ducks can travel.  

 

There are at least 2 different passengers hiding ducks on this cruise.  You can tell by the different notes that are attached.  I have an acquaintance on the ship that is great at finding them.  She has found 4 already.  Of course I have not found any. 

 

Here are a couple of pics. 

 

 

 

She found the duck below as she left breakfast this morning and gave it to me.  I am going to keep this one.  . . . however, I will be buying a few ducks before my next cruise. 

 

 

 

Ok I am hooked! I like letterboxing and I also geocache. this is right up my alley. Thank you for posting this.

 

I also was wondering if I should get metal straws before I go. We drink ALOT on board and I don't want any paper straw to ruin that.

[DragonOfTheSeas]

I forgot to mention this earlier.  

 

If you remember we were late boarding this cruise because there was a mandatory Coast Guard inspection.  

 

The Captain announced a couple of days ago that the Grandeur got a perfect score. She is an older and smaller ship with less bells and whistles, but she makes up for it with heart. 

[birdylady]

2 minutes ago, DragonOfTheSeas said:

I forgot to mention this earlier.  

 

If you remember we were late boarding this cruise because there was a mandatory Coast Guard inspection.  

 

The Captain announced a couple of days ago that the Grandeur got a perfect score. She is an older and smaller ship with less bells and whistles, but she makes up for it with heart. 

EXCELLENT News.  Especially since we are looking forward to getting on her next week. 🙂

Thanx,
Erika

[CruisinCrow]

I haven't heard of cruising ducks but I know about the painted rocks.  I wonder if anyone does Grandeur Rocks.  

 

I'll have to keep an eye out for ducks next month!

[h20skibum]

I will have to keep an eye out for those ducks when we board on Thursday. Thanks for doing the live for your two cruises. I am contemplating doing one for our cruise to Bermuda starting Thursday.

I was going through some things at home, and came across the cruise compasses from the last time we sailed Grandeur. That was way back in 2010, and I saw that John Blair was cruise director on that cruise also.

Enjoy your last day and a half.


Past Reviews post 184

[DragonOfTheSeas]

51 minutes ago, h20skibum said:

I will have to keep an eye out for those ducks when we board on Thursday. Thanks for doing the live for your two cruises. I am contemplating doing one for our cruise to Bermuda starting Thursday.

I was going through some things at home, and came across the cruise compasses from the last time we sailed Grandeur. That was way back in 2010, and I saw that John Blair was cruise director on that cruise also.

Enjoy your last day and a half.


Past Reviews post 184

He and his wife are frequently on Grandeur. Although the last time we had them it was on the Radiance.

 

We are just taking it easy. I packed one suitcase this morning to get a head start. We had plenty of dirty clothes to fill it.

 

Edited April 16, 2019 by DragonOfTheSeas

[Getting out there]

I've never heard of the chocolate breakfast. Is that only in the MDR?

[DragonOfTheSeas]

4 minutes ago, Getting out there said:

I've never heard of the chocolate breakfast. Is that only in the MDR?

Yes, it is only in the Main Dining Room and only on one morning.  My experience has been it is on one of the last sea days. 

 

They still serve the regular eggs, bacon, etc.  However, the right hand side of the menu is all about chocolate. 😁

[#1cruiseaholic]

10 minutes ago, DragonOfTheSeas said:

Yes, it is only in the Main Dining Room and only on one morning.  My experience has been it is on one of the last sea days. 

 

They still serve the regular eggs, bacon, etc.  However, the right hand side of the menu is all about chocolate. 😁

Thanks so much for the info. We have been on Grandeur many times but usually go to the Windjammer for breakfast. I love someone making me an omlet and like to sleep in on sea days. Never heard about chocolate breakfast in mdr. Always learning new things!

[shipgeeks]

Re straws:  We were on Grandeur in January, and were given paper straws.  We thought they were just fine, taste-wise and durability-wise.  No way would I take my own straw and try to wash it myself.

[CruisinCons]

On 4/15/2019 at 3:50 PM, beed2010 said:

Update

i just realized I should call and book for my cruise and was informed by the hotel (I called directly to the hotel) that these packages are currently unavailable but to check back in a few months. 

If anyone knows of park and cruise hotels I’m Baltimore I am looking for one now as well ☹️

 

We're staying here:

 

Holiday Inn express Baltimore at the Stadiums

1701 Russel St, Baltimore 1230

410-727-1818

 

$143.22 park & stay with shuttle to and from port.

[Lady Hudson]

We took plastic individually wrapped straws with us on our last trip.  Yes, that may defeat the purpose of RC’s ban on plastic but if they truly have folks who separate the trash for disposal there should be no environmental damage.  RCs paper straws are terrible.  I agree that they get soggy long before frozen drinks or sodas are gone.  I think RC could invest in a higher quality paper straw.

[CruisinCons]

24 minutes ago, shipgeeks said:

Re straws:  We were on Grandeur in January, and were given paper straws.  We thought they were just fine, taste-wise and durability-wise.  No way would I take my own straw and try to wash it myself.

 

We use metal and glass straws at home, and have a brush to clean them.  I've contemplated a few times bringing them with us, and quite honestly the thought of carrying around a dirty straw is not something I want to do.  If I had some sort of pouch maybe...but then I'd need something to carry that pouch.  

[siempredescalzo]

Someone on another cruise forum recommended this collapsible metal straw to me and it's been a game changer. It comes with a compact case and a little squeegee brush so you don't have a dirty straw just floating around at the bottom of your bag. 

 

 

 

 

[DragonOfTheSeas]

They had the special anniversary cakes in the MDR again tonight.  So I guess they will be having them on each cruise.  Here is the picture from before.  Very festive!

[CruisinCrow]

17 hours ago, Lady Hudson said:

We took plastic individually wrapped straws with us on our last trip.  Yes, that may defeat the purpose of RC’s ban on plastic but if they truly have folks who separate the trash for disposal there should be no environmental damage.  RCs paper straws are terrible.  I agree that they get soggy long before frozen drinks or sodas are gone.  I think RC could invest in a higher quality paper straw.

 

Unfortunately, plastic straws are not recyclable.

[retiredgram]

On ‎4‎/‎16‎/‎2019 at 10:57 AM, DragonOfTheSeas said:

They do not open it all that much.  But, I have been on the Grandeur other times when it was open.  Someone asked on a roll call thread once if they ever opened the roof and I replied yes.  I was beat down by several cruisers who assured me it was NEVER open. So, I made sure I took a picture this time.  LOL As they say on Sport Center. . . irrefutable visual evidence. 😂

Glad you got a photo.  I agree with you.  Been on her many times and have seen the roof open.

[Voc6]

22 hours ago, h20skibum said:

I will have to keep an eye out for those ducks when we board on Thursday. Thanks for doing the live for your two cruises. I am contemplating doing one for our cruise to Bermuda starting Thursday.

I was going through some things at home, and came across the cruise compasses from the last time we sailed Grandeur. That was way back in 2010, and I saw that John Blair was cruise director on that cruise also.

Enjoy your last day and a half.


Past Reviews post 184

Would love it you posted live as well.  We will be leaving next Thursday when you return.  Have a wonderful trip!

[ShillyShally]

23 hours ago, CruisinCrow said:

I haven't heard of cruising ducks but I know about the painted rocks.  I wonder if anyone does Grandeur Rocks.  

 

I'll have to keep an eye out for ducks next month!

My son found one on Indy and he kept it as he's always loved ducks so I was so thrilled he was the one that found it!  I had heard of them but had forgotten to mention it to him before he found it, we're definitely hoping to hide some in the future!

[DragonOfTheSeas]

Today is our last sea day.  It is a beautiful sunny day, but windy and too cold for me to be outside.  There are some beside the pool and a couple of brave souls that have gotten in. . . but not many. 

 

There are lots of indoor activities.  There was a sale on t-shirts and other things this morning at 10 am.  They were 2 for $20.  You would have thought they were giving them away with the number some cruisers bought.

 

I, on the other hand, bought some rum cake for my mother and a couple of bottles of liquor for myself. Neither were on sale.  Beats a t-shirt any day.  

 

There was a special ceremony for veterans at noon.  At 1pm there was a Grandeur fair in the centrum.  [Games and prizes] We went to lunch at this time so I can't give you any details.  There was a special going away cake in the windjammer. There will be a parade of all of the flags represented by the crew this evening. 

 

The casino and shops will close at 8pm tonight when we get a certain distance from the Chesapeake Bay.  There is a late night comedy show to keep everyone busy.