Sailing Grandeur soon

[Mum2Mercury]

We're sailing Grandeur of the Seas in a few months.  We've never sailed on anything smaller than Mariner, and I have a couple questions specific to this new experience!  

 

- We'll be sailing during football season; in fact, we'll have THREE NFL games that week.  With no Playmakers, where can my husband count on seeing the games?  I'm inclined to think the Sunday game and Monday night game will be shown on the big screen by the pool, but my husband thinks no.  

- Is pizza available on Grandeur?  

- I started a thread on the Roll Calls, but it's dead.  I'm kinda inclined to think maybe Grandeur attracts an older crowd?  Am I guessing right?  

- Anything we should know or expect about Grandeur? 
- We've never been out of Tampa before.  Anything we ought to know about the port or parking?  

 

Thanks, All.  I appreciate any help y'all can get.  

[HaveWeMetYet]

17 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

We're sailing Grandeur of the Seas in a few months.  We've never sailed on anything smaller than Mariner, and I have a couple questions specific to this new experience!  

 

- We'll be sailing during football season; in fact, we'll have THREE NFL games that week.  With no Playmakers, where can my husband count on seeing the games?  I'm inclined to think the Sunday game and Monday night game will be shown on the big screen by the pool, but my husband thinks no.  He is correct. You will not get the see the games,

- Is pizza available on Grandeur?  The Park Cafe.

- I started a thread on the Roll Calls, but it's dead.  I'm kinda inclined to think maybe Grandeur attracts an older crowd?  Am I guessing right?  Yes you are.

- Anything we should know or expect about Grandeur? Ideal ship for seniors.
- We've never been out of Tampa before.  Anything we ought to know about the port or parking?  

 

Thanks, All.  I appreciate any help y'all can get.  

 

[Merion_Mom]

46 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

We're sailing Grandeur of the Seas in a few months.  We've never sailed on anything smaller than Mariner, and I have a couple questions specific to this new experience!  

 

- We'll be sailing during football season; in fact, we'll have THREE NFL games that week.  With no Playmakers, where can my husband count on seeing the games?  I'm inclined to think the Sunday game and Monday night game will be shown on the big screen by the pool, but my husband thinks no.  

- Is pizza available on Grandeur?  

- I started a thread on the Roll Calls, but it's dead.  I'm kinda inclined to think maybe Grandeur attracts an older crowd?  Am I guessing right?  

- Anything we should know or expect about Grandeur? 
- We've never been out of Tampa before.  Anything we ought to know about the port or parking?  

 

Thanks, All.  I appreciate any help y'all can get.  

 

They may show some or all of the games on the big screen.  You won't know until you board.

You can get pizza in the Solarium at the Park Cafe.  It's open late.

Roll Calls for the most part have migrated to a different social media site.  😉 

 

[beach pirate]

If the casino is open they should have the games on. Very small TV's behind the bar

[CruisinNole]

You can get a lot of info about the Port of Tampa on their website, https://www.porttb.com/cruise . We frequently cruise out of this port and find it easy to get in and out of. We do the valet parking. A little more expensive but so convenient. Recommend prepaying also.

Edited July 21, 2023 by CruisinNole
Spelling

[tunafish]

Just off Grandure. Absolutely nothing to write home about. the only plus is size with less crowds and lines. Run down ship, very old furnishings, the only music venue is atrium and all cabins along that area will have a very loud boom-boom until 11p-12a. Windjammer is hot and humid. For me food was really non-existent, I was struggling to find something to eat each night but I know food is subjective but as an example all chicken dishes tasted the same. there is overcooked dry bird with lack of flavor. Even toast on breakfast in MDR is soggy and not crisp. all drapes had stains on them, ripped carpet, old and smelly furniture in the room. we had no cold water in shower, toilet flushing issues and lukewarm AC. Pool is tiny and murky with a film of sunblock and hair in it. 
I am writing all this and this was a comped cruise by a casino. I would be really upset should I pay a full price. 
She either needs to be sold to company which would refurbish it completely or become and artificial reef. RCCL can not age the ships.

[Merion_Mom]

30 minutes ago, tunafish said:

Just off Grandure. Absolutely nothing to write home about. the only plus is size with less crowds and lines. Run down ship, very old furnishings, the only music venue is atrium and all cabins along that area will have a very loud boom-boom until 11p-12a. Windjammer is hot and humid. For me food was really non-existent, I was struggling to find something to eat each night but I know food is subjective but as an example all chicken dishes tasted the same. there is overcooked dry bird with lack of flavor. Even toast on breakfast in MDR is soggy and not crisp. all drapes had stains on them, ripped carpet, old and smelly furniture in the room. we had no cold water in shower, toilet flushing issues and lukewarm AC. Pool is tiny and murky with a film of sunblock and hair in it. 
I am writing all this and this was a comped cruise by a casino. I would be really upset should I pay a full price. 
She either needs to be sold to company which would refurbish it completely or become and artificial reef. RCCL can not age the ships.

 

WOW.  😲

[Keksie]

We were on Grandeur the week of June 17th.  We are older and were happy with a smaller ship without all the bells and whistles.  It was hot so we used the main pool on the sea days.  We could always get a table in the shade for the day.  The pool was fine and not overrun with children.  The solarium was very warm but on a cold weather cruise would have been nice.  We liked the Windjammer except the last night when the choices were not to our liking.  We ate in Chops one night and Izumi one night and the food was very good.  We ate in the Windjammer for dinner twice and the food was good.  We ate in the MDR three nights and the food was good.  The bread was excellent.  The game shows were a lot of fun.  The rest of the entertainment was meh.  The bands were not to our taste and the shows were just ok.  The comedian was funny the first time but his second show was not very good at all.   That being said we had a good cruise and will probably book this ship again for a Greenland cruise next year since it will be the ship doing the itinerary we want.  The Solarium bar had the best drinks.

[Merion_Mom]

3 minutes ago, Keksie said:

 That being said we had a good cruise and will probably book this ship again for a Greenland cruise next year since it will be the ship doing the itinerary we want. 

 

Should have done it this year.  Jewel of the Seas.  😄 

[Keksie]

7 minutes ago, Merion_Mom said:

 

Should have done it this year.  Jewel of the Seas.  😄 

If not for the big wedding in our back yard this year we probably could have.

[Mum2Mercury]

Have We Met Yet, we're not seniors ourselves -- I'm mid-50s, and my husband will turn 60 on Grandeur.  Our next two cruises will be on Grandeur and Wonder, so we're expecting them to be quite different.  

7 hours ago, Merion_Mom said:

They may show some or all of the games on the big screen.  You won't know until you board.

You can get pizza in the Solarium at the Park Cafe.  It's open late.

Roll Calls for the most part have migrated to a different social media site.  😉 

Hmm, two different answers about the NFL games -- I think you're right to say we won't know until we board.  I'm really hoping we do get at least the Sunday game because that's his birthday AND our home town team is playing.  

6 hours ago, beach pirate said:

If the casino is open they should have the games on. Very small TV's behind the bar

Behind the bar?  Not something I would've considered -- good information!  

5 hours ago, CruisinNole said:

You can get a lot of info about the Port of Tampa on their website, https://www.porttb.com/cruise . We frequently cruise out of this port and find it easy to get in and out of. We do the valet parking. A little more expensive but so convenient. Recommend prepaying also.

I'll look into this.  When you say pre-pay, you mean at the official terminal, right?  Not an off-site parking area?  

 

Thanks, All, for your help.  

 

[PhillyFan33579]

I have cruised on Grandeur twice this year mainly due to the ports she visited. I doubt I will cruise on her again, but I enjoyed both cruises. Like others have stated the ship is definitely showing her age. The crowd on both cruises was on the older side and there isn’t a lot going on around the ship at night like larger RCI ships, which is why I spent a lot of time in the casino during these cruises. They had sports on every night on the TVs at the casino bar and on a TV in the Schooner Bar. I didn’t cruise during football season, but I assume they would show games on these TVs. 

[CruisinNole]

12 hours ago, Mum2Mercury said:

 

I'll look into this.  When you say pre-pay, you mean at the official terminal, right?  Not an off-site parking area?  

 

Thanks, All, for your help.  

 

Yes, you can pre-pay for terminal parking on the website and it's refundable. Also, you can check the cruise calendar on the port website to see what terminal you will be departing from plus that info will be in your cruise documentation.

 

Off-site parking is less expensive. If you go to the Forums tab on CC, there's a North American Homeports forum, Florida Departures. I just did a quick search for Tampa cruise off-site parking and came up with parkwayparking.com, 241parking.com and Park Connect. There are also hotels that offer park and cruise. 

 

I would definitely check social media for a roll call for your cruise since it appears that one will not be active on CC. We cruise out of Tampa on Serenade next month. There is no roll call on CC either.

[Mum2Mercury]

12 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

I have cruised on Grandeur twice this year mainly due to the ports she visited.

Yes, we chose this cruise for the ports ... and the extremely low price, which seems even lower now that prices have exploded.  

12 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

They had sports on every night on the TVs at the casino bar and on a TV in the Schooner Bar. I didn’t cruise during football season, but I assume they would show games on these TVs. 

This is good news.  

42 minutes ago, CruisinNole said:

Yes, you can pre-pay for terminal parking on the website and it's refundable.

I'm investigating this.  We like to park at the port so we can head straight to our car after we disembark and start our long drive home.  

42 minutes ago, CruisinNole said:

I would definitely check social media for a roll call for your cruise since it appears that one will not be active on CC. We cruise out of Tampa on Serenade next month. There is no roll call on CC either.

I'm going to do this.  

 

Again, thanks to All.  I appreciate your help.  

Edited July 22, 2023 by Mum2Mercury

[goldfish65]

The solarium bistro where they have pizza has intermittent hours, loosely based on when WJ is closed, and not late-late. 

January 2023 the ship did not seem "run down" to me. Yes the decor is out-of-date and worn here and there. Most definitely harkens back to a simpler time. Loved the teak promenade where they have loungers where you can read and gaze out at the ocean, if that's your thing. Female activities hosts were unbearably shrill. Rock wall was fun. Food was enjoyable if not memorable. Staff very accommodating. Boarding Grandeur again in September. 

 

Not disputing others' observations, just giving you mine. 

Edited July 22, 2023 by goldfish65

[cruisegirl1]

On my way home today from a 7 night grandeur cruise. Overall we were pleased. Is it the Wonder? NO. 
 

I’d give the ship and experience a solid B+. Some areas are dated, but the ship is generally well maintained.
 

Entertainment was good for what it is. There are no dancing drones, high wire acts, ice skating etc. but the singers and dancers were as good or better as other ships.  Good headliner, comedian, in fact, is often on Oasis class ships. 

 

Dining and cabin staff were excellent. 
 

MDR food was as good as it can get given the menu items.  Limited but good speciality dining.  Went to WJ for two lunches and the live station was good. Didn’t have anything else and didn’t have any other meals there. 
 

Pizza was available in WJ and Park Cafe (located in solarium). 

 

Sorry, didn’t get to the casino bar to see if there were games shown. 

We sailed from Terminal 2 and the parking garage is across the street, $15/day and pay when you leave. We dropped  off the bags at the ship and parked. This morning, we walked to the car with our bags. No facial recognition for Customs, but they keep the line moving. 
 

Terminal check  in was fast and easy with pleasant workers. 
 

Cruise Director was active. 
 

Have a good cruise. 

I’ll be happy to answer any questions. 
m
 

 

 

[wellsme1]

23 hours ago, Keksie said:

We were on Grandeur the week of June 17th.  We are older and were happy with a smaller ship without all the bells and whistles.  It was hot so we used the main pool on the sea days.  We could always get a table in the shade for the day.  The pool was fine and not overrun with children.  The solarium was very warm but on a cold weather cruise would have been nice.  We liked the Windjammer except the last night when the choices were not to our liking.  We ate in Chops one night and Izumi one night and the food was very good.  We ate in the Windjammer for dinner twice and the food was good.  We ate in the MDR three nights and the food was good.  The bread was excellent.  The game shows were a lot of fun.  The rest of the entertainment was meh.  The bands were not to our taste and the shows were just ok.  The comedian was funny the first time but his second show was not very good at all.   That being said we had a good cruise and will probably book this ship again for a Greenland cruise next year since it will be the ship doing the itinerary we want.  The Solarium bar had the best drinks.

Thanks for the review. We are on the September 7th Greenland cruise next year. My only beef with these smaller ships is that there isn't a suite dining venue. Other than that, small class ships, suit us fine. 

[cruisegirl1]

1 hour ago, wellsme1 said:

Thanks for the review. We are on the September 7th Greenland cruise next year. My only beef with these smaller ships is that there isn't a suite dining venue. Other than that, small class ships, suit us fine. 

Suite breakfast offered daily in Chops. It was excellent!

 

M