Grandeur Live! New York to Barcelona Transatlantic Crossing

[GMIAC]

We boarded Grandeur for our transatlantic New York to Barcelona sailing this morning. Check-in couldn’t have been easier, and we’re poking around the shop and bumping into crew we remember from December. 
 

The weather is overcast, but no rain. Lunch was in La Veranda, with a view of Captain Sullenberger’s landing strip. 
 

Sail away at 4PM!

 

Edited April 10 by GMIAC

[Whinenowine]

55 minutes ago, GMIAC said:

We boarded Grandeur for our transatlantic New York to Barcelona sailing this morning. Check-in couldn’t have been easier, and we’re poking around the shop and bumping into crew we remember from December. 
 

The weather is overcast, but no rain. Lunch was in La Veranda, with a view of Captain Sullenberger’s landing strip. 
 

Sail away at 4PM!

 

Saw her docked this morning when I drove to work; quite pretty.  Enjoy the trip....we're not on her for another 7 months, so until then I'll live vicariously through you (as I did last December)!

[edgee]

We are three days from the end of our Splendor crossing Miami to Barcelona. We had itinerary changed on day of embarkation skipping Bermuda and Horta due to anticipated bad weather. Replaced with Nassau and Funchal resulting in 8 straight sea days. Weather has been warm and nearly perfect. Loved the sea days! I wish you an equally wonderful cruise!

[Zqueeze1]

GMIAC:  have a wonderful cruise and safe travels.  Please say hello to Cy the bartender from Roberto.  Thanks. 
 

Z and TB

[GMIAC]

1 minute ago, Zqueeze1 said:

GMIAC:  have a wonderful cruise and safe travels.  Please say hello to Cy the bartender from Roberto.  Thanks. 
 

Z and TB

We already said hi to Paul from you!  

Edited April 11 by GMIAC

[RachelG]

April 10, 2024-embarkation in New York City

 

Hope it is ok to hop in here rather than start a new thread.

 

And we are off again on another adventure, this time sailing on the brand new Grandeur, trans-Atlantic from NYC to Barcelona.  I am not a huge fan of multiple sea days in a row, and George definitely isn’t.  The draw was the new ship, and sailing with a large group of friends.  I am sure George will find something to keep him entertained, and I always have my cross stitch.

 

There is one direct flight per day from Tulsa to LGA on American, and fortunately for us, it leaves at 6 am.  That meant getting up very early, but allowed us to both work all day yesterday.  Typically, i prefer to fly in the day before embarking, but I felt that there were enough options to get us to New York in time to board should the flight cancel.

 

Our son showed up at the house at 4:30 am as promised and dropped us at the airport, which for some reason was particularly busy, with a long line even in TSA pre-check.  The flight was right on time and loaded dignitaries from Tulsa, many who we know. George questioned one of them as to why.  It seems that tonight is the premiere of the Outsiders Broadway show, and they were attending since it is set in Tulsa.

 

Uber ride to the port was slow due to traffic, and we only had to wait about 30 minutes before checkin opened.  This was very efficient, and we were soon onboard the sparkling new ship.

 

First impressions: it reminds me a lot of Splendor.  Very light and airy.  Beautiful art and decor.  Compass Rose is stunning and the chairs are lighter so that I can actually move them myself.  Our suite is pretty much identical to those on Splendor and Explorer, but they have added a bathroom nightlight that can be turned on and off  switches on each side of the bed.

 

One mistake IMO, the carpeting on the stairs is a very pale green shade, pretty color, but it is already showing stains.  The hallway carpeting is darker, and beautiful with a kind of fern pattern.

 

Sailaway was perfect.  Kind of overcast but no wind and a comfortable temperature.  We sailed past Manhattan then past the Statue of Liberty.  

 

We met up with friends in the observation lounge for drinks.  There some really heavy bulky chair up there, but others that are movable.  The pianist, a girl from Ukraine, was excellent.

 

Dinner in Compass Rose was good except for an overly salty beet salad that George was served.  I ordered the same thing, and mine was fine, but his was pretty salty.  Then I went to put pepper in my soup, and the whole top of the pepper shaker plopped off into my soup.  Apparently it wasn’t tightened.  It was actually hilarious. 

 

I had veal piccata for my main, and it was delish, very tender.  George had grouper which he said was too fishy (it is a fish).

 

After dinner, I went to the show which was a comedian/magician who was actually pretty funny.  George made generous donations at the casino.

[RetiredOnVacation]

Great to hear check in & embarking was so quick. Regent do seem to have this down well, especially compared to SS. 

Looking forward to the Grandeur early next year! 

[kjbacon]

Bon voyage @GMIAC looking forward to following along with you!

[GMIAC]

As noted by @RachelG above, sail away was spectacular. All four of my grandparents did this same sailing, but in the opposite direction. In the 1910s. On a very different ship. This was quite emotional for me. 
 

 

 

 

 

[RachelG]

Great pics, GMIAC.

[RachelG]

Since GMIAC posted such great sail away pics, I will just post a couple from the ship.  First, the beautiful light fixture in the main lobby

[RachelG]

And the lovely roses on our dining table- inexplicably upside down

[RachelG]

 

April 11, 2024–cruising the Atlantic enroute to Bermuda

 

Seas were very calm the first part of the night, but started moving more after about 3 am.  Nothing bad, but we knew we were on a ship.  Clocks moved forward an hour.

 

I was up in time for 8 am yoga which was pretty basic but more challenging balance wise on a moving ship.  Even the instructor wobbled a little.  The gym is very large and well equipped with plenty of machines.

 

I went up to La Veranda to meet George for breakfast.  The new different thing there is that along the windows, there are two tops which face looking out at the ocean, so you are sitting side by side instead of across from each other.  I like them a lot.  They had good Greek yogurt and fresh strawberries plus crispy bacon, so I was happy.  George ordered eggs over easy, and they arrived promptly and at correct temperature.

 

It was very overcast outside, with intermittent drizzling rain and significant wind, temperature in the low 60’s.  Not conducive to walking outside on deck, so I did some work then cross stitch. George took a morning nap.  There were lectures and a wine tasting of the included wines scheduled.

 

Lunch was offered in both Prime 7 and Chartreuse, but the pool grill and La veranda had a Mediterranean buffet, so we opted for that.  Good salads.  They had bouillabaisse and some nice looking pasta dishes as well.  George also got a hamburger from the pool grill and found it acceptable.

 

George had video depositions in the afternoon.  The Starlink internet connection is GREAT.  That makes me happy, but the downside is that George can do zoom meetings, even with the regular internet

 

. It was blowing a gale outside, though the ship was going into the wind, so it wasn’t too rough.  The outside decks were closed off due to the wind.  Since I couldn’t walk outside, I decided to do a tour of each deck of the ship to check out the art.  On decks 6, 8, and 10, they have prints of vintage photos mostly of well know cityscapes, archeological sites, and landmarks.  Those were very nice.  On 7 and 9, they have a bunch of very abstract watercolors, most of which look like something my 3 year old grandson brings home from preschool.  I hope they didn’t pay actual money for those.  His class would have done them for free.

 

We came in 2nd at trivia, missing only 3 questions.  Our team is well balanced, though if they ask a sports question, we may be in trouble.

 

Tonight was the captain’s welcome which we usually don’t attend.  We had reservations in Chartreuse.  The mushroom soup is the best ever as usual.  Our friend ordered a crab appetizer which was super fishy and inedible.  They have crispy escargot, which I ordered, and they are to die for.  George had the beet salad which he declared one of the best.  My lamb chops were perfect.  The Dover sole was also excellent by all reports.  

 

After dinner , I went to the show. It was a medley, ones by the Pointer sisters, Hall and Oakes, the Carpenters, Adele, Celine Dion.  Sounds weird, but it worked.  The female vocalist is outstanding.

[RachelG]

Entrance to Chartreuse 

[papaflamingo]

11 hours ago, RachelG said:

They have crispy escargot, which I ordered, and they are to die for.  

We were on Grandeur in Jan. and our friend had the crispy escargot in Chartreuse and didn't like them.  I will say up front, he's not an "adventurous eater" and broke them open and ate the snail alone.  I'm pretty sure that added to his "dislike."  

But after your comment and that of others, I'm now intrigued and I think next time I get a chance I will likely try them.  But can you describe how they're prepared?  Like... what's the "crispy" part, or any sauces, etc. 

Sorry, I know it's a bit of a weird question.  

Edited April 12 by papaflamingo

[NDOMA]

13 hours ago, RachelG said:

 

Our friend ordered a crab appetizer which was super fishy and inedible.  

We just disembarked the Grandeur and I was served a scallop in Chartreuse that was "off" and tasted terrible.  Our server saw my reaction to biting into it and brought the scallop to the chef.  He came out an apologized, and I hoped he would carefully inspect future seafood.  "Super fishy" smelling / tasting crab should never have been served.  

[RachelG]

5 hours ago, papaflamingo said:

We were on Grandeur in Jan. and our friend had the crispy escargot in Chartreuse and didn't like them.  I will say up front, he's not an "adventurous eater" and broke them open and ate the snail alone.  I'm pretty sure that added to his "dislike."  

But after your comment and that of others, I'm now intrigued and I think next time I get a chance I will likely try them.  But can you describe how they're prepared?  Like... what's the "crispy" part, or any sauces, etc. 

Sorry, I know it's a bit of a weird question.  

They are a little snail encased in a ball that is deep fried.  It reminded me of a tiny arancini ball except with a snail inside.  You pop the entire thing in your mouth at once.

[Hearthosesteeldrumsplayin]

We are on Grandeur in January, so I think I'll try the crispy escargot, just for grins!  Thanks for allowing us along on your trip!  Have a great one!

[Gcto]

On 4/10/2024 at 6:05 PM, Zqueeze1 said:

GMIAC:  have a wonderful cruise and safe travels.  Please say hello to Cy the bartender from Roberto.  Thanks. 
 

Z and TB

Same from me... and in case anyone cares...there is a great Pastis in one of the left side fridges... Cy knows 🙂

 

[RachelG]

April 12, 2024–Bermuda

 

We had a smooth night sailing, and I slept like a log.  When we woke up, the sun was peaking through some high clouds, and the wind had lessened some.  It was warmer as well, in the upper 60s.  The ocean was a beautiful aqua blue.

 

I went to a HIT class—high intensity workout, and he made us sweat a lot.  Only one other guy in the class with me though.  By the time I finished, the ship was sailing into the Royal Naval Dockyards, an old navy base now a cruise port with shops, restaurants and a museum.  We had been here before when they were just developing It.  

 

The captain had announced yesterday that we would sail out an hour early so as to avoid a big storm that was coming.

 

Our tour didn’t start until 11:40, so we had a while to walk around the dockyards.  Lots of expensive shops selling touristy stuff.  But a nice walk.  There was an interesting looking museum, but we didn’t have time to visit. We popped back to the ship for 15 minutes to grab a slice of pizza from the pool grill.

 

We boarded a van to take us to Hamilton, in the middle of the island to the bike shop.  We passed lots of pretty beaches and resorts, churches on just about every corner, and pastel painted houses with very thick walls and roofs.  Our guide told us the are built to easily withstand a level 4 hurricane.  Each has a water cistern underneath and it’s own septic system.  Stoves are propane canisters, so they can go without electricity for quite a while.

 

We arrived at a park in downtown Hamilton where we were taught how to ride our e-bikes, something neither of us had done before.  After a test ride to learn the controls, we took off, first on the street, but soon on a bike path built on an old railroad track.  It was great fun after I figured it out as you don’t have to shift gears, which was always the hardest part of riding a bike for me.

 

We ended up at a park by a nice beach then rode back on the road this time.  Really a fun excursion.  Our guide had slushies waiting for us, from a stand in the park.  I hadn’t had a slushie in probably at least 40 years, but it was refreshing after our ride.

 

We rode back to the dockyards, and the wind had really picked up a lot.  It was hard to even climb the gangway to the ship.  The captain came on with the weather report—told us to expect rough seas and gale force winds.  They are covering the windows on the lower decks.

 

We came in 2nd in trivia.  Shouldn’t have changed one answer, or we would have tied for first.

 

Dinner in Compass Rose tonight.  I started with a parsnip soup which was just ok.  Sounded better than it was.  The spinach salad was very good, with nice crispy spinach.  My pork tenderloin was perfectly prepared, as good as I can make at home, but I didn’t have to do the work.  I ordered a lingonberry soufflé for dessert, which was disappointing as it wasn’t a real soufflé, but rather a lingonberry purée with a meringue topping.

 

The show was a singer, Lisa Marie Holmes, and she was spectacular.  What a great voice.  She sang a variety of show tunes, plus other music. I am looking forward to her next performance.

 

George did well in the casino and recouped his precious losses.

 

[RachelG]

Dockyards chickens

[RachelG]

Our ship

[RachelG]

Huge wall with George in perspective tive 

[RachelG]

Bike ride views

[papaflamingo]

15 hours ago, RachelG said:

They are a little snail encased in a ball that is deep fried.  It reminded me of a tiny arancini ball except with a snail inside.  You pop the entire thing in your mouth at once.

Thanks!  Will have to give it a try next time! 😎