Grandeur of the Seas Western Caribbean 1/19-1/24

[Atomica]

Just back from an excellent cruise on the Grandeur & thought I'd share my thoughts. This was my first Royal Caribbean cruise, after a number of cruises with Princess, Holland America, NCL and Cunard.

 

Embarkation:

Super easy. I arrived at the cruise terminal just after 12:30 and was onboard by 1pm. The Tampa cruise terminal is well laid out and staff seemed to have an excellent handle on things. They had some issues getting my Visa to work, but that was sorted out with a quick stop at the Purser's Desk.

 

The Ship:

Fantastic. The Grandeur may have been built in 1996, but you'd never know it with all the constant upkeep going on inside and out. The ship was well laid out, and the amount of huge glass windows in every public room was a big plus.

 

I had cabin 2020, an outside on Deck 2. Also very well kept, with a surprising amount of storage space. The only thing I noticed was that beds on RCI are slightly lower to the ground than on Princess, HAL etc, so I had nowhere to store my suitcase (I usually slip it under the bed). I was very impressed with the cabin overall - my last few cruises have all been in balcony cabins, but I wasn't bothered at all by the absence of a balcony.

 

Great Areas: the Viking Crown Lounge, Schooner Bar, and the atrium levels were all great places to grab a drink and watch the ocean go by. I'd gladly sail on any Vision-class ship again in the future, and I'd love to try the Radiance class, as they seem to be a happy medium between Vision and Voyager/Freedom classes.

 

Food:

I was at a fantastic table for 10 in the dining room, and I was pleased that RCI seems to have tried to group people of similar ages together. As someone travelling solo on this cruise, that really made a difference for me.

 

Food overall was very good - easily comparable to Princess & HAL, though I'd actually give the nod to RCI for having better and more varied food in both the dining room menus and particularly in the Windjammer. I liked that there were some Indian and Asian food options on each evening's menu, as well as favorites like Chicken and Steak.

 

The only food item that didn't go over well, at least for myself and those at my table who had it, was the duck. Duck has a very distinct texture and taste, and what we had was far closer to chicken. It wasn't bad - it just didn't taste like duck ;)

 

I did hear some grumbling from various people about the quality of the food and accusations of cutbacks being thrown about, but I don't know how much credit I give to that. Personally, I found the food to be just fine. Tastes are very subjective, but it seems to me there was something for everyone.

 

Windjammer Buffet: the layout of this room is amazing. Never had to stand in a line for more than 30 seconds. HAL could learn something from this setup, as some of the worst lines I've ever stood in have been on ships that carry less pax than the Grandeur. Having separate serving stations helps thin out the crowd, and I never had a problem finding seating. Loved the single, bar-style seating by the windows. Glasses of Lemonade, water and Iced Tea being continually served up was another big plus.

 

Itinerary:

Key West: I loved it here, and am surprised it's not offered on more cruise itineraries. A really nice town with really nice people. It was bitterly, bitterly cold when we were there last Tuesday (and I am from Canada, too!). Still had a great time. This is a town that's easily walkable if you're up to it - I think I had most of it covered in an afternoon. Try the Key Lime Pie (naturally), and take in some of the bars if you're up to it - some look quite unique!

 

Cozumel: I took a walking tour of Cozumel that was actually quite disappointing - in three hours, we'd only covered two city blocks - not quite the 'fast paced' excursion I'd read about, and one of the only disappointments of the cruise. For the price I paid, I could have gone into town myself and just walked around. I was also actually a little disappointed at how Americanized Cozumel was - I didn't even have to speak any Spanish to get by there, which wasn't the case when I went to Mazatlan & Cabo.

 

I'd go back to Cozumel, but I'd probably do the Tulum excursion or go to Passion Island for the day. One couple at our dinner table took the Mexican Cooking tour and loved it, even though it wasn't their first choice - they couldn't speak highly enough of it!

 

Other Observations:

Really nice passenger mix - most people were there just to have a great time, and did. I overheard one older gentleman, while we were sailing away, screaming into his cellphone at some RCI rep because they couldn't find a past passenger number for him for a cruise he took in 1988. He couldn't remember the ship he was on or where it went, but he responded by saying he'd never sail RCI again.

 

There was also some grumbling over the absence of pillow chocolates. I honestly didn't realize this until I'd overheard a lady complaining about that, saying she was going back to Carnival because of that. I wanted to say to her "Really? You hate everything because of a 10 cent pillow chocolate!?". Overall, everyone was there to have fun.

 

I think that's everything. I'm now a huge Royal Caribbean fan - it's easy to see why so many people keep coming back again and again to cruise with them. I look forward to being on another RCI ship soon!

 

I should have some photos posted later in the week, but if anyone has questions in the meantime I'd be happy to answer them!

[kidless]

I took that same ship and itinerary January 5th...and like you loved it. Great crew and ship, we booked her again for next January 4th as we had such a wonderful time!!!! :)

[unforgiven]

Thanks for the review we are booked on her third time in May.

[Honey's Gal]

Oh, the Grandeur....it was my favorite ship until I sailed the Radiance class. I would sail the Grandeur anytime. It is such a wonderful ship, with a wonderful crew. I am sure you had the best time. It is a warm and comfortable ship

[Tanker4]

Great review of our favorite ship. We took her for the same itinerary that you did last Feb then took a 10 day Eastern Caribbean on her last month. Wonderful ship and the greatest crew we've ever sailed with.:)

[chickaroonie]

It was our 2nd cruise on Grandeur...we did the Trolley Tour, Sloppy Joes & ran into friends from back home which was freaky.../

Coz we did Nachi Cocum Beach Club & loved it...had done Chanacuub last yr. another good choice...

Forgot we had chocolates last yr. Guess it's not as important to me as I thought!lol

We had a JS on deck 8...great balcony, but too cool to maximize use of it.

We watched Quest & Marriage Show & Finale of kareoke...had not done those 3 things last time.

Loved our table, though just the 3 of us...great service all around.

Our TA will have to explain why our OBC was not recorded from owning stock(gave her the form) & we booked in Dec to use the next cruise certificate....Hate coming home with problems unresolved.

[tonymc]

Thanks for that review - our first cruise is booked on the Grandeur for April in the Western Caribbean, so very glad that you found everything was fine.

 

Our only disappointment is that the Key West call has been omitted, so it's just a straight run from Tampa to Cozumel and back again. However, I guess that means more time to enjoy the facilities on board :)

[PudgiPoo]

" had cabin 2020, an outside on Deck 2. Also very well kept, with a surprising amount of storage space. The only thing I noticed was that beds on RCI are slightly lower to the ground than on Princess, HAL etc, so I had nowhere to store my suitcase (I usually slip it under the bed)."

We alway pack our suitcases under the bed. If you lift up on the end of the bed (or ask stewart to do for you) they will go under the beds.

[silentbob007]

Thanks for taking the time to write a review. I'll always love the Grandeur.

[Atomica]

" had cabin 2020, an outside on Deck 2. Also very well kept, with a surprising amount of storage space. The only thing I noticed was that beds on RCI are slightly lower to the ground than on Princess, HAL etc, so I had nowhere to store my suitcase (I usually slip it under the bed)."

We alway pack our suitcases under the bed. If you lift up on the end of the bed (or ask stewart to do for you) they will go under the beds.

 

Good to know - I never thought of lifting the bed up!

[daphne47]

I'm taking my family on Grandeur in just a few days. I have never cruised on RCI. Given that this will be a short 4 night cruise, I am wondering how formal we will have to dress on the one formal night. None of us girls wear dresses due to our hideous cankles, and the men want to wear sport jackets. What do you think?

[Atomica]

I'm taking my family on Grandeur in just a few days. I have never cruised on RCI. Given that this will be a short 4 night cruise, I am wondering how formal we will have to dress on the one formal night. None of us girls wear dresses due to our hideous cankles, and the men want to wear sport jackets. What do you think?

 

I think a sports jacket for men should be fine, and I saw a lot of women dressed in slacks and blouses instead of dresses.

 

I was surprised at how many people dressed up - I wondered if because it was a 5 day cruise people would dress down, but I saw a lot of suit jackets and dresses even on casual nights.

[cherokeesmom]

I'm leaving on the Grandeur on 2/2 for the 4th time on this ship - needless to say I really do like it. Glad to know it's still so great.

[chickaroonie]

I had a whole different take on the clothing issue. We were 2nd seating & I would expect people may be a bit more dressed up having a bit more time to prepare. But I was surprised to see more casual clothes than I would have thought-even baseball caps(NOT-smart casual!). Glad DH left tux home...in our part of the DR he may have stuck out like a sore thumb. He did wear sport jacket. There's just that 1 formal night on a 4 or a 5 nt...so again I would have thought people would make more effort. I've only been on 2 other sailings & I felt this group was the most casual each night. We did not go for pics on staircase but they came to table & yes...we bought the picture.

[imola]

Thanks for the post. We have sailed her out of New Orleans in the past but will sail her again in May out of Norfolk and I am driving my DH crazy with excitment. Glad to hear that she remains a grand ship with the wonderful staff we remember.