Great cruise but the Grandeur of the Seas has seen better days ...

Item: Grandeur of the Seas
Rating: 4.5
Author: glad845

Grandeur of the Seas Cruise Review to Canada, New England, New York

glad845

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 46

Overall rating:

4.5 out of 5

Verified Review

9 Night Canada & New England (Baltimore Roundtrip)

Sail date: June 29, 2017

Ship: Grandeur of the Seas

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 7532

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 7 years ago

Review summary

Overall, it was a great cruise. I only wish that Royal Caribbean would retire the Grandeur of the Seas, as she is getting very old. We met very many people, both on the ship and in ports, and it was a wonderful experience. The food onboard the ship was tasty (for the most part). The entertainment and activities were good too.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

As Diamond members, it was very uneventful. We were onboard in a very short time of arriving in the terminal.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5

Entertainment

4 out of 5

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Ship Quality

3 out of 5

The common areas such as the restaurants, stores and theater etc. were clean, but the public restrooms were not always cleaned as well as on past cruises on the Grandeur. Things were very messy. See pictures! We have cruised on the Grandeur many times in the past and it was always a great experience, but it's quite evident that she is slowly becoming a "rust bucket". There was a lot of rust on the outside of the ship, including on our balcony. There also seemed to be a lot of patching in other areas of the ship. It's time for the Grandeur to be retired! See pictures!

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5

The cabin was very clean, however, we had to ask to have ice and glasses delivered to our stateroom in the morning and evening. The attendant did bring ice as requested but never left clean glasses each day. We had to ask for them too. On every other cruise we've taken on Royal Caribbean, the ice was always provided without asking. The sofa has a tired and worn look. It should be replaced.

Ship tip

Except for the negatives of the ship's condition, we did have a great cruise. So if you can look beyond this aging ship, you should enjoy yourself.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Baltimore, Maryland

5 out of 5

The Baltimore Port is great. It's easy to get too, and parking is onsight and good. It cost $15 per day.

Thumbs Up 6

Boston, Massachusetts

5 out of 5

There isn't much to see as you get off the ship, but the excursions are great. There is so much to see and do in Boston.

Thumbs Up 1

Portland, Maine

5 out of 5

Bar Harbor, Maine

5 out of 5

Saint John, New Brunswick

5 out of 5

It was an easy access off the ship, and lots to see and do. We went on a five hour excursion. It was very nice but a little too long. We did not book the tour through RC.

Thumbs Up 1

Halifax, Nova Scotia

5 out of 5

We didnot do an excursion in Halifax because my husband came down with a cold, but we have visited Halifax before and really enjoyed it. Many passengers on the Titanic who didn't survive the ship's sinking are buried here.

Thumbs Up 3

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

We put in for early disembarkation and were off the ship around 8:15 am that morning. It was effortless. The Port of Baltimore is great!

Traveler Photos

This shopping place was right at the pier in Halifax. It's a great place for souveniers.

The Fourth of July celebration onboard the Grandeur of the Seas.

We went on a four masted schooner, but we did not order the tickets through RC. It was alot of fun.

Lobser roll, picles and fries at Paddy's.

We were tendered to Bar Harbor. It took about 10 minutes to get there.

Gilbert's fried clam, clam chowder and fries.

Dining at Gilbert's Chowder House. Great food and not expensive. Boiled lobster, french fries and an ear of corn for $24.95.

Portland, Maine ... We went on a windjammer cruise, but we did not order the tickets through RC. It was a most enjoyable cruise. We dined at Gilbert's Chowder House. It was delicious! Shopping is right there on the main street also.

Bad glue job around one of the toilets flusher in the ladies room.

One of the many broken toilet paper holders in the public restrooms.

Rust and a hole in the steel on our balcony.

Over flowing paper towel container in a ladies restroom.

A piece of patched floor molding in the ladies bathroom.

Alexanandra, waitress in the Schooner Lounge

Pablo, Head waiter in Davinci's Italian Restaurant

Our matre'D, head waiter & assistant waiter

5 Comments

Catsrule 7 years ago

I agree with all of the positive comments about GOS!!! I felt so welcome and was extremely sad to leave! I had an amazing cruise and wouldn't hesitate to sail on her again! Such fun!!!

Thumbs Up 0

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jilesgulf 7 years ago

Grandeur is our favorite ship that we've cruised on & we've cruised the mega & mid sized ships as well as other of the smaller ships in the RCCL fleet. The crew is awesome & makes us feel so special. We get to know them that makes us feel like a part of the ship's family. A cruise is what YOU make it. If you look for the bad--you'll find it. If you look for the good--you'll find it.ð

Thumbs Up 2

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disneygo 7 years ago

Grandeur of the sea was our first Cruise, that was 18 years ago. We were on her again about 2 years ago, even though the ship is old we had a wonderful time. Booked again for this year, can't wait!!

Thumbs Up 1

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VQEldgVlQoFTCPx7TfIR7Bo0l 7 years ago

So sad that you spent all your time taking pictures of the problems on the ship instead of enjoying your cruise. I guess anyone can find issues when they look hard enough. Personally, I love the Grandeur and have sailed her many times and have no plans to stop unless, God forbid, they retire the old lady. Next time do some research before you choose your cruise, go to Florida and hit one of the mega ships with all the bells and whistles. Though I'm sure you'll find plenty of things to take pictures of.

Thumbs Up 1

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GIL155 7 years ago

Retirement may not be that far away. RC keeps ordering/building new ships.

Thumbs Up 0

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Other reviews of this sailing

Very disappointed with this cruise. It was not up to the standard that I would normally get on royal Caribbean cruises.