Bermuda was a wonderful trip and I would like to go back someday but perhaps do it in seven days instead of five. There were some outstanding things in this cruise particularly in the Great Gatsby dining room. The food and staff there were superb. The friendliness of the staff was outstanding. My main complaints were over the choices of the food venues and the lack of options available late night. All in all a great cruise.
Embarkation
2 out of 5
Although not the fault of Royal Caribbean because of their late arrival due to rough seas and a big ocean storm, the set up at the Maryland Cruise Terminal was long and slow especially since everyone was arriving at the same time. It would have been nice to be set up with more seating and call people in groups instead of spending well over an hour snaking through the line.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Rick and Ronald in the main dining room were two outstanding waiters in the main dining room and the food was superb. My wife had an unlimited supply of lobster tails and I had prime rib one night. Every night there was a very good selection at the Great Gatsby main dining hall. Of the eight cruises I have been on, the dining room experience was the best I have seen.
The Windjammer buffet was decent and had a good selection. It was comparable to some of the other buffets found on other cruise ships.
The big disappointment was the Park Cafe which was open for late night snacks. The service was somewhat slow and selections were very limited. Also, it was hard to get ice cream during the day. On some of the other ships I have been on, there were plenty of places to get cookies, ice cream and fruit drinks. These items were definitely lacking.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
The adults only solarium was nice for swimming and for the hot tub. There were a number of activities though it would have been nice to have a few more entertainment options.
We did run into a few issues. 1) There was a policy that if you did not return your beach towels to the pool area, you would be accessed a $25 fee. On other cruise lines, we could leave towels in room. On Royal Caribbean, you can’t do this. We had to go through some hoops to clear this out especially since the towel areas were closed before the stated return time. 2) There was a mix up with our group photos L’s though this finally got straightened out.
I do think there was a bit too much pushing us to fill out online surveys to give the staff good views. It seemed like a bit too much self promotion.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
For a short cruise, there were some nice venues. Two comments 1) Since it was an older crowd, for the most part, it would have been nice to have some music from older broadway plays like Oklahoma, South Pacific etc. They did do selections from West Side Story but most of the songs were from musicals that I was not familiar with. 2)I really liked the Beatles tribute band however, who ever was running the sound board needs to turn up vocals. In the balcony, we could hear guitar and drums but vocals were weak.
Overall, for a short cruise, the entertainment was very good.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Of the eight cruises I’ve been on l, this is the friendliest crew I’ve seen. The waiters were superb!
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
For an older ship, it was a very well kept and clean ship.
My only complaint was that there were no refrigerators in the stateroom.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Inside cabin 3509: A decent room for an interior room but I wish the room had a refrigerator. Also the leg room space for the toilet would be harder for taller people.
Ship tip
If you are sailing in the fall or winter, plan on delays and itinerary changes. The weather can turn nasty in the North Atlantic
The inner harbor was wonderful. The cruise port terminal needs a lot of work with its crowd management both in the embarking and disembarking process. This was especially true with bad weather.
Very slow and chaotic. We were late getting in and we had to get out of our rooms but more personnel are needed to police the crowds getting off the ship. A “plan B” is needed to better move the passengers. The port didn’t seem able to handle things much better either. Very long and slow lines.
I've been adding the following comment to reviews: Grandeur will be leaving the RC Fleet Spring 2021. I will miss her since I sail on her quite often. However, have no fear. The Enchantment of the Seas will be replacing her in Baltimore April, 2021. It looks like I'll be sailing out of Baltimore many years to come, God willing.
I totally agree with you about the length of time that is spent in Bermuda,I would have liked more time as well, our time was only two days. I am sure that I missed so much of its appeal!
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