Delighted by the Lady G
Grandeur of the Seas Cruise Review to Caribbean - Southern
Contributor Level:
Purser
Cruises: 4-6 cruises
Reviews: 2
Helpful Votes: 45
9 Night Southern Caribbean (Miami Roundtrip)
Sail date: April 21, 2023
Ship: Grandeur of the Seas
Cabin number: GTY
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 1 year ago
Review summary
We were delighted with the itinerary, as were the other customers on board (since it was a packed ship, with no opportunities for upgrades from what the staff told us). The ship was very nice, the food was quite satisfactory, and we had a great time.Embarkation
Shockingly brisk. We took an Uber ride from our hotel to Terminal G, dropped off our bags with the porter at the curb, walked in with our small rolling carryon bags, and we stood in line for no more than a total of 7-8 minutes before walking onto the ship. stood in line a total of no more than 7-8 minutes from the time we
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
The new Main Dining Room menu was quite good, overall, and we had opted for the My Time dining that allowed us to make reservations at different times for different nights, depending on what we had going on that day. There was always a good option available (although we did not necessarily pick the best option the first time, in which case we asked for, and received, our second choice). We only at at a specialty dining venue one night, and it did not disappoint. The tagliatelli carbonara was outstanding at Giovanni's, and even a half-portion of that was more than I needed. We only stepped foot in the Windjammer three times in over a 10-day period, because we had plenty of breakfast/brunch, and otherwise would get a snack of pizze at the Park Cafe intermittently.
Onboard Activities
We did not step foot in the pool or hot tubs. We enjoyed lying in the shaded portions of the pool deck, or deck 10, reading or napping. Otherwise, we were inside playing Phase 10, going to trivia events, going to karaoke in the South Pacific Lounge or to dance parties in the Centrum, participating in group events in the Centrum, or attending shows in the Palladium Theater. Anything we could do to avoid passing near the smoke-filled casino was where we would go on board.
Entertainment
The house orchestra was outstanding. The DJ did a great job with the 70s/80s music in the Centrum. We did not listen much to the house band (Sparkle), or the violinist/Spanish guitarist duo, though there was always some live music going on that did sounded good, in passing. There was a great piano show with a Lionel Richie tribute artist, and a quartet of '60s music from The Modern Gentlemen, along with one lackluster comic and one pretty good comic.
Service and Staff
Room steward was outstanding down on Deck 2; waiters in the Main Dining Room were very attentive, and the cruise director (Mike) and his staff (especially Jay from Brazil) were fantastic at keeping the activities lighthearted.
Ship Quality
We could easily see why Grandeur of the Seas has the cult following she has earned over the years. There were some spots of obvious wear and tear (soft spots in the floor on Deck 2 in the hallway......water leak on Deck 2 was thankfully clean water instead of sewage), but this ship has been traveling the seas for the better part of 30 years, and the cleaning staff did a great job of keeping the carpet clean, the bathrooms clean in the public areas, and the dining areas clean. The casino is the only down side to this ship, as far as I'm concerned. The smoke is able to waft out and permeate Deck 5 in the Centrum area, which meant we frequently had to go out of our way to keep from smelly smoky ourselves. But, that's what a walk along the wood-decked Deck 5 was for!
Cabin / Stateroom
Cabin 2638 was as the very back of the lowest deck of rooms. Our cabin was clean, comfortable, and surprisingly roomy. It had much more storage space than some other larger ships we had been on previously. The only problem we had was the embarkation day. During refueling at Terminal G, some of the fuel fumes settled down low. Our room smelled a bit like a truck stop for a while. By the time sailaway was complete and we had been at sea for a couple of hours, and by the time we went back down to get ready for dinner, the smell was gone.
Ship tip
No matter if you don't normally dance......get out on the floor in the Centrum and have some fun with others who don't normally dance.
Thumbs up
0
Ports of call
Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic
Taino Bay is beautiful, though we did not stay there or use the pool or other facilities. There are good, cheap dining options on the beach. We ate mofungo al pollo (a typical Dominican dish that sounds awful, but tastes great) at Neptune's on the beach a couple of miles east of the port. It was $20 for three people, but they only take cash. The teleferico ride (cablecar to the top of the mountain) got us a great view and cooler weather. The people of the area drive like maniacs, though. There is little wonder D.R. has the highest per capita vehicle accidental death rate in the world.
We thoroughly enjoyed our beach excursion to the Secret Sands beach (actually, just a park, but it's not covered with locals trying to sell crap to you)
I was disappointed with the abject filth in St Lucia. The land has so much potential, with their rainforest and natural beauty. However, from Castries all the way down to Soufriere, it looked like no one new tourists (a.k.a. paying customers) were coming. The beach in Soufriere was a garbage heap. In our 6 hour excursion, we saw four serious road accidents.
Thankfully, the Tet Paul trail folks were very accomodating, and it was clean, and they were delightful in providing samples of their produce (fresh fruits, coconut, banana bread, sugar cane), and the trail to view the Pitons was the highlight of the trip.
This was the polar opposite of St. Lucia. People had an understanding of road rules, everything looked like they knew people were coming to visit, and the beach we visited was pristine. The only thing disconcerting was the evidence of heavy Chinese investment in the island. From the food storage bunker being developed, to the magnificent Chinese tour bus we rode on, it is easy to see that this former British colony is quickly becoming Sino-centric.
The beaches looked nice, though we did not go on one. We chose a rather bizarre ride around the island on the Happy Cat bus (which was cheap, but hot, and took 50% longer than we anticipated when we got on).
Disembarkation
Disembarkation was swift and claiming our bags was easy. It was scary how quick the Customs facial recognition software cleared us (faster than I could open my passport book to the photo page). The only down side was that directions on how to catch our pre-arranged transport bus to MIA airport were nonexistent.