Grandeur of the Seas Cruise Reviews - Reviews

I will start with the ship, The ship is Extremely Dated and has Excessive amounts of wear! The ship needs a complete updating or RETIRED!  I would say Retiring it would be best because updating it would not gain you much! The ship has a crack from side to side on deck 10 and also the supports for the viking lounge are cracked at the welds! Also the ship dosnt offer much activity wise compared to newer ships, it only has 2 small pools and dosen't have any water slides or tube runs, etc! Second would be the shore excursion desk help (Vas Francis) is slightly rude and knows Nothing about the excursions, only wants to charge you the extremely high prices and move to the next person in line! Third would be the port shopping guides (Eric+Tara) they are SO full of themselves it isnt funny! They are constantly bragging about the jewelry they have and want you to drool over it, During the talk over half of the people got up and left because they were sick of it! The room attendants were very nice and did a good job keeping new towels and room clean. The Great Gatsby dining room waiters are very nice and are the hardest working people on the ship they go out of their way to make sure you are happy!! One thing I hated was the food was NEVER hot, most times it was barely warm! This is in NO WAY the waiters fault but that of the kitchen! The food quality and slection at the Windjammer was poor, Especally for breakfast! The ship needs more activites/shows since there are so many days at sea! All in All Royal Caribbean could improve this to 100% by giving Baltimore the MUCH needed upgrade to a Newer or NEW Ship!!

Everything was wonderful on the cruise itself.  My experience with was a different story.  Carrie Hempel was the person that booked my cruise for me.  She said that I would get a $100 shipboard credit which I did not and she would not take my calls.  I will not ever book through again.

Ship was very small - food not the best as we've cruised previouly 8 times on other cruise lines.  Would not recommend to my family or friends.  Staff was friendly and accomodating, however, not worth the price we paid.  Solarium which is for adults only and has a pool & two hot tubs under cover, leaked at every corner.  Staff ignored water pouring in...only worried about selling cocktails. When weather was sunny, retracting roof was not open & was extremely hot with no air flow.  Not comfortable at all.  I'm assuming retracting roof was broken.  Events were held in atrium which was not big enough to accommodate everyone.  No seating & you had to stand 3 and 4 deep to watch the activities.  Should have had some of the events in the theater were there was enough seating for more people.  Just odd how they planned their events.  Was disappointed to say the least as this was my annual vacation week.  Traveling from Baltimore port was only plus.  First time ever that I was glad to get off ship.  Both my husband & I got flu like symptoms departing the ship.  Will not cruise with Royal Carribean any time soon.  Lea Ann

The cabin was as expected and cabin service in particular was exemplary.

the full shows were very good, areobatics and dancers absolutly great. The sing along type shows left much to be desired unless you are a kareoke fan.

The food was plentiful and worth the trip on its own from the dining room to the snack bar in the solarium. I would recomend that all take supper in the main dining room as a standard. The food was well prepared but a bit bland for my tastes but I'm not counting off for that as I like spicy food a lot.

The timing in the port of bermuda was poor for our cruse date as it was a bank holidy on the only full day at port. the cruse like provided very sketchy info as to what was open and times of transport to us. Thankfuly, the Bermuda authoritys stepped in and ran beach special buses to many popular beach destinations that ran regularly when full.

Our biggest, really only issue overshadowing the entire experience was with HOW an obnoxious oder outside our stateroom was handled. To us it was very obviously pot smoke from an adjacent state room and felt like running a gauntlet to get from the stair lobby to the room. Our first complaint was not even on the record when we inquired the next day. The second complaint we were told that the security in fact  smelled an oder similar to marijuana just as we described but could not locate the source. The third complaint we were reported to directly by 2 ship security personel whom reported to us that it was/had been just a food oder from room service. During fourth complaint, occurring over 3-4 days at repeated spikes in the oder, we were informed by several fairly high ranking ship personel in a private meeting and after an ispection of our state room, that the oder had been reported and investigated on past cruses, not just by us and that they were 200% positive it was not marijuana but a combination of smells from the HVAC system in only one hall that simply smelled like marijuana (and aparently only when the adjacent state room door was opened). It should be said that the hall was a small loop off of the main halls so was internal and sort of secluded from general traffic flow. All the time, the cruse line personel was offeriing 10%. 15% etc off our next cruse as a "buy off". We did not accept, told them to use the money to buy a dog to locate the source, and ask only that they follow up with us with an official report/source after their investigation was completed between cruises. After several weeks now not only has there has been absolutely zero follow up, Royal Carabean did not even send us an official review to fill out which we were told would be sent out via e-mail within 48hrs. I guess if you done want a bad review, do not send some one with a legitimate complaint a review to fill out. Seems to work for them anyway.

Our experience could be quite different from others on the same cruise and I am just passing along our experience. The cruise was very nice overall, but was middle of the road when compared with our past-other cruise experiences. (This was our eight cruise and first time on Royal Caribbean.) I guess part of the problem is that my wife and I bought into the hype from all the "Loyal Royals" and went in with high expectations.

Dining - food and drink:

The "Great Gatsby" sit down restaurant was on par with the other cruises...very good with excellent service.  We did the "My Time" dining but it really wasn't since they required you to reserve a time. This is problematic since we were not aware of the schedule of activities for the next day. (In consequence we conflicted with a few desired activities)

The Windjammer buffet was just so-so and we did not like the layout relative to other cruise lines. It was also apparant that the staff could use a lesson or two on how to wipe a table and chairs.

The Park Cafe had decent soup and sandwiches and was adequate but doesn't even compare to the available food on other cruise lines... (Guy Fieri Burgers and the Blue Iguana were awesome on the Carnival ships)

Ice cream was only in one spot and only available in the afternoon and shut down too early.. Why? Also, they had two machine but only utilized one.

Drink: OK, I'll admit it, I can't see paying the bucks for a soft drink package so we stuck with the ice tea, juice and water... This may sound trivial, but there were basically only three drink dispensers. It was somewhat pathetic because only two of the stations had an ice machine but were often out of ice or broken down.  Juice enhanced water was only available at the park cafe in the back. (Each dispenser had four heads, one would be ice tea, the other three water. (Why couldn't they have all three choices available at each machine.

Stateroom:

We decided to go last minute on the cheap and had chosen an inside stateroom. It was smaller than the other I/S staterooms on other ship, but was functional and was clean. The Bathroom was by far the smallest with the smallest showers of any other ships previously. Small is one thing, but not really a complaint. There are three main bathroom issues... 1.)Toilet placement - too close to the wall and had to sit side saddle and not easily fixed.  2.) Shower size - The shower could be corrected easily by adding a bowed upper curtain guide to move the curtain out and away and use a better- heavier-weighted grade shower curtain. (The curtain was very light and kept pushing in.)  3.) The sink faucet was not tall or long enough for the vessel style sink... Easy fix to replace faucet with a teller, better sized faucet.

Entertainment - Activities:

It seems that everyone is cutting corners and my wife and I have noticed a progressive cut in entertainment and activities over the past several cruises. With that said, the entertainment and activities were the worst of any of our previous cruises. The only jewels in their entertainment were the ships singers, dancers and ship's orchestra. The Comedians were OK, but a very short shows... Matt Yee was terrible so I wouldn't call him a comedian.  Other activities... trivia, etc were few and ill timed with dinner times etc. The two band that were playing in a few locations around the ship were mediocre at best.

Time in Port (Bermuda)

Bermuda was a fantastic and is now one of our favorite places. There are many things to do and see... very picturesque with dramatic shorelines with perfect white sand and blue water.  With that stated, it would have been nice to spend a little more time there. OK, when we booked the trip, we got mixed up with the celebrity schedule and were disappointed when did not arrive in Bermuda until after 3pm the first day and found out we had to be all aboard by 5pm the last day. The Grandeur of the Sea puttered across the ocean at a slow 12–13 knots and could have easily added time in port by going a little faster. One other issue was that we arrived on a Sunday and Monday was a Holiday so we were limited on our activities since most shopping etc was closed on those days.(Still found pleanty to do.)

Bottom Line:

We would do Royal Caribbean again but would not pay anything extra for the privilege. 

Overall a great cruise. Didn't realize that it would take so long to cruise into and out otf the Chesapeak Bay. The food and the service in the main dining room was excellent. My stateroom attendant was also very good. I was disappointed that we didn't dock in Bermuda until 3pm on the third day. Also was not aware that the 26th of May was Bermuda day. Shore excursions did very limited tours because of this. I used the fast ferry to go to Hamilton and the next day to St. George. Did not use shore excursions because of the misinformation they gave us. I was told that Horseshoe beach was closed and the only thing closed was the snack bar. Enjoyed my day there without too many tourist. lol.

The service was great, the food was good, but the stay in Bermuda was too short.

Maybe we should book a longer cruise (Duh)!

I actually had more fun booking a cruise in Miami and cruising the eastern and western Caribbean.

Elbow Bay beach is the nicest I have ever visited.

I was disappointed in our room.  I thought we would have a large window to look out.  All we had was two small port holes that we would have had to craw loan ledge to look out.  I would have liked to be on a higher floor and closer to elevators.  There were not enough afternoon and evening for the older people.  The dinning service in the evening was outstanding.  We were the last together off when we got back.  The wait for us was way to long.

This was a very nice cruise we did enjoy our selves. A little disappointed with the dining room asking clients to pay extra for surf and turf on Captains nights and also for the filet and additinal tips on these items. Theys usd to be included in the price of cruise. Had most of our meals in Windjammer buffet very nice experience great slection of food items servers in both locations wer great.

The public food venue was poor at best.  We are thankful that the speciality restuarants were available.  There was always an abundance of food but it was of poor quality.

The staff on the ship were top notch and always ready to assist.

Had a noise issue but the staff bent over backwards to work with us.

All and all it was a good cruise.

The ship itself was ok,however we ran into very shaky waters leaving Baltimore.Once close to Florida it was a little better.I really found nothing to do docked in Florida.However once in the Bahamas we found much to do that was a lot of fun.The onboard casino was not good to me at all(sucked).The main Dining(My time dining)was GREAT!My Dining sever Shrijit and his assistant Vincent were AWSOME!They made us feel very special(2 thumbs up for you guys).Overall the experience got 4 stars because of them.We honestly looked forward to seeing them daily.

this was a smaller ship but I enjoyed that is was less crowded in the public areas, we never had to wait for a table at my time dining for dinner, got a private table which is what we wanted, always got a seat at the show. We've been on bigger ships and the crowds and long waits were frustrating at times. We never had to deal with that on this ship. It was laid back and really enjoyable. We had no small kids with us so I can't comment on kids program. They said there were 150 kids onboard but you'd never know it. Kids were not running around screaming. The food in the main dining room was excellent. The food at the buffet at the windjammer was decent, there was enough of a variety that if you didn't like something there was plenty more to choose from. We were never hungry. We ate breakfast and lunch at the buffet and dinner except 2 nights in main dining room. Dining room staff were great. The staff was excellent. They were all so nice. they really went out of there way to accommodate us. The ship was very clean. Our room was always made up.when we returned to.the cabin. We were on deck 2 mid ship outside cabin. Could barely feel the ship move. Cabin was small but we were barely in it. We've been on cruises before so we knew what to expect with our cabin. The entertainment was great. The centrum did get a bit crowded for some of the entertainment so just try to get there a bit early to get a seat. We have no complaints of this ship. We had a wonderful cruise. Wish it were longer!

This was my first cruise and it far exceeded my expectations!  Service at every level was superb and they were very conscientious with the cleanliness of the ship.  Hand sanitizer was doled out by staff at the entrance of eating areas and staff were often observed wiping down railings and other commonly touched areas.  As a nurse, this was greatly appreciated!  Food was great and the live entertainment was extraordinary!  We had a great population mix with passengers of all ages.  It wasn't a "geriatric" cruise as one of my friends experienced on another cruise line and children were well behaved.  Excursions were such a great bonus for me.  I especially loved the air boat ride into the Everglades at Port Canaveral.  Not only did we see a couple of alligators, we got to taste some fried alligator afterward.  A herd of cattle had broken loose from from their territory and were in the water near us being herded back by dogs and several farmers on horses.  The stop at Nassau was filled with shopping at the largest straw market in the world where you can practice your bargaining skills, more shopping on Bay Street, and then some sightseeing at the mega resort - Atlantis!  Be sure and stop at the Daiquiri Shack there...the Miami Vice mixed drink is the BEST!  Windy weather delayed passengers getting on tender boats to head out to Coco Cay for our 3rd stop.  The captain relocated the ship and after a couple of hours, we eventually were OK'd to head to the island and what a gorgeous sight!  My daughter went snorkeling while I enjoyed the sights and sounds from a lounge chair.  A picnic lunch was provided on the beach that day.  I would highly recommend Royal Caribbean's Grandeur of the Seas!

Very disappointed in the rccl production shows. The meals were ok, enjoyed the buffets. I really didn't care for  not being able to have any lunch the day we were on the private island.We got to the island 2 hours late due to the wind and not able to load the tenders safely.Rccl captain did everything he could to.Make it a great day.The problem was they didn't change the schedule for lunch, so many people didn't get a lunch.We are diamond members and we know what to expect.

exceptional service and lots of shows. Our stewart and waiter made us feel very well taken care of along with the rest of the staff on this trip. We will be back again becase of this service. Please pay them more money because they earn it and the staff is the difference between a good or ok experience and we will cruise again with your company.

very good loved leaving from Baltimore then crew was great   food was great, great shows, rooms little small but ok . Would like to have larger ships leaving from Baltimore to more Islands.

We had a wonderful time! Excellent food and service of crews esp in all the eating places. We feel so special. They are very friendly,helpful and even knowledgeable about the food they served!. We were told so by friends who had experiences cruises with RC but we got to experience it ourselves and we were quite impressed. Our only gripe was, there wasn't enough movie nights and the entertainments I would rate 3 stars or less. There was only one night of movie. The big screen played ESPN all the time! For sports fan its great but for those who are not, although there are plenty to do such as slots machine, lounges and bars, pools and hot tubs, more movies would be great. Overall we still had great time.

We had a good time on our cruise. I wasn't very impressed with the shows, except for the night we had Savanah Jack band they were awesome! Best show we have ever had on a cruise. The other shows were pretty poor. To much sexual content for all the children that were attending. The service on the ship was great! The mattresses on the bed was a little old, we weren't able to sleep very well. 

Our cruise was most enjoyable.  The food and service was excellent.  The entertainment was very good.  The accomodations were top of the line.  Getting on and off the ship was the best ever.  I expect nothing less from Royal Caribbean, and was not disappointed.

The cruise was more than I expected. Everyone was just so friendly. I am already thinking about cruising again on a 10 day to Bermuda in April 2015. This was my first cruise and by no means my last one. The only complaint I have is that the mattress on one side gave me and my wife a back ache.