Royal Car. ship 'Grandeur of the Seas' out of Baltimore - Help Needed

Uncleromulus

Plain grey will be fine
Joined
Jan 28, 2001
Just returned from 5th Disney cruise on Fantasy. Great time, but looking now for New England itinerary, and see Royal Car. has one out of Balto (near where we live) to the New England area. Have never been on any cruise line other than Disney. Can anyone answer:

1. Have you ever been on Grandeur? What did you think?

2. We like concierge service. Does Royal Carib offer? How does it differ from Disney? What are nicest rooms like?

3. Can two people sit by themselves for dining? I know you can on Dis ships, but not sure about Royal Car. We prefer our own table. Also, is a time specified for dining?

4. How do their excursions work?

Any and all comments and thoughts re specific ship or Royal Car. appreciated. Thanks.
 
We are RCL Diamond members as well as Castaway Club Platinum members. I'll try to give you some general answers but have never been on the Grandeur so it won't be ship specific.
1 - We have sailed on another ship in this "class" the Rhapsody of the Seas. However, RCL has made changes to the ships over the years and while they may still be the same general size/layout I'd hesitate to say anything about the Grandeur based on my Rhapsody sailing.
2 - Yes, RCL has suites which come with concierge services. Note however that "Junior Suites" have a limited version of this. We regularly sail in a Grand Suite. There are larger suites as well. Friends we sail with usually go for the Owners Suite so we've seen them too. We're happy with the Grand Suite and don't feel the need to go to the larger Owners Suite. There isn't a real difference in amenities/service between the two.
3 - Strangely enough I can't answer this question. We are kind of dining snobs I guess but we never darken the door of the Main Dining Rooms on board RCL ship. Be aware that RCL has both traditional cruise dining and "my time" dining seatings. You pick which you want when you book (or at least before you sail). My time dining means you don't have a specific table or time to eat. Instead you make reservations (or just show up) at the dining room when you want to eat.
4 - Excursions are very similar to what you've experienced on DCL.
 
Just wanted to add to the above: RCL has recently introduced a three-tier "concierge" service for suite guests; Sea, Sky and Star class. On board benefits increase as the category gets higher. Its a bit complicated and you're best off going to the RCL site to see the differences in what you get. IIRC, there is a page with shows a side-by-side comparison.

And as far as my comment above in not going to the MDR's goes you're probably wondering what we do for meals. In the morning we typically eat at the designated restaurant for suite quests. Lunch is usually at the buffet. At night we go to one of the specialty dining restaurants, which are up-charges.

The ship will have a special concierge lounge as well with breakfast and evening snacks. There will be free adult beverages in the lounge during evening hours.

I'll try to add more as they occur to me.
 
Thanks!! Was reading reviews on several sites and a # are NOT that complimentary--old ship, noisy, unfriendly crew--etc etc. I know other reviews are stellar--I guess we need to realize it isn't the Fantasy!!! Wish there was a book like Passporter that covered RCL--their Website takes a bit of navigation---
 


their Website takes a bit of navigation---
Agree, its pretty bad. Trying to look at future cruise opportunities often leave me frustrated. Watch their pricing too. The way they present it borders on misleading until you get to the total.

I know that Dreams Unlimited (who bring you the DIS Boards) has done a few reviews of the RCL ships over the past year. You might want to watch some of them on YouTube. We were on several of the sailings that they talk about.

This one in particular talks about suite class:
 
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Thanks--I'll check out Dreams and YouTUbe. Looks like the new Concierge classes do not apply to smaller ships like Grandure---
 
I can't answer for Grandeur, but we were on Enchantment this summer. Both are "Vision Class" ships. On Enchantment we did have a table for two, without requesting it. What I would do, similar to what you would do with Disney, is call the reservations line a few weeks before embarking and have that request added to your reservation. If you go thru a travel agent, they should be able to do that for you. Then, on embarkation day, take a walk into the main dining room and find your table (it'll be printed on your SeaPass card at checkin). If its not a table for two, go to where they make dining changes (might also be the MDR, not sure) and see if they can change it for you.

Again, I can't answer for Grandeur, but we liked Enchantment a lot and would be happy to sail her again.
 


Well--since been reading lots of reviews and it sounds like Grandeur is sort of the Tramp Steamer of the RCL fleet. Too many poor reviews such as no hot water for 2 days, surly wait staff, dirty and noisy, poor shows, etc etc.
 
Well--since been reading lots of reviews and it sounds like Grandeur is sort of the Tramp Steamer of the RCL fleet. Too many poor reviews such as no hot water for 2 days, surly wait staff, dirty and noisy, poor shows, etc etc.

I remember reading a review of Enchantment before we left that it was "a rust bucket that should be put out to pasture". Couldn't have been further from the truth...
 
Unfortunately I've been reading many dozens of reviews on Grandeur, with far too many bad reviews to go along with the good ones. I usually can toss out the stray bad or excellent review--it's the preponderance of either that usually tells the tale.
 
Not sure where you were considering sailing on the Grandeur but might I suggest an alternative? I know from your other posts here that you just got off the Fantasy. If you're considering yet another 7-night Caribbean cruise you might give the Oasis a chance.

Especially in one of the suite class staterooms. The real advantage there is access to Coastal Kitchen restaurant for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Food is really good there since they are only cooking for maybe 200 over the evening rather than 4000. Also has a wonderful view since its at the top of the ship.
 
For Mrs U and I, we're sort of tired of the Caribbean now.

And flying to Florida, etc adds over a thousand $$ to the bill.

We were looking at New England/Canada--and sailing from Baltimore where we can easily drive and Park.

Unfortunately no Cruise Line will send a nice (or large) ship to Baltimore--which is probably why Grandeur is there!!!
 
For Mrs U and I, we're sort of tired of the Caribbean now.

And flying to Florida, etc adds over a thousand $$ to the bill.

We were looking at New England/Canada--and sailing from Baltimore where we can easily drive and Park.

Unfortunately no Cruise Line will send a nice (or large) ship to Baltimore--which is probably why Grandeur is there!!!
Can you drive to NJ and do a New England/Canada cruise on Anthem or Adventure?
 
I'll check on this..

Should add that DCL has a cruise to Canada out of NYC--but NOT for some reason in 2108.
 
As far as Grandeur goes, she is an original vision class vessel that has been refurbished. This is far from a new and glamorous ship, but didn't find it to be a rust bucket. Just sailed on her in April. A delightful cruise with excellent service and good food with no maintenance issues. When sailing on one of these vessels, expectations have to be set appropriately. This is not Oasis class. If you are used to more amenities and activities, I would definitely recommend the Anthem (new) and Adventure (revitalized) out of Bayonne, NJ for Canada and New England. They are packed with activities! And specifically the Anthem is designed as a Cold Weather vessel with many indoor activities and events in case of bad weather.
 
We are gold with Disney but wanted to try a cruise where we could drive to the port instead of flying. We thought it would be much easier and save some money. We live in new England and ended up cruising out of Baltimore on Grandeur of the Seas. We really did not enjoy the trip. The food was better than Disney and my youngest daughter liked the kid room because the activities were very clearly organized for the younger children. However, overall we did not have a good time. The beds and pillows were really uncomfortable. I asked for multiple different pillows and could never find anything that was comfortable. There were a few activities that were appealing to us as adults. If we drink a lot or wanted to go in the casino or shop for watches, we would have been fine. My older children who were 12 and 13 at the time really didn't like the teen room. It was just video games. There was no supervision at all and there were a few kids who were left alone to bully some of the other children. At one point, they actually took the gaming unit from the kids room to their room. Ultimately, it did make it back, but my boys did not. At one point, we signed my boys up for an excursion on their private island. When I booked it, I asked very pointedly if we needed to be there to sign any release forms. They said no. When the kids got to the island, one of us did need to sign a form. Because they use a tender boat, it took my husband over an hour to go down to the Island, sign the form and get back. They were supposed to keep the boys there at the conclusion of the trip so that we could come and get them. We arrived 10 minutes before it was supposed to have ended. It had already ended and the boys have been let free. It took us quite a while to find them. Needless to say, I was livid.

As an adult, I really didn't find the shows to be entertaining at all. They felt amateurish and did not compare to the Broadway quality that you see on a Disney cruise ship. I did not like the casino either. It seemed like I was constantly having to walk through it or around it. There was so much cigarette smoke everywhere. Also, the constant attempts to get us to buy the drink package we're very frustrating. There were so many people on the boat who seem to be trying their hardest to drink their $50 a day worth of alcohol.

Between the movies and the planned activities all day, my husband and I are never bored on a Disney cruise ship. Because I did not want to shop and pay for all of my activities for the day, they really did not seem to be much to do. I think this is better on the larger ships that have more activities.

This cruise was so disappointing. We want to go to Europe next summer and Disney just does not have the itineraries that we are looking for. I'm going to give Royal Caribbean a try again. I figure if I'm going on a port heavy trip, the rest of the stuff on the boat won't be as annoying. We planned this trip because it was going to save us a great deal of money. Ultimately, I would rather pay more upfront and relax and have a much better time. Good luck with your choice
 
We have cruised RCL before cruising with Disney, so it has been at least 10 years since our last RC cruise. That said, we are taking two RC cruises next year (Bermuda and Caribbean), in addition to SWDAS cruise on the Fantasy. The reason that the Grandeur is the only ship that cruises from Baltimore, is that it has to go under the Bay Bridge. When we were looking to book our first RC cruise for next year, we asked our travel agent a question comparing RC and DCL, she said it is comparing apples to oranges. We are also a little nervous about the kids area because our 8 year old has only ever been to Oceaneers and is adamant that he isn't going to enjoy the RC cruises.

If possible, there are New England cruises from NY/NJ on DCL, even re-positioning ones. Over this past Halloween season, they were Halloween on the High Seas cruises to Quebec from NY and to NY from Quebec. If you live in the Northeast, or within a 4 hour drive of NY, that might be an option. I know that is on our radar for our next DCL cruise.
 

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