A little about us. Were in our 50s and this was our tenth cruise, fifth on Royal Caribbean. We originally booked a 7-night sailing from New Orleans but due to hurricane Katrina the Grandeur was redeployed to Tampa. The offer from RCI to do a 5 and 4-night, back-to-back, at the original booking price was too good to pass, so we were off to Tampa. We were sailing with my daughter, son-in-law and new granddaughter, and although we were all looking forward to a few pre-cruise nights in N.O. a 9-night cruise was quite welcome.

We flew in from Detroit, met with the kids at the Tampa airport and took a cab to the pier. Embarkation was a breeze and we were enjoying lunch in the Windjammer by 11:30. This was a budget cruise so we booked and inside cabin and as expected it was a tight fit but fine since it was used only for sleeping. The kids were a little cramped next door since the had to make room for the Pak n Play for the baby. The ship is in great shape and the crew was one of the best Ive experienced. They were extremely friendly and always helpful. The entertainment was fairly typical for Royal Caribbean but enjoyable. The ships singers and dancers were quite good. Meals in the dining room were very good, not spectacular, but better than average. The Windjammer was consistently good and I enjoyed breakfast there most mornings.

Most of the time the ship did not appear overly crowded except for the Pool Deck. Due to many schools being off for mid-winter/Presidents Week breaks there were many children on board but most were well behaved. Those in the ships Adventure Ocean program seemed to really enjoy it. Read more