This was our third cruise. We have previously cruised with Holland America and on Royal Caribbean's Navigator of the Seas.
The Grandeur is a bit older of a ship, but it was in very good condition. Just by looking at the ship and walking around, you could not tell that it was 10 years old. However, it does not have all the amenities of the new classes of ships. There is a rock wall that appears to have been added after the Grandeur was originally launched, but there is no ice rink, or Johnny Rockets - which was one of my (and my kids) favorite things on the Navigator. However, we knew all this when we booked the cruise, so it was not unexpected.
EMBARKATION This process went very smoothly. We drove up to Baltimore and were able to easily park our car. Parking was $10 a day and you had to have cash. We dropped our suit cases prior to parking and had then in our cabin by 6 PM, which was a bit tight for our 6 PM dinner seating, but no big deal. However, there was an announcement that a couple of people still were missing bags 2 days into the cruise.