Grandeur of the Seas Review

4.0 / 5.0
1,829 reviews

Grandeur of the Seas - Canada/New England

Review for Canada & New England Cruise on Grandeur of the Seas
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jana458
First Time Cruiser • Age 70s

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Sail Date: Sep 2007

My husband and I selected this cruise in hopes of seeing some fall colors. we were a bit early. In retrospect, found that perhaps a month later would have been perfect. Starts in Baltimore, a great city with wonderful sites if you are a walker or have time to get there a few days early. The pier is easy to locate. The cruise line will try to sell you one way port/airport transportation for $39 each. A cab was $35 for two of us and convenient. Same type bus the ship uses. This was my husbands 13th and my 15th cruise. Each of us have been on RCCL 11 times. However, with a computer problem, they seemed to have "lost" records of 5 of our cruises and remain unwilling to provide credit for them based on the year and season. So we are "Platinum" level members. This supposedly gave us a huge advantage and special gifts. Now this we found actually insulting. It would have been better if they had given us nothing at all. Instead, we got a note about how valued we are, along with a 49 cent key chain. ...what a slap in the face that was! It also set a bad tone for the 9 day cruise. The ship was in fair shape but showing its age. We found most of the crew to be very friendly and very attentive, however did have one waiter during open dining who was outright rude. The ship was a nice size for us, but we had some issues with the size of the showroom,The Palladium, where all the shows occurred. The room was much too small

to accommodate those wishing to see the shows. If you wanted to get two seats together, you had to be there and seated 45-50 minutes before the show, so take a book/crossword puzzle. The bartenders did well because people got there early and just drank for an hour. A few times we couldn't get in. We had arrived 20 minutes before the show one time and were 'stacked' 2 deep standing room only, with some elderly people sitting on stairs and others on the floor. I was a bit upset that the crew made no attempts to accommodate those wanting to attend after all, we all paid for the opportunity. Two of the three "Guest Shows" were repeat visitors from cruises with RCCL 10-12 years ago. The jokes were the same…not too fresh. Production shows were fabulous. Almost no kids on the ship, so quiet. The weather was cold and overcast, so there wasn't much gong on at the pool. The dining room and food experience was very disappointing. Of all the cruises we have taken, we had expected something grand. The appetizers were heavily geared toward seafood, so if one had allergies, it left little to choose from. The entrees were a true disappointment. Presentation was great but taste was mediocre at best. Food selections were poor. a Few standard choices at the end of the menu, over cooked and over seasoned. The new York steak was a whopping ¼ inch thick at best and very tough.We had great company at the dinner table

and it seems that is what we enjoyed most about the meal experience in the dining room. Desserts were so so. Dining room alternative, Windjammer was jammed all the time. Amused by the name we found that every time it was windy outside(always)the place was jammed. The ports were ok, but not great. Book on line. Stood in line for 95 minutes to book alternate tours. Two of three were a true waste of $. Happy to send you the details on all tours off line. Don't miss the small town of St. Martin, at the Halifax stop. Shared a cab in Halifax to see Peggy's Cove, five of us split the $135 +tip, cost of the trip. The Cab proved to be better than a tour, as he took us places that the busses would never have been able to access. On the ship, I was most disappointed by the significant decrease in activities offered. Most of the 'events' were for the financial benefit of the ship. There was supposed to be a fitness advisor, but he/she never showed up. Went to hear a lecture on Herbal/Chinese medicine for pain management, but the speaker never showed up. Piano lessons only offered 5 keyboards. Back in Baltimore the opportunity to take our own luggage off allowed exit before 8am. Overall, we felt the trip was a huge disappointment and waste of our hard earned dollars. Next time we will try a different cruise line. No advantage to stay with RCCL….already have two key chains ?

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