My husband and I are “empty nesters” now, so we decided to treat ourselves to a cruise. We chose Royal Caribbean because we had cruised with them once before and had enjoyed it. This cruise did not disappoint. It was smaller than the ship we sailed on last time, so there weren’t quite as many activities, but we had plenty to do for the five days of the cruise, considering the fact that almost two days we were able to go ashore. (We went to Bermuda.) What struck us the most was how friendly and helpful all of the staff were. The food was amazing as well... consequently, we indulged far too much! We didn’t love the musical productions, so we ended up going to the Casino instead. Our favorite activity was the trivia games in the Schooner Bar. We teamed up with other people there, which was a fun way to meet other cruisers. We chose to get a suite and were very happy we did. The room was comfortable and reasonably spacious, with an awesome private balcony. Again, the staff went out of their way to get us anything we asked for. We have already decided to take another cruise on Royal Caribbean next summer. Can’t wait! Read Less

We book Jr Suite unfortunately was located just under the DJ and bandstand at the pool level. Was very loud in the room especially the night the DJ played until 1:45am. Kids running in and out of shows. Could not always get a seat for breakfast or lunch. Food was marginal at best, couple from New York told us the food was better on a Disney cruise. Morning pancakes, waffles and french toast were ice cold. Internet service we paid for did not work in our room at all. Paid extra for soda package but the machines did not have ice or diet coke 20% to 30% of the time, waste of money. Entertainment appeared to be good but could not enjoy the shows as kids were crying in front of us and other kids were running in and out of the show on the balcony level. We changed seats twice but it did it did not get any better. The boarding and disembark procedure and execution was very impressive. I will give Royal Caribbean and 10+ for that. First and last cruise we will ever take Read Less

Grandeur is a great ship with great staff but has seemed to tailor its daily activity schedule for the retirees/seniors that frequently travel on this ship. This was my second sailing on Grandeur (last one was a 7 night to Bermuda in 2015) and although I had similar expectations to some of things I remembered on my first sailing, I did not expect this sailing to be so boring during the day and the food quality to diminish. Most of the cruises big events such as the pool deck party, love and marriage game show, or productions were during days when we were docked, when most people had excursions and were off the ship. Additionally, they did not have much to do during the sea days (4 total sea days) unless you wanted to learn how to make a towel animal or exercise, making both pools a packed place. Even the rock wall had select hours with 1-2 hour time frames available during the day making it very limited for anyone to use. The food was also below my expectation of what I know I've gotten from Royal Caribbean in the main dining room. Much of our food was given to us cold leaving us to send it back meals multiple nights and having to go to the specialty restaurants or eat in the ports of call just to get a decent meal. Having traveled on 5 cruises, 3 Royal Caribbean cruises - 2 on Grandeur and 1 on Enchantment, I expected a little more activity during the day not a retirement community ship and definitely better food. Outside of the cruise being boring, this ship has the best attentive staff that you truly remember and get to know and size if you're not looking to be on a super large ship. If I choose to do another smaller ship sailing, I'll stick to the Royal Caribbean cruises out of Florida instead which all have been fun. Read Less

We chose this cruise because we wanted something for our family. Our boys are 12 and 14. Our departure was easy and fast. We love that the ship leaves from Baltimore, as it is a short drive from our home. We arrived on board at 1:00 p.m., and it was the easiest check in ever! When our boys first entered the ship their eyes lit up and bugged out! They could not believe how beautiful it was everywhere around them! Our cabins were below decks because we like not only the quiet and the darkness, but the cabins below are always much less in cost than the higher decks. If you don't have a problem with no windows, it is the way to go. We spent so little time in our rooms, it really did not matter. Our cabins were managed by Reginald, who did such an amazing job at taking care of our "family circus". He was kind, patient with all of us, and would have our rooms immaculate in the blink of an eye! The dining..ohhhh..the dining! This is where the Granduer of the Seas set itself apart, not just the amazing food in the Great Gatsby, but the SERVICE...oh my..the service was stellar!!! Andro and Akeil became our friends over our 9 days cruise. Our boys thought they were the nicest waiters in the world (not just on the ship), but the WORLD! Again, patience, kindness, information about next-day activities, excellent food, we never wanted for anything. I would barely think "I would like coffee", and it would be delivered!. They knew our names within one day, and we truly felt pampered by them each and every night. The only thing about dinner seating, is I wish that there was a way to ensure dinner could be a bit earlier to accommodate the shows. One show is at 7:15 and the other is at 9:15, and when you are eating at 8, you either miss the last few minutes at 7:15 or the beginning at 9:15. This is not a huge deal, just something that we noticed we would like to be different. Our teens hung out with us most of the time, they did visit the arcade, but at a $1.25 a game (limited), they lost interest pretty quickly. They didn't hang out for the tournaments, which would have probably given them more of an opportunity to do more games for free. The did have a lot of programs for teens and there seemed to be a handful that were involved in the activities, but our boys were more interested in the pool and playing table tennis. We loved Bermuda, it is such a beautiful place, with rich history and lovely people. Our excursions (through Royal Caribbean were nice, but very pricey for the experience). Our first night we went on a Pirate Ship Glass Bottom Boat Excursion, which was very nice, but should not really have been billed a Pirate Ship (we expected more "swashbuckling"), but it was more a tour with two gentlemen (both very nice and knowledgeable), but this trip was really a "glass bottom boat tour", and really did not need to the schtick of Pirates. I only say this because if you had young children expecting a "Pirate Adventure", it may not meet their expectations! The tour, however, was amazing!!!! We saw beautiful sea turtles, many beautiful fish, fed hundred of fish, saw a shipwreck and enjoyed delicious rum punch! I would recommend it, but would just a take a regular glass bottom boat tour. In Bermuda we also did the Zoo/Aquarium Excursion. It was lovely. A bit smaller than what we thought it would be but very nice just the same. I would say that if you are watching your money, to simply take a Taxi and purchase tickets into the Zoo/Aquarium. We paid almost $400 for this excursion for our family, as it included a water taxi, however, we could have just taken a taxi for about $21.00 each way and then entered the Zoo/Aquarium for $35.00 for the whole family. That excursion COULD have cost us $77.00 instead of $400, and we did leave scratching our heads at the cost. In Nassau, we had already booked an excursion through our Travel Agent at a much less expensive venue. We did a dolphin excursion at Balmoral Island that was not through Royal Caribbean, and it was fantastic! We had the best time on this beautiful island, where we learned, played, laughed and completely enjoyed our time! The one and only hiccup, was the ship came in at a later time than what our excursion time was, however, after working with a very nice person at Guest Services, who let us call the company we straightened it all out. I do have to comment that the Royal Caribbean Excursion Desk people were not only not helpful with this issue, but the man that we spoke with was downright rude. He basically stated..hey..you didn't book it through us, so there is nothing I can do for you. Guest Services, though, saved the day. Our final excursion was in Cococay! Such a pretty little island! The lunch was amazing as well and provided by Royal Caribbean. I would warn parents with young children, however. We booked a Snorkeling Adventure through Royal Caribbean, that was described as "children the age of 5 would be comfortable with this excursion". They did recommend that they should be able to swim, however, it seemed more "tame" and "family friendly" than other snorkeling adventures, and that is why we chose it as it was our first snorkeling adventure. We were provided with life jackets, and for $10.00 they give you a new kind of snorkeling equipment, that quite frankly, it pretty terrible. My mask would never seal correctly. Long story short, we were in about 30 feet or more of water for the experience, which may have been ok, but they forgot to tell us about the jellyfish (while not harmful) can sting, and it can hurt for a few minutes. My oldest son, had two land on him, and he grabbed on to me in a total panic because he didn't know that they were not going to cause him harm. Unfortunately, the seal on my mask did not hold, he jumped on me to avoid being stung and I had water in my mask, up my nose, down my throat etc. Two lifeguards, thank goodness, heard my son yelling for help and came quickly to our aid, but this could have gone sideways very quickly if I had not been wearing a life jacket of my own. My suggestion, ensure that you know before you go, how deep the water is, whether or not you need to watch for jelly fish, and if they are safe or not (just be prepared, so you don't freak out). There was another lady on this trip that came out of the water crying for the same reason that we did..she was unaware that we would be around so many jelly's. The story has a happy ending, though. We ended up on a sand barge, where the kind staff showed my boys jellyfish on the deck to reassure them. We had some lovely drinks and relaxed on the barge for quite a bit. We even saw a Barracuda! Our boys finished out the day having lunch with us (terrific lunch provided by RC) and then utilizing the floating playground in the water. FYI, this is another $22.00 per person, but you can use your Sea Pass. Please remember that when you are on Cococay, if the "beach package" isn't included in your excursion, your are going to pay extra for umbrellas, floats, etc.(floats were an extra $18.00 a person ) The people ON Cococay, who were booking the floating playground and selling mats to lay on were also not very nice. They seemed as if they really, really...REALLY did not want to be there. The playground time was for 50 minutes, and the boys did have fun while they were there. The rest of the cruise was relaxing and lovely! Again, great staff, great food, wonderful service. Fun things to do all over the ship..you won't be bored! We would recommend Royal Caribbean, and have! Just a few FYI's for Newbies - Make sure you check and double check excursion information, and put aside some extra money for the "extras" that are not included. It was a fantastic cruise, and we are thrilled to have had the opportunity to have this family vacation! Read Less

Staff was amazing, Steve was a magician our room was always clean. Traveled with family who is vegan and they had amazing vegan options in the windjammer. Grant in the Dining Hall made sure there were vegan options for my uncles. The beds were comfortable, we had an ocean view room. I did experience some sea sickness and the "hospital" on the ship did provide medication for that. There were always newer movies being played and the Palladium Theater was my go-to spot. The DJ in the club could have a better variation of music. I went to the "club" about 6 or 7 days out of the 9 day cruise and the music was often repeated. Overall the cruise was wonderful and I plan to go on another cruise in a year or 2 with friends and possibly a bigger ship. The shops were great and everyday was a new adventure. Read Less

The food was good the service was very good all the staff was very attentive about the meal and they checked on every on at the table to make sure every thing was presented well and tasted very good. The ships interior was kept up very well but the exterior needed much work such as paint and windows also needed cleaning. The cabins were very clean the rugs wear old but in good shape the same for the furnishings. The embarkation and disembarking at Baltimore pier was the most efficient that we ever experienced in a long time. We wish that all Royal Caribbean port of call was as efficient as this port. When it comes to ports and shore excursions we believe some of there prices are to high depending on distance form the ship duration of excursion and type of excursion . we found that if we just take a cab to your were you want to go it casts about one quarter of what the ship charges if you leave a enough time you will be back in plenty of time before the ship sails. Read Less

I have cruised RC several times before and we had been on the Grandeur before about six years ago and were pleased. Things have changed though. The boat is older but very clean. The service is outstanding. They now charge for room service which I was not happy about it. I went to the spa for a massage and to relax but felt pressure to buy products. I never went back. Bermuda was great. We stopped in Nassau at one pm and it was a madhouse. They try to get everyone off the boat at the same time which made everyone late. We spent six hours on the blue lagoon excursion to get 20 minutes with the dolphins because everything was so backed up. They need to stagger people getting off. It was chaos. I stopped at the desk to talk with someone and they said a shore excursion rep would contact me because other people had also complained. No one contacted me and a credit showed up a few days later for 20 dollars a person for a 106 dollar experience. The jet skiing in CoCo Cay was fantastic. And the beach was great. Again I can’t say enough about the service. Outstanding. I don’t think the rewards for loyalty cruising is all that great. I was a gold member this cruise and have moved up to next level but I think I will try a different cruise line next so I can compare. The rewards aren’t enough to keep me coming back. I didn’t expect a Disney cruise level experience but was not wowed. Read Less

I have never done a cruise and I was so nervous I wasn’t going to like it. I was afraid I’d get sea sick or have a feeling of being trapped. I was nervous about being in the middle of the ocean for days. We arrived at best western in Baltimore the night before. They had transportation for us and we were able to leave our car at the hotel. I loved everything about this cruise. The staff was remarkable, the shows were like Vegas and the food was unreal. I was nervous about it being a smaller and older ship. I thought it was going to be outdated. It was a beautiful ship and very up to date. I was very happy with Bermuda and coco cay. It was so much fun and a lot of memories were made on that ship. There were so many different places to eat on the ship. Each place bringing its own unique foods. There was a lot of variety. My children were able to find things they love and Enjoy. There is always something to do on the ship. There’s a show or game happening somewhere on the ship at all times. You can never get bored. I was nervous about leaving my child in the childcare area. When I got there and saw how secure and dedicated the staff was, I felt at ease. My children begged me to take them there each day. Read Less

This is our 3rd cruise in 4 years with Royal Caribbean. Great staff, food, activities. Like the smaller ship - quieter atmosphere if you want to get away and relax. We didn't travel with any other family members. We have done this cruise two years in a row. We really like royal Caribbean. Staff is friendly and always willing to help. Loved the performers and they had good entertainment. Food was very good and there was plenty. We enjoy going out of the Baltimore port since it's an easy drive. Would love to catch some other destinations leaving from this port. We booked our next cruise on board. We have really enjoyed royal Caribbean and feel that it's an older more reserved crowd although there is plenty to do for the younger crowds and those who like more of a night life. There is a large variety of excursions available Entertainment is good - GREAT COMEDIAN MIKE MARINO, and some other shows. Entertainment also in main center on shop. Also plenty of trivia and other activities including ballroom dancing lessons and zumba. Read Less

We took this cruise with kids ages 16, 12, 4, and 1. There was nothing for any of them to do and it was a consensus that all of them hated this vacation. The pool and cabin staff were rude because my young kids were crying and screaming during the trip because they were so bored. The teenagers stayed in their room and slept most of the trip because when they tried to go to the teen room, they were made fun of by other kids and no adults were present to help them. I actually cried a large portion of this trip because I felt so unwelcomed. Every activity schedule before 7pm involved gambling, drinking, or forcing you to spend tons of money (e.g. FORTY dollars for ONE bingo card). A shore excursion to the beach was $39 per peson whereas a taxi ride off the ship to the same beach was only $7 per person. Royal Caribbean was obviously out to rob you of every dollar in your pocket. The only enjoyable part of this cruise was the food. The waitstaff in the Windjammer Cafe were awesome. The shows and comedians were fair, althouhh my younger kids couldn't attend due to the late times. I will NEVER sail Royal Caribbean again. If you have a family with kids of any age, go Disney or Carnival all the way. Read Less