This was my 8th cruise overall and first with Royal Caribbean. Personally I cannot lavish enough praise on Royal Caribbean and the Crew of the Grandeur. I have never experienced an easier check in procedure than what I had in Baltimore. I recommend it as a departure port for anyone who enjoys cruising. Our first night out We encountered Tropical Storm Ernesto at the lower end of the Chesapeake Bay before we hit open seas. Unless you were actually out on deck, you felt as though you were still pierside. Despite 65 knot winds crossing the deck, the navigation crew on duty on the ships bridge performed in a completely professional manner. The service staff was friendly, warm, and very accommodating. I strongly recommend this ship, this cruise line and the port of Baltimore to anyone who enjoys cruising or is going on their first cruise.

We did encounter some delays during the trip because of mechanical problems with one of the rudders. This caused a serious delay in our return to Baltimore. I don't know what the onboard staff could have done to make things easier, but because of communications problems between the Captain and the passengers, some people had to adjust their travel plans the day before arrival and adjust them again the day of arrival because of an added delay. The ships original arrival time was approximately 8AM on the 10th. The day before arrival we were told that would probably be closer to 10AM. The morning of arrival, we were told that would be extended until closer to 1PM. We ended up pierside approximately 230PM. I think that the ships captain was passing on information as he could based on what he was told by the Royal Caribbean front office.