We had sailed on the Grandeur of the Seas two years ago and loved that it left from a port about a half an hour from our home. The first thing we noticed was how that ship had done made renovations since the previous sailing, added an ice cream shop for one and enlarged the Windjammer. It was nice to already be familiar with the layout of the boat so we did not spend the first 4-5 days trying to figure our way around.

We delighted in standing on the pool deck and watching the ship go under the Bay Bridge. Even though I had witnessed it before it was still fun to watch first timers who are shocked and don't think it will make it (it had to go under it to get to the port). It looks like it clears by only inches. The sail off party was a lot of fun with the entire crew on the deck dancing and passing out leis. It seemed to me like this crew was a lot more lively than the one a few years earlier. The cruise director was definitely younger. The videographer was there as well and we actually made it to the final video of the cruise, so of course we had to buy it. Unlike some other cruise lines which sell generic videos highlighting the cruise stops and the boat. RCCL videos are actually of your cruise, which is a nice keepsake. We now have the videos of both cruises and we appear on them both.

Everyday they had different contests on the pool deck, sexy legs, limbo, dancing, and of course the belly flop and men vs women relay races. They had a contest called Karaoke Idol. There were some very talented passengers. I went to the prelims, which were held in one of the bars in the evening and then the Finals were held on the stage in the theater. The man who won was able to perform despite the teleprompter going out early during his performance. Read more