I have never sailed with Royal Caribbean, but my parents who have enjoyed cruises through RC in the past. I am not a first time cruiser. I was sailing with my son (11), my fiancee, her mother, my fiancee's three boys (20, 18, 16) and her oldest's long time girlfriend. Out of that group, only myself, my son and my fiancee's mother have ever been on a cruise with anyone. I have sailed previously with Disney (Magic) and Carnival (Glory) and her mother has sailed with Carnival years ago.

Cruise director and activities director Ricky and Andre were absolutely the best combo I have ever seen. They were just amazing. They had this crazy chemistry that just worked together. I especially enjoyed the "Morning Show" they do. Cruise director Ricky was always smiling, joking around and just fun to be around. There was always something going on around the boat, sometimes too much to do because the stuff overlapped times, which was actually great for a small ship like the Grandeur. RC would be crazy to split these guys up or put them on another ship.

Dining in the main dining room was excellent. Our server was very accommodating, from the usual "I can't decide so I'll have both appetizers", to my fiancee's son's girlfriend's food allergies. Our glasses were always filled and my son, who is high functioning on the autism spectrum, really enjoyed the dinner rolls and trying new foods from Dad's plate. He also quickly learned our likes and dislikes and had a recommendation each night for us beyond the "Chef's Selection". I also loved the guitar/violin combo, that played modern for classical guitar and violin. It was pretty fun playing "name that tune" with the kids. Read more