Let me start by saying that although this cruise was the worst cruise that I've been on in recent years, I will still have some very fond memories from it. I will probably never sail aboard the Grandeur of the Seas again, but that's simply because I don't feel that the ship offers the amenities that I enjoy and expect. I had booked one of the Grand Suites, as I have on the Radiance Class and the Vision Class of RCCL's ships, and I was extremely disappointed in the service (or lack thereof) afforded to us. Let's Begin:

Embarkation/Disembarkation - We're from Maryland, so the opportunity to take a cruise from our home port without having to worry about airlines, luggage restrictions, transfers, etc., was the 2nd most important reason why we chose this cruise. The first most important reason was the fact that I simply wanted to get away for 9 days and not think about work - that mission was accomplished. The port of Baltimore was very easy to access, and parking was more than adequate and convenient (even at $10 per night). Embarkation, at least for us, was a snap. However, we were the very first passengers allowed to board, so I cannot comment to anyone following us. The obligatory welcome aboard pictures that were offered had terrible backgrounds that had nothing to do with this particular venue. One was of the MardiGras, and the other was just as off base. The Windjammer Cafe was not open when we arrived on board, but that was typical of the ship's spotty service. We ate across from the Captain and his wife who seemed interested in our conversations, but did not wish to join in with us. It was unfortunate that Captain Rob was not commanding this vessel, rather the Captain was Captain Remø (referred to by most guess as CPT Nemo from "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.") Also unfortunate is the fact that Captain Remø does not represent his line very well. On more than one occasion, when the Captain was asked a direct question, he skirted the issue and provided a blunt, unfriendly response. As an example, one guest asked the captain what were the thoughts of putting a concierge lounge or service aboard the Grandeur. His response was that the concierge lounge or service was offered aboard their ships running in Europe and that satisfactory.

Disembarkation was uneventful and smooth. Many guests took advantage of the "Self Assist" program in which they were responsible for carrying off ALL of their own luggage. They were the first to disembark. One oddity was the fact that the order of disembarkation (by luggage tag) was not published in the Cruise Compass; so we had no idea if we were going to be called first or last. This presented a minor issue when trying to arrange a pickup at the port, since you had no idea how long the process would take and where you stood in the order of things. Read more