This was my 33rd cruise -- a 25th anniversary gift from my mother. She chose this cruise because it was a great bargain, and we prefer a smaller ship without the bells and whistles. We live on Long Island, so Baltimore is only 3 hours away. We have sailed on Carnival, Celebrity, Holland America, Norwegian and Royal Caribbean, with the most cruises on Royal Caribbean.

Embarkation was so easy! You enter the port area, they take your luggage right out of the trunk for you and onto the ship, and you find a parking spot. Wonderful! As Diamond members, we got to go on a special line to embark, but it would have been just as easy if we were first timers.

The ship is showing its age. I especially noticed this when we were in the tender, right next to the battered, rusty hull in need of a paint job. Other signs of aging were faded numbers on the elevator buttons and that sewage smell that other reviewers have noted. Otherwise, the ship is well maintained and the interior is as beautiful as when I first sailed on the Grandeur in 2000 (she was built in 1996). Read more