This was our first cruise out of Tampa, and honestly we weren't sure what to expect. After the port debacle at Ft. Lauderdale last November, I was a bit leery. We arrived at the port around 1 pm, dropped our luggage off with a porter and were parked within 5 minutes. The security line was non-existent and Diamond check in was extremely quick. RCCI's facility at the port were very clean and well run.

We got on the ship and went straight to the cabin. Our Junior Suite was clean and had lots of storage and closet space. Although the Grandeur is 12+ years old, our stateroom was very well maintained. Rather than try to find something to do for a few hours, we actually went up to the Solarium and relaxed for a bit. It was nice - all week we never had to look for a chair or try to squeeze in the hot tub. In fact that feeling is one we felt all week - although the Grandeur isn't huge by today's standards, we never felt crowded in any of the public areas, including surprisingly the Windjammer.

We had excellent dining room service throughout the trip. Our head waiter visited at least once a night. After the first night, our assistant waiter had our sodas of choice waiting when we arrived. The waiter paced the meal very well, and we never had to wait long for our starters, entrees or deserts. The food was very good each time we ate in the dining room. The only complaint I would have for the food was the selection at lunch time in the Windjammer - only a few things available. But the Solarium cafe was open if nothing looked appealing. Read more