Grandeur of the Seas Review
Enjoyable cruise ... but I have some quibbles
Rating by category
Additional details
The port (Baltimore) is only an hour from my home. I decided to join extended familly members on the cruise.
It took me a while to get used to this ship. I'm used to slightly larger ships (not the HUGE ones). But after I did, I really enjoyed The Grandeur of the Seas. The entertainment on board was excellent. Another review said there wasnt much to do on board. I beg to differ. There was plenty to do! The Palladium had wonderful shows each night. Mr. Gazzarra was the best! I hope he's on future cruises.
I like to play slots on board, but I played very little on the Grandeur. I don't know if it's RCCL or just this ship, but I like the way other cruise lines do it (at least Carnival does): You have the choice of using cash or using your ship card to "bankroll" you. At the end of the cruise, Casino spending is listed on the bill. I brought very little cash with me, thinking that was how it would work. Well, I spent a little bit the first day, but didn't play in the casino AT ALL for the rest of the trip. And the ATM charged 6.5%. Not sure why they make it so hard.
Cabin Review
Large Interior Stateroom
I was very disappointed in the cabin size. It was advertised as a large interior stateroom; but it was THE smallest interior stateroom I've ever been in. That particular cabin at least should not be advertised as "large." With the bed arranged as a King, there is no way to actually walk to the bedside stands. That was the arrangement when we boarded. The Cabin Steward separated the beds (as we had requested when booking), and with the stands side-by-side between the beds, there was plenty of space.
Also, there was an upholstered chair just inside the door. When it was "in place," my roomie and I could not pass each other going to/from the bathroom or closets. To get it out of our way, we pushed it toward the door; but then the door couldn't fully open. This stateroom should be converted to a single or a crew storage area. Truly!
On the plus side, the storage in this cabin is EXCELLENT! There was a small 3-drawer stack that we never used, my roomie didn't use the mirror-side shelves, and there was at least one large drawer that went unused for most of the cruise.
The BATHROOM: It was really small. I mean REALLY small. The sink itself was tiny, and the position of the faucet (off to the side) made using it a challenge. The shower stall was a joke. There was no way to bend over without either hitting your head or shoving the shower curtain out.
The HVAC was poor; but this might have to do with being at the end of the line down the corridor, In any case, the cruise line should do somethig about this. It was hot in Baltimore when we set said. After a hectic time driving/boarding/Lido Deck-ing, we looked forward to having a cool cabin, It was not to be. We had it cranked all the way up; but onlly on Day 2 did it get semi-cool. It never got better; and in fact, toward the end of the cruise, it was def warm again. No air moving.
Do NOT book this cabin.
Port Reviews
Baltimore
Close to home (1 hr). Boarding was crowded in the terminal; but after that all was well.
Portland (Maine)
As far as I can tell, the "downtown" is right where we docked. We shopped a bit, then had "lazy lobster" for lunch, overlooking the water. Not much to see otherwise.