I'll begin with a little background: We are a married couple, both 51, and generally cruise once a year. Our favorite ship so far has been Anthem of the Seas, we have sailed on Oasis, Liberty and Grandeur as well. This trip was our third time on Grandeur. We picked it for the itinerary (mainly length of it - LOVE 12 nights), location (Baltimore extremely easy for us) and cost. As we have been on board "Lady G" before, we knew what to expect, but if you're reading this to get a feel for what the cruise will be like, the main thing to know is that this cruise really skews older. At our ages, we were definitely on the younger side. I saw only a handful of kids. This is exactly what we like - our "kid days" are done, and nothing like being surrounded by people older then you to make you feel young! ;-)

Now if you were to go in the summer or during a school break, I'm sure the crowd will change, but for a mid February, 12 night, I feel pretty safe with predicting the same type of cruisers. With that in mind, some *generalized* observations: LOTS of diamond and above members. This affects the sailing due to the size of the diamond lounge. Basically the South Pacific Lounge is booked every day from 4:30-8:00. Grandeur is a small ship, and activity locations are limited. So your options are the theater show or whatever is going on in Centrum. There may be some trivia on the early end in the Schooner bar, but that is all. Also, as this is a February cruise the first few days at sea generally tend to be cooler. The Solarium is PRIME real estate. For people who have a problem with "chair hogs" be prepared! We are early risers - like to hit the gym first thing in the morning. By 5:30am there were towels on half of the chairs. Completely filled by 7:00 am. We just chuckled to ourselves and shook our heads. Earliest observation was one morning at 4:30 am - towels in place! And same folks all the time- recognize the hats - not necessarily the people, because of course they don't show up until much later... But as I said, we just shake our heads - doesn't bug us as much as others. At the end of the cruise did observe someone complain and staff actually pick up some things, but won't happen as a routine.

As to the ship itself, Grandeur is older and smaller, but still offers a wonderful trip for us. Kept extremely clean, large emphasis on hand gel - always staff on hand at Windjammer entrance ensuring people "washy-washy". One of the aspects I love best about the ship is that it is easy to "find the ocean". My biggest disappointment with the Oasis is that while it is fun to have all the different venues and activities, everything faces inside, making it hard to see the ocean. As we usually book interior cabins, we really appreciate all the windows and views that Grandeur offers. Also, be prepared to feel the ocean more. Especially during this time of year. If there are any waves, you will feel them. Read more