The Gold Standard
Written: Jul 25 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Service, comfort, food
Cons: Cost and Extras
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| mikej165's Full Review: Royal Caribbean Grandeur of the Seas |
I haven't always been a fan of cruising. In fact, at one time the concept was probably the farthest thing from my mind. Me, stuck on a cruise ship, for a week, with all those people? I thought I'd go out of my mind.
You see, I'm not known as one of the most social people to ever walk this earth. I don't do well at cocktail parties and places where there are large groups of people whom I don't already know. Call me anti-social, call me shy but, well, you get the idea. Large crowds of anonymous humans and myself haven't always been a great match.
Expecting the worst and hoping for the the best, I went, partially because my ex-wife twisted my arm more than a little bit. Five years and five cruises later, I can state with absolute certainty that cruises are the best vacations on which I've ever been.
Of those five cruises, four of them have been on two different ships; twice on The Monarch of The Seas and twice on The Grandeur of The Seas. Both are very different vessels, but both are operated by the same company, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines (RCCL), which has a reputation for excellence. My experiences traveling with them confirm their reputation.
Since this review is regarding The Grandeur, I'll try to confine my comments to that ship alone. Bear in mind, however, that based on my experiences on four different RCCL cruises on two different ships, you're likely to find the same high-quality vacation on their other ships as well.
Let me begin by saying that my fears of being being 'stuck' on a ship with 'crowds' of people were simply unfounded. Not once during any of my RCCL cruises have I felt uncomfortably cramped. In fact, quite the reverse is true. These ships are designed with space in mind, despite the fact that approximately 3,000 people (passengers and crew) are on board at any given time.
Accomodations
The first thing you shouldn't expect when boarding a cruise ship is to have a hotel-sized room. Unless you're staying in a suite, you'll wind up living in a room the size of a walk-in closet. Now, that sounds bad. In fact, it would tend to confirm my worst fears. But the truth is, with so many things to do onboard or ashore, you'll spend little time in your room.
The rooms in which I've stayed on the Grandeur have been the largest of all the cruise ships on which I've traveled. In comparison to The Monarch, I'd say they're about 20% larger. (RCCL publishes the square-footage of their rooms so you can definitely compare them in the brochure.) While it is possible to put as many as four people in a cabin, I've only ever cruised double - I think only a masochist could put that many people in such a space. Perhaps parents with children travel this way.
Cabins are clean, quiet and tastefully decorated. They include a small desk/dresser/mirror combination, a closet, a television with a video feed from the bridge and a small bathroom. Oh, okay, a TINY bathroom.
I don't know that I'll ever get used to those bathrooms, no matter how many cruises I take. There are two very unique 'situations' that arise in them. First, try not to drop the soap when you're showering. For, if you do, you will surely discover that it is impossible to bend over to pick it up - you're showering in a stall the size of a telephone booth. Second - and this is somewhat delicate - the toilets, for practical reasons, operate by suction. This means you don't want to flush while you are, er, still seated. If you do, grab onto something first.
No matter what class cabin you book, you'll be faced with paying a premium for an 'outside' cabin. These are rooms with either portholes or windows. Since personal preference plays a big part in this decision, I cannot advise anyone what to take. Just remember, though, that you can save a bundle if you book an 'inside' (ie view-less) cabin. Everything else will be equal and you can take the money you saved and blow it in the casino once you're at sea.
Dining
Dinner is the only time of the day when you'll probably be stuck at the same table with people whom you've never met. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it is most definitely pot luck. Table sizes vary from two to about ten people with the average size being about six. Chances are good that you won't get a private table (since everyone asks for them) so you will find yourself making introductions to your new table-mates.
I've had good and bad experiences with shared seating. For me, nothing is more uncomfortable than sitting at a table with people that have no common interests or, perhaps, even a common language. RCCL seems to go out of their way to put people of similar age groups or regions at the same table, so this shouldn't happen very often. Even still, if you simple can't deal with those with whom you are seated, simply ask the Maitre'd to move you to another location.
On the other hand, I have had some great experiences meeting people at dinner who lived virtually 'around the block.' We shared activities both onboard and ashore and it made for a better overall cruise.
I can't rate the food on these ships highly enough. The quality is uniformly excellent and the quantity and variety is simply staggering. In addition to the three meals each day that can be eaten in the dining room (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner) you have, at your leisure, the choice of an early risers breakfast, casual breakfast buffet, buffet lunch, an afternoon snack, a casual dinner buffet and, the ever popular, midnight buffet. And if that isn't enough, room service is available 24 hours a day, for no additional charge. At dinner, in fact, you can have your choice of the same meals served in the main dining room, which is perfect if you're just too exhausted to get dressed and be sociable.
I certainly wouldn't want to be a kitchen worker on one of these ships. They operate constantly and I've not found a time of day when I couldn't get food onboard, which is very important. When you're at sea you can't simply run to the refrigerator or call Domino's. Believe it or not, I've been on a Celebrity cruise that actually had 'blackout' periods where you just couldn't get a bite to eat. This should never happen on RCCL.
And tales of gluttony abound on RCCL. Do you want TWO lobsters with your dinner? Okay, no problem. How about lobster AND prime rib. Again, no problem. All you have to do is ask, the staff will happily accomodate.
The truth be told: These ships are floating feeding pens. The combination of 24 Hour Dining and just laying around in the sun for 7 days has caused me to gain 5-10 pounds on every cruise I've ever taken. Usually it comes off quickly, but your eating habits will definitely change for days after you return from your cruise.
Service
A cruise is going to be a downright rotten experience if you have snotty waiters and lazy cabin stewards. Fortunately, this has not been my experience on RCCL. The staff of The Grandeur has been extremely courteous, always efficient and endeavors to stay out of your way at all costs.
How many times have you had maid service knock on your door in a hotel room even after you placed the 'do not disturb' sign out? What's the point of having the sign at all? I'm a late riser and this is a big peeve of mine. I sometimes will wake up, go to breakfast and return to my room for another nap. (It IS a vacation after all) By the time I'm ready to leave my room, which can sometimes be 12PM or even 1PM, I've still not been interrupted by cabin service.
In fact, these people have a sixth sense for knowing when you leave your room - I swear. There have been times when I've gone to breakfast for 20 minutes and had my room made up when I returned, even though I never saw hide nor hair of my cabin attendant.
Dining room service is no less efficient. Most tables are served by a waiter and his assistant. As a result, you'll find your drink should always be full and your requests are almost always immediately handled. Special orders are not a problem, whether you're a vegetarian or rare-meat eating carnivore. In fact, any waiter and his assistant would be doing themselves a big disservice were they not to be this way. A large part of their income is derived from gratuities, a point which I will discuss shortly.
Activities
A simple fact of life on a cruise ship is that you're going to spend time at sea. On a seven-day cruise you can expect to be at sea for two full days and every night after about 5 or 6PM. At some point during this 'off' time you will find yourself with a need to do something aside from constant eating.
The basic standby activities include a well-equipped gym, where you can attempt to workoff the eight meals a day that you've eaten, one of the two pools or four jacuzzis, shuffleboard, basketball, shopping in the small onboard 'mall' , drinking in any one of the approximately 10 bars, reading in the library, taking in an evening show, bingo, and so forth.
One of my favorite activities has, unfortunately, been cancelled on these ships. I don't know if other cruise lines still offer it, but skeet shooting was something I enjoyed. For public relations reasoning, RCCL no longer offers this activity, despite the fact that they used clay plates which dissolved in sea water. This is to counter the impression, deserved or not, that RCCL was environmentally unfriendly. I wish they'd bring it back.
Evening shows are always entertaining, if not enthralling. There will be one every night, after dinner, and during the course of your cruise you'll probably be treated to a collection of song and dance variety, comedy, music, adaptations of Broadway plays and, last but not least, the quintessential wise-cracking, apple-eating juggler.
As for myself, I've always found the song and dance routines amazing, but not necessarily for conventional reasons. To me it is a wonder of wonders to watch a dancer perform gracefully on a stage that is constantly moving up and down, left and right. I liken it to viewing a dancing bear: One doesn't critique how well the bear dances, rather one simply marvels that the bear can dance at all.
If all else fails, just head to the casino.
The Ship
The Grandeur has an architectural feature which, to the landlubber in me, makes it miraculous that the ship can float at all. I'm talking about the UFO-shaped cafe and bar which rise, respectively, 12 and 13 stories above sea level. To the untrained eye it makes the ship seem unnaturally top-heavy and ready to keel over at any moment.
Of course, this doesn't happen and it is a singular marvel to behold. But more than that, from either the cafe or the bar you'll find stunning views. I encourage everyone to at least visit the bar at sunset for a drink.
As I said earlier, the general roominess of this ship is fantastic. You could, if you chose to do so, spend most of your week exploring every part of the ship from bow to stern. Some of my favorite features of this ship are the five-story atrium, the walnut-paneled, nautically-flavored Schooner bar, the cozy library, the bi-level Great Gatsby dining room and the Gym, at back of the ship which features great views while you workout.
Atmosphere
There are some cruise lines and ships that have a reputation for stuffiness, while some others have a reputation for being fun. I find that The Grandeur fits comfortably in the middle. Passengers have a good time without getting too loose and this makes for the kind of cruise that is well-suited to couples and families. If you're single and looking for a 'wild' time you probably won't enjoy this as much as a dedicated singles-oriented cruise.
Families with children will appreciate the onboard activities and staff dedicated to keeping the kids entertained and busy enough so that the parents need not worry too much about the safety of their children or whether they're going to have a good time.
At the same time, my experiences on The Grandeur have not been overrun with younger kids, so there's a nice balance at work. This is really a testament to the cruise directors who work hard to ensure that everyone has something to do and stays out of each other's way.
Destinations
I've been to most of the major destinations in the Caribbean: St. Thomas, St. Maartin, Barbados, The Bahamas, yada, yada, yada. I use the shopworn phrase "yada..." because, to a large extent, if you've seen one you've seen them all. And that's not to say that they're bad. By and large, with a few exceptions, they're all paradise and there isn't anything I can tell you about those Islands that you can't find out elsewhere and in much more detail.
What sets this cruise apart are two other islands of which you've probably never heard a word: Labadee and Cococay. The reason you haven't heard of them is because they're privately owned by RCCL and only their ships dock at these 'ports'.
I can't decide which of the two I like the most. Both are absolutely private and they each have their strong points. Labadee has the better beach while Cococay has better snorkeling. Each is pristine and neither of them are 'built up' like the traditional islands. In fact, you can walk the entire circumferance of Cococay in a very short period time. The entire island is probably about 1 foot above sea level, which means I wouldn't want to be there during a hurricane.
In either event, these are the two destinations you simply don't want to miss when you're on The Grandeur.
One last point. The Caribbean is generally a much smoother body of water than The Atlantic Ocean. As a result, those prone to seasickness will have far fewer problems, by and large, on Caribbean cruises than if they were to, say, cruise to Bermuda. This is just something to keep in mind.
Hidden Costs
If you haven't been on a cruise before, I'm going to let you in on a dirty little secret. The cost of the cruise is significantly more than what you pay for your airfare and cruise.
Although it can be considered close to an 'all-inclusive' vacation, there are 'extras' that need to be accounted for. Drinks are never free, except at meals and then only soft drinks are included. Certainly the casino doesn't operate for free and neither do any of the onboard shops. Most of this is common sense.
But even if you don't don't drink, gamble or shop during your cruise, you're still going to wind up being surprised when it comes time to dole out tips. Yes, Tips, with a capital 'T', because they can add as much as 10% - 15% of the total cost of your vacation.
Be prepared to shell out money to your cabin steward, your waiter, your waiter's assistant and the dining room Maitre'd. And they've earned it because they all work hard and all of them see a significant portion of their pay as tips. I don't begrudge them that and I don't have a problem paying extra for good service. I just wish the cruise lines would inform people a little better about it.
Summary
I've never had a better vacation than the two cruises I've taken on The Grandeur. Certainly The Monarch of The Sea was fantastic, but The Grandeur is a newer, more elegant ship and I think it scores a little better as a result. Couples and families should love this ship, no matter what the ports of call might be. You'll spend a little more than for some 'bargain' cruises like Carnival, but I assure you, your money will be well spent.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
mikej165
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Member: Michael Johnston
Location: Long Island, New York
Reviews written: 23
Trusted by: 8 members
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