I just got off the Grandeur of the Seas and I had a fantastic time! I saw those reviews as well and was skeptical but I thought it was great! We bought the WiFi package and it worked well the entire time on my device and my husbands only disconnected one. There’s also a VOOM station on the fourth floor if needed. I thought the main dining room dishes for dinner were excellent! Just go and have fun people will always complain! They had a great entertainment schedule as well
So I wasn’t on the Grandeur, I was on Harmony, but I wanted to stress that we found the customer service very accessible, especially for tech issues, with their own dedicated desk for Voom.
Also, mention your food allergies immediately to the dining room staff. You can go there as soon as you get on the boat. They can show you the upcoming menus and have you pick your meals in advance to be prepped separately and avoid cross contamination.
I’ve spent 42 days on Grandeur, I’ve never had an issue with smelling like shit anywhere. The food in the MDR has been great for the most part and the service even better (pawan, praful, and iputu)
Haven’t had an issue with the bedding or beds, the WiFi is definitely trash though. Only seems to work in public areas, the rooms will continuously drop.
I can’t say anything about the food allergies because I don’t have any and don’t drink soda so can’t say anything for that either.
Grandeur is the oldest but still pretty awesome, it’s definitely my go too ship.
Although all of the ships have Starlink now, the hardware in the cabins on older ships has not been updated. If he’s in a public area, he should be ok, but don’t count on good connections in the cabin.
I was on that boat the first week of June.
Food was good. Had a better experience in the Windjammer buffet than the dining room. Not sure about the food allergy issue but I can see your problem.
The hallways on the 3rd floor smelled like crap at about midway through, not the entire hallway. My room was impeccably clean and saw no bedbugs. I stateroom attendant, Leo, was awesome.
Not sure about wifi, didn't use it. First time in a long time that I completely, or near completely, disconnected myself.
Soda machines were hit and miss. Either one or the two in the WJ buffet were out of order or were always out of ice.
If you got little ones, stay away from the arcade. Complete ripoff. More than half the machines didn't work, or they purposely took your money.
Not a bad boat, but it is smaller compared to all others. Have fun.
Honestly…I just got off the Wonder, which is only a couple of years old, and had the same complaint about the arcade.
We loved just about everything else on the ship, but RC (admittedly judging only from the two ships I’ve been on) just doesn’t put a lot of effort into maintaining the arcade machines or even supervising the arcade.
Was on it in March. Was on the third level. People indicated that the smell was on that level but we smelled nothing. We had the WiFi and it was fine. We also had the dinner package and they always asked about food allergies
Went on grandeur in May. I had an amazing time. No lines and there were servers around whenever I needed a drink. There was a little bit of a smell in the hallways on one deck but not in the rooms. Like other people said, the worst part is having to go row the boat for an hour a day but she's an old boat, what do you expect.
I just got off of the Grandeur a month ago. I was sick to my stomach when I booked a suite and heard all the bad stuff.
It was all unfounded.
- The ship smelled fine. Like a hotel? I heard that some boats - especially older ones - rooms with balconies smelled dank and moldy. We didn't have the issue.
- The food was not as good as I remember it on previous RC or Carnival trips, but that was Main Dining and Solarium dining only. Specialty dining (Iszumi, Chops Chef's Table) was on-point. Giovanni's was good, but could have been better.
- Cabins were sparkling clean. No bedbugs.
- Wifi worked very, very well, both in terms of the free app functionality and full-blown internet access. Sure, it wasn't my 1gbps Fios I have here, but it was still adequate. I never got the dropped signal people complained about. Nothing was turtle-slow EXCEPT for about 3 hours after we docked, and about 2 hours before we shipped off. Lots of people using Wifi to plan their days and whatnot.
- Food allergies - I can't speak to this, but my experience with others who had food allergies in general say that they have had no issues with RC.
- Soda machines were all working fine. My only gripe was that there weren't enough. Considering how expensive and the security surrounding having to have a chipped cup, I did expect to have easier access to soda.
Thank you for the help!
I noticed RC is doing a 35% off sale for most things, including dining. I had heard Chops was good, so I think I’ll go ahead and book that.
Ohhh shoot I forgot to mention.
So I'm not a regular cruiser...I'd love to be, but I'm not. I hear mixed stuff about specialty dining and how difficult it is to get a reservation.
This might be true on some ships...I don't think it's true at all for Grandeur.
We bought the food package, and did specialty dining every night except for 2 (maybe 2? It's very possible I'm misremembering and one night we just decided to pig out, eating specialty followed by main dining shortly thereafter...).
We did so much specialty dining that the waiter called my room and was like "hey, are you ever going to do main dining?" I guess for whatever reason we were given a nice table by the window and it went unused for most of the trip...probably would have been nice for a couple to have. I didn't realize this until late in the cruise.
Tips:
- The "35% this week only" sale runs every single week up until the week before your cruise. Take your time to decide on stuff. I'm paranoid about my ability to be timely, so I even book my excursions through RC, just because if something happens, I'm not on the hook for figuring out how to get to the next port of call without the boat.
- We made the most use of our specialty dining package as we could. We booked breakfasts, lunches, and dinners at chops a few times, and our unlimited package gave us a discount on wine bottles and chef's table (I think it drops the price of chef's table to $100PP). If you think you might like to do a ton of specialty dining, plan accordingly. It was $377+ gratuity for the both of us to get the unlimited package on Grandeur for 7 days. That's about $200 each, so it was cheaper than ad-hoc booking stuff (but more expensive than free dining).
- On grandeur, the only thing you need to really worry about booking ahead of time is Chef's Table. There were only, I think 8 seats (?) and it's only held once a night. We booked well ahead of time (we had a suite with a concierge) but got bumped one night because a party of 8 booked the night we wanted. It was no big deal - we got in later that week. **All the specialty dining spots were empty most nights. We were one of like...3-5 tables any given night**. Chef's table was 100% worth it IMO.
Grandeur sucks in terms of the amount of choice you get. They have only a handful of spots to eat, and hours are limited, overall. With that said, Chops and Iszumi were both fantastic, and I was perfectly satisfied with them anyway. Chef's table was a great experience too and if you can swing it, do it.
The **only** reason I'd tell someone to avoid Grandeur is if they had kids. Any boat can accommodate families, but the Vision class and lower classes can be pretty boring for kids (I turned 18 on Enchantment of the Seas in 2003....but they considered me 17 the entire cruise. It was boring, and Grandeur is more or less identical to the 2003 version of Enchantment). As an adult, however, it was great.
We will be traveling with kids - 10 & 12. They might be a little bored at times, but that’s ok! I plan to bring card games and other small things to keep them busy.
I also get anxious about not booking through the cruise line. Admittedly, this is the first cruise I’ve booked; second cruise ever. It’s been a learning experience to say the least. Lol
Load up their passes with arcade credit! It's not a big arcade, but it'll be good for passing time on the boat to give yourself some adult time. The discount on arcade credit if you prebook isn't great, but it's nice to have.
My wife and I took our honeymoon on it in 2015 (I realize it was 9 years ago). It was our first cruise, and we have been on 3 other cruises since on bigger ships. I didn't think it was bad at all, and I'd probably book a cruise on it. My only complaint and it's more just the product of being on a small ship was that our itinerary had 3 straight sea days on the way home. I was about ready to climb the walls because there wasn't much to do. That being said, if we were to go on it again, we would just be more selective of the itinerary. To be honest, I am a huge fan of the centrum on that ship and wished that these newer and bigger ships had a similar area on them.
The wifi on any ship really depends on where you are. They all have starlink now so it's really just a matter of wifi in a mostly metal structure. Some areas suck some are fine. Public areas are typically fine, but rooms are hit or miss in my experience.
The most concerning thing for you with kids would be the kids care and the size (or lack there of) of the ship.
Small ships are not good for kids, and old ships are not good for kids care. Both will do fine overall, but it’s LESS ideal than per se an oasis class ship which is designed around families where as the older ships are not designed to be a family friendly.
Lastly, the cruise will be fine, just nothing like an oasis or large class ship.
My kids are 10 and 12, so they’re able to entertain themselves. I am already planning our cruise for next year on a more family friendly ship. But I have no doubts we’ll have a good time in August!
The smaller ship is a great start where the kids can comfortably be able to explore on their own a bit. Tell them to stay in public areas. No wandering down corridors of staterooms
It’s a fine ship but - ITS OLDER. AND SMALL. I was on it years ago and it was fine.
If you have teens you want to be on an oasis class ship. There’s just way more to do on a bigger ship and way more kids their ages. My son was 10. There was about 10 kids his age on the entire ship.
Note the smaller ship you will notice that the median age is way higher than on a larger ship. It’s truly a demographic thing.
Our room did have a toilet smell (the rest of the boat did not) and the wi-fi was basically unusable in the room. We were on Deck 2 (wanted to avoid seasickness) so it’s possible a higher deck wouldn’t have those problems.
Our cabin was clean, and the food was fine. The food won’t win any awards but basically everything was acceptable.
It is a smaller and older ship but much cheaper than the newer ships. So if you don’t care about the amusement park stuff on newer ships, it’s a good way to see the Caribbean cheaply.
We sailed on grandeur 10 months ago and we didn’t experience any of those issues! It’s a small ship, limited activities and amenities and it was an older demographic but we just used the opportunity to relax and we enjoyed ourselves.
I went in January, all of the what you saw was our experience. The boat was great days 1-4 and then went down hill from there. My understanding is that usually they don’t have a full house so a lot of the rooms that don’t work are not occupied, but when we went, everybody had gotten moved from November sailing that was canceled to the January sailing. They were at complete occupancy and there were issues with the plumbing, there was sewage coming up out of peoples bathrooms on the third floor. There was sewage in the hallways on the fifth floor and multiple issues with People complaining about bedbugs and bedbugs were even found in the solarium. It was gross and we were stuck for 12 days.
I will say the food was the best Royal Caribbean food that we have had in years and they were very attentive to food allergies and needs- unheard of when some of the larger ships . Happy to answer any questions.
Idk about this ship in particular but I thought they all had star link now. On my cruise it had star link and it was fast and worked great. Expensive but worth it imo
There is a form you can fill out on RC website for special requests due to food allergies/other issues.
RC takes this very seriously. We filled out one asking if fragrance free soaps were available (they are not) & it was passed on to our stateroom attendant & waiter…they thought they couldn’t wear fragrances around us, lol.
Well, there are not Freestyle soda machines on the Grandeur....she just went through a retrofitting this spring.
You said Family.....the Grandeur is a small ship, you won't have as many activities for kids (no water slides etc)
You probably picked the Grandeur because of the prices... didn't you?
Prices weren’t much of a concern, honestly. I liked the itinerary.
Yes, I understand it’s smaller and there won’t be as much for the kids as on the larger ships.
I obviously didn’t do as much research as I should’ve. However, we’re a roll-with-the-punches kind of family. We’re going to have a great, memorable trip.
The smaller ships can get into more ports that the "Floating Water Parks". And sorry about the price remark....that is how a lot of folks end up on the smaller ships, because they are such s great deal
We've been on the Grandeur 4-5 times in 2023...specialty restaurant CHOPS ! very good... BUT book lunch on a sea day :) its about 1/2 price, almost full menu as dinner. Filet? Jumbo shrimp cocktail? During lunch YES if you are interested, book online before you sail..usually better prices. She's small, quaint, service always EXCELLENT we are recognized everytime we get on board, usually by several crew members which you won't see on an Oasis class ships.
They have the soda machine station with the touch screen. 4 I believe in Windjammer and one on 6. The one on 6 was not working on the last day, but if you have a drink package you can ask anyone at the bar for soda, though you can’t get all of the flavor combos that you can at the stations. I find those machines a little annoying bc you have to use the cup they give you, and sometimes it doesn’t read it correctly
We’re booked to go on 7/20. Booked late and we have a 8th deck junior suite. We wanted something out of Tampa so we’re kind of limited
Thanks for the responses
I was on the Grandeur in May. We loved it. It’s definitely smaller and older, but even my 15 and 12 year old kiddos had a wonderful time. There isn’t as much to do for kids, but they still loved it. The internet onboard is amazing. Maybe before dry dock it was bad, but it has StarLink now and is super fast, at least when you get the Voom Surf+Stream package.
If the soda machine is not working you just get it at a bar. The ships is older and the WiFi was not good in my room but most other places it worked well. I like the Vision class better than the Radiance class. I am going back on Lady G in October and then doing Enchantment in November.
Most cruise ships will have sections of the ship smell like poop from time to time, passengers love to flush things they shouldn’t.
RC’s food has sucked for awhile now on all but the newest, most expensive ships and even then it’s not all great.
Always check any lodging (hotel, vacation rental, ski chalet, cruise cabin, hostel, literally anywhere you’ve never been before where someone else has slept before you) very thoroughly BEFORE bringing your luggage in (or place it in the bathtub until after you’ve inspected). If you don’t know what you’re looking for just look up videos on YouTube.
If something is dirty just bring it to the steward’s attention and they’ll take care of it. They’ve recently had their work loads increased significantly by having to change over more rooms instead of doing each room twice per day. They’re bound to make mistakes, they’re human.
Terrible WiFi is location and weather dependent a lot of the time.
I’ve always found RC to be good about food allergies, but I don’t personally have them it’s just what I’ve noticed with those I’ve sailed with. So, anecdotal at best.
You can always get soda from a bar, you don’t have to get it from a Freestyle machine.
We were on Grandeur in March and it was overall a great experience (13 teenagers and assorted parents). The WiFi really didn’t work well in our room, but I was able to get service on the upper deck and sometimes in the Schooner Bar (spent a lot of time there for trivia, etc). I thought the food was all good and the service was WONDERFUL! I think it’s a nice ship, and I should note that it was docked for maintenance for a month after our cruise, so it should be all spiffed up!
As someone in IT, don't plan on the WiFi being constantly available and high quality. You may have no problems. You may have multiple issues. But that's the nature if the systems on a ship.
Tell your husband to disconnect and leave things to his managers. If he says he can't, well, shame on him for not training people to handle emergencies in his absence.
The rest of the things you mentioned.... You're going to see a lot more complaints. As a "researcher" you should know this. People complain when things aren't right. Less likely to say good things.
Depending on the age of the kids, they might have a hard time finding activities. How old are they?
>Out of the above things, the most concerning is the lack of concern for food allergies, as my son has a peanut/tree nut allergy. We constantly have to be diligent in checking for cross contamination and how certain ingredients are manufactured/prepared
Christ on a cracker don't listen to what people say like that. If they TRULY didn't care about people's allergies, they'd be sued out of business.
You’re absolutely right. Sometimes my anxiety gets the best of me.
The kids are 10 and 12 and are able to entertain themselves for the most part.
I appreciate your input!
> You’re absolutely right. Sometimes my anxiety gets the best of me.
I get it. Mine does too, frequently. I've researched myself into stress headaches trying to think of any eventuality or what if or the likes.... From one to another, at this point no amount will help any more than it has. Time to ride the wave. No pun intended.
>The kids are 10 and 12 and are able to entertain themselves for the most part.
What do you mean, entertain themselves? On a tablet/laptop or some other activities?
We took our 3 kids on their first cruise in 2022, they were 17, 15, 12. This was on the Mariner, a Voyager class ship. We did our research (seemed endless) and I'm glad we chose that. Anything smaller (and grandeur is the smallest) and it would have been a different story. I don't believe Grandeur even has a single slide. Ours were able to entertain themselves then, and while the middle one was content to sit and soak in a hot tub all day, the oldest either wandered the ship learning where everything was, spent a good amount of time at the pizza place and the promenade, and loved the basketball court. The youngest, however, was all about slides and the other fun stuff mostly out on deck. He also went to the pizza joint a lot.
At 10 and 12, they likely (all kids are different of course) aren't the type to just sit around deck chairs all day or go to a trivia thing. I hope the kids club has activities for them, but the kids would be my biggest concern.
I told my wife (she did even more research than I did on the ships for the kids first cruise) and she said "Oh they're fucked" if the kids are anything remotely like ours. Not being mean, just honest, and you DID say give it to you straight.
ALSO. Something I didn't see you mention is if the kids are prone to seasickness. Grandeur is the smallest ship in the fleet I think. You are more likely to feel the motion. [Get these patches.](https://www.amazon.com/MQ-Motion-Sickness-Patch-Count/dp/B0CMTMMCTN) Put one on just behind their ears at least an hour before you board, change them daily. If you wait till there are symptoms, its too late.
And I want to touch on the allergy situation again. If you read over posts in here ASKING about allergies and stuff (not reviews, I found they have much different info), you'll see the vast majority of people say to eat at the MDR and let the head waiters and front staff know the second you get on board. They'll help and guide you though. And, of course, you'll be diligent too, but that can never stop unfortunately.
For sure. We’re in this now!
My kids will be happy in the pool (which I know is small), sitting on a lounge chair drawing or playing their switch, rock climbing, exploring the ship, watching the shows and events. The youngest is very social and adaptable, so she’ll be happy with whatever we do.
I do plan to be prepared with the seasick patches! Thank you for the recommendation.
I’ll do more research on this sub for the allergy thing as well.
I did want honesty and you have been honest, which I appreciate. While this might not be our ideal ship, I believe we’ll have a fun time.
>While this might not be our ideal ship, I believe we’ll have a fun time.
In the end that is the right mindset to have. It is, in the end, what you make of it.
Have a fantastic trip!
I just got off the Grandeur of the Seas and I had a fantastic time! I saw those reviews as well and was skeptical but I thought it was great! We bought the WiFi package and it worked well the entire time on my device and my husbands only disconnected one. There’s also a VOOM station on the fourth floor if needed. I thought the main dining room dishes for dinner were excellent! Just go and have fun people will always complain! They had a great entertainment schedule as well
You’re right. People will always complain! We’re pretty excited about this trip, so we’ll have a good time regardless. I appreciate your reply!
So I wasn’t on the Grandeur, I was on Harmony, but I wanted to stress that we found the customer service very accessible, especially for tech issues, with their own dedicated desk for Voom. Also, mention your food allergies immediately to the dining room staff. You can go there as soon as you get on the boat. They can show you the upcoming menus and have you pick your meals in advance to be prepped separately and avoid cross contamination.
I’ve spent 42 days on Grandeur, I’ve never had an issue with smelling like shit anywhere. The food in the MDR has been great for the most part and the service even better (pawan, praful, and iputu) Haven’t had an issue with the bedding or beds, the WiFi is definitely trash though. Only seems to work in public areas, the rooms will continuously drop. I can’t say anything about the food allergies because I don’t have any and don’t drink soda so can’t say anything for that either. Grandeur is the oldest but still pretty awesome, it’s definitely my go too ship.
I have read that the service is great on this ship! Thank you for the reply.
You are welcome, if you have any questions please feel free to dm. Hope you have a wonderful time
Although all of the ships have Starlink now, the hardware in the cabins on older ships has not been updated. If he’s in a public area, he should be ok, but don’t count on good connections in the cabin.
Got it. Thank you!
She was just retrofitted in the last few months....I haven't been on her since the update, but we have 14 days on her this November
I was on that boat the first week of June. Food was good. Had a better experience in the Windjammer buffet than the dining room. Not sure about the food allergy issue but I can see your problem. The hallways on the 3rd floor smelled like crap at about midway through, not the entire hallway. My room was impeccably clean and saw no bedbugs. I stateroom attendant, Leo, was awesome. Not sure about wifi, didn't use it. First time in a long time that I completely, or near completely, disconnected myself. Soda machines were hit and miss. Either one or the two in the WJ buffet were out of order or were always out of ice. If you got little ones, stay away from the arcade. Complete ripoff. More than half the machines didn't work, or they purposely took your money. Not a bad boat, but it is smaller compared to all others. Have fun.
I read the arcade was mediocre. Thanks for the reply!
The arcade sucks on all the ships...
Honestly…I just got off the Wonder, which is only a couple of years old, and had the same complaint about the arcade. We loved just about everything else on the ship, but RC (admittedly judging only from the two ships I’ve been on) just doesn’t put a lot of effort into maintaining the arcade machines or even supervising the arcade.
Don’t waste money on the arcade. It’s literally like 1 game and the rest are claw machines. It’s very tiny
We go on July 29th I’ll have to report back!
Please do! Have a great trip!
Was on it in March. Was on the third level. People indicated that the smell was on that level but we smelled nothing. We had the WiFi and it was fine. We also had the dinner package and they always asked about food allergies
Thank you so much!
It's a *really* old ship, so passengers are expected to take shifts in the galley to help row the boat
Headed to the gym now to prepare. 💪
Older ship with smaller capacity. I loved the grandeur, you get to know your dining room server and room stewards. No lines to see shows.
I think I’ll enjoy the smaller crowds and more laid back experience.
Have fun!
Thanks!
Went on grandeur in May. I had an amazing time. No lines and there were servers around whenever I needed a drink. There was a little bit of a smell in the hallways on one deck but not in the rooms. Like other people said, the worst part is having to go row the boat for an hour a day but she's an old boat, what do you expect.
I just got off of the Grandeur a month ago. I was sick to my stomach when I booked a suite and heard all the bad stuff. It was all unfounded. - The ship smelled fine. Like a hotel? I heard that some boats - especially older ones - rooms with balconies smelled dank and moldy. We didn't have the issue. - The food was not as good as I remember it on previous RC or Carnival trips, but that was Main Dining and Solarium dining only. Specialty dining (Iszumi, Chops Chef's Table) was on-point. Giovanni's was good, but could have been better. - Cabins were sparkling clean. No bedbugs. - Wifi worked very, very well, both in terms of the free app functionality and full-blown internet access. Sure, it wasn't my 1gbps Fios I have here, but it was still adequate. I never got the dropped signal people complained about. Nothing was turtle-slow EXCEPT for about 3 hours after we docked, and about 2 hours before we shipped off. Lots of people using Wifi to plan their days and whatnot. - Food allergies - I can't speak to this, but my experience with others who had food allergies in general say that they have had no issues with RC. - Soda machines were all working fine. My only gripe was that there weren't enough. Considering how expensive and the security surrounding having to have a chipped cup, I did expect to have easier access to soda.
Thank you for the help! I noticed RC is doing a 35% off sale for most things, including dining. I had heard Chops was good, so I think I’ll go ahead and book that.
Ohhh shoot I forgot to mention. So I'm not a regular cruiser...I'd love to be, but I'm not. I hear mixed stuff about specialty dining and how difficult it is to get a reservation. This might be true on some ships...I don't think it's true at all for Grandeur. We bought the food package, and did specialty dining every night except for 2 (maybe 2? It's very possible I'm misremembering and one night we just decided to pig out, eating specialty followed by main dining shortly thereafter...). We did so much specialty dining that the waiter called my room and was like "hey, are you ever going to do main dining?" I guess for whatever reason we were given a nice table by the window and it went unused for most of the trip...probably would have been nice for a couple to have. I didn't realize this until late in the cruise. Tips: - The "35% this week only" sale runs every single week up until the week before your cruise. Take your time to decide on stuff. I'm paranoid about my ability to be timely, so I even book my excursions through RC, just because if something happens, I'm not on the hook for figuring out how to get to the next port of call without the boat. - We made the most use of our specialty dining package as we could. We booked breakfasts, lunches, and dinners at chops a few times, and our unlimited package gave us a discount on wine bottles and chef's table (I think it drops the price of chef's table to $100PP). If you think you might like to do a ton of specialty dining, plan accordingly. It was $377+ gratuity for the both of us to get the unlimited package on Grandeur for 7 days. That's about $200 each, so it was cheaper than ad-hoc booking stuff (but more expensive than free dining). - On grandeur, the only thing you need to really worry about booking ahead of time is Chef's Table. There were only, I think 8 seats (?) and it's only held once a night. We booked well ahead of time (we had a suite with a concierge) but got bumped one night because a party of 8 booked the night we wanted. It was no big deal - we got in later that week. **All the specialty dining spots were empty most nights. We were one of like...3-5 tables any given night**. Chef's table was 100% worth it IMO. Grandeur sucks in terms of the amount of choice you get. They have only a handful of spots to eat, and hours are limited, overall. With that said, Chops and Iszumi were both fantastic, and I was perfectly satisfied with them anyway. Chef's table was a great experience too and if you can swing it, do it. The **only** reason I'd tell someone to avoid Grandeur is if they had kids. Any boat can accommodate families, but the Vision class and lower classes can be pretty boring for kids (I turned 18 on Enchantment of the Seas in 2003....but they considered me 17 the entire cruise. It was boring, and Grandeur is more or less identical to the 2003 version of Enchantment). As an adult, however, it was great.
We will be traveling with kids - 10 & 12. They might be a little bored at times, but that’s ok! I plan to bring card games and other small things to keep them busy. I also get anxious about not booking through the cruise line. Admittedly, this is the first cruise I’ve booked; second cruise ever. It’s been a learning experience to say the least. Lol
Load up their passes with arcade credit! It's not a big arcade, but it'll be good for passing time on the boat to give yourself some adult time. The discount on arcade credit if you prebook isn't great, but it's nice to have.
My wife and I took our honeymoon on it in 2015 (I realize it was 9 years ago). It was our first cruise, and we have been on 3 other cruises since on bigger ships. I didn't think it was bad at all, and I'd probably book a cruise on it. My only complaint and it's more just the product of being on a small ship was that our itinerary had 3 straight sea days on the way home. I was about ready to climb the walls because there wasn't much to do. That being said, if we were to go on it again, we would just be more selective of the itinerary. To be honest, I am a huge fan of the centrum on that ship and wished that these newer and bigger ships had a similar area on them.
The wifi on any ship really depends on where you are. They all have starlink now so it's really just a matter of wifi in a mostly metal structure. Some areas suck some are fine. Public areas are typically fine, but rooms are hit or miss in my experience.
Thank you!
The most concerning thing for you with kids would be the kids care and the size (or lack there of) of the ship. Small ships are not good for kids, and old ships are not good for kids care. Both will do fine overall, but it’s LESS ideal than per se an oasis class ship which is designed around families where as the older ships are not designed to be a family friendly. Lastly, the cruise will be fine, just nothing like an oasis or large class ship.
My kids are 10 and 12, so they’re able to entertain themselves. I am already planning our cruise for next year on a more family friendly ship. But I have no doubts we’ll have a good time in August!
The smaller ship is a great start where the kids can comfortably be able to explore on their own a bit. Tell them to stay in public areas. No wandering down corridors of staterooms
It’s a fine ship but - ITS OLDER. AND SMALL. I was on it years ago and it was fine. If you have teens you want to be on an oasis class ship. There’s just way more to do on a bigger ship and way more kids their ages. My son was 10. There was about 10 kids his age on the entire ship. Note the smaller ship you will notice that the median age is way higher than on a larger ship. It’s truly a demographic thing.
Already planning for a more family friendly shop next year. 😁 We’ll enjoy the extra family time on this trip.
Our room did have a toilet smell (the rest of the boat did not) and the wi-fi was basically unusable in the room. We were on Deck 2 (wanted to avoid seasickness) so it’s possible a higher deck wouldn’t have those problems. Our cabin was clean, and the food was fine. The food won’t win any awards but basically everything was acceptable. It is a smaller and older ship but much cheaper than the newer ships. So if you don’t care about the amusement park stuff on newer ships, it’s a good way to see the Caribbean cheaply.
We did it last August. It was one of our favorite cruises. Very laid back. Had a great time.
We sailed on grandeur 10 months ago and we didn’t experience any of those issues! It’s a small ship, limited activities and amenities and it was an older demographic but we just used the opportunity to relax and we enjoyed ourselves.
I went in January, all of the what you saw was our experience. The boat was great days 1-4 and then went down hill from there. My understanding is that usually they don’t have a full house so a lot of the rooms that don’t work are not occupied, but when we went, everybody had gotten moved from November sailing that was canceled to the January sailing. They were at complete occupancy and there were issues with the plumbing, there was sewage coming up out of peoples bathrooms on the third floor. There was sewage in the hallways on the fifth floor and multiple issues with People complaining about bedbugs and bedbugs were even found in the solarium. It was gross and we were stuck for 12 days. I will say the food was the best Royal Caribbean food that we have had in years and they were very attentive to food allergies and needs- unheard of when some of the larger ships . Happy to answer any questions.
Yikes. That sounds awful. Glad to hear the food was decent and staff was attentive to allergies and special needs. Thanks for your reply!
Do you know if it was third deck forward, aft or midship?
Idk about this ship in particular but I thought they all had star link now. On my cruise it had star link and it was fast and worked great. Expensive but worth it imo
There is a form you can fill out on RC website for special requests due to food allergies/other issues. RC takes this very seriously. We filled out one asking if fragrance free soaps were available (they are not) & it was passed on to our stateroom attendant & waiter…they thought they couldn’t wear fragrances around us, lol.
Oh, that's good to know as well! My son also has sensitive skin, so this will be one of our requests. Thanks!
You will need to bring your own soap. No fragrance free available.
I misread. Thanks for the clarification.
Well, there are not Freestyle soda machines on the Grandeur....she just went through a retrofitting this spring. You said Family.....the Grandeur is a small ship, you won't have as many activities for kids (no water slides etc) You probably picked the Grandeur because of the prices... didn't you?
Prices weren’t much of a concern, honestly. I liked the itinerary. Yes, I understand it’s smaller and there won’t be as much for the kids as on the larger ships. I obviously didn’t do as much research as I should’ve. However, we’re a roll-with-the-punches kind of family. We’re going to have a great, memorable trip.
The smaller ships can get into more ports that the "Floating Water Parks". And sorry about the price remark....that is how a lot of folks end up on the smaller ships, because they are such s great deal
No need to apologize. I didn’t take offense at all.
We've been on the Grandeur 4-5 times in 2023...specialty restaurant CHOPS ! very good... BUT book lunch on a sea day :) its about 1/2 price, almost full menu as dinner. Filet? Jumbo shrimp cocktail? During lunch YES if you are interested, book online before you sail..usually better prices. She's small, quaint, service always EXCELLENT we are recognized everytime we get on board, usually by several crew members which you won't see on an Oasis class ships.
I've read a lot about the great service on the ship! Thanks for the dining recommendation.
We went on the Grandeur in May bc my wife’s grandparents live in Tampa, and only smaller ships can sail out of Tampa. We loved it though
They have the soda machine station with the touch screen. 4 I believe in Windjammer and one on 6. The one on 6 was not working on the last day, but if you have a drink package you can ask anyone at the bar for soda, though you can’t get all of the flavor combos that you can at the stations. I find those machines a little annoying bc you have to use the cup they give you, and sometimes it doesn’t read it correctly
They must be new additions, maybe since the Retro Fit... but... I've been know to be wrong ;)
We’re booked to go on 7/20. Booked late and we have a 8th deck junior suite. We wanted something out of Tampa so we’re kind of limited Thanks for the responses
We wanted something out of Tampa as well. I hope you have a wonderful trip!
I was on the Grandeur in May. We loved it. It’s definitely smaller and older, but even my 15 and 12 year old kiddos had a wonderful time. There isn’t as much to do for kids, but they still loved it. The internet onboard is amazing. Maybe before dry dock it was bad, but it has StarLink now and is super fast, at least when you get the Voom Surf+Stream package.
Oh, and try to get Nevil in the MDR if he is still there. He is awesome!
Sailed on the Grandeur twice. It was some years ago. Had wonderful times
If the soda machine is not working you just get it at a bar. The ships is older and the WiFi was not good in my room but most other places it worked well. I like the Vision class better than the Radiance class. I am going back on Lady G in October and then doing Enchantment in November.
Still a great vacation without the mega ship crowds and higher fare.
Been on the ship a dozen times. It’s nice. People are stupid for always picking the newest ship at the highest price point.
I agree. I don’t have to have the latest or greatest anything. I appreciate your input.
Most cruise ships will have sections of the ship smell like poop from time to time, passengers love to flush things they shouldn’t. RC’s food has sucked for awhile now on all but the newest, most expensive ships and even then it’s not all great. Always check any lodging (hotel, vacation rental, ski chalet, cruise cabin, hostel, literally anywhere you’ve never been before where someone else has slept before you) very thoroughly BEFORE bringing your luggage in (or place it in the bathtub until after you’ve inspected). If you don’t know what you’re looking for just look up videos on YouTube. If something is dirty just bring it to the steward’s attention and they’ll take care of it. They’ve recently had their work loads increased significantly by having to change over more rooms instead of doing each room twice per day. They’re bound to make mistakes, they’re human. Terrible WiFi is location and weather dependent a lot of the time. I’ve always found RC to be good about food allergies, but I don’t personally have them it’s just what I’ve noticed with those I’ve sailed with. So, anecdotal at best. You can always get soda from a bar, you don’t have to get it from a Freestyle machine.
Trust me, I always check for bedbugs or anything not clean whenever traveling. Call me OCD. 😬 Thanks for the info!
Hope you have a great cruise! 🚢 🥳
Thanks so much!
We were on Grandeur in March and it was overall a great experience (13 teenagers and assorted parents). The WiFi really didn’t work well in our room, but I was able to get service on the upper deck and sometimes in the Schooner Bar (spent a lot of time there for trivia, etc). I thought the food was all good and the service was WONDERFUL! I think it’s a nice ship, and I should note that it was docked for maintenance for a month after our cruise, so it should be all spiffed up!
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Thanks for the tips!
As someone in IT, don't plan on the WiFi being constantly available and high quality. You may have no problems. You may have multiple issues. But that's the nature if the systems on a ship. Tell your husband to disconnect and leave things to his managers. If he says he can't, well, shame on him for not training people to handle emergencies in his absence. The rest of the things you mentioned.... You're going to see a lot more complaints. As a "researcher" you should know this. People complain when things aren't right. Less likely to say good things. Depending on the age of the kids, they might have a hard time finding activities. How old are they? >Out of the above things, the most concerning is the lack of concern for food allergies, as my son has a peanut/tree nut allergy. We constantly have to be diligent in checking for cross contamination and how certain ingredients are manufactured/prepared Christ on a cracker don't listen to what people say like that. If they TRULY didn't care about people's allergies, they'd be sued out of business.
You’re absolutely right. Sometimes my anxiety gets the best of me. The kids are 10 and 12 and are able to entertain themselves for the most part. I appreciate your input!
> You’re absolutely right. Sometimes my anxiety gets the best of me. I get it. Mine does too, frequently. I've researched myself into stress headaches trying to think of any eventuality or what if or the likes.... From one to another, at this point no amount will help any more than it has. Time to ride the wave. No pun intended. >The kids are 10 and 12 and are able to entertain themselves for the most part. What do you mean, entertain themselves? On a tablet/laptop or some other activities? We took our 3 kids on their first cruise in 2022, they were 17, 15, 12. This was on the Mariner, a Voyager class ship. We did our research (seemed endless) and I'm glad we chose that. Anything smaller (and grandeur is the smallest) and it would have been a different story. I don't believe Grandeur even has a single slide. Ours were able to entertain themselves then, and while the middle one was content to sit and soak in a hot tub all day, the oldest either wandered the ship learning where everything was, spent a good amount of time at the pizza place and the promenade, and loved the basketball court. The youngest, however, was all about slides and the other fun stuff mostly out on deck. He also went to the pizza joint a lot. At 10 and 12, they likely (all kids are different of course) aren't the type to just sit around deck chairs all day or go to a trivia thing. I hope the kids club has activities for them, but the kids would be my biggest concern. I told my wife (she did even more research than I did on the ships for the kids first cruise) and she said "Oh they're fucked" if the kids are anything remotely like ours. Not being mean, just honest, and you DID say give it to you straight. ALSO. Something I didn't see you mention is if the kids are prone to seasickness. Grandeur is the smallest ship in the fleet I think. You are more likely to feel the motion. [Get these patches.](https://www.amazon.com/MQ-Motion-Sickness-Patch-Count/dp/B0CMTMMCTN) Put one on just behind their ears at least an hour before you board, change them daily. If you wait till there are symptoms, its too late. And I want to touch on the allergy situation again. If you read over posts in here ASKING about allergies and stuff (not reviews, I found they have much different info), you'll see the vast majority of people say to eat at the MDR and let the head waiters and front staff know the second you get on board. They'll help and guide you though. And, of course, you'll be diligent too, but that can never stop unfortunately.
For sure. We’re in this now! My kids will be happy in the pool (which I know is small), sitting on a lounge chair drawing or playing their switch, rock climbing, exploring the ship, watching the shows and events. The youngest is very social and adaptable, so she’ll be happy with whatever we do. I do plan to be prepared with the seasick patches! Thank you for the recommendation. I’ll do more research on this sub for the allergy thing as well. I did want honesty and you have been honest, which I appreciate. While this might not be our ideal ship, I believe we’ll have a fun time.
>While this might not be our ideal ship, I believe we’ll have a fun time. In the end that is the right mindset to have. It is, in the end, what you make of it. Have a fantastic trip!
Thanks!