twangster

You may want to consider the itinerary as well.  Depending what ports you want to visit you may find a non-Oasis class ship offers a different itinerary that may be more to your liking.  For example, to visit the ABC Islands (Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao) you'll need to sail something other than Oasis class.  You'll find these ports on some "Southern Caribbean" itineraries. 

One of the things I enjoy about Royal Caribbean is the diversity of ships.  Trying different ships is half the fun!

Cruise summary

Grandeur or "Lady G" as she is sometimes affectionately referred to is a fine ship with a great crew.  You can often find great deals on her.

Service in the My Time MDR was superb and I enjoyed it every night having not purchased any specialty dining.   

I realize that my photos have missed significant areas of the ship.   I've also completely neglected all entertainment and shows in the theater so I guess i better book another cruise on her to fix that.

It isn't a large ship by today's standards and it doesn't have bumper cars, or zip lines or ice skating but it does offer an intimate cruise experience with a great connection to the sea.

The Baltimore cruise terminal is small but easy.  My Lyft ride from the cruise port to BWI was $24 including a $2.50 BWI imposed fee. 

Would I sail her again?  Absolutely. 

We were warned that shops and the casino would close early on the last evening on board since we would enter the Chesapeake and be inside the 12 mile territorial limit in US waters.  They also suggested that if you want any photographs, make sure you buy them during the day as the photo store would close as well.  

Two sea days back to Baltimore and all I captured were some photos of the gym in case any one is wondering what its like.

Another early dinner in the My Time MDR before catching our departure from Cococay as we sailed off from the sunset.  You can see the MDR through the windows and the section I sat in every night.

Day 7 - Cococay

This would mark my first visit to Cococay and i headed the cruise directors suggestion that the first couple of tenders will have few lines or crowds but after that expect some wait times to board a tender.  I was on the first tender.

Given what we now know is coming to Cococay I'm going to go a little photo intensive to capture it as it is (or was). 

It's 5 o'clock somewhere right?  Time for a Coco-Loco.  No drink package so i got the souvenir cup edition.

The new pier has come a long way since September 2017 but this is what it looked like back then.

Time to head back but I thought I'd grab a shot of the tenders for historical reference. Soon enough these will be no longer required once the pier is complete.

Back on the ship here is another tender photo with Great Stirrup Cay in the background (NCL's private destination right next door).

Another shot of the pier at a very early construction stage.

Day 6 - Nassau

On this occasion we joined a few other cruise lines in Nassau where we docked right beside the terminal.

A partial Solarium roof opening to let some heat out and sun in.

I have to admit I have somewhat avoided Nassau and booked cruises around it for years.  My last stop was in 2002(ish).  A lot has changed and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.   I walked over to the Queen's Staircase and boy was it hot.  I came back to the ship to enjoy an ice cold beer and jump in the pool. 

Our departure was set for midnight so I had an early dinner in the My Time MDR as I prepared for the sun setting and golden hour.

With our departure set for after dark I wandered back onto the pier for some more night shots of the ship.

At some point around 8pm if I recall correctly they opened the casino on board.  They explained they have an agreement with the Bahamas that when they close their casinos for the night ships can open their casinos.  It's one of the few times the casino is open while in port.  At midnight we set sail at a leisurely pace towards our next stop, Cococay.

Day 5 - Sea Day

Here are some more pictures around the ship during a typical sea day.

We departed Bermuda snaking our way back out the channel through the coral towards the north end of Bermuda where we dropped our pilot and turned away from the island and South to head towards our next port of call, Nassau. A note on my bed informed me we would change the time back to Eastern that night at 2am.

Day Four - Bermuda continued

We awoke to some pretty lousy weather.  I had planned to explore some beaches and areas beyond the Naval Dockyard but the Captain's weather forecast didn't sound very promising and he was right.  I stayed pretty close to the ship leaving my camera on board in case it rained, which it did, a lot. 

Oh darn, guess I'll have to plan another Bermuda cruise to venture past the port area

Our itinerary included an overnight stay in Bermuda which allowed me to take some long shutter exposures and get some night shots of the ship in port.  I didn't bring a tripod with me so I had to get creative to hold the camera still.

Day Three - Bermuda

Arriving near the top of the island to pick up our pilot we still had a couple of hours before our scheduled arrival. 

Bermuda has a distinct shipping channel through the coral and shoals surrounding the island.  Coral outcrops are clearly visible near the surface of the water.  It's quite a job to navigate through shallow water and coral outcrops that rise up towards the surface on both sides of the ship.  This has got to be one of the more technical approaches for cruise ships sailing from US waters.  Unlike other ports where the ship can pretty much sail straight to the pier, in Bermuda it's a channel that runs just about the length of the island that the ship must follow before turning and heading towards the cruise pier.

On this day I self explored the fort and shops in the Royal Naval Dockyard area.  Bermuda and the Naval Dockyard played an interesting role in the days of tall ships and England's place in history managing "the colonies".  Bermuda was a staging area, supply depot and place to repair tall ships that were used as England governed over its interests in North America and the West Indies.

When Paul Revere and William Dawes set out to warn "The British are coming!" this is likely where the British came from before arriving in Boston.

Not a bad spot to enjoy a frozen drink on this very hot summer day.

A Bermuda Moongate:

I had dinner in the My Time MDR with some of the best service I've experienced on a cruise.   I have photos of the dinner menus but they've changed now fleet wide so I won't post them since it could cause confusion for future guests.

Day Two - Sea Day

I love sea days and this one didn't disappoint.  I don't have any pictures to share because I hadn't ever live blogged when I took this cruise and didn't take photos with that concept in mind.  

Another great meal in the MDR with the same wait staff.

Back in my cabin I found a note advising us we would change time this evening in advance of our arrival into Bermuda on day three.

 

This cruise occurred days after the 2017 solar eclipse and we had a beautiful evening to sail down the Chesapeake escorted by the US Coast Guard. 

Muster complete it was time for sail away.

It doesn't take long to reach the first bridge we need to pass under.  This is I-695 and the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

What is it about passing under a bridge that is irresistible to observe?

In another couple of hours we would pass under the Chesapeake Bay bridge.  I was eating dinner in the My Time MDR as we passed under the Bay bridge so I missed getting photos of that one.

Luggage arrived quickly and I unpacked it to minimize wrinkles then explored the ship before muster.

Viking Crown Lounge.  Through the window you can see the other parking lot on the other side of the terminal.

Izumi is located 1/2 deck above the Viking Crown Lounge.

The Centrum

Palladium Theater

 

Adult only Solarium

Flash forward to today and having now sailed Radiance class I see where much of that design evolved from looking back at these pictures and reliving this cruise.

Cabin Tour! 

Inside cabin 2053, deck 2.  Booked as guarantee cabin.

Cruising solo a standard interior cabin works fine for me.

The dreaded shower curtain...

For locals the cruise terminal has outdoor parking right beside the terminal on both sides.  That's the cruise terminal to the right and one of the parking lots to its left.

Baltimore harbor is a busy cargo port and there would be many ships coming and going this day,

No helipad access on Vision class ships because there is no helipad.  The bow area contains the various lines and rigging used to tie up in port.

Baltimore has a small cruise terminal and I headed there late morning arriving just after 11am. 

The first queue I encountered was for security.  Diamond and above have a priority queue for security while the rest of us lined up and waited.  It was about 15 minutes to snake the way through to the xray machine.  Once past security as a gold level C&A I was bundled in with the never cruised guests.  By now it was approaching peak.  Around 12:15pm I had my sea pass card in hand and could make my way to the next line.  In Baltimore there is another queue as you board the ship. 

Still in the terminal, Diamond and up go left, all others go right into the queue to arrange dining.  I had My Time reservations yet still had to queue and wait for several couples in front of me to arrange their dining.  I tried to bypass this area but was scolded back into line.  Finally my turn they confirmed I had My Time reservations and I was clear to proceed through the terminal and towards the gangway.  A Carnival ship had crashed into the elevated gangway a few months prior so we would be boarding at ground level like you would at a port of call while repairs to the proper gangway were still on going. 

12:45 pm and I was finally stepping onto the ship.  At least cabins were ready by this time so I was able to head straight to my cabin with my two bottles of wine that I carried on.

In retrospect this is the slowest boarding I've encountered with Royal, around 90 minutes car to ship.  Lesson learned - go earlier.

I haven't seen a lot of Grandeur (or Vision class) in the live blog section so I've decided to do this recap blog from my trip nine moths ago.   I sailed on Grandeur of the Seas out of Baltimore at the end of August 2017. 

This would be my 3rd cruise with Royal so I was gold level in the Crown and Anchor Society.  This would be my first solo cruise with Royal and with the double C&A points for cruising solo it would be my platinum cruise. 

Itinerary:

Day 1 - Depart Baltimore

Day 2 - Sea Day

Day 3 - Bermuda

Day 4 - Bermuda

Day 5 - Sea Day

Day 6 - Nassau

Day 7 - Cococay

Day 8 - Sea Day

Day 9 - Sea Day

Day 10 - Disembark Baltimore

I booked a guarantee inside cabin and was assigned cabin 2053 a few days after booking.

Flying in the day before I stayed at a hotel close to BWI airport that had a free airport shuttle and took Lyft over to the cruise terminal in the morning.  Lyft was $15. 

I'm not a fan of Johnny Rockets.  The Windjammer has free burgers.  Guy's burgers are awesome. 

The Royal Burger through room service is very good but at a cost.  Order one or ten, it's a flat room service fee of $7.95.

Lobster is included on the 2nd formal night in the MDR, opposite of many Carnival ships where lobster is on the 1st formal night, or was back when I sailed Carnival.

I often cruise Royal without purchasing specialty dining (extra cost dining).  I'm not a foodie and I am quite satisfied with Royal's MDR.  If you love a great steak, I've yet to experience great steak in either Carnival's or Royal's MDR.  Chops Grille and Giovanni's have pretty good steak, much like a steakhouse extra cost restaurant on Carnival.  However don't feel like you have to buy specialty dining to eat well on a Royal ship.

Windjammer flows different than the Lido buffet.  I recall thinking on my first Royal cruise how different it feels.  Now I prefer Windjammer over Lido but that's a personal preference.

I was 3 cruises short of platinum on Carnival when i switched and started at zero on Royal.  in my opinion the Royal's Crown and Anchor Society (C&A) frequent cruiser program is better than VIFP. 

Royal has a more efficient boarding process and you don't need anything like FTTF which Royal doesn't offer.  They stagger boarding based on C&A level which creates a smoother boarding process. 

Like Carnival the Royal MDR offers an early sitting and a late sitting.   This is "traditional" main dining room service.

Carnival also offers MDR "Anytime" Dining while Royal offers MDR "My Time" dining. 

With My Time dining you have the option of making dinner reservations in advance of sailing.  You can just show up to My Time like you can with Anytime dining but without reservations that can be waits during peak times just like on Carnival.  With My Time reservations though, you are seated more quickly, even in peak times.  Reservations can vary each night, 6pm day 1, 7pm day 2, 5pm day 3 , etc. 

Carnival has Fun Times delivered daily to your cabin, Royal has a Cruise Compass delivered daily.  You can look over past guests cruise compasses right on this site here:

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/cruise-compass?ship=277

I made the switch from Carnival in 2016 and haven't looked back with 12 cruises completed on Royal ships now. 

My live blog from Liberty, February 2018:

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/5671-liberty-22518-7-nights/

I'm a former Carnival cruiser with 10 cruises on them.

Liberty of the Seas included restaurants:  Main dining room including breakfast, Windjammer Marketplace (buffet like Lido Marketplace), Cafe Promenade (small sandwiches, croissants, snacks), Sorrento's (pizza).

Extra cost dining: Johnny Rockets, Chops Grille, Sabor, Giovanni's Table, Chef's Table, Cupcake Cupboard, Room Service

Activities Included: Water slides, mini golf, flow riders, ice skating, rock climbing wall, solarium adult only area, Splashaway Bay kids water park, ping pong, sports court

Entertainment Included: Saturday Night Fever Broadway show, Ice Skating Show, Other original main theater productions and shows

For room service the continental breakfast is free, other menu items carry a $7.95 fee per order (order all the food you want and the fee is $7.95 per order, not per menu item)