Plenty of Grandeur after Oasis: Jan 15th-22nd, 22nd-27th, 2023

[Ampurp85]

The had a honoring of veterans before the towel demonstration and the cake was super delicious. Royals sweets in the WJ had been bad on both ships. However, the MDR desserts or cookies from the DL have been fresh and good. The line for NextCruise has been ridiculous since I got to the Centrum at 10:45. I'm glad I went day one. I did earn a certificate on this sailing, I will call Club Royale when I get home and see if I can stack some.

 

[Ampurp85]

I've gotten two towel animals this cruise, the same as the last one. My room steward said they are required to do one for anything less than 4 night's and two for anything over 5. Of course if they like a guest they can/will do more. But with full ships and lots of rooms to turn over twice a day, it's hard to do extra.

I watched scattergories and then got in line for lunch. Since I didn't have breakfast I was starving. These crazy folks thought I was going to sit at a shared table. This is the third time, this cruise, they have tried to sit me with people. And as if my luck wasn't already bad with this, creeper was sitting at the shared table smiling. I told them I wanted to be sat alone. So they took me to a two-top a few feet away.

I got the royal chicken sandwich, mozzarella sticks, and the floating island. The chicken sandwich was delicious, a bit too delicious. I made sure it was no condiments or onions. The floating island is meringue and weird tasting yellow liquid. The island was good, the water had no flavor. I was the fifth person in line and lunch took an hour.

I then went to the casino and played the last of my budget and cashed out. There was a couple who kept winning. They played only $100, the first night but kept winning. On Tues they won $1600. Today they were still winning but they only had a couple of hundred left. They earned an OV cabin, on basically $100. That for me, is the dream.

I then went to the belly flop contest. I actually have never been to one, mainly because on other classes the pool deck is too crowded. You would think that only bears would make big splashes. But this tall, skinny guy made a pretty big one. They had people in the audience rating them. I watched maybe fifteen minutes and then went to have a look in the WJ.  It was American comfort food mostly. I did get peach shortcake and it was sspectacular.

I don't know why I find it so funny but the people who try to use the freestyle machines after day two with regular cups, crack me up. Day one or two you can't know what isn't and is available. But the last full day if the cruise?? I watched so many people trying to make floats with the clear cups and tell the staff the machines are broken. Then they started asking people with cups to get them soda.

I then went back to my room to pack and nap. I have a noon flight so I plan to get breakfast in the MDR and get off around 8am. The comedian is tonight,  so I will catch him after dinner. They have mostly been a miss but I hope this one isn't too bad. I just realized that a bandage is holding the batteries in my remote.

[Srp431]

How crispy was the chicken sandwich?, It looks crispy,  sounds like french fries and fried chicken in the dining room haven't been very crispy from reports.

[Ampurp85]

45 minutes ago, Srp431 said:

How crispy was the chicken sandwich?, It looks crispy,  sounds like french fries and fried chicken in the dining room haven't been very crispy from reports.

It was very crispy but I had no condiments, which makes crispy things less so. I know the fried chicken is covered in honey too.

[Ampurp85]

I thought I might get a nap in but I saw the same lady from the DL and we chatted for a while. She had 5:30 traditional dining so I left her and went to my room to try to get some work done. I struggled but used my phone when I could.

I then went around the ship, seeing what was happening. It was trivia mainly but I was tapped out. I then went to the comedy show. It was pretty cringy, just dumb punchlines. Which some vintage women thought was so funny, they were peeing themselves from laughing. I hate to say it but several " young" people on deck 6 of the Palladium, where I sat, walked out after a few minutes.

I then went to dinner where it was Italian night. This was a meh and a miss night. None of the food was good, mostly meh and a no. My app was the aracini, which was drrrrrrrrrryyyyy! It comes with a sauce but it was tomato sauce and Tabasco. I can't eat Tabasco, it's on the list of condiments that make me ill. Dipping sauces aside there was nothing in the aracini but rice. So dry ass, deep fried,  breaded rice. No salt, cheese, seasoning or the supposed mushrooms.

I was torn between the chicken parm and lasagna so I got both. The lasagna was nasty to me. It was meat and oil. I miss ricotta when it's not in lasagna. Royals lasagna is always noodles and meat. The sauce had no discerning flavor and it was pure meat. But not beef, some gamey tasting mixture. The chicken parm was meh. Again no seasoning. The sauce had to be essenceof tomato, water, and garlic because it was thin in consistency and flavor. The chicken cutlet was crispy and juicy. It wasn't as bland as the rest but still not as seasoned as needed. The hazelnut nut cake was more so fudge/a brownie. I didn't eat much of it because it was meh.

I know there was a blog member obsessed with the Quest. They have it on here but it is called Crazy Quest. I am tired but I would have attended for the people watching. As it stands I'm putting today's clothes in my bag and getting ready to climb in bed and read until I get sleepy.

[Ampurp85]

I want to note, I keep finding cleaning supplies left in my room or left behind towels like the one in my sink

[She Sails Away]

2 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

I want to note, I keep finding cleaning supplies left in my room or left behind towels like the one in my sink

That's crazy! Why would that keep happening?

 

Sounds like the food is really underwhelming. That's a shame. Will Grandeur be a one and done?

[Ampurp85]

Disembarkment....

I didn't get to sleep as early as I wanted. There was a work "emergency " and I ended up working until a little after eleven. Since I travel solo, on multiple cruises, I normally check a bag. I sent my larger luggage with my brother and kept his carry on for the five night Grandeur cruise. This meant I ended up drinking two bottles of champagne between last night and this morning. I got one from NextCruise and another from guest services. I realized last night I wasn't checking a bag so I had to drink them. I used the last to have mimosas with breakfast.

I will be honest, this cruise was probably the least I have ever tipped. I saw my room steward only the first day. None of the service in the dining room was up to par, don't get me started on bar service. The only time I felt the staff were on par was at the WJ. I tipped but it wasn't what I normally would. I wasn't ever able to get an actual bar drink at dinner service. They always seemed overwhelmed. This was the first of the new menus, so maybe that was it. The bars were also a bit of a wait considering there were so few.

I got in line around 7am for breakfast. They again tried to give me a shared table. I told them it would be fine but not if everyone had to be served together or if I had to wait for it to fill up. I was on a time limit. They sat me alone and even with the slow service I was out before the shared table got food. I just wanted fruit, crispy bacon, and eggs. Simple but I got sat at 7:02 and was out at 7:45 after getting my food at 7:30. I had two mimosas before the guy with bread and pastries came. Breakfast is usually rough so I don't expect good service. I had everything I needed so I walked around the corner and got off. I never stopped walking and at 7:50 I was waiting for an airport shuttle to fill up.

Terminal G has a carousel of luggage and two machines to recognize those with passports. I priced a Lyft and they were $35 not including tip. There were a ton of those $10 to Miami airport shuttles so I got one. It was empty so I had to wait for it to fill up. I made it to the airport at 9 and through the line really quickly thanks to precheck.

My driver was......something. He had on a full suit with several jarring neck tattoos, he was Polish but he called everyone senior and senorita. His English was good but heavily accented. I thought he was hilarious, he kept making jokes about his coworkers lack of English speaking prowess. He made the wait not seem long and he was a good driver.

Final thoughts......

I would not sail Grandeur again. I might try Explorer or Enchantment but not Grandeur not matter how good the deal. There is nothing to do and the rooms aren't comfortable enough to just be idle in. Also the sewage smells. I tried to think if I could take a vintage on her but they would really complain. They are sensitive to smells and are spoiled by fancier stuff. I can't even say if Starlink internet would make everything better. Spotty internet means neither I nor my brother could work.

The shows are skewed towards an older crowd and the focus of most activities are on shopping. I did things I wouldn't normally do just to fill time when I wasn't reading. The very small and dated casino, plus the creeper, changed most of my plans to hang in the casino. I'm glad I sailed this ship as it gave me the best idea of a what a perfect ship for me might be.

Hopefully the weather advisory for Chicago doesn't delay my flight.

[FireFishII]

Just remember, any day on a cruise ship is better than a day in the office.  Thanks for bringing us along with you.

I did find an article I thought you would be interested in:

https://www.yahoo.com/news/nearly-70-reported-sexual-assaults-232541650.html

I think you were lucky that you did not have to experience an assault - just a creeper.  I hope you have a better cruise next time. 

[Yesiamthere]

Way off topic, but there’s a lot of knowledge here. Has anyone had Monica as their Genie, if so, would you tell me a bit about her. 
 

Thanks!  

[JohnK6404]

On 1/27/2023 at 10:00 AM, Ampurp85 said:

None of the service in the dining room was up to par, don't get me started on bar service. The only time I felt the staff were on par was at the WJ. I tipped but it wasn't what I normally would. I wasn't ever able to get an actual bar drink at dinner service. They always seemed overwhelmed. This was the first of the new menus, so maybe that was it. The bars were also a bit of a wait considering there were so few.

Our MDR experience was the same on Wonder this month. The Windjammer service was excellent on Wonder!

On 1/27/2023 at 10:00 AM, Ampurp85 said:

I would not sail Grandeur again. I might try Explorer or Enchantment but not Grandeur not matter how good the deal.

Definitely try Explorer... she is a voyager class ship so she is larger and more modern. I believe she has been tweaked since we sailed on her back in 2013, but has not had the full amplification like her sisters, Mariner and Navigator, to date.

[jbrinkm]

I feel like I'm friends with you after this live blog. Love your writing style!

Also seems like you have been enjoying connectivity this morning while waiting for your flight, LOL. I'm seeing your answers to posts all over the boards 

[Ampurp85]

I agree any day on a cruise ship is better than most days on land.

The lack of activities and the sewage smells were the only true negatives for Grandeur. I could have worked with the casino being small, but that smell was in my bathroom......and all the hallways. Ugh don't get me started on the public bathrooms. This was the first week of the new menus, so I let the service in the MDR slide for the most part. But doing napkin and towel classes was where I had to draw the line . 

[Ampurp85]

I have made it home safely. My fur baby was beyond ecstatic to see me. She has already laid herself on my luggage. 

My plane was delayed by about ten minutes from MIA and forty-minutes waiting for a gate at MDW. It was funny because we got to Chicago thirty minutes early and then ran into the bad weather. So, in actual total, I pretty much landed on time and was in a Lyft only a few minutes after that. It is thirty degrees, and we have about an inch of snow, which means I went from summer weather to summer weather. 

Sadly, as it stands, my next cruise is 261 days away; there are about five land-based ones until then. I have Vegas, a road trip and some Midwest casino adventures planned. We will see if the casino offers something good on either Freedom, Liberty. or Explorer......maybe Adventure because I haven't sailed her yet.  

[She Sails Away]

Glad you're home safe! Fur babies are the best!

[WAAAYTOOO]

Yippee !  So glad you made it home safely.

[asquared17]

so glad you made it home safe + steered clear of the creeper!!!

also, the bandaid on the remote,,,,, what the HECK?!?! 

[CrimsonCruiser]

I am so sad..I came over to the blogs and read this one because a last-minute-for-us change in vacationing plans means we may be looking at a Grandeur cruise this year instead of our planned land trip. As we had done Enchantment before, I was hoping a live blog would remind me of the good of a smaller ship...but instead between sewage smell, lack of entertainment (especially as mom and I are both quite introverted) and poor free food options I'm scared to pull that trigger. We would have more port days than you did and maybe that would make the experience better but idk....I'm nervous

[Ampurp85]

15 minutes ago, CrimsonCruiser said:

I am so sad..I came over to the blogs and read this one because a last-minute-for-us change in vacationing plans means we may be looking at a Grandeur cruise this year instead of our planned land trip. As we had done Enchantment before, I was hoping a live blog would remind me of the good of a smaller ship...but instead between sewage smell, lack of entertainment (especially as mom and I are both quite introverted) and poor free food options I'm scared to pull that trigger. We would have more port days than you did and maybe that would make the experience better but idk....I'm nervous

I am sure Enchantment was a nice one, I had to remind myself that Grandeur is one of the first, she was retired and then brought back. So, she really lacks in a lot of areas other smaller ships don't. The entertainment is very lacking. I think it was maybe three shows and they were okay but dated. I was a bit pressed in finding things to do. The free food and even late food options are what really killed me. Room service is always an option, but you have to pay each time. The Park Cafe opens at 9pm to serve Sorrento style pizza but not really much else unless you like hotdogs. Is Grandeur your only option? 

[CrimsonCruiser]

On 2/24/2023 at 3:59 PM, Ampurp85 said:

I am sure Enchantment was a nice one, I had to remind myself that Grandeur is one of the first, she was retired and then brought back. So, she really lacks in a lot of areas other smaller ships don't. The entertainment is very lacking. I think it was maybe three shows and they were okay but dated. I was a bit pressed in finding things to do. The free food and even late food options are what really killed me. Room service is always an option, but you have to pay each time. The Park Cafe opens at 9pm to serve Sorrento style pizza but not really much else unless you like hotdogs. Is Grandeur your only option? 

I wish I could say something good about Enchantment, but honestly that whole adventure was kind of a bust for us. It was our second cruise and I didn't know the ships could be that different (we did Freedom first) so it wasn't until after booking that I saw it was a much smaller ship. We also flew in for a 4-day cruise which is a general no-no. And to top it off we had all Bahamas stops including everyone's hated Nassau and pre-perfect day CocoCay

I don't think the ship itself was bad but the only thing I remember doing on board was going to a Star Wars trivia and feeling super alone and also kinda hating that Schooner is basically built in a hallway so people just trying to get around were squeezing by all the time.

 

As for Grandeur: well, at the time of posting it kind of was in terms of getting a GS at around 2k with ports we're not bored sick of. But since looking at various areas of reviews, we've decided to be a bit more flexible because we both were disappointed with what we were seeing with Grandeur. Considering a guaranteed suite (something we'd never done before) really opens up our options a lot.

[Ampurp85]

3 hours ago, CrimsonCruiser said:

I wish I could say something good about Enchantment, but honestly that whole adventure was kind of a bust for us. It was our second cruise and I didn't know the ships could be that different (we did Freedom first) so it wasn't until after booking that I saw it was a much smaller ship. We also flew in for a 4-day cruise which is a general no-no. And to top it off we had all Bahamas stops including everyone's hated Nassau and pre-perfect day CocoCay

I don't think the ship itself was bad but the only thing I remember doing on board was going to a Star Wars trivia and feeling super alone and also kinda hating that Schooner is basically built in a hallway so people just trying to get around were squeezing by all the time.

 

As for Grandeur: well, at the time of posting it kind of was in terms of getting a GS at around 2k with ports we're not bored sick of. But since looking at various areas of reviews, we've decided to be a bit more flexible because we both were disappointed with what we were seeing with Grandeur. Considering a guaranteed suite (something we'd never done before) really opens up our options a lot.

Grandeur is smaller than Enchantment and Schooner is in-between a lot of other activities and locations. Trivia in there was rough to me, much rougher than on Navigator, which was located at the end of the Casino smoking area. In all honesty, the suites offering on Grandeur may not even be to your liking. A GTY suite on a better ship and class might be your best option. I found that almost all of the passengers who sailed Grandeur fell into three categories: people who never cruised before and got a great deal, people who are trying to reach pinnacle while using casino comps, and people who love her and prefer simple cruising, aka the vintages. She is the only ship on my will not sail again list.