Frequent Royal Caribbean cruiser and contributor to the site, John Hoiden, is with us once again as he embarks on a four-day cruise on Grandeur of the Seas sailing from Tampa, FL to Cozumel, Mexico. He’ll be providing daily reports from them ship, sharing the good and bad, his luck in the casino, and more than likely some of his favorite drinks!
Day-by-Day Review Index:
Before I turn things over to John for his Day 1 report, let’s talk a little bit about one of the oldest ship’s in the Royal Caribbean fleet. Grandeur of the Seas, a Vision-class cruise ship, was launched 1996, making her just under the 30-year mark when most ships hit retirement age. This mid-sized ship is designed to deliver a balanced cruising experience that appeals to both seasoned travelers and first-time cruisers as her double-occupancy capacity is around 2,440 passengers and a crew of 760. Compared to Royal Caribbean’s largest ship, Icon of the Seas which has a double-occupancy capacity of 5,610 passengers, Grandeur delivers a much more intimate cruise experience.
In terms of amenities, Grandeur of the Seas offers a diverse range of options to keep guests entertained and comfortable throughout their journey. The ship features multiple dining venues, including the main dining room, Windjammer Café, and specialty restaurants like Giovanni’s Table. For those looking to stay active, the ship offers a rock-climbing wall, a fitness center, and a jogging track. Relaxation is well-catered for, with a serene solarium, a spa, and several pools and whirlpools. Entertainment is provided through a variety of shows in the Palladium Theater, live music, and the Casino Royale. Grandeur also offers several lounges, including the Viking Crown Lounge, which provides stunning panoramic views of the surrounding ocean.
Grandeur of the Seas Fire
Grandeur of the Seas’ service history includes a notable incident on May 27, 2013, when a fire broke out in the mooring area on Deck 3. The fire occurred while the ship was en route from the Bahamas to its home port of Baltimore. The blaze, which started in an area used for storing mooring lines, quickly spread, causing significant damage to the aft of the ship.
The crew responded and contained the fire within approximately two hours. All 2,224 passengers and 796 crew members were accounted for, with no serious injuries reported. The ship’s captain made the decision to divert to Freeport, Bahamas, where passengers were safely disembarked. Royal Caribbean arranged for flights back to Baltimore and offered full refunds to passengers, along with a future cruise credit as compensation for the disruption to their vacation.
The damage caused by the fire required significant repairs, including the reconstruction of the affected areas and a thorough inspection to ensure the ship’s safety. Despite the seriousness of the incident, Royal Caribbean managed to return Grandeur of the Seas to service just a few weeks later, following repairs and safety checks.
Now that I have all that out of the way, I’m going to turn things over to John with a heartfelt thanks in advance for agreeing once again to contribute and share his vacation experience with all of us!
Grandeur of the Seas Trip Report
First off, I’m very excited for this trip, as it’s my first time on a Vision Class ship. The convenience of living near Tampa and working in Downtown Tampa makes it easy for me to jump on for a quick 4-night weekend getaway. In fact, I worked a half-day before boarding, and I will be heading straight to the office when I disembark on Monday morning.
I booked this sailing right after my cruise in April on Independence of the Seas. I used a Casino comp for an Oceanview Room and then upgraded to a Junior Suite Guarantee. I caught them at the right time, as the Oceanview room was only $13 more per person than a Junior Suite, so I only paid $26 for the upgrade. Since I’m sailing solo, they were hesitant to give me that rate and tried to charge me the single occupancy price (which would have made the upgrade around $430). After speaking with the reservation agent, she checked with her supervisor, and they allowed me to get the upgrade. A+ service as always with Royal! Just ask nicely. (Please note – I don’t always get these upgrades; there are times when they stand firm on that single occupancy rate).
BONUS CONTENT: Read about John’s cruise on Independence of the Seas:
After work, I went to my car to get my bags and headed to the Teco Streetcar. I took it to exit 8 and walked to Terminal 2. Boarding time was 1 pm, but I went through security and made it on the ship at about 12:30. Unfortunately, the rooms weren’t quite ready yet, so I hauled my bags to the Solarium Bar for a couple of beverages!
There’s no air movement in the Solarium!
The ceiling can open up, but apparently, it’s broken. It’s all enclosed, with no fans, no AC, nothing.
IT’S HOT!
I feel bad for the staff who are stuck in there. Every time someone opened the door behind the bar to go into the ship, a blast of cold air came across the bar. But, because of this heat, there was hardly anyone there. So, service was fast, and I got to chat with the bartender for a bit. He has been with Royal for 16 years, which is impressive and something I often see. The crew is loyal. I’ve met crew members who have made the jump from Carnival to Royal, and I’ve met crew members who have been with Royal for 15+ years. I think 26 is the record that I’ve encountered.
I asked someone if the rooms were ready yet (couldn’t hear announcements outside in the Solarium). They told me they were! I grabbed my bags and headed to the room. I was so excited to see my room.
This room is everything I expected and more! An Aft Junior Suite! It is HUGE! This room can accommodate four people. There’s plenty of space, lots of storage, a full-size tub (with the dreaded shower curtain), and the patio has two chairs, a table, and two loungers.
Full Tour of Grandeur of the Seas Junior Suite 7154
Exhausted from getting up early, I hung out in the room for a bit. I went up to grab some lunch at Windjammer, didn’t care for anything they had, and it was slammed, so I just quickly grabbed a little bit of food. Roast beef with horseradish and mac and cheese—both were okay. I was hungry, and it did the job.
Getting ready to cast off, I went to Schooner Bar to grab a drink. This place was slammed earlier, but since we were taking off, everyone was outside watching us leave Tampa and go under the Skyway. I was trying to film some video leaving Tampa from my balcony for a time-lapse, but I had a camera malfunction. It only recorded about 13 minutes and gave me some kind of “Motion detected” error before stopping. That was weird and aggravated me, so I spent some time in the room just to relax and enjoy the views of Tampa getting smaller and smaller in the distance.
My dinner time is 8 pm, and the casino opens at 7:30, so I headed down to check out the shops before going to the Casino. I picked up a nice bottle of Jack Daniels Travelers Edition. They had “Bold and Spicy” and “Sweet and Oaky.” I already have the “Bold and Spicy” from another cruise, so I needed to get “Sweet and Oaky.” I was told on Independence that “Bold and Spicy” was discontinued. The guy working the shop on Grandeur said he hadn’t heard that, but they are often on backorder.
I played a little in the casino and then went to dinner, but I realized my SeaPass card said 7:45. It was about 8:05, so I was a little late. This is my first time not having My Time Dining. In fact, I forgot I didn’t have My Time Dining and tried to go to the My Time entrance but got redirected. With My Time, you just kind of show up whenever, which I like because I never know when I’ll be hungry, and I don’t want to have to schedule around dinner.
I asked the guy outside of the Great Gatsby Dining Room, “Am I sharing a table?” When he said yes, I wasn’t happy. I have NEVER had to share a table with others. I like to go to the dining room, get my food, and get out. Sailing alone usually makes dining quick for me. Plus, I would have been 15 minutes late, which would have been an inconvenience to those already seated. I chuckled and said, “Well, I guess I’ll be eating at Windjammer all weekend.”
Joke’s on me, though—Windjammer was just not good, at least not tonight. Maybe because it was less than an hour before they closed, the food looked like it had been sitting there for hours. I had some pasta and a burger because they were the only two things that looked appetizing to me. Both were not good. I am NOT a foodie by any means, so if I say the food sucks, it’s bad.
I have a reservation at Chops for lunch tomorrow, which is probably going to be the only meal I enjoy on board all weekend. Stay tuned…
Back to the casino—building some points up! I was up and down a bit but ended up down in the end. This casino is PACKED, both with people and games. It’s so hard to move. They tried to cram as many games in as possible, and with all the people in there, you can’t move, you can’t find an open table or machine. There were some open machines in the middle of an aisle, but that’s just because no one can get to them. I’ll see how it is early in the day for the sea day tomorrow.
Back in the room early—this will be a very early night for me. I have been up since about 4 am. I’m a little cranky, honestly. I want to be well-rested and in a better mood tomorrow, so I’m off to bed!
Initial Thoughts on Grandeur of the Seas
It is well laid out and very well maintained. If I didn’t know this ship is 28 years old, I wouldn’t believe it if you told me. The staff has been amazing. Everything is very well staffed. Bars have 3-4 bartenders each. The casino had 3 or 4 cocktail servers (though it took the lady next to me about 20 minutes to get her drink because even the servers can’t move in the casino). I saw cocktail servers walking all over the pool decks. Common areas are very clean. No “Washy Washy” outside of Windjammer, but they have plenty of hand sanitizer stations. I didn’t really explore the ship too much today, but I will spend more time doing that tomorrow on the sea day.
Honestly, I just didn’t have a good first day. This is not Royal’s fault. I was tired, the camera issues aggravated me, and then there was the main dining issue. But a bad day at sea is better than a good day not at sea!
And with that… Good night, everyone!