Janice
Shaughnessy
janshaughnessy@comcast.net
Itinerary: Western
Caribbean
Sailing Date: January 29th, 2009
Age: old enough to know better
Occupation: Travel Professional/Retired Air Force
Number of Cruises: 71 and counting
INTRO: My husband Bill and I have been on many
cruises. In 2003 we happened to go on a cruise over
Superbowl weekend. We enjoyed that cruise so much we
decided to make a Superbowl weekend cruise an annual event
and invite others to join us. The Grandeur was our 7th
annual Superbowl cruise. There is a lot of excitement on a
ship for Superbowl. Passengers wear their favorite team and
team player jersey. The game is usually shown on big screen
in the main show lounge, and can be found in other lounges
on big screen TV’s. The Grandeur did something different
this year. They also brought a big screen into the dining
room and showed the game without sound, so passengers could
enjoy their normal dining experience. The ship will bring
food into the lounges and the waiters are plentiful for
drink orders. Many buckets of beer are sold on Superbowl
Sunday. Everyone scouts out their favorite area early where
they want to watch the game. I enjoyed this cruise very
much, but I have to admit Royal Caribbean doesn’t put on the
best Superbowl party. They don’t show the Superbowl
commercials, much to many dismays, and their ideal of
tailgating food is hotdogs only. Other cruise lines I have
sailed on for Superbowl showed the commercials, and had a
plentiful spread of hotdogs, hamburgers, fried shrimp,
chicken wings, and chips with salsa.
THE CRUISE: The cruise was a four night cruise to
Cozumel from Tampa, FL. We left on a Thursday and returned
Monday morning. We flew into Tampa a day early, which I
always recommend. Tampa has a lot to offer for things to
do. The pier is located right downtown by Channelside.
Ybor City a restaurant, shopping, and entertainment area on
the NorthEast side of Tampa can be reached easily by taxi or
utilizing the street car, or in town trolley system. Tampa
has an aquarium close to the pier. Busch Gardens is a short
taxi ride just to the North of downtown Tampa. There are
several name brand hotels in the downtown area. I would
recommend staying downtown where can you can walk or use the
trolley for your dining and entertainment.
The morning of the cruise
we arrived to the pier at approximately 11:45AM. There were
no lines and we walked right up to the counter and checked
in. There also were no lines for the security check. I
noted Royal Caribbean had lemonade and cookies in the cruise
terminal. They had separate check-in lines for Crown and
Anchor members Platinum and higher. We were on board the
ship before noon and rooms would not be ready until at least
1:00PM. The Windjammer buffet restaurant was already
serving lunch.
Food – Breakfast is served each day in the main dining room
by menu, or in the Windjammer buffet restaurant. The
Windjammer has an excellent selection of pancakes, waffles,
eggs which include made to order omelet’s, bacon, sausage,
hot cereals, pastries, cold cereals and cold cuts. Lunch is
also served by menu in the main restaurant or the
Windjammer. The Windjammer has separate islands for salads,
desserts, cold cuts & sandwiches, and hot items. The
islands help alleviate long lines. The hot food buffet
changed each day offering beef, poultry, fish, pastas, and
vegetables. Each day a carved meet was also offered. There
were a variety of desserts each day and they also offered
sugar free choices. Pizza, hamburgers, hotdogs, and French
fries were served in the Solarium pool.
Dinner is served in the
main dining room at 6:00PM or 8:30PM. It is also offered in
the Windjammer buffet restaurant. The dining room menu had
expanded choices for entrees. Instead of the normal one
choice of beef, poultry, fish, pasta, or vegetarian dish,
the Grandeur had two choices each night in each category.
Lobster wasn’t served on the four night cruise. We did have
escargot and tiger shrimp. Steaks were flavorful and cooked
to the correct doneness ordered.
The Ship and Activities – The Grandeur is an elegant
looking ship. I was impressed with the white marble. A
beautiful white marble staircase in the Centrum is an
excellent spot for pictures. The ship is in excellent ship
and as always the crew was continuously cleaning.
The Grandeur is a smaller
ship by today’s standards at 73,817 tons. However; I often
felt the openness of the ship gave it a feel of being much
larger. The ship has eight bar/lounges with various
entertainment each night. Main shows were held in the two
deck Palladium Theatre. On our cruise there was a comedian,
magician, 70’s/80’s dance review, and an introduction show.
Karaoke was held in the South Pacific lounge. The Schooner
bar is always a popular spot with sing along piano music.
My favorite spot on the Grandeur was the signature Viking
Crown Lounge. The lounge sits high on the eleventh deck
overlooking the pool. On this cruise the Viking Crown
seemed under utilized. It was always quiet on the nights I
was there. The casino was the hot spot on my four night
cruise. The casino had all the usual game tables of
blackjack, roulette, wheel of fortune, slots, and Texas Hole
Em poker.
Many activities were packed
into this short cruise. The daily Compass list the times
and places of activities. I enjoyed watching a cooking
demonstration in the Centrum. Many of the activities are
old time standards like ice carving demonstration, napkin
folding, art auctions, belly flop contest, port and shopping
talks, and spa treatment talks. There was a Captain’s party
and a repeater party for Crown and Anchor Platinum and
higher members. Drinks at the Captain’s party were limited
to champagne and rum punch. I only saw one waiter carrying
around a tray with hordourves. At the Crown & Anchor party
they had a variety of drinks and you could order something
different at no charge. They had two buffets with hot items
like spring rolls, chicken wings, and shrimp. A new activity
is the Wii game. There was a pool party midnight Mexican
buffet our night we left Cozumel Mexico..
The ship has a large gym, a
spa which offered daily specials, and a beauty shop. There
is an array of shops in the Boutiques of Centrum offering
jewelry, perfumes, cruise wear, and liquor.
The ship has two pool
areas. The main pool with four whirlpools, and the Solarium
pool with two whirlpools and a retractable roof. The
Solarium pool is quieter and has a more relaxing ambiance.
The main pool is livelier.
Service – I found the service excellent on the ship.
Everyone from check-in at the pier to passing crew in the
hallway was friendly. Guest relations was friendly and
answered questions or took care of any matters promptly.
My cabin steward introduced
himself on the first day. He was prompt in cleaning the
cabin each day after leaving for breakfast. We found
several towel animals on our turned down bed at night, but
no pillow mints. Evidently Royal Caribbean has cut pillow
mints as a cost saver.
Wait staff in the
Windjammer lounge were very attentive. Tables were cleared
quickly. Crew came around at breakfast with a cart offering
refills on coffee and juices. Our Great Gatsby dining room
wait staff were excellent. The waiter and assistant waiter
both were friendly and enjoyed talking to you. They were
quick to bring anything you asked for. The Head waiter also
was friendly and came around often.
Port of Cozumel – The ship docked at the
International Pier approximately 1 ½ miles from downtown San
Miguel. There is plenty of shopping, restaurants, and bar
at the end of pier. There are several rental car companies
at the pier or you can hire a taxi. The ship offers a
variety of shore excursions including island tours,
snorkeling, and shopping tours. There are many beaches a
short taxi ride to the South of the pier.
I had been to Cozumel many
times. On this cruise my husband and I rented a jeep and
toured the island. We enjoyed riding along the Eastern
shore where the shore line changes from sandy beaches to
ragged cliffs. The island is quite desolate on the East
side. There are only a few bar/restaurants on the East
side. The largest and most popular was Coconuts Bar and
Grill. Following the East shore North the road will cut
West across the island. The Tequila nursery is located on
this road. We paid a fee of $10 each which included a free
margarita. A guide gave us an escorted tour telling us the
history of tequila while we viewed tequila plants, and
tequila making methods. The tour included the tasting of
several different tequilas.
The US dollar is widely
accepted in Cozumel along with major credit cards. Mexican
blankets, silver, real vanilla, Kahlua, and Tequila are good
buys.
Overall – The Grandeur of The Seas is a nice ship.
The service and food was very good. The Grandeur offers a
lot of activities and the ship is well maintained. It is a
good value for the money. I would sail on the Grandeur
again.
