Written by Kim
We drove about 1 1/2 hour to Port of Miami to board Grandeur. We haven’t been on a smaller ship in a long time. We sailed Grandeur in 2008 out of Tampa. It’s the only ship I got seasick on but we chose a really bad cabin way forward and it was very stormy in the gulf. I don’t expect to get sick this time. It’s our 25th cruise!
The boarding process was simple. We were up at the pool in our bathing suits by 11:15 waiting for the cabins to open and relaxing with our first Fosters (the greatest beer for the price on a ship)
I forgot how beautiful the centrum is on this class ship. The ship only have 9 decks and the centrum goes from deck 4-8 with open balconies in each level so you can watch whatever is happening on deck 4. They have music, games and other stuff in there.
It was the normal craziness on the pool deck at sailaway.
We got this cruise “free” from the casino so decided to treat ourselves to the ultimate dining package which allows us unlimited specialty restaurant dining. We went to Giovanni’s, the Italian restaurant the first night. Our meal was excellent. There were only 3 other tables with passengers it was like having it all to ourselves. Service was good and food was very hot.
Everything on this ship seems tiny after being on the big ships so often. There is one pool vs 4 on Oasis with no kids area at pool. The theater is 2 levels with nice couch like chairs.
Day 2 was a sea day. We had no trouble getting chairs by the pool but the pool water was cool so we just relaxed in the sun and on our balcony.
Dinner night 2 was in Chops, the steakhouse. It was just ok. The shrimp cocktail was delicious. I ordered the strip steak that was ok not great. The bernaise sauce was cold so I asked for steak sauce. Alex said his filet was ok but not the best we’ve had. Alex spent some time in casino and broke even (yeah!). I went to the show
The show was Broadway Rhythm and Rhyme. This is where you see the big difference across ships. It was ok but I didn’t recognize many of the songs and I love Broadway. I guess Royal didn’t want to pay royalties to use some of the better shows. The singers and dancers were good but not as good as wonder or oasis. Carol, our room steward from Peru, left us a cute dinosaur tonight. p.s. I don’t believe her real name is Carol but I’m going with it.
Until then…..
