Grandeur of the Seas/med cruise

This is my review of the Grandeur of the Seas, I think the photos will tell most of the story here.
It was the second part of our holiday last July/August after spending 4 nights in Palma Nova

Well after checking in we stood at the side of this massive vessel, I couldn't believe I was about to go on a cruise.
I loved the way they had taken our luggage and said they would deliver it to our room for us, good start.




Room
Well we couldn't wait to see the room and it was exactly what we expected for a budget room, very small but nice and clean.

There was a big double bed and two bunk beds which dropped down from the ceiling.



As you can see the bathroom was tiny but again nice and clean, and after all we were not about to spend all our holiday in there .

It was weird not having a window lol.




Out of the room turn left and we were in the what they called upper Centrum area.




Centrum
This was the central hub of the ship, it was another amazing place with all the neon lights that changed colour, they always had a singer and someone on the piano in this area but also had little shows on.









WoW what lovely looking girls lol

Our names are James-----------James Bond

This lady singer had the most amazing voice

Our Captain, he was gutted because we wouldn't dine with him hehehe, only joking








Pool Area
Well we didn't expect a huge pool but what was there was really nice. There was also drink dispensers and tea and coffee machines for free, the cold drinks were like a bitter lemon, ice tea or water. Pop was an extra but we paid for the drinks package for our kids so they could have lemonade, coke etc I think it worked out at an extra £24 a week, the beer package worked out at a whopping £45 a day each, we didn't bother











,
Theatre (Palladium)
I loved this amazing looking theatre, the deco was fantastic and stylish, I was really looking forward to the big broadway style shows, unfortunately they didn't appear lol. I was a bit disappointed with the shows they put on in the theatre, they lasted a maximum of 45 minutes and I would say 15 minutes of that was taken up with the entertainment team telling you what was on the next night in English then in French. The last nights show in this magnificent theatre was a juggler from France, nothing else just a juggler I mean come on :no:
Dont get me wrong I enjoyed what they put on but just expected a bit more pizazz.













Viking Crown Lounge
I loved this area, really nice deco, again a bit of a waste as there was hardly any entertainment on, I thought they would have had singers etc but we did go to a quiz there once lol.



Nightclub



Ive got some night shots and I will update soon

The dining hall



The scene out of our window every night when we went for our tea






These were our waiters for the entire cruise, they were brilliant at there job and a really good laugh.


Sorry couldn't wait so here is a photo after I've munched at it lol



Allison sampling the wine, the whole bottle lol.

We heard some funny stories from this guy I can tell you, he was always laughing and sometimes laughed that much we couldn't understand what he was saying lol. If I owned a restaurant he would defo be working for me, a really nice guy.
These guys work really long and hard hours but they always had a smile on there face.



Casino






Climbing wall
Our Kate

And here is Christopher, me and Graham were going to go up but didn't want to show the kids up :pale:

Centrum shops

Sorry cant seem to find anymore photos of these, I do have them somewhere and I will update as soon as I can.
Some views from the ship
Dolphins



Views of Mallorca Island from the ship








Now that's what I call a can


A bit more info..............
Drinks
The drink prices were ridiculous and a total ripp off, Ive never paid so much for a lager in my life, go for the oil can Fosters its the same price as a pint but about a pint and 3 quarter's in the can. The drinks package worked out at about £45 a day each, we didn't bother.
Transfers to the resorts
Again a rip off we found the local taxi's to be alot cheaper than the ship transfers, it was like you have paid all this money for your holiday but we want more of it. It really annoyed us.
The staff/bedroom assistant/dinning hall waiters
Don't forget to budget for paying there wages, they get next to nothing from the ship company and its upto you to pay there wages, now if you have never been on a cruise before this can be a bit of a shock to the system, they give you a detailed page telling you how much they expect you to pay, if you dont let them know in advance they could charge this money directly to your credit card, the last day of your holiday they leave envelopes on your bed to put money in and hand it to the staff yourself, I think this is a horrible way of doing things and you feel very pressurised into paying out even more after paying for your holiday.
This should all be in with the price its cheap labour on behalf of the shipping company as far as I'm concerned. We saw on one table where passengers had been for there meals every night but on the last day didnt turn out so they didnt have to face the staff and give them anything.

For more info on this ship click the link below.
http://www.royalcaribbean.co.uk/our-ships/vision-class/grandeur-of-the-seas/ships-decks-and-facts/#tab-16-5284

Hard to believe its a ship Thanks for sharing Daryn

Some ship Daryn! Me and boats don't get on too well I'm afraid. Well the boat doesn't mind bobbing up and down but I hate it!

lovely photos,Thanks for the info as I have never been on a cruise before and was not aware of the extras you have to pay out

It was a good experience but not sure its something I would want to do again. Loved going to other places but the time on the ship was a bit boring to me through the day. Loved the meal times they were brilliant, food was amazing.

Great Pics D and nice review.
We have been on 9 cruises and only on one we had to pay the extra's. We said never again as it is so rude and imposing. We have always chosen tips and service included ones since.
We have been on expensive and cheap, big and small but you know what, for Entertainment value, go on the Thomson ones. The food is fabulous and the entertainment is brilliant. I think the bigger and more you pay the less you get to be honest.
All those wanting to try a cruise but a bit scared, Jan was like that, not what you think at all. For me, ex Sailor boy, it is too gentle at times.
We were in a bad storm on a large Norwegan Cruise Liner in Carribean and it was like being in a bit of a swell on a real ship.

Great review Daryn ( again!)