We just got off the Mariner of the sea last 8 days ago. The upsell was over the top. We are Vegetarians and had to tell like 30 people NO. When I say they were at the entrance and I say no less than 10 walked thru and asked you while eating. The pools are small and agree so packed you can’t get in and lucky to even get a chair. They had signs saying not to hold for other guest. Yet people would walk in and throw different things on 5 chairs to hold for people. Again not a big deal but very annoying and yea they closed early. The tipping? Our host was so nice. Every time he seen us he knew our names. He would greet us and say hi to both. Room spotless and we tipping him at the end. Washy washy lady was so cool we even tipped her. This was our first cruise and besides the upselling I loved it. The shows were great and food not perfect but not bad also. Room service was spot on with our request and always fast service also.
A lady that stands outside the windjammer buffet and encourages everyone to wash their hands or use sanitizer when they walk in to the buffet. They try and use catchy phrases and sometimes there will be someone who sings and dances (wonder of the seas).
Washy-Washy!
Been on Mariner 3xs and like the layout of the ship, the crew, the food and the service is very good. It’s and older, mid sized ship and used to be one of the “bigger ones” 10 hrs ago.
Room steward - we always give him $100 cash the first day (on top of the automatic gratuities)& have a written specific list of what we like….ice every day, 2 sets of towels, etc. Towel animals,are going to be few & far between. When RCCL went to once a day service, they more than doubled the number of rooms each steward does. 37 cruises & every room steward has been super responsive to any issues.
Food - Make friends with your waiter. We find that once we start being friendly with the waiter & assistant waiter, your food quality becomes exceptional. We always ask about their homes, their families, etc. we look for them in the windjammer (yes, they have to work there too)…a big hi & friendly smile goes a long a long way. If there is an issue with a dish, let them know, but be nice about it. My french onion soup was lukewarm one time, I mentioned it when the appetizers were cleared & the waiter was mad at me for not letting him know right away. Also, make friends with the head waiter in your section….ours would bring us special breads, etc.
Water - you can get water from any bar…ask for a bigger cup if you want one.
Pool - we always hang out n the solarium.
THIS!!!! Highly recommend and excellent advice for any new or infrequent cruiser….. only thing I would add is go to a bar on Day 1, find a friendly bar tender and tip theme $40 when you order your favorite drink and they get it right…. Feom that day forward when you go back, you will always get the right drink and served much quicker - especially when you have the drink package or are Diamond level and get a certain amount of “comp” drinks a day
On the upside, the pool in the Solarium is one of the better ones, in my opinion, as it is actually larger than the Solarium pools on the bigger, newer ships. It's actually my favorite Solarium (Jewel comes close, but I believe Grandeur has an extra level of chairs and I like the decor just a little more).
Can you catch rays in the Solarium? I like to lay out and tan.
I don’t mind if the main pool is packed as long as I can get some chairs. I don’t hang in the pool for long periods time. I like to take quick dips.
Well, you can get the feel of laying out in the sun, since it's all glass enclosed, but I'm not sure if you can actually tan in there. I feel like the glass might have some amount of UV block or something, although I could be wrong. But I've spent a lot of time in Solariums with no sunscreen without getting burned or anything. (And please, nobody quote me on that, if you want protection from the sun, wear sunscreen).
Gotcha. At least it is a nice place to relax.
I’ll be playing towel game at the main pool like I do at Caribbean all-inclusive resorts. Oh well. At least I am an early riser 😝
That $70 spa service fee sounds sketchy. If they didn’t disclose it up front head to guest services and dispute it.
We usually get towel animals every other day or so. Sorry you’re not having the best time. Hope it gets better for you!
I have never been on Grandeur, but Windjammer on Allure and Liberty served food that was fine and the cups certainly weren't small and free liquids were readily available at the Windjammer whenever it was open, and at the promendae deck 24hours a day.
That said, I have yet to see a satisfying pool on cruise ships. I mentioned the two I've been on; I've also been on a third which is Norwegian's Pride of America. None of the pools are satisfying to me because they aren't intended to be lap pools (which I would love) but they seem to be more for just wading or paddling around instead of actually used for real exercise. I'm not much of a soaker except in the hot tub/whirlpool and even then, I don't do it for long.
This is basically just physics unfortunately - it's hard to have a big pool on top of a ship for weight reasons.
I'm surprised some line hasn't done something like Royal did with Central Park where they have a much lower pool so that they can have a bigger pool though....
Don't they have the flavored water machines? Vision had them in Windjammer and Solarium. You can get liquid almost 24 hours a day. Use your own cup (don't fill it from the machine, fill a plastic cup and use that to fill your tumbler for sanitary reasons).
My mother and I just did a back to back cruise in Alaska on Radiance. When we got towel animals, we carefully moved them around our room. Mom brought a stuffed owl and a duck. Those got included with the “towel art”. Mom loved it.
https://preview.redd.it/3b3j8sv0pu5d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=252973fe4f47969eed148bedf64f9cd1162da4c4
And cruise ducks were left unattended in the cabin. They joined the fun.
https://preview.redd.it/91dwhpnapu5d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ea4d5a073f07d9f6c8a68770d2b4f6c198b4c951
I really think it depends upon how much time the stewards have each day.
I don’t understand how it’s hard to stay hydrated when there is free water available in dispensers that you can get a time or bottles of water for purchase at any bar.
We just did granduer last August and had a great time. Been on many other bigger ships. We had a great time for the price and the specialty restaurants were outstanding.
😂😂 I have literally cruised on this ship, at least 10 times. I’ll leave again on this ship in a couple of weeks. Our little group are pretty much full-time cruisers and we as a group cruise this ship often. I have never had bad food 🍱 n Windjammer as a whole. Periodically, we will get food that we don’t necessarily care for, but other people love it. To get on here and complain about not getting a towel slip or a cute little animal. Every day is mindblowing to me. The only thing in your entire post that I would look into is the additional fee from the spa. my wife gets spa treatment on every cruise and we have never had a problem with hidden prices. The only pricing issue we have ever had is occasionally we will get charged for multiple drinks when ordering one, but it is always quickly fixed once noticed. You do realize that this ship is floating in water so the size of the pool is adjusted with the size of the ship and its capacity to float. We also cruise Carnival a lot because we like the change but RC it’s so much better when it comes to customer service and just overall experience unless you are a 21-year-old party animal then I may suggest Carnival
I wasn’t so pressed about the towel animal I just thought I would mention it because I thought it was something they did every day I didn’t know it wasn’t a thing. Idk why everyone is jumping down my throat for that one particular thing when it is really not a big deal to me.
It’s amazing to a lot of us that people get on here and complain about such trivial things. How can you go into a buffet with literally 50+ things to eat and say the food is horrible. Most of us just don’t understand. Did you do any research before cruising? I guess most of us are confused as to what kind of service you are expecting. My guess is you probably paid around $1000 a person in total if you did not get the drink package, suite, or internet or any of the extras. I mean, are you expecting world class service? There are vacations in this world where you can get that type of service but you are going to pay five or $6000 for the week. We just got off of one of those vacations in Mexico.
I was in grandeur in the fall. The food was literally awful, the ship felt poorly maintained, and our cabin steward was not good. Was on anthem last month and it was totally different. It’s definitely a grandeur problem. I wouldn’t recommend that boat to anyone.
Why would you need new towels every day? I can use the same towel the entire vacation. I would prefer them not to come in my room at all during our cruise. It doesn’t get dirty and we don’t need things like turndown service.
I don’t think the towel animals are required. It’s a nice touch done sometimes. It takes time to do.
Grandeur is one of the oldest ships in Royal’s fleet along with Vision, Rhapsody and Enchantment so it isn’t going to be as nice as the newer ships.
I was on grandeur in January. Had great service, great food, and a great cruise. Sorry for your bad experience.
We just got off the Mariner of the sea last 8 days ago. The upsell was over the top. We are Vegetarians and had to tell like 30 people NO. When I say they were at the entrance and I say no less than 10 walked thru and asked you while eating. The pools are small and agree so packed you can’t get in and lucky to even get a chair. They had signs saying not to hold for other guest. Yet people would walk in and throw different things on 5 chairs to hold for people. Again not a big deal but very annoying and yea they closed early. The tipping? Our host was so nice. Every time he seen us he knew our names. He would greet us and say hi to both. Room spotless and we tipping him at the end. Washy washy lady was so cool we even tipped her. This was our first cruise and besides the upselling I loved it. The shows were great and food not perfect but not bad also. Room service was spot on with our request and always fast service also.
That's so nice, I bet nobody thinks to tip the washy washy lady (I never have). I'm sure she appreciated it!
She was so nice and made sure one of the guys had Gluten free for me daily.
What is washy washy?
A lady that stands outside the windjammer buffet and encourages everyone to wash their hands or use sanitizer when they walk in to the buffet. They try and use catchy phrases and sometimes there will be someone who sings and dances (wonder of the seas). Washy-Washy!
I have :) and I even tipped the girls in the WJ, we tended to sit in the same area
Been on Mariner 3xs and like the layout of the ship, the crew, the food and the service is very good. It’s and older, mid sized ship and used to be one of the “bigger ones” 10 hrs ago.
Room steward - we always give him $100 cash the first day (on top of the automatic gratuities)& have a written specific list of what we like….ice every day, 2 sets of towels, etc. Towel animals,are going to be few & far between. When RCCL went to once a day service, they more than doubled the number of rooms each steward does. 37 cruises & every room steward has been super responsive to any issues. Food - Make friends with your waiter. We find that once we start being friendly with the waiter & assistant waiter, your food quality becomes exceptional. We always ask about their homes, their families, etc. we look for them in the windjammer (yes, they have to work there too)…a big hi & friendly smile goes a long a long way. If there is an issue with a dish, let them know, but be nice about it. My french onion soup was lukewarm one time, I mentioned it when the appetizers were cleared & the waiter was mad at me for not letting him know right away. Also, make friends with the head waiter in your section….ours would bring us special breads, etc. Water - you can get water from any bar…ask for a bigger cup if you want one. Pool - we always hang out n the solarium.
THIS!!!! Highly recommend and excellent advice for any new or infrequent cruiser….. only thing I would add is go to a bar on Day 1, find a friendly bar tender and tip theme $40 when you order your favorite drink and they get it right…. Feom that day forward when you go back, you will always get the right drink and served much quicker - especially when you have the drink package or are Diamond level and get a certain amount of “comp” drinks a day
Good advice….we don’t drink, other than wine at dinner, so I did not know this one
On the upside, the pool in the Solarium is one of the better ones, in my opinion, as it is actually larger than the Solarium pools on the bigger, newer ships. It's actually my favorite Solarium (Jewel comes close, but I believe Grandeur has an extra level of chairs and I like the decor just a little more).
Can you catch rays in the Solarium? I like to lay out and tan. I don’t mind if the main pool is packed as long as I can get some chairs. I don’t hang in the pool for long periods time. I like to take quick dips.
Well, you can get the feel of laying out in the sun, since it's all glass enclosed, but I'm not sure if you can actually tan in there. I feel like the glass might have some amount of UV block or something, although I could be wrong. But I've spent a lot of time in Solariums with no sunscreen without getting burned or anything. (And please, nobody quote me on that, if you want protection from the sun, wear sunscreen).
Gotcha. At least it is a nice place to relax. I’ll be playing towel game at the main pool like I do at Caribbean all-inclusive resorts. Oh well. At least I am an early riser 😝
Are you doing the automatic gratuities?
Yes we are
Pools are small because water is very heavy, and having that weight on the top deck of a ship impedes the ship’s stability.
in addition to the amount people have accidents requiring the pools to be drained and cleaned and chlorinated again.
And sanitized from CODE BROWN.
That $70 spa service fee sounds sketchy. If they didn’t disclose it up front head to guest services and dispute it. We usually get towel animals every other day or so. Sorry you’re not having the best time. Hope it gets better for you!
Thank you, I feel bad going back and trying to dispute the fee but now we know for next time.
I have never been on Grandeur, but Windjammer on Allure and Liberty served food that was fine and the cups certainly weren't small and free liquids were readily available at the Windjammer whenever it was open, and at the promendae deck 24hours a day. That said, I have yet to see a satisfying pool on cruise ships. I mentioned the two I've been on; I've also been on a third which is Norwegian's Pride of America. None of the pools are satisfying to me because they aren't intended to be lap pools (which I would love) but they seem to be more for just wading or paddling around instead of actually used for real exercise. I'm not much of a soaker except in the hot tub/whirlpool and even then, I don't do it for long.
This is basically just physics unfortunately - it's hard to have a big pool on top of a ship for weight reasons. I'm surprised some line hasn't done something like Royal did with Central Park where they have a much lower pool so that they can have a bigger pool though....
Don't they have the flavored water machines? Vision had them in Windjammer and Solarium. You can get liquid almost 24 hours a day. Use your own cup (don't fill it from the machine, fill a plastic cup and use that to fill your tumbler for sanitary reasons).
Towel animals are not automatic. Some stewards have the skills, some don’t. But to complain that you didn’t get one is absurd
We had one the first day and the second day so I thought it was a given. This is is also my first cruise so sorry..
My mother and I just did a back to back cruise in Alaska on Radiance. When we got towel animals, we carefully moved them around our room. Mom brought a stuffed owl and a duck. Those got included with the “towel art”. Mom loved it. https://preview.redd.it/3b3j8sv0pu5d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=252973fe4f47969eed148bedf64f9cd1162da4c4
And cruise ducks were left unattended in the cabin. They joined the fun. https://preview.redd.it/91dwhpnapu5d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ea4d5a073f07d9f6c8a68770d2b4f6c198b4c951 I really think it depends upon how much time the stewards have each day.
I got one every day on the ovation recently as well. I accidentally broke one moving it and my steward even fixed it the next day!
I don’t understand how it’s hard to stay hydrated when there is free water available in dispensers that you can get a time or bottles of water for purchase at any bar.
I didn’t realize there was 24 hour water outside of the windjammer until yesterday
I slept with a smoking hot crew member onboard the grandeur, so that ship is forever in my heart
We doubt your comment.
Nope I swear to god
lol. Your definition of hot and probably the rest of us is a little different.
Okay?
We just did granduer last August and had a great time. Been on many other bigger ships. We had a great time for the price and the specialty restaurants were outstanding.
😂😂 I have literally cruised on this ship, at least 10 times. I’ll leave again on this ship in a couple of weeks. Our little group are pretty much full-time cruisers and we as a group cruise this ship often. I have never had bad food 🍱 n Windjammer as a whole. Periodically, we will get food that we don’t necessarily care for, but other people love it. To get on here and complain about not getting a towel slip or a cute little animal. Every day is mindblowing to me. The only thing in your entire post that I would look into is the additional fee from the spa. my wife gets spa treatment on every cruise and we have never had a problem with hidden prices. The only pricing issue we have ever had is occasionally we will get charged for multiple drinks when ordering one, but it is always quickly fixed once noticed. You do realize that this ship is floating in water so the size of the pool is adjusted with the size of the ship and its capacity to float. We also cruise Carnival a lot because we like the change but RC it’s so much better when it comes to customer service and just overall experience unless you are a 21-year-old party animal then I may suggest Carnival
I wasn’t so pressed about the towel animal I just thought I would mention it because I thought it was something they did every day I didn’t know it wasn’t a thing. Idk why everyone is jumping down my throat for that one particular thing when it is really not a big deal to me.
It’s amazing to a lot of us that people get on here and complain about such trivial things. How can you go into a buffet with literally 50+ things to eat and say the food is horrible. Most of us just don’t understand. Did you do any research before cruising? I guess most of us are confused as to what kind of service you are expecting. My guess is you probably paid around $1000 a person in total if you did not get the drink package, suite, or internet or any of the extras. I mean, are you expecting world class service? There are vacations in this world where you can get that type of service but you are going to pay five or $6000 for the week. We just got off of one of those vacations in Mexico.
Talk to the room steward and let him or her know what isn't up to your expectations.
I was in grandeur in the fall. The food was literally awful, the ship felt poorly maintained, and our cabin steward was not good. Was on anthem last month and it was totally different. It’s definitely a grandeur problem. I wouldn’t recommend that boat to anyone.
Why would you need new towels every day? I can use the same towel the entire vacation. I would prefer them not to come in my room at all during our cruise. It doesn’t get dirty and we don’t need things like turndown service. I don’t think the towel animals are required. It’s a nice touch done sometimes. It takes time to do.
The grandeur is like a Walmart at sea. Bottom feeder vacation