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Grandeur of the Seas
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Grandeur Of The Seas
Ship review by Anne Campbell© |
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Onboard Experience Things to Do Dining Ambience
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Best For People Who Want:
Extensive entertainment and fitness facilities in a classy setting; children's activities; balcony cabins; golf programmes ashore. |
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Should Be Avoided By People Who Prefer:
Large Cabins; gourmet cuisine; single, open seating. |
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Onboard Experience
 Take six classy, modern sister ships, add the exuberance of outstanding nightlife and fitness facilities and you have cruise ships popular with most passengers. Royal Caribbean proved you could build a large ship without sacrificing the sense of being at sea with its light-filled ships. Enormous panels of glass throughout these vessels bring the sea and sky inside, resulting in a sense of openness. Cruisers in their 30's and 40's will find a moderately-price ship with a hot disco and casino while those more laid-back will discover a superb library with 1,500 editions, bridge, movies, lounges for ballroom dancing and cool jazz. |
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Things To Do
Entertainment:
 Royal Caribbean stands out in its high level of entertainment, including Broadway revues, "name" performers, comedians. Lounge performers are also excellent and there are venues for ballroom dancing plus disco.
Fitness:
Vision-class ships have a putting area above the Solarium. The main pool on Sun Deck is adjacent to the Solarium. A stunning glass-enclosed second pool has whirlpools and comfy lounge chairs. In the "ShipShape" fitness centre, you'll find a spa operated by Steiner's of London (expect them to push the sale of the products during treatments) and a large gym with all the training equipment you can want.
For Kids:
In addition to separate play areas for kids aged three to 12, there is
also a teen lounge that converts to a disco making Vision an excellent
choice for families with children in a wide range of ages.
A new program for infants and toddlers 6 months to 3 years, in
partnership with toy maker Fisher-Price, will be rolled out fleetwide by
the end of March 2005. The program offers 45-minute playgroups for
children accompanied by an adult, involving storytelling, creative arts,
music and a variety of Fisher-Price learning toys and games. Aqua Babies
are six months to 18 months old while Aqua Tots are 18 months to three
years old.
TIP: To save money on the soft drinks your kids will guzzle, we
recommend purchasing RCI's all-you-can-drink soft drink package. The
package includes fountain sodas and juices at all bars, lounges, dining
rooms and private destinations. Kids 17 and younger pay $4.00 per person
per day plus a 15% gratuity. For teens 17 and older, and adults, the
charge is $6.00 per person per day plus the 15 % gratuity.
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| Dining |
Cuisine:
Based on our own recent experience and a lot of feedback from cruisers, the level of cuisine on Royal Caribbean's Vision-class ships has improved. The Windjammer buffets are of good quality. For breakfast in the Windjammer, omelettes are cooked to order; scrambled eggs are available at the buffet but fried eggs are not. The in-cabin breakfast includes a choice of scrambled eggs or an omelette, sausage and bacon, cereal, danishes and rolls. RCI provides a delightful afternoon tea in the Windjammer with a bread pudding or cobbler along with dainty sandwiches, cakes, cookies, ice cream cones and sundaes. Availability of late night snacks varies with itineraries.
Restaurants:
The two-story restaurant, which is light-filled room with a raised platform for a pianist or a small ensemble, is mid-ship. While large enough to handle a thousand people per seating, tables are well spaced and the room doesn't feel crowded. At the forward end of the Sun Deck is the Windjammer Café. With floor-to-ceiling windows, it is the setting for casual breakfast, lunch or afternoon tea. It also serves as an alternative dining room at night for those seeking a casual dinner.
Service:
Royal Caribbean's multi-national crew performs a very good job in restaurants. Cabin service was friendly and attentive.
Attire:
There are two formal nights per one-week cruise, with most men wearing dark suits over tuxedos. Ten and 11-day cruises have two formal nights and one semi-formal night. Daytime attire is strictly casual.
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| Ambience |
Decor:
 Each ship has a theme and corresponding art, lightly hued fabrics and tasteful furnishings. From the lobby's dramatic seven-story "Centrum" (atrium) to the Viking Crown Lounge, sitting 15 stories off the ocean, the décor is contemporary with enough architectural detail to distinguish these vessels from other ships built in the mid to late 1990's.
Public Areas:
Passengers enter the Centrum, where panels of glass soar seven stories and brass and glass elevators reach into the Viking Crown Lounge on Deck 11. The lobby area has palm trees and upholstered chairs around low tables, and a string quartet softly plays near the Champagne Terrace.
My favourite bar is Schooner’s, a romantic lounge with a nautical motif. There is also a lounge for ballroom dancing at night, situated aft with ocean views. The main theatre holds RCI’s lavish floor shows, with excellent sight lines from all seats. Royal Caribbean's signature Viking Crown Lounge is popular for cocktails when the ship leaves port and is the setting of a late-night disco. Panoramic views are the featured attraction of this 360-degree room, located midship.
The Crown and Anchor Study is a relaxing place to observe the ship's position and information from the bridge on screen. Casino Royale has all the slots and casino games one could seek, and it is one of the most popular areas at night. One bar is designated as a cigar lounge in the evenings. Additional public areas include a shopping arcade with three large, duty-free stores, a large well-stocked library with a reading area, a card room and a conference centre.
Cabins:
On the Vision-class ships, Royal Caribbean enlarged cabins and designed them so superbly they look larger than they actually are. Standard amenities include color TV with close and pay-per-view movies, CNN, safe, lighted vanity, individual temperature control; bathrooms have showers and medicine cabinets; minibars and tubs are found in the highest category stateroom. The only thing missing was a hair dryer, which RCI has now added to cabins aboard these ships. RCI's first cabins with private verandas were introduced on these ships as were family suites sleeping up to eight people.
Inside cabins are still tiny at 146 sq. ft, while outside staterooms are 154 sq. feet. There are 212 staterooms with private verandahs while 294 will accommodate a third person. Staterooms with private balcony are 190 sq. feet; superior ocean view suites with balcony are 245 sq. ft and the grand ocean view suite with balcony is 349 sq. ft. The five owner's suites are far forward on bridge deck measuring 511 sq. feet and there are two 517 sq. ft. "Royal Family Suites" accommodating up to eight people, with two bedrooms, two bathrooms.
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