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I traveled to Antarctica last year aboard the Lyubov Orlova - just incredible! - wondering if anyone has advice on tours/ships to the Canadian Arctic or Norway?
Before my husband passed away we went once a year for 7 years. We mostly we on different Carnival cruises and sometimes Royal Carribean. We only went to Burmuda once and the rest of the time south. I enjoy hearing about the trips and my grandchildren wants me to take them on a cruise.
Jeanette
Jeanette
We just got back from a 10 day cruise on RCCL's Grandeur of the Seas which left out of Tampa. It was all in all a good experience and one we would certainly repeat.
The Grandeur is a smaller ship than we have recently sailed on. It is a 72,000 ton ship and about 900 feet long. This makes it just slightly larger than Carnival's Sensation which is around 71,000 tons and 855 feet long. The Grandeur has apparently been refurbished and the finishes in the common areas were all up to date and beautiful. The Centrum Atrium is probably the most beautiful Atrium area we have seen on a ship in a long time. The wood finishes are mostly blonde with chrome accents and beautiful white marble floors in the Centrum.
Most of the programs and activities (casinos,bar service, theatre shows, television, movies,games and contests) were very similar to what we have come to expect on other cruise lines we have sailed on such as Carnival, Princess and Norweigan. There were multiple locations evening available for people to listen to or to go dancing. We found that most of the selections were about 10 years older than we were. We would've enjoyed more "Boomer Music" As we have come to expect, the service was excellent and at several times during the trip it seemed that supervisory personnel asked us how things were going.
The cabins seemed a bit smaller than on comparably sized ships. This was a comment we heard from other passengers who had varying classes of rooms. The gym facilites, while very adequate was also rather small. The food was average compared to what we have had on other lines. The one detractor to food service was that there was only one "lido deck" restaurant for casual dining. In our minds this meant that there were only about 1/3 -1/2 of the space for this service on the Grandeur. Since we routinely sleep through the breakfast service in the Dining Room this was important to us. However, we did appreciate the fact that there was not a constant effort to up sell an upgraded cover charge restaurant since such does not exist on the Grandeur.
For those of us who do not smoke, the Grandeur has about the same amount of non-smoking areas as other ships but in some cases the non-smoking areas were in such close proximity to the smoking areas that it was hard to see the point.
We took a ten day trip through San Juan Puerto Rico, St Maartens, St Kitts, Antigua and Tortola. All of the ports were wonderful and worth the stop. We took our time to look around town before going to the beach at each stop. Each is worth exploring for those interested in history, etc. All beaches were beautiful.
For those planning a trip on the Grandeur, I would certainly encourage the trip although it is important to understand the nature of the ship you are booking on. Do not expect the same facilities available on the 110,000 ton to 140,000 ton ships. However, it is well maintained and is a beautiful ship.
Bill and Ruth.
The Grandeur is a smaller ship than we have recently sailed on. It is a 72,000 ton ship and about 900 feet long. This makes it just slightly larger than Carnival's Sensation which is around 71,000 tons and 855 feet long. The Grandeur has apparently been refurbished and the finishes in the common areas were all up to date and beautiful. The Centrum Atrium is probably the most beautiful Atrium area we have seen on a ship in a long time. The wood finishes are mostly blonde with chrome accents and beautiful white marble floors in the Centrum.
Most of the programs and activities (casinos,bar service, theatre shows, television, movies,games and contests) were very similar to what we have come to expect on other cruise lines we have sailed on such as Carnival, Princess and Norweigan. There were multiple locations evening available for people to listen to or to go dancing. We found that most of the selections were about 10 years older than we were. We would've enjoyed more "Boomer Music" As we have come to expect, the service was excellent and at several times during the trip it seemed that supervisory personnel asked us how things were going.
The cabins seemed a bit smaller than on comparably sized ships. This was a comment we heard from other passengers who had varying classes of rooms. The gym facilites, while very adequate was also rather small. The food was average compared to what we have had on other lines. The one detractor to food service was that there was only one "lido deck" restaurant for casual dining. In our minds this meant that there were only about 1/3 -1/2 of the space for this service on the Grandeur. Since we routinely sleep through the breakfast service in the Dining Room this was important to us. However, we did appreciate the fact that there was not a constant effort to up sell an upgraded cover charge restaurant since such does not exist on the Grandeur.
For those of us who do not smoke, the Grandeur has about the same amount of non-smoking areas as other ships but in some cases the non-smoking areas were in such close proximity to the smoking areas that it was hard to see the point.
We took a ten day trip through San Juan Puerto Rico, St Maartens, St Kitts, Antigua and Tortola. All of the ports were wonderful and worth the stop. We took our time to look around town before going to the beach at each stop. Each is worth exploring for those interested in history, etc. All beaches were beautiful.
For those planning a trip on the Grandeur, I would certainly encourage the trip although it is important to understand the nature of the ship you are booking on. Do not expect the same facilities available on the 110,000 ton to 140,000 ton ships. However, it is well maintained and is a beautiful ship.
Bill and Ruth.
I have asthma & get migraines from cigarette smoke. On our last cruise, Carnival Liberty, the casino on the Promenade deck was full of smokers. The whole deck reeked of ciagarettes. On our balcony, we had smokers next to us so we couldn't stay too long on the balcony. I am extremely sensitive to the smoke.
I have just read that Celebrity Cruise Line is restricting smoking to certain areas of their ships. Non in cabins or on balconies. None in the casino. May check it out!
For you who do smoke, better read their smoking policy before you book!
I have just read that Celebrity Cruise Line is restricting smoking to certain areas of their ships. Non in cabins or on balconies. None in the casino. May check it out!
For you who do smoke, better read their smoking policy before you book!
It's our last day on the new Ruby Princess. What a nice ship! We always go on Princess and were happy to go on the month-old Ruby! I highly recommend it!
Happy travels to all.
Happy travels to all.
I just booked a cruise to the Caribbean on Celebrity's Constellation. Has anyone traveled on that line? How about that ship? It was too good a deal to pass up, but just wondered how it compares to Holland America which I know very well.
