We are finally going on the cruise today. Our group met in the hotel restaurant for breakfast at 8 a.m. I ordered a egg and ham bagel sandwich with breakfast potatoes while Steve only had breakfast. The rest selected the buffet.
Our shuttle I reserved, Corporate Sedan, called the night before to reschedule because they were alerted the ship was going to be delayed arriving in port. We were picked up at 10:30 and our driver stopped by a convenience store for us so we could all pick up soda.
The trip to the pier went smoothly. After dropping our bags we headed into the cruise terminal where check-in was very fast this time of the morning.
We had signed up for Meet and Mingle and the group name was “Tiki Crew”. We all were given beads so the check-in agents would give us priority boarding cards (blue).
Since the ship had just started debarking as we arrived boarding started at 12:30. Finally, 15 months after booking we were getting on The Grandeur of the Seas, our first Royal Caribbean cruise.
Steve and I were thrilled to have our first balcony cabin (7566). Mom and Sister T were in 7624 and Sister M and her husband were in 7622.
We headed straight to the Windjammer for the lunch buffet. It was hard to find a table for six. After parking our carry-ons, we hit the buffet. I had garden vegetables, roast beef (carved fresh) and cheesecake.
Everyone enjoyed the lunch but agreed the flow is not well-designed. Rooms were not ready until 2 pm (or later) because of the late arrival.
We explored the ship for a while before heading to our rooms. I am so glad we upgraded from our original inside cabins. They are small!
Our bags were delivered quickly and I had everything unpacked by 3:30 when we joined the meet and mingle group at the Schooner bar for an unofficial greeting.
The muster drill was at 4:30 and was well-organized and over quickly. We sailed away about 20 minutes late at 5:20pm.
After changing for dinner our family met for a pre-dinner drink where I tried the drink of the day, Baltimore Sunrise. We had the 6 pm dinner seating and our water is Russel from India. The assistance is Albert from the Philippines.
My husband and I had between us:
- Appetizer: onion tart, Tuscan tomato soup, caesar salad
- Entrees: Shrimp ravioli, Prime Rib
- Desserts: Ivory chocolate fondue, dutch apple pie a la mode
Service was slow but otherwise good. Charles, the Maitre’d came by and introduced himself.
The welcome aboard show was at 7:45 and we weren’t out of the dining room yet. Steve and I went to the showroom when done but it was standing room only.
We had a gift from our travel agent in the room. It was a nice Royal Caribbean beach bag. Clicks moved forward 1 hour tonight.
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