Trip Index
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This year, Kaleb and I were to spend Thanksgiving with my side of the family, but as my parents ended up planning a trip to Hong Kong for most of November, we decided to spend the holiday with Jarrett and Kate (Kaleb's brother and sister-in-law) on a cruise to the Bahamas. They had never been on one before, and since
Grandeur of the Seas departed from Baltimore, it was a reasonable drive away from their home. I had never been on Grandeur, and with the debut of "
Perfect Day at Cococay", Royal Caribbean's private island in the Bahamas, I was eager to go.
PLANNING
Kaleb and I booked our usual nonstop flight to Baltimore on Southwest Airlines. I added
Early Bird to my ticket, hoping to snag the 2-seater located in the exit row. Southwest planes have mostly 3-seat rows, with one or two 2-seat rows depending on the variant.
As we would be gone for little over 2 weeks, instead of paying for parking, we rented a car for the day from our local Hertz office, returning it at the airport, and vice versa when we came home.
We planned to take an Uber from the Baltimore airport to the hotel, paid for with the monthly credits from the
AMEX Platinum Card.
Our pre-cruise stay would be at the
Holiday Inn Express Baltimore at the Stadiums, taking advantage of a park-and-cruise package that included one night's stay, parking for up to 7 days, and free shuttle service to and from the port. Jarrett and Kate would meet us there.
Given the age of Grandeur of the Seas, along with international stops only in the Bahamas, the cruise fare was quite reasonable for a holiday sailing - about $800 per person total for an oceanview guarantee cabin. I also received a $125 onboard credit from having
Mlife Gold status by calling Royal Caribbean and adding the benefit to my reservation. Unfortunately, a change had been made in the months prior to this cruise - now, the onboard credit can be only added to reservations that are booked with Royal Caribbean directly, not through travel agents. I found this out when I called to add another $125 to our booking as Kaleb achieved Mlife Gold in Atlantic City
back in July. At least the onboard credit that was applied before the policy change wasn't taken away.
The only shore excursion I purchased was for the
Kennedy Space Center, which included bus transportation and tickets. I did this through the Cruise Planner online on the Royal Caribbean website. A sale was going on when I went to book...sweet! It pays to keep checking the Cruise Planner for sales on excursions, internet, dining packages and drink packages. If you find a lower price, you can always cancel your existing order and purchase it again with the discount.
There would be plenty of complimentary chairs and umbrellas for use at Perfect Day at Cococay.
Coco Beach Club was not yet open at the time - the overwater cabanas with slide looked interesting.
In Nassau, I planned to spend the day at
Junkanoo Beach, just a 15 minutes' walk from the cruise port.
GOING
Before our flight, we used our Priority Pass membership to enter the
Escape Lounge. A small breakfast buffet was on display. It was a nice place to chill before departure.
Our flight to Baltimore was uneventful. Despite having Early Bird, I was not successful in securing a 2-seat row, as other passengers were now privy to them. To get those coveted seats would likely require purchasing a Business Select fare or an upgraded boarding position at the gate on the day of departure. If you have the
Chase Southwest Priority credit card, four upgraded boarding purchases can be reimbursed.
After landing and retrieving our luggage, Kaleb and I took an Uber to the hotel. This was the first time that I needed to show a 6-digit PIN to the driver.
Jarrett and Kate had already arrived at the Holiday Inn Express, their car parked in the hotel's fenced lot. The room was as expected - clean and efficient. The bulk toiletries was a brand I recognized. Complimentary breakfast was included in the room rate. The selections were basic, but it filled our stomachs.
The park-and-cruise package was popular; there were many other guests taking advantage of it. We were able to schedule a morning shuttle departure in order to make it in time for lunch.
 | | who sings in a hotel shower? |
|  | soft and firm pillows
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The next morning, the shuttle was running a bit late. Eventually, we were on our way. It was the first time I had departed from the
Cruise Maryland Terminal, so I didn't know what to expect in terms of queues, crowds, etc. The embarkation process was relatively quick and straight forward; the Platinum priority queue had little benefit as the regular queue was almost empty. We were on the ship in no time. The rooms weren't ready yet, so we headed up to the Windjammer Marketplace for a buffet lunch.
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wow, arugula in the salad bar!
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An announcement was made when the cabins were open for occupancy. The decor of our oceanview room reflected the age of the ship, but it had everything we needed, though I am not a fan of the bulk toiletry in the shower masquerading as both a body wash and a shampoo. I do bring my own toiletries as sometimes there isn't bar soap or conditioner in the room. As we were staying a second week on the East Coast, Kaleb and I packed checked luggage with no worries about TSA liquid limits, but had we only brought carry-ons (like on our
Jewel of the Seas cruise to Alaska), toiletry kits such as
these would be quite handy.
The Kennedy Space Center excursion tickets I pre-purchased through the Cruise Planner were already delivered to the room. I also received an invitation to a Crown and Anchor cocktail party and a list of Platinum coupons to redeem onboard. It's nice that that the offers are already loaded onto the SeaPass card; several years ago, you had to
separate the coupons and remember to bring them with you.
We explored every deck to get acquainted with
Grandeur of the Seas. It was a small ship, so everything was a few decks or a short walk away. Our
muster drill location was in the theater, which was nice as the seating was spacious.
We stayed warm in the Solarium during sailaway.
 | relaxing in the Solarium
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|  | sailing under Baltimore Beltway
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It wasn't too long before we headed to our 5:30pm dinner seating in the Great Gatsby dining room. We were lucky to be assigned to a 4-top table in the center of the restaurant with open ceiling. I was happy that the escargots (and the food in general) tasted much better than
on Jewel of the Seas; seems the quality coming out of the galley can be differ from ship to ship, even if the menu offerings are the same. After dinner, we had to see what was being served at the Windjammer Marketplace dinner buffet. Tonight, we were good and didn't indulge, but during the week, we would have "second dinner" more often than not!
Tonight was formal night. The food was good, though the souffle texture could have been better.
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| Day 2 dinner menu |
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| lobster bisque |
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| beef carpaccio |
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| duck a l'orange |
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| carrot cake |
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| Grand Marnier souffle |
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Afterwards, we enjoyed more lobster bisque and other treats at the buffet.
A towel animal awaited us back in the cabin.
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| a penguin or seal? |
The next day, we were eagerly awaiting Grandeur to arrive in Port Canaveral so we could go on our excursion to
Kennedy Space Center (KSC). Unfortunately, the ship wasn't able to approach until four hours later due to unsafe wind conditions. The captain and staff provided updates through the PA system every hour or so. It was frustrating for the passengers as the port could be seen in the distance, similar to a plane circling around the airport waiting for a runway. Due to the delay, excursions that went to Disney World and other places in Orlando had been canceled. Thankfully, the KSC bus excursion was still a go, though we only had five hours to spend there.
 | | Day 3 Cruise Compass page 1 |
|  | | Day 3 Cruise Compass page 2 |
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 | | Day 3 Cruise Compass page 3 |
|  | | Day 3 Cruise Compass page 4 |
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It was the first time I had been in Port Canaveral. It is a popular port due to the ease of bundling land-and-sea packages consisting of a theme park hotel stay (Disney World, Universal, etc.) plus a cruise (Disney, Royal Caribbean, Carnival). Port Canaveral is located about an hour away from Orlando, with many shuttle services for hire to take guests to and from the airport/hotel/cruise port.
When Grandeur of the Seas finally sailed into port, our excursion group was already waiting in the Palladium Theater, ready to be led off the ship. Understandably, there were irate guests wanting to get off immediately; however, excursion guests had priority. Even people purchasing "
The Key" had to wait for excursion groups to disembark, which caused a commotion.
It was easy to find the KSC bus in the parking lot. Wristbands and other information were already distributed on every seat. When the bus drove off, the tour guide passed out the KSC tickets. A short video was played, explaining what to expect at the complex. It was an easy 35-minute journey.
We made the most of the five hours we had there. I highly recommend a visit to KSC - space is very interesting and there is much for all ages to enjoy. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to experience attractions such as the Shuttle Launch Experience and IMAX. If we were staying longer in the area, I would try the
Astronaut Training Experience, as my friend Karen did with her family and they had the best time.
KSC closed at 6pm and we sadly returned back to Grandeur. It was past our dining time, so we just ate in the Windjammer buffet. Afterwards, we enjoyed some live string music in the Schooner Bar. Kaleb purchased a "Punch for Pints" draft beer card for $61.25 (includes gratuity). It was a nice alternative to getting a drink package as you could share with others; however, the card isn't always offered on every sailing.
Tomorrow, Grandeur of the Seas docks at Cococay, Royal Caribbean's private island - can't wait to spend a "Perfect Day" there!
(Missed reading about our two-week trip to Kauai? Click here! Don't miss a single update! Click here to have the latest delivered straight into your inbox...opt out anytime.)
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Another disclaimer: The intention of this blog was to remind Future Me in full detail about where I went and what I did. I could have made it private, but I frequently get questions from family, friends and internet folks about how I planned things, got deals, etc., so instead of repeating the story over and over, I direct them here. If you are offended by anything I say or do, save yourself the discomfort and kindly click away from my blog. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day!
