The Knox County Times is reporting talks are underway, which would have Royal Caribbean’s Grandeur of the Seas porting in Rockland, Maine, in 2009. Grandeur has been running 9 day cruises up north, which have included stops in Maine and Boston, along with ports in Canada. Indeed, I personally had been booked on one of those cruises, until family demands intervened.

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An employee of Akers yard, is reporting a surge of rumors that Royal Caribbean will order a fourth unit in the Freedom class.  According to his note, this fourth unit would be built between the first and second units in the Genesis class.

The Pool deck doesn’t need a lot of explaining. There are three bars, one aft, two forward, amble crew members at your service, and the Windjammer Cafe is accessible from the pool deck.

Wait staff works the pool area most hours of the day. Drink specials are a daily feature.
The forward section of the pool deck typically has two bars, one on each deck. There is also one aft.
Yes, lots of people frequent the upper decks, and chairs do fill-up. However I’ve yet to see a day on a ship, where you could not find an empty chair and a bit of sun. People do have an annoying habit of attempting to “save” chairs. Sometimes they try to do it all day long. Strictly speaking, its not allowed. But some people feel empowered to lay claim to chairs like Europeans to the New World.
The joggers of the world will appreciate having the running track on the upper deck. Night time jogs can be fun as well, since the upper decks are typically empty at that time. The breeze while the ship is underway is refreshing.

Rain showers do occur. Not a bad way to swipe a few chairs if it happens to be just a rain squall. There is also plenty of room under cover. Bars stay open regardless.

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Next Post, Sovereign of the Seas, Windjammer Cafe.

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You will find Casino Royale on all Royal Caribbean ships. It is not open while the ship is in port, or within U.S. Waters. You can spend an entire cruise without spending a dime in the casino, you really can. However, I’d go as far as to say you can not go on a cruise without spending time in the casino. When it is open, there is a buzz which can give you another few hours of energy when you think your ready to go to bed for the night.

You won’t find Vegas style comps and such here. Ship-board casinos are a different breed from their Las Vegas counterparts. That is important to keep in mind if you are a fan or frequent visitor to sin city. The simple reason this is so, is because were they functioned identically to their land-based counterparts, it would undermine the entire economic model of a cruise.

What you will find are comfortable, smoke-free gaming areas. The slots, card tables, roulette, and other games are all there. Appetizers are not hard to find, and the casino bar and wait staff will make sure you don’t lack access to beverage.

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Next Post, Sovereign of the Seas, The Pool Deck.

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After watching the sights as Sovereign left Miami, I returned to my cabin, changed for dinner, and proceeded to the Kismet Dinning room where I met the folks I would be sharing dinner with during the cruise. Sovereign has a pair of dinning rooms, (the other being GiGi,) where most ships built after her class, have one large dinning room. In this case, as with all ships, there are two seatings per night. There are as many theories as to which is better as there are views on food aboard cruise ships.

Among the strongest design features on Royal Caribbean ships, are the dinning rooms. They are the focal point of the most intense activity on board. Nightly, thousands of people, spanning two totally separate seatings, eat multi-course meals.

I was lucky to meet the acquaintance of the Coopers and Lehmers and enjoy their company during dinner. The Coopers came from the Chicago area, and the Lehmers from Pennsylvania!

The Coopers, left, and the Lehmers, right.

Some people look forward to meeting new people on cruises, others don’t. You can typically have your preference in seating accommodated by visiting the dinning room before the ship leaves. The matre’d will try to give you a table that fits you desire to be with a large or small group, and occasionally, if there are enough to go around, a table to yourself.

The Matre’d, left, and Sandra and Dave, my waitress and assistant waiter.

Presentation is as significant a part of dinner as the food itself. I won’t get deep into the menu. There are a million other places to learn about food aboard ship. Plus this was 1999, and things do change. However, some staples of the main dinning room experience remain. Dancing and singing waiters are two such stalwarts of dinner entertainment. You’ll always know the nights activity is getting close. You’ll hear curiously loud and clear music play, indicating to the staff, that they have to report for the event. Typically it plays a couple of times at least. The wait staff seems to find exactly that last second to leave their duties, and assemble for the parades through to the dinning room. It is a bit hokie, like something out of 1950s family resorts. The multi-national dinning room staff normally have their singing roles pre-recorded. But somehow it wouldn’t feel the same without the events.



I’ve read many views on formally dinning on cruises. Some people think they are overly structured, too formal, etc. I think if you go on a cruise, this is part of the experience. If you go on a cruise and don’t eat in the formally dinning room, you are within your rights. You have other options certainly. However, you are truly missing something. It isn’t an issue of formal nights, casual nights, seating assignments, or dress codes being right or wrong. It is about the experience. On Royal Caribbean it is a fun and memorable departure from life on shore.

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Next Post, Sovereign of the Seas, Casino Royale.
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