RC cruise out of baltimore

[Anonymous]

We are planning a cruise on the Royal Caribbean out of Baltimore on the "grandeur of the seas" (Bahamas) for our first cruise. We are a family of three with a 4 yr old. We like the convenience of driving to Baltimore and leaving our car there. And the cruise is affordable.

Those who have taken this cruise, any tips or what to expect. TIA!

[Anonymous]

Go on trip advisor and look at past reviews. You can also join a roll call for your cruise and get to know other people ahead of time, if that interests you.

[Anonymous]

Err, sorry, not trip advisor. Go on Cruisecritic.

[Anonymous]

We did a cruise with a 5 and 6 year old and had a great time! Their childcare was great and both kids enjoyed it. If your child is like ours, make sure you have the earlier seating for dinner. Overall, great experience!

[Anonymous]

We did the same cruise out of Baltimore about 6 years ago. It was awful. We thought going from Baltimore with a 4 and 1 year old was good. We even booked 2 adjoining rooms. The sea in the Atlantic was so choppy and you spend a total of 4 days in the sea. So you waste a lot of time. Plus going on the Atlantic Ocean was cold until we reached the Caribbeans. It was 2 day there and 2 day back. I remember the sea being so choppy that I was throwing up all night. Kids hated that. Save yourselves by taking a short 2 hr flight straight to Florida instead. The sea is much calmer.

Also grandeur of the sea is not a big boat. You can get much better boat leaving Florida instead.

[Anonymous]

Hi op my DH and I were just talking about thus tonight so I logged on to see the dcum wisdom. Our son would be 18mos- bummed that he can't go in the pool. Also not sure what we would do on the Atlantic sail days

[Anonymous]

Tip #1: don't go.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/25/travel/cruise-ship-illness/

[Anonymous]

Join Cruise Critic and post there-- you'll get more constructive feedback.
In general I wouldn't do this cruise in the cold weather months because of what the PP posted above-- you're in for several days of potentially cold weather and rough seas.

[Anonymous]

once you are over the gulf stream you should be fine, so that is probably the next morning just a few hours passed Norfolk.

[Anonymous]

The problem with this is that it takes 2 days each way. During that time, you are stuck on the boat. Being that this is a smaller boat, there is less activities especially for the little ones. Our DD hated the kids club when we were there so there wasn't any free time for us. Plus they went to bed earlier than us. So it wasn't like we could hang out in the room. I felt like a hostage.

[Anonymous]

Why not fly to the destination? An RC ship just cut a trip short by 2 days because of a rotavirus infection that spread thru passengers. Not to mention other infections of norovirus and e coli on other RC ships. No thank you.

[Anonymous]

OP here, in light of what happened on RC we are changing course and not going. Although what happened could be a rarity, the whole virus contamination on board and health concerns on a cruise is disturbing. I'm sure a higher end Cruise like Disney probably is very good about any breakout. Only if Disney left out of Baltimore, instead of flying to FL. I would rather just stay in FL and vacation there.

[Anonymous]

We're taking our second Disney Cruise this April - destination Grand Cayman and Cozumel Mexico. We depart from the port of Miami, as Disney doesn't have cruises from NY or Baltimore. We like Disney for so many reasons, too many to count! I had to literally drag my DH last year for a cruise to the Bahamas from Miami, but he later admitted that it was one of the best vacations and booked us an even longer cruise for this April.

I believe Disney is a litter pricier than some of the other curise lines, but can't be certain since we've never cruised on a different cruise line - I'm going by what I've been told.

[Anonymous]

PP here. We got good flights from DCA to Miami for April. FWIW - visiting Disney's island is a wonderful experience for the both children and adults. Our cruise also stopped at Nassau, and we did the dolphin swim. Fun experience and great memories!

[Anonymous]

if you don't like to fly, then this is a great option. the boat is fine for the ocean days, lots of things to do. and once you are outside of NC, the water is very warm and thus the surface air is very warm. maybe not bikini weather, but certainly shorts.