Grandeur of the Seas docked in New Orleans |
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| Career | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Grandeur of the Seas |
| Operator: | Royal Caribbean International |
| Port of registry: | Bahamas |
| Builder: | Kværner Masa-Yards Hietalahti shipyard in Helsinki, Finland |
| Yard number: | 492 |
| In service: | December 14, 1996-present |
| Status: | In Active Service as of 2010 |
| Notes: | CDC sanitation score: 98% (2008-9-5)[1] |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Vision-class cruise ship |
| Tonnage: | 74,000 gross tons |
| Length: | 916 ft |
| Beam: | 106 ft |
| Decks: | 11 |
| Speed: | 22 knots |
| Capacity: | 2,446 passengers |
| Crew: | 760 crew |
The MS Grandeur of the Seas is part of Royal Caribbean International's Vision Class of cruise ships. Features include a full-service spa, six whirlpools, an outdoor jogging track and a number of bars and restaurants.
Grandeur of the Seas was initially deployed on 7 night cruises from Miami, Florida, to the Eastern Caribbean from 1996 - 2000, when the Explorer of the Seas was launched and took over the Grandeur's run. Since 2000, Grandeur has been deployed in Europe as well as back in the Caribbean homeported in cities such as Tampa, Ft. Lauderdale, and New Orleans. Summers have been spent in Eastern US ports such as Norfolk, Virginia; Baltimore, Maryland and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, visiting the Caribbean, Bermuda and the North East of the US and Canadian Maritimes.
Grandeur will be based out of Panama in the winter of 2010/2011, replacing its sister ship, Enchantment of the Seas.
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On 20th April 2005, while docking in Costa Maya, Mexico, a 42-foot (13 m) long hole was torn in the hull of the ship. The hole was located on deck one of the ship approximately 5-foot (1.5 m) above the waterline and 5 feet wide at its widest. The company said that 17 miles per hour (27 km/h) winds and a 3-knot (5.6 km/h) current contributed to the accident. The next seven day cruise was shortened to five as the ship had to remain in Costa Maya an extra 2 days awaiting materials to patch the hole. Royal Caribbean offered guests transportation back to New Orleans or onboard credit if they chose to stay with the ship. However, later on, the ship was dry docked and the damage was repaired.
On October 31, 2000, the ship lost power for 5.5 hours with power to lighting, plumbing and air conditioning restored by 10:45 a.m. The ship was towed to Willemstad, Curaçao where repairs were made and got back underway 12 hours late.[2]
The ship features an on-board casino, Casino Royale, on Deck 5. The casino has many slot machines, variations of poker, craps, blackjack, and a bar. There are also eight themed bars and lounges, including the pool deck bar, South Pacific Lounge, Singin' in the Rain (a children's themed lounge), Schooner, The Viking Lounge, and several unnamed areas. There is an open atrium that stretches from deck 4 to deck 10. An outdoor pool is found on the top open deck (deck 9) along with 4 whirlpool areas, 2 on the starboard side and 2 on the port side. Off of the pool is the Solarium area with a pool and 2 whirlpools, 1 on the starboard side and 1 on the port side. There is a jogging track on deck 10. Several youth facilities are scattered about the ship, including an arcade area, the Singin' in the Rain lounge, and the Explorations desk on deck 5. A special edition of The Compass called Explorations is published specifically for children. The Spa and Fitness Center can be found on deck 9. The main dining area, the Great Gatsby, is located on decks 4 and 5. Guests are seated in two shifts, the main dining (6:00 PM ship's time) and 8:30 PM (ship's time). The shows in The Palladium (the main theater, found on decks 5 and 6), are designed around the dining room times. The ship also contains a conference center, a library with an honor checkout system and quiet area, a card/board game room (both the library and card room are located on deck 7 around the atrium area), a buffet called The Windjammer, 2 shuffle board courts, a rock wall with areas for climbers of various skills, a photo shop, several stores specializing on jewelry, souvenirs, cigars, cigarettes, and liquor, and a piano area.
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