Pools on Freedom of the Seas from Royal Caribbean. On Freedom of the Seas, younger children are supervised and entertained by highly-trained staff in the Adventure Ocean. Active cruisers of all ages enjoy the rock wall, pools, water park, and movie theaters. Older kids lounge poolside or dance in their own club, and the arcade is open for friendly competition all day. We found the Freedom of the Seas rolled up for the night no later than 1am, while on our Carnival cruise, we got to bed only once before 3am. On Carnival only about 50% of the guests dressed up for formal night, on Royal Caribbean it was closer to 80% and the guests dressed very elegantly. The Freedom of the Seas is an impressive 160,000 tons of fun. Some of the main attractions include the 40 foot long FlowRider surf simulator, the rock climbing wall and the 3D theater. Kids can splash around in the H2O zone which features interactive geysers, climbable structures, water cannons and waterfalls.
| History | |
|---|---|
| Bahamas | |
| Name: | Grandeur of the Seas |
| Operator: | Royal Caribbean International |
| Port of registry: | Nassau, Bahamas[1] |
| Ordered: | 14 February 1992[1] |
| Builder: | Kværner Masa-YardsHietalahti shipyard, Helsinki, Finland[1] |
| Yard number: | 492[1] |
| Laid down: | 6 June 1995[1] |
| Launched: | 1 March 1996[1] |
| Christened: | 13 December 1996 |
| Completed: | 20 November 1996[1] |
| In service: | 14 December 1996–present |
| Refit: | May 2012 |
| Identification: |
|
| Status: | In service |
| General characteristics [1] | |
| Class and type: | Vision-class cruise ship |
| Tonnage: |
|
| Length: | 279 m (915 ft) |
| Beam: |
|
| Draught: | 7.82 m (26 ft) |
| Depth: | 15.85 m (52 ft) |
| Decks: | 11 |
| Installed power: | 4×MAN B&W 12V48/60 |
| Propulsion: |
|
| Speed: | 22 kn (41 km/h; 25 mph) |
| Capacity: | 2,446 passengers |
| Crew: | 760 |
Grandeur of the Seas is a Vision-class cruise ship owned and operated by Royal Caribbean International. Features include a full-service spa, six whirlpools, an outdoor jogging track and a number of bars and restaurants. It was announced on October 16, 2019 that Grandeur of the Seas will be transferred to Pullmantur Cruises, who Royal Caribbean has a 49% stake in.[2]
- 3Incidents and accidents
Features[edit]
Freedom Of The Seas Cruises
Grandeur of the Seas 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, Schooner, The Viking Lounge, and several unnamed areas. There is an open atrium, called the Centrum, 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, a teen nightclub, 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 on deck four of the main dining (5:30 PM ship's time) and 8:00 PM (ship's time) or anytime in my time dining from 5:00-830 PM (ship's time) on deck 5. 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 a buffet called The Windjammer Market Place, 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.
Ports of call[edit]
Grandeur of the Seas was initially deployed on 7 night cruises from Miami, Florida, to the Eastern Caribbean from 1996 to 2000, when Explorer of the Seas was launched and took over the Grandeur's run. Since 2000, Grandeur of the Seas 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 of the Seas was based out of Panama in the winter of 2010/2011, replacing her sister ship, Enchantment of the Seas. In 2013, Grandeur of the Seas replaced Enchantment of the Seas out of Baltimore when Enchantment of the Seas moved to Port Canaveral. As of February 2017, the ship offers cruises to Bermuda and the southeast US coast, the Bahamas, and the Southern Caribbean, all departing from Baltimore, MD.
Incidents and accidents[edit]
Power loss[edit]
On 31 October 2000, Grandeur of the Seas 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.[3]
Dock collision[edit]
On 20 April 2005, while docking in Costa Maya, Mexico, a 42 ft (13 m) long hole was torn in the hull of the ship. The hole was located on deck one of the ship approximately 5 ft (1.5 m) above the waterline and 5 ft (1.5 m) wide at its widest. The company said that 15 kn (28 km/h; 17 mph) 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. The ship was later dry docked and the damage was repaired.
Ship-board fire[edit]
On 27 May 2013 at 2:50 AM EDT, a fire broke out on the third deck of Grandeur of the Seas. The fire was extinguished within three hours, and major damage was limited to the aftmost sections of decks 3, 4, and 5. As a precaution, all passengers were required to report to evacuation locations for several hours. No evacuation was necessary, and the ship was able to continue under her own power to the Bahamas. The remainder of the cruise was canceled and passengers were flown back to their point of origin from Freeport, Bahamas.[4]
Capsized lifeboat[edit]
On 16 January 2017, a lifeboat fell off of Grandeur of the Seas while it was docked in Charleston as part of a 10-day Bahamas cruise. The fall wire of the lifeboat was undergoing scheduled maintenance and the wire slipped during retrieval, causing the lifeboat to fall into the water. The lifeboat subsequently capsized. No injuries were reported and the cruise was not delayed after Royal Caribbean consulted with the US Coast Guard.[5][6]
Mechanical issues[edit]
In the early hours of 9 January 2018, Grandeur of the Seas experienced a loss of port side steering while on its way from Nassau, Bahamas to Baltimore, Maryland. The ship was able to travel safely, and turned around towards Freeport, Bahamas, but arrived in Port Canaveral on 10 January 2018. The detour and repair work ultimately added 2 nights to the 9-night cruise, with the ship arriving back in Baltimore on 13 January 2018 instead of the originally planned 11 January 2018. As a result, the subsequent cruise was shortened by two nights.[7]
References[edit]
- ^ abcdefgh'Grandeur of the Seas (18515)'. DNV GL Vessel Register. Det Norske Veritas. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
- ^'Grandeur of the Seas to leave Royal Caribbean fleet'. Royal Caribbean Blog. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
- ^'Royal Caribbean International's Grandeur Of The Seas Docked In Curacao After Power Outage' (Press release). Royal Caribbean. 31 October 2000. Retrieved 2 January 2009.
- ^Casey Jones (27 May 2013). 'Fire breaks out aboard Royal Caribbean cruise ship'. The Miami Herald. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
- ^'Lifeboat From Grandeur of the Seas Falls And Capsizes'. Cruise Hive. 19 January 2017. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
- ^Korizno, Catherine; Staff, News 2 (16 January 2017). 'Lifeboat from cruise ship capsizes in Charleston harbor'. WCBD News 2. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
- ^Hochberg, Matt (9 January 2018). 'Royal Caribbean announces immediate repairs to Grandeur of the Seas'. Royal Caribbean Blog. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
Further reading[edit]
- Hernandez, Andy (March 2016), 'Grandeur of the Seas', Ships Monthly: 22–25
External links[edit]
| Wikimedia Commons has media related to Grandeur of the Seas (ship, 1996). |
Newest to Oldest – Royal Caribbean Ships by Year Built & Dry Dock Schedule
Below you’ll find an infographic of Royal Caribbean Ships by Age. We hope that this helps you to decide which ship is right for you.
Before you choose which ship to sail, check out Royal Caribbean’s newest cruise ship, its oldest, and the most recently dry docked in that fleet.
According to our Ship Mate community, “newest” does not always equal “best.” Some of you prefer a ship with a little extra character. And some are very loyal to a specific ship. You like to know every inch of her and will trade familiarity for all of the new bells and whistles.
In addition to cruise ship age, there’s also the dry dock schedule to consider. A full renovation can make a ship look brand new. While newer ships are often more expensive to sail, you can likely find deals on recently renovated cruise ship sailings.
We’ll let you decide on the Royal Caribbean Ship Age that’s right for you. In the following infographic, we’ve made it as easy as possible to visualize your ships age versus the rest of the RCCL Fleet. We’ve also included a schedule of when each ship was dry docked (on the right-hand side). If you have a strong preference of New vs. Old, please use this chart to make sure you’re picking the Royal Caribbean Ship that’s right for you!
For those that don’t like pretty pictures, you can find the hard data below in boring, black-and-white.
Royal Caribbean Ships by Age
- 1992: Majesty of the Seas
- 1995: Legend of the Seas
- 1996: Splendour of the Seas
- 1996: Grandeur of the Seas
- 1997: Rhapsody of the Seas
- 1997: Enchantment of the Seas
- 1998: Vision of the Seas
- 1999: Voyager of the Seas
- 2000: Explorer of the Seas
- 2001: Radiance of the Seas
- 2001: Adventure of the Seas
- 2002: Navigator of the Seas
- 2002: Brilliance of the Seas
- 2003: Serenade of the Seas
- 2003: Mariner of the Seas
- 2004: Jewel of the Seas
- 2006: Freedom of the Seas
- 2007: Liberty of the Seas
- 2008: Independence of the Seas
- 2009: Oasis of the Seas
- 2010: Allure of the Seas
- 2014: Quantum of the Seas
- 2014: Anthem of the Seas
- 2015: Harmony of the Seas
- 2016: Ovation of the Seas
Royal Caribbean Dry Dock Schedule
- 2007: Navigator of the Seas
- 2009: Voyager of the Seas
- 2009: Adventure of the Seas
- 2010: Vision of the Seas
- 2010: Explorer of the Seas
- 2011: Freedom of the Seas
- 2011: Jewel of the Seas
- 2011: Liberty of the Seas
- 2011: Radiance of the Seas
- 2011: Splendour of the Seas
- 2012: Enchantment of the Seas
- 2012: Grandeur of the Seas
- 2012: Majesty of the Seas
- 2012: Serenade of the Seas
- 2012: Mariner of the Seas
- 2012: Rhapsody of the Seas
- 2013: Brilliance of the Seas
- 2013: Independence of the Seas
- 2013: Vision of the Seas
- 2013: Legend of the Seas
- 2014: Oasis of the Seas
- 2014: Mariner of the Seas
- 2014: Navigator of the Seas
- 2014: Adventure of the Seas
- 2014: Voyager of the Seas
- 2015: Majesty of the Seas
- 2015: Explorer of the Seas
- 2016: Liberty of the Seas
- 2016: Freedom of the Seas
- 2016: Jewel of the Seas
- 2016: Radiance of the Seas
- 2016: Splendour of the Seas
- 2017: Serenade of the Seas
- 2017: Enchantment of the Seas
- 2017: Rhapsody of the Seas
- 2017: Grandeur of the Seas
If you’re wondering, what’s the difference in cost between cruising on the newest and oldest ship, you can check out the following pricing options. Toggle through the dates and compare the difference between different Royal Caribbean Ships by Age.
Oldest Ship
Freedom Of The Seas Casino Pictures
The cruise line’s oldest cruise ship, the Monarch of the Seas, was launched in 1991. That’s 25 years old! A ship can go through a LOT in two-and-a-half decades. By our quick math, that’s MILLIONS of passengers that have sailed her over that time period!
Newest Royal Caribbean Ship
The Harmony of the Seas is Royal Caribbean’s newest ship. It set sail in May 2016 and is was built in France. When launched, it become the world’s largest passenger ship, overtaking her sister ships, the Oasis of the Seas and the Allure of the Seas. You can check out all Royal Caribbean Ships by Size here.
If you’d like to sail this brand new vessel, check out your options below along with pricing!
Use the toggle on the left to switch between itineraries. The Harmony of the Seas offers a few different sailings. Use the drop-down menu on the right to filter between dates.
Once you have those two options set, you’ll see pricing info from various providers. Click the one that interests you most!
Newest Cruise Ship (Harmony of the Seas) Pricing
Most Recently Dry Docked Ship
The Majesty of the Seas is Royal Caribbean’s oldest ship. There was one ship that came before her in the fleet, the Monarch of the Seas, but it was sold off years ago and is no longer included in the ship rotation. The Majesty recently underwent a complete dry dock. Improvements include a new pool deck, bigger spa, and completely upgraded cabins. For a look at pricing, check out the pricing widget above!
Now that you know the Royal Caribbean ships by age and dry dock date, which are you most likely to sail?
Also see how this compares to Carnival Cruise Ships by Age.
Freedom Of The Seas Pictures
Press “share” below to help share the cruise knowledge with your fellow RCCL friends and family!