We are back from Harrah's free cruise from New Orleans on Grandeur of Sea.
We were a bit disappointed in food on Royal Caribbean - definitely not as
good as Princess or Carnival. The service in the main dining room was great
however.
Harrah's gave us a lot of extras. We were able to use the coupon books from
Harrahs to get free dinners, cash, and airfare reimbursement while on land.
Also we'd signed up for another promotion at the same time giving us $125 in
cash, $125 in gift card, and a gift. Unfortunately I didn't realize they
would hand us the gift, giving us more to lug onto the cruise ship.
Harrah's gave us a delightful bon voyage party and provided bus
transportation to and from the ship. Once onboard, they had 2 casino hosts and 2
representatives from Players Travel (the company that arranges the cruise) to help
us who were very helpful. They also provided some nice extras - appetizers
upon departing from New Orleans, a bottle of champagne during the trip for each
cabin, a bottle of wine brought to our table to be shared, a pillow case and
t-shirts with Harrah's or onboard casino logos. Most importantly, Harrah's
also paid for our shipboard gratuities and port taxes, and the casino on
board gave everyone from the group free drinks while in the casino from the
servers and bars. Since we had 3 days at sea, this meant we could essentially
get most sodas and booze for free if we used the casino bar -- a big savings.
Unfortunately there were extremely bad pay tables and bad luck for most of
the group onboard. I also lost a lot in my 2 hr run at New Orleans Harrah's
triple play NSU (not a single set of deuces). One couple did manage to hit a
$4000 royal, but probably most folks lost money onboard ship.
Harrah's New Orleans usually runs a free cruise promotion a couple of times
a year. You have to go to N.O. to get the free cruise documents, and then go
back for the cruise. If you don't receive an invitation, the best thing to
do is to call a host and ask if you could be included in a future offer -
revealing to them your usually level of play. Most people are Diamond and 7*
members. If you have a good play history at another Harrah's property, you might
be able to get an invite. If you actually go to N.O. and play, that could
also trigger future offers.
The bad part is you have to visit N.O. twice, meaning 2 airfares. If you are
lucky, you might also qualify for free air reimbursement of some sort, or
get a charter or 7* yearly trip to coincide, thus giving you airfare for one or
more of the trips.
The people in N.O. are extremely hospitable, and there is a lot to see and
do in the city. The Harrah's personnel are great. Also Harrahs N.O. has some
extras such as free tickets to the Imax and aquarium if you ask in VIP
services. You can also use comps to pay for some sightseeing and for vouchers for
meals in "partner" restaurants - which include the best ones in N.O.
We ate at Besh's Steakhouse in the casino - so-so. Also Restaurant August
nearby. Same Besh chef, but much better. Harrah's buffet quite good, but a
bit limited for breakfast. Service is excellent though.
We stayed in the new Harrah's hotel. Very nice, but not as nice as I
expected for a brand new hotel. We had a "regular" suite -- 1 bedroom -- nice but
a bit old-fashioned in decor. Our friends had a regular twin room - pretty
much standard. We hear there are some "super-suites" on higher floors which
are nicer, but they don't have very many suites in the hotel, so you get
whatever is available. Internet is not free - but there are hookups for wireless
or internet in each room (standard charge about $10.95 per day). There is an
underground connection to the Harrah's casino. Extras for 7* were a basket
of snacks (mostly spices) or a basket with some New Orleans favorites and
coffee (but were to be taken home - not eaten there - which was odd).
Grandeur of Sea on this trip went to Grand Cayman, Cozumel, and Costa Maya.
We found the ship to be quite nice in decor, but needed more bathrooms in
public areas. Internet was expensive and poor quality (slow). Onboard service
was excellent. We thought the programming was too little for sea days, with
a lot of so-called "activities" actually pay-for items such as bingo (worst
game to play - don't!), "couples massage class" for $61 or other spa events,
and so on. Best activities: Captain's talk, The Quest game (to watch),
Trivia contests, and so on. Entertainment - not enough. A lot of canned music
and not enough performers in the atrium area; many musicians on only for a
short period such as an hour, then off for several hours, then on for an hour.
Big shows with singers and dancers on 2 nights -- they were awful on night 1
(with bad lighting and bad sound!), but fine on night 2. One bad comic, one
good comic paired with good singer, one ok comic-magician, one so-so juggler
(who milked the audience to applaud him too much). Best act: former-Monkee
and child star Mickey Dolenz and his band, performing with his sister (very
good singer) - doing Monkee and other songs and everyone loved him, including
me.
Best part about cruise: we traveled with Siona (who runs AC VP yahoo group)
and her delightful mom, Coachvee & Hedy, and were joined by several other
VPfree/Harrahs group members, as well as Harrah's gamblers.
Worst moment: Siona's mom Florence got ill on 5th night with nausea etc.,
symptoms which could have been dreaded noro-virus which has been going around
various cruise ships, sickening hundreds. As a precaution she was confined
to her room, along with poor Siona, who was just fine. She probably didn't
have it, and felt fine 24 hours later, but had to stay in her room for 2 days.
They let Siona out for last day.
Harrah's treated us great - Players Travel Katie was wonderful as well. New
Orleans hosts and system definitely is far superior to any other Harrah's
I've been to....too bad it is so far away...and too bad I have had 0 luck on
their NSUs in 4 trips.
Best advice to save money on cruise: In general, don't buy the onboard ship
excursions, but instead go outside and sign up for similar ones at about
half price. The only exception is something complicated that could get you back
to the ship too late -- if so, go with the ship's tours to avoid being left
behind (they will hold the ship for a ship's tour).
Advice for disabled or people with trouble walking: Disabled should ask for
disabled rooms, which are larger and can accommodate wheelchairs. However
if you are in a wheelchair or have difficulty walking, be aware that getting
on and off ship can be tricky, with ramps or steps that may be difficult to
use. Shore excursions or outings can also be tricky - I had difficulty getting
out of the ocean (bad knees). Sometimes getting onto or off of various
sorts of boats requires a huge step up or down. Even trolleys or buses may have
large steps.
Spa: Great stuff, but pricey.
Pools: Lots onboard this vessel, including one with a roof. Lots of nice
Jacuzzis.
TV: Not too many channels, but they did run a couple of extra movies and
had CNN. We had brought a DVD player and DVDs which was a good move since
Siona and Florence were able to watch them when confined to cabin.
Main Dining: Food good, but not great. Not gourmet quality. Service
excellent. Lunch in main dining room had a nice menu, but it turned out that
there were only 2 menus for lunch that alternated. Deserts generally poor.
Buffet Dining: Good, but again, not great. No sushi or gourmet fare. Gala
midnight buffet one night only - too late for us to go. Other nights had
late night snacks. Service was adequate, but not excellent.
Disappointment: No afternoon English Tea service with cakes and tea and
white-gloved servers. They had snacks they called "afternoon tea" in the
buffet, but I'd call it luncheon.
Booze: Shipboard "special" drinks were overpriced. Booze is getting to be
the same cost onboard as in any nightclub. You are not allowed to bring your
own on board or buy in a duty-free shop to serve onboard.
Shopping on board: Some decent bargains, especially in "gold by the inch",
watches, and glittery rings. Duty-free prices on booze on board didn't seem
that great to me, but we got some good prices on shore in Grand Cayman,
packed the booze inside non-carry-on luggage and it arrived safely.
Announcements: Annoying announcements in your cabin at noon every day, and
outside a lot. We like to nap and sleep late. For most people, not a
problem, for us, annoying (and same on most ships).
Room stewards: excellent service. Chocolates & turndown at night,
including towel animals.
Children: Too many on board - cruise was too near Christmas holidays.
However the ship had a good program for youngsters and they had a lot to do and
really weren't underfoot too much. Most really enjoyed the trip and were sad
to leave.
Best Extra: The Grandeur has an "observatory" - a darkened area top of ship
where you could look at the stars - very good on a clear night.
Cruise Director: Hammish, cruise director, seemed way too young and not
funny. He kept adding "just kidding" to jokes -- yuk.
Ship Captain: An American for a change! Had dry sense of humor and slow
way of speaking - but at least he tried to be funny.
Seasickness: None. Ship was very smooth - in fact, I stopped taking
Dramamine after day 1 and I am very susceptible. Stabilizers were in good working
order and were used.
Ice Cream: They served chocolate and vanilla in the buffet and usually at
lunch and dinner. Not enough other varieties. There was a Ben & Jerry's
onboard for extra $ that served the smallest scoop I've ever seen!
We are getting old and jaded, so this may be the last cruise we take unless
we get a freebie trip too good to refuse. Living in Las Vegas gets us all
the goodies you get onboard, plus you sleep in your own bed. But most people
will enjoy a week-long cruise, and having it for free is even better.
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