Just Back From The Windy Cruise to Bermuda on the Explorer!

[teddie]

Hi, All!

Just returned home this morning following the September 26th five-day out of Bayonne to Bermuda. This was our fourth cruise, and our second on the Explorer of the Seas. This was also our second cruise to Bermuda, as we had sailed the Voyager on the same itinerary in 2005. For this cruise, we booked two balcony cabins; an E2 # 7322 for DH and myself, and a D3 # 6336 for DS and his friend (both 22 years old). We celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary. We had a great cruise in spite of the high winds that plagued us throughout the two full sea days; Day 2 being much worse than Day 4. Weather in Bermuda was warm and mostly sunny, with a few scattered showers.
Sorry if I go long here...

Arriving: We live about 20 minutes west of Bayonne, and arrived at the pier a little after 10 AM. We had a brief wait (about 5 minutes) as we waited to approach the terminal to drop off our luggage, then entered the parking lot with no wait whatsoever, parked the car, and carried our hand luggage into the terminal.

Embarkation: Check-in went smoothly. We had our Set Sail passes, passports, and credit cards ready. After receiving our Sea Passes, along with completion of an H1N1 questionnaire, we entered the waiting area by 10:30, helping ourselves to cookies and coffee. Lemonade and ice water were offered, but no hot tea was available. (I survived that little issue). Our group was amongst the second shuttle busload to the ship, and we were on board by 12: 30 or so. Once on board, we headed to the Windjammer for lunch, and then checked out our MDR table assignment. We were able to enter our cabins after 1:30 PM, as expected. All of our checked baggage arrived to our rooms before dinnertime.

Cabin Accommodations: Our E2 cabin was 7322, on the hump and directly across from the elevators, and the location was incredibly convenient, being close to both elevators and stairs. There were no noise issues at all in being so close to the elevators . An additional plus was having the library nearby, which is one of the designated WiFi hot spots on the ship. We are lowly Gold members, but did receive a book of coupons, some of which we happily used.

I will mention that the bed was extremely comfortable, and the bed linens were luxuriously soft. DS had a D3, and it had two discernible differences from our E2 cabin: the D3 had a three-cushion loveseat (the E2 had seating for two), and the D3 had a solid rather than glass panel on the balcony. Our cabin steward, Gerald, was efficient and courteous, keeping our ice-bucket full, providing extra towels, and scouting up a feather pillow for me. The overall condition of the cabins was good; but it's definitely time for a refurb.Old-fashioned tube TVs, and the worn flooring on the balcony come to mind.

Service: The RCI staff is, for the majority, a friendly group, providing excellent customer service. We liked that the staff were also friendly towards each other, since to me, that indicates a relatively positive work environment, which filters down to us customers, and that makes for a more relaxing cruise experience. Table service, room service, Guest Services were all excellent.

Food: OK, a big topic for many of us. We did not have one bad meal; in fact, our meals overall ranged from very good to excellent. We have only ever cruised RCI, so don't have anything to compare it to, but we do enjoy all kinds of food and are not picky eaters by any means. We met a few couples who had previously sailed Carnival, and they swore that Carnival's food was superior to that of RCI, and felt that RCI food was "horrible". We did not feel that way at all. If an offering on the buffet looked horrible to my taste, well, I didn't put it on my plate. There were plenty of offerings that both looked, and tasted good.

Windjammer: Breakfast buffets were our favorites; we found everything we liked, from eggs cooked to order, to asian offerings of miso and congee soups with all the accompaniments. My own favorites include the thickly-sliced raisin bread, oatmeal, and carved ham slices. DH and DS piled on the bacon. Fresh-cut fruit included melons and pineapples, but I was disappointed to note that there were no grapefruit or orange sections offered as on previous cruises. Windjammer lunches included many good choices, both hot and cold. Some stew-type offerings looked less than appetizing, but that's just my taste. The sushi was excellent, beautifully presented, and very popular. It was replenished promptly by the staff. I did try the honey-stung chicken; it was tasty and crispy. I think the trick is to get to it before it sits out for too long.

Room Service: We used RCI room service for the first time this cruise. On Day 1, we ordered a mid-afternoon snack, including chicken wings and a chili-chorizo dip served with tortilla chips. They were both good, but be aware that the portions are on the small size. If you love wings, you may want to order a double portion, since one order only gives you four wings. We pre-ordered coffee and tea delivery to our room for each morning; this also helped provide a wake-up call, since the kitchen calls about five minute's prior to the waiter's arrival with our tray. Trays left out in the hall for pickup were tended to promptly.

Dinner: We stuck with traditional dining, and had the second seating in the Digama dining room. Our table was near the rail directly opposite the main doors to the dining room, with an excellent view of the captain's table and grand staircase. Our waiter Marlon was excellent, making a point to remember each diner's name and general preferences. Our preferred drinks were always delivered timely, and I found our serving team to be well-organized, and attentive. We were fortunate to have excellent table mates, who were friendly, well-traveled, and all-around good company. Meal offerings were familiar, but generally very good. We especially loved the lamb shanks, salmon, prime rib, beef tenderloin, and lobster tails. We did dine at Portofinos, and each ordered the filet mignon, which was one of the best I have ever had. We felt the meal was well-worth the extra fee. If I have any complaint about the food, it would concern the sameness of the menu; while the offerings were very good to excellent, it would be nice to see some new choices on the menu.

Cafe Promenade/Johnny Rockets: Again, similar offerings from previous cruises; pizza, small sandwiches, pastries, and fresh fruit. DH and DS love Johnny Rockets for burgers and onion rings; we used a two-for-one coupon for milkshakes from our Gold Member booklet.

...to be continued. Please fell free to ask any questions....

[A.S.]

Glad you had a good time on this cruise.

I believe there was an oldies show on board called the Sopranos show. Were you able to see any of it? Not sure if it was a private affair.

Also, was there a breakfast buffet offered in the dining room? Have been reading that they have this on some of the ships.

Thanks for any info.

[CPT Trips]

Thanks for the interesting post and congrats on 25 years!

Our DD will be dropping us off for our cruise and is not familiar with that area at all. There had been road construction around the Bayonne area. Is this over? Did you have any detours? Was the entry to the port clearly marked ? And when you drove away (sadly, I'm sure), was it clearly marked to get back on the Turnpike (we live in south Jersey)?

Thanks! I hope you "tell all" about Bermuda next!

[Doug R.]

Originally Posted by CPT Trips

Thanks for the interesting post and congrats on 25 years!

Our DD will be dropping us off for our cruise and is not familiar with that area at all. There had been road construction around the Bayonne area. Is this over? Did you have any detours? Was the entry to the port clearly marked ? And when you drove away (sadly, I'm sure), was it clearly marked to get back on the Turnpike (we live in south Jersey)?

Thanks! I hope you "tell all" about Bermuda next!

Thanks for the postive review! We are considering a Bermuda from Bayonne also. Congrats also on your 25th.

As for my fellow South Jerseyian, you can see the ship at dock from the turnpike and the exit is clearly marked. As for getting home after cruise is over just follow all the other cars, 99.99999999% are headed that way too, it is also well marked.

[Estelle]

Teddie beat me to it!

We were on the same cruise and our experiences were very similar. We were celebrating our 24th anniversary and travelled with my brother and his girlfriend. We had adjoining balconies on the hump on Deck 6, starboard. Excellent cabin attendant (Francesca), no complaints at all. Cabins were clean, beds very comfortable, shower pressure was better than our shower at home. There were some rough spots visible from the balcony but overall I thought the ship was in much better shape than previous reviews had indicated.

We left our home in Mt. Laurel NJ (Exit 4 on the NJTP) at 10:30 and were on board around 12:20 - can't be beat. Disembarking was also very fast and well organized. Our color was called at 9 and we were home by 10:45.

We also enjoyed all the food on board - no breakfast buffet in the DR - just the usual seated breakfast offered every morning - which we used on the 2nd day at sea. I know food is subjective but we truly had no complaints. One night at dinner my husband and my brother's gf ordered the chicken marsala - neither liked it and it was quickly replaced with another choice. Our waiter brought us extra appetizers and desserts unprompted and was efficient and professional, although a little shy and not as over-the-top friendly as we have sometimes experienced. Our asst waiter was charming and funny and very very busy - remembered all our preferences and names and was a delight. We were also in 2nd seating in DiGama (deck 4).

We did not go to Portofinos, we did enjoy JR one afternoon. My husband ate about 2 lbs of lox at breakfast every morning, we never wanted for anything. My brother ordered room service one day after getting back on board and thought it was excellent (I know they had chicken wings among other items).

Day 2 at sea was very windy - Gale force 8 was shown on the monitors and confirmed by the captain that night in his welcome aboard speech, with waves up to 25 ft. but the ship handled it beautifully. We are all excellent sailers and we had no problems at all once we got our sealegs. Deck 12 was shut down at the peak of the wind because deck chairs started flying around (witnessed from the comfort of the Viking Crown).

Bermuda was lovely - our first visit but we will definitely go back. We took the ferry to St. George and wandered about and over to Tobacco Bay, where we spent a few hours. A beautiful place, we loved it. On the second day we took the bus to Horseshoe Bay early, enjoyed the water and sand - so different from NJ sand! We then took a bus into Hamilton, shopped and wandered, had lunch and caught the ferry back to Dockyard. It sprinkled a bit about 1/2 hour after we got back on board but cleared out quickly and that evening weather on deck was fine for the poolside party.

Bartenders were excellent, even the front desk was friendly (the only area we have run into surly people on any cruise) we were there a few times since my husband kept demagnetizing his card. We loved the ice show but didn't attend any other shows.

I don't drink coffee but the other 3 do and have had better - just about the only complaint.

There were a lot of people wearing oldies T-shirts but if they had a concert it must have been private because I did not see it on the compasses.

I'm happy to answer any questions. We will definitely go back on ExoS - probably to the Caribbean with our kids next time.

[cruzship21]

Was the weather warm and sunny? How warm was the ocean water?

[pickytraveler4]

Weather forecast for Bermuda before we left were not good - cloudy, rain, chance of storm w lightning. But the 2 days we were there the weather was great. We had one rainstorm at 2:30ish on Tuesday (2nd day) but it only lasted about 10-15 minutes and then the sun came out. Temperature was about high 70s maybe 80. Certainly everyone had on shorts and light shirts.

We swam at Horseshoe Beach and the water temp. was very comfortable. A little cooler than tepid bath water.

[teddie]

Back to continue my report. (Thanks, Estelle, for contributing to my post.)

Entertainment: Overall the entertainment was very good, with the ice show standing out as the highlight for us. The production shows displayed great talent and energy, but were a bit frantic for our tastes. We did not attend all of the shows. The orchestra was excellent. Piano bar entertainment in the Schooner Bar was fun, and the Latin ensemble was very good. Comedian Al Katz was worth a trip to the Palace. Vibes, the reggae bar over at the main pool set the mood nicely.

The Quest game was, well, like always--hilarious. I will only add that DS's traveling mate ended up front and center in the Quest portion of the cruise review DVD, and other pax all over the ship kept approaching him to offer congratulations, ribbing, and general razzing for his performance.

Bermuda--First Port Day: Getting off the ship was a simple and organized affair. Just needed to bring along your sea pass and photo ID. Since we had cruised to Bermuda before, we wanted to be sure to hit some of the sights that we missed first time around. One and a half days in Bermuda is not nearly enough time to explore this beautiful and historic island; we'll just have to go back again!

The boys really wanted to jetski, so we walked over to Snorkel Park, which is right on King's Wharf. Snorkel Park is not what I'd call beautiful, but the gorgeous blue ocean of Bermuda is part of it, making it a pretty good spot for what the boys wanted. The jetski rental was $ 135 for an hour, which the boys split. They were escorted by a staff member, and went a good distance and had a blast! The convenience of being in walking distance from the ship made it a good choice. I understand that Snorkel Park has recently changed ownership, so I'd say it is in a transitional stage. We were greeted by the crowing of a rooster when we entered, and the frequently-seen families of chickens were present. There was a bar and restaurant, snorkel gear and chair rentals, and laid back, friendly service. The boys went to their beach party the first night, and said that it was pretty good.

While they were at Snorkel park, DH and I visited the Maritime Museum, which we loved. It is located within a fort, providing great views, historical artifacts, and interesting exhibits on slavery, WWII involvement, British and American military presence, and history of Bermuda. Entry fee was $10, but sea pass holders received a $2 discount each. The museum consists of several building with well-presented exhibits, and outdoor walks along the perimeter of the fort with fabulous photo ops here. Also here was a dolphin experience, which I am sure is how they get the lions share of their financial support.

The day was warm and sunny, a welcomed contrast from the wild wind of yesterday's sea day. For this reason, we canceled our tea reservations at the Fairmont Hamilton, and spent a relaxing day at the ship's pools. I know, I know, there are fabulous beaches that we could have visited in its place, but our goal was relaxation and a minimum of logistical concerns. This worked great for DH and myself, splitting time between the solarium and the main pools and hot tubs.

The Dockyard has been beautifully developed since our last cruise to Bermuda in 2005. Lots of craft shops, restaurants, and nice strolling promenades. There was constant work on the pier during the day, including pile driving, which was noisy if your balcony was on the port side of the ship.

We approached a taxi dispatcher to scope out our next day's activity, which would be a tour of the island. His advice was to get to the taxi stand early and hire a qualified Bermuda Tour guide, so next morning, we did just that. The qualified guides display a qualified logo in the windshield. We hired a taxi operated by Dennis Hollis, and he provided us with an excellent three-hour tour of Bermuda, including stops for photo ops, shopping, brief visits to interesting sites, and general friendly and informative details on the flora, fauna, and history of Bermuda. The ship's excursion charged $46 per person for the same tour; the four of us paid $40/hour total, which is the official rate. So, for $120 plus tip, we felt we got a good deal. This was an excellent tour, and we highly recommend it. We were returned to the dock yards, scoped out some of the shops there. We went through a security check, and avoided a brief rain shower, which commenced nearly the moment that we boarded.

Bermuda is a simply gorgeous island, and we hope to return there in the future.

Day 5 sea day was again on the windy side, but allowed for some sun bathing and outdoor relaxation. Packing up again was depressing! Went to the Farewell show, and made some last-minute purchases in the shops. Had surf and turf for dinner, with seconds and thirds on lobster tails for those who requested them! We distributed our tips, and also tipped the Maitre 'd, since he made himself visible and extended assistance during our meals.

The End:

Woke up in beautiful Bayonne. We were in the Yellow group (8:15 to 8:30) for disembarkation, so we hit the Windjammer for our last breakfast at 7:30 A. The elevators were crazy full, but things smoothed out once the express disembarkation folks were done with. I did not envy those dragging ALL of their luggage into the elevators, and frequently, down multiple flights of stairs to get off the ship. Just not worth it, in my opinion, unless you have some early transportation concerns. Our group was promptly called at 8:15, and we were through customs, picked up our luggage, and on the road in our car by 8:45 am! It was a breeze.

So that's most of it. We'd do it again in a heartbeat. Thanks, everyone here at Cruise critic for your wisdom and help!

teddie
M

[travelteam]

Originally Posted by teddie

The Dockyard has been beautifully developed since our last cruise to Bermuda in 2005. Lots of craft shops, restaurants, and nice strolling promenades. There was constant work on the pier during the day, including pile driving, which was noisy if your balcony was on the port side of the ship.


Bermuda is a simply gorgeous island, and we hope to return there in the future.

So that's most of it. We'd do it again in a heartbeat. Thanks, everyone here at Cruise critic for your wisdom and help!

teddie
M

Thanks for a great review. we sailed to Bermuda this past August on the Exployer, and really enjoyed the trip. Leaving from Bayonne is a snap, love not having to fly each time we want to cruise.

[teddie]

Originally Posted by CPT Trips

Thanks for the interesting post and congrats on 25 years!

Our DD will be dropping us off for our cruise and is not familiar with that area at all. There had been road construction around the Bayonne area. Is this over? Did you have any detours? Was the entry to the port clearly marked ? And when you drove away (sadly, I'm sure), was it clearly marked to get back on the Turnpike (we live in south Jersey)?

Thanks! I hope you "tell all" about Bermuda next!

Thanks! No problem coming or going to the Cruise pier in Bayonne. My advice is to arrive EARLY on cruise day. It may entail extra wait time in the departure lounge, but you will already be parked and checked in by that point, and getting an early start to your vacation!

teddie

[teddie]

Originally Posted by Doug R.

Thanks for the postive review! We are considering a Bermuda from Bayonne also. Congrats also on your 25th.

As for my fellow South Jerseyian, you can see the ship at dock from the turnpike and the exit is clearly marked. As for getting home after cruise is over just follow all the other cars, 99.99999999% are headed that way too, it is also well marked.

Thanks, Doug. Cruising out of Bayonne is so convenient; the parking is not, in my opinion, exorbitant, and cruising out of NY harbor and sailing under the Verrazano is awesome!

I am a firm believer in arriving at the pier early, regardless of what port you are departing from; we always arrive around ten A.M. and are on board by noonish. I want to get as much out of Day 1 as humanly possible

[fishbonz]

Going in Nov and the wife and I can't wait thank's for the review.

[BND]

We went to Bermuda on Grandeur and July and it was very, very windy on our sea days also. Don't know if that's typical or just a little more common than not, but it made for difficulty walking outside.

[luv-2-cruise]

Hi Teddy,

Glad to see you made it home safe and sound. We thoroughly enjoyed dinner with you and your family. We were home by 10:00 and the laundry is all done.

We too, had a wonderful time. DH and I were remarking how friendly the ship's staff was. They are always wonderful, but this time around they seemed extra friendly.

We hope to cruise with you again.

[teddie]

Originally Posted by luv-2-cruise

Hi Teddy,

Glad to see you made it home safe and sound. We thoroughly enjoyed dinner with you and your family. We were home by 10:00 and the laundry is all done.

We too, had a wonderful time. DH and I were remarking how friendly the ship's staff was. They are always wonderful, but this time around they seemed extra friendly.

We hope to cruise with you again.

Hi Debbie,

Nice to hear from you! You're ahead of me on the laundry, but I'm get getting there
It was a wonderful cruise, and our table mates made it that much better. Be well, and regards to Ron and your parents!

Teddie

[Doug R.]

Originally Posted by teddie

Thanks, Doug. Cruising out of Bayonne is so convenient; the parking is not, in my opinion, exorbitant, and cruising out of NY harbor and sailing under the Verrazano is awesome!

I am a firm believer in arriving at the pier early, regardless of what port you are departing from; we always arrive around ten A.M. and are on board by noonish. I want to get as much out of Day 1 as humanly possible

We hope to do a cruise out of Port Liberty soon. We also share your feelings about early boarding and usually are among the first on board.

[craftycruiser27]

Ah,
Our 1st cruise on RCCL . Celebrating our 25th anniversary and Bermuda was our choice.

Arrived at Port Liberty 1:30 PM and was onboard and in our Balcony Cabin at 2:15.
We were on deck 6 in the Forward section on the port side. Very quick and painless process. The staff at the Port is very friendly and welcoming.

WindJammer was open and enjoyed a quick lunch and then began exploring the ship. The gymnasium is well equipped and the Solarium whirlpool is very quiet (most of the time).

Our room steward was courteous and efficient,,,ice every day but admittedly very noisy in the hallway in the morning. She was so friendly that she woke us a few mornings with her greetings to other guests. Not really a problem.

Day 2
Very very windy Sea day. Gale force winds at 8. Made for an enjoyable day in the Pool as the rocking caused the Solarium pool to become a "wave pool". Pretty cool. The other pools were closed. I tried to start a pool for when the first chaise lounge would blow off deck 12 but no takers.

Dining Room
The food is comparable to other cruise lines and I found our waiter
Michael Edic to be very very friendly and helpful and efficient. He made our dining experience very enjoyable. We also made friends with several tablemates and had loads of fun during the cruise with them.

Make sure you take advantage of Cafe Promenade on deck 5. The pizza and sandwiches and cookies are a quick fix during the day. Right on The Promenade.
Nice that for some food you don't have to go up to Windjammer.

Bermuda

The previous poster mentioned that there is work being done at the pier in Kings Wharf. The pile driving is very very disturbing as is the 2 huge cranes completely blocking the view of The Dockyards. This was unacceptable but as long as you turned your head and closed one eye,, and put on sound blocking headphones the view of Bermuda was gorgeous.
The beaches are fantastic. Make some friends and go to the beach by taxi. 4 people in taxi and it cost 25 dollars plus tip. One way.
Airconditioned with a friendly and knowledgeable driver who will usually give you a guided tour as he speeds you to the Beach

Nightlife

The Chamber is the hangout spot for late night fun. The disco plays great music and it has cozy nooks for canoodling on the 2nd flloor. The last nite,,I think half the ships entertainers were partying on the 2nd floor and a guest provided a "popping" Michael Jackson rendition,,moonwalking and grooving.. Fun Fun Fun

The Casino is ok,,,a bit small compared to other ships I have been on,,but its fine for the slot players. Nice poker tourney and a good 1-2 no limit game.

Disembarking
Did not hear any announcements to disembark but we did the usual Breakfast in the dining room and went back to retrieve our carry on bags.
The disembarking is a bit cumbersome with a short bus ride after leaving the ship,,but all in all pretty quick and painless.


Only recommendations I would make is that there is not enough information or announcements to spread the word on the various shows.
I attended the Ice Show which was gorgeous but most other shows went unattended mostly because we could not find the information. One nite they had a 7 pm show for the late diners and a 9pm show for the early diners. Thats exactly opposite the reason I choose 8:30 dining. I want to have to time to enjoy my day without worrying about seeing a show at 7 pm.

The Internet service is ok but be sure to use the same card that is used to originally purchase the "package". I signed up for the package with my card and then a few times my wife used the internet with her sea pass card and we received several charges over and above the package charge. This is not explained in the RCCL pamphlet but the courteous Guest service did remove the additional charges when I brought it to their attention.
Overall
An excellent cruise but make sure your balcony cabin is on the starboard side.

[craftycruiser27]

Originally Posted by cruzship21

Was the weather warm and sunny? How warm was the ocean water?

The weather in Bermuda was Beautiful the 1st day. Warm and toasty. The ocean water was probably 65-70 degrees. The water was a bit rough compared to the other times I was at Horseshoe Bay.
2nd day was warm with sun in the morning and then a brief 15 minute rainstorm in the afternoon. Sun came out immediately afterward.

[Estelle]

(Thanks, Estelle, for contributing to my post.)

I was happy to see someone who had the same experience we did. Often you come back and read reports and wonder if you were on the same ship!

We will definitely cruise out of Bayonne again - nothing could be easier for those of us in NJ.

[Estelle]

Originally Posted by BND

We went to Bermuda on Grandeur and July and it was very, very windy on our sea days also. Don't know if that's typical or just a little more common than not, but it made for difficulty walking outside.

My husband said that this is usually a very windy cruise any time of year - cutting across the Atlantic and lots of fronts meeting out there.