Just back from the Explorer, Aug. 2-11… **Pictures, comments, tips**

Hi, everyone. DH and I are just back from the August 2nd 9-night Bermuda and Caribbean cruise on the Explorer of the Seas. It was our first time on RC after having sailed on Princess and Carnival, and although I’m still a die-hard Princess fan, I would sail RC again in a heartbeat. I found most things comparable to Princess but the level of the service on the Explorer was a notch higher.

Not having the time to write a lengthy and detailed review, I decided to skip all the glorifying and/or nitpicking and just share some of my photos of this wonderful cruise adding some comments to them, some personal, some (hopefully) helpful. This is directed mainly at first time Explorer cruisers but I hope everyone else enjoys them. However, if you want to ask any questions I will try to answer them to the best of my ability.

The journey starts from the guest room, the ‘Ground Zero’ of all trip preparations. One would think we were packing for a month-long transatlantic instead of a nine-night Caribbean cruise leaving from a port just 20 minutes from home.

The point of this picture is to show you the clear plastic zippered bags I use to pack small items. They are the ones you get when you buy bed sheets or curtains. I save them just for this purpose. They also come in very handy for packing socks and underwear. If you zoom in on the picture you’ll see which ones I mean (just don’t zoom in too closely on the underwear :p.

We chose a balcony cabin cat. E1 mid-ship on Deck 8. Great location and easy for getting around the ship. Three decks up to the WJ, three decks down to the MDR. We ended up using the stairs a lot for some much needed exercise. Yes, the décor of the cabin was a little outdated but everything was squeaky clean…Well, except for the remote control. Yuck! It looked like 12 years of dirt had accumulated in between those buttons! Those anti-bacterial wipes someone on CC advised to bring came in handy, after all.

Here is a picture of the balcony, just so you can get an idea of the size. The bottom part is steel, so no view if you’re sitting down. The next picture gives you an idea of the view obstructed by the hump looking toward the aft. The hump isn’t that pronounced so it didn’t bother us in the least. My impression is that the closer you are to the hump, the more obstructed the view.

Stand by for more!

The bathroom was small but not so small that you couldn’t move around, as I was lead to believe. I had a folding hold-all that I hung up from the towel rack above the commode which came in very handy. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of the hold-all.

The so-called “Month of Love Romance Package”. Not that I was expecting Dom Perignon, but at least a Moet Chandon….. :(. They certainly splurged on the roses, though. The small bouquet was fresh and gorgeous and lasted the whole 9 days.

They even brought out my inner photographer.

Great pictures. We go on the Explorer often and enjoy visiting her through your posts.

I thought I was the only one who packed everything in curtain and sheet packages.. I put mine in the dishwasher(top shelf) between cruises to clean them.

Great pictures. We go on the Explorer often and enjoy visiting her through your posts.

I thought I was the only one who packed everything in curtain and sheet packages.. I put mine in the dishwasher(top shelf) between cruises to clean them.

Great idea! It's beats handwashing them, which is what I've been doing. ;)

Passing the 9/11 Memorial as we leave the dock. Notice the reflection of the ship on the teardrop. Thank you to the CC member who inspired me to take this photo. You don’t have more than a couple of seconds to capture the moment, and I did it!

Let me warn you, the Helipad is NOT the ideal spot to witness the passing under the Verrazano Narrows Bridge if you want to feel the ‘thrill’ of almost touching it with your hands. We chose it because we knew it wouldn’t be too crowded, but the best view can be had from one of the higher decks.

The “Ooohhhhh……!” moment.

Keep going!!! Don't stop now!!!

We will be first time Explorer cruisers next April. Woo hoo!!! I can't wait to hear what all you have to say.

Love the teardrop pic. You caught the second one perfectly with the Explorer's reflection in it.

We are doing this cruise next April. Can you tell me what two nights the formal nights were?

Thanks,

Chris

The main pool area.

The Solarium pool. The only time I saw some empty chairs in the Solarium was on the first day. We gave up looking after that and just settled for what we could find on the deck above the pools.

The Fitness Center whirlpool, where the water was so hot most people avoided it – yay for me! This was one of my favorite spots to spend a few quiet and relaxing moments.

A sneak-peek of the navigational bridge from the Peek-a-Boo Bridge. This is on deck 11 at the bow of the ship, outside the gym. Go past the Solarium pool, exit at the outside sliding doorof the solarium and walk toward the bow.

Thanks for looking. Will try to post more later!

We are doing this cruise next April. Can you tell me what two nights the formal nights were?

 

Thanks,

 

Chris

The first formal night was on the first sea day and the second was on the day before last.

Keep going!!! Don't stop now!!!

 

We will be first time Explorer cruisers next April. Woo hoo!!! I can't wait to hear what all you have to say.

 

Love the teardrop pic. You caught the second one perfectly with the Explorer's reflection in it.

Thanks. DH couldn't understand why I wouldn't budge from our balcony until after we'd left the dock behind :D.

You will love the Explorer. Happy sailing!

Enjoying your photos. We'll be sailing on Explorer for the first time (and first time driving to a port) in December.

Unfortunately, it'll probably be too cold and/or dark for a helicopter sailaway!

Looking forward to more!

Cool pics! Thanks for sharing with us.

http://luv2cruise.blogspot.com

Here are a few pictures of the ship’s interior:

The Centrum

The Royal Promenade

The tri-level Main Dining room. The place is gorgeous but it could really do with a bit more central lighting. The pictures come out dark unless you have a more sophisticated camera. But that's just MHO.

............to be continued.

I just laughed to see that the one picture of the TV has some behavioral no-no's on it!

:)

We leave in just 10 days on the Explorer. Love seeing your pictures and thanks for the information on the two formal nights. No need to pack more dressup clothes then we need. Looking forward to the rest of your review.

I just laughed to see that the one picture of the TV has some behavioral no-no's on it!

 

:)

That video is a no-no. There is some terrible acting in that video!!! :D

Also, my in-laws wanted to get a picture in front of the ice sculpture...aka the large statute in the Centrum!!! :)

Fond memories of a ship that I was on twice...got on it as you got off of it. Great pictures. :)

Thanks for the pictures. Brought back some fond memories. She's my wifes favorite ship.

also' date=' my in-laws wanted to get a picture in front of the ice sculpture...aka the large statute in the centrum!!! :)[/quote']

 

 

lol!

thanks for sharing the photos. always love seeing photos of the ship considering I'll be taking my daughter on it. Just think its interesting although I've been on the Voyager, how different things look when they have different art work in places ... guess after i've been I'll be able to decide which I prefer.

Kylie

The Explorer brings back such good memories for me, I got engaged the night before we set sail, I refer to it as our engagement cruise!

Thank you for posting those pictures!

Great Pictures..:cool:..Thanks we are sailing this weekend on Explorer....One Sad Note...The Flag in Disrepair at the Tear Drop...:mad:....

View of King’s Wharf in Bermuda from the ship. Here the ship docks with the port side facing the Royal Navy Dockyard. We decided not to do any shopping there this time and spend more time on the beach.

This was the first time we saw lots of seaweed on the beach as Horseshoe Bay. This is our favorite beach in Bermuda and we love wondering through the rock formations. From Dockyard we took the local n. 7 bus for $16 round trip and it took about 25 minutes.

Even though I said no nitpicking, I have to spend a few words here. We made the mistake of booking the St. Maarten Sensation and Beach Break excursion (SM25) and vowed that next time we will do something on our own instead. In case any of you are thinking of doing it, it is NOT worth the $79 pp. Orient Bay Beach is stunning and worth the 3 hours spent there, but…...

…the so-called ‘included lunch’ was a joke. We had only one dining option: this place on the beach for a lunch of either chicken or ribs and French fries.

Looks nice, right? Well, pictures can be deceiving. The place was dingy and rundown and the food looked stale. I won’t go into the details; suffice is to say that the staff gave no thought whatsoever to hygiene. This was one lunch we couldn’t make ourselves eat.

The portions were large, I have to give them that, so much so that the food spilled over onto the not-so-clean table. I didn't see very many fellow cruisers dining there so I don't think we were the only ones who were put off.

The shopping break in the capital of Marigot was another letdown. By the time we got there the street vendors were all gone for the day and the shops were closing. We spent an hour and a half visiting a nearby mall with a handful of pricey stores and strolling along the water, the only interesting part of town that was accessible, if you excluded the restaurants, as it looked like a little French Riviera. At least I got some nice pictures. Be warned: if you need a bathroom break here make sure you go before 6 pm or all the public places will be CLOSED.

T

he ferry terminal to St. John.

Great Pictures..:cool:..Thanks we are sailing this weekend on Explorer....One Sad Note...The Flag in Disrepair at the Tear Drop...:mad:....

I agree, our great flag should never be allowed to deteriorate like that :mad:

Have fun! (Sob! So jealous....)