Explorer to Bermuda - A mini review

My family cruised to Bermuda 10/6/13-10/13/13. Cruising was me, DH, DD- 23, DD - 20 and DS- 13.

We sailed the Allure around the same time last year. We feared that we may be a bit disappointed in the Explorer coming off such a big, newer ship like the Allure but for those of you have wondered the same thing, we were not disappointed at all.

Embarkation - A breeze

Rooms – connecting balcony rooms on starboard side deck 10 aft. A little disappointed that the balconies did not connect, but I was able to live with it. I was a little skeptical about being under the Windjammer for fear of noise but we did not hear any noise at all.

Ship – We loved it. It was a great size and if we hadn’t sailed on the Allure we would have thought it was really big. The promenade was great, the ship was clean and updated and everything they had to offer was satisfactory to us.

Staff – Extremely professional and friendly staff. Our favorites were the washy, washy guy with the braces. Never got his name but he put a smile on our faces every day. Our servers in the dining room were superb. Cruise director Leigh Xuereb did a fine job as well as the activities coordinator Erky from Turkey. They were a funny team. We honestly did not come across one staff member that wasn’t friendly or helpful.

Shows – We really liked all of the shows we saw. We saw the ice skating show in Studio B. It was very entertaining. Ventriloquist Brad Cummings was the headliner one night. They also had a dance show choreographed by Louis Van Amstel of DWTS. We also saw the Love and Marriage show which was hilarious. The Farewell show had a comedian and there was singing and the crew came out onto the stage. We missed the Welcome Aboard show and another show they had featuring the RC singers/dancers which highlighted movies like Dirty Dancing and Footloose.

Other – we saw the Belly Flop Contest (which DH participated in) and the Sexiest Man Contest. We played Bingo and participated in a few trivia games. We played mini-golf and ping pong but never ended up doing the rock climbing wall or going ice skating. DH and I also enjoyed the live band playing nightly in Dizzy’s and the guitar player in the Crown & Kettle Pub. In the casino, DH won $130 on a slot machine and I lost $20 playing roulette.

Bermuda – We had a bermudaful time.:cool:The ship docked portside and the Breakaway was also in port with us. The weather was predicted to be so- so but it ended up being beautiful the whole time we were there. We bought the 2 day bus/ferry pass. (Don’t stop at the first kiosk right off the ship. There are two more further down which didn’t have any lines.) On Day 1 we took the ferry to St George. The ride is about 40 minutes. Walked around a bit and had lunch at the White Horse Tavern on the water. If you have kids, bring them there. You can feed the fish French fries and they attack them in a frenzy. It’s so neat to watch. DH and I were in Bermuda 27 years ago and did this and we never forgot it. One of the reasons why we opted to have lunch there and not the Swizzle Inn. We then walked to Tobacco Bay. The rental stand and snack shop were open. I was surprised that the beach there is very small. The view is beautiful and the water is very calm. On day 2 we took the bus to Horseshoe Bay. About a 30 minute bus ride. We rented chairs and an umbrella at $11 a piece. They also had a snack shop. We went back to the ship to shower and then take the bus to Hamilton. That was an hour ride. The family voted on taking the bus so they could see the sights of Bermuda. I would have preferred the 20 minute ferry. By the time we got to Hamilton the shops were closed. We had dinner at the Pickled Onion and then hopped on the 20 minute ferry back to the ship. On Day 3 DD and I woke up early and took a walk to Sea Glass beach. I read that it was a 20 minute walk but I believe it was farther than that. When we got back we met the others at Snorkel Park. They rented a 2-person kayak so we took turns going out on it. It was so peaceful out there. DD’s and DS went on the water trampoline and had fun. It was really crowded there as I guess everyone had the same idea of doing that on the last day and staying close to the ships. We then played mini-golf at Fun Golf right next door. $15 pp admission but well worth it. It was the NICEST mini-golf course I ever played and, believe me, I’ve played a lot of mini-golf. We had to be onboard by 3:30 so we did a little souvenir shopping at the dockyard shops before heading back on the ship.

Disembarkation – A little hiccup here. We did self-assist so we had to walk off with our luggage. The problem is with the elevators. When a big group has their luggage with them only 4-5 people can fit on the elevator. Being on deck 10, the elevators would never make it up to us. The people in front of us were waiting for 25 minutes when we got there. We decided to haul ourselves down the stairs to deck 4. I, of course, embarrassing the kids with my big suitcase banging against every step. Once we got down to deck 4 we only waited about 10 minutes and we were off the ship and eased our way through customs.

Overall – A fantastic trip. We had as much fun on this cruise as we did on the Allure. Bermuda was wonderful – we just wished we had more time there. :D

Very nice review!

We've done this cruise a few times and going again next August. We love the Explorer and Bermuda is such a pretty island! :)

Glade you had a great time, but were is Sea Glass beach.

Glade you had a great time, but were is Sea Glass beach.

Dockyard Sea Glass Beach - the easy way! - Cruise Critic Message Board Forums

Hi Noshoobie!

As you know, we were on the same cruise, and it looks like we did almost everything you did - most of the shows and activities. We were also on Deck 10, aft, but port side with an inside. We must have run across you several times in our travels.

We were also on the ferry Day 1 to St. George and in Hamilton on day 2.

Hopefully I will get a chance this weekend to post a mini-review.

I agree with your comments about the staff - very professional and friendly. Leigh and Erky were great and we miss them. We got to be in the audience for one of the morning shows.

Disembarkation - We decided not to do the self-disembarkation since we were on Deck 10. Instead, we had a nice leisurely breakfast and waited for our number to be called. We left the pier at around 10:30.

Jean

Thanks for the direction to Sea Glass Beach. The way you explained it and showed it i should have no trouble finding it. I have been to Bermuda a few times and never new it was there.

Thanks for your informative review Noshoobie. We're cruising on the Explorer in just under four months and the anticipation is building to a fevered pitch.

How was the food in the Main Dining Room. I know it's all subjective but, I've come across a lot of scathing meal comments lately so just hoping it was half decent.

Jonathan

Very nice review, thank you. I will be doing this cruise next week so this was really good news for me. Glad you had a great cruise and weather, Im hoping for the same.

Thank you so so so much for the review - I'm beginning to look at Bermuda because of your review. Come on SuperSale & Lottery!!!

Thank you for the review! Soon to be DH (we are getting married tomorrow) and I will be on Explorer to Bermuda for our honeymoon on Sunday. Neither of us have ever cruised and I've never been to Bermuda. I've been so busy planning the wedding, that I haven't even had time to look at activities or places to visit once we are there. We splurged and will be in a GS suite on deck 10.

Thank you for the tip on the bus/ferry pass. I'm sure we'll make use of it.

good job

bermuda is a special place

Thanks for your informative review Noshoobie. We're cruising on the Explorer in just under four months and the anticipation is building to a fevered pitch.

 

How was the food in the Main Dining Room. I know it's all subjective but, I've come across a lot of scathing meal comments lately so just hoping it was half decent.

 

Jonathan

I'm not a foodie by any means so I found the food in the MDR to be very good. No one in our family ate anything in the MDR that they didn't like, even my 13 year old!

Thank you so so so much for the review - I'm beginning to look at Bermuda because of your review. Come on SuperSale & Lottery!!!

Wow, that's very nice of you to say! I know that Cruise Critic has helped me immensely in all my planning so I like to pay it forward :)

Thank you for the review! Soon to be DH (we are getting married tomorrow) and I will be on Explorer to Bermuda for our honeymoon on Sunday. Neither of us have ever cruised and I've never been to Bermuda. I've been so busy planning the wedding, that I haven't even had time to look at activities or places to visit once we are there. We splurged and will be in a GS suite on deck 10.

 

Thank you for the tip on the bus/ferry pass. I'm sure we'll make use of it.

As you can see, I can't figure out how to multi-quote although I keep hitting the button. Maybe someone can enlighten me.

Anyway, congratulations on your upcoming nuptials. You will have a fantastic time, I'm sure. You and your groom show try out for the Love & Marriage show. They always have one couple that are newlyweds. We were cheering for the newlyweds on our cruise - they were so cute! Congratulations and have fun!!!!

How was your weather and was it warm enough to swim this time of year?

I'm not a foodie by any means so I found the food in the MDR to be very good. No one in our family ate anything in the MDR that they didn't like, even my 13 year old!

You don't have to be a foodie to enjoy a good supper. Glad you enjoyed the meals on the Explorer and thanks for the response.

Jonathan

I viewed the web cam on and off Tue. & Wednes. And could hear a screaching metalic like sound. I'd like to try a Port side balcony staterm but, would like to know if this noise is common? And can it be heard on/in balcony rms?

I viewed the web cam on and off Tue. & Wednes. And could hear a screaching metalic like sound. I'd like to try a Port side balcony staterm but, would like to know if this noise is common? And can it be heard on/in balcony rms?

No, we didn't hear anything. The ship was docked portside and we were on the starboard side. Maybe that made a difference.

How was your weather and was it warm enough to swim this time of year?

The weather was perfect for swimming. Funny thing we noticed though - the water was noticeably cooler at Tobacco Bay then at Horseshoe Bay. Perhaps because they are on different sides of the island. :confused:

Thanks for the review:)

we're thinking of crusing on the Explorer this Oct. with our kids ages 15, 12 and 7.

I'm hoping these is enough to do onboard and in Bermuda to keep us all happy.

Thanks for the review:)

we're thinking of crusing on the Explorer this Oct. with our kids ages 15, 12 and 7.

I'm hoping these is enough to do onboard and in Bermuda to keep us all happy.

My family recently booked the EOS for an Oct. 18th cruise to Bermuda. There will be four of us, my husband and daughters 19 and 23. It will be our first cruise on EOS and to Bermuda. We are very excited about the cruise. I know other people that have sailed on EOS to Bermuda and they raved about the cruise and told me there is alot to do in Bermuda and on the ship. I just hope that the new terminal will be done, but we will have to see. Iv'e read that Port Cape Liberty leaves little to be desired as it currently is.