OCD Planner's ~ EXPLORER ~ 5 Night Pictorial Review 1/4/15

For those of you who suffered thru my Mah-valous Mediterranean review that took me 6 weeks to complete: Thank you for sticking with me to the finish. It was a LONG review with tons of pictures and ports. The last trip was with a group of 14 family & friends traveling over 2 weeks.

This report will still have tons of pictures but only two ports to review. One new port for us (Coco Cay, Bahamas) and one that we've been to many times (Cozumel, Mexico). This cruise, it was just me and DH (Charlie) for 5 nights, although we did travel to Florida 4 days earlier to spend some time with our DD, SNL & 3 of our 4 Grands who are stationed with the Navy in JAX for the last year and a half.

Our Cruising Itinerary:

Day 1 - Port Canaveral, Florida

Day 2 - Coco Cay, Bahamas

Day 3 - Sea Day

Day 4 - Cozumel, Mexico

Day 5 - Sea Day

Day 6 - Port Canaveral, Florida

We flew in Wednesday, on NYE night, arriving in Jacksonville around 10pm. The DD and two oldest Grands (6 & 3) picked us up at the airport and brought us back to their home about 45 minutes away near Fleming Island. We all stayed up until midnight to ring in the New Year. The kids barely made it to 12 o'clock and they were off to bed. We cheated just a little... being from Texas and the Central Time Zone we celebrated an hour early and turned in for the night.

We celebrated Christmas the following day with the kiddos and just enjoyed some much needed family time. This YaYa & Poppy have sure missed spending time with the Grands since they moved away in July 2013. This was our first Christmas in our daughter's 32 years that we weren't all together and all struggled... it was nice to be together again! The baby will be 2 at the end of March and he had changed so much since my DH had last seen him back in July.

On Friday we celebrated the SNL and my upcoming birthdays with a family dinner at the Habachi grill after the guys spent the day on the golf course. Saturday we picked up our rental car from Budget for our one way trip to Port Canaveral the following day and then spent the rest of the time doing things like having Play-doh parties with the girls, reading books over and over to the 1 year old grandson, playing UNO, Old Maid and War with the 6 year old and loving on them while we had the chance.

Sunday morning came too soon and we had to say our goodbyes. DD was returning to work the following day after Christmas break so we planned to take a short cruise while we were in Florida. I convinced DH it was only practical since we had to pay for airfare to get there anyway!

I originally booked this cruise in a corner aft balcony and several months later scored a price drop where I was able to switch to a Junior Suite for a few dollars less than the balcony price. I had to give up my aft corner and chose a hump JS... then a couple of months later a JS on the aft came open and we took it.

We left early Sunday morning around 8:30am for our 2 1/2 hour drive south to Port Canaveral. We crossed over the bridge, spotted Explorer sitting at the new cruise terminal #1 and were so excited that we went straight to the Budget Rental car return and were about to get out when I realized we didn't stop for gas. Keys back in the ignition, we headed down the block, fueled up and then drove back to the lot... it was a mad-house with people, luggage, cars, shuttles... EVERYWHERE!

They directed everyone around to the side of the building to stand in a line,with your luggage, that wrapped around the corner. There were 4 ships in port and tons of passengers! There was a separate holding area for people who were getting off the shuttles with their luggage from the previous cruises. They were to wait outside while one person from their party went inside to get the car rental taken care of. We sat on the curb in line with our luggage for about 20 minutes with out moving once. Hubby went over to talk to the outside agent to find out how long the typical wait was and was told normally every 15 minutes but on the previous cruise up to an hour or more. We inquired about a taxi but the man next to us said he had requested one 45 minutes ago and was still waiting. Finally the lady came back over and separated the line into ships and luckily for us the Explorer of the Seas was first up when the shuttles arrived.

After loading our luggage it was a short 5 minutes to the port, arriving around 11:30. This was only the second cruise going out of the new port so things were a little hectic outside with taxis, shuttles, buses and private cars all trying to decide where to go. The shuttle was directed to a different line than they had done the first cruise but the driver said this was a much better process today... the first cruise the week before people were waiting on shuttles for 1-2 hours to get in to the terminal... YIKES! I'm glad that they got the kinks worked out before our cruise.

The New Terminal #1 in Port Canaveral, Florida features a parking garage that can hold 1000 cars:

We handed our bags to the porter, went straight in, through security, up an escalator, straight to the suite lane where not a single person was waiting, up to the next agent and were processed within 5-10 minutes. From there we walked down the main aisle, had our pictures made for the Sea Pass cards and were heading to board the ship. It was flawless! The facility is spacious and well laid out.

The waiting area for non-suite guests:

And the Suite guests waiting area:

And then it was down the spacious hallway and on to the ship!

First things first, it was time to look for lunch. We stopped by the Promenade Cafe hoping to avoid the craziness of the Windjammer for lunch on embarkation day but they weren't serving food yet. So off we went to the WJ for a salad and a place to sit for a few minutes. The food was standard WJ fare, nothing to rave about, but it was an included meal that I didn't have to cook or clean up after so I was happy!

Shortly thereafter our rooms were open and we started our first of many treks down the long, long corridor to our home away from home in cabin 7394 center aft Junior Suite at the very back of the ship.

Luckily as we were passing by the luggage area we spotted one of our small suitcases and asked for permission to take it with us. I quickly unpacked my bag to get settled in for the next 5 nights. Hubby's bag was no where in sight but we would spot it after a photo tour of the ship and bring it back and unpack it before dinner.

The first thing I did after unpacking was to adorn our cabin door with this fabulous one of a kind gift that our DD made us for Christmas. It made me smile every time I rounded the corner and spotted our door!

This was our first time sailing on Explorer and the first time to ever sail out of Florida. We've been on other Voyager class ships including Voyager, Adventure x 2 and Navigator this past February on the first cruise out of dry dock. I have to admit when we opened the door to our Junior Suite we were a little disappointed after having sailed Navigator.

Explorer is definitely ready for an update and I'm sure that she will be just as impressive as Navigator when she comes out of dry dock at the end of April sporting her new carpets, bedding, curtains, upholstery and more.

Now for your viewing pleasure, the very orange, very dated JS 7394:

I totally didn't get the need for the two large chairs which sat in front of the sofa. We ended up pushing one of them up under the desk area and the other over in front of the right window to get it out of the way.

The Junior Suite comes with a single cup coffee maker (but full size coffee bags-not sure how that is supposed to work out) and a hot pot for making hot tea. The sugar, creamer, stir sticks, cups, etc were there but you had to bring tea bags from the WJ, Cafe Promenade or bring your own. There is also a small safe that you enter a 4 digit combination of your choosing. We found it just large enough to slide in my iPad (at an angle then it would lay flat), my DH iPad mini, his wallet and my small cross body purse.

I love your reviews. Your Alaska one made me bite the bullet and we are heading out this summer. We are on the Explorer in 3 weeks so I am anxiously reading your review. We are going with my sister and brother-in-law (his first), so I will have to warn them about the decor....

There was more than enough storage for the two of us. We had tons of empty spaces such as this entire shelving area. Those items were the only ones stored there.

I was also disappointed in the closet. I was expecting a walk-in closet like we've had in our previous couple of JS and it turned out to be a regular closet. It still had plenty of space and storage for everything that we had brought, it was just a little less convenient to get to. The C&A Robes were in the closet upon arrival but we never used them.

The bathroom was the standard JS bath with a tub, shower curtain and single sink. It was everything we needed and there was ample storage in there as well behind the mirrored corners.

The view of the superstructure from the aft balconies on deck 7. We had stayed on deck 7 on Adventure of the Seas in 7688 corner aft so we knew what was in store and it did not bother us. However, I will say 7688/7388 have much less of the view being on the corner plus they have the large porthole with the side view as well for the cost of a standard balcony. I would not have paid more for this JS to move from either of those corner balconies. Our original balcony was on deck 8 with out the porthole and the JS was actually cheaper and gave us double points so it was worth it to me to have this view. Once we were sitting outside looking straight out the superstructure didn't bother us.

I love your reviews. Your Alaska one made me bite the bullet and we are heading out this summer. We are on the Explorer in 3 weeks so I am anxiously reading your review. We are going with my sister and brother-in-law (his first), so I will have to warn them about the decor....

Irishgal,

Thanks for taking time to read and post. You will have a fabulous, once in a lifetime adventure in Alaska. It was so great we had to make it a twice in a lifetime :)

We had a great time on Explorer. Overall for her age, she is still in great shape, just a little dated and needing a nip and tuck here and there. The crew was fantastic and we'd sail her again anytime. I think you and your sister and BNL will have a great time.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. I've only sailed her once but I will offer any knowledge that I have. If I don't know I'm sure one of the locals that sail her frequently can chime in with the answer.

Again, thanks for the encouragement and letting me know that someone out there, somewhere, is actually reading along!

Cindy

Irishgal,

 

Thanks for taking time to read and post. You will have a fabulous, once in a lifetime adventure in Alaska. It was so great we had to make it a twice in a lifetime :)

 

We had a great time on Explorer. Overall for her age, she is still in great shape, just a little dated and needing a nip and tuck here and there. The crew was fantastic and we'd sail her again anytime. I think you and your sister and BNL will have a great time.

 

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. I've only sailed her once but I will offer any knowledge that I have. If I don't know I'm sure one of the locals that sail her frequently can chime in with the answer.

 

Again, thanks for the encouragement and letting me know that someone out there, somewhere, is actually reading along!

 

Cindy

Glad to hear. My husband and I haven't been on a Voyager class yet, so I am looking forward to experiencing a new class of ship. I am sure your review will answer most questions. We are going to Nassau instead of Coca Cay which is a bummer, I would have rather gone to Coco Cay and enjoy a nice beach day.

FYI Your Alaska Air Credit Card hint saved us 350.00

I love reading others reviews about Explorer! We sailed on her 4 times, the most recent being her 14 night repositioning cruise. It's a wonderful ship and we hate to see her go!

I meant to mention earlier that I have all of the Cruise Compasses and any literature hand-outs that I have saved in PDF form and I plan to attach them to a post a little later on.

The balcony of our JS is larger (mainly deeper) than a standard balcony. All of the cabins on the aft share this great advantage. The outdoor furniture was the vinyl strap type chairs, of which there were two, as well as two loungers and a larger table between the chairs. The weather was nice enough that we spent a lot of time enjoying the balcony.

Also as I mentioned earlier we returned not too long ago from a 16 day trip to the Med followed by Thanksgiving and Christmas. I had planned that cruise for 2 years. This cruise was to be a little different. This one was all about REST and RELAXATION! I am the queen of planning. Most of my excursions are booked 9 months to a year in advance, my days are planned by the hour and there is always something to see or do.

Yes, this cruise was the polar opposite. Booked it about a year out but then I never thought about it again until December. Didn't plan a thing for our first port at Coco Cay, didn't research, didn't look at pictures, reviews, didn't have a clue what to expect. I finally booked an island tour about 2 weeks out for Cozumel and as a surprise for DH I booked our first Behind the Scenes All Access Tour of the Ship for the final sea day. That was the extent of my planning. We threw some clothes in the suitcase 2 days before we left and threw caution to the wind and flew by the seat of our pants so to speak. That is not at all like me and it was a little scary!

Anyways... back to the trip report. The balcony furniture:

This was our view looking straight down from our balcony. The crew's outside area for relaxing is below this deck. It is also their smoking area but only on the side of the ship which allows smoking. I got the faint hint of smoke a couple of times but no idea whether it was from below or above us.

Our Diamond welcome back amenities were waiting for us when we entered the room. The previous "gift basket" has been replaced with this package of cookies which we like much better than the dried fruit smaller cookies in the baskets. The water was nice for carrying on shore when we left the ship. We appreciated the gifts.

I mentioned earlier on that there were four ships in port today. We were at the newest terminal #1 and the others were on the other side of the bridge. From the left we had Freedom of the Seas, Disney's Magic and Carnival's Sensation. Later in the afternoon we were witness to a parade of ships as they all left port before Explorer. I'll post those pictures in a bit.

Glad to hear. My husband and I haven't been on a Voyager class yet, so I am looking forward to experiencing a new class of ship. I am sure your review will answer most questions. We are going to Nassau instead of Coca Cay which is a bummer, I would have rather gone to Coco Cay and enjoy a nice beach day.

 

FYI Your Alaska Air Credit Card hint saved us 350.00

We were also scheduled to sail to Nassau when I booked the cruise. Somewhere along the way it changed to Coco Cay. In the end I was glad as there were 6 ships in port in Nassau that day, Explorer would have been 7!

Awesome savings on your airfare! We used the free trip for my hubby to fly to Florida last summer and drive back with our daughter and 3 kids. This year I used our accumulated points to book one of our flights to Vancouver one way for our upcoming September Pacific Coastal Cruise. We had enough AA points to fly us both home for free so I only had to pay 1 way fare for one of us to Vancouver. I kept the card since I knew we'd be sailing out of Vancouver. However, since the annual fee kicks in again in September I will probably cancel it since I have used the free points, accumulated points and free companion fare and most likely won't be traveling that way in the near future.

It was definitely worth the annual fee for the two years we used it though!

I love reading others reviews about Explorer! We sailed on her 4 times, the most recent being her 14 night repositioning cruise. It's a wonderful ship and we hate to see her go!

Thank you Jenn for posting. You can be our resident expert if anyone has questions since you've sailed her many times!

After getting settled in our cabin we headed out for a photo tour of the ship... DH tagged along to keep my company, not because he necessarily enjoys it... I think his exact words were something to the effect of "it's just like every other Voyager class ship we've been on. So why do you have to go all over the entire ship taking pictures AGAIN???"

I tried to explain to him as gently as possible, that no, they actually aren't all the same. They have different themes, colors, names, etc. but that didn't get him too excited about traipsing all over the ship from one end to the other and from top to bottom. However, being the loving DH he is, he did it for me... and for you dear readers.

I try my best to get out right away and get my pictures so that they are not filled with random people in every shot. I was a little later than normal today so you will some that have passengers along the way.

First up is the center of the ship and the hub of the activity, the Promenade. It is home to the shops, bars, Cafe Promenade, the parades, the 70's dance, the Captain's welcome aboard, just to name a few. It's four decks high with three decks of Promenade Cabins overlooking the area.

The Christmas decorations were still up during our cruise. I did see the 30 huge boxes for storage during our All Access Tour so it looked like they were in the process of or getting ready to remove them.

Cafe Promenade is open 24 hours a day and offers coffee, hot tea, pastries in the mornings, pizza and sandwiches in the afternoon and evenings. In front of the Cafe Promenade is the Proudly Serving Starbucks ($) venue and the Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Shop ($). The food is all free but the Starbucks and Ice Cream will cost you. The Promenade Cafe has regular coffee or hot tea in real cups or you can serve yourself in the paper cups to go. There are no cold drinks here but right outside to the right of Ben & Jerry's are the Coke Freestyle Machines.

Next we cruised down to the Main Dining Room which extends over three decks with each level having a different name. Deck 3 is the main deck and is called Magellen and it is open for breakfast daily, lunch on Sea Days and main dining in the evening at set times of 6pm and 8:30pm. Deck 4 is the DaGama dining room and it overlooks the lower dining room. It is open for main dinner seating at 6pm and 8:30pm. The uppermost dining room is on Deck 5 called Columbus and it is open nightly from 5:15pm to 9pm for My Time Dining.

Looking down from deck 5 Columbus:

My Time Dining Seating on Deck 5 Columbus:

Deck 4 DaGama:

Deck 3 Magellen, looking towards the Captain's table in the center with the black napkins:

Ok, think that will be it for tonight. I'm hoping to finish up with all the ship pictures tomorrow so that I can get on to the Port days and not drag this one out as long as the last one :)

If you're out there reading along please feel free to comment and ask questions. If you were on this sailing feel free to add to it as well. I know that there are others who will also be doing their own trip reports in the next few days.

Happy Sails!

Cindy

Do you know if there is a separate breakfast and lunch area in the MDR or other restaurant for Suites?

Thank you for this review! Explorer was our first cruise, and she got us hooked on cruising. We loved her and ended up sailing on her again 3 years after that.

Bringing back great memories. She doesn't look that much different! :D

Do you know if there is a separate breakfast and lunch area in the MDR or other restaurant for Suites?

Sorry I can't answer this since JS don't receive suite benefits. Maybe someone else will step in and answer your question.

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Thank you for this review! Explorer was our first cruise, and she got us hooked on cruising. We loved her and ended up sailing on her again 3 years after that.

 

 

 

Bringing back great memories. She doesn't look that much different! :D

You are so welcome! Thanks for taking time to read & comment. More to come tomorrow.

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Following and enjoying...I would like to try the Explorer while she's in Canaveral.

Following along as well as we sail next month we have an JS AFT on Deck 10. You mention it was a long walk to everything, are there stairs in the back we can take?

Following and enjoying...I would like to try the Explorer while she's in Canaveral.

Thanks Maureen. If you have the chance to cruise on the Explorer, I think you will have a great time. Embarkation & debarkation was a breeze!

Following along as well as we sail next month we have an JS AFT on Deck 10. You mention it was a long walk to everything, are there stairs in the back we can take?

The walk is really not that bad. It's just not like getting off at the elevators and walking 5-6 doors down like most people like.

The closet public elevators & stairs are at the end of the promenade with the public areas such as the Library, the Loyalty Ambassador, the Royal Connection (computers) & the Concierge Lounge sandwiched between the port & starboard sides.

We don't mind the walk at all. However for someone with mobility problems it could be a challenge.

I think that you're view on deck 10 will be much less obstructed than ours was on deck 7.

Enjoy your cruise! Wishing you calm winds & sunny days!

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The waiting area for non-suite guests:

 

 

And the Suite guests waiting area:

 

 

Here's my question - did your JS allow you access to the suite waiting area, or is it just for "real" suites?.

Here's my question - did your JS allow you access to the suite waiting area, or is it just for "real" suites?.

There was no one there when we arrived so therefore no wait. We had access to the Suite check in line so I think seating is the same.

The Set Sail pass only says Suite, not Junior Suite. The Sea Pass card is silver however & not Gold like true Suites & Pinnacles.

Hopefully someone else knows the Real answer ;)

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Ok, I think I'm going to move to the top of the ship and work my way down. The very top deck is deck 15 accessible at the very front of the ship and it is home to the Skylight Chapel. Actually, that is the only thing on deck 15. Onboard weddings are held in the chapel and it is open to the public for the remainder of the time. I believe on certain ships and sailings they have religious services in the chapels.

The arched areas are small alcoves for sitting, meditation, quiet time and additional seating for weddings as well. When we were in the Chapel there was a family there checking it out as a possible wedding venue in the future. I would say the majority of the time is it empty and I dare to guess 99% of the passengers have no idea it's even there.

Down one deck on Deck 14 at the very front of the ship is the large area known as the Viking Crown Lounge. It features expansive windows and an unbeatable views out to the sea. In past years it has been divided up on most ships into other venues. Currently on Explorer of the Seas the area is home to the following venues, starting clockwise on the port side, the Seven of Hearts & Cloud Nine which during the day are open to the public as game rooms to play board games and cards. Both rooms are stocked with playing cards and board games for passenger use. Each room has floor to ceiling windows with a view of the ocean.

Hi, Thanks for taking the time to post and show all your terrific pictures. :)

We are following your idea of a "rest and relaxation" cruise this coming Saturday on Oasis. No tours, nothing but beach relaxing in Labadee, Falmouth and Cozumel. :D

At 4:30 each afternoon the two venues are closed for the private Diamond/Diamond Plus/Pinnacle event taking place from 5:00-8:30pm. I will insert here that this is the first ship that we have been on since becoming Diamond that did not have a separate Diamond Lounge with concierge and we really missed that. The Diamond event consisted of complimentary wine, champagne & fountain drinks. Beer and liquor were offered at a 25% discount. There were no appetizers available, except for bar mix. The other ships we have been on had the Diamond Lounge and the extras really made it special. On other ships the drink selections included liquors, beers, mixed drinks, coffees, cappuccinos, etc.

This was the evening offering for free which was a nice C&A Diamond benefit which we were thankful for.

When Explorer goes in to dry dock in April these two area (if they follow the same plan as Navigator did) will become Izumi Asian specialty restaurant and it will be open for lunch on Sea Days and each evening as well. We have had a chance to enjoy Izumi on a couple of ships and I think it is well worth the a la carte pricing.

The next area on deck 14 is Dizzy's Lounge which features a bar, seating and a dance floor. This venue features live music most evenings and is a happening place.

During the day it is pretty quiet up in this area and it is a nice place to come to read or just enjoy the peace and quiet with a fantastic view out to sea.

On the Starboard side of deck 14 is the 19th Hole which is another bar area.