cort43202

29 minutes ago, Weluv2cruise2gether said:

Cort43202, when are you sailing in July? We are on her 7/23 and can’t wait!!

July 9th.  Already looking forward to it.  First time cruising in the summer.  We usually go in March and hope the weather follows us back home.  It never does.

33 minutes ago, Ashland said:

We got on Explorer for a B2B On Sunday March 20th. Sorry but I'm going to completely disagree with the OP. The ship is definitely showing her age (old and tired) and desperately needs her dry dock which is scheduled for 2023.

 

There are 2800 onboard and it feels like 4k. Lot's of large groups of locals...kids and adults loud and rude and have taken over the ship. Very understaffed everywhere. WJ is a mess and dining room service is slow. Food at all venues very poor.

 

We're in an OS and have needed maintenance several times, our cabin literally falling apart.

 

The SL concierge scans your SeaPass card every time you walk in...every drink you order and every time you walk out the door...that policy is new to us. SL is small enclosed area deck #9 but DL is a nice space deck #14 and very empty each night. Apparently these two areas will change next drydock.

 

We're long time loyal RCI cruiser's and very low key and usually ask for nothing. But very disappointed in this cruise and hoping things get better next week but I think that's doubtful.

 

Some other CC members onboard and through their posts are experiencing and seeing the same as we are.

 

We've sailed out of San Juan several times on this B2B itinerary and this may be the last time...so sad !!! 

Sounds like we were a week ahead of the rush.  As to the shape of the ship, everyone will have to make their own opinion.  I was impressed that the deck chairs and WJ chairs were new.  Our room was clean and other than that, I'm not too picky.  Sunny weather, drinks and no email!!!

19 hours ago, chrismch said:

Is masking totally optional on ship now? Or are there still places it's required?

Are they doing full production shows and guest entertainers?

Any changes to the casual promenade restaurants from pre-Covid?

Trivia still in play with teams? Music trivia?

Was the future cruise consultant offering any good packages?

Did you use the Diamond lounge? We've enjoyed it on other RCL ships, but this is our first cruise on Explorer in 6 wks.

This will be our first post-Covid cruise - can't wait!

Masks were totally optional onboard, everywhere.  Staff was still wearing them.  

Full production shows were held and they had a guest comedian and performer.

The only restaurant on the promenade was the cafe and it was the same as on previous trips.

Trivia was still done in the Schooner bar.  Music was at 7:30 each night.  They ran through it pretty fast like they had something better to do.  Each night, it was over in 20 min.  With the ship at half full, the Schooner Bar was not packed for Trivia like it usually is.

Did not talk with the future cruise consultant.

Did not use the Diamond Lounge.  I don't even know where it is, LOL.  With 4 free drink benefit loaded on our card and available at any bar at any time, we didn't have a reason to go in.  I'll have to check it out on our cruise in July, just to see what's there.

Enjoy.

Edit to my original post.  Taxi from airport to Old San Juan was $21 and $1/bag.  Not $27 and $1/bag.

5 hours ago, cruisetmc said:

Did the ship have any parades thru the promenade?

They did the disco, YMCA dance up on the bridge above the promenade but they never came down and danced with the guests through the promenade.  They may have had others but that's the only one we saw.

6 hours ago, Tin can said:

Thanks for the review. I dont suppose there was any mention of the 5 week dry dock she is having next February in something like the Captains questions.

 

We are on her next summer and we were wondering if she was getting a' mini' amplification.

I didn't hear any mention of the 5 week dry dock.  We are back on in July and if I remember, I'll ask.

My wife and I just returned from a 7 day cruise on the Explorer.  Here are my comments/observations from our cruise. 

Ship was in great condition.  There were new chairs in the WJ and on deck.  Cabins are still pretty much the same as when we previously cruised in 2018.  This was our 15th (for me) and 17th (for my wife) cruise, all on RCL.  Most all have been on the Voyager and Freedom class as these were the largest ships when we started and we like the layout and amenities.  We'll be back on the Explorer in July, wrapping up our 2020 cruises!!

This cruise had no days at sea, which I didn't really like.  We had an excursion cancelled at St. Kitts due to lack of participation so we just went out into the port shopping area for a couple hours and then went back on board.  

We are Diamond members so we got 4 free drinks and didn't get the drink package.  I really wanted to get it but couldn't justify the price with getting 4 free every day.  I definitely didn't drink as much as I would have with the package but having a port stop every day, we didn't have any drinks until late afternoon when we returned.  My wife did get the Refreshment package and thought it was worth the money.  Bottled water, specialty coffee and fresh OJ.

Ship had approximately 1800 guests according to our waiter and room steward.  It was obvious that the ship wasn't at full capacity.  No wait for drinks, food at the WJ or deck chairs.  People seemed a lot less grumpy!!

Dress Code - Wasn't being enforced at either the WJ or Main Dining.  During formal nights, there were more than a few men wearing shorts.  

Windjammer at breakfast and lunch was much different than previous cruises as you had to be served cafeteria style instead of serving yourself.  This worked fine with the number of guests on board and you never had to wait.  I ordered eggs every morning and was never more than the second person in line to order.  One side of the WJ was closed so I assume they'll open it up as more guests are allowed on board.  There didn't seem like there was as much selection but I never felt like I couldn't find something I wanted to eat.  

Main Dining - could have been our waiters or that they had more tables to cover but ours didn't seem as on top of their game.  In past cruises, water glasses were always filled, bread never went empty, coffee was offered with dessert and salt and pepper was always on the table.  Just observations as they did a great job when asked for something but it definitely wasn't as fine tuned as in the past.  Entire order was taken at one time, appetizer, main course and dessert.  Food was very good for the most part.  I'd skip the Fish and Chips next time.  The fish at the WJ was better.  We did MyTime Dining at 8:30.  

Specialty Dining - we ate at Chops one night.  Supply chain issues were evident here.  No ribeyes and they were out of the first two bottles of wine we chose.  I don't know what the dress code is in Chops but men were wearing shorts here as well.  

Wifi - we had a coupon for a free day of wifi.  I definitely wouldn't pay $25 a day for it.  Very slow to load pages.  Tried to do a speed test but it failed every time.

Royal App - this was the first time we used the app on board and I was hesitant at first but it was handy to have everything at your finger tips and not have to carry around the Cruise Compass.  Obviously, you have to carry your phone though.  No paper Cruise Compass any longer.  

Menus at the bars were QR codes that you scanned.  I didn't ask if they had paper ones.  

Embarkation and Disembarkation was really easy.

Ports - There have always been locals trying to sell their stuff but they seemed really aggressive this time and made the days at the beach a little hard to endure.

Excursions - we usually do our own thing but due to Covid protocols, we chose to do the ones offered by RCL.  A lot of waiting in lines and enforcing mask wearing while outside waiting to leave.  Most of the transportation required masks but didn't enforce it.  

I don't know the reason, but for anybody that's cruised RCL before and enjoyed the Quest, they didn't do it on our cruise.  

*****Warning****** Taxi from the airport to Old San Juan was very easy and the price was stated before entering the taxi ($27 and $1/bag) for our party of 4 with 6 bags.  The taxi from the pier to the airport was a different story.  It's mayhem and you can't tell who's a driver, who's loading bags and who to trust.  One guy said $15/person and then another came up and said $21 plus $1/bag so we pulled our bags over to the van.  He loaded all the bags and then wanted a tip.  I thought he was the driver but he was only loading bags.  Then when we got to the airport, the driver wanted $45.  I told her we were quoted a lower rate and she just shook her head and said $45.  We paid and then I went to the taxi stand to see if I could file a complaint but they said taxis at the airport are regulated and those at the pier are not.  Don't use metrotaxipr and make sure you talk to a driver and get a price first.

I'd be happy to answer any questions.  

Hope everyone has a great cruise, we really enjoyed ours and probably won't have the same low capacity the next time.  Enjoy it while it lasts.

Just got back on Sunday.  Ship was in great shape. Cabins are the same but new chairs in WJ and on deck.

5 hours ago, brillohead said:

Depends how much you'll drink, especially on a port-intensive cruise.

Have you cruised before?  If so, what does your bar bill average?

I think this is our 14th cruise.  Every cruise seems to be different with regards to drinks.  We are Diamond so we could probably save by using the three free drinks but I really like the ease of the package and being able to try things I wouldn't normally try if I had to pay and wound up not liking it.  I'll make sure I get my moneys worth but I hate overpaying for anything.  

We are on the Freedom in March and then again in June.  Both are 7 days and show our Buy One, Get half off at $51/day (excluding the 18% gratuity).  Total for one person is $421 and $842 for two.  Not sure if this is a good deal or not.

Bedfordmom...I think we were on the same hike. It was cloudy and raining when we got to the top and though we weren't in the same tour group as the lady that broke her leg, we helped carry her down. I don't think I've ever been as tired as I was after that.

******************************************

Even though we couldn't see anything at the top, I still enjoyed the hike and the scenery along the hike. I'd recommend it. You definitely need to bring hiking shoes and be careful hiking down, especially if it's wet.

Crickets........ok, I guess we'll get back on the ship.

I can only give you my experience but we booked with Spencer a couple years ago and had a great time. I read the mixed reviews as well and was hesitant so I emailed him before I booked and asked a bunch of questions. He was very quick to respond and had acceptable answers to my questions.

We took the land and sea tour and it was very nice. He does stop along the way which I didn't mind because it gives you a more personal interaction with the people and there wasn't any pressure to buy. He also made a stop and brought on board some bread for us to sample and it was really good.

We are going back to St Lucia in two weeks and booked the Sea Tour with Spencer so we could get more time at the beach.

I believe he tries his best to make the tours as enjoyable as possible and he is very aware of the reviews he gets and the impact to his business as he mentioned this to me in his response and once again at the port when we got to St Lucia.

Isa65 - thanks so much for your quick reply. Those rates aren't as bad as I remembered them to be. When we got off the ship last year, I thought I remembered being quoted 45/person but it was not roundtrip.

Thanks again, we'll be in Curacao for our third time the week of March 10th and love the island.

Isa65 - could you tell me what the rates to Cas Abao would be for 2 people? We were in Curacao last year and I thought the rates were incredibly high to go to Cas Abao so we wound up going to Kon Tiki which was nice but would like to try someplace else this year.

Thanks for your help.

Just booked the Marriott Stellaris for March 5 on Priceline for $154 plus tax and a total of $180. Started at $124 and increased it by $5 increments using the rebid process of adding other zones that didn't have resorts. The only other area that has resorts is the Fajardo area so I just didn't choose that area when rebidding.