Just back EOS 5/22 UNBELIEVABLE!

This was our first cruise with RCI (sailed once with Disney). I can not begin to tell you how fantastic this ship is, and how amazing the crew and staff are!! I will post a review later. I just wanted everyone who is getting ready to board this ship to know how great she is. We had the best time. Not one complaint(and we were in the smallest room). I miss our waiters Glenn, Piyush, and Leslie and the kids are having their own Gagaball tournament tonight:) I'll be happy to answer any questions but I have to go tackle the mounds of laundry. Yuck. (Wasn't I just being pampered in the gorgeous caribbean?:D )

I'm so glad you had a great time! We sail with our family and friends 6/12. I keep telling my husband/kids this is going to be the vacation of all vacations! I think they're a little afraid of me saying that - thinking my expectations are way too high. We'll see.

Wish I could help you with your laundry however, I'm doin my so we can BE READY to go!

We are going 6/12 also. Imagine. Two weeks from today we'll be at sea!!

I can't wait!!!

We did EOS 2 years ago - western caribbean. LOVED it.

Glad to hear it's still great.

See you in Miami!

ufmurphys - were you on the Explorer or Empress? Where did you sail? Tell us all about it soon!

Glad to hear you had a great vacation. My husband and I will be on the Explorer, western Caribbean 8/28/05 and just like you this will be our first cruise. Please post a review soon. I can't wait to read it. :D

Here are some brief thoughts.

Embarkation- Arrived at the port around 11:00. Very crowded, on the ship by 12:40. Dropped off our luggage in our room(not ready yet) and ate lunch in the windjammer. We had the smallest interior room. It took us by surprise how small it was as our Disney interior room was not this size. However it worked out fine as there is so much storage space and we were extremely busy all week. Sailaway party was very fun and energetic, then off to dinner as we had first seating. We had a table for 4, just our family. Our waitstaff could not have been better for us. They did magic tricks for the kids, were very attentive. Our assistant waiter, Piyush from India, had only been on the job for 6 weeks. He told us how he had been homesick but was adjusting well. He pulled on my maternal heartstrings. He seem to really be enjoying his work though. Glenn our waiter and Leslie the head waiter were also amazing. I will be forwarding a letter to RCI to let them know just how special their employees made our trip. Our allotted tip amount in our budget went way up as they all deserved and got more then the suggested amount.

Sea Day- Enjoyed our first Mango Tangos in very pretty souvenior glasses! Hung out by the pool, did some ice skating, the kids played on the slide, visited sprinkles ice cream machine several times. This was the first formal night. Had our pictures taken. On this night notice there are several different backgrounds for pictures on the different levels of the ship. We found this out later and liked the background of some we missed. Picture still came out good. We ate cesear salad, shrimp cocktail, beef tenderloin, cheesecake and cherries jubilee. The food is delicious!! It was such a treat.

Kids Club- Our kids loved the club. They begged us to go and begged us not to pick them up. We forced ourselves to stay awake a couple of nights so the kids could stay for the "late night party" and the gagaball tournament.The counselors in the club were very good. Went to show Paul Boland,comedian, impressionist. He was very good. Had a great time.

Belize tomorrow.

So far everything sounds great...WOW, even the food got a thumbs up from you. What a relief for me!!!

Can't wait to hear the next chapter.... Kelly

In Belize we booked a private tour to Altun Ha. I was determined to see Mayan Ruins but knew an 8 hour tour would be too long for our kids so the 4 hour tour seemed perfect. The guide was very nice, professional and knowledgeable. However the van ride alone pretty much did us in. I am not a complainer, I grew up in Key West florida without A/C in my house or car but we were miserable. Evidently the guide booked a larger group than normal so she did not have her regular van. This meant we were in a very cramped old van with little to no A/c or air circulation. She could not offer us drinks, which prior to the trip she said she provided, but this van was too small to carry the cooler. It was unbelievably hot and humid in Belize which just made the van situation that much worse. I thought my husband,who is claustrophic, was going to come out of his skin but he handled it ok.The ride is about an hour. The video he took in the van is hysterical to watch now. The ruins were interesting, she guided us through, we walked through the jungle a little way, and we were back with plenty of time to spare to make the tender. At dinner the waiters sang and it was so much fun. I thought it would be corny but we really enjoyed it and they did such a good job. The scallop risotto was out of this world. We played putt putt and headed to bed. (fuddy duddies, I know).

Glad that you enjoyed your cruise. I love those Voyager class ships. Something for everyone to do.

Go Gators!

Costa Maya- We did not leave the port area this day. Very nice clean port. Took advantage of the pool, and watched some of the shows performed right there next to the pool. We ate lunch at Mamasitas the outdoor restaurant located right next to the pool and beach area. Very good chips and salsa and fish tacos! My daughter got her hair braided. Some people were swimming at the beach area although there was a sign that said no swimming. I don't know if there are different sections for swimming and not. Got some great pictures. Very rocky though by the water, need shoes. Our cell phone cells (cingular) worked in this port. We signed up for international calling for the month,3.99, then 10 cents/min. T-shirts were cheap 4 and 5 dollars. At dinner the waiters sang and the entire dining room did the macarana. Again, very fun.

Cozumel-We booked the dune buggy tour through the ship. The guides were really good. After getting your buggy you stop almost immmediately to snorkle. Not a great spot but it worked ok for us. Back in Buggies and headed for a ride around the island. Very pretty drove past all the beaches everyone on this board talks about, wished we could have stopped. Took pictures at a scenic spot, continued on to secluded beach. We swam in a lagoon area, jumped off some rocks, and played volleyball. They set up lunch on the beach(fruit, taquitos,empenadas(?),chips salsa,nachos and sodas or water, yummy). Everyone had a large palm umbrella to sit under and blankets provided to sit on. Then drove around again stopped at a tourist shop and headed back. Very fun. I would recommend this but, next time we will book a snorkle trip because the water is gorgeous.Back at the pier we stopped at the little beach area next to 1/2SenorFrogs. We snorkled for a while here. Not a ton to see but our kids had a great time and it got them ready for the next day of snorkling. We really enjoyed this. We forced ourselves to stay awake for The Quest. Pretty funny,enough said.;)

Wow, great review so far.

Glad you had a great cruise and can hardly wait to go on the Mariner in September.

The EOS is a fantastic ship.

Wonder if you are totally addicted now and did you book another cruise yet?

Grand Cayman-Best Day! Booked tour through Capt. Bryans thanks to this board. Only about 25 people on the catamaran. We made 2 snorkle stops,"the aquarium",and coral gardens, then the sandbar stingray city. All three stops were great,crystalclear water, lots to see. They had a videographer on board with us who film us snorkeling($55 vhs, $65dvd) will get video in about 3 weeks will let you know how it is. Great guides very encouraging. The sting rays were incredible. I was in and out quickly but everyone else loved it. Stingrays everywhere, got to hold one then they get everyone to kiss them. Funny. Loved this port. After the tour ate late lunch at Hammerheads on the water. Good food. Everything more expensive in Grand Cayman. Not big drinkers but shopped for rum at Tortugas as it seem like the thing to do. T-shirts more expensive and stingray one for kids hard to find. Got a cute Christmas ornament with a stingray on it. Back to the ship with 30 minutes to spare. Tendering time much shorter than in Belize, bigger boats also. 2nd formal night. Didn't really feel like dressing up after all that sun and snorkeling but worked out ok. Changed after dinner,sorry. Lobster was good and our waiter brought 2nd's without us asking. Chef's came out to sing. Was happy to give them a round of applause as we thought the food was so good.

Our group just returned from the EOS Western itinerary 05/08 - 05/15.

Here is the link to our review for anyone looking for more information/pictures:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=182959

Enjoy the read!!

Glad to hear you enjoyed the Explorer - we love the Voyager class ships and can't wait for the Freedom!

How do you think the food compared between RCCL and Disney?

Great review so far. Only 6 months to go. LOL. Just curious, how old are your kids?

Thanks,

Sharonna

We sailed Disney in 2002 4 day. For us the food in the RCI dining room was comparable to the food in Disney's adult only restaurant Palos. We felt the food in the Disney dining rooms did not come close to RC.

Our children are 10(boy) and 8(girl)

Six months will go by before you know it!

Thanks for your thoughts! We leave in September and can't wait to go.

Glad you had a great time! Nice to see someone coming back without complaints about service/food/bugs/weather/towel softness. :cool:

PT737SWA We lived in Arlington for 5 years and loved it, Florida is home but still miss Texas.

Last thoughts- I was amazed at the level of service on this ship. Everyone was so friendly and helpful. To me the boat was beautiful, yes, they were changing carpets here and there around the ship but from my vantage point you are hunting if you find a flaw. To everyone waiting for their turn to board the Explorer, get ready for a great trip! You will love her.:)

I'm glad you had a good time! I look forward to reading your review! :D

I think that I have a screw loose. :D

See my signature? See the cruise on the Explorer in August of 2002? Our very first cruise, ever, and we had cabin 7688.

See the cruise on the Explorer in December of 2003? Our second cruise - um, er, we had cabin 7688.

See the cruise on the Voyager in August of 2004?.....cabin 7388

(Public service announcement: Going on the Enchantment 8/14/05, not Voyager class, not same cabin; going on the Sovereign 12/27/05, not Voyager class, not same cabin)

I just booked the Explorer for June 2006. Yep, cabin 7688. :D

Carol