Explorer of the Seas LONG Review 12/30/11 New Year's Cruise

[luvscruising2007]

Mets- please, could you explain about the ice shows and tickets. We will be platinum on our EOS cruise and if I understand you correctly there is a special presentation for that C&A level. Also, are there 2 different shows, or just 1 show, performed several times. Would like to see both if that is the case.

I am loving your review and look forward to the rest. Thanks.

[mets550]

Mets- please, could you explain about the ice shows and tickets. We will be platinum on our EOS cruise and if I understand you correctly there is a special presentation for that C&A level. Also, are there 2 different shows, or just 1 show, performed several times. Would like to see both if that is the case.

I am loving your review and look forward to the rest. Thanks.

 

There is only one version of the ice show, but it is performed multiple times throughout the cruise. You are allowed to see it more than once, but I believe it is the same show. They do multiple showings since Studio B (the ice rink theater) can only accommodate so many people at once.

 

They give out tickets in advance (ours was the first night), and you need a ticket to get into a given show (the tickets are for specific show times). However, on our cruise, there was a special ice show for platinum members and up (I believe it was the same show, but we did not need to pick up a ticket). You just give them your invitation--which you receive in your stateroom--and you will be admitted. They have bartenders handing out some free drinks when you enter.

 

If I were you, I would stop by guest relations or the loyalty ambassador if he is open on the first day and ask whether they will be doing this as the top-tier event for platinum and up. If yes, then there is no need to get separate tickets for the ice show.

[Dave85]

Still enjoying the review!

 

Regarding tables for 2: Its been my experience that there are a very limited number of tables for 2 on the larger ships. On Explorer the last time I went, we went to the Maitre D' early on Day 2 (day 1 ended up being open seating due to a delayed embarkation) and he was able to switch us to a 2 top in an excellent, central location on deck 3.

 

On Oasis, we made a stop at the Maitre D' literally the first thing we did on the ship to make sure we had gotten the 2 top we had requested. We hadn't, but since we were probably the first people who had come to him he was able to switch us to one right away.

 

Unfortunally, it seems that on most sailings there are more couples who want 2 tops than they can accommodate. In my case I think I was lucky on Explorer because while the Maitre D' didn't switch us immediately (had to wait for a notification in the cabin later in the day), he basically said that becuase I was diamond he would make every possible effort (his emphasis) to accommodate us... I think a lot of people were trying to get switched as he seemed to have a long list in front of him. I do wish they could find a way to add in some more tables for 2 so more people can be accommodated, but I realize they have limited space to play with and are probably doing the very best that they can.

 

Looking forward to the rest of the review! Glad to hear that the weather improved where you left off.

[mets550]

Still enjoying the review!

 

Regarding tables for 2: Its been my experience that there are a very limited number of tables for 2 on the larger ships. On Explorer the last time I went, we went to the Maitre D' early on Day 2 (day 1 ended up being open seating due to a delayed embarkation) and he was able to switch us to a 2 top in an excellent, central location on deck 3.

 

On Oasis, we made a stop at the Maitre D' literally the first thing we did on the ship to make sure we had gotten the 2 top we had requested. We hadn't, but since we were probably the first people who had come to him he was able to switch us to one right away.

 

Unfortunally, it seems that on most sailings there are more couples who want 2 tops than they can accommodate. In my case I think I was lucky on Explorer because while the Maitre D' didn't switch us immediately (had to wait for a notification in the cabin later in the day), he basically said that becuase I was diamond he would make every possible effort (his emphasis) to accommodate us... I think a lot of people were trying to get switched as he seemed to have a long list in front of him. I do wish they could find a way to add in some more tables for 2 so more people can be accommodated, but I realize they have limited space to play with and are probably doing the very best that they can.

 

Looking forward to the rest of the review! Glad to hear that the weather improved where you left off.

 

I agree that they need more two-person tables. We have never not been accommodated when we asked, but I was just upset with how we were bounced around before they made the change and how willing they were to place couples with families, as there were at least two or three other young couples seated near our original location with families or larger groups of much older people.

[ck53]

Great review, wanting more!

 

We leave next month. Can you tell me how many 3 card poker tables and black jack tables they have in the casino?

 

Thanks and keep the review coming!

[Dave85]

I agree that they need more two-person tables. We have never not been accommodated when we asked, but I was just upset with how we were bounced around before they made the change and how willing they were to place couples with families, as there were at least two or three other young couples seated near our original location with families or larger groups of much older people.

 

Yep, I agree, that makes absolutely no sense. :confused:

 

I like to think that they spend a few minutes to make an effort to match up compatible table mates... but it seems like someone on EOS dropped the ball.

[RSGS315]

My friend Jean and I also sailed on this New Year's cruise in seperate balcony cabins.

I'm a Diamond Plus member, and this was my 41st RCCL cruise. My friend is only Diamond, and wasn't allowed to accompany me to the Concierge Lounge. so I would sometimes go to the lounge by myself for a little appetizer and a glass of champagne, and meet her a bit later on deck 14 the ninth hole, where they held the Diamond get-together.

 

I had requested a specific round table for 8 on deck 4 by the railing, and they have always given me the table, as this is part of the Diamond + amenities.

This was my 7th cruise on the Explorer, and I like sitting at this table and always did.

Well, we noticed that we had been assigned a different table and I saw the maitre d" upon boarding. He reassigned us to the table of our choice, as it was available. We sat there by ourselves the first evening, and we requested that the head waiter would kindly move some other people over, as there were many tables with 2 or 4 people. Instead of doing this we were assigned a different large table for 10 by the window, where only one other couple was seated. They announced that they were only there because it was a formal night, and wouldn't eat in the dining room again, as they didn't care to dresss for dinner.

Our table was between two large tables with young children that were noisy and running around. On our way out we saw the head waiter again and told him we wanted to be seated at our original table, but he said that that table was full now, but the next table had two empty seats and we would be seated there the following night. It turned out someone had given some other people those 2 seats the next night and we were moved again. After 5 different tables in 5 nights, I was so angry that I couldn't fall asleep that night. I remembered my late husband always saying, if you don't get satisfaction at the lower level, you have to go to the top.

Well, I got out of bed and wrote a note to the captain, telling him that there would not be a 42nd cruise on Royal Caribbean for the reasons stated. I also was still waiting for my Diamond Plus cabin amenities, my wine and daily appetizers.

The captain must have made a few phone calls and things started to change. I received my wine and all amenities on day 6, and we were invited to dine with the staff captain on the last formal night, and assigned to a wonderful table for 6 on deck 4 for the last night.

It was a bit late in my opinion, but we had a wonderful time with these 2 couples and we have already e-mailed each other and exchanged photos we took at Dizzie's the last night.

We truly hit it off with these people, although Jean and I are a bit older than they are.

One young man in his thirties e-mailed me today and said that he would have Cosmos with Jean and I anytime.

The captain also invited us to the bridge on the last day, and he apologized for this inexcusable shuffling around in the dining room and the general treatment of a Diamond + member. They gave me an award, and I had to come on stage to receive a beautiful piece of chrystal and a bottle of Champagne. I had no intention of going to the party, but the loyalty ambassador kept calling my cabin and begging me to show up for the event.

 

I have to add a funny note.

As customary, when dining at the captains table the photographer takes a photo of the table and brings it over for the captain to sign and put a personal note on the picture. When the staff captain came around to hand it to us I noticed that this was NOT a photo of our table, as the lady sitting in my seat was a lot younger. We all laughed and thought it was funny. but our host hadn't noticed the mistake and didn't like this one bit. We had the photo sent to our cabins the next day.

 

I also noticed that with each RCCL cruise the quality of food seems to go down, and so does the selection.

 

I felt that the staff was poorly trained, for the most part. There was a lack of communication among the head waiters. I sailed the Explorer in October 2010 and in February 2011 and met a lot of regular well trained staff members, but none of them were on this cruise. They seem to move the experienced crew to the new ships and put the new people on the older ships.

Jean and I met wonderful people, old and young, and we enjoyed ourselves in spite of this.

 

I sent a letter to RCCL telling them about my experience. I'm sailing again on February 10th on the Silhouette of Celebrity cruises. I'm looking forward to this cruise as she is a new ship, and will probably have a better trained staff on board.

 

Ginnie

[LovesCruising]

My friend Jean and I also sailed on this New Year's cruise in seperate balcony cabins.

I'm a Diamond Plus member, and this was my 41st RCCL cruise. My friend is only Diamond, and wasn't allowed to accompany me to the Concierge Lounge. so I would sometimes go to the lounge by myself for a little appetizer and a glass of champagne, and meet her a bit later on deck 14 the ninth hole, where they held the Diamond get-together.

 

I had requested a specific round table for 8 on deck 4 by the railing, and they have always given me the table, as this is part of the Diamond + amenities.

This was my 7th cruise on the Explorer, and I like sitting at this table and always did.

Well, we noticed that we had been assigned a different table and I saw the maitre d" upon boarding. He reassigned us to the table of our choice, as it was available. We sat there by ourselves the first evening, and we requested that the head waiter would kindly move some other people over, as there were many tables with 2 or 4 people. Instead of doing this we were assigned a different large table for 10 by the window, where only one other couple was seated. They announced that they were only there because it was a formal night, and wouldn't eat in the dining room again, as they didn't care to dresss for dinner.

Our table was between two large tables with young children that were noisy and running around. On our way out we saw the head waiter again and told him we wanted to be seated at our original table, but he said that that table was full now, but the next table had two empty seats and we would be seated there the following night. It turned out someone had given some other people those 2 seats the next night and we were moved again. After 5 different tables in 5 nights, I was so angry that I couldn't fall asleep that night. I remembered my late husband always saying, if you don't get satisfaction at the lower level, you have to go to the top.

Well, I got out of bed and wrote a note to the captain, telling him that there would not be a 42nd cruise on Royal Caribbean for the reasons stated. I also was still waiting for my Diamond Plus cabin amenities, my wine and daily appetizers.

The captain must have made a few phone calls and things started to change. I received my wine and all amenities on day 6, and we were invited to dine with the staff captain on the last formal night, and assigned to a wonderful table for 6 on deck 4 for the last night.

It was a bit late in my opinion, but we had a wonderful time with these 2 couples and we have already e-mailed each other and exchanged photos we took at Dizzie's the last night.

We truly hit it off with these people, although Jean and I are a bit older than they are.

One young man in his thirties e-mailed me today and said that he would have Cosmos with Jean and I anytime.

The captain also invited us to the bridge on the last day, and he apologized for this inexcusable shuffling around in the dining room and the general treatment of a Diamond + member. They gave me an award, and I had to come on stage to receive a beautiful piece of chrystal and a bottle of Champagne. I had no intention of going to the party, but the loyalty ambassador kept calling my cabin and begging me to show up for the event.

 

I have to add a funny note.

As customary, when dining at the captains table the photographer takes a photo of the table and brings it over for the captain to sign and put a personal note on the picture. When the staff captain came around to hand it to us I noticed that this was NOT a photo of our table, as the lady sitting in my seat was a lot younger. We all laughed and thought it was funny. but our host hadn't noticed the mistake and didn't like this one bit. We had the photo sent to our cabins the next day.

 

I also noticed that with each RCCL cruise the quality of food seems to go down, and so does the selection.

 

I felt that the staff was poorly trained, for the most part. There was a lack of communication among the head waiters. I sailed the Explorer in October 2010 and in February 2011 and met a lot of regular well trained staff members, but none of them were on this cruise. They seem to move the experienced crew to the new ships and put the new people on the older ships.

Jean and I met wonderful people, old and young, and we enjoyed ourselves in spite of this.

 

I sent a letter to RCCL telling them about my experience. I'm sailing again on February 10th on the Silhouette of Celebrity cruises. I'm looking forward to this cruise as she is a new ship, and will probably have a better trained staff on board.

 

Ginnie

 

Hi Ginnie! We met and spoke in Concierge Lounge as well as meeting you and Jean in 19th hole! Ron and Cheryl. We truly enjoyed your company and hope to sail with you again someday. Dining room was a mess wasn't it? We ended up eating in the MDR night 1 and 2 - then in Portofino - then the buffet and then the rest of the time in Portofino (4 nights total in Portofino) never returned to dining room! Next time we will have to sit together! Cheryl

[RSGS315]

Hi Ginnie! We met and spoke in Concierge Lounge as well as meeting you and Jean in 19th hole! Ron and Cheryl. We truly enjoyed your company and hope to sail with you again someday. Dining room was a mess wasn't it? We ended up eating in the MDR night 1 and 2 - then in Portofino - then the buffet and then the rest of the time in Portofino (4 nights total in Portofino) never returned to dining room! Next time we will have to sit together! Cheryl

 

I remember you too, Ron and Cheryl. You were smarter than we were, but we were hoping each night that they would get their act together. We are both social butterflies and were hoping to find a table with other people. It's different when you are a couple, than when you are widowed and live alone. Cruising for us is a time to meet and mingle with people.

 

It was great meeting you both,

Ginnie

[mets550]

My friend Jean and I also sailed on this New Year's cruise in seperate balcony cabins.

I'm a Diamond Plus member, and this was my 41st RCCL cruise. My friend is only Diamond, and wasn't allowed to accompany me to the Concierge Lounge. so I would sometimes go to the lounge by myself for a little appetizer and a glass of champagne, and meet her a bit later on deck 14 the ninth hole, where they held the Diamond get-together.

 

I had requested a specific round table for 8 on deck 4 by the railing, and they have always given me the table, as this is part of the Diamond + amenities.

This was my 7th cruise on the Explorer, and I like sitting at this table and always did.

Well, we noticed that we had been assigned a different table and I saw the maitre d" upon boarding. He reassigned us to the table of our choice, as it was available. We sat there by ourselves the first evening, and we requested that the head waiter would kindly move some other people over, as there were many tables with 2 or 4 people. Instead of doing this we were assigned a different large table for 10 by the window, where only one other couple was seated. They announced that they were only there because it was a formal night, and wouldn't eat in the dining room again, as they didn't care to dresss for dinner.

Our table was between two large tables with young children that were noisy and running around. On our way out we saw the head waiter again and told him we wanted to be seated at our original table, but he said that that table was full now, but the next table had two empty seats and we would be seated there the following night. It turned out someone had given some other people those 2 seats the next night and we were moved again. After 5 different tables in 5 nights, I was so angry that I couldn't fall asleep that night. I remembered my late husband always saying, if you don't get satisfaction at the lower level, you have to go to the top.

Well, I got out of bed and wrote a note to the captain, telling him that there would not be a 42nd cruise on Royal Caribbean for the reasons stated. I also was still waiting for my Diamond Plus cabin amenities, my wine and daily appetizers.

The captain must have made a few phone calls and things started to change. I received my wine and all amenities on day 6, and we were invited to dine with the staff captain on the last formal night, and assigned to a wonderful table for 6 on deck 4 for the last night.

It was a bit late in my opinion, but we had a wonderful time with these 2 couples and we have already e-mailed each other and exchanged photos we took at Dizzie's the last night.

We truly hit it off with these people, although Jean and I are a bit older than they are.

One young man in his thirties e-mailed me today and said that he would have Cosmos with Jean and I anytime.

The captain also invited us to the bridge on the last day, and he apologized for this inexcusable shuffling around in the dining room and the general treatment of a Diamond + member. They gave me an award, and I had to come on stage to receive a beautiful piece of chrystal and a bottle of Champagne. I had no intention of going to the party, but the loyalty ambassador kept calling my cabin and begging me to show up for the event.

 

I have to add a funny note.

As customary, when dining at the captains table the photographer takes a photo of the table and brings it over for the captain to sign and put a personal note on the picture. When the staff captain came around to hand it to us I noticed that this was NOT a photo of our table, as the lady sitting in my seat was a lot younger. We all laughed and thought it was funny. but our host hadn't noticed the mistake and didn't like this one bit. We had the photo sent to our cabins the next day.

 

I also noticed that with each RCCL cruise the quality of food seems to go down, and so does the selection.

 

I felt that the staff was poorly trained, for the most part. There was a lack of communication among the head waiters. I sailed the Explorer in October 2010 and in February 2011 and met a lot of regular well trained staff members, but none of them were on this cruise. They seem to move the experienced crew to the new ships and put the new people on the older ships.

Jean and I met wonderful people, old and young, and we enjoyed ourselves in spite of this.

 

I sent a letter to RCCL telling them about my experience. I'm sailing again on February 10th on the Silhouette of Celebrity cruises. I'm looking forward to this cruise as she is a new ship, and will probably have a better trained staff on board.

 

Ginnie

 

Wow. You definitely did the right thing getting the higher-ups involved, and I suppose it is a lesson to be learned to do that in the first place. It now seems that the MDR really was a mess this cruise, but I'm glad you had a nice time on the final couple of nights.

[mets550]

Great review, wanting more!

 

We leave next month. Can you tell me how many 3 card poker tables and black jack tables they have in the casino?

 

Thanks and keep the review coming!

 

They only have one three card poker table ($5 minimum). There were three multi-deck blackjack tables and one single-deck blackjack table, although not all four were open all the time. All of the blackjack tables were $10 minimums.

[mets550]

DAY FOUR

Nassau, Bahamas

 

I woke up even before our wake-up call this morning—at 7:40 a.m.—and felt the beautiful, warm sea air from the balcony. Today would be a nice day.

 

I went upstairs to reserve lounge chairs, we did a lap around the jogging track, and then we plopped ourselves by the pool for the morning. We were not scheduled to arrive in Nassau until 2:00 p.m., so we wanted to get as much pool time in as possible.

 

After laying in the sun for a few hours, we decided to head inside and play bingo. We lost (of course) again, but not that many people played today, so we had some extra (false) hope of winning. We ate lunch in the Windjammer and headed back out to the pool. When 2:00 p.m. arrived, the ship had still not docked but was instead sitting in the harbor. We later found out that a Celebrity ship was late leaving port and delayed our arrival. Thus, we did not actually dock until about 3:30 p.m. Also, the captain made an announcement that, due to strong winds, it would be impossible to tender at Coco Cay the following day, so we would remain in Nassau overnight and depart at 4:00 p.m. the following day. Coco Cay was the port we were most looking forward to as beach people, but the captain obviously has no control over the weather, and we had prepared for the possibility that we would not make it to Coco Cay. In fact, the Bahamas experienced a Nor’easter the following day, and the tenders at Coco Cay were actually relocated to a different port.

 

We had booked a private island beach excursion for Nassau—Blackbeard’s Cay—but received notice that this tour had been cancelled due to renovations on the island. Since we arrived in Nassau so late, I doubt we could have gone anyway, so the cancellation ended up making little difference (we were refunded our money). It was about 4:00 p.m. when we finally got off the ship, so we decided against doing a day pass at a hotel and headed to Atlantis. I had been there before, but GF hadn’t, so it was nice to walk around. There is not all that much at Atlantis for public access other than the casino and the high-end shops, both of which were nice, however. I played $20 in roulette and (of course) lost, but I did purchase a $1 chip as a souvenir.

 

We walked onto Cabbage Beach, which is a public beach accessible through a short path from the road just outside Atlantis. This beach was swarming with people offering anything from liquor to lounge chairs to hair-braiding. We didn’t stay very long, as it was already starting to get dark. The beach felt a bit sketchy, and I don’t think I would come here for a full beach day, preferring instead a private resort or hotel. However, this beach is free and public, and there were a ton of tourists enjoying themselves. We put our feet in the water and headed back through Atlantis to get a cab.

 

Once back on the ship, we took another walk on the jogging track. It felt good to counteract all of that eating with some exercise, even if the impact would be slight. At dinner I ordered the for-fee Chops steak. I had ordered it before and really enjoyed it, but this time it seemed very dry. Perhaps that is just the nature of a filet mignon, and I really did enjoy it, but I did ask for steak sauce—something I would seldom do in an upscale steakhouse at home.

 

After dinner we went to the Love and Marriage game show. This has always been a favorite for us, and this show was pretty good. The cruise director Jimmy Rhodes did a good job with the show, and I liked how he removed the spouses from the theater while their respective spouses were answering questions as opposed to having each spouse record their answers on paper while they all sit on stage. The show was funny, but the questions were the same as on previous cruises. It would be nice if they thought of some new questions every now and then, but the show was still entertaining.

 

Tonight was also the midnight buffet and party on the pool deck. We grabbed some dessert from the buffet and brought it up to deck twelve to sit in peace and quiet, enjoying our ice cream and brownies (which we certainly didn’t need). We didn’t really stick around for much of the party, but it was a very nice night, and everyone seemed to be having fun.

 

Before going back to the cabin, we checked out the Viking Crown Lounge and the Skylight Chapel. The Viking Crown Lounge has beautiful views, and I kind of regret not spending more time up here.

 

The winds were picking up—as the captain said they would be—and we decided to call it a night. Another great day aboard Explorer of the Seas.

[LovesCruising]

DAY FOUR

Nassau, Bahamas

 

I woke up even before our wake-up call this morning—at 7:40 a.m.—and felt the beautiful, warm sea air from the balcony. Today would be a nice day.

 

I went upstairs to reserve lounge chairs, we did a lap around the jogging track, and then we plopped ourselves by the pool for the morning. We were not scheduled to arrive in Nassau until 2:00 p.m., so we wanted to get as much pool time in as possible.

 

After laying in the sun for a few hours, we decided to head inside and play bingo. We lost (of course) again, but not that many people played today, so we had some extra (false) hope of winning. We ate lunch in the Windjammer and headed back out to the pool. When 2:00 p.m. arrived, the ship had still not docked but was instead sitting in the harbor. We later found out that a Celebrity ship was late leaving port and delayed our arrival. Thus, we did not actually dock until about 3:30 p.m. Also, the captain made an announcement that, due to strong winds, it would be impossible to tender at Coco Cay the following day, so we would remain in Nassau overnight and depart at 4:00 p.m. the following day. Coco Cay was the port we were most looking forward to as beach people, but the captain obviously has no control over the weather, and we had prepared for the possibility that we would not make it to Coco Cay. In fact, the Bahamas experienced a Nor’easter the following day, and the tenders at Coco Cay were actually relocated to a different port.

 

We had booked a private island beach excursion for Nassau—Blackbeard’s Cay—but received notice that this tour had been cancelled due to renovations on the island. Since we arrived in Nassau so late, I doubt we could have gone anyway, so the cancellation ended up making little difference (we were refunded our money). It was about 4:00 p.m. when we finally got off the ship, so we decided against doing a day pass at a hotel and headed to Atlantis. I had been there before, but GF hadn’t, so it was nice to walk around. There is not all that much at Atlantis for public access other than the casino and the high-end shops, both of which were nice, however. I played $20 in roulette and (of course) lost, but I did purchase a $1 chip as a souvenir.

 

We walked onto Cabbage Beach, which is a public beach accessible through a short path from the road just outside Atlantis. This beach was swarming with people offering anything from liquor to lounge chairs to hair-braiding. We didn’t stay very long, as it was already starting to get dark. The beach felt a bit sketchy, and I don’t think I would come here for a full beach day, preferring instead a private resort or hotel. However, this beach is free and public, and there were a ton of tourists enjoying themselves. We put our feet in the water and headed back through Atlantis to get a cab.

 

Once back on the ship, we took another walk on the jogging track. It felt good to counteract all of that eating with some exercise, even if the impact would be slight. At dinner I ordered the for-fee Chops steak. I had ordered it before and really enjoyed it, but this time it seemed very dry. Perhaps that is just the nature of a filet mignon, and I really did enjoy it, but I did ask for steak sauce—something I would seldom do in an upscale steakhouse at home.

 

After dinner we went to the Love and Marriage game show. This has always been a favorite for us, and this show was pretty good. The cruise director Jimmy Rhodes did a good job with the show, and I liked how he removed the spouses from the theater while their respective spouses were answering questions as opposed to having each spouse record their answers on paper while they all sit on stage. The show was funny, but the questions were the same as on previous cruises. It would be nice if they thought of some new questions every now and then, but the show was still entertaining.

 

Tonight was also the midnight buffet and party on the pool deck. We grabbed some dessert from the buffet and brought it up to deck twelve to sit in peace and quiet, enjoying our ice cream and brownies (which we certainly didn’t need). We didn’t really stick around for much of the party, but it was a very nice night, and everyone seemed to be having fun.

 

Before going back to the cabin, we checked out the Viking Crown Lounge and the Skylight Chapel. The Viking Crown Lounge has beautiful views, and I kind of regret not spending more time up here.

 

The winds were picking up—as the captain said they would be—and we decided to call it a night. Another great day aboard Explorer of the Seas.

 

While I know alot of places celebrated the holiday on Monday January 2 - as Nassau did - I found it kind of odd that most (probably 90%) of the stores were closed in town on this day. If you wanted high end jewelery they were open (Diamonds International etc) but Liquor, perfume etc all closed. I would have thought enough ships in port to warrent being open. Or did we jusgt dock/arrive too late?

[mets550]

While I know alot of places celebrated the holiday on Monday January 2 - as Nassau did - I found it kind of odd that most (probably 90%) of the stores were closed in town on this day. If you wanted high end jewelery they were open (Diamonds International etc) but Liquor, perfume etc all closed. I would have thought enough ships in port to warrent being open. Or did we jusgt dock/arrive too late?

 

I doubt the stores ordinarily close by 4 p.m., at which time we had already debarked. I guess the store owners wanted to take a holiday, even if it meant losing out on cruise passenger business. Nassau probably has multiple ships everyday, so I suppose they didn't care that much.

[mets550]

DAY FIVE

Nassau, Bahamas

 

I felt a cold gust of wind hitting my face as I leaned over our balcony this morning. It was VERY windy, and I could now see why the captain said there was absolutely no way we could have tendered at Coco Cay. In fact, the captain told us that the winds were even stronger at Coco Cay (which is sixty miles to the north of Nassau). We were disappointed with this itinerary change, but the circumstances were obviously uncontrollable, and I didn’t hear many other people complain about it either.

 

I headed up to the pool to see whether it would be too windy to sit up there. The temperature was only in the 60s, and with the wind it felt even colder. Most of the lounge chairs even on the main pool deck had been folded up or removed so that they would not blow around. I did, however, find one section on the pool deck with significantly less wind next to the pool bar (this area was protected by part of the ship) but still in the sun. When the sun was shining it was nice, and we were relatively protected from the wind.

 

We plopped ourselves down on our chairs; there were only a few people out on the pool deck, even though it wasn’t that early. We had slept in a little bit and couldn’t decide on any excursions we wanted to do. Normally, we would have purchased a day pass at one of the hotels, but it was so windy that we figured it wouldn’t be as enjoyable. I’d like to check out the Hilton, since it is within walking distance of the dock and looks very nice, but for $55/person it had better be beautiful weather. We did the Sheraton last year, but we figured the weather did not really make for a great beach day. Since we were not going to go to the beach and hadn’t seen any excursions in which we were interested, we decided to just stay on the ship again.

 

We went into the hot tub for awhile, and when we came out we participated in a baggo competition (basically just throwing bean bags into a hole in a board). We were the only two contestants (until a third came in late), and I won (hey, it’s still an accomplishment!). All three of us got RCI waterproof wallets, which were actually immediately useful, as I used mine to store my digital camera.

 

We laid by the pool some more, had lunch in the Windjammer (they actually had some really good Asian selections), and came back out to the pool. By the afternoon the wind had become even colder, and the sun was hiding behind the clouds. We left the pool deck and explored the ship some more (I didn’t want to miss any parts of the ship). We went back to the room and then came up to the pool deck again. It was much colder at this point, and we sat down in our lounge chairs but covered our entire bodies with towels and sweatshirts. One of the activities directors saw us and told us that we were crazy. I guess when you work on a cruise ship sailing the Bahamas and Caribbean, you are not too motivated to make the best of a chilly Bahamian day. We, on the other hand, knew that when we got home we’d be wishing for a cold Bahamian day (as compared to a cold New York City day).

 

After awhile, we came back to the room and took a short nap. It actually felt nice to recharge, and there was very little going on around the ship—since we were in port—so we were not missing much. After our nap, we headed to the C&A Welcome Back party being held in the Palace Theater. We have enjoyed these parties in the past, so we were looking forward to this one. The party didn’t start until 5:00 p.m., but there were a lot of people waiting to enter the theater well before that time. I noticed that this happened a lot, but I suppose there is not much RCI can do—if they open the doors early, then people will start to line up even earlier. The member of the cruise director’s staff collecting invitations assured everyone that there were enough seats and drinks for us all, but that did not stop someone in a motor scooter from driving over my foot to get in!

 

We were supposed to leave Nassau at 4:30 p.m.—the captain had made several announcements over the last twenty-four hours. However, at 4:45 p.m., the captain announced that there were a few passengers missing and that he was going to wait a few minutes for them. We found out later (from the Captain’s Corner program, which was broadcasted on our TVs) that these people were stuck in the security checkpoint in the Nassau terminal (a very congested and slow-moving place), and they had called Miami to ask them to ask the ship to wait. I believe everyone did get back in time, so a potential crisis was averted; we sailed a little bit after 5:00 p.m.

 

In the past, C&A receptions have had finger foods and have included lots of officers thanking cruisers for their loyalty. This reception, however, had no food (not that we needed it, but we were looking forward to some mini egg rolls). Two RCI singers performed for about twenty minutes, and after that, the hotel director apologized for missing Coco Cay for five minutes and then showed us the new Shellphone commercial. He made it like we were watching something only shown to a select group, but this commercial—along with the interviews from RCI executives—had been e-mailed to all C&A members weeks before. They then showed the commercial a second time, and the Loyalty Ambassador spoke for about fifteen minutes about the RCI Visa credit card and future cruise booking. We had a few free drinks—which was certainly nice—but this Welcome Back reception felt much more like a sales pitch than a party. The music was nice, and they did give awards to two cruisers with the most RCI cruise nights, but the Welcome Back party should not just be a sales pitch. I understand that they need to promote their products, but a few minutes about the credit card and future bookings would have been enough.

 

We then went to check out the dinner menu, but there was not much that really stood out to us. We hadn’t planned on going to Portofino (we weren’t crazy about it on Liberty), but we wanted to just see whether they had any open tables. They were completely booked for the rest of the cruise, but they put us on the waiting list and told us that we might be able to get in after 9:00 p.m. Before showering, I went up again and spoke to the Portofino manager. He said that he could possibly get us in by 9:30 p.m. We really wanted to eat earlier—closer to 8:30 p.m.—since we wanted to make Quest at 11:15 p.m. After shaking hands with a $10 bill, he assured me that we would not starve. ☺

 

We showered, made a donation to the casino (we had to make up for not playing the day before!), and headed up to Portofino. The manager told us that he would have us in shortly, and we were seated by 8:50 p.m. (not bad for a completely booked restaurant).

 

Portofino was absolutely amazing! Last time, the meal lasted almost three hours; this was too long for us, so we told our waiters that we wanted to be out by 11:00 p.m., a request they happily accommodated. We each got caesar salads (which they prepared tableside) and shared a fried zuchini appetizer for two. This appetizer was absolutely amazing, although it was really only enough for one person if that is all you were getting. I also got the risotto ai gambereti, which was great. The bread was also delicious, but I tried not to fill up. For our main courses, GF ordered a pasta dish (excellent) and lamb chops (also excellent). I got a porterhouse and the gamberoni main dish, which came with a tiny lobster tail, shrimp, scallops, and salmon. Both of these entrees were amazing, although I did have to pay an additional $10 (on top of the $20/person) for the second entrée. GF was not charged an additional fee, however, since the waiter said you could order meat and pasta for the regular cover charge but not two meat dishes. There was no way I was only going to order one (I’m on vacation!), so I just bit the bullet and forked up the extra cash. For dessert, we got the sampler, but we were way too full to enjoy it. Overall, this was our best dinner of the cruise, and I highly recommend Portofino to anyone considering it. It is annoying to have to pay an extra fee for dinner—especially when the MDR is free—but $55 (with a small extra tip) for the meal we had would have cost five times that on land, so I’d say it was worth every penny.

 

We got out of dinner in time for Quest. While I had been on five prior RCI cruises, I had never actually made it to Quest. We were determined to make it this time, and we were not disappointed. Apparently it is CC taboo to mention any of the Quest challenges, but I will say that it is an adult scavenger hunt, and many contestants did not keep all (or even most) of their clothes on for part of the show. We didn’t really contribute to our team—except for the parts during which every had to dance—but it was great fun and we will definitely go again.

 

Since it was so windy, the ship was really rocking tonight—more so than any other time during the cruise. We saw vomit outside of the ladies room on our way back, and I heard others talking about how they were feeling seasick.

 

We were both really tired, so we went back to the room and went to bed. There were far fewer activities today, since we were in port. Had we known about the weather and itinerary change, we probably would have planned something to do in port, but we just rolled with the flow and didn’t have a desire to get off the ship again. We really do enjoy getting off at the ports, but on a non-beach day, walking through the congested terminal and fighting 40 mph winds ashore did not really appeal to us. Tomorrow would be our first of two consecutive sea days, and we were ready for it with our Compass heavily marked up with things we wanted to do.

[Yorkvillain]

Love this review, thanks!

 

How were the 19th Hole and Weekend Warrior Sports bars? I'm going to be on the Explorer in March during the college basketball tournament and I was wondering if I would be able to watch some of the games in either venue.

[sharonlacey]

Thanks for the great review, getting reved up for ours, lol.

[PSU]

My friend Jean and I also sailed on this New Year's cruise in seperate balcony cabins.

I'm a Diamond Plus member, and this was my 41st RCCL cruise. My friend is only Diamond, and wasn't allowed to accompany me to the Concierge Lounge. so I would sometimes go to the lounge by myself for a little appetizer and a glass of champagne, and meet her a bit later on deck 14 the ninth hole, where they held the Diamond get-together.

 

I had requested a specific round table for 8 on deck 4 by the railing, and they have always given me the table, as this is part of the Diamond + amenities.

This was my 7th cruise on the Explorer, and I like sitting at this table and always did.

Well, we noticed that we had been assigned a different table and I saw the maitre d" upon boarding. He reassigned us to the table of our choice, as it was available. We sat there by ourselves the first evening, and we requested that the head waiter would kindly move some other people over, as there were many tables with 2 or 4 people. Instead of doing this we were assigned a different large table for 10 by the window, where only one other couple was seated. They announced that they were only there because it was a formal night, and wouldn't eat in the dining room again, as they didn't care to dresss for dinner.

Our table was between two large tables with young children that were noisy and running around. On our way out we saw the head waiter again and told him we wanted to be seated at our original table, but he said that that table was full now, but the next table had two empty seats and we would be seated there the following night. It turned out someone had given some other people those 2 seats the next night and we were moved again. After 5 different tables in 5 nights, I was so angry that I couldn't fall asleep that night. I remembered my late husband always saying, if you don't get satisfaction at the lower level, you have to go to the top.

Well, I got out of bed and wrote a note to the captain, telling him that there would not be a 42nd cruise on Royal Caribbean for the reasons stated. I also was still waiting for my Diamond Plus cabin amenities, my wine and daily appetizers.

The captain must have made a few phone calls and things started to change. I received my wine and all amenities on day 6, and we were invited to dine with the staff captain on the last formal night, and assigned to a wonderful table for 6 on deck 4 for the last night.

It was a bit late in my opinion, but we had a wonderful time with these 2 couples and we have already e-mailed each other and exchanged photos we took at Dizzie's the last night.

We truly hit it off with these people, although Jean and I are a bit older than they are.

One young man in his thirties e-mailed me today and said that he would have Cosmos with Jean and I anytime.

The captain also invited us to the bridge on the last day, and he apologized for this inexcusable shuffling around in the dining room and the general treatment of a Diamond + member. They gave me an award, and I had to come on stage to receive a beautiful piece of chrystal and a bottle of Champagne. I had no intention of going to the party, but the loyalty ambassador kept calling my cabin and begging me to show up for the event.

 

I have to add a funny note.

As customary, when dining at the captains table the photographer takes a photo of the table and brings it over for the captain to sign and put a personal note on the picture. When the staff captain came around to hand it to us I noticed that this was NOT a photo of our table, as the lady sitting in my seat was a lot younger. We all laughed and thought it was funny. but our host hadn't noticed the mistake and didn't like this one bit. We had the photo sent to our cabins the next day.

 

I also noticed that with each RCCL cruise the quality of food seems to go down, and so does the selection.

 

I felt that the staff was poorly trained, for the most part. There was a lack of communication among the head waiters. I sailed the Explorer in October 2010 and in February 2011 and met a lot of regular well trained staff members, but none of them were on this cruise. They seem to move the experienced crew to the new ships and put the new people on the older ships.

Jean and I met wonderful people, old and young, and we enjoyed ourselves in spite of this.

 

I sent a letter to RCCL telling them about my experience. I'm sailing again on February 10th on the Silhouette of Celebrity cruises. I'm looking forward to this cruise as she is a new ship, and will probably have a better trained staff on board.

 

Ginnie

 

Ginnie,

 

I think my husband and I met you in the concierge lounge on the Explorer cruise in 2010 to the Southern Caribbean. Cherry was the concierge. You were a delightful person to talk to.

All of us can learn from you. I have found on my last two cruises that the dining room has been so disorganized.

We hope to see you on another cruise in the near future.

 

Rita:)

[mets550]

Love this review, thanks!

 

How were the 19th Hole and Weekend Warrior Sports bars? I'm going to be on the Explorer in March during the college basketball tournament and I was wondering if I would be able to watch some of the games in either venue.

 

We didn't really go to 19th Hole, but Weekend Warrior was a pretty nice place. They have a lot of TVs, and the place is set up like a regular sports bar. It would be nice if they served bar food there as well, but it is still good nonetheless. They had the football games on when we were there, so I'm sure they will have college basketball in March.

[LovesCruising]

So enjoying your review! We loved Portofino's as well!

 

Wasn't the C & A welcome back party a big disappointment. OK, we got a free drink - but basically we felt like it was a big sales pitch. Their new promotion and the last thing I wanted to hear about was the Royal Caribbean Visa card! I can remember when it used to be music, appys and dancing. While the appys have pretty much gone away on all the ships, and your certainly right we didn't need the food, it just wasn;t an enjoyable get together. The singers were good tho. Doubt hubby and I will attend again.

 

Looking forward to the rest of your review. :)

[Canagirl]

Really enjoying reading your review and reliving some of the things we experienced on our cruise (although a different itinerary)!

 

There is only one version of the ice show, but it is performed multiple times throughout the cruise. You are allowed to see it more than once, but I believe it is the same show. They do multiple showings since Studio B (the ice rink theater) can only accommodate so many people at once.

 

I think then it may depend on your particular cruise. For our 10 day, there were 2 ice shows, although both were performed multiple times. They had ticket distribution for the first show early on in the cruise and ticket distribution for the second show mid-way through the cruise. Both shows were great but different! (The second one was partly a friendly competition)

[nancronin]

Great review - eagerly awaiting the rest of it! Thanks.:D

[Yorkvillain]

We didn't really go to 19th Hole, but Weekend Warrior was a pretty nice place. They have a lot of TVs, and the place is set up like a regular sports bar. It would be nice if they served bar food there as well, but it is still good nonetheless. They had the football games on when we were there, so I'm sure they will have college basketball in March.

 

Great, thank you so much.

[Dave85]

We didn't really go to 19th Hole, but Weekend Warrior was a pretty nice place. They have a lot of TVs, and the place is set up like a regular sports bar. It would be nice if they served bar food there as well, but it is still good nonetheless. They had the football games on when we were there, so I'm sure they will have college basketball in March.

 

Definitely agree re: the sports bar, one of my favorite spots on Generation 1 Voyager Class ships. I'm still sad that they discontinued it after the Adventure!

 

I guess wine is more lucrative. :rolleyes:

[RSGS315]

Ginnie,

 

I think my husband and I met you in the concierge lounge on the Explorer cruise in 2010 to the Southern Caribbean. Cherry was the concierge. You were a delightful person to talk to.

All of us can learn from you. I have found on my last two cruises that the dining room has been so disorganized.

We hope to see you on another cruise in the near future.

 

Rita:)

 

Rita,

That must have been my second leg of a back to back cruise. My first cruise was only 9 nights and I sailed with my grandson Bryan. They announced snow and blizzard conditions for New Jersey, and I decided to stay onboard for the 12 night cruise.

I was in a balcony cabin with Bryan, but had to go down to an outside cabin on deck 2, as that was the ONLY cabin available.

I met so many lovely people on both cruises, and can't rmember you off hand. Maybe if I knew a little more about you.

We all used to sit in the middle of the CL, putting a whole lot of seats together in a circle.

 

That was a great cruise and I loved Cherry as a concierge. I kept in touch with her for a while via e-mail. I believe she is now with guest relations either on the Allure or the Oasis.

 

Thank you for the " delightful" comment about me. I still talk with my German accent, after nearly 52 years in America.

Ginnie