Daily Log, Explorer of the Seas, Jan. 16-27

[will773]

I have really enjoyed reading about your cruise! From your daily posts, it really seems like you have had the vacation of a lifetime, and you sure have been busy! Can't wait to read what you did today!

[EmpressofPurple]

Greetings faithful readers! I am basking in the warm glow of the many complimentary posts. SO glad to hear that posting my daily journal on CC is providing value and entertainment to others. I love that I always love reading about other people’s experiences, even though they are often so different from my own, so I thought I’d share my interests and activities to broaden other people’s exposure to what’s available on a cruise vacation. I am very gratified to hear that others are enjoying them… thanks so much to Yorkvillain, Missytp, flossie2359, sharonlacey, ETski, and others for your kind words

… and hey, Jean, nice to hear from you!! Yeah, I’m doing my best to be able to afford a trip on one of the behemoths of the seas; everyone I speak to just raves about their experiences on Oasis and Allure, and it sounds like great fun. I wish I could save up enough for a back-to-back to really be able to experience them – even on the Explorer there were dozens of things I didn’t get to do. We saw selections from the ‘Cruise in Review’ at the farewell show tonight, and I saw all the things I DIDN’T do on this cruise: the welcome parade, the 70s party, the sexiest man and belly flop competition (um, that’s two separate events), dancing under the stars and the midnight buffet, the Quest and much, much more. I couldn’t even attend my VERY special invitation as a Diamond to take a backstage theatre tour because it conflicted with one of our progressive trivia days. Ariel and I had taken this tour on the Brilliance, when it was offered to all and sundry, not given as a Diamond-and-above benefit only, and it was great fun. When people ask “what have they taken away from you?” this is the kind of example I give: things which used to be free and/or available to all, such as seating throughout the theatre or on every deck by the pool or attendance at special tours, are now restricted to either suite guests or diamonds and above… who used to get much better gifts, and are now “given” these things as C&A gifts, which used to be free for all! One diamond-plus told me about their room amenity, which used to be a full bottle of wine, is now one of those tiny joey bottles they sell in the Windjammer… and when they decided to get a diet coke instead of the wine, they got exactly that: one can of diet coke! Ah, well, I guess we’re all watching our pennies these days…

Yorkvillain, you are right near my office on East 87th Street – stop by and say hello! (Check out www.aplusoncall.com for more info) – and I nearly blushed at your putting me in such rarified company with Radio and Trainman, thank you! Someday I hope to have enough internet time (and personal time) to upload and post photos along with all my words, words, words (and how I wish my words were as funny and entertaining as theirs), but again, thanks.

ETski, I hope we will cruise together, too. The Explorer is in great shape, and you will have a wonderful cruise. There is the Connoisseur smoking lounge outside Maharajas on deck 5, right at the front end of the Promenade (right over the Palace theatre on decks 3 & 4). They schedule evening activities pretty carefully so that both early dining and late dining get to participate in a lot of events, and you certainly won’t miss any mainstage shows. I have had late dining in the past, and found that when we got out often depended on the speed of our servers… and how long we wanted to stay and chat with our table companions!

Promenade cabin has been great fun, a better deal than anything else on this sailing (even a standard inside) – we watched the last “Island Frenzy” parade tonight entirely from our window, and caught glimpses of the other parties during the week as well. It’s fun to sit and people-watch. We have been on deck 7, forward, and it is a perfect central location: easy walk up to the gym, down to the promenade and lido deck for dinners and shows. I remember having an aft balcony on the Mariner, and that is a LONG WALK FROM ANYWHERE!!! (It occurs to me that maybe this would bother me less now that I am more fit and active than I was when I sailed in that location… but honestly, this ship has stairs and elevators in the forward and Centrum, but nothing towards the rear of the ship.)

I think some people asked about a sewage smell, and I have noticed this a couple of times, but it is just in passing: this morning, it was notable on our way out of Johnny Rockets, about halfway along deck 12, but that’s the first time I noticed it there. I have heard others on our floor complaining about smells, but it’s not in our area, so I can’t really comment on this as an area of concern.

I was up on deck 11 early every morning, so I could see what the day looked like even though I had an inside cabin… but where’s the BRIDGE CAM?!?!? I always used to tune to that channel on my TV so I could see what the weather was like in my inside cabins, enjoy the sunrise – they don’t seem to have that on the Explorer. Harumph! C’mon, Disney is installing electronic portholes in their new builds; the TV screen in our cabin could provide the same function if the bridge cam were working.

Flossie, thank you for sharing your experience with the trip review; my table mates were from New Hampshire and were a delight for 12 nights! Rachel, I sincerely hope your first cruise is a delight, and you join the ranks of those of us who are truly cruise-crazy. You will discover that there are hundreds of different vacations going on all around you, intersecting in the same space. May you meet as many diverse and delightful people as I have had the good fortune to encounter on this cruise.

KansCocoa, I hear you about being a “gotta-do-it-all” cruiser… what’s ironic is that I really used to “do it all” – go to all of those events I listed above from the Cruise in Review that I missed on this trip… plus go to the disco, listen to all the music groups and soloists in all the different venues… attend all the arts and crafts programs, port and shopping lectures, take organized port excursions, etc., etc. – this felt like a RELAXED cruise to me!!! I look forward to reading about your exploits in search of RCI swag. I am fortunate in that I often cruise with EXPERT trivia fanatics, and have piggybacked on their knowledge to garner lots of goodies over the years… and in fact, they have SO MUCH stuff, that they bring it along on cruises to give away to other members of the group as “prizes” for poker draws, on the cabin crawl, at the slot pull, as gift exchange items, etc., etc. – or just to be nice to those of us who don’t have any (or enough)!

 

So, now on to my very last day onboard. Once again, it’s late and Ariel is already asleep… but at least tomorrow I don’t need to be up at 7am for stretch class… and we’re getting back the hour we lost back at the beginning of the cruise, so whenever we get up it will feel like an hour later than it is (or will be by then)… Or as CD Jimmy Rhodes noted in the farewell show tonight as one of his “top ten questions cruisers ask,” – “Jimmy, when I get up tomorrow, what time will it be?”

Well, today I woke up at 7am for my last 7:30am stretch class. I was ready by 7:15, so I went upstairs to see what was what on the pool deck… and I discovered that it was still dark outside! Surprisingly, though, it was also still warm enough for me to be comfortable outside in just my workout gear. I lay down on one of the Solarium chairs for a while and watched the predawn sky begin to lighten, but before the sun had crested the horizon, it was time for me to run into the gym and start my class. About five minutes into class, I ran out and around to the treadmills, pressing my face against the glass to see my last (for a while) brilliant sunrise at sea. It was glorious! After a moments I went back into the class, and the instructor asked if I was okay. A bit embarrassed, I explained I just wanted to see the sun. The class went on despite this distraction from the crazy lady (that would be me). I continue to be impressed that we have had a hardcore group of about 12 people for stretch and about 8 people for abs, every single day of this long(ish) cruise. After stretch came abs attack, and then I headed down to the cabin to wake Ariel for breakfast.

She was already up, so I packed a walking-around bag with diverting activities such as my kindle, a magazine, and my embroidery. We headed down to the Diamond breakfast and met up with the same couple we had spoken with before, along with two new couples. What a delightful breakfast! We stayed there until well past 9:30, chatting away about various trips and travel experiences. I was thrilled to hear about one couple’s trip to Tahiti and cruise on the Paul Gaugin – and was fascinated that despite the luxury of the trip, they wouldn’t repeat it because the beaches in Tahiti were far inferior to those in the Caribbean!! Really?!? (They had a true high-end trip, flying air Tahiti Nui, staying in the farthest out to sea overwater bungalows… omigosh, this has been a dream trip for me for many years… always interesting to hear about other people’s experiences and opinions…) The other couple said their first cruise was on the “old Disney” cruiseline. “Oh, do you mean the Big Red Boat?” I asked. That was our first cruise, and I showed them my necklace with the silver ship charm with the name “Oceanic” on the bottom. (I sailed that ship again later, when it was painted blue and doing two-night “cruises to nowhere” out of New York… before it sank in somewhat mysterious circumstances somewhere off the European coast…)

Oh, menu: I had a half-grapefruit, kadota figs, V-8, eggs benedict (no muffin) and kippered herring (this was the first day there were many larger bones, making it a bit harder to eat; usually I am happy to get the bones, as they are very good for you). Ariel had seasonal melon and eggs over easy with hash browns. Service was excellent and prompt, and the company was delightful.

After breakfast we went to look at our last photos, and stopped at the counter to see if we could get a refund on one of the photos we had purchased earlier in the cruise, since I discovered that Ariel had a buy one get one 50% off photo coupon in her platinum coupon book. We were told we could do this if we brought the receipt, so we headed up to the room to get it and bring it back down, when they did the transaction quickly and easily. FYI, in all departments, they are asking you to completely fill out the coupons when you use them, with name, cabin number and folio number.

When we left the photo area on deck three, we noticed a technical control center, and watched an editor mixing shots from 3 cameras to create a recording of the cake decorating competition which was going on in the Palace theatre, between the Cruise Director, the head pastry chef, and a cruise passenger. It looked quite funny. We also saw little TVs showing other channels that were broadcasting at that time, including my favorite bugs bunny cartoon, “Hair Raising Hare,” featuring Gossamer, the giant red furry monster (I must confess that I have not one, not two, but three Gossamer stuffies in my bedroom at home. Sigh. “I just lo-o-ve monsters.”)

Then it was up to Maharajah’s Lounge for Captain’s Nautical Trivia at 11am, with Captain Henrik Loy and the Cruise Director. Questions included a number of nautical terms, most of them pretty easy (where is the food prepared? What is the prison called?) and some a bit harder (in what country and city was Explorer built? Who is the person who actually steers the ship? What are the bumpers that you see in port that keep the ship from running into the pier?) The winner had a near perfect score, and received a large and beautiful chart map of the voyage, signed by the captain, along with photos with the captain. (Note: Jimmy Rhodes did state that he will be getting off the cruise in NYC, but I do NOT know who the new cruise director will be. Perhaps someone getting on tomorrow can post that info for those who are interested.)

After this we had nothing to do until our final Progressive Trivia at 1:15, so we headed up to Dizzy’s lounge to relax and watch the waves. There were no chairs in Dizzy or Viking Crown, so we kept moving over into the adjacent 19th hole sports bar, where we found two comfy chairs by the floor to ceiling windows overlooking the water. When I had gotten up at 7am the seas were still relatively calm; now we could see whitecaps everywhere, and the sky was getting misty. This was a lovely relaxing venue; Ariel sat and read her kindle, and I worked on my embroidery. We listened to the towel folding class in the Viking Crown as we enjoyed our activities.

At about quarter to one we headed down to the Schooner Bar so we could get our favorite couch by the window. We continued to relax and enjoy the rough waters right outside the large porthole. Our team showed up, and despite the fact that we were fifth on the list, we had faith that we would move up in the ranking today and place in the top three. Elvis (from the CD staff) showed up and announced that today’s trivia would have 35 questions rather than the usual 20. I felt this only gave us a better chance to achieve glory. I personally screwed up the answers to two questions that my teammates would have gotten correct without my interference, and their knowledge generally put us over the top, but I also contributed a few helping ideas… and indeed, by the end, we had amassed enough points overall to let us surpass the Dream Team and move into third place! Well, the winners got cellophane-wrapped piles of RCI swag… the second place team won a bottle of white wine… and we won a bottle of red wine! Since one of the main team members didn’t drink, he and his wife declined the bottle; Ariel and I likewise turned it down, since I don’t drink either, and she could hardly finish up a bottle in one day; we gave it to another member of the team, and she was very happy to share it with her husband later in the day. Yay, success! It was a very good feeling. Truly, it’s the glory and the fun of the competition, not the swag. (Don’t listen to that, RCI, it’s all about the swag! Better gifts now!! Harumph!!) We took pictures of ourselves with our winnings, and exchanged emails, hoping to stay in touch. It was a very nice group.

We wanted to get to the guest talent show at 2:00pm, but we still hadn’t had lunch, and Ariel wanted to try Johnny Rockets. We were a little worried since I had spin class at 4:00pm, but we decided to go for it anyway. The views of the water from deck 12 were quite scary; the waves were getting huge, with spray flying off the whitecaps. We walked into Johnny Rockets and were greeted by the friendly staff. We immediately received a plate of half-fries, half-onion rings, and placed our orders: a rocket double for me, and an original for Ariel. Little did I know that these hamburger patties were HUGE, unlike the skinny flat burgers in the Windjammer. It was hard to eat two, but I managed. We also used a coupon for buy one soda, get one free, and Ariel had a root beer while I had a Mr. Pibbs (I wanted a cherry coke, but they were out of cherry syrup and this was the closest they could do). The waiters and servers sang and danced, and when we left they all said “Goodbye!”

Lunch was fun, though I do think the $4.95pp upcharge is a bit much. They used to offer a very nice C&A coupon for one free Johnny Rockets meal; now it’s a buy-one-get-one milkshake coupon, which is useless for me since Ariel is lactose intolerant! We ordered the apple pie for dessert (moist and delicious) which came with a scoop of vanilla ice cream – so I scooped the ice out of my Mr. Pibbs, added the ice cream, and made my own free ice cream float!!! They also gave us a to-go cup for Ariel’s root beer, since she couldn’t finish it all while we were there (their glasses are huge).

We walked across the rolling and pitching deck – past the pool which spilled onto the deck with every giant wave – to the forward elevators, where we headed downstairs so I could change for spin class; Ariel proceeded to the Schooner Bar so we could get online for a napkin-folding brochure. We enjoyed the third and final napkin folding class, but they didn’t bring the brochures: they took our cabin numbers and said they would deliver the brochures later. Well, it’s later, and they’re not here. Sigh. Anyway, at about 3:45pm I headed up to the gym. By now the ocean was really scary, and the sky was quite dark. It was clear that it would be raining soon. I laid down on a Solarium chair to watch the storm for a while, then went at claimed my bike.

Spin class was quite a challenge! The ship went up and down, our bikes went up and down, but we managed to stay on. Every so often we would hear a collective “whoa!” from the gym area, where someone would clearly be falling off their treadmill or some such. Nonetheless, our bikes remained upright, and we finished a challenging class, with sprints, long hill climbs, jumps, and more. Need I mention the fact that we had just finished a massive, greasy Johnny Rockets lunch less than an hour before?!?!? I was lucky I made it through this class even WITHOUT the rocking and rolling ocean. I also love being in the gym in the midafternoon, since that is often when the performers come in to work out. I have seen several of the dancers, singers, ice skaters and orchestra members in the gym, either working on routines or simply keeping themselves fit so they can perform their demanding jobs.

After class I went outside to watch the storm for a while. It was raining now, and the captain had said we would hit even worse water in about an hour and a half, or 5:30pm – right before dinner, lovely. I went back to the room, where Ariel had done most of her packing. She kept having to sit down to counteract her response to the ship’s movement. I took a shower and dressed for dinner (black and white tunic-length blouse over black leggings, Tom’s silver Moroccan print shoes), and we watched the entire “Island Frenzy" parade from our promenade window. It was very entertaining, with brightly colored costumes, upbeat island music (that we couldn’t hear very well through the double-hung windows – wish they would simulcast it either on the music channel or a TV channel in the room) and we enjoyed looking at all the people gathered on the Promenade to see the festive event.

We then put together the tip certificates for our stateroom attendant, waiter, assistant waiter and head waiter, and headed down to the dining room. By now, the outside decks were closed, and the ship was really pitching in the rough water. We passed our stateroom attendant on our way out and said that our beds were covered with our bags, so he didn’t need to turn them down that night. We also gave him his gratuity envelope and thanked him for his excellent service. He asked when we might be coming back on Explorer, and asked how we were doing with the rough seas. He shared that he had eaten a green apple, since this is what they do for seasickness – you could see he was in a bad way. It must be very hard to have to work in that condition, and I felt for him.

Ariel and I were worried we might not be able to eat, given the circumstances, but once we started, we were fine (and the sea calmed down a bit as the evening progressed). I asked if there was any plain broth or consommé I could have, even though it wasn’t on the menu, and our waiter found me a very nice chicken soup. I also had a seeded roll with sunflower seeds and poppy seeds that was quite delicious, as well as some cheese from our table’s cheese plates. My main course was the turkey (a traditional final night dinner) and it was very good, moist and tender; I also ate the carrots and brussel sprouts, and left the mashed potatoes and stuffing (though I did have some cranberry relish and gravy). For dessert, I apologized for yet another special request, and asked for (and received) a small bowl of fresh strawberries, which I ate with some more cheese and a cup of coffee with cream. We exchanged contact information with our delightful dinner companions and hugged each other before we parted ways, promising to stay in touch. They really made this trip very special, and felt like family to us.

Note: The waiters all gathered on the staircase for their farewell song, and included among their number were BOTH captains (or Captain Henrik Loy and Staff Captain Tore Grimstad), so clearly they are both well, both onboard, and there are no obvious problems here at all.

Ariel and I then walked across the Promenade, as I wanted to see if they still had the glass statues that had been on display the night before, but alas they were all out (I had wanted one as a thank-you gift for the friends who are dropping us off and picking us up from this cruise). We then walked up to the room, where I started the packing procedures, and got quite far along: all of my clothes (except what I was wearing for dinner and a show), my bath stuff, books, papers, etc.

At 8:30pm we headed down to the theatre, where we got second row center seats for the 9:00pm show. We ordered a coke (I found a 20% off coupon, whoo-hoo, saved 40 cents!) and read our kindles until the show started. Super intro from the orchestra, Jimmy introducing the “Cruise in Review” dvd and showing some funny clips; a comedian (funnier than the guy who had been on the first night); plus Jimmy’s “Top Ten Questions Cruisers Ask,” and a walk-by number from all four main singers and all the dancers, followed by a parade of staff from all of the various departments onboard.

I returned to the room to finish packing while Ariel went up to the internet café for a while. The internet was down, so she returned fairly quickly. I got everything smashed back into our three HUGE bags, and I settled down to start working on this final installment of our delightful trip. With no cheese in the room, I have been keeping up my energy by munching on some good-n-plenty candy that I had brought from home (I ate part of it during our movie nights in the cabin earlier in the trip, but it seems to be a never-ending box of candy).

 

So, that’s about it! I have emailed my friends about our anticipated arrival time tomorrow… our big bags are out in the hallway, and my small rolling bag and Ariel’s backpack should hold our remaining toiletries, sleepwear, computer, etc. with no problem. We’re actually looking forward to getting home, seeing Ariel’s brother, our three kitties, NYC… love cruising, but I’m ready to sleep in my own bed and eat my own food and take my own fitness classes… I belong to a wonderful free fitness walking group in a beautiful urban park overlooking the Hudson River just a few minutes from my home, and I’m involved in a very demanding Bikram Yoga program, attending classes 3-5 times per week, and I miss my regular routine.

We are still hitting some serious waves, and I’m looking forward to crawling into my bed and getting some sleep before we pull into Bayonne in the morning. I’ve emailed my friends to pick us up around 10am; even though we’re scheduled to arrive at 8:00am, they have to transport the ill patient, and clear the ship, before we start disembarking – our planned time is 9:45-10:00am. I’ll post again when I get home tomorrow night about how it went.

Thanks again for following along on our adventures. I’m glad that my experiences offer a different view of what cruising has to offer, beyond what is on the “Cruise In Review” dvd or what is in the cruiseline commercials. I really enjoy the opportunity to interact with other passengers, from first-timers to highly experienced cruisers, and to learn about what they enjoy doing onboard. If time permits, I’ll try to scan and post some Compasses later this week, too.

[dirtgirl]

Welcome back, Denise!!! Glad that you had such an awesome time!! I'll call you next week. :)

[nyyhoneybee]

Amazing review! I've been following along but not saying anything until now.

 

You really inspire me with how much you do! I admit I get lazy on a cruise, all I want to do is sit in the pool with my Nook (depending on the ship, the adults only pool has a shallow section that's just about an inch or two that it's doable!).

 

I am impressed that you got to all your gym classes. I think that might be a goal of mine on my next cruise, at least for the sea days (it's a European cruise and I know we will do plenty of walking in ports). I have a goal of eventually running the Disney Half Marathon and I am going to need to be really good and disciplined to get there!

 

Welcome home!

[red devil]

Denise, thanks for a great trip report.

You are now docked and i will be getting on in a few hours just like doing a back to back. Safe trip home.

Dick & Mari

[megs51877]

Thank you so much for this review! I will be on the Explorer in 51 short days (but who is counting) and reading your detailed account has made me even more excited!

It sounds like you had an awesome time, welcome home!

[Montague2011]

Thanks for all the info. Loved seeing the Explorer through your eyes. Spending today flying and boarding Adventure tomorrow. Hope to document many of our memories too!

[Great 2 B at Sea]

Thanks, Denise, for sharing your cruising experience with all of us! Everyday I looked forward to reading your next entry. How wonderful of you to have taken so much of your precious time on your vacation to enlighten all of us! I felt as though I was on the cruise with you! My husband and I are sailing on the EOS February 27th, and we can't wait! Your postings were extremely helpful.

[blacksheep2]

Thanks for all the info. Loved seeing the Explorer through your eyes. Spending today flying and boarding Adventure tomorrow. Hope to document many of our memories too!

 

We board in a week ---fill us in please-on boarding and any secrets you can share

[Never2Late2Cruise]

I was up on deck 11 early every morning, so I could see what the day looked like even though I had an inside cabin… but where’s the BRIDGE CAM?!?!? I always used to tune to that channel on my TV so I could see what the weather was like in my inside cabins, enjoy the sunrise – they don’t seem to have that on the Explorer. Harumph! C’mon, Disney is installing electronic portholes in their new builds; the TV screen in our cabin could provide the same function if the bridge cam were working.

 

When we were on the Explorer for the Thanksgiving cruise the cam was not working.

 

We questioned the (new & temp) CD and got a blank stare with the response that

the foward facing cam never existed.

 

However at the "ask the Captain session", we posed the question why is it not now

working and we know it exists as we have even seen an emergency airlift from the

helipad on the the TV cam.

 

He said he would check it out and by that afternoon the foward cam was on the TV.

 

We too book a Promenade cabin and the TV cam is a great way to check out whats doing outdoors.

 

It is my guess that when it goes off line they have to hit a reset button, but this

will only be done if they know its down.

 

If it happens again on our next cruise, I will address it quicker with hotel management.

[SpekiTrout]

Wonderful, wonderful review/blog review Denise. I joined in "your vacation" a bit late, but once I began ... it was just like a terrific novel and I just could NOT put it down! I loved each and every 'detail' and I'm so glad you and your daughter had a fabulous time.... how could you not! I also feel better knowing you too had 3 large suitcases for thats what I'm bringing on the 6th of Feb when we do this very same cruise. Thank you so much for taking the time for writing it all down ... (hours daily) ... it truly was appreciated. Make sure you let us all know when the "next" cruise comes around !

[EmpressofPurple]

Okay, I’ve now had a day to lie around, watch TV and sleep A LOT… now I’ve gotta unpack, do A LOT of laundry… and cook! My daughter came into my bedroom this morning and said, “Um, I’d the like omelette with spinach and ham, and oatmeal, and some hash browns, and some fresh melon.” NOT!!! (Well, actually we had omelettes with mixed vegetables, fresh avocado, red onion – plus I added hot peppers and cheese for me and her brother – with organic turkey sausage patties on a side. Not bad, eh?)

But I know you’re not still tuning in to hear about my daily workouts and meals and activities here at home – yeesh, I’d have to write about my panic and tears about the struggles to meet the bills as a single mom and sole family support, the various household obligations and chores, encouraging my kids during their critical transition times, etc. etc. – all the things I love to cruise to get away from !

Anyway, here’s my final report on disembarkation day (that was yesterday, Saturday, Jan. 28). Ariel and I woke up at 7am, went back to sleep until 7:30, then got up, dressed for the weather, and emptied the safe. We learned from our last cruise not to do that the night before, especially if the water is rough, because the open safe door bangs all night long! (In fact, I took down all the empty hangers in the closet so they wouldn’t rattle during the night in the choppy seas. Don’t worry, we hung them back up before we left, so we wouldn’t add to the work of our wonderful room steward, Bagus.)

We headed down to breakfast in the dining room… and once again, there was a line out the door to the elevators! What?!?! On disembarkation day? With half the dining room empty? What is going on here? Anyway, at least once we got seated the service was quick and attentive… although they were out of some items on the menu (the result of one extra day at sea? Really?) – no bananas; no melons; no bran muffins; strange. I had a half-grapefruit, the kadota figs, a spinach, mushroom and cheese omelet with bacon on the side, V-8 and coffee. We could see the dining rooms on decks 4 and 5 were already filling up with people waiting to disembark. We chatted with our tablemates, none of whom we had met during the cruise, and shared our travel plans, then headed back to the room to pack up and move to our exit area. We still had nearly an hour till our call time of 9:45-10am, but we wanted to give our room steward time to prepare the room for the incoming passengers.

We stopped off at the Guest Services desk on our way up to our room to see if we could contact the CD staff for the napkin folding brochure, which was never delivered to our room – and they had them right there at the counter, and gave us two! I also tried to get a refund of my unused internet balance (about $26 credit for me, about $20 for Ariel from her free $50 credit) since she couldn’t get online the night before and I couldn’t get online this morning to use it up – but they said they couldn’t do that. I’ll be writing to customer service about this issue, and try to at least get an OBC in the amount of the unused credit for our upcoming Monarch cruise – after all, we tried to use it all up, but couldn’t because the “internet was down for routine maintenance.” Harumph!

The platinum and above departure lounge was the Palace Theatre on deck 3 – not the best locale for departing passengers, since it’s hard to squeeze in and out of rows with our carry-off bags. There was a stand with coffee, juice and pastries, but since we just had a full breakfast we didn’t make use of that. I left my rolling bag unattended behind the top row of seats, and Ariel and I moved into the center of a row past others who had arrived before us. Our number was called fifteen minutes early, and we started to make our way down to deck 1 to disembark. We “bonged” out the door for the last time, and headed into the shuttle bus to the nearby terminal to find our three large bags.

We were fortunate to get seats on the soon-to-be-packed double bus for the 1-minute ride to the terminal – and we were very fortunate to have beautiful sunny weather, with temperatures in the mid-40s, a bit chillier than we were used to after our 12-day Caribbean sojourn, but still, very warm and clear for a day in late January, when we could easily have been experiencing snow, freezing rain, freezing temps, etc.

We saw our bags immediately, but no porters – and there was no way we could manage the 3rd large bag on our own. Well, there were porters, but they were helping everyone else! Ariel went out of the baggage room, into the adjacent area, and came back with a porter for us. We piled on our 3 huge bags, plus my rolling bag and Ariel’s backpack, and the porter escorted us through customs, where we handed in our forms and had our passports (and faces) inspected by the guard. We then headed out into the unheated staging area, where the porter unloaded the bags for us, and I tipped him $5 for his help. I had hoped he could unload the bags right into our friends’ car, but they weren’t there yet. We had called them earlier to tell them to meet us at 10:15, and we arrived there just at that time… but when we called to find out where they were, it seems they had gotten lost on the highway! Then, when I called them back, they got on the highway – heading the wrong way!! And they LIVE in New Jersey! Argh.

We sat in the (unheated) terminal and chatted with two young men, one of whom I knew from the morning stretch classes (at least from the first couple of days… by mid-cruise, he was one of those people who started going to the clubs late at night and didn’t make it to the early morning gym classes anymore). Their ride showed up before ours did – at about 11am. We drove straight back to NYC, brought out the shopping cart from our garage to pile in the extra bags, and rolled upstairs on our own, since Ariel’s brother had called in the morning to say he was heading down to Soho to see off his best friend who was about to embark on a solo 3-week trip to England and Ireland. Lucky guy! (Ariel’s brother had traveled with him on a similar trip over the summer to England, Ireland, Amsterdam and Paris. Lucky guys!!)

And… that’s it! There’s the whole trip report! I played with the kitties, and then collapsed on my bed and slept for two hours after our return (having dozed on and off on the ride home as well)… then I got up and watched TV for a few hours… made myself a can of soup and a veggie burger… and went back to bed by 10:30pm. No workouts today! No unpacking, no laundry, no nothing. (Great news, though: I actually lost 2 pounds during the course of this cruise! Yay, daily workouts and stairs!!)

Today I started browsing Cruise Critic, and found a similarly-written “Live from…” thread from FamilyGoBoston on the Oasis, with photos! What a delight. The author wrote it a month after her cruise, noting that it took time to upload the compasses, post photos to the web sharing sites, and organize her notes. I have done those types of reports in the past (which I titled “(NOT) live from the…” so people knew I wasn’t still onboard and couldn’t answer any current questions) – and indeed, it is different to take the time to type up all the details while still on the cruise. It didn’t really take away from my cruising activities, since I would do it late at night… but it did cut into my sleep time a bit, as evidenced by my falling asleep immediately upon my return!!

Ariel and I were supposed to run 12.5 miles today according to our half-marathon training schedule (courtesy of Jeff Galloway on the runDisney website)… but we’re taking a “Sunday Fun Day” and catching up on all the tv shows on our DVR instead! Ariel has created a lovely slide show of photos from our entire tour, and posted many to facebook; I may try to upload some here at some point, if time permits… but I do have a lot of work and household chores to catch up on this week, so I may not get to it!!! I guess I’ll do the run later in the week… and I’ve gotta get back to my Bikram schedule this week, too. Ah, post-cruise blues, here you are.

Fortunately, Ariel has a cross-country road trip to look forward to, and when she gets back we will head down to Orlando for the Disney Princess Half-Marathon, a week in Disney World, followed by a 3-night cruise on the Monarch to recover from our efforts! Thanks again for cruising along with us. Now, I’m off to read more about a week on the Oasis. I don’t know HOW I’m ever going to do a mega-cruise… there’s SO MUCH to do, and I’ll have to increase my budget to cover all those extra-fee activities and meals that I will want to try at least once! Yikes! Yeah, I better save up for a back-to-back, or be prepared to skip all the ports… and despite having been there several times, I actually enjoy all those “standard” port stops, like Nassau and St. Thomas. I can always find something new to do, or repeat an old favorite, or just walk around town and appreciate the local architecture, eat local specialties, chat with local folk. I love traveling!

Best regards to all, and happy sailing to those who are onboard the lovely Explorer right now. I’m sorry your cruise was cut short by one day, but you seem to have all weathered the last-minute change very well. I was reading your roll call yesterday – much more active than the one for our cruise! – and I was very impressed with your resilience and positive attitude given the situation. Happy cruising!!!

[EmpressofPurple]

When we were on the Explorer for the Thanksgiving cruise the cam was not working.

 

We questioned the (new & temp) CD and got a blank stare with the response that

the foward facing cam never existed.

 

However at the "ask the Captain session", we posed the question why is it not now

working and we know it exists as we have even seen an emergency airlift from the

helipad on the the TV cam.

 

He said he would check it out and by that afternoon the foward cam was on the TV.

 

We too book a Promenade cabin and the TV cam is a great way to check out whats doing outdoors.

 

It is my guess that when it goes off line they have to hit a reset button, but this

will only be done if they know its down.

 

If it happens again on our next cruise, I will address it quicker with hotel management.

 

Thanks so much for this info! I will be sure to check with the front desk right away next time if I can't find the bridge cam channel on the TV. Much appreciated!!

[EmpressofPurple]

Amazing review! I've been following along but not saying anything until now.

 

You really inspire me with how much you do! I admit I get lazy on a cruise, all I want to do is sit in the pool with my Nook (depending on the ship, the adults only pool has a shallow section that's just about an inch or two that it's doable!).

 

I am impressed that you got to all your gym classes. I think that might be a goal of mine on my next cruise, at least for the sea days (it's a European cruise and I know we will do plenty of walking in ports). I have a goal of eventually running the Disney Half Marathon and I am going to need to be really good and disciplined to get there!

 

Welcome home!

 

Hi honeybee, how great to have a European cruise coming up! I'm jealous, but I've always been nervous about a cruise that would demand so much of me in the ports that I wouldn't have a chance to enjoy all the offerings onboard -- you can tell I love the cruise activities. But I LOVE traveling and seeing new places, and I would be out and about at every port stop in places where I have never been before, and possibly may not get to visit again.

 

Re: race training, I ran my first-ever 5 last January in Disneyworld with my kids (then 21 and 24) -- we were looking for something different to do during our Orlando trip, and we just happened to be there on Disney Marathon weekend, so we signed up for the Buzz & Woody Family Fun Run 5K.

 

Wow, what a challenge that was for me at the time, having never run before at any level... and I had a terrible baking accident less than a month before the race -- yes, you read that right, baking accident. Very tight on our budget, I decided to bake cookies as holiday gifts that year... and my heavy marble rolling pin fell off the counter onto my big toe! Yikes!! I ran anyway, and completed the race... and we had so much fun that my daughter and I decided to sign up for the Disney Princess Half Marathon for Feb. 2012 (yep, that's next month), figuring that we would have over a year to prepare.

 

And we have spent the past year preparing, running a 5 or 10 K race every month, plus following the Galloway training program since October so we will be in shape for the race... despite my having broken two toes on our Monarch cruise in December, when I went for a run on the VERY uneven ground of the 2-mile nature walk on CocoCay. Live and learn; it turns out the running/exercise route is on a nice paved road up the hill from the nature walk. Argh! Anyway, I was back on my training program within a month and on track for the race at the end of February. Make it a goal and you will get there!!! : )

[EmpressofPurple]

Wonderful, wonderful review/blog review Denise. I joined in "your vacation" a bit late, but once I began ... it was just like a terrific novel and I just could NOT put it down! I loved each and every 'detail' and I'm so glad you and your daughter had a fabulous time.... how could you not! I also feel better knowing you too had 3 large suitcases for thats what I'm bringing on the 6th of Feb when we do this very same cruise. Thank you so much for taking the time for writing it all down ... (hours daily) ... it truly was appreciated. Make sure you let us all know when the "next" cruise comes around !

 

Thanks for your kind words, and indeed, I did not regret anything I had packed for this trip! What a pleasure to be able to drive to the port and not worry about flight weight/size restrictions; we won't be so lucky for our upcoming 11-day February DisneyWorld/Monarch cruise trip.

 

Fortunately, we will have a washer/dryer in our unit, so we just have to pack clothes for 4 days: we'll do laundry twice in Orlando, and use the same clothes for the cruise. There's no formal night on a 3-night cruise which makes it even easier, even though we always like to dress nicely for dinner. We'll probably still stow one bag between the two of us, with our toiletries, sun stuff, etc. -- plus each take one rollaboard and large purse. Oh, how I'll miss these three big bags! (Though I'm not looking forward to unpacking them today.)

 

Have a great cruise, and thanks again for your positive remarks.

[crisndeefromde]

DENISE

 

Thanks for taking us along. I love the Explorer as she was my first ship experience.

 

Glad you lost pounds!! Keep up the good training and good luck.

 

Don't be upset if you don't get any credit for your internet. It states in the contract no refunds of any unused time in your package and while they try to make sure the internet is working all the time, there may have been times when with the situation that you had on board it was blocked so that medical could have constant contact with authorities and also folks needing to make travel arrangements could still do so with faster connections. No idea if that is the case but we had it happen to us on the Liberty a few years ago when the storm of the century hit the east coast and one day at sea we didn't have tv. next morning ...two days before arriving back to port we are hearing of this pending storm and no one knows when or where and so forth. well needless to say the next day when they knew the path, no internet except in the computer area. hot spots were cut off so people could make travel arrangements. our flight was cancelled. as soon as the ship got close enough to port that morning for us to get a cell signal hubby was on phone to us air who took care of us. it was just a long day of flying and drive home ok until we had to turn off main highway to go two miles to our house that took hour an a half. who knows.

 

Best wishes with your marathons.

[critterchick]

Welcome home!

 

… One diamond-plus told me about their room amenity, which used to be a full bottle of wine, is now one of those tiny joey bottles they sell in the Windjammer… and when they decided to get a diet coke instead of the wine, they got exactly that: one can of diet coke! Ah, well, I guess we’re all watching our pennies these days…

 

They haven't been paying attention. The little bottle of wine (or the single Diet Coke) is a welcome back gift and is given in addition to their chosen amenity. It's a single beverage - bottle of water (small one), diet Coke, Heineken (as you move up the scale you get more choices), etc. Then you get one, two or three amenities, depending on how many cruise credits you have. We had three full bottles of wine, plus Don got a beer and I got one of those little bottles of wine. <hic> So at least that part of the program has actually been enriched, not cut back.:)

 

I'm still bummed that we missed you on Monarch in December by one lousy cruise. Some day we'll cruise together again!

[GHarkness]

Enjoyed the review! I'm actually relieved it's finished, because now I can actually get stuff done before I go to work! :)

 

Just as a matter of reference, it has been our experience, and we were told by the staff upon complaint, that it is standard practice to take down the internet "for routine maintenance" on the morning of debarkation, at approximately 5:00 am.

 

Nobody warns you about this, but my experience as an early riser bears this out.

[will773]

Oh no! I'm so sad that your cruise is over! What am I going to read every day!? This was an amazing review. Usually I don't read the really long reviews, but this was really one of the best ones I've ever read, period! Great job!

[smeck]

Any sewage smells throughout the ship? Many reviews have mentioned the nasty smell.

[EmpressofPurple]

Welcome home!

 

 

 

They haven't been paying attention. The little bottle of wine (or the single Diet Coke) is a welcome back gift and is given in addition to their chosen amenity. It's a single beverage - bottle of water (small one), diet Coke, Heineken (as you move up the scale you get more choices), etc. Then you get one, two or three amenities, depending on how many cruise credits you have. We had three full bottles of wine, plus Don got a beer and I got one of those little bottles of wine. <hic> So at least that part of the program has actually been enriched, not cut back.:)

 

I'm still bummed that we missed you on Monarch in December by one lousy cruise. Some day we'll cruise together again!

 

Kisses, Jean, sorry to have missed you too. I'm sure we'll cruise together again! Thanks for your expertise with the updated info re: welcome gift vs. d+ amenity. xoxo

[EmpressofPurple]

Enjoyed the review! I'm actually relieved it's finished, because now I can actually get stuff done before I go to work! :)

 

Just as a matter of reference, it has been our experience, and we were told by the staff upon complaint, that it is standard practice to take down the internet "for routine maintenance" on the morning of debarkation, at approximately 5:00 am.

 

Nobody warns you about this, but my experience as an early riser bears this out.

 

Thanks GH, good to know... for future cruises! :mad: Can't really help me on the one just past. Ah well, live and learn.

 

And glad you were following along! I spent all day Sunday reading some of the other long reviews of other cruises, many with pictures... and I would enjoy more detail from the writers, let me really live the cruise experience along with them. It's nice to know that other enjoy this, too.

[EmpressofPurple]

Oh no! I'm so sad that your cruise is over! What am I going to read every day!? This was an amazing review. Usually I don't read the really long reviews, but this was really one of the best ones I've ever read, period! Great job!

 

I'm honored, Will, I read your profile and you're so young to be so into cruising! I also noted your nice comments on some other great reviews with pix. I'm glad that you enjoyed my long and detailed log of the cruise, and that it didn't get boring. Thanks so much for your kind words, and may you enjoy a long cruising career:)

[EmpressofPurple]

Any sewage smells throughout the ship? Many reviews have mentioned the nasty smell.

 

Hi Smeck, check out post #152, paragraph 6 - I think I addressed this issues here. Briefly, I noticed it in passing in a couple of hallways, and on deck 12 exiting Johnny Rockets on our last sea day. I was not in an area where this was an ongoing concern, but I did hear other people complain about it.

[smeck]

Hi Smeck, check out post #152, paragraph 6 - I think I addressed this issues here. Briefly, I noticed it in passing in a couple of hallways, and on deck 12 exiting Johnny Rockets on our last sea day. I was not in an area where this was an ongoing concern, but I did hear other people complain about it.

 

Thanks Denise, if I have half as much fun as you on the explorer the cruise would be a success.