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RCL Newbie - few Explorer questions

wezie

By wezie,
in Royal Caribbean International

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wezie

wezie

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Posted

Hi. I am new to RCL and will be on the Explorer this year. I have a few questions.

 

- What are the dining room times for breakfast / lunch and dinner?

 

- For those that have been on the Explorer recently, what are the formal nights like? Does everyone dress up in gowns and tuxes? If not, what do others wear? Do all men wear jackets and ties? Can ladies wear slacks?

 

- Is the casino smoky?

 

-My Time Dining....do I need to make a reservation every night or can we just go to the dining room when we feel like eating?

 

- If I pre order excursions or drink packages, do I pay for them ahead of time or are the added to my on board bill?

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megr1125

megr1125

Posted
Posted
Hi. I am new to RCL and will be on the Explorer this year. I have a few questions.

 

- What are the dining room times for breakfast / lunch and dinner?

Breakfast, depends if sea or port day...if sea, about 8-10, port prob 7-9

 

lunch, sea days only, noon-ish, til 1 or 2

- For those that have been on the Explorer recently, what are the formal nights like? Does everyone dress up in gowns and tuxes? If not, what do others wear? Do all men wear jackets and ties? Can ladies wear slacks?

 

you will see everything.......mostly jackets and ties, sometimes not. And many ladies in slacks with a dressy top....generally, suits and cocktail dresses though, but not always

- Is the casino smoky?

Depends on time of day.....formal nights, it's smoke free....i do not like smoke, but i am usually ok in there...

 

-My Time Dining....do I need to make a reservation every night or can we just go to the dining room when we feel like eating?

whichever you prefer....most reserve, but you can do that the same day, or day before...you may have a bit of a wait otherwise

 

- If I pre order excursions or drink packages, do I pay for them ahead of time or are the added to my on board bill?

 

 

anything you buy before you get on the ship will be charged to your credit card right away....

 

see other answers above

 

enjoy!

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leaveitallbehind

leaveitallbehind

Posted
Posted (edited)
Hi. I am new to RCL and will be on the Explorer this year. I have a few questions.

 

- What are the dining room times for breakfast / lunch and dinner?

 

- For those that have been on the Explorer recently, what are the formal nights like? Does everyone dress up in gowns and tuxes? If not, what do others wear? Do all men wear jackets and ties? Can ladies wear slacks?

 

- Is the casino smoky?

 

-My Time Dining....do I need to make a reservation every night or can we just go to the dining room when we feel like eating?

 

- If I pre order excursions or drink packages, do I pay for them ahead of time or are the added to my on board bill?

 

The set dinner times in the MDR are 6:00 PM & 8:30 PM. Breakfast and lunch hours can vary based on sea days v. ports of call.

 

Dress for formal nights typically ranges from smart casual to tux / gowns, and everything in between.

 

As the Casino is a designated smoking area it is likely to be smokey most of the time.

 

You can make a reservation with MTD or just show up when you want to. You may have a little wait without reservations, however. Gratuities are prepaid at the time MTD is selected.

 

Prebooked drink packages and excursions are charged to your credit card at the time they are booked. They both can be purchased on board, however.

 

We've cruised on Explorer twice in the past year and half - she's a great ship with a great crew. Enjoy your cruise!

Edited by leaveitallbehind
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CVU

CVU

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There is no casino smoke free night on Formal night on ExOS or IOS- we have been on both for B2Bs, in the last few months.

 

They do have a larger area now in the casino as smoke free but it doesn't make a lot of difference we felt.

 

Dressy casual to very dressy was seen on Formal night.

 

Explorer was great, have a wonderful cruise!!!:)

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Clarea

Clarea

Posted
Posted (edited)
Thanks Everyone. I have another question. Does the Explorer have self serve laundry? How about an irons and ironing boards?

None of the above for guest use.

 

Royal does offer a laundry service. Here's an old price list:

 

http://media.royalcaribbean.com/content/en_US/pdf/LaundryPriceList.pdf

 

Prices might be a little higher now.

Edited by clarea
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dodgeball24

dodgeball24

Posted
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$25 for the bag and depending what level you are it will be cheaper, you can fit a lot of stuff in one bag but this is not for dress shirts or dresses those are ala cart and honesty I have had a dress shirt ruined so I bring enough dress shirts and only send my athletic stuff , socks. Etc. it is usually back 24 to 48 hours just give your bag to your room steward and make sure you complete the form that goes with the bag and you keep the pink copy

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phish tales

phish tales

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$25 for the bag and depending what level you are it will be cheaper, you can fit a lot of stuff in one bag but this is not for dress shirts or dresses those are ala cart and honesty I have had a dress shirt ruined so I bring enough dress shirts and only send my athletic stuff , socks. Etc. it is usually back 24 to 48 hours just give your bag to your room steward and make sure you complete the form that goes with the bag and you keep the pink copy

 

turn around is usually 72 hours. we never ever had it back in 24..

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dodgeball24

dodgeball24

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Will say explorer slower but although I prepay my tips I always give our room steward a 10 or 20 depending how many days and people we have and let them know I need my basketball socks back ASAP and it shows up the next day or at least in 48.

 

You asked about any other tip we take a collapsible cooler and have them put ice in daily for cool drinks .

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wezie

wezie

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A few more questions....

-Does anyone have menus and the daily compass from the Explorer?

-Is there any type of adult water slide for adults?

-Is there a large TV screen by the pool?

-Has anyone done the all inclusive beverage package on the Explorer? Do they limit you (Carnival limits you to 15 drinks per day)? Does it include non alcoholic frozen drinks?

 

Thank you all so much for your help! I can't wait to go!! :-)

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Clarea

Clarea

Posted
Posted (edited)
A few more questions....

-Does anyone have menus and the daily compass from the Explorer?

-Is there any type of adult water slide for adults?

-Is there a large TV screen by the pool?

-Has anyone done the all inclusive beverage package on the Explorer? Do they limit you (Carnival limits you to 15 drinks per day)? Does it include non alcoholic frozen drinks?

 

Thank you all so much for your help! I can't wait to go!! :-)

I can help with some questions.

 

No adult water slide on Explorer.

 

No large TV screen until after dry dock, scheduled for early 2015.

 

Currently no limits on drinks from the unlimited alcohol packages. The packages include non-alcoholic frozen drinks.

Edited by clarea
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dodgeball24

dodgeball24

Posted
Posted

1. Solarium fills up quickly from nov to March due to colder temps from Bayonne and an older passenger list so if you want to be in there you need to get there early

2. The loyalty crew has usually just 2 people and they are usually a few deep when u board get the appointment book it is on the table at the loyalty station and set an appointment to open up a open date cruise so u get your on board credit on next cruise

3. The second show does get crowded so getting there a few minutes early may benefit u

4. After the show if you want an elevator walk to the 4th or 5th floor and push the down button u will go down but a lot of people ride the elevators and their are a lot of carts, I take the stairs but if u don't good trick, even going down to 2 and pressing the up button works

5. They are really slow getting off the ship and walking off best way to go but usually 30 to 60 minutes later then u signed up for

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  • 3 weeks later...
wezie

wezie

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What is the solarium?

 

Is there a link anywhere to the breakfast, lunch and dinner menus? How about the daily compass?

 

Has anyone recently had experience with putting a luggage tag on a case of water in Bayonne? I was debating on if I should put it in a suitcase or not and if I do should I check the suitcase or carry it on?

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Clarea

Clarea

Posted
Posted
What is the solarium?

 

Is there a link anywhere to the breakfast, lunch and dinner menus? How about the daily compass?

 

Has anyone recently had experience with putting a luggage tag on a case of water in Bayonne? I was debating on if I should put it in a suitcase or not and if I do should I check the suitcase or carry it on?

The Solarium is a pool area for adults (16 and over) in the forward part of the ship. It's separated from the main pool area where the pool bands play and the belly flop contest is held, so tends to be more quiet and peaceful.

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MommaBear55

MommaBear55

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Search the Royal Caribbean board for the dinner menus, as they are the same fleet wide. (Search function is back as I write this, not sure if that will last!) I do not know if the order of the menus change with each ship or not. In addition to the changing menu every night there is also a small menu offered every night, which includes fish, chicken and steak offerings.

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Merion_Mom

Merion_Mom

Posted
Posted
What is the solarium?

 

Is there a link anywhere to the breakfast, lunch and dinner menus? How about the daily compass?

 

Has anyone recently had experience with putting a luggage tag on a case of water in Bayonne? I was debating on if I should put it in a suitcase or not and if I do should I check the suitcase or carry it on?

 

Search the Royal Caribbean board for the dinner menus, as they are the same fleet wide. (Search function is back as I write this, not sure if that will last!) I do not know if the order of the menus change with each ship or not. In addition to the changing menu every night there is also a small menu offered every night, which includes fish, chicken and steak offerings.

 

http://www.royalcaribbeanpresscenter.com/press-kit/9/culinary-press-kit/

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Cigar King

Cigar King

Posted
Posted
Thanks. Is there anything else you think a newbie should know that anyone can help me out with? I really appreciate any and all info.

 

 

We'll be on the Explorer next week. Does that happen to be your cruise? You should sign up for the roll call for your cruise. Here's a link to the Explorer calls. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=260

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Clarea

Clarea

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Thanks Everyone. How about breakfast and lunch menus?

 

Daily compass anyone? :-)

A typical breakfast menu, courtesy of Linda:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=40358692&postcount=9

 

A typical lunch menu, courtesy of LMaxwell:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=40254174&postcount=4

Edited by clarea
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  • 2 weeks later...
wezie

wezie

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Here are a few more questions....thanks everyone for your help!

 

What is a good time to get to port on embarkation day? (Bayonne)

 

If I want to bring a case of water, what is the best way? Will it go through if I stick it in a suitcase and put it with my checked luggage?

 

Does the Explorer have shuffleboard?

 

If I am getting car service, what is a good time to tell the driver to pick us up?

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

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