(Not) Live from the Explorer of the Seas, March 2014

[REAMMI]

Hi and thank you for the awesome review. My family and I will sail on Explorer for the second time in 20 days (yes I'm counting and we are doing 9 day with Bermuda - so different ports than you did). I also enjoyed reading about your running as your experiences sound very similar to my own. I turned 50 a couple of days ago and have been running for 2 1/2 years. I had been a walker and was concentrating on losing weight. After losing 60 pounds I decided to try running. It took me about 6 months to be able to run 5 miles. I have never run a 5k. Once I could run 5 miles I ran my first race - a 5 miler. I kept running and increasing my distance. My next race was a half marathon. I kept running and increasing my distance and before you know it I signed myself up for the Philadelphia Marathon. I am proud to say I ran and finished the 2013 Philadelphia Marathon. My 16 year old daughter caught the running bug and we both ran the Disney Princess Half Marathon in Disney World in February 2014. I still run a lot of miles although no races on the calendar currently. My daughter and I are planning to run the Philadelphia Rock and Roll Half Marathon in October. I did take a cruise while training for the Philadelphia Marathon and I won't lie - it was torture. I can live with the treadmill but it's horrible for long runs. Running 10+ miles on deck will make you dizzy. I did a combination of both - but I did it. All the best to you, thanks for a great review and keep running!!!!

 

 

I missed a few things from today’s Compass that I would have liked to do: Captain’s Corner in the Palace Theatre, where the captain answers questions… Ice skating… the apple strudel cooking demo… Wreck-It Ralph in the Screening Room… History and Culture lecture on the Pirates of New Jersey… free skin care seminar in the perfume shop… other activities listed included a bridge lecture (I think about the card game, not the ship’s bridge), table tennis and dodgeball tournaments, adult scrapbooking, acupuncture and other health seminars, line dancing, military veterans gathering, pool games and line dancing.. there’s always something to do onboard, or you can just find a quiet corner and read, listen to music, watch the waves…

 

Quest was great fun, and Ariel and Tom were tired, especially after the predinner liquor tasting, but they still checked out the silent party in the disco (where people dance to different music on their own headsets) and said it was cool. I went to the room and watched Pitch Perfect on the TV, going to sleep by 1:30 AM… (as it looks like I'm going to do tonight after posting another day at sea... and yes, I have to get up at 7am tomorrow to get to my Bikram Yoga work-study job and 90-minute hot yoga class).

 

Day 7 Compass

 

Page 2

 

Page 3

 

Page 4

 

Daily Offers

 

Side Two

(Whaaa.... JUST noticed the complimentary Portofino's Tour with Chef Gary!! I would've LOVED to go on that. Grrrr....)

 

Well, good night all... wahhh, tomorrow is Day 8 and the last day of this cruise (and cruise report). Boo hoo... no future cruises planned until the 14-night Explorer Repo in November... a few nice land trips on the horizon, though: a driving trip to a wedding in Ohio (where I've never been) at a yacht club on the lake... a week in a timeshare in Block Island, Rhode Island... 4 days in Chicago (where I've never been) for the Rock n Roll Half-Marathon... 3 days in Vegas on a timeshare promotion... not bad, overall!! Plus my running club starts up next month, so I'll be increasing mileage every week with my group, the Galloway NYC Marathon and Half-Marathon training group... I might try to add a weekend in Atlanta for the inaugural Galloway Half-Marathon in December if my schedule (and budget) permits... and I can stay in shape during that two-week cruise in November!!!

[mister windu]

Thank you for this great review, I'm sorry it had to end. I can feel your post-cruise depression vibes every time I visit these boards.

[Snookum]

I absolutely love pictures with the review. I think they tell quit a lot and love to see who it is I'm reading about. Keep the pics coming!;)

[EmpressofPurple]

Hi and thank you for the awesome review. My family and I will sail on Explorer for the second time in 20 days (yes I'm counting and we are doing 9 day with Bermuda - so different ports than you did). I also enjoyed reading about your running as your experiences sound very similar to my own. I turned 50 a couple of days ago and have been running for 2 1/2 years. I had been a walker and was concentrating on losing weight. After losing 60 pounds I decided to try running. It took me about 6 months to be able to run 5 miles. I have never run a 5k. Once I could run 5 miles I ran my first race - a 5 miler. I kept running and increasing my distance. My next race was a half marathon. I kept running and increasing my distance and before you know it I signed myself up for the Philadelphia Marathon. I am proud to say I ran and finished the 2013 Philadelphia Marathon. My 16 year old daughter caught the running bug and we both ran the Disney Princess Half Marathon in Disney World in February 2014. I still run a lot of miles although no races on the calendar currently. My daughter and I are planning to run the Philadelphia Rock and Roll Half Marathon in October. I did take a cruise while training for the Philadelphia Marathon and I won't lie - it was torture. I can live with the treadmill but it's horrible for long runs. Running 10+ miles on deck will make you dizzy. I did a combination of both - but I did it. All the best to you, thanks for a great review and keep running!!!!

 

Wow!! Hail fellow runner! Well, not only did we both run the Philly marathon together in 2013, we will BOTH be in the Philly rock and roll half in October!... and I'm doing Chicago in July too (want that extra medal) ... yeah, running on a cruise is not great fun, is it? Although the oasis running track is awesome, big enough you don't get dizzy or loss count of your laps (or trip over folks sunning on the running deck). Enjoy the explorer!!:)

 

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[EmpressofPurple]

Thank you for this great review, I'm sorry it had to end. I can feel your post-cruise depression vibes every time I visit these boards.

 

Yeah, you can see me focusing on the other mini-breaks I have between now and my next cruise, right? I may book something during the current promotion for 2015, we'll see...

 

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[EmpressofPurple]

I absolutely love pictures with the review. I think they tell quit a lot and love to see who it is I'm reading about. Keep the pics coming!;)

 

Thanks snookum, I like to see photos when I'm reading a review too so I can picture who's talking as they describe their adventures... glad you feel the same way:)

 

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[REAMMI]

OMG - I didn't realize you ran the 2013 Philadelphia Marathon - I have so many fond memories and am still quite proud. Congratulations!!!!! My family gave me an awesome keepsake from the Marathon for my birthday - has the medal, my bib, a picture - done by Fond Memories Graphics - it looks awesome. I was thrilled to finish and have no desire to run another one just yet - but not ruling it out. The half is a much easier distance for me - I still run long every Sunday and every other Sunday I run at least 13 miles. We just may have to catch up at the Rock and Roll Half in Philadelphia. We leave on Explorer in 15 days - so can't wait. Keep running :)

 

Wow!! Hail fellow runner! Well, not only did we both run the Philly marathon together in 2013, we will BOTH be in the Philly rock and roll half in October!... and I'm doing Chicago in July too (want that extra medal) ... yeah, running on a cruise is not great fun, is it? Although the oasis running track is awesome, big enough you don't get dizzy or loss count of your laps (or trip over folks sunning on the running deck). Enjoy the explorer!!:)

 

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[EmpressofPurple]

OMG - I didn't realize you ran the 2013 Philadelphia Marathon - I have so many fond memories and am still quite proud. Congratulations!!!!! My family gave me an awesome keepsake from the Marathon for my birthday - has the medal, my bib, a picture - done by Fond Memories Graphics - it looks awesome. I was thrilled to finish and have no desire to run another one just yet - but not ruling it out. The half is a much easier distance for me - I still run long every Sunday and every other Sunday I run at least 13 miles. We just may have to catch up at the Rock and Roll Half in Philadelphia. We leave on Explorer in 15 days - so can't wait. Keep running :)

 

DITTO DITTO DITTO!!!

 

Email me at denisehidalgo AT verizon DOT net!!!

 

-D

[CRZAHOLIC]

(Written at 10:45pm - catching up on my notes again)

 

So, went up to the fitness center at 5pm for the spa raffle. Alas, we did not win (although they did give out $30-off coupons to everybody, good for the first two days… a nice deal, but none of us took advantage of this offer).

 

Setting up for the Spa Raffle

 

They do create much more energy and excitement than shown in this photo, taken before the crowd arrives... as they raffle off the prizes, people cheer, applaud -- and if they win, dance! Alas, no photos...

 

$30 Spa Coupon given to everyone who attended raffle

 

I stayed on after the raffle (along with 3 other hearty -- and much younger and thinner! -- women for the free "boot camp sampler". Yep, hundreds there for the free spa raffle, 4 for the free boot camp class.

 

Four mats laid out for the boot camp taster

 

It was HARD; burpees, mountain climbers, squats, planks, and more challenging moves (lunges, pushups, stretches, etc.) I've taken the full boot camp program before (last time I was on Explorer, in fact, nearly two years earlier) -- I was expecting a 10-minute taster class, we were there for 20 minutes of a very challenging workout! How nice to have that as a free “sampler.” (One of the women was dressed in jeans, boots, a sweater and a bib necklace, which she wore during the workout! We actually became friendly and ran into each other several times throughout the cruise.)

 

Afterwards I did 10 mins. on the treadmill, enjoying the beautiful sea and sky views (there's nothing else like working out at sea). Interestingly, I was the ONLY ONE on the machines at this time; I guess everyone else was unpacking, enjoying sailaway, the drink of the day, early seating dinner, etc. (I’m actually sorry to have missed the parade on the Promenade at 5:45… oh well…)

 

Empty fitness center at sailaway (well, except for me)

 

About 6:15 I went back to the cabin, stopping by Ariel and Tom's on the way. Tom was napping! I showered and dressed for dinner (purple pants and top, short black jacket, purple multicolored scarf I had bought at a promenade sale on Oasis in December, purple sparkly fake Toms-type shoes, plus my silver "cruise jewelry” with a ship charm from my first-ever cruise, the big red boat Oceanic, plus sparkly earrings.

 

Sunset from my balcony

 

I picked up Ariel and Tom and we headed down around 7pm. Drawn to the Promenade by the rockin live jazz music, we stopped at the prom cafe and got pastries and mini sandwiches (ham and swiss on mini-croissant, salami on a poppyseed roll, mozzarella and tomato on olive foccacia… these were on offer nearly every day on this cruise, there seemed to be much less variety in the Prom café offerings than on other sailings). I also had half of a COCONUT RANGER COOKIE (my favorite, in case you couldn't tell). Ariel and Tom had some other pastries as well. I made us a fruit salad of banana and kiwi to share, and made myself an iced coffee (I asked for a cup of ice at the counter, then went over to the coffee machines where I filled the cup with coffee, milk and sweetener. Yum!)

 

We took our plates over to the Pub, where I ordered a jack and ginger for Ariel and Tom to share, using my Diamond drink coupon (3 coupons per day loaded on our seapass cards, available from 5-8:30pm at any bar).* I don't drink alcohol, so this perk is wasted on me; I'm so glad I'm traveling with someone who can use it. I don’t view this as “cheating” or “stealing” – this is a legitimate Diamond level perk, and I’m not using it for myself… I don’t ever drink in the Diamond Lounge or Diamond event (or other C&A events), either, so my drinks there just go unused. We then we walked down to the Aquarium bar, where I got them another drink to take into the welcome aboard show (I don’t think I ever used the 3 coupons on any single day onboard, and I never went to the Diamond Event on this cruise). I got an iced water in the Casino for myself.

 

At the Pub on the Promenade

 

*(I later learned that the receipt which stated “15% gratuity is included in the drink” is not true for these free drinks! I felt really bad that for the first three days I took advantage of this perk and never tipped my bar servers. Once I learned about this, of course, I always wrote in at least a 20% tip on the “additional tip” line – although in this case, it was the only tip. I never carry cash onboard unless I’m heading to the casino; this may change now that I’m entitled to free drink service at various bars as well as in the Diamond Club/Event; I’ll probably carry at least three singles, so that I can easily tip the servers in the various locales for the three free drinks, whether I get a soda for myself or an alcoholic beverage for someone else.)

 

(FYI, these Diamond Drink coupons are only being rolled out on a “trial” basis right now for very limited dates. As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, I actually much prefer having a Lounge or Club where I can meet other highly traveled individuals who love cruising – I have made many friends this way over the years, and it’s one of the reasons I love the Diamond breakfast, too. This is different from a “suite” perk (although Concierge lounge access is provided for suite guests) – that’s for people who are dropping big bucks on a particular cruise, not necessarily people who have vast cruise experience. While I’m sure suite folk are happy to hobnob with their own kind – and indeed, there is often a lot of overlap between suite guests and D/D+/P guests – my shared interests are more with those who cruise often than those who cruise at the highest $$$ levels.)

 

 

 

Who was the cruise director and his/her staff?

[CruiseAddict1982]

Just got off explorer today and it was so much fun. Met some cool people, drank a lot and ate a lot

 

 

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[Arzeena]

Hi Denise,

I am enjoying your review a lot! Still have a lot to read.

[CRZAHOLIC]

Just got off explorer today and it was so much fun. Met some cool people, drank a lot and ate a lot

 

 

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Who was the cruise director and his/her staff?

[EmpressofPurple]

Who was the cruise director and his/her staff?

 

Explorer OTS - Keith Williams from March 11 until May 8, followed by Leigh Xuereb on May 8 until September 6, followed by Keith Williams on September 6 for 2 months. (this is likely to be Leigh's last contract on EX, as he expects to be reassigned to another ship)

 

The above is from the thread "current cruise directors"... Keith Williams was our CD, with Dre as assistant CD... according to the above schedule, Leigh is back on... I had read all about him and his sidekick "Urkey from Turkey" for months before going onboard... was disappointed at first that they weren't onboard for my sailing, but Keith as a former dancer was a real high-energy CD and very personable (he really shone on 70s night when he got to break out some of those dance moves!)... and Dre became fast friends with our younger cruise companions...

 

FYI, if you read through my review, I first mention the CD in Post #22, and on from there at nearly all the onboard entertainment descriptions.

[EmpressofPurple]

Just got off explorer today and it was so much fun. Met some cool people, drank a lot and ate a lot

 

 

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I like your review, much shorter and simpler to write than mine was !!!:D

[EmpressofPurple]

Hi Denise,

I am enjoying your review a lot! Still have a lot to read.

 

Cool Arzeena enjoy! I'd love your feedback once you get through...

[DKNYC]

So it's quite possible that Keith will be the CD on the Explorer repo. That would be nice. He seemed like a nice fellow.

Denise

 

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[ajdickinson]

Denise, I just wanted to thank you for this awesome review-- you referred me to it in answer to a question about the Explorer I asked a few weeks ago, and I've really been enjoying combing through all the details of the experience! Love the photos, too!

 

Just one question-- you mention at the beginning that you and your daughter had to check in using a different line from your daughter's BF, since he was a first-time cruiser. Does that mean C&A priority check-in goes "by person," not by family party? (i.e., the non-C&A spouse or children of a C&A member would have to get in a different line, even if they were all staying in the same stateroom?) What if the children are minors, I wonder?

[Cruisin'4Us]

What if the children are minors, I wonder?

Not to worry. They hardly ever get lost! :D:D:D

[EmpressofPurple]

So it's quite possible that Keith will be the CD on the Explorer repo. That would be nice. He seemed like a nice fellow.

Denise

 

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Hmmm... "September 6 for two months" does imply he'll still be on as November 1!

 

Nice, I love seeing the same CD again, feels like an old friend... especially since we got up close and personal on 70's night!!

 

 

(Don't ask me why I couldn't find this photo earlier... for some reason, a whole bunch of my Explorer photos ended up loading in my Google+ account in December 2012!!)

[EmpressofPurple]

Denise, I just wanted to thank you for this awesome review-- you referred me to it in answer to a question about the Explorer I asked a few weeks ago, and I've really been enjoying combing through all the details of the experience! Love the photos, too!

 

Just one question-- you mention at the beginning that you and your daughter had to check in using a different line from your daughter's BF, since he was a first-time cruiser. Does that mean C&A priority check-in goes "by person," not by family party? (i.e., the non-C&A spouse or children of a C&A member would have to get in a different line, even if they were all staying in the same stateroom?) What if the children are minors, I wonder?

 

Glad you're enjoying the review and the photos!

 

A few points here:

 

1) C&A status for minor children (and spouses, for that matter) always follows the C&A level of the parents (or the more highly-cruised spouse)... I'm sure to prevent just such situations from occurring.

 

2) Alas, this does NOT apply for children over age 18, even if you are living together! My DD did not acquire my Diamond status, because I achieved it after she had turned 18, even though we are still living at the same address.

 

3) They PROBABLY would have let Tom check in with us on the Priority Check-in Line... but we had PLANNED to check in separately anyway, so that they wouldn't see that EACH of them had the cabin max of 2 bottles of carry-on wine (and indeed, when my daughter and I checked in together, and we each had 2 bottles of wine, the security guard carefully ready our SetSail passes to make sure we were in separate cabins).;)

[donnaab]

Hi! Thanks for the great review! I am on the Explorer for the first time in August and your review has been very informative. You have actually inspired me to research some of the fitness classes offered on board. I ran every morning on deck on the Jewel last year but it was a challenge due to the heat and wind. I am hoping that the jogging track on Explorer is a bit bigger than the Jewel (and that the strolling people actually move out of my way!). Thanks again!

 

 

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[ping1]

Thank you for your review. Were you able to get a bottled water with your "free" vouchers?

[Cruisin'4Us]

Hi! Thanks for the great review! I am on the Explorer for the first time in August and your review has been very informative. You have actually inspired me to research some of the fitness classes offered on board. I ran every morning on deck on the Jewel last year but it was a challenge due to the heat and wind. I am hoping that the jogging track on Explorer is a bit bigger than the Jewel (and that the strolling people actually move out of my way!). Thanks again!

If I recall correctly, 5 times around equals 1 mile on the Explorer track. Tie a bell around your neck to let people in front of you know your coming! :D Lanes are marked for jogging and walking, but I imagine there is little to no enforcement. Maybe it could be someone's duty to police the jogging track and also pick up all the towels that passengers leave on deck chairs (only half kidding!) Edited May 30, 2014 by Cruisin'4Us

[donnaab]

I thought I was so smart on the jewel and wore my gps watch so I wouldn't have to count laps (I think it was 6 or 6.5 per mile). I returned to the cabin and informed my DH that my watch was broken and was clocking me at 3mph at times and 20mph at others! He replied"you know you are on a moving ship, right?" Lol! I hadn't factored that minor detail in...... Needless to say, counting laps isn't going to happen with this scatterbrain!

 

 

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[Crossfitmama09]

Denise, thanks so much for the review. My husband and I are new to cruising and are sailing on the Explorer for the New Year. Your reviews are awesome to read and very informative. Kudos to you for exercising and eating well during your cruise...I don't know if I'll have that much discipline!