EXPLORER IS BACK! May 16-20, 2016 REVIEW w/lots of photos

[Hoopster95]

This is the perfect itinerary with the sea day last on the schedule, very easy to chill out and just do whatever that day, enjoy the ship, etc. 2 more ice shows were scheduled during the afternoon, plus there were several typical RCL "events" scheduled throughout the day (ie. Sexiest Man contest).

 

Us? It was the perfect time to acquaint my RCL newcomer gf to the ship, enjoy the sports deck and just walk around enjoying every nook and cranny. So after sleeping in, enjoying an leisurely coffee & breakfast, we head up to the sports deck. Table Tennis tourney was on and other things as well. Of course we both had to challenge each other at the wall, mini golf bragging rights (battle of the sexes... the golfer gf won :eek:), a little basketball, and some mean table tennis action! All in all an excellent morning on the aft sports deck

 

 

 

 

 

After that, we enjoyed a good walk up on top deck and grabbed another macchiato from the DL and headed down to WJ where they offered up this huge cake today (I stayed away somehow!!!). Unlike the day issues at the WJ due to the USCG inspections, WJ was humming with activity and the food was pretty decent actually (the day before was as well).

 

[Hoopster95]

After lunch the Sexiest Man competition was due, and they moved it down to the promenade. I thought that would be a really tough sell for both participants and cruisers to watch there vs. the pool deck, but instead it turned out really really good. The guys did great and the older gal judges? LOL... had their hands all over these guys, pretty funny. We had the perfect view from the outcropping balconies on deck 6 (by the elevators)

 

 

 

 

Not having the opportunity to visit the Heli... er.... "Observation Deck" since embarkation Day we headed down to deck 4, but it was relatively windy in the morning (not so much now) so obviously they had this area closed unfortunately. It really wasn't at all bad anymore so hoped they would re-open soon

 

 

 

So we cut through deck 4 to the other side of the ship. I had remembered that I never did get any pics of Giovanni's the night before. The doors were locked (no lunchtime service on sea day) so I grabbed the one pic just for memory purposes. As mentioned in a previous post, this was located to the old entrance of The Dungeon nightclub across from the Schooner Bar

 

 

[Hoopster95]

The weather was great so we headed out to the Promenade deck on the other side and decided to walk towards the back of the ship. Normally busier on sea days with cruisers sitting on loungers and enjoying the sea away from the hustle and bustle of other areas, hardly no one was on this deck on this day

 

 

 

I also took a couple of shots of the explorer command/rescue boat

 

 

 

 

The back of the ship was closed off to walking on both sides as crew was doing maintenance, so we cut across by the main dining room and headed forward up the other side. It was here that I remembered seeing models of various RCL ships on various decks and tried to jog my memory to find them. Here are the two models of the Monarch & Majesty found on deck 4 in a small inset/cubicle type of area just outside of the deck 4 theatre entrance... you'll miss them unless you specifically look

 

 

[Hoopster95]

It was only about 15 minutes since seeing the gate closed up to the Helipad but wanted to check one more time before leaving this area. We headed up the stairs... lo and behold the gate was open and access was granted. The weather really had calmed down from the morning so I guess my timing was just right. We spent some time up the sitting, picture taking, doing the "DeCaprio" at the very bow, etc

 

 

 

 

I still had in my mind to find those other models that I had quickly seen on embarkation day but did not take quick pictures of at the time. I believed that I saw them up by the Solarium so headed up that way... I was right. On either side (elevator shaft looking out the window at the Solarium, you can see the horses in the window) are the Vision and Radiance models.

 

 

 

 

It was there that I remembered the last model... starboard side of the WJ is Chops. I hardly ever go by the port side, but that is exactly where this last model is of Voyager

 

 

[Hoopster95]

We did not book MTD or any other venue... we decided to have some fun and have an early dinner at Johnny Rockets. All the booths were full (we took the last one right at the door) although there was room up at the bar stools.

 

 

 

No more dancing from the staff anymore every 30min like in the old days, and the jukeboxes are not functional anymore either... this place used to be a fun experience in that sense and worth going to just for that, but it's relatively boring now and truly not worth the $6.95 cover in my humble opinion. Burgers, fries, 2for1 shake all decent but again no reason to pay for this unless you're really yearning for a greasy burger/fries dinner vs something in MDR

 

 

 

The Headliner tonight was another entertainer I have seen previously, Scott Record (Singer, Impressionist, Comic), and again a great show was given> 4 straight nights of sgood shows in the theatre, very impressive for a 4 nighter "sampler" sailing as I thought this would be a weak link on this cruise.

 

 

 

Tonight was also the Rock Britannia show in the Promenade invented and led by the CD Graham Seymour. Graham's a talented guy for those who have never seen him... he sings and plays a very mean guitar. He sang live to most of the songs and also played the guitar (and all the solos) live. Really great show for a final night and well attended.

 

 

 

 

 

To end the evening as we have normally done, we went up to Dizzy's for some nightclub action and again was well attended, great music, excellent people and atmosphere. Had a great time up there to close down our cruise.

[Hoopster95]

We had tags #2 for our luggage but there was no way we were rushing off the ship at our designated time. We leisurely got up at 7am and were sitting up at the WJ somewhere around 8'ish, with Explorer's aft end facing into the pier area. Soltice was parked beside us as well.

 

 

 

 

Breakfast done, I took my normal final farewell walk around top deck 12 and took a few final pics of the pool deck and beautiful Seattle in the distance

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was time to hit the cabin for one last bathroom break and get the remainder of our stuff out of there. With tags #2 we could've disembarked at 7:30 I believe, and gone and waited in our "designated area". It's very easy to just take you're time if you wish, and without having to wait at all, just head down to deck 4 and off the ship with anyone else heading out the door. From the cabin down to the luggage was maybe 15min tops... it took us maybe 2 min to find luggage, another 10-15 to get past immigration and we were outside the terminal.... easy peasy

[Hoopster95]

I had mentioned in one of my first posts regarding the Pier 91 parking lot shuttle and possibility walking... well the line-up of cruisers waiting for the shuttle was as excruciatingly long as on embarkation day. There was no way I was going to wait for a 4 min shuttle ride, so right away we decided to walk on the very clearly marked white walking markers/pathway as we noticed when we had arrived. Here are pictures of making our way from the ship to the parking lot. In this first pic, note the white marked pathway at the bottom... seriously just follow the white pathway, don't veer from it, all the way to the parking lot

 

 

 

More pics as we go under the bridge, with view of Explorer looking back so you can get an idea of relative distance

 

 

 

 

Again, note the white pathway at the bottom of the photo... keep following!! You get right there no problem. From pier doors to my driver side door was maybe 15 minutes tops and extremely easy.

 

 

 

 

I would not at all walk if the weather rains... the entire way is predominantly exposed to the elements.

 

That's it! Pretty simple review being such a short 4 days. I'll put together some ratings and commentary in my next posts like I have done in my previous reviews. If you have any questions let me know and I'll do my best to help the best I can.

 

Thank you for all of you who have posted nice comments.

Happy sailing everyone!

[pk_crusing]

Thanks for all the work put into this review, it has been very enlightening and enjoyable.

[LovetheSea]

Making me excited for our Sept 23 cruise to California and back on this ship!

Thank you so much for your thoughts and photos.

[JMHDisney]

We were also on this cruise and I noticed you said no dancing in Johnny Rockets - we ate there on the Nanaimo day and the waiters did dance. However, they were so obviously uncomfortable that it was hard to watch. I felt bad for them! Just wanted to mention it in case someone really cares about that. I completely agree that it wasn't worth the $6.95 upcharge though.

 

Thanks for posting this review - although we thought this cruise was not the best, I enjoyed seeing the ship again in all your photos!😊

[Missusdubbya]

great review, thankyou!

[pomgo]

Any comments on cabin 6620 looking to book soon ire and Stan

[Clarea]

Any comments on cabin 6620 looking to book soon ire and Stan

The only thing I would not like about 6620 is the all metal outside balcony wall. I'd prefer a balcony on decks 7-9 where the outside walls are half metal, half glass. Deck 10 is also half and half, but I avoid that because it's directly under a public deck.

[aussielozzie18]

Enjoyed reading your review.

[Ocean Boy]

I heartily agree! Sorry she left Bayonne. I love the smaller ships.

 

I can remember when she was the biggest.:)

[Ocean Boy]

Explorer was our first RCI cruise and this ship will always be special. It is great to see the pictures.

[Yorkvillain]

Great review Hoopster. Thanks. I love and miss the Explorer.

[Hoopster95]

Hello again CC'ers,

 

Sorry for the delay... heavy heavy work days and truthfully I've been trying to keep up with all the negative posts about Empress/Harmony/Vision+Rhapsody redeployments, etc during my little free time. Having said that I'd like to finish up this review....

 

Firstly thanks to all for the kind words and following along! Very much appreciated as always. Really nice of you to let me know that it's helping you make decisions on your future cruise or that your just plain entertained with the photos. As per previous reviews, I use a standard rating system (easy for me to understand and compare) and how I perceived things. Although I'm usually happy and go with the flow, I think I can be tough and realistic on my ratings (I don't give 10s just because) so bare with me and my perception of things:

 

• "5" is a pass, but just barely...
  
• 6 ok
  
• 7 is very good but not memorable
  
• 8 memorable, but not the best ever
  
• 9 totally excellent, have recommended or raved
  
• 10 the best EVER
  

 

Food: -- overall 7, Specialties were hilights, everything else just ok to good --

Giovanni's 8 ... great dinner yet again, love Giovanni's

Chops 8.5 ... best meal of the cruise, gf's steak perfect, my tuna excellent, appies, sides and desert great. Have not been disappointed in last several ships

MDR 6 ... unfortunate rating as the last few ships I perceived the caliber of MDR getting consistently better. In fairness, only attended MDR 1 evening, but it really wasn't that great at all.

WJ 7 ... good, I removed embarkation day with the USCG inspection fiasco from rating

Park cafe ZERO!!!... RCL should've added a Park cafe on the refurb, biggest mistake for this ship imho

Johnny Rockets 6 ... Just ok, not worth cover charge any longer imho

 

Entertainment: -- overall 8.5, excellent evenings on board --

Production Show 9

Ice Show 8.5

Parades/Shows (70's/Rock Britannia) 8

Headliners 8 ... (Leo Ward was a 9... great!)

Star Lounge/3 piece nightly band ... 6 (the weakest link re entertainment, but many enjoyed nightly dancing with them)

Schooner piano player n/a ... never hung around enough to notice

 

 

Staff -- overall 7, nothing I will remember a year from now --

Activity Director and staff 7

CD Graham Seymour 7.5 ... one of Graham's weaker ratings I would think, he normally ranks higher imo and is memorable more often than not.

CL 7

Stateroom attendant 8 ... Great, offered robes and toiletries without asking

MDR 6 ... 1 night may not be fair to judge

Chops 7.5 ... great service

Giovanni's ... 6.5 good but nothing special

The entire crew in general/general vibe 6

 

Venues -- overall 8, I love Voyager Class ships --

Helipad 9 ... love these sailaways/sail-ins

Sports Deck 10 ... one of the best parts of the ship, now with Florider

Star Lounge 6

Royal Promenade 9... (the focal point of this ship, excellent events here and a great gathering place)

Casino n/a ... (I didn't use this time)

R-Bar 8 ... (real nice venue I should've spent a little evening time in there)

Schooner Bar n/a... spent zero time here

The Tavern n/a ... spent zero time here, but looked to have no ambiance or character, zero appeal to me

Pool Bars 8 ... never had an issue, Diamond voucher drinks easy to get, instant service, no issues at all.

Pool Deck 9 ... (love Voyager Class pool decks)

Solarium n/a ... (spent zero time here)

Gym 9 ... (beautiful space with great view and excellent equipment)

Dizzy's 10 ... (excellent evening dance venue and bar/seating area)

DL 10 ... (love the Voyager Class DL location and views)

CL 1 ... (horrible location, if I were a suite guest I would never ever see this room other than to get morning coffee)

 

 

Overall Thoughts

Itinerary 7 ... (Victoria excellent! Nanaimo just ok. Nice little 4 day getaway close to home and the one sea day is nice to have)

Overall cruise value 8 ... Very inexpensive for what was offered, priced less than 3 day Majesty cruises for example. Even with the various issues on this ship (ie. USCG inspection embarkation day) this was a supreme value.

 

RCL & the Explorer did exactly what I had expected and wanted... she gave me the "home" for 4 days that I am used to when cruising, at a bargain price with great specialty meals mixed in with excellent entertainment. As a side note, and seeing how little used the upper decks on even this cruise which was not overly cold (especially the pool and and Florider/sports deck), I am even more firm in my belief that in the end the Explorer will be a flop in Alaska... there's already several posts of the first few Alaska sailings about how crowded all the interior venues are when there's rain or cold weather. I am even more clear now in my mind that a Voyager (and freedom) Class ship is just not right for the northern itineraries.

 

Biggest disappointment for this ship: no Park Cafe or other major complimentary eating venue.

Best surprise: The excellent entertainment, shows & evening events each night

 

Last thought... RCL Offered the $75 3-specialty dinner package. From what I understand, many cruisers had decent sized OBCs, and likely accepted this deal. I heard a couple of people couldn't book into the specialty restaurants unless they dined at 9pm because they were full. Happened to me... could not book Giovanni's on the final night as was sold out. So for those wanting to experience various dining on this ship on such a short 4-day time frame, know that others on board will likely want to try things out as well and the specialty venues are not that huge to fit hundreds of people at a time... you'll need to prebook or reserve the second you get on board.

 

Thanks for following along everybody

H A P P Y C R U I S I N ' E V E R Y O N E ! ! ! :D:D:D

[pomgo]

Thanks for that so what about 6574 will that have metal on balcony. Bye Irene and Stan

[Hoopster95]

Thanks for that so what about 6574 will that have metal on balcony. Bye Irene and Stan

 

Hi pomgo. Please review the photo below of Explorer docked in Nanaimo...

 

Bob (Clarea) above knows these ships inside and out, and it's true that all deck 6 balconies on Explorer (and Adventure & Voyager too) have metal lowers rather than open glass. Note the picture, the first row of balcony cabins just above the life boats have the wooden railing almost level to the opening to the balcony, that's about the height of your hip, so definitely the lower portion of the balcony is covered metal (you can't see down unless you stand at the railing)... whereas deck seven and above you can clearly see that the wood railings are much higher than the bottom of the metal of the balcony openings, and thus you can see through and downward. If you zoom in to the photo, you will see the glass that is installed from the wooden railing down to the metal hull of the ship.

Hope this helps... I see your dilemma. I too would never book on deck 6 because of this either.

 

[Clarea]

Outstanding review, very enjoyable, thanks!

[pomgo]

Gee thanks for all that, however, maybe we should change to another deck don't really like being too high. At present we have 6574 booked but know plenty cabins available. Do appreciate your help Bye Irene and Stan