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Just off Explorer. -a few observations

mat5664

By mat5664,
in Royal Caribbean International

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mat5664

mat5664

Posted
Posted

I saw some reviews before I went that the ship was looking worn and tired.  That was not my experience at all - everything was fine.   Cabin was clean and comfortable and generally the ship seemed in decent condition -  can't expect a new ship/new refurb all the time.

 

Food was generally ok.  Had one inedible main course in the MDR but that can happen.  Service first night was very slow but after that fine.

 

Very disappointed in the Formal nights.  At least half didn't bother first formal night - and there were guests in the MDR in t shirt and tracksuit bottoms.  We didn't bother dressing up for the 2nd formal night (although still proper dress) and a lot of others seemed to follow suit.  If people don't want to participate, there are plenty of other parts of the ship they can go to.  It's a shame there was no enforcement at all.

 

My mother had some service issues.  Her suitcase was put on arrival in a different corridor from where her cabin was causing some panic.  Guest services just said (at 6pm) to wait until 8pm and then ask again.  I found it by wandering around her deck.  Also, her Cabin was not turned down the first night and twice her breakfast never arrived.  These may not seem big things, but when you are 83 it does cause some upset.

 

Casino was very good (and very busy every night) and the staff helpful. One passenger won a £13k Grand jackpot on one of the slots.  I earned a Certificate for a free future cruise.  Sadly the options for the cruises are quite limited -  all US based, with 10 of them from dates already passed.  I probably will only therefore be able to use the trade in value.

 

 

 

 

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davekathy

davekathy

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11 minutes ago, doones2 said:

If I didn’t want to dress for formal night what is the other option for dinner that is no charge?  Please don’t say the Windjammer.

You don't have to dress up on formal evening.  The evening dress guidelines for the MDR both TD and MTD is a suggestion. Wear what you wear on non-formal evenings. No problem. 

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grapau27

grapau27

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5 hours ago, little britain said:

Very odd about the dress code - usually on Southampton sailings about 80% adhere.....

We just got off Explorer this morning.

I wore a tie with a long sleeve shirt and trousers but not a suit on formal night.

I would say less than 50% of men had suits on but most women were smartly dressed.

We had no issues whatsoever and our waiter Russel and his assistant Bradey were excellent in the MTD restaurant.

We used our D+ BOGO first 2 nights.Chops grill menu on the first night was excellent.

I was disappointed with the choice in Giovanni's on the second night and the sweet trolley was quite sparse.

The decor in our cabin was better than on Independence in May.

We had room service breakfast every morning and they rang 5 minutes before to tell us our breakfast was on its way.

 

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algriff

algriff

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Since you just got off this ship can you tell me if you had to get tickets to the show at night or could you just go and get a seat and watch the show?  I know on some of the bigger ships you have to get tickets to get in or so I have been told.

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little britain "Live from...." Rare

little britain

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31 minutes ago, algriff said:

Since you just got off this ship can you tell me if you had to get tickets to the show at night or could you just go and get a seat and watch the show?  I know on some of the bigger ships you have to get tickets to get in or so I have been told.

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This is a small ship! Just turn up for the theatre.  

They may organise the ice show seating by ticket or by muster station 

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M-H-B

M-H-B

Posted
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13 hours ago, little britain said:

This is a small ship! Just turn up for the theatre.  

They may organise the ice show seating by ticket or by muster station 

I was on her in March and they did the ice show by muster station but didn’t strictly enforce it. 

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grapau27

grapau27

Posted
Posted
23 hours ago, algriff said:

Since you just got off this ship can you tell me if you had to get tickets to the show at night or could you just go and get a seat and watch the show?  I know on some of the bigger ships you have to get tickets to get in or so I have been told.

Thanks

No tickets required in the theatre on Explorer.

Never went to any ice show but remember previously having to get tickets for the ice and water show on Harmony.

 

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LXA350

LXA350

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Posted
On 10/11/2019 at 2:22 PM, little britain said:

Very odd about the dress code - usually on Southampton sailings about 80% adhere.....

The younger generations are not that disciplined an also since the policy became less strict with "Wear your best" or something like that people do not seem to take it that serious anymore. But wearing a nice shirt and black trousers for men shoud be the minimum and for sure no t-shirts and shorts

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voyager70

voyager70

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4 minutes ago, LXA350 said:

The younger generations are not that disciplined an also since the policy became less strict with "Wear your best" or something like that people do not seem to take it that serious anymore. But wearing a nice shirt and black trousers for men shoud be the minimum and for sure no t-shirts and shorts

 

Agree.  As a Gen Xer I always adhere to proper dress codes/suggestions.  Millennials don't care.  It's all about them.

 

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Bloodgem

Bloodgem

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On 10/11/2019 at 1:15 PM, mat5664 said:

My mother had some service issues.  Her suitcase was put on arrival in a different corridor from where her cabin was causing some panic.  Guest services just said (at 6pm) to wait until 8pm and then ask again.  I found it by wandering around her deck.  Also, her Cabin was not turned down the first night and twice her breakfast never arrived.  These may not seem big things, but when you are 83 it does cause some upset.

What does age have to do with it? I would be annoyed by what happened.

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Saab4444

Saab4444

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17 hours ago, voyager70 said:

 

Agree.  Empress is what I would call a small ship!

 

Empress is still big compared to real small cruise ships. Look at e.g. Seven Seas Navigator, Silver Wind or Hanseatic. Empress is three or four times their size.

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Billy Baltic

Billy Baltic

Posted
Posted
13 hours ago, voyager70 said:

 

Agree.  As a Gen Xer I always adhere to proper dress codes/suggestions.  Millennials don't care.  It's all about them.

 


It’s suggested attire, not a legal requirement. People of all ages are very capable of deciding what they want to wear. I can’t understand why people get so animated about what other people choose to wear. 

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LXA350

LXA350

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6 hours ago, Saab4444 said:

Empress is still big compared to real small cruise ships. Look at e.g. Seven Seas Navigator, Silver Wind or Hanseatic. Empress is three or four times their size.

 

You can't compare Empress (at the time the largest ship for the mass market, The Oasis Class from the early 90's 🙂 ) to the Luxury market, which will always have small ships to cater for this segment

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voyager70

voyager70

Posted
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6 hours ago, Saab4444 said:

Empress is still big compared to real small cruise ships. Look at e.g. Seven Seas Navigator, Silver Wind or Hanseatic. Empress is three or four times their size.

 

True, but speaking about Royal's ships she's small.  Thinking back the first cruise I went on back in 1982 was the Sitmar Fairwind which was half the size of Empress!

 

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