Explorer...Undercover Boss Needed?

[ukrccl_a]

On 12/30/2019 at 7:53 AM, Saab4444 said:

Thank you very much. I want to know which Captain! We travel soon on her as well.

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2589801-current-captains-continued/page/20/?tab=comments#comment-58960040

[brillohead]

On 12/30/2019 at 2:45 AM, Crism said:

Royal basically tried to squeeze 1 more season out of her from Miami.

Seriously???  🙄

Drydocks happen every five years, unless something major happens requiring a fix before then. 

Explorer first sailed in 2000, which means an every-five-year rotation would hit in 2020, which is exactly when she's going in for her next makeover.  

[brillohead]

On 12/29/2019 at 11:08 PM, LadyLion_AP said:

 

- The ship is not in the best shape. One  example....There are actually windows TAPED shut. (Easy to get past but it definitely doesn’t represent the product well. I’d be embarrassed if I was in charge here!)

As referenced already, she's scheduled for drydock in a few months. She's also 20yo.  Things will be addressed in drydock.  
 

 

- My husband still hasn’t met our room steward.

I was on Explorer a month ago and my room steward was always around, always greeted us with an energetic wave plus verbal greeting, and actually kinda pouted that he only got to service my friends' room next door to me in the evenings (they sleep in every day and don't leave the room until late in the day).  Even though they had explained their non-traditional schedule to him the first day and told him not to worry about servicing their room, he seemed disappointed that he didn't get to do the morning service for their room.  He practically turned cartwheels the one day of the nine-day cruise that I managed to get my friends out of bed to join me for lunch in the MDR on a sea day (and he was still around in the hallway at noon when we left for lunch).  

 

I've been on cruises where the room steward was invisible, and I've been on cruises where the room steward was magically always there.  Rather than meeting the steward, I'm more concerned with whether the room is being serviced satisfactorily. I'd rather have an invisible steward who makes sure I have towels in the bathroom than a visible steward who makes me drip-dry!  LOL
 

- None of us can tell you the cruise director. Granted we haven’t gone to most shows but that’s typical for us on ships other than Oasis or Quantum class. We have usually seen and/or met the cruise director multiple times by now.

I don't normally pay attention to or comment upon cruise directors, but I will say that Mike is an idiot.  I don't know if he's still doing it, but he scheduled the Silent Disco Party to be held on the Promenade at like 9:30 at night.... I have NEVER seen it that early on any other ship and I've NEVER seen it held anywhere other than a nightclub environment.  When asked about it, he kind of mumbled some lame excuse, like he didn't want to admit that it made no sense.

- Internet is the worst! We use it mostly to text but hubby does have to work at least one day this cruise. What’s funny is I thought I lost this post to spotty internet twice. Would be surprised if there ends up being duplicate posts!

Technology is another thing being upgraded in the drydock, from what I was told.  Some areas of the ship have stronger signal than others, for sure. 

Various comments in red above.

I was on her a month ago, and I'd go on her again in a heartbeat.  

[Johnamac123]

I sailed 11/30 to 12/8. I eat in MDR only. The was food very disappointing compared to my 2018 week on the Navigator. Dinner menu boring and sometimes avg flavor. Eggs bennie blah. So much better on Nav. Rated food 5/10 being generous. 

 

MDR service excellent. Room steward excellent. Guest services and excursions desk poor and earned me a 30% FCC.  

 

Thinking about not even using FCC on 2020 I have booked on Western route on Allure. Have 2021 So. Route booked on Celebrity Reflection that I may use for comparison.... I would sail again on Explorer. My issues were food and some crew.... 

[Biker19]

1 hour ago, brillohead said:

Technology is another thing being upgraded in the drydock, from what I was told. 

Given all the other recent ships which had no significant improvement to VOOM during dry dock (no more O3B upgrades) I wouldn't expect much from Explorer's either. She'll be added to the RCI app and perhaps a few more access points may make the signal more reliable, but don't expect any overall performance improvements in basic internet use.

[grapau27]

3 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

Given all the other recent ships which had no significant improvement to VOOM during dry dock (no more O3B upgrades) I wouldn't expect much from Explorer's either. She'll be added to the RCI app and perhaps a few more access points may make the signal more reliable, but don't expect any overall performance improvements in basic internet use.

We both used our D+ free internet on Explorer in October on our Android phones and experienced no problems accessing internet.

Pauline sent Emails and WhatsApp while I posted on cruise critic,sent emails and googled sport etc.

[brillohead]

23 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

perhaps a few more access points may make the signal more reliable

This is what I was referring to -- better coverage throughout the ship, hopefully.  

[sandebeach]

Cruise experiences are very subjective. Currently on the Explorer. This is our first time on this ship and my husband has said he would love to book this ship again. 

[LMaxwell]

Undercover boss is just an infomercial for the company, along with handing out some nice bonuses to a few employees.  

 

Nothing really changes.  

 

So if you think Royal Caribbean needs to hand out a few thousand to a handful of employees for millions in free marketing in return; sure.  

 

But nothing really changes 

[retired dude]

so sad to see so many negative reviews of this ship, we sail on her in three weeks and although we make the best of everything and love cruising i know that with this many bad reviews on many aspects of the cruise that there is a serious problem with this ship..We are diamond members and usually have good experiences on the rccl fleet, but if i could i would be tempted to cancel this cruise and switch back to celebrity after our two upcoming rccl cruises this spring on the brilliance....I dont expect gourmet food for every meal, but it sounds like the product is lacking....One thing i do know from past sailings that if you complain nothing is done and corporate could care less as long as the ships stay full...Wish i could have run my business that way....Oh well, we will enjoy the cruise no matter what..Far better than working every day....Happy new years to all.

[garycarla]

Undercover Boss is so scripted and fake... would not matter much

 

If the executives want to really know what is going on, they only need to send a few folks onboard with pen and paper to write up a review.  Those deals with a camera rolling are just setups and do not show the real story.

 

[DaKahuna]

We and another couple were on the Explorer of the Seas out of Southampton in September. 

 

Our experience was very unlike what you are describing.   We met our cabin attendant after the muster drill when he came buy to introduce himself and see if there was anything we needed.  We asked for a couple of items that we always request, fill the ice bucket twice a day, cover the couch and chair with sheets, and some extra towels and wash cloths. 

 

Meals in the main dining room were good and the service from our waiter and his assistant could not have been better. As is our habit, we made dining reservations prior to the cruise for 6:30 PM every night as this usually results in our getting the same table each and every night, which is what happened this cruise.  After the first night they made sure that any left over wine we had was ready for us when we arrived.  Our waiter made a habit of listening to us discuss the menu while waiting for us to place our orders and brought out extra portions as well as some items we did not order that he thought we would like.  As example of how well they treated us was that my wife and I like the "savory bites" they use to serve in the main dining room when the assistant waiter would walk around with the bread basket.  After a couple of nights, I asked if they were available and was told that unfortunately they were no longer available.  The next night we got to our table and found a plate of a dozen savory bits waiting for us.  This happened every night after that. 

 

As my wife and I were Diamond Plus we received the three drinks per person during the time we were dining.  When we did not want a bottle, we normally ordered wine by the glass in the dining room.  We both ordered the same wine, red for me, white for her.  On the third night we did not have a left over bottle, we found a glass of the wine we had been ordering waiting for us.

 

"Hello Clo" was an excellent cruise director and her and her staff were very visible and personable the whole time.

 We did not meet the captain or any of the senior crew as we did not attend any of the events where they mingled with the guest.

 

The concierge in both the Diamond and Concierge Lounges were both outstanding.  As our cabin was just around the corner from the Concierge lounge, we would spend a lot of time there and I exercised my standard practice of going to the lounge and getting a glass of wine or a mixed drink while my wife prepared for dinner. 

 

All in all, despite her showing her age in some physical areas, we did not have a bad cruise experience. 

 

 

 

 

[vacationlover_mn]

Sadly, our planned Explorer trip will be pushed out a year 😞. We bought a new cabin 🙂

[snwwht]

If anyone who has been on Explorer lately could post the departure schedule it would be appreciated!

 

[LadyLion_AP]

Update.....The second-third of our cruise has taken almost a complete 180! We’ve gone from hearing...”I’m sorry I’m too busy to help you” when trying to make dinner reservations & having to wait 20 minutes to get a drink order to MUCH better service & closer to what we’ve grown accustomed to with the RCL brand. We are actually beginning to feel that we’re getting more of what we’ve paid for! 😃

 

Only remaining irritants: The Internet is crappy. I know...That won’t change. What’s crazy is that they’re trying to convince people to upgrade to surf & stream! We have that and it’s crappy! I hope people don’t fall for that one!!!  Work hubby had to do that would normally take one hour took about six! 😱 They’ve given us a partial refund as we have the 4-device & 2-device packages between our & our sons’ staterooms. 
Also...No more sparkling water after day 5. Sucks because I drink it daily & have the UBP....Hasn’t ruined my cruise though!

 

@sisocialworker...Shein & the rest of Giovanni’s staff were super excited you said hello. Shein made a point to say that she ALWAYS remembers the really good people...speaking of the two of you! 🥰

 

Anyway...I’ll give a final update after we disembark! Believe me....I’m ecstatic things have turned around! Hopefully, after drydock, all things will be up to par & MOST customers (as opposed to some) will report great things!

 

Happy New Year & Many blessings!!!

[Iamcruzin]

On 1/1/2020 at 10:50 AM, LMaxwell said:

Undercover boss is just an infomercial for the company, along with handing out some nice bonuses to a few employees.  

 

Nothing really changes.  

 

So if you think Royal Caribbean needs to hand out a few thousand to a handful of employees for millions in free marketing in return; sure.  

 

But nothing really changes 

My company participated in Undercover Boss and I can tell you first hand that it is all scripted. You are basically using it to advertise your business.  One employee won a beautiful home. Unfortunately she couldn't afford the taxes and upkeep  on her salary and she had to sell it and pay capital gain tax. Another winner was terminated shortly after for stealing. It was  real eye opener to see how these reality shows work. 

[LadyLion_AP]

P.S...Tried to edit to my last post to correct UBP terminology to Deluxe Beverage Package but the Internet flaked on me again. Took an hour to get back on! 😝

 

Good Night 😊

[brillohead]

4 hours ago, LadyLion_AP said:

Update.....The second-third of our cruise has taken almost a complete 180! We’ve gone from hearing...”I’m sorry I’m too busy to help you” when trying to make dinner reservations & having to wait 20 minutes to get a drink order to MUCH better service & closer to what we’ve grown accustomed to with the RCL brand. We are actually beginning to feel that we’re getting more of what we’ve paid for! 😃

So glad to hear things have turned around for you -- hope they continue that way.  Enjoy the rest of the trip!

[mugtech]

On 12/30/2019 at 4:41 PM, biomedbob said:

I don't get why people have to quote 7 paragraphs of the original post!

Lazy

[Poochie71]

On 12/30/2019 at 10:07 PM, Biker19 said:

No need for that, RCI knows all of the physical things you pointed out and most will be fixed during dry dock. The subjective things, like food, crew attitude, can happen on any sailing/ship.

Not sure this will happen. We've just salied on Voyager which has had a major dry dock and there was a lot of things that weren't updated like broken/cracked tiles, the public toilets hadn't changed at all, some of the carpet was still worn.  My husband just said that nothing stood out to him that it had been refurbished.

Both Explorer and Voyager have spent a few years in the Australian market and after sailing ships in the US market I don't think they've maintained the Australian ones aswell.  Radiance would be an exception to that and Ovation is only 5 years old.

 

[ldubs]

On 12/29/2019 at 8:08 PM, LadyLion_AP said:

 

- Worst dining experiences in any venue....by far! We’ve eaten in the MDR, Chops, Giovanni’s, & Johnny Rockets thus far. Giovanni’s has had the best service so far but the food is not comparable to Giovanni’s on other ships. All family members have this opinion.

 

 

 

Sounds like your first three days kind of snowballed with bad experiences.   I'm glad things turned around.

 

Your know, I have not experienced this dining issue on RCCI but I have on other lines -- almost identical to what you describe.  I wonder what the driver is?  Maybe a bad head chef?   I don't know, but at least understand what you are saying.  

 

Anyway, enjoy the rest of the cruise.  

Edited January 3, 2020 by ldubs

[sisocialworker]

@LadyLion_AP thank you for passing my regards along to the staff at Giovanni...they are the best and helped make our cruise.....glad things are getting better for be...enjoy....

[robtulipe]

We and friends were on the Nov.29th sailing of Explorer and shared four days of surf internet using their D and DW's D+ credits.

Then for my D+ two days credit at the end I was able to get a surf & stream special package which was actually less costly than surf only.

There wasn't any difference in the internet speed with the two options. It was very slow with either. 

I was at least happy that I didn't pay any extra for the stream option.

Edited January 3, 2020 by robtulipe

[ptf2009]

On 1/1/2020 at 12:49 PM, retired dude said:

so sad to see so many negative reviews of this ship, we sail on her in three weeks and although we make the best of everything and love cruising i know that with this many bad reviews on many aspects of the cruise that there is a serious problem with this ship..We are diamond members and usually have good experiences on the rccl fleet, but if i could i would be tempted to cancel this cruise and switch back to celebrity after our two upcoming rccl cruises this spring on the brilliance....I dont expect gourmet food for every meal, but it sounds like the product is lacking....One thing i do know from past sailings that if you complain nothing is done and corporate could care less as long as the ships stay full...Wish i could have run my business that way....Oh well, we will enjoy the cruise no matter what..Far better than working every day....Happy new years to all.

We sailed on her 11/29----12/8 and were very disappointed in the condition of the ship. Also most of the employees were new and the activities were poorly planned and timed. Terrible idea that you were assigned a time to go to the ice show:(  However, we made the most of our vacation and were determined to have a good time. We love the ABC islands, but have learned a lesson to only go on the most recently refurbed and/or newer ships in the future.

[boatseller]

I was on the 13 DEC 2020 9-Day.  Video series will start in February, after the Encore TA series.

 

Yeah, they're just trying to keep the ship taped together until drydock, which I sort of expected.  I referred to her as the Good Old Explorer of the Seas.

 

Bar staff was great.

 

MDR food was...yeah, I just stopped going after 3rd or 4th night.  Even the special The Key meals were...meh.  Service was fine though.

 

The Windjammer food was fine to pretty good to oh, wow!  Caribbean night was terrific.

 

I saw my Stateroom Attendant at least twice a day.

 

Internet wasn't like Symphony or Anthem, but YouTube worked so I was ok.

 

I made no reservations for anything and still did everything I wanted so...

 

I saw Cruise Director Mike all the time.  He meets with pax sea day mornings which I'd never seen before.

 

I'll looking to take one of the Perfect Day cruises, Mariner/Navigator, soon for comparison.

 

Knowing the refit schedule, I enjoyed the trip once I gave up on the dining room.