My review of Explorer (4/29 sailing)....One heck of a time!

[tofubeast]

Just back from the April 29th sailing on the Explorer of the Seas. It was a 5 night cruise with stops in Ocho Rios and Labadee. It is so sad to be back on land. Right now, I am having that weird feeling where you still feel like you are at sea and things seem to slightly move!

 

Anyway, here is my review! Just as an FYI, we are a married couple in our early 30's and you can see my sailing history in my signature. If you have any additional questions, just ask, and I will try my best to answer!

 

Sunday: Sail away from Miami

 

We arrived around 11:15. From what I had read on here and my own past experiences, I thought we would board quickly. However, there was a decent line to check in. We were told that boarding was delayed due to ships being randomly chosen for searches (perhaps by Coast Guard?). We finally made it on the ship around 12:30 or so. Cabins were not ready yet, so we made our way to the Windjammer. After a decent lunch, we headed to our promenade stateroom (8597). The cabin was clean and in great shape. The new linens looked very nice. Judging from pics I saw of these rooms, I did notice that there were no little pillows by the bay window. I guess they got rid of them? (trust me, didn't care at all!) We were quite happy with our Promenade cabin. Having the window made it not feel like an inside cabin. It was fun to people watch from the window and see the parades. For those concerned with noise, we never heard anything that woke us up. It was nice and quiet. Definitely make sure you get wake up calls because you could sleep right through the morning.

 

We took time to explore the Explorer. This was our first time on this class of ship. EOS is huge for me because the largest ship I was on in the past was about 78,000 tons. I was really impressed with the sculptures and art throughout the ship. As music lovers, we loves some of the music photos and memorabilia towards the front end of the ship. I was in awe with everything this ship offers. Enjoyed some jacuzzi time in the Solarium. Muster drill was smooth and went quickly. We then met up with some fellow cruise critics by the Sky Bar to enjoy sail away together. The weather was gorgeous as we sailed out of Miami. It was nice to finally be one of those people that others are jealous of from land! Though, one car driver on MacArthur Pkwy was waving at us...and then changed it to a middle finger. Gave me a good chuckle!

 

We had a great dinner table (#444) which was on the 2nd level of the dining room right by the rail next to the piano. Table-mates were funny and entertaining. Our waiters were from India and were quite attentive. For entertainment that night, we had the welcome show with the RCCL singers/dancers, a great juggler, and comedian, Dan Wilson. Pretty fun! Also lost miserably at "Name that Tune" in the Schooner Bar.

 

Monday: At sea

Started the day in the gym (we had good intentions at first!). Wish there were more elliptical machines, but the gym is quite nice. Had some good breakfast and lunch in the dining room. Basically spent a lazy day by the Solarium pool. I really liked this pool area due to the cushioned chairs and the peace and quiet. This area of the ship reminds me of the poolside experience on Celebrity. I went to a nice scrap booking class in Dizzy's lounge which was quite fun. This was the sole formal night on our trip. For the most part, I saw most people in formal wear. There weren't as many tuxedos as you see on Celebrity. I was surprised to find out this wasn't "lobster night" as I have always had that on formal night. I was glad to hear lobsters were still going to be served later in the week though! No Baked Alaska though....something I really like when on a cruise for it is the only time I ever get to have it! We thought we would go to some of the night activities, instead we spent a lazy night under the stars in the jacuzzi! No complaints though!

 

Tuesday: Labadee

Tendering off the ship was a cinch. RCCL does not use their life boats to tender. Instead, they have a few double-decker boats that take people to and fro. The weather was gorgeous...not super hot/humid. We went all the way to the furthest beach--Hideaway (near dragon's breath, but facing the ship.) As others have said on here, I highly recommend not stopping at the first beach you see. Follow the trail to the left and walk to the furthest beach. There was plenty of room there and far fewer people. I think we made the men who get the lounge chairs angry because we set up the chairs ourselves. RCCL specifically asks you not to tip in written literature, but the men seem to expect it. We forgot our money anyway...so did it ourselves.(You don't have to tip). The snorkeling was not that impressive. Just as I was about to get in, I heard some snorkelers coming out of the ocean say they saw a sea snake (not an eel). Of course that freaked me out a bit! But I went in anyway!! Only saw some small schools of fish and plenty of sea urchins by the rocky areas. Some people saw barracudas, but I did not. Yes, snorkeling is way better on Coco Cay. But not to complain, the beaches are gorgeous, and it still was a nice visit. The BBQ lunch was great. There was a live band playing some local music. As a pesco -vegetarian, I knew I would have a slight problem with the BBQ. I asked the Head Waiter the night before if there would be veggie burgers at the BBQ. He said they don't normally have them there, but he would ensure they were sent out for me. Sure enough, when I went to the BBQ, the Supervisor had them put aside and cooked one up for me. So if you want a veggie burger, just mention it to the waiter the night before your stop there. Easy breezy. (In the cruise survey, I did mention that they should just have them at the BBQ as a practice.)

 

Portofino----That night, we ate at Portofino. I always was a bit leery about paying extra to eat at a specialty restaurant. However, all the raves I read on here convinced us to try it out. Well, THANK YOU CRUISE CRITICS!!! The food was absolutely amazing!! We made a reservation upon boarding the ship, and we were glad we did as we heard they booked up quickly for the week. Big, big, big thumbs up for the following: Appetizers: eggplant roulades (the best thing I ate!), DH loved the carpaccio. We also tried some of the Tuscan Bean soup. Yum!! Salad: highly recommend the salad with Gorgonzola cheese, walnuts and pears. Pasta course: You can request a small plate for this course so that you can have a bit of room for your entree. I really enjoyed the spaghetti di mare. Seafood was very fresh and cooked to perfection. DH enjoyed the penne with ragu. When the main course came, we were full!! So we had just a bit of our very delicious meals. I had the halibut on seafood risotto. DH had the veal with prosciutto. When it came to dessert, we laughed. NO ROOM. The very attentive waiters put some to go plates for us with chocolate dipped strawberries, tiramasu, and other little tasters. (We enjoyed it a bit later after some digestion.) Bottom line, if you are a lover of Italian food, EAT THERE! It was the highlight of our dining experience on the cruise.

 

That night, we walked off a bit of the food. We then headed to the Love and Marriage game. It was fun to watch because we had participated in the game while on our honeymoon cruise two years ago on Celebrity. So, we could feel for the newlyweds!! Super funny show as always. Not to be missed!

 

Wednesday: Ocho Rios.

We got off the ship a bit late..around 9:30 or so. Not sure why it took a little longer than normal, but not too bad. We had booked a private excursion: Hooves horseback riding (http://www.hoovesjamaica.com/ ) We did the beach ride. I highly recommend booking with Hooves. They met us right at the pier and took us on short ride to their stables which are located up on a hillside next to a historic home (museum). Their horseback riding is far cheaper than through the ship. They also break you into small groups, so we have 2 guides and only two other riders with us. You ride on English saddles, not Western. The horses seem well taken care of (they are rescue horses). We started going down the trail, where the guides told us some history and stories. They also serenaded us with some reggae songs. We ended up on the sand, where we were served some local food samples. We then got back on our friendly horses and proceeded into the warm ocean! There, the horses picked up speed, and we went back and forth almost waist deep in the ocean. It was truly an experience I will never forget. I just laughed like a little kid each lap we took. FUN!! We then rode on the sand and headed back up the hill. The whole experience is about 2 hours. Well worth it!! If you have already done the falls and a tour of the area, then this is the next thing to do!

 

At 5pm, we attended the Ice show. I think they offered it about 4 or 5 times on this cruise. Tickets were given out on the first night. However, I did note some extra tickets left out in front of guest relations from time to time. The show was wonderful. For the best view, I recommend sitting in the front section, versus the two side areas. It was so neat seeing an ice show at sea. This seemed to be a guest favorite! After a great lobster dinner, we headed into the Palace theater to see "Rain," a Beatles tribute act. They were TERRIFIC!! During their costume changes, there was entertaining video to set you up for the next period of time in the Beatle's history. The band was very energetic and got the crowd moving. If you have them perform on your ship in the future, they are not to be missed. After the show, we then went to Quest. For those of you who have not been, I will spare details...but definitely go!! It was my DH's first time, and he loved it. Laughed very hard! After that fun time, we took some pics of the Gala buffet. But were too full to eat.

 

Thursday: At sea

Wow, this cruise went fast!! But we had one last day to soak up some rays!! I hate that just as you are about to really get in relax mode, it is the end of your trip. Oh well, such is life. Spent a nice day mostly in the Solarium. I am glad we were there, as I later heard an 8 year old boy did a #2 in the general pool. YIKES! After swim time, we walked over to the bow of the ship. I have never been on a cruise that gave you access to this area. We were the only ones there. There was little wind, and it was remarkably quiet. Of course I had a "I'm the king (well ,Queen) of the world" moment. Standing there you feel like your are flying over the ocean. After a nice dinner, we enjoyed the farewell show. Alan sure knows how to entertain. There was a guest comedian (forget his name) who was FUNNY! We then went to see a karaoke session where you perform with a live band. It was a neat concept I had not seen before.

 

Friday: The sad day...

Disembarkation was rather long this morning. We stood in line for nearly an hour before being able to leave. We were told there were only two customs people working. So they could only take so many people at a time. It was frustrating because some people tried to cut in line, but they were put in their place! hehe. When we got off the ship, they opened up some more customs counters, so it went quickly after that. And that marked the end of our cruise! As we live locally, we parked our car at CBM parking. It costs only $7.50/day to park there and they have free shuttles that take you to and fro. Nearly saved half the price of parking at the port!

 

 

Overall comments:

 

Alan Brooks:

I was so happy to see that Alan Brooks was back as the Cruise Director. You all had raved about him so much, and I was happy to hear he was on our cruise. He was fabulous. The best Cruise Director I have ever seen. Energetic, funny....a perfect combo. During last night's farewell show, I went up to him and said "People on cruise critic say you are the best, and I have to agree." He seemed very happy to hear that!

 

Season:

Great time of year to go on a Carib. cruise. The weather was nearly perfect and the seas were quite calm. The only time we felt a little motion was sailing out of Ocho Rios. There were very few kids on board as well.

 

 

Food: Quite good. Nice selection in the dining room. Bread baskets with lots of options. Had a great waiter who told me what to steer away from when choosing what to eat! Like I said, definitely try a night at Portofino. Windjammer was pretty good. I liked some of the Asian options in the Jade section. Good coffee and cookies at the Promenade Cafe.

 

Ship:

Having never sailed on such a large cruise ship, I was a little worried that it would feel crowded. I have to say, never once did I feel like there was way too many people. There were plenty of places to go on the ship where you could be alone or with few people. For a quite and leisure experience, I recommend listening to jazz at Dizzy's. Molly, the bar tender, serves nice drinks! Most evenings, they also had discounts on Martinis as well.

 

If you have your own ice skates, bring em! There was a skate session for people who brought their own. I nearly had the rink to myself. It was a blast!

 

Comparing to Celebrity:

While I had been on the Majesty a few years ago, I thought I would wait to this longer sailing on a newer ship to reserve a true comparison of the cruise lines.I have to say, I probably had more fun on this cruise. The entertainment was far better, and more to choose from. Perhaps, it also had to do with our own interests and age range. The food is better on Celebrity, but it wasn't that far off!! We missed some of the standard perks on Celebrity such as robes in your room, chilled towel by the pool, chilled face towels and water when boarding the ship from a day at post, and champagne upon embarkation---but I knew it wasn't going to happen on RCCL. I also missed the fact that Celebrity only does one announcement per day. I really noticed it on this cruise. Sometimes it cut into the entertainment on the ship (i.e. the band having to stop.) While we had great service on the ship, it is a bit better on Celebrity...but I think that also has to do with the higher ratio of staff to guests. Overall, I think if one is looking for a more refined and leisurely cruise, Celebrity is the choice. If looking for a bit more fun and activity, RCCL is a good option. We like both lines and the familiarity that comes with them being owned by the same company. I guess our future choice will depend on what type of vacation we are in the mood for. One thing, we did find the coffee to be better on RCCL!

 

Cookies:

Wow..you were all right. YUM.

 

 

So over all, we have a WONDERFUL cruise. We will definitely sail RCCL again and really enjoyed this class of ship. Sorry this is SO long!!! Any questions?

 

---Danielle

[andsail]

It is great to hear that you enjoyed your trip so much.:) I have to wait a looong nine months before I board. :(

[kruzerci]

Glad to hear you had a great cruise, we love the Voyager class ships too. We just did a 4 day after all 7 day cruises for a while and it felt like it had come and gone in no time! Can't wait to be on Freedom in July :D !!!

[Cruising89143]

Nice review and glad that you enjoyed yourself.

[ray98]

It was a great trip and the ship was beautiful. My only complaint is my bottle of rum was consfiscated from my stateroom on day 3.

[wolfcathorse]

Danielle - who was your captain for your 4-29 sailing!

[tofubeast]

Danielle - who was your captain for your 4-29 sailing!

 

That would be Capt Sverre Ryan from Norway

[juniorsmom]

We were on that trip too. We bought a bottle of overproof rum in jamaica and it wasn't seized.

[fungirl28]

I was also on this cruise and I agree with Tofubeast. The explorer is a great ship and is now my favorite. The observation point is the best quiet spot on the ship, IMHO. I went there at least once a day and it was NEVER busy. Allen is a great CD and the actvities were a lot of fun, especially the crew vs guest dodgeball game. I will try to post my pics later...as soon as I figure out how.:o

[SeaSprayTB]

Great review, thanks! I can't wait to sail on the Explorer for the first time, this fall! :cool:

[ray98]

We were on that trip too. We bought a bottle of overproof rum in jamaica and it wasn't seized.

 

We were in the deck 8 Promenade staterooms and came back to find a nice letter on the bed. They got my Bacardi but left 2 bottles of wine. The couple 2 doors down also had a bottle of vodka taken. I heard them complaining to the room attendant as we were walking down the hall from dinner so I knew what had happened before I opened the door. Crappy thing is the stuff was not returned because it was opened, some crew on the ship had a few drinks on me I assume.

[jaguar9748]

We were also on this cruise. 3rd on RCL (11 cruises overall on Carnival, RCL, Princess and Disney).

 

Food was really good and wait staff was fabulous!

 

Ship is in excellent condition and it is a very pretty ship! We sailed the Navigator 3 years ago and all agreed that the Explorer is much prettier! We really liked the more private balconies on the Explorer.

 

Didn't attend a lot of activities but enjoyed most that we did attend. For those who like the art auctions, this was a good one.

 

Labadee is a really nice stop. Beautiful water, nice beach, very picturesque.

 

In Ocho Rios some of our party climbed Dunns River Falls which is a true natural beauty. It was amazing to watch the climbers! Shopping in Ocho Rios was so-so. Margaritaville was doing a good business! Many of the stores were expensive. I did pick up a hand carved, hand painted parrot that's about 18 inches for $22.

 

Would sail this ship again in a heartbeat.

[celebrity]

Can you tell me if there was one Welcome aboard reception for both seatings or are there two? I don't want to go if it's one. Way too crowded!

[tofubeast]

Can you tell me if there was one Welcome aboard reception for both seatings or are there two? I don't want to go if it's one. Way too crowded!

 

I think there was only one that night. Second seating was at 9pm just on that first night. For all the other nights, there were separate shows for both first and second seating guests.

[juniorsmom]

Did anyone else see the helcopter landing on the explorer? I hope that the person that was taken to hospital is doing ok.

[kruzerci]

Did anyone else see the helcopter landing on the explorer? I hope that the person that was taken to hospital is doing ok.

 

When was it?

[juniorsmom]

The captain made an announcement on the last night about 10:45. We went to bed about midnight and we heard the chopper circle the ship a couple of times. We got out of bed and went up on deck and it took a few circles and it landed. The chopper was there for about 10 minutes or so and took off. Thank goodness we were close to Miami at that point, I hope whatever the situation was, it turned out ok.

[kruzerci]

The captain made an announcement on the last night about 10:45. We went to bed about midnight and we heard the chopper circle the ship a couple of times. We got out of bed and went up on deck and it took a few circles and it landed. The chopper was there for about 10 minutes or so and took off. Thank goodness we were close to Miami at that point, I hope whatever the situation was, it turned out ok.

 

We had one land on Voyager late one night but we didn't see it, we just heard about it the next morning.

[psupa]

Thank you for the wonderful review. We are going on the Explorer 9 night on May 25th and I'm really looking forward to it, especially after reading all the wonderful comments.

[Hojo's redbeard]

Tofubeast, gotta love that handle, thanks for the LONG review. I can't stand those one paragraph reviews, I like it when they are nice and long. Bravo!

 

From what I've been hearing about booze getting confiscated on day 3, I guess I'll just have to keep mine in the safe:D If of course I have any in the room.

[Myke729]

Thanks for the review -- we were also on this sailing as well and had a blast. I swear this room is rocking. (I still have my sea legs I guess). We thought the cruise director Allan Brooks was awesome and had a great time at both Labadee and Ocho Rios!

 

I will post a review later when I have some time.

 

Thanks!

[CruiseAddict74]

My husband and I were on this cruise - it was our first - now we're officially addicted!!!!