Back from Explorer 7/9/09 cruise

[springgrl]

We just returned yesterday from a fabulous 9-day cruise on the Explorer. If anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask away. Here is a "mini-review" and I'm happy to elaborate on anything!

 

Boarding - We arrived at the terminal around 11:30am and, after checking in, were allowed to board the ship immediately. This is the first time we have embarked in Bayonne and, believe me, you are happy to to get out of the terminal. We were used to boarding at the cruise terminals in Florida which have a little more ambiance - Bayonne is like a warehouse but it's not a big deal. We had to sign a form saying that we were not feeling sick and the customer service agent told us if we felt like we were coming down with the flu that they would swab and check us immediately for the H1N1 virus.

 

Ship - We were concerned that the EOS might show sign of wear & tear but found it in very good shape. Some of the carpets were a little worn and there were a few areas that could have used a paint touch-up but, all in all, it has aged well. We did miss having a Vintages on board since my husband and I really enjoy wines but Shelly at the Crown & Kettle was delightful and we found ourselves having a pre-dinner wine with her daily. The Weekend Warrior Sports Bar across the way was pretty empty most of the time.

 

Cabin - We reserved a balcony cabin for us and a promenade cabin across the hall for our children. In our opinion, this was a perfect set-up and had the huge advantage of TWO BATHROOMS. The cabins were in fairly good shape but could use new drapes and perhaps, a carpet and upholstery steam-cleaning. Our balcony was not in good shape - there were paint chips on the floor and it was painted partially white with patches of brown primer (or was it painted brown with white primer?) The second day maintenance came by and asked if we would be out of the cabin at 9:00am the next day so they could paint the balcony and we told them we would. However, they never did paint that balcony! This is just a small matter which wouldn't affect our wonderful trip.

 

Food - We were pleasantly surprised at the food quality. Dinners were, for the most part, quite good. The portions seemed a little smaller than on prior cruises but I view that as a good thing because they were enough to be filling but not too much to be wasteful. Our waiter and assistant waiter were attentive and always offered to bring as much food as we wanted. Yes, there is a "lobster" night and, when we ordered the lobster, our waiter asked us to let him know if we wanted additional tails and he would be sure to get them for us. As for the other meals, the Windjammer is perfectly adequate for buffet food. No one should expect anything other than basic, mass produced food at this type of venue and they won't be disappointed. However, on sea days, I would suggest trying the dining room for lunch. They call it "Brasserie 30" and the food was very, very good. I absolutely LOVED their "Tutti Fruitti" salad and had it every sea day. Basically, you go up to a salad buffet with every imaginable item available (variety of lettuces, shrimp, chicken, roasted peppers, cheeses, tortilla chips, vegetables, etc.) You tell the chef what items you want in your salad and they toss and chop it in a stainless steel bowl, plate it and hand it to you. You need not order anything else - it is a meal in itself and delicious!

 

Crown & Anchor - Yes, there still is a Crown & Anchor Loyalty party with served hors d'oeuvres and free drinks. Whiskey sours, rum punches and champagne are passed around but our waiter told us we could order anything from the bar and it was free of charge. So, we ordered glasses of wine- no problem. There were two parties - one for the first seating and another for the second seating. It was a very nice event. We also received the coupons books and they were not anything special. The kids used the arcade coupons ($15 of credit for $10) and we used the 5% off a Logo shop purchase but that was it. There was a 10% off a "white lifestyle" photo but C & A members should look in the Compass for an insert later in the week which offers C&A members 20% off all their photo purchases; the only thing is, you must buy your photos that evening. We used that coupon and saved quite a bit of money. We did not receive a C & A gift; probably because we are just Gold.

 

Spa - Hubby won a free mini-facial which I used. I must say I was not pressured to buy any product and the facial, which was to last 25 minutes, lasted 45 minutes and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

 

Please feel free to ask about anything - if you are planning a trip on the EOS, you will surely enjoy it!

[4merlurker]

Thanks for your review! We'll be on the explorer in October - What did you guys do as far as excursions?

 

~Connie

[linkerbink]

We'll be cruising on the Explorer next April. I've heard that it's a zoo at the terminal if you are driving and need to park. Did you drive to Bayonne? How was your experience? Thanks!

[yogimax]

Thanks for your review. Glad your family had a great time. Did the kids enjoy the Promenade stateroom?

[CDLTEL]

We will be on the Aug. 20, 9 night cruise. I would like to know what were the menus and themes in the dinning room each night. We are trying to decide which nights to book Portofinos.

 

 

Thanks

[patseacruiser]

If you arrive at 11 at Bayonne I have never had a problem. The only time was when our ship was 5 hours late, getting our was a nightmare because everyone was trying to get in and we weren't off the ship yet. Arrive about 10:30-11:00 for parking. Drop your bags off as you go by the entrance and continue to park. Then walk in thru security, they have the check-in by decks, then proceed to shuttle. When you get on the ship, walk up the stairs and take an elevator down and then up. Probably only way you'll get an elevator. LOL. Cabins should be open by 1:30.

[ERIE 13]

Was on the July 4 Bermuda cruise and had the same great experience. Food, service,etc all great.

Driving to the port and parking is not a problem. Have done three trips out of Cape Liberity and coming and going very quick.

[luvscruising2007]

We too found parking at Bayonne very easy. They continually move

cars in and out of the loading/unloading area. We dropped our luggage

off and then drove a very short distance to the parking lot. Maybe

the equivalent of one or two blocks. And remember that you will

pay as you enter for the parking. They will have a sign posted for

the cost for the length of your cruise.

We also enjoyed our Explorer cruise. We went north to Canada and

found the staff very efficient and pleasant.

[springgrl]

Answering a few questions -

 

Excursions - On Bermuda, we purchased transportation day passes and took the ferry to Hamilton and a pink bus to the Crystal Caves. We absolutely loved the Crystal Caves (Ron was our guide and he was terrific). On St. Martin, we hired a taxi for the day and he took us around the island. We particularly enjoyed "jet beach" - the jets take off and land right above just and just "blow you away" - lots of fun and great for photos! We took the full-day sail/cruise to Honeymoon Cove and Christmas Cove excursion in St. Martin. It was a beautiful day and the snorkeling was very nice. They also provide all drinks (beer, rum punch, soda, water) and there is a chicken BBQ on the beach. On San Juan, we walked to El Morro and did last minute shopping.

 

Bayonne parking - I've heard the horror stories, but we had absolutely no problem. My husband dropped us off at the terminal with our luggage, went to park the car and met us at the entrance. Total time: 15 minutes.

 

Promenade rooms - The kids loved the promenade room. There is a window seat for viewing the promenade and the room is well-insulated from sound. Our son would check out the crowd at Cafe Promenade and determine the best time to get his afternoon snack (6 slices of pizza). The room was made up with two single beds and it was plenty of room for two children (ages 16 and 11)

 

Menu themes - The two formal nights are night 2 - Friday and night 8 - Thursday. Lobster night is Friday, the last evening. We ate at Porofino's on the second formal night. Originally, we had tried for reservations on Wednesday night (San Juan port day)but I believe it was reserved for the Mystery dinner that evening. There was also an Italian Wine dinner the last evening.

 

I am happy to answer any other questions:)

[TRadle]

I'm so glad you had a great cruise. We leave on 8/20 and I'm really looking forward to it! I was starting to worry with some of the other reviews coming in. :D

[Spa girl nana]

Did you go to the "meet & mingle"? If so, please tell us about it.

 

When your luggage arrived, was it left outside by the door, or placed in your cabin? I've had it done both ways, will be on the Explorer for the first time in October.

 

Thanks.

[springgrl]

I did get my invite to the meet & mingle and had every intention of attending. I believe it was held around 1:00pm on day 2 of the cruise. Unfortunately, I was at the pool with a good book and completely lost track of time and missed it! As far as the luggage goes, it was placed outside our cabin door - it arrived before 4pm.

[Lynn the Cruiser]

I was on the cruise too and can ditto most of what was said above. We took a limo to and from Bayonne so had no trouble. It was a bit more hectic getting off the ship. We also got the bus/ferry pass in Bermuda and just basically went to the light house and Hamilton. I wanted to see the Princess where I stayed 32 years ago on my honeymoon. We did Bernard's tours in St. Maarten and it was excellent. Also say the beach with the planes...amazing. We did a VIP tour in St. Thomas which was sort of connected to Bernard's somehow. Also great...got some awesome jewelry!!!Both tours included island tours, beach and shopping. Very inexpensive! In PR we just walkes around Old San Juan. The weather was great!!We ate at Portofinos on Day 5 and it was a good day to eat there. Day 6 is another good day. (in MHO) The last night was lobster night, not the last formal night, as usual.

[louisedave]

Thanks for posting your cruise review info! I have several questions:

- I see you're from Saratoga. Since we'll be driving down from Albany, I have a logistics question. Did you go down the morning of the cruise and if so, do you recall how long it took?

- I'm interested in the spa since I love to use the t-therapy pool and lounges. Did you get a chance to see or use these and if so, was there a charge?

- Was the solarium pool adults only or available to all cruisers?

 

Thanks.

[springgrl]

We drove down the morning of the cruise. We left our home about 8:30am and would have gotten there about 11:30am but we followed our GPS instead of Mapquest and it took us a convuluted way, so we got to the pier around 12 noon. I would say the trip is normally 3 -3 1/2 hours from Saratoga so it would probably take you a little less time. As I mentioned earlier, once we arrived and parked (very easy process), we were able to board the ship immediately after checking in.

 

I don't know if there is a charge for using the t-therapy pool or lounges, but when you arrive on ship, there are usually spa tours going on. I would definitely take the tour so you can see the facilities - there are also raffles and I won a mini-facial :D! The spa is very nice.

 

The solarium pool is open to all cruisers who are 16 and older.

[Misswissa]

Is there a Thalosatherapy Pool on the Explorer? If so what is the cost?

[springgrl]

I just reviewed my info packet from the spa and I don't see a mentioned of a t-pool, just sauna & steam. I also don't remember seeing anything like that on the tour.

[counsdr]

springgirl, so sorry you weren't on our thread for the July 9th cruise. It was an awesome group of people!

Ditto everything, it was great!!!

We went to Portofino on day 6, but debated going day 4. Day 5 would have been a good one also.

I didn't sea a t-therapy pool.

I want to go again!!!!!!

Cheryl

[mojitodiva]

Hi were there many teens onboard?

 

How were the shows?

 

Was it smooth sailing?

 

How many of the C&A parties were there?

 

Is there a Diamond Lounge onboard?

 

How were the activities did they have the 70's and 80's parties, pool games?

 

 

Thanks!!

:D

[counsdr]

Hi were there many teens onboard?

 

How were the shows?

 

Was it smooth sailing?

 

How many of the C&A parties were there?

 

Is there a Diamond Lounge onboard?

 

How were the activities did they have the 70's and 80's parties, pool games?

 

 

Thanks!!

:D

 

The shows were great! The young Elvis was excellent and all the comedians were funny. The production shows were good also. The ice show was spectacular!

Lots of teens on board, it's summer!!

Sailing was smooth. The only time we rocked even a little was going out the first night and coming back the last night. But even that was nothing.

There was a return cruisers party and a party for platinum and gold. There was also a great M&M party!

There was a 70's party, but I didn't attend.

[springgrl]

Hi Mojitodiva,

 

Yes, there were many teen on board and the teen club seemed quite active (I often spied in there to check on my kids)! There is a 1:00am curfew for unaccompanied teens in public areas.

 

The sailing was extremely smooth and, on the rare occasion that the ship rocked, it was very gentle.

 

We attended the C&A Welcome Back party on the third day, I believe, free drinks and passed hors d'oeuvres. You can ask for any drink you like in addition to the champagne, whiskey sours and rum punches being passed around. Our tablemate was platinum or diamond and he said there was another get-together for them later in the week with drinks and hors d'oeuvres as well. I don't think there is a Diamond Lounge but we are only gold so someone else may be able to answer that question better.

 

There is a 70's themed night in the promenade and it was fun. Cruise staff dressed like the Village People and performed all those disco favorites. It was a big dance party (conga lines, etc.) - good fun! You will have a wonderful time.

[counsdr]

There was a concierge lounge on board if that's what you mean by a diamond lounge.

[mojitodiva]

Thanks Counsdr!! :)

[bubbadog]

We'll be cruising on the Explorer next April. I've heard that it's a zoo at the terminal if you are driving and need to park. Did you drive to Bayonne? How was your experience? Thanks!

 

 

We thought bayonne was a very efficient port,and we got onboard fairly quickly,About 30 mins from time we entered till we opened our cabin door,so dont worry bayonne isnt bad;):D

[Dodge34]

Question about custom in Cape Liberty, we're Canadian so are there special controls on us (we both have passports and will first cross the border to go to New York), do we need to do extra things at Cape Liberty, like an extra long lineup for extra security checkup to board the ship.

 

A question for when going in ports, do we absolutely need to bring our passports with us or we can leave it in the safe and our sailpass would do the job, I would feel a lot safer knowing my passport is out of reach of any pickpockets and such (owuld mostly get out of the boat without my wallet, just enough cash that I think I'll need and nothing witch would attract pickpockets, I always carry a scan of my passport on a USB key that is protected with a password just in case its needed anywhere.

 

Since I leave tuesday early (around 5am) I'll be able to check the answers on the board on tuesday evening from a WiFi provided in our Hostel in Harlem.