novalab

Been texting back and forth with my daughter that is currently with you all on Explorer. She told me the ship was able to dock but all excursions have been cancelled. They had been looking foreword to their zip line excursion for months. They do realize that RC has no control over the weather. She said they might not get off the ship as customs was going really slow and by the time they get off, there would not be enough time to do anything. Too bad the ship couldn't stay a little longer in port.

Thank You Both! DD and her BF will be on this cruise. It is his first cruise & he is very excited. I just wanted to be able to warn them if there were issues (again, thinking about our Jewel cruise last October. LOVED the cruise & LOVED Jewel but sure didn't like the 4+ hours waiting in a hot tent to check in).

Thanks again!

For those that have been, how was boarding day on Explorer in Seattle for the Pacific Coastal cruises so far? Hoping it is not a madhouse like our Jewel cruise was last Fall. Would appreciate any feedback.

Thanks so much!

It always was that robes were provided for Platinum and above guests. I know one cruise they said there were so many Diamond and above guests that they ran out of robes!!

I'm hoping we can find a Kohls, JCPenny or such where I can buy a pillow to my liking and then just leave it in the cabin! I usually bring my own special neck support pillow when we drive, but I won't have room in my suitcase since we have to fly to Seattle!

Thanks for the lap robe suggestion, that I might be able to fit in my suitcase!!

Just a suggestion....Amazon (multiple dealers) carry an inflatable camping pillow (they are covered with a soft flocking on the surface). Since both DH & I have issues with flat pillows, I purchased these for our Oasis cruise last Spring. We sandwiched them in between two regular RCCL pillows and they worked quite well for us. At the end of our cruise, we deflated them and packed them back in our suitcase. They are smaller than a regular sized pillow but worked well sandwiched in between the standard sized pillows. Will be using them again on future cruises.

First of all in Seattle the Port of Seattle has a fleet of on site limos always there so no need to reserve. Call Ground Transportation from Baggage Claim and they come to the door closest to you. Its called STILA for Seatac international Limo Assoc. They are regulated by the port of Seattle. Flat rate of $45 to downtown Seattle. Uber and Lyft are also now allowed at Seatac and for two people you can use Uber Pool for $16 into downtown for two. If you look on Tripadvisor.com Seattle fourm on top right you can see a listing for best ways to get to your cruise.

 

I'd use uber back from the port vs a shuttle especially with only two of you.

Does STILA offer return trips from Pier 91 to Seatac? Thank you for the above information. We are in the process of having to arrange transportation from Seatac to downtown hotel to pier & back to Seatac for daughters cruise at the end of this month. They can take a cab from their hotel to the port but would like them to use STILA or Already There Towncar service for the longer routes. Any advice would be very much appreciated!

Nope, sorry this has been explored on other similar threads. As of a recent decision there is no "egg crate" bed padding being offered or provided due to health reasons. Apparently they get rather "nasty".....

Didn't see this post when I answered above. I would still call C & A and see what the alternative is for extra bed padding.

You can always request egg crate padding to be added to the bed if you feel that it is too hard for your liking.

 

FYI... when we were on the Allure, we did find the beds to be rather hard.

Agree with this. We sailed on Oasis in April and were told the beds were very hard. Didn't want to take a chance as my DH has back issues. Request the egg crate foam toppers (we had 2 on our bed) from your stateroom attendant. Or, better yet, e-mail the following RC Dept. and request the foam toppers in advance. They do run out of them on occasion.

specialneeds@rccl.com

Or, you can call Crown & Anchor if you are a member & request the toppers, which is what I did.

1-800-526-9723

Lots of stuff to do.

Search 'Astoria' lots of threads pop up.

 

http://www.astoriaoregon.com

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

Thank you!!

Was wondering how Seattle Express was for transportation from SeaTac to a downtown hotel pre-cruise and from Pier 91 back to SeaTac after a cruise.

Any information would be greatly appreciated.

In September, members of my family will be visiting Astoria for the first time via a cruise. They are counting on me to plan out their day for them (I haven't been to Astoria either so this might be a challenge!) Would really appreciate any and all suggestions.

Thanks in advance!!

Thanks for the comments. The former nightclub space is now Giovanni's on the upper floor and cabins on the lower floor. Can't wait for the Pacific Northwest cruise. We took one last year on Jewel and loved it. I bet they have an available cabin for you!

Thanks for the information! We like Giovanni's even better than the nightclub!LOL We were on Jewel too last October for a Pacific Coastal. Loved the cruise & really loved the ship! I'm trying to think of a way to get away from work so I can join you all on that Sept. 30th cruise....;)

Thanks again!

Judy

Las Vegas, NV

Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We will be sailing on Explorer next year to Alaska & your review just makes us more anxious for next June to come! I have bookmarked your review and sent it on to all my family members that will be joining me :D

I have a question about Explorer. We have sailed several times on sister ship Mariner & wondered if Explorer re-purposed the Dragons Lair nightclub (as it was called on Mariner, not sure what it is called on Explorer) into another venue? It was very popular with my daughter & nephew.

Loved your stateroom! We are trying out the new virtual balcony interior staterooms on our sailing. We have never had an interior stateroom before, let alone a virtual balcony room, so this is going to be an experience for our group. We figured we would all be up topside to catch the panoramic views anyway so we decided against a regular balcony cabin:rolleyes:...at least that is what we are telling ourselves. Hopefully, we didn't make a mistake.:(

Thanks again! Your pictures are gorgeous! (btw, my daughter & her BF will be sailing with you in Sept. on Explorer's Pacific Coastal. Sure wish I was going too!!!)

Been there twice. First time we went shopping on the main streets a short distance (walkable) from the cruise pier, including the Straw Market. The second time it was raining and on a Sunday (stores open later on Sunday's and close around noon). We walked over to the Pirate Museum and went through that. Then we returned to the ship. Hopefully others found better things to do than we did.

(We really did enjoy the Pirate Museum).

We have on occasion given gifts (in addition to gratuities) to our stateroom attendant. On one cruise, our attendant mentioned that his favorite candy was PayDays (we were talking about candy for some reason...to long ago for me to remember why). Anyway, at our next port we bought him 8 PayDays and left him one each evening along with a note of thanks for taking such good care of us. On the last night of the cruise, he gave us a big hug and said his dentist would like to thank us too! Lol. I do realize that money would be appreciated even more so we do make sure to give extra when we get a good cabin steward.

so we do not confuse the OP:

 

it is a la carte on Oasis Class ships. on the other classes it is a flat rate that covers one entree and as much as you want of anything else.

 

personally we are not fans but we hate Mexican food ( as well as Tex Mex and CaliMex)

DH & I tried Sabor for the first time in April on our Oasis cruise. LOVED it (especially the Margaritas!:D) What is the cover charge on Explorer, our next cruise, and is there a different cover charge for lunch & dinner (like Giovanni's)?

Thanks for any information!

Hello,

Giovanni's is available for lunch in certain days, but I am not certain if they are doing them at the same time with Sabor. Its either one or the other on the compass.

Thank You! Great that we can dine at both of them for lunch. They are our 2 most favorite specialty restaurants.

Judy

Thank you so much for writing this review..and especially the great pictures! We will be on Explorer in Sept. and next June. I have a question about Sabor & Giovonni's. Since Sabor is featured in the Giovanni restaurant for lunch, is it still possible to have a Geovanni lunch, or does Geovanni's just offer dinner on Explorer?

We really love the lunch menu at Geovanni's...and Sabor's....just wondered how this sharing space works for lunch.

Thanks!

Thank you for doing this! DD will be on Explorer in Sept. And I have an Alaska cruise booked on her next year. So glad to have her out here on the West Coast! Looking foreword to your review, especially the pictures!

Thanks Again!

I need some advice before I make our daughter's flight reservations from Seattle after her Sept 2016 cruise. Is it possible to catch a flight leaving SeaTac at 12:30 PM? She will be sailing on RC/Explorer which arrives in port @ 6:00 AM. If she takes RC's self assist early debarkation option, with a pre-reserved shuttle reservation to the airport, would she make it in time for luggage check-in/ TSA check-in & boarding? I don't want her to have to stress about this after a nice relaxing cruise. There are only 2 nonstop flights back home (the later flight is at 5:30 PM). If possible, I would want to get her booked on the 12:30 PM flight.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

OOPs! Sorry about the double post, meant to say PM not AM on my question.

We booked a guarantee on Explorer last year and was allocated a virtual balcony cabin. We had previously stayed in normal interiors and a balcony cabin.

 

We loved the feel of extra space that the screen gave us. It was good to be able to see outside and check the weather. The only downside was the screen gave off quite a bit of heat! We drew the curtain over the screen at night so it was dark and then we could draw it back in the morning to see what awaited us outside. I would definitely have a virtual balcony cabin again :)

Thank you! I was wondering what the options were at night, closing drapes or an 'off' button. Didn't even think about that large of a screen throwing off heat. Actually, can't wait to experience this type of cabin.

Appreciate your reply.

I've booked an inside virtual balcony cabin for our future Explorer cruise. This will be our first inside cabin. Just wondering if anyone on this board has given this new type of cabin a try. If so, how did you like it?

Thanks for any feedback!

Yes. Only some of the rooms. Look at the deck plans.

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/ships/ship/decks/deck/home.do?deckCode=10&shipCode=EX&shipProfile=1676&sailDate=1160516&hasNavigation=false

Thank You! That is what I needed to know. Am thinking of booking an Alaska cruise in our first ever inside cabin. Have a bit of a claustaphobic issue and would like to give one of these cabins a try. We plan to take in the Alaskan scenery from the top decks anyway so figured we'd save some money and skip a balcony cabin this time.

Just wondered if Explorer did get the virtual balconies that are mentioned on RC's website. If so, do all the interior cabins have them? Thanks for any information on this.

Count me in the strange and weird group!:)

I plead the 5th...can't wait for your review!