LoisGriffin1

I never find there is enough vegetables in the main dining room so I tend to go for the buffet. It took me a few cruises to ever visit the buffet in the evening but I was pleasantly surprised. Good choice with theme evenings and the meats/vegetables change nightly.

I will usually try 3/4 nights specialty dining (14 night cruises) and it is usually a big step up in quality from the main dining room. The only disappointment has been Chops. 

The tour was interesting but the brunch was nothing special. They were not particularly fast to top up the glass either.

i enjoyed it but to be honest I would happily of done the tour and skipped the brunch.

I moved my deposit to the 11 night 12th September cruise. 
 

It appears that Jane McDonald cruises leaves on the same ship same day with a totally different itinerary (7 nights instead of 11).

One of the biggest factors in getting restarted is the crew being able to fly in. Right now many countries have travel bans and I believe the US has bans on certain countries too. 

it’s going to take some time to get full crews back and the cruise lines are going to rely on travel bans being lifted.

I live in a popular cruise stop (mainly for British Isles cruises). We have been told not to expect to travel until next year. Cruise ships haven’t been banned officially but anyone arriving on the island has to quarantine for 14 days.
 

We now only have 21 active cases due to closing our borders. While other counties are struggling they will stay closed. I cannot wait to leave the island again but it could be worse. It’s a beautiful place to live and very safe. 
 

There are plenty of cruise ships in Europe. Look at Marine Traffic. Ships are taking turns in docking in Southampton. If the season starts there will be some ships ready at shortish notice. I have my doubts there will be a season though.

The ship really won’t care.

In Lisbon I witnessed security carry one very drunk lady in her 50s back to the ship (her husband couldn’t carry her). It was very funny to watch because she loved being carried and was singing her heart out.

it was our last port before 2 sea days back home so it was a good thing for her that they just wanted to get her back so the ship could leave.

I found mine was slightly longer. It took nearly 2 weeks. 

6 minutes ago, sellwingri said:

Totally agree!  RCI is actually helping diamond plus members,  not taking something away.  There’s no way I’d go in the concierge lounge and wait 20 minutes for a drink.

 

I like this suite benefit and I would be pretty annoyed to be unable to enter it because it’s full of non suite passengers. 
 

I have met some amazing D+ people in there but if it’s too busy now it won’t be a fun experience for anyone. 
 

If I pay for the perk I would be annoyed to be unable to use it. The free perks such as diamond lounge I wouldn’t mind either way. It’s not part of my cruise fair so if it was suddenly made D+ only that’s fine.

I have an annual policy covering all my trips worldwide. I am not too concerned about cancellations but I would want medical covered.

I am young, fit and healthy but you just never know what could happen. On my last cruise I was told of a lady who slipped on the stairs and got a nasty head injury (according to the witness) that same evening we turned back to port to drop a person off for urgent medical attention. Not sure if it was the same person but the witness I spoke to said it looked bad.

a few days later someone had to be taken off by helicopter. The costs for that must have been huge.

I am disappointed with how many short cruises there are. I  looking for 12 nights minimum. 
 

Hopefully the 2nd batch will have longer cruises.

That was a bad captain trying to sail close to land. It was perfect weather conditions. It’s not a comparable situation.

I think the Explorer has engine issues. We were frequently late in June even though we had perfect weather.

If you know what they like then go for it but don’t purchase a random candy bar. 
 

I tip and also complete the forms telling their managers about great service. It goes towards promotion opportunities and extra time off the ship. That’s worth so much more than candy.

The cafe and buffet will have pizza. Don’t worry they have you covered

12 hours ago, Sancho_proudfoot said:

 

 

The printing on seapass cards seems a bit iffy. Much of the wording rubbed off and security got a bit sniffy as they couldn't read the sail date when reboarding the ship.

 

Yes this was the only time I encountered a grumpy staff member. My seapass was just about readable but I got a telling off for its condition. It still scanned fine but I didn’t want scolding again so I went straight to get it changed.

Guest services said it’s because of sunscreen. I am very fair skinned so never went outside without plenty of protection.

I was on her in June and I agree with everything you posted. The ship was incredible. There was a frosted pane in the windjammer but it wasn’t a big deal. I imagine it would be difficult to change such a large pane of glass until dry dock. 

I thought the staff were the best we had on a cruise ship. 

I only cruise every 2/3 years (mainly because I like cruising but prefer land vacations) but after the Explorer experience I booked the Anthem for next year.  

Italy needs time so I would never recommend it as a cruise. So many ports involve long bus/train journeys making it tiring. Also places like Florence really come alive at night (great food, live music in the streets).

As you mentioned Croatia and Greece I say go for it. The ports are the destinations so you don’t need to spend a couple of hours travelling to the main city.

I visited Dubrovnik on a cruise and totally fell in love with it. I have been back 4 times since and have a 5th booked for next year. Croatian sunsets are the most incredible I have seen. I have only done a couple of ports in Greece but they have been great. It will be a more relaxing cruise then a Western Med would be.

I am on the Anthem 2020 which is only 12 nights so I am happy for the sea days.

The entertainment on the Explorer last month was poor. Sometimes there was only one show and other nights were replaced by movies. The cruise as a whole was excellent though and the staff were the best we had experienced.

Thanks. I have been reading through reviews but there isn’t a huge amount about entertainment. 

I am expecting poor weather in November so it’s good to know there will be plenty going on inside.

I finally have my first transatlantic booked and have a few questions.

Do Royal put on lectures during transatlantics? Is the entertainment different to normal cruises and do they put on anything special for the passengers during the sea days?

We are in our 30s and I assume the crowd will be older? It’s not an issue, one of my favourite couples I met on a cruise were in their 90s and I looked forward to seeing them every evening. I love meeting people so I am hoping that so many sea days will mean we can have fun meeting new people.

We only have 2 ports so I am really looking forward to lots of relaxing sea days.

The menu looks good. 

It would be nice to see them on normal menus in future. I am not vegan but some of our restaurants have really creative and imaginative vegan options. It’s a nice change from meat and two veg.

20 minutes ago, Thorben-Hendrik said:

They have no clue and just want to give you an answer so you leave.....fast!🙄

Never happened that cruises were released in September or October....🤔

That would be the fake news part since they approached me in the concierge lounge to chat through future cruises. I have 2020 and wondered when the itineraries would start coming out for 2021. 

There was no rush and they are very aware that other companies release UK cruises around then so Royal do start their UK seasons on the back foot. It was interesting hearing them suggesting Celebrity to cruisers for 2020 now Indy has gone. I know it’s a sister line but I had never heard them suggesting people switch lines.

40 minutes ago, Thorben-Hendrik said:

Fake news.....🙄

I am just quoting what I was told by the cruise staff onboard. 

I don’t see what reason they would have to lie about it.

I asked when onboard the Explorer and I was told September/October some itineraries will be released.

I got some nice OBC when booking my cruise. It was the Royal offer of up to $600 on selected cruises.

Ah well it’s not a great addition. It really adds to the feeling that they want you out of there as soon as possible. 

The food was great anyway but it would be nice if they slowed it back down to how it used to be. Plus not have the waitstaff so busy they cannot interact with the guests.