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1st timer cruise review - Explorer of the Seas 11/5/11

Datachick1213

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Datachick1213

Datachick1213

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I would like, if I may, write a day-by-day review of our trip on the Explorer of the Seas to Bermuda from 11/5/11 to 11/9/11. A little bit about us - Me 38, DH 41. Enjoy!:D

 

Let me start this review with our only complaint… There was a stench on decks 6 & 7 that we later found out was caused by another guest’s child flushing a toy down the toilet which backed up the drainage system. We did notice the housekeeping staff working diligently in the halls to try and eliminate the odor. The smell didn’t bother us that much because we were fortunate that it did not permeate into our cabin or affect our toilet. I’ve read other reviews from guests that weren’t so lucky. Also, I’d like to mention that we’re from Philly and live close to the Delaware River so, eh, it kind of reminded us of home. :cool:

 

 

Day 1 - Embarkation Day – Saturday - 11/05/2011

This cruise was special not only because it was our first cruise, but also because we were attending the wedding of very close friends. We arrived at Cape Liberty, NJ around 10am. We parked the car and then found out that we should have dropped off our bags first. (good to know for next time). Once we got the bag situation straightened out, we met up with a few other wedding guests and waited for the bride and groom. They arrived and we checked in quickly and were allowed to board before other passengers because of the wedding (what a treat for our first cruise!) We were onboard between 11 – 11:30 and headed up to Dizzy’s Lounge on Deck 14 before the ceremony. The ceremony was at 1pm in the Skylight Chapel on Deck 15. It was a short and sweet ceremony and then we went back down to Dizzy’s Lounge for a cake and champagne reception. The call was made for non-sailing guests to depart and we made our way to our cabin on Deck 7. Since this was our first cruise, we splurged for a balcony, and I must say, we will splurge again on the next cruise. (already planning one for Spring 2015) Our luggage had not arrived yet, so we dropped off our carry-ons and walked around the ship. We headed to Guest Services and set up our SeaPass account with cash, which was much easier than I thought it would’ve been because I had read so many differing opinions about using cash vs. credit card. Looking back, I’m so glad we used cash because we walked off the ship not owing a penny! We went back to our cabin and our luggage had arrived. We changed out of our wedding gear and realized that the ship was moving. (let’s hear it for the balcony folks) We headed to the Windjammer for lunch and then walked around the ship some more. We split up at this point to do our own exploring. DH found the mini golf course and I worked my way around the ship. We eventually met up on the Promenade for a complimentary liquor tasting (yippee) and got our ice show tickets. We had late seating in the DaGama dining room and our bride and groom had it set up so all of their guests were seated at 4 tables next to each other. (we were a group of 25) It was nice to see everyone again and talk about our 1st day on the ship. Dinner was very good and the after dinner drinks were quite tasty. I had to remind DH that he could order whatever he wanted. It didn’t take him long to remember that. We headed back to our cabin relatively early and enjoyed the view from the balcony once more before turning in for the night. The beds were surprisingly comfy, we weren’t sure what to expect. As we drifted off to sleep, we were looking forward to what the next day would hold.

 

 

Day 2 – At Sea – Sunday - 11/06/2011

We woke up quite early and checked the weather outside. It was very windy and quite cool. The water was a bit rough, but we didn’t really notice or care, we were on a cruise ship! We headed to the MDR for breakfast. Food was delicious and we met a nice older couple and had a pleasant conversation. After breakfast, we headed up to the mini-golf course for a couple of quick games. Talk about extreme mini-golf! The winds were so strong that I could’ve sworn that it was moving our golf balls. (DH was in denial about this only because I was winning) After our windy golf game, we explored the ship a little more. We headed to the casino, just for fun. The glass floor at the entrance was really cool. It took me a minute or so before I stopped thinking that I was going to trip on it. There was an “I Dream Of Jeannie” slot machine in the casino and I just couldn’t resist! (Oh, I guess I should mention that my name is Jeannie) We highlighted some of the activities that we wanted to do that day and the Champagne Art Auction was one of them. There were some very nice pieces in the gallery, and the complimentary champagne was an added bonus. After the auction we headed up to The 19th Hole bar on Deck 14 to watch some football and have a few drinks. We had a lot of fun watching the games with other like-minded people. It was like being at a sports bar back home. After we had enough football we headed to the WJ for lunch. I don’t think I’ve ever loved a cheeseburger as much as I did that day. Maybe it was because – WE WERE ON A CRUISE SHIP! We ran into some of the other wedding guests and chatted about our morning, everyone was having such a good time. After lunch we headed to the Promenade and enjoyed some live Calypso music. It was supposed to be poolside, but the wind was too strong for any outside activities. Soon it was time for the ice show. Neither of us had been to an ice show in many years so this was a nice treat. We were both impressed that the skaters did as good a job as they did because the waters were so very rough that night. We kept forgetting that we were on a ship until the ship moved and we were like, “Oh yeah, we’re on a boat!” After the ice show I was inspired to do some ice skating. Mind you, I have never ever been on ice skates in my life before this point. I was a little nervous, but the girls who were running the rink were reassuring. Both girls were in the ice show we had seen earlier that night. I laced up my boots, put on my helmet and headed out onto the ice. I am proud to announce that I only fell once (right on my backside) the whole time. Not too bad for someone who had never ice skated before and was doing it on a moving ship in choppy waters. Tonight was formal night and as I hurried back to our cabin I bumped into DH and he reminded me that it was also the night of the Welcome Aboard Reception. (more champagne – yahoo!) We posed for our formal picture and had a lovely dinner. After dinner, some of our traveling companions were heading to The Chamber for some late night dancing. We had all intentions of joining them, but we never made it because we were having way too much fun roaming around the ship and taking in the sights. We also found the atmosphere to be very romantic. ;) We had celebrated our 3rd anniversary a month before so we considered this to be a second honeymoon. Man, we really miss being on the boat.

 

More later.....

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mets550

mets550

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I would like, if I may, write a day-by-day review of our trip on the Explorer of the Seas to Bermuda from 11/5/11 to 11/9/11. A little bit about us - Me 38, DH 41. Enjoy!:D

 

Let me start this review with our only complaint… There was a stench on decks 6 & 7 that we later found out was caused by another guest’s child flushing a toy down the toilet which backed up the drainage system. We did notice the housekeeping staff working diligently in the halls to try and eliminate the odor. The smell didn’t bother us that much because we were fortunate that it did not permeate into our cabin or affect our toilet. I’ve read other reviews from guests that weren’t so lucky. Also, I’d like to mention that we’re from Philly and live close to the Delaware River so, eh, it kind of reminded us of home. :cool:

 

 

Day 1 - Embarkation Day – Saturday - 11/05/2011

This cruise was special not only because it was our first cruise, but also because we were attending the wedding of very close friends. We arrived at Cape Liberty, NJ around 10am. We parked the car and then found out that we should have dropped off our bags first. (good to know for next time). Once we got the bag situation straightened out, we met up with a few other wedding guests and waited for the bride and groom. They arrived and we checked in quickly and were allowed to board before other passengers because of the wedding (what a treat for our first cruise!) We were onboard between 11 – 11:30 and headed up to Dizzy’s Lounge on Deck 14 before the ceremony. The ceremony was at 1pm in the Skylight Chapel on Deck 15. It was a short and sweet ceremony and then we went back down to Dizzy’s Lounge for a cake and champagne reception. The call was made for non-sailing guests to depart and we made our way to our cabin on Deck 7. Since this was our first cruise, we splurged for a balcony, and I must say, we will splurge again on the next cruise. (already planning one for Spring 2015) Our luggage had not arrived yet, so we dropped off our carry-ons and walked around the ship. We headed to Guest Services and set up our SeaPass account with cash, which was much easier than I thought it would’ve been because I had read so many differing opinions about using cash vs. credit card. Looking back, I’m so glad we used cash because we walked off the ship not owing a penny! We went back to our cabin and our luggage had arrived. We changed out of our wedding gear and realized that the ship was moving. (let’s hear it for the balcony folks) We headed to the Windjammer for lunch and then walked around the ship some more. We split up at this point to do our own exploring. DH found the mini golf course and I worked my way around the ship. We eventually met up on the Promenade for a complimentary liquor tasting (yippee) and got our ice show tickets. We had late seating in the DaGama dining room and our bride and groom had it set up so all of their guests were seated at 4 tables next to each other. (we were a group of 25) It was nice to see everyone again and talk about our 1st day on the ship. Dinner was very good and the after dinner drinks were quite tasty. I had to remind DH that he could order whatever he wanted. It didn’t take him long to remember that. We headed back to our cabin relatively early and enjoyed the view from the balcony once more before turning in for the night. The beds were surprisingly comfy, we weren’t sure what to expect. As we drifted off to sleep, we were looking forward to what the next day would hold.

 

 

Day 2 – At Sea – Sunday - 11/06/2011

We woke up quite early and checked the weather outside. It was very windy and quite cool. The water was a bit rough, but we didn’t really notice or care, we were on a cruise ship! We headed to the MDR for breakfast. Food was delicious and we met a nice older couple and had a pleasant conversation. After breakfast, we headed up to the mini-golf course for a couple of quick games. Talk about extreme mini-golf! The winds were so strong that I could’ve sworn that it was moving our golf balls. (DH was in denial about this only because I was winning) After our windy golf game, we explored the ship a little more. We headed to the casino, just for fun. The glass floor at the entrance was really cool. It took me a minute or so before I stopped thinking that I was going to trip on it. There was an “I Dream Of Jeannie” slot machine in the casino and I just couldn’t resist! (Oh, I guess I should mention that my name is Jeannie) We highlighted some of the activities that we wanted to do that day and the Champagne Art Auction was one of them. There were some very nice pieces in the gallery, and the complimentary champagne was an added bonus. After the auction we headed up to The 19th Hole bar on Deck 14 to watch some football and have a few drinks. We had a lot of fun watching the games with other like-minded people. It was like being at a sports bar back home. After we had enough football we headed to the WJ for lunch. I don’t think I’ve ever loved a cheeseburger as much as I did that day. Maybe it was because – WE WERE ON A CRUISE SHIP! We ran into some of the other wedding guests and chatted about our morning, everyone was having such a good time. After lunch we headed to the Promenade and enjoyed some live Calypso music. It was supposed to be poolside, but the wind was too strong for any outside activities. Soon it was time for the ice show. Neither of us had been to an ice show in many years so this was a nice treat. We were both impressed that the skaters did as good a job as they did because the waters were so very rough that night. We kept forgetting that we were on a ship until the ship moved and we were like, “Oh yeah, we’re on a boat!” After the ice show I was inspired to do some ice skating. Mind you, I have never ever been on ice skates in my life before this point. I was a little nervous, but the girls who were running the rink were reassuring. Both girls were in the ice show we had seen earlier that night. I laced up my boots, put on my helmet and headed out onto the ice. I am proud to announce that I only fell once (right on my backside) the whole time. Not too bad for someone who had never ice skated before and was doing it on a moving ship in choppy waters. Tonight was formal night and as I hurried back to our cabin I bumped into DH and he reminded me that it was also the night of the Welcome Aboard Reception. (more champagne – yahoo!) We posed for our formal picture and had a lovely dinner. After dinner, some of our traveling companions were heading to The Chamber for some late night dancing. We had all intentions of joining them, but we never made it because we were having way too much fun roaming around the ship and taking in the sights. We also found the atmosphere to be very romantic. ;) We had celebrated our 3rd anniversary a month before so we considered this to be a second honeymoon. Man, we really miss being on the boat.

 

More later.....

 

Great review. Look forward to reading more. Do you guys have any pictures?

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Phillies14

Phillies14

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Looking forward to the rest of your review. We took our first cruise on the one that left right after you got off the ship.
Great job Kelly, a wonderful review. Am D+ now and still get as excited and impressed with each and every RCL cruise now as I did on my first cruise way back when! Glad you had such a wonderful and memorable cruise!!:) K.O. near Philly
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Datachick1213

Datachick1213

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Day 3 – Bermuda – Monday - 11/07/2011

We woke up early to warmer temperatures. (it was in the low 50’s when we left New Jersey and in Bermuda it was in the mid to high 70’s) As we stepped onto the balcony to take in the view we both exclaimed “LAND!” as we saw the island of Bermuda in the distance. It was still quite windy but the warmer temperatures were a welcome adjustment. We headed to WJ for breakfast and were lucky to find a seat by a window so we could watch the coastline as we pulled into port. We’d like to give a shout out to the Captain and his crew for being able to dock in Bermuda in such rough waters. We heard that another ship was supposed to dock the same day as us but it couldn’t get in because of the conditions. (neener, neener, neener) After breakfast it was time for our land adventure!

 

We walked off the ship into very windy conditions and headed to the Clocktower Mall. What a cute little mall. We purchased a couple of small mementos and headed out to search for the Glass Beach. Thanks to CC member32N64W for the excellent directions and map. You can check it out here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1441854

 

The ship insignias in the industrial area were so awesome. We have a thing for penguins and saw one that featured a penguin, and that made the trek so much more fun. The insignias are everywhere, too many to count and I’m sure we missed a lot of them. If you ever find yourself in Bermuda do find some time to see them.

 

We had to keep reminding ourselves that they drive on the opposite side of the road in Bermuda so we made sure to keep to the side of the road with traffic to our back because the road we were on had many twists and turns. Those pink busses travel so fast! We walked through some residential parts and made sure to say good morning to the locals and they greeted us as well. The people of Bermuda seemed very nice. We passed the Naval Cemetery and intended to check it out on our way back, but that didn’t happen.

 

We made it to the Glass Beach and saw the awning and other sculptures. I was a little disappointed that the man mentioned in other posts was not on the bench. We made our way down the make-shift steps (I wouldn’t recommend this adventure for those who have difficulty walking as it was a very steep and uneven set of steps). I was amazed at how much sea glass was on the beach. DH wasn’t familiar with sea glass so he was a little dismayed at what he called “broken bottle beach”. I bent down and handed him a piece and he was amazed at how smooth it was. We got out our baggies and started collecting. DH saw the jet-ski and other shipwrecks and thought it would be a great place for salvage. I walked up and down the beach and collected many neat pieces, mostly brown, white and green. I did find a few pieces of blue and some pottery. After we had collected enough glass we sat on the small pier for a bit and admired the scenery. It was such a secluded beach, which we loved because we’re not really beach people and the “tourist” beaches would have been far too crowded for our liking. We were the only people on the beach when we got there. A couple of other tourists arrived later and only stayed a few minutes. As we made our way back up the stairs we met more tourists. We wished them good luck on their sea glass hunting and headed back to the ship.

 

We both got such a kick out of the stray chickens roaming around the streets since back home we only have stray cats & dogs.:D We took a different road back so as not to see the same things twice. The area is residential and was quiet. The sky had been threatening to open all morning and it did as we made our way back to the ship. It was so windy that it made the rain go sideways – little bitty stinging rain. We had packed ponchos just in case this happened, and we left them on the ship - DOH! The rain let up before we got back to the ship and we stopped to dry off a bit. We found an old guard house at the entrance to the dockyard and it proved to be a great photo opportunity. (haven't had time to figure out how to upload pics yet, sorry)

 

Once we were back on board, we changed and headed back to the mini golf course for 2 quick rounds (I think we were tied at this point). We decided to go to Johnny Rockets for lunch ($5/person + sodas & shakes) - Great fries, onion rings & burgers. I posted earlier about how much I loved my cheeseburger, I was mistaken, this was when I never loved a cheeseburger so much. I even joined the staff for a song and dance routine as DH used the table as drums. After lunch we headed to the Schooner Bar for a scavenger hunt. But alas, we were too late to participate. We stuck around for a bit and were able to participate in Team Trivia. Even though we didn’t win, we had a lot of fun. We had a little more fun in the casino and once again enjoyed live music on the Promenade. DH wanted to watch Monday Night Football in the Weekend Warrior bar since the Eagles were playing and I decided to go play bingo since my love for the Eagles has dwindled recently. We quickly ate dinner in MDR and went our separate ways. Shout out to our waitress, Denise, who had us in and out quickly when we told her we had plans that evening. I didn’t win anything at bingo but had a lot of fun. I had never seen electronic bingo before...what a concept! As I was leaving bingo I bumped into some of our traveling companions and decided to hang out with them and watch the “Love and Marriage” game show. Soooo funny! After the game show, a few of us headed back up to the Promenade and got caught up in a parade and decided to chill at the Aquarium Bar. The DOD was a “Bermuda Rum Swizzle” – emphasis on the RUM. After my DOD I went to the Weekend Warrior to find DH. I decided to have another DOD. DH was disappointed about the game and I was feeling rummy so we decided to go back to our cabin. ;) Wow, what a full day we had!

 

 

Day 4 – Bermuda – Tuesday - 11/08/2011

This was our 2nd day docked in Bermuda and since there were so many activities to do, we decided to spend the day on the ship. It was nice because many people were out and about on the island so we pretty much had the ship to ourselves. MDR for breakfast and we had eggs benedict. We didn’t see it on the menu the other day but we found out from our traveling companions that we could order it anyway, which was awesome.

 

After breakfast we went to the Cloud 9 Lounge on deck 14 to play some cards and other games. It was nice to have some quiet fun time together. Soon it was time to head down to Maharaja’s Lounge on Deck 5 for Adult Wii bowling. We enjoyed more Calypso music on the Promenade. The band was very good and we went to see them whenever we could. We made our way to WJ once again for lunch and then played more mini golf. There was a 70’s music trivia competition at the Schooner Bar before dinner and we almost won that one!

 

It was lobster night in the MDR and we couldn’t have been happier. It’s amazing how many lobster tails one can eat when there is no right side of the menu.:) After dinner we headed to the Promenade for the 70’s Disco Street Party and we found ourselves in the Conga Line, which was awesome. After the Disco Party we decided to go to “The Quest”, the Adults Only game show at Studio B on deck 3. I had a slight idea of what to expect and DH and I are always up for a little silliness. We sat in the front row and were, ahem, volunteered for most of the stunts. It got to a point that we both just stayed on the floor instead of going back to our seats since we were having so much fun with the silly stunts or “Quests” as they were called. Luke, the cruise director, was very entertaining and made this activity even more fun. We went to the “Quest” after party at “The Chamber” night club. We were so bummed that we hadn’t been to the club before then. The club is set up to look like an old gothic church, complete with stained glass windows and gargoyles. DH said it reminded him of a club in NYC and that made it even better. The sound-proofing was amazing as we didn’t hear any music once we stepped outside the doors. We had another full day and were quite tired by the end of it.

 

Man, we really, really miss being on the boat.:(

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Datachick1213

Datachick1213

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Day 5 – At Sea – Wednesday - 11/09/2011

After our full day of fun on the ship the day before, I decided to sleep in a little this morning. DH headed to MDR for more eggs benedict. Once I found the energy to get out of bed, I headed to WJ for mass quantities of breakfast.

 

After breakfast, I roamed around the ship some more and eventually met up with DH and some of our traveling companions that afternoon. (must remember walkie-talkies for next time) We all went to MDR for lunch. The salad bar was amazing!

 

After some more exploring and mini-golf, DH and I went to another Champagne Art Auction. We were lucky and won a bottle of champagne! After the auction, DH headed back to our cabin with champagne and glasses in hand and I went to WJ for strawberries, grapes and cheese. Snacking and drinking champagne on our balcony with the open sea as our view was incredibly romantic and so totally awesome. ;)

 

Once again we enjoyed Calypso music on the Promenade and then headed to the pool deck for some DOD, which happened to be Margaritas. (YIPPEE!) I of course had to pose for a “Queen of the World” picture on the front of the ship.

 

After our on deck fun, we went to the Palace Theatre for the “Farewell Variety Show”. We really enjoyed the comedian and the production number. Luke, the cruise director, was once again quite entertaining. We really liked his “Top 10 Stupid Questions” bit.

 

It was our final day at sea and our final dinner in MDR. We all talked about how much fun we had during the past few days and were sad that it had to end. After dinner we went to the Promenade for the “Island Frenzy” parade and then back to “The Chamber” for some music and dancing. The club was fairly empty so we only stayed for a little while. However, The Schooner Bar was jumping but we wanted to eat more than dance and went to the Promenade Café for pizza and sandwiches. Since it was our last night on the ship and we had to be up early, we decided to head back to our cabin for our final room check.

 

Man, oh man, we really, really, really miss being on the boat.:(

 

 

Thursday Morning - 11/10/11 - back in New Jersey

We had a report time of 10:45 for disembarkation. We awoke early and went to WJ for our last meal on the ship. Since most of our traveling companions from the wedding were all on the same deck, we were all able to meet up and leave together. We all talked about our time on the ship and most planned to do it again. We exited the ship fairly quickly and rode the shuttle back to the port. We were able to get our luggage quickly and customs was a breeze. We are so looking forward to our next cruise. We’re planning a Spring 2015 cruise for our daughter’s 21st birthday. Although, I think we can sneak away again before then.:D

 

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this review as much as I had writing it. Cruises are the best thing ever!

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kleo30

kleo30

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Here are a few pics from our voyage...

 

1. Casino Floor

2. Windy King's Wharf

3. The Glass Beach

4. Penguin Ship Insignia

 

The casino floor freaked me out. It was at least 5 or 6 times before I didn't flinch every time I walked over that...and mostly because my husband would remind me lol.

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