Review: Explorer / February 23 to March 2 2014

[meatloafsfan]

We sailed on the Explorer of the Seas February 23 – March 2nd 2014. It’s was a 7 night cruise to Port Canaveral, Nassau Bahamas, and Coco Cay.

 

We didn’t do anything at any of the ports so there’s no excursion information in this review but I will comment on what the ship was like during these 3 stops (especially since we missed Coco Cay and that seemed to change the entire vibe of the day).

 

To start, there’s 3 of us, myself, my father and my mother. My mother is a full time wheelchair user and that often dictates some of our actions and experiences.

 

I’m not going to do a day by day but rather just comment on some things we noticed. We did a cruise on the Explorer last year around the same time but it was a 9 night cruise. The review will be followed by food pictures (lots, and lots of food pictures).

 

So the review:

 

1. We stayed in Elizabeth NJ the night before the cruise at the Marriott Courtyard (originally was to stay at the Residence Inn but the room was no where near ADA compliant – there was a roll in shower but no shower chair/stool; the toilet was at best 13 inches high, short even for someone not disabled; there was a big lip to roll over to get into the bathroom which took both my dad and I to get the chair over; the bathroom floor was glossy and very slippery; and to top it off, the bed was 3 feet high and would have been next to impossible to get my mother into). The Courtyard room though was very accessible (though the toilet was still a little low) but the beds were regular height, the roll in shower had a padded, stable seat, there was adequate room to turn the chair around in the room, and there was still room for a comfortable, stuffed chair, ottoman, desk, drawers, closet, etc that are all present in the regular rooms. The onsite Bistro was good quality food at reasonable prices ($10 for the burger with 2 sides, $12 for a Cobb salad – about what I would expect for the outskirts of NY). There was no breakfast included but that was okay because we headed to the dunkin donuts near the port to enjoy one last decent cup of coffee.

 

2. Embarkation was easy for us. We arrived around 10:30, and we dropped off our luggage. I pushed my mom from the drop off area to where you enter the building to embark and we waited while my dad parked the car. He joined us not more than 10 minutes after he left us – very quick and easy even though there were still tons of people getting off the ship and going to their vehicles or waiting to be picked up. We went through security (directed to the line for wheelchair/stroller users) and were then directed to the special needs line to check in. We just waited for the group ahead of us to check in and then it was our turn. There was a sign at check in that if you were experiencing any gastrointestinal symptoms and you identify to them, that they would offer you a refund not to sail. I don’t know if the refund would have been a complete refund or a credit to sail another time. After check in we took seats near the front and then a port employee came by and directed us to the area to the right of the doors to the bus – it’s where the 1’s and 2’s were sitting and special needs. We took our seats in that area by 11am. By about 11:45 we boarded the bus to the ship. They called special needs first and then numbers 1 and 2. Since they can only board 3 wheelchairs/scooters at a time, the busses were filled with both special needs and others with priority boarding.

 

3. Muster drill was fine. They reminded people that it would be mostly outside so to ensure that they dressed warmly (not everyone listened). When we arrived on 4 (near our muster station), one of the staff directed us to the Schooner lounge to wait – one of us had to go out and check in with leader and then could return to wait in the lounge with the other 2 of us. This was different than last year when we were told that only 1 of us should wait with my mother and the other should go outside. In case of emergency, I’m not going to leave my parents to fend for themselves with the staff so I think it makes more sense to keep us together for the drill.

 

4. We enjoyed sailaway from the solarium. There was enough shelter there so that my mother wasn’t freezing (plus she was wrapped in a blanket that we travel with to ensure her legs can always stay warm). The ship really does come close to that bridge (not too close I guess but wow). My dad went to the front near the peak a boo bridge to get pictures – he didn’t realize though that the Captain would blow the ships horn going under the bridge and it scared the bejeszus out of him! My mom and I had a decent view of going under the bridge by being in the solarium (with it’s open centre) and I recommend this for adults who travel in cold weather but want to see the underside of the bridge.

 

5. Movies – on the TV last year, they showed a different movie each day on channel 20 (the Royal Caribbean Channel). This year it was constantly Rachel Ray making the same 7 dishes – twists on classic favourites! There were still pay-for-view movies on the tv at the cost of $12.99 each. We bought 2 movies during the week – Thor: Dark World and Elysium. We watched each movie a couple of times (when the credits are rolling, just rewind the movie back to the beginning and you can watch it again – and you can do that as many times as you want to). During the first 2 days (embarkation and the first sea day), the movies shown in the screening room were older movies – “First Knight” and “50 First Dates”. I was a little crest fallen because last year there was a “newish” movie everyday. However, when I saw the daily schedule for day 3 (Port Canaveral) I was happier. They showed “Red 2” with Bruce Willis and Helen Mirren. During the rest of the week, they showed “White House Down”, “The Lone Ranger”, “Man of Steel” and …? Sorry but I can’t remember but again, it was a newish movie. One word about the screening room – it’s small. There are 59 seats and 1 place for a wheelchair. It was okay on the Port Canaveral Day and Nassau but when Coco Cay was cancelled, so many people came to the theatre. We got there at noon for the 1pm show (to make sure we got that 1 wheelchair spot) and by the time the movie started, people were laying on the floor and 4-5 people had gone into the conference room and brought chair into the theatre and blocked the entire aisle way. This kind of ticked me off because there was no way that we could have gotten the wheelchair out of there if my mother needed to use the washroom (other people got up during the show, left and returned but there’s no way she could have). Actually, I have 2 things, on the Port Canaveral day, they also had the screening room listed as the meeting place for one of the excursions so people were walking in and out during the movie and then a staff member came in and made an announcement that the tour was ready to leave and if there was anyone in the theatre, please join him now, and the tour was for…blah, blah, blah. And of course, there was no way for them to stop the movie so those of us who were ¾ way through the movie were getting ticked by all of the interruptions!

 

6. We only saw one show in the main theatre – it was the late night comedian. He was kind of raunchy but funny enough. The theatre was pretty full (wasn’t expecting that for late night). For wheelchair users, the seating is at the top, back of the theatre. When we arrived, many of the seats were taken, including 3 spots next to where we sat. They were all taken by 1 man who turned his seat half to the side, had his legs to the chairs to his left and his arm dragged over to the right (and he was not in a wheelchair – he was sitting in one chair but had stretched out over 3 chairs/spaces). For anything really popular, I recommend that wheelchair users again get to the main theatre early because available seating is very limited.

 

7. Past guest party – this was held on the Port Canaveral Day at 10:45am in the morning. The drinks were free flowing – they had trays with bloody mary’s, sunrises (with vodka), some kind of pink champagne thing, mimosa’s and white wine. You could also order whatever you wanted, my dad got a diet coke and the lady next to me a sprite. For those not needing wheelchair seating, I recommend sitting down near the front. That’s where the servers started handing out drinks and if you were down there, you could easily have gotten 5-6 drinks in the 45 minutes. I got 3 drinks (but I did tip the lady a few bucks) during time frame. At the end, they showed the Quantum of the Seas introduction video. About half the people left just before they showed the video.

 

8. When Coco Cay was cancelled, they did a great job of putting out another cruise compass and adding more events. They added karaoke, Finish the Lyrics game, bingo, belly flop contest and a bunch of other stuff. They also opened up the MDR for lunch. (with the cancellation of Coco Cay, the MDR was open every day this cruise).

 

9. We had wanted to try Johnny Rockets. When we went up to 12, it was very windy. The wheelchair wouldn’t go through the door (for whatever reason, the door didn’t open all the way – there was still an inch on each side of the doorway where the door didn’t recess all the way in). We tried to sit outside but it was so windy there was no way we would have enjoyed lunch. So we skipped it. My dad was a little disappointed but it didn’t have that big of an impact. We just went down to the MDR instead.

 

10. Before the past guest party, we talked with the Head Chef and he asked if we were enjoying everything so far. We said we were with 1 exception – the crème brulee (Banana Baileys Brulee). He explained that the potassium in the banana kept it from setting properly and the liquid on top separates from the baileys. He also told us that if we wanted regular crème brulee, all we needed to do was ask our server and he would make it for us. On the Nassau night (night 4) we asked and for nights 5, 6, and 7 we had regular (and very good!) crème brulee delivered to our table (for us and our table mates).

 

11. This is the first cruise I’ve been on where having an excellent Head Server (not the server or assistant server but the lead guy) actually impacted our cruise. He arranged for the crème brulee, stopped by to talk to us every evening (answering questions, explaining things, talking about how things work on the cruise ships, etc). Plus, on the 2nd formal night (lobster night), he took care of what started out as a very bad situation. We had been seated at a table for 10 but there had only been 5 of us all week (the 3 of us and a couple). They removed one of the chairs at the end of the table for my mother and provided me with an armless chair (I’m plus sized) to make me more comfortable. When we arrived that night, the other couple was at the table and were looking very uncomfortable. At the “head” of the table where my mother was placed, was a very loud man who had moved my chair over there was loudly complaining that he had demanded a table for just his family and he was very unhappy that other people were seated at “his” table. The head server said that he would move his family so it would be just them at a table but the man was not happy – he wanted us moved. When the head server explained that the spot he was in was set for a guest in a wheelchair and he would not be moving her (meaning my mother – we had arrived and were standing to the side wondering what was going on), the man started swearing and saying the new table “better f******* be as f******** good as this f******* table” and “f*** the wheelchair”. The head server became a little gruff and told the man to move out of the chair and pointed to the other end of the restaurant. The head server then moved the chairs correctly, wheeled my mother to her space and apologized. He again came over after dinner and insisted on wheeling my mother all the way to the casino and apologized again. He was candid with us and told us that he had no respect for those kind of guests and he knew that they were just there to see how many lobsters they could eat, and if experience taught him anything, they would remove their tips no matter what and he didn’t want such nice people as ourselves to be upset by such low class people.

 

12. The pool water was cold. I went in once (during the cancelled Coco Cay day) but that was enough for me. The hot tubs were very hot and were well used on this cruise. I forgot that the pool was salt water and it took me by surprise. It really does a number on my eyes and I looked like I’d been crying for half the day.

 

13. I love the Freestyle Coke machines. During the week though, we found that they were often running out of flavours and ice. I don’t know if it’s that more people bought it than they were expecting or if there was a supply issue but at different times the machines ran out of Coke Zero, both regular and diet root beer and seemed to regularly be out of ice. We learned to always check the machine before placing the cup to ensure that what we wanted wasn’t greyed out. My dad and I got more diet cokes from the bars this cruise than we did last cruise (where we constantly used the machines). It seemed that everywhere you looked people had the soda cup so the package is obviously very popular.

 

14. We had a few drinks during the week. We spent less than $100 between the 3 of us (well, actually the 2 of us, my dad doesn’t drink alcohol). We enjoyed the free drinks at the past guest party, the free champagne at the Captains Party (my mom and I each had 2 glasses – it’s not top quality but it really does go to your head quickly) and then my mom had 4 drinks and I had 5 or 6. I keep kidding that we’ll need to start drinking at home more often to gear up for our fall cruise on Celebrity where we have the classic alcoholic beverage package.

 

15. On the advice of these boards, I asked for an egg crate topper for the couch. Our room attendant asked if I had pre-requested it (?) and I said no. He said he’d have to wait to see if there was one available then. We never did get one. My dad doesn’t mind a hard bed so after the first night he switched with me. I didn’t find the regular beds all that comfortable either (better than the couch though). The pillows are also flat (thank goodness my dad only uses 1 and my mother only uses 1 – it took 4 of the flat, thin pillows to make a good pillow for me). The comforter/duvets are very heavy and warm. Our room steward wasn’t the greatest. He came down and split the beds during the muster drill on the first day (I went to the room to grab the camera I forgot right after the drill and walked in on him) around 4pm and that was our “turn down service”. Our dispenser in the bathroom was completely empty the entire week (right from the start it was empty – thankfully we travel with a bunch of travel size sample stuff because I don’t trust what you get in the dispensers). He told us the second day that his shift ended at 7pm so he needed to make up our room for the evening by 5pm. There were at least 2 nights where we skipped having him come in and just requested the cruise compass. For us, that’s 2 for 2 of lacklustre room attendants on Royal.

 

I’m sure I’ll think of more to add as I start posting pictures. If you have any questions, I’ll try to answer them.

Edited March 8, 2014 by meatloafsfan

[meatloafsfan]

Port Canaveral -

 

There was a full day of events planned for the morning and the ship seemed to empty out during the afternoon. Even during the evening, it was clear that many people stayed off the ship for dinner. Nothing was busy until about 10pm (all aboard was 10:30pm). It was one of the few times that it was very easy to grab a seat at the Cafe Promenade to enjoy a coffee, tea or pop before dinner.

 

Nassau -

 

The ship remained about half full. It was less crowded than on a sea day but there was still a lot of people who remained onboard. My dad went off briefly to visit the straw market. He also took his snorkel but decided that he didn't want to chance going off by himself. There were fewer people at dinner but not by much. Although all aboard wasn't until 11:30pm, it was clear that most people were back onboard for the evening entertainment.

 

Coco Cay (cancelled) -

 

Once cancelled they did a good job of making a new compass but there were a few things they should have changed. The screening room was very popular (it was overcast outside) and every show was packed. This is the day we experienced people with chairs in the aisle and sitting on the floor. There was lots to do around the ship and they did have a number of inside activities (which was good with the weather) but it did seem that everything was packed.

[Merion_Mom]

10. Before the past guest party, we talked with the Head Chef and he asked if we were enjoying everything so far. We said we were with 1 exception – the crème brulee (Banana Baileys Brulee). He explained that the potassium in the banana kept it from setting properly and the liquid on top separates from the baileys. He also told us that if we wanted regular crème brulee, all we needed to do was ask our server and he would make it for us. On the Nassau night (night 4) we asked and for nights 5, 6, and 7 we had regular (and very good!) crème brulee delivered to our table (for us and our table mates).

 

 

That is good news! :)

[hardingk]

Thanks for this great review so far! I'm looking forward to your pictures!!

 

PS - I see you are thinking about a Disney Cruise! I have sailed on all 4 ships and would be happy to answer any questions!!

[meatloafsfan]

Thanks for this great review so far! I'm looking forward to your pictures!!

 

PS - I see you are thinking about a Disney Cruise! I have sailed on all 4 ships and would be happy to answer any questions!!

 

thanks. We've sailed 5 times on Disney (Magic, Dream and Fantasy). The question isn't about Disney cruises, it's about whether I want to sail with my cousin, her husband and there 4 kids! :D

[hardingk]

thanks. We've sailed 5 times on Disney (Magic, Dream and Fantasy). The question isn't about Disney cruises, it's about whether I want to sail with my cousin, her husband and there 4 kids! :D

 

LOL!!! Can't help you with that!!!

[puggrandma]

Can't wait for food pictures :D

[laseiber]

Hi Meatloafan, I spoke with you at the Meet and Mingle event. Your review was about covered the same views as mine for that week. We have cruised Explore over 11 times, and this was the most dissappointing trip by far. We had issues in the MDR, since we eat in Portifino's the first night our 2nd nt in MDR 1st seating was a downer. Our waiter and asst waiter didn't even put their names on the table so we had no idea who they were. We had requested on embarkation (even before with home office in Mismi) a specific waiter we have had in the past, but to no avail. He did come up one night to check in with us briefly. Anyway we weren't even asked what beverage we would like with our meal. We got our cold appitizers before our hot ones, making them warm at best when we got them. The Head Waiter made an effort since we knew him from our previous cruises to make things right. Our room steward was lackluster at best as well. A lot of new employees on Explorer this trip, as I was just on her in December. Tip for those 1st timers at the Port Canaveral stop. If you just want to go to the beach or shopping, you can get a round trip shuttle for $12.00 cash. I did see they took credit cards. I took the shuttle to the mall (it hat Sears, JCPenney, Macys, a dollar store, food court, 2 sports stores. They will also make a stop at a CVS store if needed, just get their phone number so that when you are done give them a call and on the next trip they will pick you up. It is a continuous service. So you can go back to ship when ever you are done. Since we are Diamond Plus, enjoyed the Concierge Lounge on deck 9, and the private dining room on deck 3, but the service there was a little lacking, as one of the waiters asked to see my card after I showed it on day one. It was the first cruise I have ever been on that I didn't get in either the pool water of ocean water the whole trip. Can't wait to see your food selections. Hope to meet up with you on another cruise.

[Irene7]

Good review and thank you for sharing. We will be cruising on Explore this Oct and your review answered some questions I had. I look forward to your pix.:)

[meatloafsfan]

We don't eat at the buffet often (personal choice) so I only have a few pictures.

 

These are from the first day. I was happy to see that they had "sandwich fixings" - tuna, egg salad, meats, cheeses and some crusty bread and rolls plus a delicious dark bread.

 

For my mother I got a bit of everything from the hot area (plus some cheese). The green beans weren't cooked at all but that's about the only negative. The carved beef was good (and they had well done which my mother prefers), the pork stew was good and the mashed potatoes were very good. The little piece of fish (top right side) was a bit dry and my asked me to confirm that it was fish (tasted fishy but it had the texture of something firmed). It was Wahoo which I find to be a very meaty kind of fish.

 

 

For myself I grabbed some tuna, some egg salad and both crusty bread and the dark brown bread. The green beans were the same ones from my mother's plate - we moved them after she decided not to eat them. On the dark brown bread, you can also see a dollop of the lemon mayo they had on the buffet (I was glad I grabbed it because the tuna was very dry - very good, white chunk tuna but dry). I also grabbed a bowl of the potato leek soup. This was too cool to eat (IMHO) and it had congealed.

 

 

My Dad loves the fries (when they are fresh) and he's big on beef (so you'll see a few pieces on his plates). He also had one of the hot dogs (no bun) which he said was a good wiener - it had a good snap to it and tasted like a beef wiener. The Honey Stung Chicken is a thing of the past apparently and instead they had the chicken tenders. The first one my dad got was great but the second one was too crispy and overdone.

 

 

 

I grabbed a plate of desserts for my mother and I to share. The apple strudel was tasty, the chocolate roll was very good (but the vanilla one wasn't), The strawberry and chocolate "cakes" were basically mousse - good for what it was but still, it was mousse or pudding. The fruit was okay - the pineapple was good, the watermelon was good but the honeydew and canteloupe wasn't ripe and tasted "off" (like maybe they use some kind of preservative?).

 

 

Close Up:

 

[meatloafsfan]

We ate breakfast in the buffet once. My parents made it to the MDR for breakfast a few times (and I'll post pictures of the ones I have). Most days I either skipped breakfast or had a little something from the Promenade Cafe. I found that if I had a big breakfast I didn't want lunch and frankly, I like lunch better than breakfast so it was a no brainer for me to stick to a coffee, muffin and banana for breakfast.

 

My mother's plate:

 

 

They had premade ham and cheese omelets (on the left) and fried eggs (real ones with runny yolks). The bacon was a bit uncooked. My mother loved the smoked salmon (said it was a lovely thick piece I choose - and put it ontop of the waffle so not to get egg, bean or mushroom liquid on it). The beans and mushrooms are a nice touch for an English style breakfast.

 

My plate:

 

 

I liked the waffles but the French toast really stole the show. On the buffet they have the waffles and french toast trays covered with napkins to keep them warm. It still helps to pick from a new, full tray if you're looking for fresh and hot. The pancake was okay (had a nice chunk of banana in it) but I ate it last and it was very cold. I loved (loved, loved) the corn beef hash. I had my dad try it but he didn't like it at all. I liked it specifically because it was real corned beef where my dad prefers the canned corned beef (which I consider like dog food :eek:). The potato hashbrown patties were incredible! So crispy, so crunchy, so salty, so good! The donut hole wasn't actual donut (they use more of a bread dough instead of a yeast raised mix).

 

I don't eat breakfast often but at least I can say that this one was worth eating. We also had orange juice, apple juice, strawberry water, plain water, coffee and diet coke with our breakfasts (the drink guy was around a couple of times).

 

I had also asked about yogurt before I left so I thought I'd share the brand I found:

 

 

At least on the Explorer, it's Upstate Farms and on the day we went there was plain (which they had a ton of - I guess not too many people were interested in one with no fruit or flavouring) and peach. My mom had it and said she enjoyed it.

[cruisenanny]

Great review, thank you! Cant wait to see all the food pics!! We sail on Tuesday:D

[meatloafsfan]

Promenade was a hang out of ours during the week - especially in the early evening (since we had late dining) and mid morning (after my parents finished the MDR breakfast, they'd come to find me there - or we'd all get up late and hit up the cafe for coffee and a breakfast treat).

 

I only snagged 1 breakfast photo from my first breakfast there. The fruit was ripe (though you had to be careful with the bananas as the cruise wore on). In addition to the bananas and oranges, they also had kiwi. In the mornings, there was usually 2 kinds of muffins, a couple of kinds of danish (apple, raspberry, vanilla), cinnomen rolls, and raisin/mixed peel bread. The coffee was terrible but at a certain point, it became a moot point because I just needed the caffiene so by day 3 I found it drinkable because I needed it to be. My mother had a Vanilla Latte one morning from the coffee kiosk (Starbucks) which she enjoyed. She hates paying extra for coffee though so 1 for the week was enough (though I kept urging her to enjoy one everyday if she wanted).

 

 

During the day and evening, they seemed to mostly have the same kind of sanwiches (they were good and we liked them so it was good for us but I can see if you don't eat ham or like Olives, you'd be disappointed).

 

Most of time they had ham and cheese (with tomato and mayo) on a croissant and tomato and mozzerella on an Olive Focaccia (the bread was wonderful - soft and flavourful). They usually rotated the other sandwich - we had tuna on a white roll and a spicy sausage type meat with cheese on a poppyseed roll. Both of these were good and it was nice to have a little variety.

 

 

 

 

 

They also had a variety of desserts and cookies. The sunflower bars were good but if you have dentures or a partial (as my parents both do) you may want to skip them. They are literally all seeds and bits. The various cookies were good. My dad usually grabbed a couple and brought them back to the cabin to snack on in the afternoons/evenings/late night (or really whenever he wanted a sweet).

[puggylicious]

Thank you for posting your review Meatloafsfan. Hoping to get on the Explorer sometime soon, really love that ship.

[meatloafsfan]

Hi Meatloafan, I spoke with you at the Meet and Mingle event. Your review was about covered the same views as mine for that week. We have cruised Explore over 11 times, and this was the most dissappointing trip by far. We had issues in the MDR, since we eat in Portifino's the first night our 2nd nt in MDR 1st seating was a downer. Our waiter and asst waiter didn't even put their names on the table so we had no idea who they were. We had requested on embarkation (even before with home office in Mismi) a specific waiter we have had in the past, but to no avail. He did come up one night to check in with us briefly. Anyway we weren't even asked what beverage we would like with our meal. We got our cold appitizers before our hot ones, making them warm at best when we got them. The Head Waiter made an effort since we knew him from our previous cruises to make things right. Our room steward was lackluster at best as well. A lot of new employees on Explorer this trip, as I was just on her in December. Tip for those 1st timers at the Port Canaveral stop. If you just want to go to the beach or shopping, you can get a round trip shuttle for $12.00 cash. I did see they took credit cards. I took the shuttle to the mall (it hat Sears, JCPenney, Macys, a dollar store, food court, 2 sports stores. They will also make a stop at a CVS store if needed, just get their phone number so that when you are done give them a call and on the next trip they will pick you up. It is a continuous service. So you can go back to ship when ever you are done. Since we are Diamond Plus, enjoyed the Concierge Lounge on deck 9, and the private dining room on deck 3, but the service there was a little lacking, as one of the waiters asked to see my card after I showed it on day one. It was the first cruise I have ever been on that I didn't get in either the pool water of ocean water the whole trip. Can't wait to see your food selections. Hope to meet up with you on another cruise.

 

Hi!

 

Although I found some of the service to be lackluster (like our room steward), we also met some really great people (like the sous chefs and the chef in charge of the dining on 5, the lady from Jamaica who worked both the Promenade Cafe and Johnny Rockets, and Andre from the entertainment team) who clearly loved their jobs.

 

It was an odd feeling on the ship though, there were a number of servers (bar servers, dining room servers at lunch) who were downright gruff or almost surly (we had a few pre-dinner drinks in the Bolero bar and there were two servers there each evening - one who was "okay" and one who it felt like we were severely inconveniencing him by ordering a drink).

 

At the end of the day, we did have a very good cruise - it was relaxing and fun; we had good food and smooth seas.

 

This cruise though does confirm that I don't think Royal is our ideal cruise vacation. I won't NOT book a Royal cruise but I also don't think it'll be my first choice, especially with the Explorer leaving Bayonne. One of the reasons we sailed it last year and this is because it was convenient and inexpensive. I don't see paying the premium price to sail the Quantum and if we have to go to Florida to cruise, well, there's a lot of choice and Royal would probably come in 4th or 5th in choices for us.

[adkboy]

Hi Meatloafsfan. Thanks for taking the time to do this review. It's great. Looking forward to more of your photos. We'll be on the Explorer again in April for a 5-day trip to Bermuda:). Can't wait!

 

Bill

[hardingk]

Thanks for the great update and pictures! Do you have pictures of your cabin?

[SDA1125]

Loving the food pictures - especially the desserts - Cant wait to see more :)

[cruisenanny]

More please!

[Pomperaugrr]

That was a very well written and honest review. Thank you!

 

Eric

[meatloafsfan]

My parents went to the MDR twice for breakfast but I don't have any pictures from the first time (only the second visit). Breakfast the first time in the MDR was apparently very disorganized with the different parts of the breakfast coming out separately and at different times (sausage coming 10 minutes after eggs, toast coming later; and my mother's breakfast arriving well after my dad had finished his). They went back a second time for 1 simple reason - my mother loves eggs benedict on vacation and she wasn't satisfied with the first set she got so she wanted to give it another try.

 

Her eggs benedict:

 

 

The one egg came broken and it had slid off the ham/English muffin and the server wanted to take it away and replace it with a new one but my mother insisted it was fine. She didn't care - they were hot, fresh and exactly what she wanted.

 

My dad ordered eggs over hard (to avoid the powdered scrambled eggs), bacon, sausage, hasbrowns and 2 pancakes (he always asks for 2 pancakes on the side - my guess is one too many trips to Denny's for the Grand Slam!). He said that this morning everything was actually HOT! which was very different than the first time. The pancakes were hot enough that the butter melted on them. He was happy since he loves a big breakfast and it's the one thing that's difficult to find well done on just about any cruise ship.

 

 

[meatloafsfan]

One of my absolutely favourite things about vacation is room service. I don't know why but it just screams "decadance" to me. We ordered it a couple of times but not often enough as far as I'm concerned.

 

My favourite thing through room service was the burger:

 

 

Cheese - good. Bacon - good. Carmelized onions - good. Beef patty - good. Put it all together - great!

 

I don't have a picture of it but we also ordered the steak sandwich. It was good (not great, but good). It only came with 1 side of the bun though (served open faced). It had a lot of cheese on it and was cooked well done but it had been marinated and seasoned so it wasn't tough.

 

My mother tried the flounder fish filets.

 

 

They were okay but way too much batter and too crispy.

 

We also ordered the Pepperoni pizza:

 

 

This was a basic, oven ready pepperoni pizza. Not bad by any means; I'd say it's a solid choice for late night or for kids who love pizza.

 

My dad had ordered the Honey Stung Chicken (we ordered from the tv - and then we'd receive a phone call confirming that we'd ordered). When it came it was chicken tenders.

 

 

He didn't enjoy these because he said they were all batter, over fried and too hard. The sweet potato fries are better than the regular fries though.

 

And the last picture is of the Mediterranean Chicken Salad:

 

 

I wasn't expecting an entire chicken breast ontop of the salad but that is what you get! It came with ranch dressing (I was expecting Italian). The salad was good and if you're looking for something not fried on the room service menu this is a very good bet.

 

We also ordered a cheesecake and a chocolate pear tart and both were good.

 

No pictures but we also ordered sandwiches sometime during the week (the turkey and the smoked salmon). I can't recommend either of them - they were mostly bread/roll with little filling. The one positive is that they came with small bags of Lay's potato chips (great for taking with you to the screening room). Just an FYI in case you get the craving for a salty snack - chips are available through room service.

Edited March 10, 2014 by meatloafsfan

[Honeymooner15]

It all looks so good. :)

 

 

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[Poorplaya]

Pictures look great, thanks for posting!

 

 

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[meatloafsfan]

We often ate lunch in the Main dining room. We like the variety, the selection, the tutti salad and that you're served.

 

From the first sea day:

 

Tutti Salads:

 

My Dad went up and got one salad for my parents to split (and he got a second plate of stuff that just my mom would want on her salad to mix in).

 

View 1:

 

View 2:

 

Extra stuff for my mom:

 

I choose the calamari salad (my mother is allergic to calamari so I don't order it often but since my dad was sitting between us, and I knew there would be no leftovers, I indulged). It was good - the calamari was crispy and firm (no legs, only rings). It's not the best I've had but it's far from the worst. The breading didn't have much flavour and I was happier later in the week when they had a version that didn't have it.