Just off Explorer from Bermuda/Propulsion issues and huricane

[Arzeena]

Yeah unfortunately Explorer is in desperate need of a full dry dock where everything is checked, fixed or replaced. I have a special love for this ship, it was our honeymoon ship to Canada/NE, and this was the last time we are gonna see her as she is moving out of NJ. We are looking at "Liberty" for Canada/NE next year. Yeah but we have a special love for "Explorer" because of the honeymoon connection, we have sailed on her 3 times. I know RCCL will make her gorgeous again.

Oh by the way we were invited to a "invitation only" event and the captain gave a little speech, but then the "sales person" came in and only confirmed "Anthem" being in NJ from 2015 to 2016 and did not mention any Bermuda cruises. Is this normal only confirming one year at a time? and do you find it odd they did not mention Bermuda as a destination? I know it hinges on the "dredging issue", but still found the no mention of Bermuda odd.

 

I agree she is a special ship and it is high time for dry dock. I don't beleive the Anthem is going to Bermuda. There was mention about Bermuda authorities not giving permission for dredging or extending the pier.

[leaveitallbehind]

I agree she is a special ship and it is high time for dry dock. I don't beleive the Anthem is going to Bermuda. There was mention about Bermuda authorities not giving permission for dredging or extending the pier.

 

See my previous post #21. It isn't a matter of permission as much as it is deciding on the best overall solution and agreement on funding.

Edited August 28, 2014 by leaveitallbehind

[Arzeena]

See my previous post #21. It isn't a matter of permission as much as it is deciding on the best overall solution and agreement on funding.

 

Sorry, I saw that post after I posted.

[Merion_Mom]

OK what I meant was I was surprised there was no mention of Bermuda, the dredging issue. A kind of "Hey if we ever clear up the dredging issue" we will do Bermuda again. I meant something like that, a kinda update.

 

Hey another question I really want to know. The boarding and disembarkation the ship thing is getting a bit old. I am glad they building the new terminal. I thought it was supposed to be finished by the time "Quantum" arrived, and based on what I saw that is a LONG WAY off. Also do we know exactly how the whole boarding and disembarkation process is gonna be? I mean no more buses right? Are we going to board at a higher like I have boarded ships in other ports in the past?

 

Despite my general cynicism and pessimism about all things New Jersey (;)), I think that the new terminal will be finished for the Quantum's arrival. I read that much of it is "modular", not being built "in situ" but elsewhere, and then basically shoved into place.

 

It will then be a "normal" process, like the new terminal (not so new any more!) in Fort Lauderdale that was built for Oasis/Allure.

[PC2]

Muster at normal time.

 

Gwen:)

 

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Thanks. Have a great cruise.

 

 

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[ComeOnLetsGo]

I'm on the Explorer now. Capt. announced we will not be sailing out until 8pm. Some inspection being done.

 

Gwen

 

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I hope you have a good time while you're in Bermuda on Saturday and if you have any Bermuda questions (in the meantime), let me know.

 

Your New Bermuda Friend

[ladylikes2cruise]

I hope you have a good time while you're in Bermuda on Saturday and if you have any Bermuda questions (in the meantime), let me know.

 

Your New Bermuda Friend

 

I believe this cruise (Aug. 28th) they are doing the New England/Canada cruise:confused:

Edited August 29, 2014 by ladylikes2cruise

[BND]

I believe this cruise (Aug. 28th) they are doing the New England/Canada cruise:confused:

 

Yes it is. Their first port is Portland, ME on Saturday. EX left around 8:30 tonight. I watched it on the ny harbor webcam.

[mdance19]

We just got off this cruise too and found this whole trip to be a bummer :-( We do appreciate the OBC they gave us even though they didn't have to do that. We have been on 4 other ships in their fleet and this was the worst of all of them. It does need to be refurbished badly and is showing its age. I know that no one can control the weather, and it is much better to be safer than sorry, i just wish we could have seen Bermuda without hurricane winds/rain and would have had temps that didn't have me in sweatshirts most of the trip! The crew was so pleasant and friendly and tried to make light of unfortunate events. I also liked that Captain James kept us informed throughout all of the issues. On the plus side the food and entertainment were good. The down side, like i said, other than the weather and propulsion issues, were the beds (not like the oasis or freedom.) They were so hard and falling apart and the cabin was old looking, and stained. I am definitely going to cruise with them again (probably not on the explorer) but I hope to choose a time to see Bermuda in good weather!!! There were issues with cape liberty port and getting on/off the ship, but that is due to the fact that they are still building the terminal and i am sure once that is done things will run much smoother.

Edited August 29, 2014 by mdance19

[edjny]

We do appreciate the OBC they gave us even though they didn't have to do that.

 

There does not seem to be any real policy of how to handle any benefit if they leave/miss a port. We were on the legend this past January. We were scheduled to dock at St Kitts and due to high cross winds, they could not dock safely and just left the harbor after about 2-3 times trying. The Captain came on around 11:00am and explained why we did not stop at St Kitts. Just basically said "Sorry". All you get back is the port charges. No OBC or any other benefit. We did not really expect anything, but there were a lot of unhappy people.

 

Why do some cruises get OBC or other benefit for missing a port or other problem while others get nothing?

[dancinman66]

The conditions of travel and cruise rules sll lines have to follow are pretty clear

Royal tend mostly to go beyond their requirements so I never worry if changes missed ports wtc as it is fair and just try enjoy cruise anyhow

 

 

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[krissi10400]

We just got off this cruise too and found this whole trip to be a bummer :-( We do appreciate the OBC they gave us even though they didn't have to do that. We have been on 4 other ships in their fleet and this was the worst of all of them. It does need to be refurbished badly and is showing its age. I know that no one can control the weather, and it is much better to be safer than sorry, i just wish we could have seen Bermuda without hurricane winds/rain and would have had temps that didn't have me in sweatshirts most of the trip! The crew was so pleasant and friendly and tried to make light of unfortunate events. I also liked that Captain James kept us informed throughout all of the issues. On the plus side the food and entertainment were good. The down side, like i said, other than the weather and propulsion issues, were the beds (not like the oasis or freedom.) They were so hard and falling apart and the cabin was old looking, and stained. I am definitely going to cruise with them again (probably not on the explorer) but I hope to choose a time to see Bermuda in good weather!!! There were issues with cape liberty port and getting on/off the ship, but that is due to the fact that they are still building the terminal and i am sure once that is done things will run much smoother.

 

Shhhhhhhh...don't say anything bad about the cruise you may be attacked by the cruise police...

 

And I totally agree with you. The only day we had in Bermuda was torrential downpour and high winds. Of course not the cruise line's fault and I am quite aware that mother nature has her own agenda but still it was a bummer. I also agree that Captain James was wonderful and did a great job of keeping us informed. As for the staff being friendly and having answers to simple questions I had the opposite experience. Only 2 staff members made this cruise better for me and I will be letting RCI know exactly who they were in my online survey. They were absolutely wonderful and given a very nice tip from myself and the other person in my cabin. I also agree the ship is falling apart. I do not need anything fancy and in fact prefer simple - but it needs to be clean - and the explorer was not clean. The rooms are falling apart, stains everywhere, paint chipping, dust, and it was smelly. I would have to cover my nose when I walked down the hallways. And Cape Liberty is a joke. I have only ever cruised out of NY and if I ever go on another cruise it will never be out of CL. On another note, the lobster tails on lobster night were phenomenal!

[PathfinderEss]

OP sorry you had some issues on your cruise, but hope you had a good time inspite of eveything.

[Addictedtocruising]

I was on this cruise, yes we got into Bermuda 3 hours late, yes it rained the whole time we were there! We got $300.00 OBC, we still got to swim with the dolphins. The ship had plenty of food and drink, the crew is awesome and I myself can not find anything negative to say :D

The Captain got us there and back safe with very little motion and kept us well informed! Kudos to Captain James and the Explorer of the Seas!

[JAMESCC]

I want to say something about the crew, they are just fantastic. I have nothing to compare it to, because "Explorer" is the only ship I have been on [3 times] in the RCCL fleet, but the crew are insanely friendly. I honestly don't know how they keep that up. Some cruisers really aggravate me to death. There is always a point one or two times on a cruise that I want to turn around and punch someone in the face for the way they treat the staff. They are NOT your servants, they are crew member. Ooh it kills, because I just love the staff!

Captain James I had never heard of, and to be quite honest I did not know there were any American captain anywhere. I found him very open, very nice, and VERY informative. I am so MAD I missed the Q&A with the captain, and chief Engineer in the palace Theater. Captain James was awesome. He made a nice appearance at one of our dinners and we had "my time dining". I didn't think he would do that. He also did a great video of why we were leaving early, where we would be at points along the journey back in relation to the storm. He was VERY, VERY good.

[FLACRUISER99]

I want to say something about the crew, they are just fantastic. I have nothing to compare it to, because "Explorer" is the only ship I have been on [3 times] in the RCCL fleet, but the crew are insanely friendly. I honestly don't know how they keep that up. Some cruisers really aggravate me to death. There is always a point one or two times on a cruise that I want to turn around and punch someone in the face for the way they treat the staff. They are NOT your servants, they are crew member. Ooh it kills, because I just love the staff!

Captain James I had never heard of, and to be quite honest I did not know there were any American captain anywhere. I found him very open, very nice, and VERY informative. I am so MAD I missed the Q&A with the captain, and chief Engineer in the palace Theater. Captain James was awesome. He made a nice appearance at one of our dinners and we had "my time dining". I didn't think he would do that. He also did a great video of why we were leaving early, where we would be at points along the journey back in relation to the storm. He was VERY, VERY good.

American Captain Rob on the Rhapsody was originally from RI.

[JAMESCC]

American Captain Rob on the Rhapsody was originally from RI.

 

OK, cool news, thank you.

[CarpeCerevisi]

There does not seem to be any real policy of how to handle any benefit if they leave/miss a port. We were on the legend this past January. We were scheduled to dock at St Kitts and due to high cross winds, they could not dock safely and just left the harbor after about 2-3 times trying. The Captain came on around 11:00am and explained why we did not stop at St Kitts. Just basically said "Sorry". All you get back is the port charges. No OBC or any other benefit. We did not really expect anything, but there were a lot of unhappy people.

 

Why do some cruises get OBC or other benefit for missing a port or other problem while others get nothing?

 

I believe that in most cases OBC is given if the cruise line is at fault, i.e. there was a mechanical problem. Issues outside their control, such as the weather or political situations may not result in passengers getting any OBC.

 

A few years ago I was on the Enchantment when she had a problem with one of the electric propulsion motors. We sailed the morning after we were supposed to and we were first given OBC. When they realized they were going to miss two of our four ports they ended up refunding the entire cruise even though we were still sailing. Despite a free nine night cruise many people were still upset enough to leave the ship in Port Canaveral (the line ate the PVSA fines). I never understood why they'd want to do that.

[sr4mjc]

$200 sounds right to me. On Oasis back in 2010 we missed St Thomas due to a crew member suicide, we searched the 12 hours. $200 is what we got for the missed port, although it was a Future Cruise Credit to be used within a year and not OBC during that cruise.

[stewartgirl721]

The OBC sounds good to me. Cruisers were issued $XXX per type of cabin booked. Sounds fare. Yes its awful that time was cut short due to weather. However I personally would feel safer at sea during a hurricane.

 

Last year I was on way home from Bermuda (no storm Nov 1st) to Bayonne and we had 30 ft. waves. It was like a ghost ship. EMPTY!! Even crew members were carrying barf bags and trash cans. And that was without a storm.:eek:

 

Capt. got you home before the worst came through.

 

Have also been on the mechanical post dry dock issues. In Feb 2007 was on the Rhapsody out of TX on 7 day. For 5 days we had no swimming pools only hot tubs or Windjammer. The pools had been sand blasted and never repainted until day 4. Then covered with nets to allow drying time. The Windjammer was being redesigned never opened until 2 cruises after mine. GASP every meal was in the MDR. For the inconvenience for the above each person received $25.

 

Sorry you didn't enjoy your cruise.

[JAMESCC]

Just to be clear I did not say I didn't enjoy my cruise, and I'm not over complaining. I originally asked for opinions on the OBC we received. Go back reread all my posts. I was complaining about an excursion but that I think most said was justified.

[cruisinfanatic]

Really getting sick of complaints saying the ship needs refurbishment. If a minimum of research was done they'd know that and shouldn't be surprised. The ship is do in a few moths for refurbishment.

Can't wait to go on the Explorer in a few weeks and NOT complain about a little rust or worn furniture.

Edited August 29, 2014 by SeaUs

[BND]

Really getting sick of complaints saying the ship needs refurbishment. If a minimum of research was done they'd know that and shouldn't be surprised. The ship is do in a few moths for refurbishment.

Can't wait to go on the Explorer in a few weeks and NOT complain about a little rust or worn furniture.

 

I do love the comments about a little rust. Seriously? It's called salt water and it's impossible to keep up with it. They are constantly scraping and painting, just like every maintained ship is. There is no way to stay ahead of the rust, they can just deal with it as it happens so there will be visible rust.

[marci22]

Explorer needs a refurb. He's just confirming it. It's not just a little rust.

 

Depending on what cabin you get, you could have a nicely redone room or one with a really stained sofa and old worn out carpeting.

 

If a hotel room was old and worn people wouldn't pay top dollar, yet RC gets top dollar for their cabins. So if people say it needs a refurb, I think they are justified.

[BND]

Explorer needs a refurb. He's just confirming it. It's not just a little rust.

 

Depending on what cabin you get, you could have a nicely redone room or one with a really stained sofa and old worn out carpeting.

 

If a hotel room was old and worn people wouldn't pay top dollar, yet RC gets top dollar for their cabins. So if people say it needs a refurb, I think they are justified.

 

I never said it was just a little rust, just that comments about rust have nothing to do with a refurb. Rust is a fact of life on a ship. I also never gave my opinion about the ship needing a refurb. But, that is subjective. At what point does it "need" a refurb? Everyone has a different opinion and some expect perfection all the time.

 

The reality is, it's a moot point. The refurb is scheduled, but it won't happen before EX leaves Bayonne. So, people have a choice. They can cruise on the ship KNOWING it needs a refurb, but is perfectly seaworthy and has a lot to offer or they can cruise on a newer ship out of another port. But, you will find some wear even on the newest ships just due to the sheer volume of people onboard. The OP wasn't even complaining about it needing a refurb. He was justified in his complaint about his excursion and he said he had a good time.

Edited August 30, 2014 by BND