Explorer to Bermuda 9/20-9/25 mini review

[jstraw20]

Hi all! I'm not going to get too in-depth here, just basically transcribing some notes that I jotted down during the cruise. Overall it was a terrific cruise. Contrary to some other posts I found the ship to still be in great shape for her age, and the crew was (as always) fantastic. I'll try to cover all of the major questions and issues that have been mentioned recently:

 

Embarkation- We arrived at around 11:30 and the traffic backup was around 15-20 minutes, not bad at all. Dropped the bags at the terminal and faced only a 3-4 minute backup getting into the parking lot. It looked like there was a longer than average line to get thru security but we went to the C&A express check in and it took about 10 minutes to get past the x-ray machines. An over zealous TSA guy insisted that DW had scissors in her bag and was actually a little rude. After being proven wrong, he offered no apology. Your tax dollars at work folks ;) Check in was quick and there was no waiting for the bus to the ship.

 

Sewage odors- I did notice a slight smell aft on decks 2,3, and 4 on departure day, however there was a "honey wagon" on the pier at the time so I'm guessing there was some sort of relationship there. I did notice a *very* slight odor on deck 4 near the Aquarium bar one afternoon towards the end of the cruise but that was the extent of it.

 

Overall condition- Still looking great! Some slightly worn carpets here and there. Our balcony had some rust stains and a little chipping paint but the entire thing was repainted on the last sea day. For those who have upcoming cruises, it looks like they are currently working aft to forward on the port side. Another review made it sound like the Solarium was falling apart. Not! There is a little rust showing on some of the fabric ceiling panels but once again, it is obvious that the rusty supports are either being replaced or cleaned, working aft to forward. The woodwork thruout the ship is looking terrific.

 

Propulsion- Based on the wake, it looks like the ship is still running without the center fixed prop. There was a barge moored behind us while in Bermuda and we saw a prop blade being pulled in the middle of the night. That said, the ship made close to 19 knots at times, and we stayed on schedule. Maybe a little more vibration than normal as the azipods were being pushed harder than usual, but nothing bad.

 

Smoking- Saw one person smoking on their balcony on departure day. They were one deck down and a couple of balconies forward of us, we couldn't smell a thing. Other than that, smokers kept to the smoking areas. There were a decent amount of vapers on board and we tended to "high five" each other whenever we crossed paths. We also got a lot of positive feedback from nonsmokers. While it seemed like they had the ventilation in the casino cranked to eleven, it did get rather smoky at times, to the point that we had to bail one night.

 

Bar service- Apart from a slight wait at the Pool Bar on departure day (they were swamped), never had to wait more than a couple of minutes for a drink. We hit every bar on the ship and the service and drink quality was consistent.

 

MDR- Maybe it's my imagination, but the portions seemed to be skimpier than past cruises. Not a huge issue as they were more than happy to bring seconds, additional appetizers, you name it.

 

Windjammer- It seemed like the quality here has indeed sagged recently. In the past I always had trouble deciding which of several dishes to get, this time it was a challenge finding one. I mentioned this at our dining table and everyone at the table agreed.

 

Promenade Cafe- Much larger variety of sandwiches since my last cruise on Explorer, and they were all delicious. We ended up having lunch here most days.

 

Formal night- My estimate was that around 70-75% of the passengers made an effort to dress up. Saw very few tuxes but lots of suits, jackets and ties, etc.

 

This was our last cruise on Explorer before she leaves Bayonne and we'll truly miss her. Overall I don't know if "WOW" is the proper word for Explorer as the word has connotations of being overwhelming. Explorer and her outstanding crew simply have a way of making you feel very, very happy.

[Ann0513]

Enjoy your cruise, she is a wonderful ship.

Edited September 27, 2014 by Ann0513

[MagentaandRiffRaff]

I was a little disappointed with cruise. :(

 

I had no issues with the Embarkation process. I think from the time we dropped off our bags until we hit the Windjammer was about 20 minutes! Prompt check-in, no issues at all.

 

My issues with the room and the balcony. Our bathroom tiles were dirty, not what we usually find. The paint chips were in abundance on the balcony floor! I kept picking them off my feet! We had the same old rust spots on the carpet too, but our room steward kept the carpet as clean as possible...old wear and tear. I get it, but...

 

Bar service on the pool decks...I waited an average 30 minutes for someone to ask if I wanted a drink. Usually I am swatting them away, but not this trip. I wasn't alone with this complaint. It was obvious the number of waiters has decreased in number.

 

Pool Attendants: YAY! They kept pulling up towels off of loungers for those who continue to think they can save a place while they go off to eat or back to bed!! :p:p

 

Dining room. I thought the food was not as good in the past and my waiter was not happy that I was only ordering a glass of wine instead of a bottle. "Really? You could do better with a bottle." My table mates were shocked at this remark.

 

Windjammer: I thought the food variety and quality have definitely tanked. I was also not happy with the overall service.

 

I might becoming a BIG ship snob, not sure, but having traveled on both and recently, I feel as if RCI is putting all their efforts into the bigger ships. Would I travel again with RCI, ABSOLUTELY!! Maybe they were having an off 5 days

[Motorman23]

An over zealous TSA guy insisted that DW had scissors in her bag and was actually a little rude. After being proven wrong, he offered no apology. Your tax dollars at work folks ;) Check in was quick and there was no waiting for the bus to the ship.

 

My comments: Thanks for the review. Very interesting. One small error though, these are not TSA guys at the ship, they are "square" badges or regular security guards, don't trash the TSA because of these guys.

 

Mike

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

Edited September 27, 2014 by Motorman23

[Guest maddycat]

It looked like there was a longer than average line to get thru security but we went to the C&A express check in and it took about 10 minutes to get past the x-ray machines.

 

We've been cruising out of Bayonne since RCI started sailing out of that port. We didn't know that there was a C&A express check in for security. How do we find it?

[Clarea]

We've been cruising out of Bayonne since RCI started sailing out of that port. We didn't know that there was a C&A express check in for security. How do we find it?

You will be directed at the door. Have your SetSail pass in hand so they can see your C&A level.

[Guest maddycat]

You will be directed at the door. Have your SetSail pass in hand so they can see your C&A level.

 

Thanks. We usually just have our passports in our hands when going through security.

[jstraw20]

You will be directed at the door. Have your SetSail pass in hand so they can see your C&A level.

 

On this particular day the line was so long they sent a couple of people back asking if anyone was C&A. Just keep your ears perked :)

[luvscruising2007]

I was a little disappointed with cruise. :(

 

I had no issues with the Embarkation process. I think from the time we dropped off our bags until we hit the Windjammer was about 20 minutes! Prompt check-in, no issues at all.

 

My issues with the room and the balcony. Our bathroom tiles were dirty, not what we usually find. The paint chips were in abundance on the balcony floor! I kept picking them off my feet! We had the same old rust spots on the carpet too, but our room steward kept the carpet as clean as possible...old wear and tear. I get it, but...

 

Bar service on the pool decks...I waited an average 30 minutes for someone to ask if I wanted a drink. Usually I am swatting them away, but not this trip. I wasn't alone with this complaint. It was obvious the number of waiters has decreased in number.

 

Pool Attendants: YAY! They kept pulling up towels off of loungers for those who continue to think they can save a place while they go off to eat or back to bed!! :p:p

 

Dining room. I thought the food was not as good in the past and my waiter was not happy that I was only ordering a glass of wine instead of a bottle. "Really? You could do better with a bottle." My table mates were shocked at this remark.

 

Windjammer: I thought the food variety and quality have definitely tanked. I was also not happy with the overall service.

 

I might becoming a BIG ship snob, not sure, but having traveled on both and recently, I feel as if RCI is putting all their efforts into the bigger ships. Would I travel again with RCI, ABSOLUTELY!! Maybe they were having an off 5 days

 

I was on the cruise previous to you. And your mention of your waiter sounds similar to my experience with our MDR waiter.

Any chance your waiter was Sandry from India?

[Emmee D]

An over zealous TSA guy insisted that DW had scissors in her bag and was actually a little rude. After being proven wrong, he offered no apology. Your tax dollars at work folks ;) Check in was quick and there was no waiting for the bus to the ship.

 

My comments: Thanks for the review. Very interesting. One small error though, these are not TSA guys at the ship, they are "square" badges or regular security guards, don't trash the TSA because of these guys.

 

Mike

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

We assumed TSA (I thought they worked cruise ship security as well) but whoever they are, they need to tone down the attitude. Guy was beyond rude and there was no reason for it. (I'm jstraw's wife). Thankfully, the RCI staff made up for it. Got us checked in and on the ship in no time and everyone we came in contact with at the terminal was very pleasant to deal with.

[psupa]

MDR- Maybe it's my imagination, but the portions seemed to be skimpier than past cruises. Not a huge issue as they were more than happy to bring seconds, additional appetizers, you name it.

 

Windjammer- It seemed like the quality here has indeed sagged recently. In the past I always had trouble deciding which of several dishes to get, this time it was a challenge finding one. I mentioned this at our dining table and everyone at the table agreed.

 

Promenade Cafe- Much larger variety of sandwiches since my last cruise on Explorer, and they were all delicious. We ended up having lunch here most days.

 

This was our last cruise on Explorer before she leaves Bayonne and we'll truly miss her. Overall I don't know if "WOW" is the proper word for Explorer as the word has connotations of being overwhelming. Explorer and her outstanding crew simply have a way of making you feel very, very happy.

 

Nice review and I agree with these comments. We have sailed the Explorer many time and have one more cruise before she repositions.

 

Theresa

[MagentaandRiffRaff]

I was on the cruise previous to you. And your mention of your waiter sounds similar to my experience with our MDR waiter.

Any chance your waiter was Sandry from India?

 

He was from India, but I wouldn't swear to the name.

[luvscruising2007]

He was from India, but I wouldn't swear to the name.

 

We were at table 346, right by the stairs and the Captain's table. His assistant was Monica from South Africa. She was great; he not so much. Our Head Waiter hovered over our table and had to correct the waiter's many mistakes.

[Irene7]

Thank you so much for the review and I'm happy that it is a positive one. Our cruise is in 3 weeks and our first time on EOS and to Bermuda. We are really looking forward to it.:D