Anyone Else Missing Explorer :(

[eots44]

Hey guys, I was just looking through my photo album from my cruise on Explorer and was just thinking about how much I miss her being at Cape Liberty. It's weird looking at cruises out of Cape Liberty on RCI's website and not seeing Explorer as an option. I wish she stayed so I could have enjoyed her more. The picture is one I took of Explorer at Bermuda, where she frequently visited for many many years. :( I wish Liberty was staying permanently when she comes in May, I think she'd be a perfect replacement for Explorer.

[catcruzer]

I agree with you completely! We are leaving on the 23rd on Quantum, but I so wish it was Explorer. We sailed on her many times and had always had a wonderful time. Staff was fantastic and prices were much more affordable. We booked Quantum once, but won't pay these prices again. I'm hoping that Anthem comes and goes as quickly as Quantum did.

[eots44]

I'm hoping that Anthem comes and goes as quickly as Quantum did.

I could not agree with you more!!! I looked at Anthem prices, and it was over $1,400 per person for an inside stateroom in January!!! That's almost more then I paid for a Balcony on Explorer in July! Like I said, I would be much happier if Liberty was the permanent replacement, but unfortunately she'll to be leaving Nov1.

[Paulxyz2004]

Hey guys, I was just looking through my photo album from my cruise on Explorer and was just thinking about how much I miss her being at Cape Liberty. It's weird looking at cruises out of Cape Liberty on RCI's website and not seeing Explorer as an option. I wish she stayed so I could have enjoyed her more. The picture is one I took of Explorer at Bermuda, where she frequently visited for many many years. :( I wish Liberty was staying permanently when she comes in May, I think she'd be a perfect replacement for Explorer.

 

 

But you got that brand new shiny Quantum with the great DD concept, new menues and exciting Food opportunities.

[eots44]

But you got that brand new shiny Quantum with the great DD concept, new menues and exciting Food opportunities.

It's far to expensive to go on the Quantum. From what I've heard, I'm not to fond of the idea of Dynamic Dinning. I very much so enjoyed the MDR and the experience it gave. The menu was different every night, so there was variety, and you got to know your waiters and bond with them. Nobody was forced to eat at the MDR, if you wanted to eat elsewhere there were plenty of other place to do so, that were free and extra cost. I don't understand why they had to eliminate the idea of the MDR on Quantum. What's wrong with having something like Dynamic Dining being an "option" for those who don't want to eat at the MDR.

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

I'm not necessarily upset about Explorer leaving, but I wish that the replacement was not a Quantum Class. The Anthem is not going to be my cup of tea.

 

I won't be visiting Bermuda until at least 2016, but I won't be booking a cruise there unless (1) NJ gets another Voyager/Freedom Class ship for summer 2016, or (2) a different ship sails out of Baltimore (Radiance Class maybe? Please! :D).

 

But, has it been announced whether or not Bermuda will dredge to fit a Q Class ship? If not, we may well see another Voyager/Freedom Class up here again.

Edited January 11, 2015 by OfTheSeasCruiser

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

But you got that brand new shiny Quantum with the great DD concept, new menues and exciting Food opportunities.

 

Was this supposed to be sarcasm?

 

Because DD seems to be far from a great concept!

[red devil]

I'm not necessarily upset about Explorer leaving, but I wish that the replacement was not a Quantum Class. The Anthem is not going to be my cup of tea.

 

I guess I won't be visiting Bermuda until a different ship sails out of Baltimore (Radiance Class maybe? Please! :D), or NJ gets another Voyager/Freedom Class ship for the summer months.

 

But, has it been announced whether or not Bermuda will dredge to fit a Q Class ship? If not, we may well see another Voyager/Freedom Class up here again.

Liberty for summer of 2015 is doing Bermuda.

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

Liberty for summer of 2015 is doing Bermuda.

 

Oh yes, I know that. I should have specified in my original post that I can't visit Bermuda until at least summer 2016 (I just edited my post:)).

[eots44]

I'm not necessarily upset about Explorer leaving, but I wish that the replacement was not a Quantum Class. The Anthem is not going to be my cup of tea.

 

I won't be visiting Bermuda until at least 2016, but I won't be booking a cruise there unless (1) NJ gets another Voyager/Freedom Class ship for summer 2016, or (2) a different ship sails out of Baltimore (Radiance Class maybe? Please! :D).

 

But, has it been announced whether or not Bermuda will dredge to fit a Q Class ship? If not, we may well see another Voyager/Freedom Class up here again.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they will bring another Voyager/Freedom Class ship up here. Maybe Adventure or Mariner. Not Voyager after seeing how they ruined it during it's recent dry dock. What would prevent a Freedom Class ship from running year round out of Cape Liberty? Someone before said that Freedom Class ships aren't built for colder climates, but how so, they seem fairly similar to Voyager Class, and Explorer ran year round out of Cape Liberty with the icy NYC harbor waters and cold temps of winter for nearly a decade without any problems. I just really hope Anthem doesn't stay too long or they bring in another ship along with it.

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they will bring another Voyager/Freedom Class ship up here. Maybe Adventure or Mariner. Not Voyager after seeing how they ruined it during it's recent dry dock. What would prevent a Freedom Class ship from running year round out of Cape Liberty? Someone before said that Freedom Class ships aren't built for colder climates, but how so, they seem fairly similar to Voyager Class, and Explorer ran year round out of Cape Liberty with the icy NYC harbor waters and cold temps of winter for nearly a decade without any problems. I just really hope Anthem doesn't stay too long or they bring in another ship along with it.

 

They definitely could bring a Freedom Class ship up here year-round because they're basically an extended version of the Voyager Class, but I don't know if they would.

 

I don't think Voyager/Mariner will be back from Australia/Asia anytime soon, so NJ could possible get Navigator or Adventure, or Freedom, Liberty or Indy. However, Q Class are designed as "cold-weather ships", which was part of the reason of deploying them in NJ in the winter.

 

This will probably never happen, but I personally would love a Radiance Class ship (also built for colder weather) in the winter months doing a mix of 7-12 night itineraries and a Voyager/Freedom Class ship in the summer months doing the 5/9 night Bermuda and Caribbean itineraries.

Edited January 11, 2015 by OfTheSeasCruiser

[eots44]

They definitely could bring a Freedom Class ship up here year-round because they're basically an extended version of the Voyager Class, but I don't know if they would.

 

I don't think Voyager/Mariner will be back from Australia/Asia anytime soon, so NJ could possible get Navigator or Adventure, or Freedom, Liberty or Indy. However, Q Class are designed as "cold-weather ships", which was part of the reason of deploying them in NJ in the winter.

 

This will probably never happen, but I personally would love a Radiance Class ship (also built for colder weather) in the winter months doing a mix of 7-12 night itineraries and a Voyager/Freedom Class ship in the summer months doing the 5/9 night Bermuda and Caribbean itineraries.

How is the Radiance Class? I know they are smaller, and the don't have a Royal Promenade I don't think right? The next time I get a chance to cruise will probably be in the summer months, so it wouldn't matter anyway, jut curious. Like I said I'm hoping for a Freedom Class ship. I think it'd be a nice transition for the area from the Explorer. I would be happy going on one of them if they brought on up here for an extended period of time. I've been looking at prices for Liberty in June for a 9 night Bermuda and Caribbean, they look pretty decent to me, I don't remember what I used to cost on Explorer. I've been watching a lot of videos of Liberty and I have to be honest, I'm getting excited! :D

[Jimmers]

Love going out of Bayonne so I hope they at least give us an alternative to the Quantum class which I have no desire to ever go on again. The Liberty or a different Voyager class ship would be acceptable to our group.

[eots44]

Love going out of Bayonne so I hope they at least give us an alternative to the Quantum class which I have no desire to ever go on again. The Liberty or a different Voyager class ship would be acceptable to our group.

What were your thoughts on Quantum? Did you prefer Explorer? I personally have no interest in the Quantum Class.

[celebrity]

I've sailed Explorer more than any other ship. Such fond memories of that old gal.

I was one of the very vocal posters asking for a new ship in Bayonne and now realize how much I miss her. :(

Best crew in the fleet IMHO.

Be careful what you wish for.

Edited January 11, 2015 by celebrity

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

How is the Radiance Class? I know they are smaller, and the don't have a Royal Promenade I don't think right? The next time I get a chance to cruise will probably be in the summer months, so it wouldn't matter anyway, jut curious. Like I said I'm hoping for a Freedom Class ship. I think it'd be a nice transition for the area from the Explorer. I would be happy going on one of them if they brought on up here for an extended period of time. I've been looking at prices for Liberty in June for a 9 night Bermuda and Caribbean, they look pretty decent to me, I don't remember what I used to cost on Explorer. I've been watching a lot of videos of Liberty and I have to be honest, I'm getting excited! :D

 

I love the Radiance Class! They're my favorite. In May, I'll see if Oasis beats them and becomes my favorite! :D Correct, the Radiance Class do not have a Royal Promenade, however they have a beautiful centrum that spans approximately 8 decks. One of the things that really stick out is the service. We've had amazing dinner service, along with bartenders/waiters around the ship that remembered us and our likes/dislikes after 2-3 visits. Not that we haven't had this service on the larger ships, we just find the smaller ships more special in terms of service.

[eots44]

I've sailed Explorer more than any other ship. Such fond memories of that old gal.

I was one of the very vocal posters asking for a new ship in Bayonne and now realize how much I miss her. :(

Best crew in the fleet IMHO.

Be careful what you wish for.

I see exactly what you mean about the crew, I've heard others say that too. In 2010 Captain Olav gave me and my fam a personal tour, and he said the crew on Explorer was one of the greatest he'd ever worked with, and you could tell he meant it. He was a real genuine guy! When I went on her for a cruise in July, I experienced it for myself. The crew seemed proud to work on Explorer. We grew a bond with them, they felt like a part of our family. They were very interested in our lives and us vise versa. Everywhere we went they'd remember our names. Leigh and Erkie from Turkey were so funny! They have such great chemistry! They really made they experience for us. I will truly miss the Explorer crew! :(

[Jimmers]

I see exactly what you mean about the crew, I've heard others say that too. In 2010 Captain Olav gave me and my fam a personal tour, and he said the crew on Explorer was one of the greatest he'd ever worked with, and you could tell he meant it. He was a real genuine guy! When I went on her for a cruise in July, I experienced it for myself. The crew seemed proud to work on Explorer. We grew a bond with them, they felt like a part of our family. They were very interested in our lives and us vise versa. Everywhere we went they'd remember our names. Leigh and Erkie from Turkey were so funny! They have such great chemistry! They really made they experience for us. I will truly miss the Explorer crew! :(

 

We felt the same way about the crew. The Explorer gave us several favorites: Leigh was our favorite CD, Capt Loy was our favorite Captain, and Desmond was our favorite waiter. They're going to be hard to top on future cruises.

[Merion_Mom]

Oh, phooey.

 

Some of you people need to climb up out of your rut and try something new!

[eots44]

We felt the same way about the crew. The Explorer gave us several favorites: Leigh was our favorite CD, Capt Loy was our favorite Captain, and Desmond was our favorite waiter. They're going to be hard to top on future cruises.

We didn't have Captain Loy when I went, we had Captain Rick Sullivan. He was a nice guy, pretty funny too. I was hoping we'd have Captain Olav, but he retired sometime in the end of 2013. He will always be my favorite, if it wasn't for him, I probably would have never went on Explorer, or possibly even cruised. He was the first Captain to command Explorer, and Explorer was the ship he ended his impressive career on. Before he retired he was the longest employee at RCI, and was with RCI from the beginning of the company. He is such a great man, and I'm disappointed I never got the chance to sail with him, but I am thankful to have had the opportunity to meet him.

[jaydog240011]

The Q class is a good winter time ship 4 NYC but not a summer time ship.

[Jimmers]

We didn't have Captain Loy when I went, we had Captain Rick Sullivan. He was a nice guy, pretty funny too. I was hoping we'd have Captain Olav, but he retired sometime in the end of 2013. He will always be my favorite, if it wasn't for him, I probably would have never went on Explorer, or possibly even cruised. He was the first Captain to command Explorer, and Explorer was the ship he ended his impressive career on. Before he retired he was the longest employee at RCI, and was with RCI from the beginning of the company. He is such a great man, and I'm disappointed I never got the chance to sail with him, but I am thankful to have had the opportunity to meet him.

 

You never forget your first cruise. So what ship do you expect to sail on next, the Liberty? Similar in design to the Explorer but bigger. And no hot tub in the gym:(

[eots44]

You never forget your first cruise. So what ship do you expect to sail on next, the Liberty? Similar in design to the Explorer but bigger. And no hot tub in the gym:(

That's right! I loved every second of it! I'm hoping Liberty in the summer, but I don't know yet. If not that, then I have know clue. Anthem is ridiculously priced IMO, and I really don't want to deal with flying to another port, or any driving. That's why Cape Liberty is great for me, living in NJ it's about a 45 minute ride away! Only if it was a couple of years ago, then I'd just do Explorer again, but now Liberty is my best bet for this year I'm thinking. I just have to get everyone else on board before it's too late!

[celebrity]

Oh, phooey.

 

Some of you people need to climb up out of your rut and try something new!

 

No one is in a rut that I have read. Just remembering good times and memories of a ship and crew.

[Jimmers]

That's right! I loved every second of it! I'm hoping Liberty in the summer, but I don't know yet. If not that, then I have know clue. Anthem is ridiculously priced IMO, and I really don't want to deal with flying to another port, or any driving. That's why Cape Liberty is great for me, living in NJ it's about a 45 minute ride away! Only if it was a couple of years ago, then I'd just do Explorer again, but now Liberty is my best bet for this year I'm thinking. I just have to get everyone else on board before it's too late!

 

Bayonne is only a 90 minute drive for us out of S. Jersey so it's been super convenient. Have you ever looked into ships going out of NY, Carnival or NCL?.

 

Maybe the Anthem will come down in price for you after it's novelty wears off and the passenger numbers drop. You gotta check it out at least once. Try them all:)