Anyone Else Missing Explorer :(

[Madison81]

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.

 

Desmond is by far the best waiter we have ever had, on land or sea!

 

Add my name to the list of those who will miss the Explorer and will be hoping for a Voyager class or Freedom class ship to take her place after the Liberty moves on.

 

We will be on Liberty in a few weeks out of FLL and then will be on her again to Bermuda in September from NJ. Hoping to love her as much as we loved the Explorer!

Edited January 12, 2015 by Madison81
typo

[cruiserking]

We love Explorer sailed on her last winter for our first ever Royal Caribbean cruise and became huge fans of the ship and the line.

 

Sailed Quantum in November and she is our new favorite ship, absolutely stunning, can't wait to embark again in 33 days. I do wish the Quantum and Anthem prices were a little friendlier.

 

Our Grand Suite last year was very affordable at under $4k for the two of us. Next year GS's on Anthem are almost $7k for two, really outrageous.

 

Kind of makes you feel a little nostalgic for a classic old liner like Explorer and some old fashioned pricing too. ;)

 

Jonathan

[B-52]

Been on Explorer 5 times out of Bayonne...this year it will be liberty.

We have the same GS we always book on the Explorer.

Same itinerary as the Explorer too...the 9 night Bermuda-Caribbean.

 

It's a 40 minute drive drive for us to the port.

 

But we also do not have any desire to go on the Quantum, Anthem. If they keep this class there year round, we will have to change things up.

perhaps drive to New York or Red Hook.

[caribbean sailor]

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.

 

We agree,bring back a Voyager or freedom class ship to Cape Liberty.Send the quantum and the anthem with their high prices,and so called dynamic dinning to China.ROYAL YOU BLEW IT.:mad:

[caribbean sailor]

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.

 

We also love leaving from Cape Liberty.But have no intention of ever sailing the quantum or the anthem,and want no part of this so called dynamic dinning.:mad:

[B-52]

We agree,bring back a Voyager or freedom class ship to Cape Liberty.Send the quantum and the anthem with their high prices,and so called dynamic dinning to China.ROYAL YOU BLEW IT.:mad:

 

Whether or not RCI Blew it or not has nothing to do with what you or I or anyone else likes or dislikes.

It has to do with whether RCI turns a profit or not, sails at capacity, etc.

Quantum is here for just a short time, so we will never really know.

Whether or not they decide to keep the Anthem here for an extended time will be telling.

[QE2_Fan]

Glad Explorer is such a well loved ship. We look forward to sailing on her DownUnder when she hits Australian waters next year...doing 2015 Christmas/ New Year on her [emoji3]

 

 

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[ATC cruiser]

If people stopped paying the higher prices to sail on the Quantum or Anthem they'd have to lower the prices. Plus who really wants to spend a couple grand and have port Canaveral as one of your stops.

 

 

Aft Cabins Rule

[LoveyHowell]

We do! Our "go to" ship. Quantum = NOT INTERESTED

[Jimmers]

Desmond is by far the best waiter we have ever had, on land or sea!

 

Add my name to the list of those who will miss the Explorer and will be hoping for a Voyager class or Freedom class ship to take her place after the Liberty moves on.

 

We will be on Liberty in a few weeks out of FLL and then will be on her again to Bermuda in September from NJ. Hoping to love her as much as we loved the Explorer!

 

:)Glad someone else remembers Desmond. Nothing we ever asked for seemed to bother him, he would always reply "why not"? The last time we were on the Explorer he had been promoted to the Cafe Promenade, no idea where he is now.

 

We haven't been on the Liberty since 2007 when we took our adult children with us and had the best times. We hope that when we go on the Halloween cruise it hasn't changed too much.

[Jimmers]

We also love leaving from Cape Liberty.But have no intention of ever sailing the quantum or the anthem,and want no part of this so called dynamic dinning.:mad:

 

As a couple, we didn't mind it and actually saw some good points to it. But our group as a whole didn't care for it and majority rules:)

[Winnychan]

We loved Desmond too. He was amazing. Your mentioning his "why not?" response brought a huge smile to my face.

 

When we sailed on the Explorer in October 2013, near the end of the cruise he mentioned that he was going to retire from being a cruise waiter because he had done it for many years and wanted to spend more time with his family.

 

It's a loss for us cruisers, but there is probably no better rationale than that. He's a really great guy.

[Clarea]

:)Glad someone else remembers Desmond. Nothing we ever asked for seemed to bother him, he would always reply "why not"? The last time we were on the Explorer he had been promoted to the Cafe Promenade, no idea where he is now.

 

We haven't been on the Liberty since 2007 when we took our adult children with us and had the best times. We hope that when we go on the Halloween cruise it hasn't changed too much.

We last saw Desmond on Enchantment last year.

[Shelley61]

Personally, I'm pleased Explorer has finished sailing from Cape Liberty... as it means I get a chance to sail on her from Southampton next year! :o

 

Unfortunately I imagine there will be an entirely different crew by then (post dry dock), but I'll keep my fingers crossed.

[eots44]

Personally, I'm pleased Explorer has finished sailing from Cape Liberty... as it means I get a chance to sail on her from Southampton next year! :o

 

Unfortunately I imagine there will be an entirely different crew by then (post dry dock), but I'll keep my fingers crossed.

I can see why! Explorer is a great ship! It's just hard for most of us to imagine a ship we've grown to know and love for almost a decade, not being here, and for us it being replaced by an outrageously overpriced ship with lack luster appeal just makes it worse. As I said I would be fine if there were other, more desirable, long term options, but as of now, there are unfortunately not :(

[DeeAlsh13]

Your love for the Explorer has got me excited to be sailing on it next July from Southampton. Any tips for a first-time 'adult' cruiser on this beauty? (My other two trips were very teen based, and I'm sorta worried as to what I have available to do now! haha)

[NJcruisenewbie]

No, I'm not missing the Explorer. I really don't think there's enough to do on that ship when a cruise has multiple sea days.

[Nic&Greg]

I've been on the Explorer twice and LOVED her both times! The most recent was 4 years ago. Now I'm about to go to Bermuda on the Grandeur since she's in Baltimore and we live in Annapolis. I'm worried I'm going to compare her to the Explorer and be disappointed. Although I have yet to think of ANY cruise as "bad"...no laundry, no cooking, no cleaning, no car pooling 3 boys to sports etc...:D:):D

[sexylegend8]

Glad Explorer is such a well loved ship. We look forward to sailing on her DownUnder when she hits Australian waters next year...doing 2015 Christmas/ New Year on her [emoji3]

 

 

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Agreed, we will be enjoying her in March 2016 :) From Sydney to NZ. It will be different from Radiance of the Seas, but this thread has really helped me! Hearing all the wonderful things about the ship and the crew is great.