Anyone on the Exploerer of the Seas right now?

[beshears]

We are to do the Explorer this coming weekend.  If you are on the Explorer now, or have been within the past couple weeks, could you give me an update, as there are 8 of us that are cruising together, and I would like to find something "positive" about this ship, since they cancelled the port of St. Lucia.

[Chauncey Picklepants]

49 minutes ago, beshears said:

We are to do the Explorer this coming weekend.  If you are on the Explorer now, or have been within the past couple weeks, could you give me an update, as there are 8 of us that are cruising together, and I would like to find something "positive" about this ship, since they cancelled the port of St. Lucia.

I’m also curious what’s been happening lately with this itinerary. We’re hoping to be on in April, and doesn’t seem to ever be much activity on here about this ship.  Seadawg (sp?) did an amazing review of it back in November during that slice of time between summer and winter when Omicron and Delta weren’t a big thing. 

[zpdw484]

Onboard right now and we have just finished our second meeting of the week with Rhapsody off the coast of st Maarten to offload positive crew members.. on Monday morning it was relatively quick, tender boat made two trips. Tonight took 2 hrs. Crew is stretched thin and very overworked to say the least. The crew has been great all things considered and the ship looks great to be 21 years old. Unfortunately that's about all the good I have to say...  We are avid cruisers, a mid 30's couple, not scared of covid, but honestly cruising is a disaster at the moment. We sailed in Oct and all was good but at this point Covid has greatly watered down the product. We will definitely not be booking another cruise any time soon. Not blaming royal by any means, we are huge royal Caribbean fans but it's just too much.. by day 2 we were wishing we had cancelled. 

[coldweather]

28 minutes ago, zpdw484 said:

Onboard right now and we have just finished our second meeting of the week with Rhapsody off the coast of st Maarten to offload positive crew members.. on Monday morning it was relatively quick, tender boat made two trips. Tonight took 2 hrs. Crew is stretched thin and very overworked to say the least. The crew has been great all things considered and the ship looks great to be 21 years old. Unfortunately that's about all the good I have to say...  We are avid cruisers, a mid 30's couple, not scared of covid, but honestly cruising is a disaster at the moment. We sailed in Oct and all was good but at this point Covid has greatly watered down the product. We will definitely not be booking another cruise any time soon. Not blaming royal by any means, we are huge royal Caribbean fans but it's just too much.. by day 2 we were wishing we had cancelled. 

Thanks for your update. Would you please share the plans for testing passengers to disembark in San Juan?  Did the passengers get tested today?  Thank you. 

[zpdw484]

1 minute ago, coldweather said:

Thanks for your update. Would you please share the plans for testing passengers to disembark in San Juan?  Did the passengers get tested today?  Thank you. 

We have been stressing this all week. A local on the San Juan ports of call board says Puerto Rican residents will be expected to test no more than 48 after disembarking, non residents that plan on going straight to airport to fly home will not have to test, and non residents that plan on staying post cruise will have to test before disembarking. we have two days planned in old San Juan post cruise and have contemplated changing our flights to go directly home to avoid testing and possible quarantine all week. But I found an article online that says for home ported ships, the new entry protocols will not start until the 16th.  We have heard nothing about testing or any new entry protocols at all from the ship so hopefully tomorrow goes smoothly and I end up walking around old San Juan instead of getting something shoved up my nose.

[Stewiesmom66]

1 hour ago, zpdw484 said:

Onboard right now and we have just finished our second meeting of the week with Rhapsody off the coast of st Maarten to offload positive crew members.. on Monday morning it was relatively quick, tender boat made two trips. Tonight took 2 hrs. Crew is stretched thin and very overworked to say the least. The crew has been great all things considered and the ship looks great to be 21 years old. Unfortunately that's about all the good I have to say...  We are avid cruisers, a mid 30's couple, not scared of covid, but honestly cruising is a disaster at the moment. We sailed in Oct and all was good but at this point Covid has greatly watered down the product. We will definitely not be booking another cruise any time soon. Not blaming royal by any means, we are huge royal Caribbean fans but it's just too much.. by day 2 we were wishing we had cancelled. 

We are on the 1/9 sailing and have decided to go regardless.    From Michigan and the winter is already too much.     Going with an attitude of being flexible to changes and showing grace to the ships staff understanding the pressure they are under.  
 

i do have a question for you.....did they offer the drink package special the first day of by one get one 50% off?  We normally don’t purchase the bev pkg but given we may spend more time on ship think we may.  Online is pretty pricey right now but the seem to offer this on Explorer each sailing.   If they offered for your sailing we may roll the dice and assume we will get the offer too.    Thanks in advance!

[Sea Dog]

1 hour ago, zpdw484 said:

Onboard right now 

 

If you get a chance say hi for me to Nover a great bartender in the Schooner Bar. Tell him Greg "Sea Dog" is thinking about him and hopes he is doing ok. Order a Baton Rouge 2.0.

[Arch2000]

Hello, I’m on the Explorer right now (will be for a few more hours anyways as we’re headed to its home port).  I have a very different opinion than Zpdw484, we’re not as avid cruisers as they are but we’ve had a great time on the ship and enjoyed immensely.
 

We agree that the staff is hard working and in great spirits, and that Sea Dog’s definitive review from a few weeks ago was great and a must-read to help you plan your time on the ship. 
 

Any specific questions, just ask. For the drink special, we only saw it mentioned in yesterday’s compass, and trying to down 10 drinks in 1.5 days left would be too much for my spouse and I. If they had offered a day or tel earlier, maybe we’d have done it. It’s my understanding from other posts I’ve read that the package is typically offered mid-way through or with a few days left on the cruise, to boost alcohol sales if needed. 

[zpdw484]

12 hours ago, Stewiesmom66 said:

We are on the 1/9 sailing and have decided to go regardless.    From Michigan and the winter is already too much.     Going with an attitude of being flexible to changes and showing grace to the ships staff understanding the pressure they are under.  
 

i do have a question for you.....did they offer the drink package special the first day of by one get one 50% off?  We normally don’t purchase the bev pkg but given we may spend more time on ship think we may.  Online is pretty pricey right now but the seem to offer this on Explorer each sailing.   If they offered for your sailing we may roll the dice and assume we will get the offer too.    Thanks in advance!

I'm sure if you go with the correct mindset you guys will have a great time. Being flexible is key.. and be aware of the San Juan entry protocols being subject to change. We pre purchased the drink package so honestly didn't pay much attention to any specials they offered on it. Sorry 

[zpdw484]

13 hours ago, coldweather said:

Thanks for your update. Would you please share the plans for testing passengers to disembark in San Juan?  Did the passengers get tested today?  Thank you. 

Sitting in old San Juan. Disembarkation went smoothly this morning. No mention of being tested. Walked right off. Was a bit of a cluster catching a taxi or Uber as it seemed like they were in short supply but all in all not bad... No testing and no quarantine so we are happy lol

[Chauncey Picklepants]

15 hours ago, zpdw484 said:

Onboard right now and we have just finished our second meeting of the week with Rhapsody off the coast of st Maarten to offload positive crew members.. on Monday morning it was relatively quick, tender boat made two trips. Tonight took 2 hrs. Crew is stretched thin and very overworked to say the least. The crew has been great all things considered and the ship looks great to be 21 years old. Unfortunately that's about all the good I have to say...  We are avid cruisers, a mid 30's couple, not scared of covid, but honestly cruising is a disaster at the moment. We sailed in Oct and all was good but at this point Covid has greatly watered down the product. We will definitely not be booking another cruise any time soon. Not blaming royal by any means, we are huge royal Caribbean fans but it's just too much.. by day 2 we were wishing we had cancelled. 

Out of 6 ports, were you able to do beach excursions on any of them? If so, were they ship excursion only? 

Edited January 2, 2022 by Chauncey Picklepants

[beshears]

For those of you who responded of being on the Explorer right now, thank you for your "updated" information. I did enjoy reading Seadogs review of the Explorer as well.  For those  of you who are on on the Explorer now, are we able to see shows, etc., or have they shut down different things on the ship because of the virus? Also, did they offer any specials on purchasing pictures?  I know they were supposed to, but at this time (we are leaving this Saturday to stay overnight in San Juan), I haven't received any notification of any special offers. As of yet, I have not told the other 7 people that we will NOT be doing St. Lucia, which was the ONLY reason I booked this cruise and everyone was looking forward to touring it.  I know things can change, but at this point it looks like if we get off the ship (1/16) and go directly to the airport, we won't have to be tested, which would be nice. Also, here in KC, MO it is 4 degrees with snow/sleet on the ground, but thank God the sun is shining! I'm just going to stay POSITIVE and go with the flow and make the best of it.

[Arch2000]

No shutdowns on the ship to my knowledge. Only saw the ice show and the ‘Duo Quintessence’ aerialist shows, but did see solo musicians performing on bars and heard shows going on in various lounges and theaters. 
 

we purchased a photo package before the cruise and re-purchased it during the Black Friday sale, $129 for 100 digital pics I believe. Saw on board prices were something like $130 for 10 pics, up to $399 for 100. 
 

we did excursions with Royal on all but Sint Maarten. There we did a local tour of 2 beaches. No issues. Only getting off in Bonaire did they look at vaccine cards. 

[beshears]

Thank you for your reply.  I did not receive any email from RCL, but when some of the 7 that are to be with me started texting and started talking about the email they received about some special offers which I did not receive, I then went into RCL website and found the offers.  Now you said you had already purchased the 100 pictures ahead of time, but then there was some special once you were on board for a lower price, and you were able to get the package a little cheaper.  Was this on the app or where/how did you see this offer? Do they give you a credit for the difference on your cruise bill or what? At this point since they are not doing St. Lucia, is Barbados the only other port that you have to have to book something through RCL to get off the ship? Also, do you know what two nights are formal nights?

[FlorenceItaly]

33 minutes ago, beshears said:

Thank you for your reply.  I did not receive any email from RCL, but when some of the 7 that are to be with me started texting and started talking about the email they received about some special offers which I did not receive, I then went into RCL website and found the offers.  Now you said you had already purchased the 100 pictures ahead of time, but then there was some special once you were on board for a lower price, and you were able to get the package a little cheaper.  Was this on the app or where/how did you see this offer? Do they give you a credit for the difference on your cruise bill or what? At this point since they are not doing St. Lucia, is Barbados the only other port that you have to have to book something through RCL to get off the ship? Also, do you know what two nights are formal nights?

You may want to re-read the post.  It is not a better deal onboard.  They repriced on a Black Friday sale.

[beshears]

FlorenceItaly, yes you are right, thanks for mentioning that.  I'm glad I signed up for it before our 1/9 cruise. 🙂

[fisherman0916]

We just got off the Explorer yesterday.  Was one of our best cruises.  Great staff.  They work hard.  We hit all four ports ABCs and St. Maarten.  We were able to do all our excursions on our own.  Food was awesome and the boat never seemed overcrowded.  

 

This is what we did at each Island stop.

 

Bonaire:  Rented Golf Carts ($95) through Bonaire Cruisers.  This was fun.  We did the south loop and stopped at various places.  Eventually stopped at Bachelor Beach to eat and swim.  It was a great day.

 

Curacao:  We got off and walked the town.  Then jumped in a Taxi for a 2 hour tour.  He showed us all kinds of locations including the restaurant on the hill of Fort Nassau.  Then we swam with the Dolphins at the Dolphin Academy.  This was a blast.  The dolphin swim was one of our highlights of cruising.  

 

Aruba: We rented UTVs through Georges for four hours and went to the lighthouse, the north side and then back to town.  This was fun.  Then we did an evening segway tour.  It was a good time.  

 

St. Maarten:  We went to Moho Beach.  Great day.  So cool watching planes land and take off.  Also had some good nachos at Sunset Bar.  

 

We had a 4:45 pm flight yesterday so we rented a room at the Sheraton in Old San Juan to store luggage.  We walked around and had a Drink at Bachinnas and then ate at Tijuana's. 

 

We had an awesome cruise.  Can't wait for our next one.  

 

D

 

[Chauncey Picklepants]

1 hour ago, fisherman0916 said:

We just got off the Explorer yesterday.  Was one of our best cruises.  Great staff.  They work hard.  We hit all four ports ABCs and St. Maarten.  We were able to do all our excursions on our own.  Food was awesome and the boat never seemed overcrowded.  

 

This is what we did at each Island stop.

 

Bonaire:  Rented Golf Carts ($95) through Bonaire Cruisers.  This was fun.  We did the south loop and stopped at various places.  Eventually stopped at Bachelor Beach to eat and swim.  It was a great day.

 

Curacao:  We got off and walked the town.  Then jumped in a Taxi for a 2 hour tour.  He showed us all kinds of locations including the restaurant on the hill of Fort Nassau.  Then we swam with the Dolphins at the Dolphin Academy.  This was a blast.  The dolphin swim was one of our highlights of cruising.  

 

Aruba: We rented UTVs through Georges for four hours and went to the lighthouse, the north side and then back to town.  This was fun.  Then we did an evening segway tour.  It was a good time.  

 

St. Maarten:  We went to Moho Beach.  Great day.  So cool watching planes land and take off.  Also had some good nachos at Sunset Bar.  

 

We had a 4:45 pm flight yesterday so we rented a room at the Sheraton in Old San Juan to store luggage.  We walked around and had a Drink at Bachinnas and then ate at Tijuana's. 

 

We had an awesome cruise.  Can't wait for our next one.  

 

D

 

Awesome.  Thanks so much for this.  Great to see some good news. Our sailing in April is a different itinerary but glad to see enjoyed the ship.  

[ellenw]

10 hours ago, fisherman0916 said:

St. Maarten:  We went to Moho Beach.  Great day.  So cool watching planes land and take off.  Also had some good nachos at Sunset Bar.  

 

 

So glad you had a great trip. 

 

How did you get to Moho Beach? Just grab a taxi? Are there plenty of taxi's at Moho to get you back to the port?

 

Thanks!

[beshears]

Thank you for your reply.  Yes I was concerned about my group seeing Maho Beach/Airport as well, as everyone needs to see it at least once!  I did read that we dock at Phillipsburg, and it is about a 10 minute (if you want to, but there are cabs too) walk to town, and there a buses that will say Maho Beach, and they will take you there too.