Explorer Live Now And Then

[sea-cruise]

You were exactly right, Mary. :)

 

What would you like to hear about? Your wish is my command. :D

Everything! Last time I was aboard was Oct/Nov '06 and I hear they have new shows, new ice shows, and different crew (those who didn't mind a cold weather port). Were there any big changes?

[debalex]

More on the cold weather sailing:

 

They will not use the big space heaters on deck and at the pools like some other competitor ships do that sail out of NYC. The pools will not be in use during sail out and sail in since the water is not heated.

 

However all hot tubs are heated so they will be in use. :)

[debalex]

It was pretty crummy last night for them going out. They must have left before 5:30 because I was on that SI Ferry (5:30) and there was no sight of them. I did see the NCL Dawn behind us, it went out on a 2 nighter (my friend is on that one). Today is rain and more rain, I hope they're all not having a rough time out there.

 

Also, as I mentioned yesterday, we were in a GS in Aug. and were invited by Ricky (CL) to a tour of the galley and backstage.

 

Oh I hope the weather was ok for the sailaway -- at least it sounds like they got away on time.

 

I got a great picture of the Staten Island Ferry on sailaway on 10/21. :)

 

Thanks for clarifying the Grand Suite and above privileges. I forgot to add that to the diamond plus discussion. :)

[sea-cruise]

Gotta run right now, but I have to say...It's nice having you back on the boards! :) Talk later.

[debalex]

Everything! Last time I was aboard was Oct/Nov '06 and I hear they have new shows, new ice shows, and different crew (those who didn't mind a cold weather port). Were there any big changes?

 

We had two production shows, one was the same as it has been for some time -- it must be popular -- Vibeology. The other production show was new. :) The ice show was also brand new and fantastic as always.

 

There was an announcement not long ago about how the Dancing with the Stars type competition would be beginning on the EX in January but it has already begun -- the dancers have been on board for several weeks and have been participating in the production shows demonstrating various ballroom dances. I cant wait for that! :)

 

And as Suzanne posted there will be four production shows and two ice shows for the 12 night cruises. YAY! :)

 

I do think there was some turnover in crew as some of the staff from the warmer countries did not want to sail in the cold. However the crew on board seemed very efficient and friendly. I was so impressed the first day by all the warm and friendly smiles and the helpfulness.

 

I went to the Windjammer for lunch about noon, and I was one of the first people on the ship. I checked out the desserts first, looking for the famous chocolate chip cookies. I was SHOCKED to see that there were several varieties including peanut butter and coconut, but NONE of my favorite. LOL So I was joking with the person working the dessert island, and the next thing I knew she showed up at my table with three warm just out of the oven chocolate chip cookies that she had gone to the Cafe Promenade to pick up. Now is that the way to start a cruise or is that a way to start a cruise?!?!? And I have to say, the rest of the cruise went the same way. :)

[debalex]

Gotta run right now, but I have to say...It's nice having you back on the boards! :) Talk later.

 

Thanks, I'll be back later, too. :)

[aqhacruiser]

We are having a rocky first night and our speed is 21 knots so feeling it a bit but the temp is definitely getting warmer now at about midnight. We met a few nice CC members from our roll call this evening at the Aquarium Bar and our Meet & Mingle is scheduled for tomorrow at 2pm.

We are headed to Labadee first and some highlights for day 2 are

The production show for tomorrow evening is Wild, Cool and Swingin 9pm and 10:45.

The Captain's Welcome Aboard party is in the Maharajas Lounge from 7:30-8pm. The Captain will give his welcome speech at 8:10 on the Promanade. It is formal night also and free drinks will be at the party and on the Promanade until 8pm.

Game show Who Wants To Feel Like A Billionaire? gameshow with a twist in the MaharajasLounge at 10pm. Late night adult comedy with Jim David at 12:15AM in the theater. Drink of the day is the Summer Breeze 8.50. History of Art and Modern Art seminar at 2-4pm. Slot tournament 1:30pm. A nice color map with things to do on Labadee is in the Compass. The weather is expected to be partly cloudy 72 degrees. We made reservations previously so we will have dinner at Portifino with a friend this evening. I'm looking forward to meeting the rest of the Royal Explorer's at the M & M tomorrow! BBL

Morning all!

Beautiful sunny day at sea and warmer than the 72 predicted I think! :D The ocean is much calmer and we are on our way to Labadee! Please excuse any spelling mistakes as I type these pretty quick when I do get online before I lose the connection. M & M is at 2pm so looking forward to meeting some CC members:D

[aqhacruiser]

Thanks, I'll be back later, too. :)

 

There you are!:D Glad to see you are safely back home!:D I just received a beautiful vase of flowers from the hotel director:)

[aqhacruiser]

I also see that there are questions about behind the scene tours.

 

While Suzanne is not diamond plus yet, I am, and one of the perks of diamond plus is that on discretion of the captain, certain behind the scenes tours may be offered. It is NOT a given, always at the discretion of the captain. :) This is how we had the fantastic opportunity to go on the galley and bridge tours.

 

On the longer cruises, there is a lunch and galley tour conducted by the executive chef that can be purchased. I am told it is well worth the cost, but I am not sure how much it is. I'm sure someone else can help with that. :)

 

The Engine Room tour is NOT a perk for diamond plus members. I was very lucky in that my husband and I have a wonderful friend who is a chief engineer and we are considered part of the family. :) Engine room tours are NEVER given on the ships any more to the general public since 9-11. Suzanne and Dave were also invited since they were traveling with me, but were of course sworn to secrecy about any details. :)

 

I give no details! I cannot be bribed even with cookies! LOL! Coconut ones please! :D Diamonds can request tours but it's up to the captain of course. I also sail on the Explorer quite a bit also besides Deb being Diamond Plus and we were lucky we were offered the tours. Just an added note we did have to go thru extra security measures for the tours also so they are very careful.

[aqhacruiser]

Everything! Last time I was aboard was Oct/Nov '06 and I hear they have new shows, new ice shows, and different crew (those who didn't mind a cold weather port). Were there any big changes?

 

Hey Seacruise! Yes, there will be 4 shows altogether, there is a new ice show and another one coming for the 12 night so there will be two new ones, new game shows, ball room dancing competition styled after Dancing with the Stars, lots of good stuff! :D

[aqhacruiser]

Many of the same crew is still onboard but we do have some new crew members and as always the staff is excellent. Our stewards for our JS and OS have been outstanding:) I really enjoy talking to those we've known for awhile each time we board. Many crew members are excited about seeing some snow this winter but not too sure of the cold that comes with it! :)

[clochette]

I hope that you are all having a great time, I can't wait to hear about excursions in Dominican Republic. Keep her nice for us, we will be there in 111 days (I think).....

[WowItsMarissa]

Glad you had a good time! Thanks for updating us.

But Captain Ryan is no longer captain!?:( He was awesome, and his emo glasses were cool too.

 

And wow @ Dave still being CD. I heard he was only doing 2 months to fill in for Allan Brooks' vacation. He did August, September, and now basically all of October. I'm confused.

[WowItsMarissa]

There was an announcement not long ago about how the Dancing with the Stars type competition would be beginning on the EX in January but it has already begun -- the dancers have been on board for several weeks and have been participating in the production shows demonstrating various ballroom dances. I cant wait for that! :)

 

 

Oooh, really!? That sounds like lots of fun! Onboard competitions are awesome :D

[sea-cruise]

Hey Deb & Suzanne...Sounds like you both had a great time! I'll have to wait until December for mine. I thought I'd be diamond by then but I have cruise credits that are lost somewhere in cyberspace so I might be platinum for the rest of my life...who knows? :(

Anyway....I really wanted a backstage tour, but guess I have to wait for diamond for that too.

As I said, I've been "clawing my way up to diamond" the hard way. We like to bring the family with us, and that means booking 2 balconies at a time, so we don't book JS & UP. We only get one credit per cruise, and the shortest one I've ever taken on RC was one 3 day. I think I'll get a credit for that even though it was so short, but I'm not sure because it hasn't shown up yet. Oh well....I'll get there if I keep booking RCI. :o

[debalex]

Hey Deb & Suzanne...Sounds like you both had a great time! I'll have to wait until December for mine. I thought I'd be diamond by then but I have cruise credits that are lost somewhere in cyberspace so I might be platinum for the rest of my life...who knows? :(

Anyway....I really wanted a backstage tour, but guess I have to wait for diamond for that too.

As I said, I've been "clawing my way up to diamond" the hard way. We like to bring the family with us, and that means booking 2 balconies at a time, so we don't book JS & UP. We only get one credit per cruise, and the shortest one I've ever taken on RC was one 3 day. I think I'll get a credit for that even though it was so short, but I'm not sure because it hasn't shown up yet. Oh well....I'll get there if I keep booking RCI. :o

 

You'll get there, Mary! :) Yes you will get a credit for the three day and you will get two credits for the upcoming 12 day. Call RCCL C&A number and ask them about how many credits they have for you. They will fix it if there is something wrong! Sometimes it takes a while for the credits to show up on the website.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

I was all excited, hoping for a galley or bridge tour, too. However, since I just made Platinum, I guess I'll have to wait a bit!:(

 

We love the reviews, Suzanne. Thank you for taking the time out of your cruise to post for us.:)

[Merion_Mom]

I also see that there are questions about behind the scene tours.

 

While Suzanne is not diamond plus yet, I am, and one of the perks of diamond plus is that on discretion of the captain, certain behind the scenes tours may be offered. It is NOT a given, always at the discretion of the captain. :) This is how we had the fantastic opportunity to go on the galley and bridge tours.

 

On the longer cruises, there is a lunch and galley tour conducted by the executive chef that can be purchased. I am told it is well worth the cost, but I am not sure how much it is. I'm sure someone else can help with that. :)

It is called the Savor luncheon and it is $54 per person, which includes the lunch (with drinks and wine), the galley tour, and a copy of the Savor Cookbook. You can read my description here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=610198

[sea-cruise]

You'll get there, Mary! :) Yes you will get a credit for the three day and you will get two credits for the upcoming 12 day. Call RCCL C&A number and ask them about how many credits they have for you. They will fix it if there is something wrong! Sometimes it takes a while for the credits to show up on the website.

Thanks Deb!! Our upcoming 12-14 cruise is only a 9 day but I'll settle for it. :D ;)

I'm going to call C&A and ask them about the credits.

I got a $200 platinum discount on one of the balconies (couldn't get it on the 2nd one we booked because I didn't put DH in there with our SIL...but I put DH in my cabin). Anyway, it would have been nice to get a bigger discount if I were diamond.

Hey, I'm still happy though, because I did get a lot of OBC for the Visa rewards, and the C&A certificate was $150 if I remember correctly, and we received a military discount as well, so I can't complain. RCI treats us all a lot better than other cruiselines treat their loyal pax). :)

[aqhacruiser]

Good afternoon from the Explorer! I just came back from our Meet & Mingle in Portifino and it was great meeting everyone from the Royal Explorer 10/26! They gave out several nice prizes and I won the RCCL mouse. I would have loved to stay longer and chat but..............

Now just a bit of a funny story that I know Seacruise:D and some from my 12/2 members will appreciate a good giggle about.

I lost my tempory crown from my last root canal, off one of my front teeth yesterday. Yes, VERY attractive and Yes, I am being VERY sarcastic! No, no dentist onboard. I lost it when I bit into a turkey sandwich so you may want to rethink those if you have a tempory crown! LOL:D So my dentist always said to pack fix a something ( can't remember name ) with me just in case. So I have it and it will hold the cap for about a half hour and that's it, so my chatting and smiling was on a time limit today! LOL! I know some people wanted to speak with me longer and I do apologise but I was having technical difficulties at the moment and I'm just grateful the stupid cap did not fly out during the time I WAS there!:eek: So I basically have my Halloween costume without wearing anything different! I swear one of these days I will write a book of various mishaps that have occured when I'm on a cruise! LOL! So for those of you in the middle of root canals and other dental work you may want to pack something that will get you thru one of those Kodak moments JUST IN CASE! LOL It's always an adventure! :D

Other than THAT, the Meet & Mingle was just great! They put out ice tea and snacks for us and it was a nice time.

Christie and her family are very nice people and they are all enjoying the cruise also.

As you all know we are headed to Labadee when the sun is HOT so I and a few others were discussing sunburn as we are very fair skin and in light of my tooth situation, I told them that I may just borrow a bedsheet, cut two holes for eyes and go as a ghost to protect me from the sun and to hide the fact I am missing a front tooth. Kill 2 birds with one stone so to speak and this IS a Halloween cruise afterall! LOL!

Ok, time for lunch and no, the missing tooth has not slowed down my eating capability AT ALL! :D

BBL

[aqhacruiser]

Thanks Deb!! Our upcoming 12-14 cruise is only a 9 day but I'll settle for it. :D ;)

I'm going to call C&A and ask them about the credits.

I got a $200 platinum discount on one of the balconies (couldn't get it on the 2nd one we booked because I didn't put DH in there with our SIL...but I put DH in my cabin). Anyway, it would have been nice to get a bigger discount if I were diamond.

Hey, I'm still happy though, because I did get a lot of OBC for the Visa rewards, and the C&A certificate was $150 if I remember correctly, and we received a military discount as well, so I can't complain. RCI treats us all a lot better than other cruiselines treat their loyal pax). :)

 

You are 100 percent correct, RCCL does treat all their passengers very well no matter what C & A level or times cruised. I've known first time cruisers that get invites to Captains tables and also upgrades and other perks. They really try to make the cruise experience as good as possible for all guests! No one knows what level I am walking around onboard and every crew member has a nice greeting for me, always very helpful if asked a question, etc. The discounts are great anjd also the Visa rewards and C & A coupons too! But it's the crew and the service everyone receives onboard that keeps us coming back I think. :D

[sea-cruise]

Now just a bit of a funny story that I know Seacruise:D and some from my 12/2 members will appreciate a good giggle about.

omg...ROFLMAO! You are RIGHT! That IS funny! Sorry, but it IS! Glad I wasn't there or you would have punched me in the eye for laughing.

Yes....Remember last month when DH went out of town and I threw Fixodent in his bag instead of toothpaste?? We DO have trouble keeping these darn caps in don't we!!?? :D :D AHAHAHA!

[aqhacruiser]

Glad you had a good time! Thanks for updating us.

But Captain Ryan is no longer captain!?:( He was awesome, and his emo glasses were cool too.

 

And wow @ Dave still being CD. I heard he was only doing 2 months to fill in for Allan Brooks' vacation. He did August, September, and now basically all of October. I'm confused.

 

Dave is not the CD as Allen Brooks is back on the ship as CD and doing a fantastic job as always! :D Allen came back onboard 10/26/07

[aqhacruiser]

 

omg...ROFLMAO! You are RIGHT! That IS funny! Sorry, but it IS! Glad I wasn't there or you would have punched me in the eye for laughing.

Yes....Remember last month when DH went out of town and I threw Fixodent in his bag instead of toothpaste?? We DO have trouble keeping these darn caps in don't we!!?? :D :D AHAHAHA!

 

Like that one didn't ya? Hey! It's getting to the point we may as well just pack the fixodent and leave the toothpaste at home! ROFLMAO! Do you believe it? One in a million doc! LOL! I know it's funny! I've been laughing since it happened and DH..........well you know how helpful husbands can be in time of crisis..........he looks over as I am HORRIFIED and I DO MEAN HORRIFIED:eek: staring at my tooth and says well maybe if you didn't take a sandwich! THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP OH DEAR ONE! LOL! I'll remember that one if he ever falls off, I can look over and say well MAYBE if you didn't lean over so far.................:D

[willysgrandma]

I was also on the Oct. 21 cruise - may I add that we were in cabin 1343 and our rugs were NOT new. But we did notice during the cruise that rugs were being replaced in some of the cabins, because there were garbage bags full of ripped carpeting left in the halls. They just were not replaced in ours during the cruise.

 

We also saw bags of artificial turf that were delivered to the deck near the mini golf area, leading us to believe that perhaps the mini-golf turf will be replaced soon.

 

Hope it was okay to add that.