Explorer Live Now And Then

[01Sweetpea]

Glad to hear that you are safe and trying to get around Noel. Enjoy St. Martin, can't wait to hear about it.

[mlbtange]

I'm so glad to hear that you're all avoiding most of the storm. I've been so worried about all of you!!! :( I hope you have a fabulous time in St. Maarten. We LOVED it there!!! :D

[Annefran]

Wow we love St Maarten, good for you Suzanne. I'm sitting on the edge of my chair every day waiting to see how you all are making out on your Explorer cruise. Have a great time. :)

[GeniRich]

They had them on the Bermuda cruise that ended 10/26. :D

 

Looks like it will be back to the Champagne Bar for us. Thanks.

[familycruzer]

I got called out of town with a family medical emergency. I am going to head back and read what I missed on this second part of the cruise.

[carmelninetysix]

Hubby and I set sail on Sunday Nov. 4th on the Explorer and I have been watching the weather channel the last past few weeks and I was concerned late last week when they showed possible tropical depressions/hurricanes forming in the Atlantic off of some of the Caribbean Islands! I was hoping they would not form into anything major but It turns out that it did! I'm glad your in such good hands with Captain Erik! I'm so sorry to hear about the loss of life in the Dominican Republic that's always so sad and tragic when loss of life occurs! May God Bless All!!! Hopefully Noel will pass sooner rather than later for Everyone's Sake! I would rather be on a ship than on land during storms since ships can get out of the way but for the people on land in the Islands they are just stuck with no place to go that's so scary! Hopefully you will encounter quieter and calmer seas! Suzanne I'm sure your loving your Owners Suite and I know you will have a blast in St.Maarten/St.Martin! Thanks for posting Suzanne and keeping those of us on land informed of all the GREAT things that are taking place on your Explorer cruise and continue Enjoying your Explorer Cruise Vacation! Happy Safe Sailings to ALL!!! Melissa

[shirleygr]

Looks like it will be back to the Champagne Bar for us. Thanks.

Me too. Sign me up for some Bellinis!! :D

[aqhacruiser]

Hi everyone!:D Well we arrived in St. Maartin at about 930 and docked around 10am. We are with the Liberty, Disney Magic and a Princess something ship not the Crown. Beautiful sunny hot day! We took the water taxi for 5.00 each to Great Bay Beach which is on Front St. and our favorite spot as it's close to everything. Rented a couple cushioned yellow beach loungers for 5.00 each and hit that water! The water felt great as the sun is strong here. Later I walked thru Sint Rose Arcade and crossed the street to a Subway and bought a couple of sandwiches and brought them back to the beach. That started a crowd to gather around me asking where the Subway was! We had some cold Cokes from the beach waiter and it was a great day under the umbrella nestled under palms listening to the beach bands. We came back to the ship about 330 and took a dip in the solarium pool and than the hot tub. All poolsand hot tubs are open today as we are done with storms I hope at least for now! Tonight we go to Portifino's again. Last night we did catch the JJ Downs headline show. You remember the song Buttercup....."Build me up Buttercup?" Well he was from the band the Foundations and I think that was their one big song. He played excellent soprano sax last night so the show was pretty good if you like the sax.

Highlights from today Day 5 are

Production show is " Fast Forward" 7pm and 9pm

The Love and Marriage Game show 10:30pm

Dancing under the Stars pool party and buffet with pool band Hot Sands

Dinner is the C & A menu casual

Drink of day is the Mango Mai Tai 8.00

Halloween airbrush tattoo's 8:30-10:30pm Promanade

We received another plate of chocolate dipped strawberries last night from the LA. We are going to ROLL OFF this ship I swear!

I'll mention this but we did not go so can't give much details but we received an invite from the Art Directors onboard supposely only 1 % of guests get it but who knows but it was for a private art exhibition of original works by Picasso, Miro, Dali, Chagall and Rembrandt and it says it is available for the first time on this cruise and wine and cheese was served. We were suppose to drop the RSVP card with concierge but we didn't go. We also received a call from Art Directors saying please come so I think the other part of the 1 % were all napping yesterday too! LOL! Normally I would have went to something like this but it was just so nasty and dark out, napping was a better choice for us! BUT someone may enjoy this on their cruise so worth mentioning they do have such an event. The art is not for sale just on exhibit.

Our departure time was changed and we depart at 9pm instead of 10pm which is fine. Everyone should be pretty tired by than from a day of sun and swimming and shopping. I doubt we'll make it to the midnight buffet after Portifino as we usually can't move after dinner there. :D

So that's the scoop today and BBL

Just a quick note to those who want me to say hi to various crew members. Bartenders and others do a 2 week rotation meaning every 2 weeks they move to different bars or dining areas so if you can't find someone you are looking for they are probably in another area. It keeps the staff from getting bored in working in the same area.

[aqhacruiser]

I have been in a few times but I will definitely be dropping in more often in the next 4 weeks or so!!! As you know, I've only cruised twice before and have only experienced slight rocking off Puerto Rico on a couple of nights, nothing like what the Explorer is experiencing at present! Still can't wait and am hoping for good weather to escape the Irish winter!

 

I say this to everyone sailing out of NY especially as we are now getting into the winter. Take Bonine a few hours before boarding. There is a greater possibility of rocky seas sailing out then a perfect smooth sailing out of NY. It's better to be safe than sorry:)

[aqhacruiser]

Good morning Suzanne from your northern buddy,just to make you feel bad as you are suffering in the heat we had some white stuff overnite:eek: but hey don't feel to bad it't a tough job but someone has to do it:rolleyes: Hope things are better today:)

 

OMG! :eek: Already? A friend posted it was 25 degrees back at my house the other day! Well if this keeps up we very well may have a snowball competition on 12/2! LOL:D

[aqhacruiser]

Just on the news, 20 people dead in Dominican Republic and another 20 missing. God Bless the people of Dominican Republic.

 

I am so glad that you guys went to St. Martin instead and are safe.

 

 

Lynn

 

 

We heard the same thing onboard on CNN last night. Several crew members were disappointed we could not stop in DR as it is their home and of course they are now worrried if their love ones are ok. So far everyone they've heard from seems to be ok but it was a very bad storm on land. Terrible storm for those that live there and we pray that they will be ok

[Ocean Boy]

So where are you folks, and our ship, headed next? The news today said that Haiti got over 13 inches of rain so I don't think you would have enjoyed Labadee to say the least. The Dominican Republic got something like 20-30 inches of rain. I can't even fathom that.

 

The storm is projected to turn north with its outer bands causing rain in the Miami area and then it is SUPPOSED to turn east and out into the Atlantic. Hopefully, it will do all of that before it is time for Explorer to start heading north towards home. There are reports on the main board about fairly rough waters off of Florida. But some people consider the water to be rough if they can feel the ship move at all.

 

I'm glad you had a great day in St. Maarten. I love that island.

[aqhacruiser]

Suzanne:

 

Thanks for the lastest update. Glad you are heading to St. Maarten. Love that island and it's one of my favorite ports to visit.

 

Glad that the Captain is keeping everyone informed via. announcements and TV. He's doing a great job and I'm very impressed. Everyone is safe and that's the most important thing.

 

I can't even imagine the noises you are hearing right now. It must be wild and erie at the same time. If EX can survive TS Barry it can survive this. Are the swells/waves worse than TS Barry?

 

Enjoy the rest of your evening and stay safe! I hope Dave is not trying to come up with new exciting ideas with his cruise toys! Tell him no windsurfing, kite flying, fishing, etc. right now. LOL

 

Sea ya!

 

Tropical Storm Barry was more unrelenting. We got pounded non stop for 2 days before reaching Bermuda. This one was a bit different as periods of intense weather so it was as bad as Barry but not as constant. I guess some would say Barry was worse as it just didn't quit but we really has some serious pounding yesterday with Noel but by last night it had calmed down quite a bit and other than thunder and lightening the sea was much calmer. You hear these noises in every storm so you just get used to them. I would probably be more concerned if it was quiet:D DH is RELAXING! He is attached to this couch at the moment resting up for Portifino! LOL:p

[aqhacruiser]

So where are you folks, and our ship, headed next? The news today said that Haiti got over 13 inches of rain so I don't think you would have enjoyed Labadee to say the least. The Dominican Republic got something like 20-30 inches of rain. I can't even fathom that.

 

The storm is projected to turn north with its outer bands causing rain in the Miami area and then it is SUPPOSED to turn east and out into the Atlantic. Hopefully, it will do all of that before it is time for Explorer to start heading north towards home. There are reports on the main board about fairly rough waters off of Florida. But some people consider the water to be rough if they can feel the ship move at all.

 

I'm glad you had a great day in St. Maarten. I love that island.

 

We had a great time in St. Maarten and next port will be St. Thomas another favorite! :D

[gxchan]

Tropical Storm Barry was more unrelenting. We got pounded non stop for 2 days before reaching Bermuda. This one was a bit different as periods of intense weather so it was as bad as Barry but not as constant. I guess some would say Barry was worse as it just didn't quit but we really has some serious pounding yesterday with Noel but by last night it had calmed down quite a bit and other than thunder and lightening the sea was much calmer. You hear these noises in every storm so you just get used to them. I would probably be more concerned if it was quiet:D DH is RELAXING! He is attached to this couch at the moment resting up for Portifino! LOL:p

 

Rudy, Sounds like you are bearing up under the storm, glad to hear it. Particularly pleased to hear Dave is enjoying the couch and in training for Portifinos, LOL. I think I'll follow his example in December! LOL

[shirleygr]

Suzanne, happy to hear you had a great day in St Maarten. Hoping you have smooth sailing onto St Thomas. Enjoy Portofinos. It's always so fabulous!

[sea-cruise]

Well I know I don't have to tell YOU to have a good time, but I'm saying it anyway...HAVE FUN!

P.S. Can you save me a few of those chocolate covered strawberries and fling them into my mailbox as you pass my house on your way home??? :D

[CruisinMommas]

Seacruise where are you in this wonderful state?

 

Suzanne keep on having fun. I love Portofino. I am glad you got to enjoy the beach today. Enjoy St. Thomas tomorrow. Waiting to hear more reports.

Thanks for taking the time to post.

[crisndeefromde]

Cris -- regarding the Mac -- I was able to connect using wireless. My new MacBook doesn't have a built in modem so I could not do Cybercabin. Download speeds for email were good, but I couldnt send email from my email program, I had to go use webmail which was the pits. LOL I think the connection occasionally goes away for a few minutes and comes back which really affected my sending email from webmail or chatting on Yahoo. But I found the speed reasonable, especially late at night when not so many people were accessing the wireless network.

 

Hope this helps. :)

 

Thanks Debbie! dh wants to know where you picked up the wireless signal at.

[sea-cruise]

Seacruise where are you in this wonderful state?

quote]

I'm North...Where are you?:)

[debalex]

Thanks Debbie! dh wants to know where you picked up the wireless signal at.

 

My favorite places were the concierge lounge and the Promenade cafe. :)

 

You can pick up a listing of all the hot spots at the Guest Relations Desk. I believe the Viking Crown Lounge (Dizzys) is also a hot spot as well as the library and the internet cafe. :)

 

Hope this helps!

[debalex]

Hi everyone!:D Well we arrived in St. Maartin at about 930 and docked around 10am. We are with the Liberty, Disney Magic and a Princess something ship not the Crown. Beautiful sunny hot day! We took the water taxi for 5.00 each to Great Bay Beach which is on Front St. and our favorite spot as it's close to everything. Rented a couple cushioned yellow beach loungers for 5.00 each and hit that water! The water felt great as the sun is strong here. Later I walked thru Sint Rose Arcade and crossed the street to a Subway and bought a couple of sandwiches and brought them back to the beach. That started a crowd to gather around me asking where the Subway was! We had some cold Cokes from the beach waiter and it was a great day under the umbrella nestled under palms listening to the beach bands. We came back to the ship about 330 and took a dip in the solarium pool and than the hot tub. All poolsand hot tubs are open today as we are done with storms I hope at least for now! Tonight we go to Portifino's again. Last night we did catch the JJ Downs headline show. You remember the song Buttercup....."Build me up Buttercup?" Well he was from the band the Foundations and I think that was their one big song. He played excellent soprano sax last night so the show was pretty good if you like the sax.

Highlights from today Day 5 are

Production show is " Fast Forward" 7pm and 9pm

The Love and Marriage Game show 10:30pm

Dancing under the Stars pool party and buffet with pool band Hot Sands

Dinner is the C & A menu casual

Drink of day is the Mango Mai Tai 8.00

Halloween airbrush tattoo's 8:30-10:30pm Promanade

We received another plate of chocolate dipped strawberries last night from the LA. We are going to ROLL OFF this ship I swear!

I'll mention this but we did not go so can't give much details but we received an invite from the Art Directors onboard supposely only 1 % of guests get it but who knows but it was for a private art exhibition of original works by Picasso, Miro, Dali, Chagall and Rembrandt and it says it is available for the first time on this cruise and wine and cheese was served. We were suppose to drop the RSVP card with concierge but we didn't go. We also received a call from Art Directors saying please come so I think the other part of the 1 % were all napping yesterday too! LOL! Normally I would have went to something like this but it was just so nasty and dark out, napping was a better choice for us! BUT someone may enjoy this on their cruise so worth mentioning they do have such an event. The art is not for sale just on exhibit.

Our departure time was changed and we depart at 9pm instead of 10pm which is fine. Everyone should be pretty tired by than from a day of sun and swimming and shopping. I doubt we'll make it to the midnight buffet after Portifino as we usually can't move after dinner there. :D

So that's the scoop today and BBL

 

Just a quick note to those who want me to say hi to various crew members. Bartenders and others do a 2 week rotation meaning every 2 weeks they move to different bars or dining areas so if you can't find someone you are looking for they are probably in another area. It keeps the staff from getting bored in working in the same area.

 

 

Glad you had a great time in St. Maarten, Suzanne. I'm sure you will enjoy St. Thomas as well. Its terrible what happened in the Dominican Republic and our prayers go out to everyone who was affected by Noel.

 

Tropical Storm Barry was more unrelenting. We got pounded non stop for 2 days before reaching Bermuda. This one was a bit different as periods of intense weather so it was as bad as Barry but not as constant. I guess some would say Barry was worse as it just didn't quit but we really has some serious pounding yesterday with Noel but by last night it had calmed down quite a bit and other than thunder and lightening the sea was much calmer. You hear these noises in every storm so you just get used to them. I would probably be more concerned if it was quiet:D DH is RELAXING! He is attached to this couch at the moment resting up for Portifino! LOL:p

 

Be sure and tell Jody hello for me. :)

 

Have a great evening and enjoy the fantastic food!

[crisndeefromde]

My favorite places were the concierge lounge and the Promenade cafe. :)

 

You can pick up a listing of all the hot spots at the Guest Relations Desk. I believe the Viking Crown Lounge (Dizzys) is also a hot spot as well as the library and the internet cafe. :)

 

Hope this helps!

 

Sure does. He has been thinking about getting an external modem to take with us.

 

How close is your town to Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg?

[crisndeefromde]

I'm North...Where are you?:)

 

Sounds like this cruise is having alot of excitement! I can't wait until ours.

 

We need to be south so they can throw us cookies and strawberries as we are in line to get on board before they come through the customs!!! LOL

[debalex]

Sure does. He has been thinking about getting an external modem to take with us.

 

How close is your town to Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg?

 

Tell DH I said great minds. LOL I looked at them on the Apple website the other day -- they are around $50 I think. As much as I have to be online for the courses I teach, even on cruises, it would pay for itself in no time. :)

 

I live about 45 minutes from downtown Knoxville and Pigeon Forge is about an hour from there and Gatlinburg another 15 minutes -- so all told, about 2 hours from my house to Gatlinburg. :) Great places to visit! ;)