Explorer Live Now And Then

[Soon2Bmtnest]

Yes, please bring her back in one piece and on time so I can experience Explorer for the first time. It's getting close now and loving the live reports!

[glendalemom]

Of course there are many beaches but we have been to this one several times and we never had a problem and I never heard of anyone getting sick from swimming there and I never seen a dump near it as it's in town nor is there any dump by the ships. I wonder where the guide said it was? It's a great spot as the water is calm, sand is deep and soft, water is clear and nice chairs and umbrellas and the palms provide a great breeze. Plus all the great places to eat and drink are right there so waiter service is provided on the beach and I can walk to all the shops also on Front Street while DH naps! LOL! :D It's close to the ship so easy to get to also. Everyone has their favorite areas on the islands and this beach is our favorite on St. Maarten but there are many others to enjoy also!

 

I knew I remembered reading something about this beach on the Ports thread for St. Martin:

 

You are talking about Great Bay Beach. This beach is ok for sitting at but I wouldn't set my big toe in the water because of pollution problems from all the marine traffic running around in the harbor and, more importantly, raw sewage leaching into the bay from pipes close by and the salt pond near Phillisburg, which is used as a dump for excess waste.

 

As far as the beach issue, in general all beaches on St Martin are open to the public for free but you have to pay to rent a chair or umbrella. And remember that even though you are in the tropics it gets dark earlier than in the summer so the beach bars start pulling in their chairs at 5ish or so or even earlier. And the stores at Phillipsburg shut down tight at 6 PM. Including the public restroom at Great Bay near the water taxi stop.

 

The only after dark activity takes place in places like Marigot and Gran Case on the French side where dozens of world class restaurants are open late. We have stayed on the island several times for a week each visit and have never repeated a restaurant. Since the ship leaves at 11PM you would have to be back on board by 10 PM (to leave a 1/2 hour safety period since the gangway would be pulled at 10:30 PM). I would aim for the Marina at Marigot since this is more romantic than the street running thru Gran Case. and you could watch the boats gliding in and out (if any) while eating outside on the deck. DW loves this place.

 

Last edited by The Big Booper : October 21st, 2007 at 11:23 PM.

 

 

When I read this it didn't seem possible since the islands rely heavily on tourist $$ and this would certainly be a turn off????

[LuvMyVette]

Suzanne:

OMG! I think I broke the records with pics this time!

Your kidding me! Ok I have to ask (LOL)... how many pictures have you taken so far? Sorry but I can't resist!!

I can't wait to see the pictures of the OS! I love the walk-in closet that the JS offers. Saw a JS in between cruises last year.. very nice! At some point DH/I will get a JS but once we do I know we'll never go back to a regular balcony cabin! LMAO

Glad you had a nice day in St. Thomas and was able to purchase some items.

Thanks so much for the posts and letting us know how your cruise is going!

Sea ya!

[cruissett]

:p For the record, I'm friends with Trish and it would be hard to break her record for taking pictures.

 

Hi Trish,

 

Nancy

[shirleygr]

Hi Donna! On a lot of the ships you can use cybercabin or wifi or the internet cafe. With cybercabin or wifi, you bring your own computer. In the internet cafe, you use their computers.

 

Cybercabin is dial up so you have to have a built in or external modem. On the wifi you have to be able to make a wireless connection.

 

I have used both their computers and wifi using my laptop. I have not used cybercabin although that is what Suzanne is using to post on this thread and I see that other people have posted that they have used it successfully as well.

 

Many people say cybercabin is slower than wifi. I can tell you that wifi on the ship is just fine for email but not so hot for web surfing. I have been able to IM with no problem from both the internet cafe and my own laptop.

 

The hotspots are areas around the ship that you can pick up wifi signals. The Guest Relations desk will have a pamphlet telling you where they are. :)

 

If your cabin is close to on of the hotspots, you may be able to pick up a signal from inside your cabin. I believe that the Freedom class ships are different and the cabins have antennas so you can do wifi from the privacy of whatever cabin you happen to be staying in.

 

I hope this helps!

Thanks for posting this information. DH was just asking about this and I didn't know what all the options are. BTW, welcome back, :)

[dj&kjlove2cruise]

Suzanne:

 

Your kidding me! Ok I have to ask (LOL)... how many pictures have you taken so far? Sorry but I can't resist!!

 

I can't wait to see the pictures of the OS! I love the walk-in closet that the JS offers. Saw a JS in between cruises last year.. very nice! At some point DH/I will get a JS but once we do I know we'll never go back to a regular balcony cabin! LMAO

 

Glad you had a nice day in St. Thomas and was able to purchase some items.

 

Thanks so much for the posts and letting us know how your cruise is going!

 

Sea ya!

 

Hi Trish,

 

I was looking at what you wrote and noticed that you are going to have many pre-meet&mingle parties on the 12/2 cruise! I sure wish I was on that cruise! It sounds like a whole bunch of fun people. I met Suzanne years ago, (we live in the same town) and we were actually reintroduced here at CC. We will be on the 11/30/08 cruise and boy seeing the fun you all are having is making it more and more difficult to wait a whole year!

Well, continue the fun and hopefully we will be on a cruise together someday too.:)

 

KJ

[sleeples23]

Thank you so much for all of your info on the computer connections. I guess my next thing is to figure out if I have a modem in my laptop and then I'll determine whether or not the cybercabin would be an option. Since we are so fortunate to have an OS this trip, it would be nice to have it in the cabin. Is cybercabin cheaper than using their computers in the internet cafe?

[sea-cruise]

Donna, I'll answer since I see lights off, and I'm here.... Our 9 day cruise will cost only $125 for cybercabin whereas internet cafe is .50 cents per minute.

I've copied this from the RCCL website:

 

 

TECHNOLOGY

Technology and innovation are an integral part of Royal Caribbean. The level of

communication options available to Royal Caribbean guests will impress even the most techsavvy

traveler.

• royal caribbean online – All Royal Caribbean ships feature computer stations that

provide 24-hour access to the Internet, with connections to popular web sites for updates

on stocks, sports and entertainment. Guests can check email and send e-postcards with

personalized photos. The system currently is available in English, Spanish, German,

French, Italian and Portuguese. Printing capabilities are available as well. Internet café

access is 50 cents a minute.

• Cybercabin – The line’s newest ships also feature Cybercabin, which allows guests to

use their personal laptop to connect to the Internet from the comfort of their own

stateroom. Cybercabin connections are available at a flat rate of $100 for a seven-night

cruise.

[demodawn]

Suzanne you stop trying to get the capt to stay in St Tom we are WAITING! Your turn is up now its our turn!!! Dont forget to leave me some crumbs of those wonderful cookies!

[28 Frediebeach]

Hey Suzanne just stopped by to say Hi glad all is going well:)

[crisndeefromde]

inquiring minds wish to know..........

 

have you met the cookie maker yet??????

[psupa]

Yes, Please bring Explorer back in one piece (and on time) :) I am sooo looking forward to our first trip to Bermuda Nov. 4th

 

Oliver

 

I agree, so please bring her back on time for my Nov 11th cruise.

[sleeples23]

Thanks for the info. The $125 seems reasonable enough, so now I'll have to find out if our laptop has the necessary modem in it. It's a bit on the older side, so that might work to our advantage. I understand the newer ones don't necessarily have whatever modem type is needed.

 

Thanks again!

[My2Kitties]

Hi Suzanne and all...

Just watched the news and thought I would jot you a quick note...Noel is going to head north (per the predicted path) along the coast...hopefully you guys will be behind it...

I hope everyone is basking in the sun right now and enjoying their vacation...

[01Sweetpea]

Can you tell me how long the ice show is? If we got to a 5pm show will we be late for 6pm dinner?

 

Thanks

[sea-cruise]

The show is about 40 minutes long. You'll have time to get to the DR. :)

P.S. Wear a sweater or shawl...It does get cold in there.

[Annefran]

Can you tell me how long the ice show is? If we got to a 5pm show will we be late for 6pm dinner?

 

Thanks

We were on the Explorer this summer, early dinner too. The show was about 45 minutes and we got to dinner in plenty of time. Anne

[01Sweetpea]

Thanks everyone for the quick response!

[red devil]

Can you tell me how long the ice show is? If we got to a 5pm show will we be late for 6pm dinner?

 

Thanks

 

Show is 45 min. you will not be late for dinner. Great show do not miss it.

Dick

[aqhacruiser]

Hello from San Juan! It's a beautiful sunny clear day! We will stay on the ship today and just enjoy the pool and mini golf, shop, relax, nap, eat! That's our excursion in San Juan! LOL:D

We did see the NEW ice show last night, Spirits of the Seasons! It is EXCELLENT! Super high energy, new flashy costumes and scenery, upbeat music, great special effects and the performance is just wonderful! Do NOT miss this one! They are working on yet another new show called Blades that should be ready by the first 12 night in Nov.

Halloween last night on the Explorer! Wow! Costumes everywhere! Allen Brooks was Superman complete with black wig that did make him look more like Ringo as he said than Superman! LOL!:D Pirates, witches, Tourists, jesters, goblins, hippies, kings and queens, fireman, policemen, prisoners, brides, and even one woman in full captain uniform! Many opted for face painting also! LOL! Lots of fun and everyone had a great time!

Tonight day 7 highlights are

Headline show is Mosaic where everything you hear is produced by human voice no instruments7pm and 9pm

Wipe out Bingo! Wipe out your seapass 2:15pm up to 1000.00

Dancing in the Streets 70's style 10:15pm Promanade

The Quest 11pm Studio B

Marco polo is dinner casual or 70's attire

Drink of day is Mai Tiki 8.75

Art Seminar 3pm

Ocean Lab Trivia and meet the scientists Aquarium Bar 430-5pm

80's ight The Chamber 11pm-12:30am

Tonight we head back to Portifino for dinner. The dining room has been very good but we had already made our reservations last week and 2 couples at our table have decided they are doing Freestyle I think as they do not come in for dinner until about 9-9:15pm. Now we all know I'm not a huge fan of traditional dining every single night of my cruises but as long as we have it I think people should at least be at dinner on time or eat somewhere else as it really screws up the wait staff and we did not get out of dining room last night until 10:30. I always notify the wait staff the night before that we will not be in the dining room the next night as well as our tablemates and we are on time when we do go! One woman has been on 40 plus cruises and you'd THINK that after 40 plus, she'd know to get to the dining room on time! Yes, I may just tell her that before this cruise is over! LOL!:D I should ask her has she only cruised NCL? I know she's cruised RCCL as she is diamond so I guess she just chooses to ignore times! The same woman requires a special diet and after being snotty to the waiter the first night as they did not have her food prepared I said to her she could call RCCL direct or if using a TA she could request the special menu in advance. She told me she was well aware of that fact but prefers to ask the first night herself instead. This tells me she apparently prefers to just have something to complain about! PIA!

Soooooo although my waiter, assistent waiter and head waiter are excellent we are trying to avoid the dining room! I know we could have asked for another table but it's really not worth the trouble to us to do so as we eat in Portifino and Windjammer quite a bit anyway. A word about our headwaiter in Magellan. Her name is Vilma and if you are lucky enough to get this wonderful girl you will know you are lucky! The best headwaiter I've ever had on the Explorer! She really is terrific! :D

Now you probably all know at home that we will hit some bad weather on the way home so I'll keep you posted about that later. Miles away from the storm at the moment the air was so thick and heavy last night you could cut it with a knife and completely silent. Never a good sign! We depart San Juan at 2pm today and will begin making our way back home as I do not think I can talk the captain into making a pit stop in Bermuda! LOL!:p BBL

[aqhacruiser]

Suzanne:

 

Your kidding me! Ok I have to ask (LOL)... how many pictures have you taken so far? Sorry but I can't resist!!

 

I can't wait to see the pictures of the OS! I love the walk-in closet that the JS offers. Saw a JS in between cruises last year.. very nice! At some point DH/I will get a JS but once we do I know we'll never go back to a regular balcony cabin! LMAO

 

Glad you had a nice day in St. Thomas and was able to purchase some items.

 

Thanks so much for the posts and letting us know how your cruise is going!

 

Sea ya!

 

 

I have no idea how many at this point as I just keep dumping them into laptop! But A LOT! You'd be proud of me! LOL! :D I love that Crystal Shoppe! There's only a few places I like to show in the Caribbean and that's the main one:) I have tons of pics of both OS and JS and I'll have everything posted in a few days after I get back home. :)

[aqhacruiser]

Thanks for posting this information. DH was just asking about this and I didn't know what all the options are. BTW, welcome back, :)

 

 

I have used all 3 Wifi, Cybercabin and the internet cafe on Explorer and really the speed is all about the same with probably the internet cafe being the most slow as the mouses are sticky so takes forever just to get it going in right direction. If you are going to do a few emails or afew posts get wifi but if you plan on emailing or posting a few times aday get the cybercabin as it it much less money! 85.00 for 5 night, 125.00 for 9 night unlimited access. :)

[igot2cruz]

Does anyone have menus for Chops and Portofino's they are able to post?

 

Thank You.

[shirleygr]

I have used all 3 Wifi, Cybercabin and the internet cafe on Explorer and really the speed is all about the same with probably the internet cafe being the most slow as the mouses are sticky so takes forever just to get it going in right direction. If you are going to do a few emails or afew posts get wifi but if you plan on emailing or posting a few times aday get the cybercabin as it it much less money! 85.00 for 5 night, 125.00 for 9 night unlimited access. :)

Thanks, Suzanne. The cybercabin sounds like our best choice for the 9 night cruise we have in February. I know we'll both need to check in on email and I may need to get on the internet for other stuff as well. It would be nice to not have to worry about how many minutes we are using, especially since the speeds are so slow. :p

Hope it's not too rocky coming home. I'll look for your pics when I get back from the Enchantment. :D

[crisp1]

Of course there are many beaches but we have been to this one several times and we never had a problem and I never heard of anyone getting sick from swimming there and I never seen a dump near it as it's in town nor is there any dump by the ships. I wonder where the guide said it was? It's a great spot as the water is calm, sand is deep and soft, water is clear and nice chairs and umbrellas and the palms provide a great breeze. Plus all the great places to eat and drink are right there so waiter service is provided on the beach and I can walk to all the shops also on Front Street while DH naps! LOL! :D It's close to the ship so easy to get to also. Everyone has their favorite areas on the islands and this beach is our favorite on St. Maarten but there are many others to enjoy also!

 

The dump is just on the other side of the pond- easily seen as you drive out of town