Explorer Review - Long - 4/11 thru 4/20

[stormy63]

Our family just got back from a wonderful 9 day cruise on the Explorer that left on 4/11. I was traveling with my husband, 16 year old son and 14 year old daughter. This is our third cruise. We previously cruised on the Vision of the Seas with RCCL to the Mexican Riviera and the Carnival Conquest to the Western Caribbean. Hands down, this cruise was the best!! It was a lot of fun and it was a great value. The service everywhere was phenomenal, the absolute best we’ve ever experienced. We’d do this exact cruise again in a heartbeat.

 

The week we sailed was Spring Break for many school districts throughout New York, Connecticut and New Jersey. As a result, the cruise was almost full, over 3,600 on board with about 900 of them being kids. Because the ship was almost at full capacity, there were some crowds at times, but it was rarely a problem. We showed up 30 minutes before any activities, generally ate in the dining room for breakfast and when we did eat at the Windjammer, we arrived right when it opened for meals. Most of our fellow passengers had a great attitude, were courteous and friendly. With a few adjustments and some patience, the crowds didn’t bother us at all. In fact, if you’re travelling with teens, like we were, they loved it because there were lots of other kids to connect with. They both made so many friends and left with a lot of good memories.

 

Embarking:

We drove from Buffalo, NY to Bayonne the morning of the cruise. After reading so many horror stories about this port, I told my family to be prepared for the worst and to just be patient. As it turns out, this the easiest and most organized embarking process we had ever experienced. We arrived a little before noon. There was no traffic jam, someone immediately directed us to an open parking spot at the tent, we dropped off our luggage and my husband parked the car. Long term parking is very close to the terminal. A porter immediately loaded our luggage onto a ship cart. Within 15 minutes of arriving we entered the doors and waited in very, very short lines to go through security, check in to get our sea pass cards and take our very first picture. We waited for about 15 minutes more before our number was called and took the shuttle bus over and boarded the ship! Piece of cake!

 

The Ship

The ship was absolutely beautiful! We have never sailed on this class of ship before and even though it’s a large ship, it was easy to navigate and we loved, loved, loved the Promenade! It’s a great place 24/7 to get a bite to eat, coffee, a drink, people watch, shop or see some entertainment. We loved all the lounges and visited them all! There were lots of places to go and you could always find a quiet, private spot, with a water view, somewhere on the ship if you wanted to. My husband and I enjoyed a favorite routine of before dinner drinks in the Schooner Bar, where there was always Piano or Classical Guitar music in the early evening. My husband reported that the workout facilities were great, lots of gorgeous equipment and fitness class choice if you wanted to stay in shape. He did…..I didn’t!!

 

My teenage son’s favorite hang out was at the full size basketball court. It was where he met most of his friends and where most of the teenagers get together and congregate during the day. They play dodge ball, volleyball, ping pong and basketball there. Both kids loved Optix and Johnny Rockets. The kids were never bored and loved all the activities on board.

 

Our rooms were very comfortable and spotless. We were on the 7th floor. My husband and I had a balcony room (the weather was beautiful, so we used our balcony a lot) while our children shared an inside room across the hall. The bedding was beautiful, and the rooms gorgeous. Everything was like new. Our stateroom attendant was the best we’ve ever had. She cleaned/freshened our rooms three times/day, but always when we weren’t there. She was friendly, cheerful and talkative in the hallways, kept our rooms well stocked with all the essentials, responded quickly to our requests for extra towels, luggage tags, etc., and, of course, made wonderful towel animals every evening. She really spoiled all of us.

 

Food/Dining

We ate most breakfasts and dinners in the dining room. Our head waiter Rex and asst waiter Henry were awesome! There were a few hiccups the first night, but after that, everything was perfect! Our children’s soda glasses were always waiting for them when they got there and fresh ones brought before they were even done. My daughter, who orders the same thing every night, had her meal ready for her, with her condiments on the table and her steak cut up every night. Water glasses were filled constantly, bread offered throughout the meal and food was always hot, prompt and wonderful. I can’t say enough about how well we were treated in the dining room. Some meals were, of course, better than others, but we really enjoyed both the food and the service. We also ate many times at the Windjammer, including one dinner, and were pleased. Granted, it is cafeteria style, so the selection wasn’t huge, but we enjoyed all of our meals there. What really surprised me was the service. Everyone was friendly, greeting us when we arrived, drinks were quickly offered and many people dropped by the tables to check on how things were. Wonderful!

 

Entertainment

There was always plenty to do around the ship and we tried to experience it all. There were 3 production shows with dancing and singing, a not to be missed ice show, comedians and tons of activities/contests. Some entertainment was great, some was just good, but we were never bored!

 

Labadee

Beautiful beaches, great activities and a safe, fun environment. This was one of our favorite stops. We did the zip-line as a family and, while it was expensive, the view and the experience made it worthwhile. We did a little shopping in the marketplace. The vendors were very aggressive and by the end of the day, there were security guards patrolling the area, but both my teens got wood masks with their names carved in them and they were pleased to have a keepsake.

 

The only negative of this day was getting off the ship. It was crowded when we docked and the staff hadn’t organized lines, so it was a bit of a mob scene at first. There were some frustrated passengers, but we all forgot about it after a great day on the island.

 

Dominican Republic

There’s a lot of negative reviews about this stop, but we had a pretty good time. We did the Bayahibe Beach Break Excursion. Air conditioned buses took us all to the Oasis Canoa Resort. The drivers are pretty crazy there, so the bus ride was quite an adventure! But, the beach was beautiful and safe, with plenty of lounge chairs and shade. There were beach activities at the resort that you could pay extra for, like parasailing and banana boat rides, which my husband and daughter did. The excursion included open bar, but not food. You could purchase food for $15/person, which was expensive….but oh well. There was a nice pool at the resort as well. We had a nice day there. It was nothing super special, but I’m glad we got off the boat and enjoyed the day.

 

St. Thomas

This was our favorite stop. We purchased the Christmas Cove and Honeymoon Beach All Day Sail Excursion. There was no time for shopping, but we loved it. We sailed on “Bones”, a pirate ship and Captain Jim’s crew was truly wonderful. We snorkeled at Christmas Cove for our first time and loved it. There were turtles, stingrays and lots of colorful fish. What a blast! Then we sailed to Honeymoon Beach, which was practically deserted, and enjoyed almost 3 hours of wonderful beach time and a great BBQ lunch of ribs, chicken and salads. Yummy! While we were sailing around, the crew kept us entertained and served up lots of rum punch, beer and sodas. This is the best excursion we’ve ever been on!

 

San Juan

This was a very short stop, so there wasn’t much time on shore. We only shopped, but had a great time and got some great bargains/souvenirs. We got a great view of the forts on the way out of port. Absolutely stunning!

 

Disembarking

With the ship so full, this took a while. We were the second to the last group to be called and didn’t get off the ship until about 10:45 or so. But, we took the advice of RCCL and headed down to the Palace at 8:00 a.m., sat down and enjoyed the morning “talk show” that Mike, the Cruise Director, and Phil and Activities Manager were holding while waiting. It was entertaining and helped pass the time in a stress free, comfortable way. By the time our color was called, we waited in no lines. We went straight through customs and sailed out to the parking lot. The parking lot was truly a mess with a lot of yelling, honking and waiting, but we were still in vacation mode so it was all good!

 

All in all, this was the vacation of a lifetime. We love the Explorer and we love Royal Caribbean!

[alprice]

Great Review - thanks for sharing! I loved the Explorer too!

[ChristieNJ]

Awesome review!!! Thanks for taking the time to post. I miss Explorer & can't wait to get back on her next year!! :D :D :D

[esbie11]

wow it's great to read another positive review! I do have a few questions though (I am doing this same cruise next April).

What were the problems with the excursions in Casa De Campo? We were considering doing the snorkeling and beach excursion, but I read somewhere that someone made reference to a problem with it.Do you know what happened?

Also, do they divide you into groups to allow you off of the ship when at a port? I have only ever cruised on Grandeur before, and they just allowed people to line up and walk off. Do you have to wait to be called to get off?

[stormy63]

wow it's great to read another positive review! I do have a few questions though (I am doing this same cruise next April).

What were the problems with the excursions in Casa De Campo? We were considering doing the snorkeling and beach excursion, but I read somewhere that someone made reference to a problem with it.Do you know what happened?

Also, do they divide you into groups to allow you off of the ship when at a port? I have only ever cruised on Grandeur before, and they just allowed people to line up and walk off. Do you have to wait to be called to get off?

 

 

I'll answer your second question first.....no, they do not divide you into groups to let you off the ship for the excursions. Since you dock, and don't tender, you just head down and walk off the ship at your designated time as indicated on your shore excusion ticket. We headed down almost as soon as we docked and there was no line, no problem. At Casa De Campo, the excursion buses are all lined up and the drivers are holding big signs that direct you. It was easy to find your way.

 

With respect to the problems with Casa De Campo excursions, I'd definitely read through some of the board postings for this port. Alot of people we talked to on our cruise did not get off the ship at all, or if they did, they just briefly went shopping, so we didn't get a lot of direct feedback from fellow cruisemates. Most that took the beach excursion, like us, were pretty pleased. I think the only issue was that the people who ran the excursion...the buses....the staff at the resort....just weren't very friendly or welcoming. They weren't mean or rude either....just indifferent. But the resort, pool and beach were really great. I would recommend this excursion and it was the most popular one. Over three full size buses went to the resort. However, one family we knew took the jeep excursion and said it was hot, dusty, not always scenic and that alot of people came up to the jeep and bugged them for money or to buy goods. They didn't care for it at all. I wish I had more feedback, but unfortunately, alot of people stayed on the ship, which was a shame.

 

Have a great cruise!! I hope you love the Explorer us much as we did.

[grandsix]

We always have a great time on the Explorer. Well managed from the top on down.

[zach&camsmom]

I was on this same cruise with my husband and 2 sons age 7 & 8. We also had a great time. We had purple luggage tags and were sitting in the Palace Theater also. My 8 year old got on stage and asked how they pick who gets what colored luggage tags. He got a lot of claps for that question seeing we were all sitting there for a while. Did you see him? Thanks for your review. Its nice to hear from someone else on the same cruise.

[cdisle]

We were considering doing the snorkeling and beach excursion, but I read somewhere that someone made reference to a problem with it.Do you know what happened?

 

This might be long, but I can tell you what happened to us. All was well until we got on the bus. Then things got a bit strange.

 

First, the woman in charge of the tour announced that the catamaran wasn't available yet (even though we swear we saw it tied to the dock when the ship arrived) and to kill time, she would take us shopping. You could hear set-up in her voice, but ok, it might be nice to see some of the Dom. Repub.

 

It wasn't. What a mess.. Garbage, broken down buildings, you name it. The more we rode on the bus, the less we wanted to get off of it. We pull up to a place called Columbia Plaza. It was an indoor shopping area but people were still reluctant to get off the bus. Our guide encouraged us with great enthusiasm. We went inside. Almost as soon as we got in another cruiser pulled us aside and asked if we thought we'd been kidnapped.:) The store was all cigars, liquor and trinkets. We didn't want anything so we tried to leave only to have our tour guide standing at the exit like a goalie, inviting us to shop some more. We got back on the bus.

 

When the bus left, people in the back were yelling that there were empty seats and we left people behind. We went back and sure enough people got on the bus. Scary. She never did a head count and seemed to think it was pretty funny. Then she announces our boat is finally there! Yay!

 

Finally we get to where the catamaran is but first we have to run the gauntlet of aggressive locals trying to sell necklaces and cigars.

 

The boat ride was fun. But when we get to where were supposed to snorkel - surprise!- no snorkeling equipment on board! They have to call someone to bring it out. Then there wasn't enough to go around! Maybe 5 people didn't get enough gear to go in. Just as well, for it was a choppy sea that day and swimming was really difficult. There was zero instruction as far as using the equipment. No safety advice. Nothing.

 

Here's my favorite part. While our party was in the water snorkeling, another catamaran pulls right into us. I heard a woman was hurt when she was hit by the boat, but I didn't see that happen. No one stayed in the water long. There were two boatloads of people in the water and our guide didn't do a head count here either. Luckily we all made it back. On the way back to the ship we were a boatload of either unhappy or drunk tourist. One thing was for sure - this boat had a lot of rum on board.

 

I'm not a complainer, but when we got back we complained. :rolleyes: Royal Caribbean refunded us 1/3 the cost and we know of at least 6 others who did too.

 

Your experience may differ. But that was what happened to us.

[CROOZFREAK]

Royal Caribbean refunded us 1/3 the cost and we know of at least 6 others who did too.

 

Wow.. I would say that should have been a 100% refund, not 1/3. What a let-down.

[esbie11]

wow I hope that is not the "norm" with that excursion. I wonder if I should take the chance and hope to get more competent workers or find something else to do? :confused: What a bummer!

[cdisle]

wow I hope that is not the "norm" with that excursion. I wonder if I should take the chance and hope to get more competent workers or find something else to do? :confused: What a bummer!

 

If we had that day to do over, we would have gone to the beach. I'm 100% certain of that.

[My2Kitties]

cdisle, what bothers me is that this was a RCCL excursion...when we do an excursion with the cruise line, we expect the best...I don't know if 1/3 refund was fair or not but I hope they discontinued that excursion...

[sandaneli]

Our family just got back from a wonderful 9 day cruise on the Explorer that left on 4/11. I was traveling with my husband, 16 year old son and 14 year old daughter. This is our third cruise. We previously cruised on the Vision of the Seas with RCCL to the Mexican Riviera and the Carnival Conquest to the Western Caribbean. Hands down, this cruise was the best!! It was a lot of fun and it was a great value. The service everywhere was phenomenal, the absolute best we’ve ever experienced. We’d do this exact cruise again in a heartbeat.

 

All in all, this was the vacation of a lifetime. We love the Explorer and we love Royal Caribbean!

 

What a great review and positive attitude. Thank you! We are going on Explorer next April and can't wait especially after this glowing review.

[tripletvan]

I have to gather my thoughts, HMMMMM

[stlrboo]

I have to gather my thoughts, HMMMMM

Regina, I'm 'gathering' my thoughts as well... ;) Sorry we missed seeing your family after the M & M!...

We kept seeing a lot of the others thru-out the cruise.. it was nice to be able to smile and wave to those we knew!:)

 

Denise and I had a wonderful time, altho' there were a few issues, which were resolved quickly.. Hope your cruise was GREAT! :p

[stormy63]

I was on this same cruise with my husband and 2 sons age 7 & 8. We also had a great time. We had purple luggage tags and were sitting in the Palace Theater also. My 8 year old got on stage and asked how they pick who gets what colored luggage tags. He got a lot of claps for that question seeing we were all sitting there for a while. Did you see him? Thanks for your review. Its nice to hear from someone else on the same cruise.

 

 

Yes, I remember him...and the question..!! We were all laughing and clapping at that one! I love kids honesty....they always ask the questions or make the comments that we're all thinking anyway but afraid to say! It was fun to listen to both the questions and the answers that morning. So you had purple luggage tags.....we had orange....so we got off only a little before your group! It was a long wait, but the "morning show" worked out pretty well!

[quiltsnh]

Can you tell me how the weather was going out of NJ in APril? How long before you hit warm climates?

[stormy63]

Can you tell me how the weather was going out of NJ in APril? How long before you hit warm climates?

 

We began to hit the warm climates on the 2nd full sea day. The weather going out of NJ was in the low 50s, foggy and with some misty rain. The first sea day was chilly, but not cold. The 2nd day was nice and got warmer as the day went on.

 

The great news was that both sea days coming back were warm and sunny. It was 70 degrees in NJ when we arrived, so we had great weather and calm seas all the way back. Our balcony got a lot of use those two last sea days!

 

Overall, we were really fortunate with the weather. Apparently, according to the crew, the cruisers the week before were not so lucky as the weather was pretty poor and the waves pretty rough, both sea days going out due to storms.

[Nancygop]

I too was on this cruise. question............I also did the Bayhabie Beach excursion - where did it include drinks? I never saw anyone offering drinks and nobody told me they were included.

 

We were in a GS on deck 10, so we had beige and were 1st off. By the time we got our bags, a porter, got thru customs, got our car from the lot and drive home to CT, we were home by 11.............so not bad. If you were on until 10:30 or so, I wonder when the other passengers for the next cruise boarded?

[stormy63]

I too was on this cruise. question............I also did the Bayhabie Beach excursion - where did it include drinks? I never saw anyone offering drinks and nobody told me they were included.

 

We were in a GS on deck 10, so we had beige and were 1st off. By the time we got our bags, a porter, got thru customs, got our car from the lot and drive home to CT, we were home by 11.............so not bad. If you were on until 10:30 or so, I wonder when the other passengers for the next cruise boarded?

 

 

Yes, the Bayahibe Beach excursion did include open bar.....we had read it on the description of the excursion when I booked it on-line before the cruise and so I had let my family know. The only reason I looked into it, was I always like to know how much cash I need when I'm heading out on an excursion......however, you had to walk over to the bar to get your drinks, there were no servers on the beach, which I thought was odd for a resort. I never actually went over, my husband and teens walked over and brought everything back for me, but we got pina coladas, beer and soda several times throughout the day. Only the food was extra if you wanted it. That was what the little wristband was for. One color (the one we got) was for open bar, there was another color for resort guests who were completely all-inclusive and they had free access to the buffet. It was $15pp if we wanted to eat.

 

And yes, I think they were a little late getting everyone off the boat that day. We were in the Palace waiting and they were doing a little "talk show" that allowed passengers to come on stage and ask questions. They did say that the cruise was almost at full maximum capacity and in addition, that they maxed out on the Express Walk-Off Disembarking, so I think in general, it just took a little longer with all the people. We were the 2nd to the last group. I imagine that everyone was off by 11:30 at the latest or so, so they probably started boarding at noon???

[bigbny1]

i am going on explorer may 22 i booked the beach trip do they give you towels and how long does it take to get there from the dock,,, and how long are you on the beach.......your review was great, i love reading from people that can enjoy the fact they are on vacation.........im going nuts but my time in near:rolleyes:

[VernRDH]

Thanks for the review. We are going on the 8 night on 5/9 and are sooooo looking forward to this trip.

[happyshelly]

We also did the Bayibe beach resort excursion. It really is a very pretty place. We did have a server come to us and ask if we wanted drinks, maybe it depended on where you were sitting? We were under the trees to the left of the walkway when you were going to the beach. Plenty of lounge chairs to go around also. We were on the explorer from March 7 to the 16th. Great ship.

[stormy63]

i am going on explorer may 22 i booked the beach trip do they give you towels and how long does it take to get there from the dock,,, and how long are you on the beach.......your review was great, i love reading from people that can enjoy the fact they are on vacation.........im going nuts but my time in near:rolleyes:

 

Your time is near!! I hope you have a great vacation!!

 

For the Bayahibe Beach Break, I think the drive from the port to the resort is about 1/2 hour each way....and I think that you get about 3 to 3.5 hours at the beach. When we're on vacation, we don't pay a lot of attention to time, so forgive me if I'm a little off!:) Anyway, we took our beach towels off the ship with us, but the resort does issue you a towel as well. When you check in, they give you a wristband for drinks and a little card that that entitles you to check out one of their towels. Enjoy! The weather should be great in late May and while the water was really nice, it will probably be even warmer for you!

[stormy63]

We also did the Bayibe beach resort excursion. It really is a very pretty place. We did have a server come to us and ask if we wanted drinks, maybe it depended on where you were sitting? We were under the trees to the left of the walkway when you were going to the beach. Plenty of lounge chairs to go around also. We were on the explorer from March 7 to the 16th. Great ship.

 

 

We were much further on the end of the beach, the other side of the walkway, pretty far away from the bar as it was maybe more crowded that day?? So it could be the servers stay a little closer to the food/drink area. It was OK though...not a big deal to walk over to the bar area. We really didn't mind...and I agree...very pretty place...great ship! Glad you had a good time too!