sea-cruise Posted June 24, 2010 #101 Share Posted June 24, 2010 Beautiful photos, Sue! Thank you for sharing your time with us. Have a safe flight home! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmom & dad Posted June 24, 2010 #102 Share Posted June 24, 2010 sue, could you tell how the ship was for kids? We are taking our kids next july on the explorer and are wondering how much there is to do for them and how the atmosphere is for them... I really enjoyed your posts and pics!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LilLeebird Posted June 24, 2010 #103 Share Posted June 24, 2010 Loved the posts and pics - thanks so much for sharing your trip! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommccabe Posted June 24, 2010 #104 Share Posted June 24, 2010 Hi Sue -- great photos and posts. I was on the same sailing -- I looked for myself in your photos but haven't seen me yet. You look to be about five feet from me when you took the pictures of the solarium, if they were taken during the belly flop competition. I was napping along that railing on deck 12 that afternoon! You mention the strong smell of glue/paint. Are you talking about deck 7 on Tuesday (I think)? My wife and I were in room 7297 and noticed the same thing. The day before, I overheard a woman complaining about a smell in the rug in their balcony room in that area. In the next few trips between the room and elsewhere, I saw them bring in a large steam cleaner and work on the room, followed by some other cleaning device, and finally on one trip I saw rolls of cut carpet and they looked to be laying NEW carpet in the room! I don't know what the smell was and hope that it was resolved, but it appeared to be good service to get it resolved. The glue/paint smell also seemed to be coming from this area after the new carpet was laid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newcruiser48 Posted June 25, 2010 #105 Share Posted June 25, 2010 Thank you for your reply regarding Noel. I'm sorry your cruise is over, I know the feeling and will have it again next February. Your pics and commentary have been outstanding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subtchr Posted June 25, 2010 Author #106 Share Posted June 25, 2010 Well, we are home, feeling the first symptoms of PCD (post cruise depression). You know, when you want someone to come in and turn down your bed? Or use a table squeegee to clean up the crumbs? And when you're hungry you want to call room service, or hop down to the Promenade Cafe? And you are wondering what the show is for tonight? Sigh.... Everything went very smoothly at the port. Disembarkation was later than I expected, at least compared to our first two cruises. We had Gray 4 tags, which meant we were to report to Studio B between 10:30 and 10:45. The thing that really surprised us was that there was never a time given that we had to be out of our cabins. We went to the Windjammer for breakfast at about 7. It was busy, but not packed. That was true all week. We NEVER had a problem finding a seat there, even the first day. And the ship was essentially full. We headed out on deck for the passage under the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, then went back to the cabin to watch the rest of our approach to the port from the balcony. We just relaxed in the cabin and watched the "ballet" that is transition day on the dock. Food and other supplies unloaded from trucks and loaded onto the ship, luggage taken off, passengers loading the shuttles for the terminal, crew coming and going...it was fun to watch. About 10:00 we headed down to Studio B, where they had pastries, coffee, and water available. Our color was called about 10:30, so we joined our group walking down to Deck 1, loading onto a shuttle bus, passing into the luggage area (very organized, large signs showing where the different colors were stacked), out through the customs line (just a cursory glance at our passports and we were waved through), and just like that we were back in the big tent. I honestly don't think we ever stopped walking throughout the whole process, other than the short bus ride. Very efficient. I called the car service we had reserved, and he pulled up a few minutes later when I told him what number spot we were near. We were in the car on the way to the airport a few minutes before 11. Other than about a half hour delay in Newark because of a line of thunderstorms in the area, everything went as advertised, and we were home by 7, ready to tackle the lawn and the laundry. Glad everyone liked the report, I guess I will post a separate review/recap when I get a chance to pull it all together. I love to relive a cruise that way! Some pics from today: NYPD chopper "buzzing" the ship near the bridge: Under the bridge we go: Staten Island Ferry: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subtchr Posted June 25, 2010 Author #107 Share Posted June 25, 2010 Approaching the dock: lots of us watching from our balconies: Loading supplies for the next lucky group of pax: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subtchr Posted June 25, 2010 Author #108 Share Posted June 25, 2010 color groups in Studio B: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPete Posted June 25, 2010 #109 Share Posted June 25, 2010 Great review! I feel like I got my 2010 Bermuda fix in! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walker1887 Posted June 25, 2010 #110 Share Posted June 25, 2010 Thanks for the great review and all the wonderful pictures, Sue. I have enjoyed "your trip" very much:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CapeGal Posted June 25, 2010 #111 Share Posted June 25, 2010 We just got back from Bermuda in May and thanks to you, I went back again today. Thanks so much for sharing your cruise with us. I am going to E-mail it to my husband at work! :cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonnaMarieNJ Posted June 26, 2010 #112 Share Posted June 26, 2010 Radio, Are you sailing on the Explorer again in September? If so, what date? Just being nosey.....:o Sue - GREAT REVIEW AND PHENOMENAL PICS!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry5440 Posted June 26, 2010 #113 Share Posted June 26, 2010 Thanks for the great pics and review. We are sailing in October. Can you give us the name of the car service you used? It sounds like you were very pleased with them. We are getting so excited about our upcoming cruise and your pics make it more real for us. Liz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subtchr Posted June 26, 2010 Author #114 Share Posted June 26, 2010 sue, could you tell how the ship was for kids? We are taking our kids next july on the explorer and are wondering how much there is to do for them and how the atmosphere is for them... The families we talked to seemed quite pleased with the kids' activities, and everyone seemed to be having fun. I think it helps to cruise at a time when most kids are out of school, since more families will be aboard. Hi Sue -- great photos and posts. I was on the same sailing -- I looked for myself in your photos but haven't seen me yet. You look to be about five feet from me when you took the pictures of the solarium, if they were taken during the belly flop competition. I was napping along that railing on deck 12 that afternoon! You mention the strong smell of glue/paint. Are you talking about deck 7 on Tuesday (I think)? My wife and I were in room 7297 and noticed the same thing. The day before, I overheard a woman complaining about a smell in the rug in their balcony room in that area. In the next few trips between the room and elsewhere, I saw them bring in a large steam cleaner and work on the room, followed by some other cleaning device, and finally on one trip I saw rolls of cut carpet and they looked to be laying NEW carpet in the room! I don't know what the smell was and hope that it was resolved, but it appeared to be good service to get it resolved. The glue/paint smell also seemed to be coming from this area after the new carpet was laid. Yep, that is exactly what I am talking about. We were in 7320, on the hump just in from the library, and I saw the same thing you are talking about in the hall. I did hear the woman ask the workers who were manning the steam cleaner if the plumber was coming back, so I imagine it was all related to plumbing issues. i am not sure exactly what our tablemates were referring to when they said they heard folks complaining about paint or glue odors bothering them. There was probably refurbishment/maintenance going on elsewhere that we just did not see. Thanks for the great pics and review. We are sailing in October. Can you give us the name of the car service you used? It sounds like you were very pleased with them. We are getting so excited about our upcoming cruise and your pics make it more real for us. Liz We used Black Executive Cars and were very pleased. As I said, the first driver was not the most personable, but we were not looking for a tour guide, just efficient and comfortable transportation, and we received that. They answered the phone immediately, and on the return trip he was at the spot within a few minutes of our call. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvercrikhix Posted June 27, 2010 #115 Share Posted June 27, 2010 Thank you, Sue, for all the time and consideration you put into sharing your experience on Explorer OTS! Much appreciated :D. Nice pic's, too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emey50 Posted June 27, 2010 #116 Share Posted June 27, 2010 Thanks for all the great information. Can you tell me how much the car service cost from the dock to the airport????? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subtchr Posted June 27, 2010 Author #117 Share Posted June 27, 2010 Thanks for all the great information.Can you tell me how much the car service cost from the dock to the airport????? Thanks $45 plus tip. I think that is pretty much the standard for either a taxi or private car service. We just decided to line it up ahead of time instead of waiting in line for a taxi. It was also $45 for the trip from the Newark Penn Station Hilton to the port. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry5440 Posted June 27, 2010 #118 Share Posted June 27, 2010 We used Black Executive Cars and were very pleased. As I said, the first driver was not the most personable, but we were not looking for a tour guide, just efficient and comfortable transportation, and we received that. They answered the phone immediately, and on the return trip he was at the spot within a few minutes of our call. __________________ Thank so much for the info. After reading the name of the company I think they are the folks we used too and we were pleased with them as well. We had just lost their business card. Your photos and comments are great for others to see. Glad that you had a great trip! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare BecciBoo Posted June 28, 2010 #119 Share Posted June 28, 2010 Great pics and review sub. Thanks for sharing. We'll just have to put Bermuda on our bucket list. As I was telling you elsewhere, my parents didn't think too much of the island. But they were there in the 70's on a business trip and it was too cold when they were there to go beaching. But I am impressed with the beauty of the beaches and the water. Will definitely have to go soon. Thanks again, BecciBoo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subtchr Posted June 29, 2010 Author #120 Share Posted June 29, 2010 I posted a slideshow of our photos , if anyone is interested. Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larry the lobster Posted June 29, 2010 #121 Share Posted June 29, 2010 Great review and your pictures were amazing!! What kind of camera do you have? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subtchr Posted June 29, 2010 Author #122 Share Posted June 29, 2010 Great review and your pictures were amazing!! What kind of camera do you have? Thanks! I got a Nikon D-5000 for Christmas, and I love it! Still really figuring it out, but it's hard to take a bad picture in Bermuda. ;) For the snorkeling pics we used a small Nikon Coolpix that came as part of the DSLR purchase, in an Aquapac waterproof bag. It takes some getting used to, but I thought it was much better than the disposable waterproof cameras we usually use. I love reliving our cruises through pics! Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tankminder Posted June 29, 2010 #123 Share Posted June 29, 2010 I posted a slideshow of our photos , if anyone is interested. Love the video. Can I ask what software you used to put it together? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subtchr Posted June 29, 2010 Author #124 Share Posted June 29, 2010 Love the video. Can I ask what software you used to put it together? Thanks! I used iMovie on my MacBook. I find it very user-friendly and even fun to use. Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larry the lobster Posted June 29, 2010 #125 Share Posted June 29, 2010 Thanks! I got a Nikon D-5000 for Christmas, and I love it! Still really figuring it out, but it's hard to take a bad picture in Bermuda. ;) For the snorkeling pics we used a small Nikon Coolpix that came as part of the DSLR purchase, in an Aquapac waterproof bag. It takes some getting used to, but I thought it was much better than the disposable waterproof cameras we usually use. I love reliving our cruises through pics! Sue I got a Nikon D-5000 also for Christmas but my pictures don't look as good as yours! Can you please tell me what setting you use on your camera? Are you using manual or automatic? Thanks!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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