Just off Explorer Today

[teddie]

Hello, all,

 

We are home after an 11-night Southern Caribbean cruise. A few highlights:

 

Priority check-in (Emerald), and on board by noon.

 

Our JS had fresh carpeting, new upholstery and draperies. Also finally, we get a cabin with a flatscreen TV! The bedding was excellent: soft and plush. Our balcony was repainted during a port day later in the week.

 

Brought on a case of springwater and a powerstrip; no difficulty.

 

Cabin Steward Jose Rodrigues from Goa, India kept our cabin immaculate! Full ice bucket, clean coffee mugs, and fresh wine glasses twice a day.

 

My Time dining went smoothly for our 7:30 reservation; requested and was given the same table for two each night.

 

We brought our own ground coffee, cone/filters. Kettle in the room was a great addition. Not everyone would be bothered with this, but we loved having a great cup of coffee in the morning.

 

Wrote-in items on the room service menu for breakfast; all of which were provided.

 

Non-dairy creamer, which we dislike, was the norm; however, we ordered a cup of half and half with our room service breakfasts, and stored it in the minibar.

 

Dining room food was very good to excellent! Same for Portofino's. Excellent service in all venues.

 

After 8 cruises, 6 of which were on the Explorer, crew friendliness and service was absolutely outstanding.

 

Labadee: we had a Nellies over the water cabana for the day. It DID include the Barefoot Beach buffet. Buffet offerings were great, including steak, shrimp, ribs, etc.

 

San Juan: Walked Old San Juan, bought some sterling silver jewelry, and hit the CVS for minor essentials (read: potato chips).

 

St Maarten: We enjoyed an empty ship for Solarium/pool day, after the downpours subsided :)

 

Antigua: Purchased day passes for Coconut Beach resort--all inclusive for beach, loungers, palapas for shade, pool, changing rooms, open bar, and lunch buffet. Cab was $6 pp each way, and the driver returned punctually to take us back to ship. Well-worth it--no vendors on the beach, quiet, and off the beaten path.

 

St Kitt's: Toured the island with an excellent driver, visited batik factory, botanical gardens, and a fabulous fort up in the mountains.

 

Great weather, except for the final sea day--50 mph winds, pouring rain, and wild seas. The outside decks were closed for most of the day. Spent alot of time in Viking Crown, for great views of the ship's movement, a number of rainbows, and quiet time for reading..

 

This was our longest cruise so far. A bit older demographic amongst passengers, with many nationalities represented. Probably not more than 40-50 children on board.

 

The Explorer is in need of a dry dock, but overall, is in pretty good shape. She is a beautiful ship!

 

That's it, but feel free to ask any questions.

 

Teddie

[DonnaK]

Very nice review! We love Explorer too!

 

Are the kettles in all the cabins, or just in JS and above?

 

Was your tour guide on St. Kitts named Thenford Grey? We took a Grey's tour the last time we were in St. Kitts, and it was outstanding!

[Cigar King]

Hey Teddie...which JS did you have? We have 7692 on the 2nd.

[teddie]

Very nice review! We love Explorer too!

 

Are the kettles in all the cabins, or just in JS and above?

 

Was your tour guide on St. Kitts named Thenford Grey? We took a Grey's tour the last time we were in St. Kitts, and it was outstanding!

 

Thanks, Donna.

 

I am not sure about the kettles--we hadn't been in a JS for quite some time, but never had one in a regular balcony room. There was also a one-cup coffee maker, which we used once the first night before our luggage arrived.

 

Our St Kitt's tour was through the ship. "The Essential St Kitts", and the driver was Trevor, former soccer star for the island. We really liked this port.

 

Teddie

Edited November 14, 2013 by teddie

[teddie]

Hey Teddie...which JS did you have? We have 7692 on the 2nd.

 

Hi, King. We had 9598--nice location not too far from elevators. For the past three years, we have taken the early December cruise (same one as you last year), but we wanted the 11 nights, some new ports, and the double points. :)

 

Teddie

[teddie]

Forgot to mention:

 

Received two WOW cards upon check-in--a first for us.

 

Our cabin steward gave me a coupon for a free eye treatment in the Spa; I ended up with that and a facial, which were both very nice!

 

Teddie

[Barb Nahoumi]

Very nice review. Glad to read "happy stuff," as we look forward to our Explorer cruise this spring.

[Langley Cruisers]

Yea! We love Explorer and so glad to hear you enjoyed. Good tip about the real half and half cream - I dislike the little creamers too. Storing it in the mini-bar "cooler" was taking a chance, though - glad you didn't get sick as it certainly isn't as cold as a real fridge would be (I did get sick this way once, that's why I mention it).

 

Welcome home. :)

[teddie]

Yea! We love Explorer and so glad to hear you enjoyed. Good tip about the real half and half cream - I dislike the little creamers too. Storing it in the mini-bar "cooler" was taking a chance, though - glad you didn't get sick as it certainly isn't as cold as a real fridge would be (I did get sick this way once, that's why I mention it).

 

Welcome home. :)

 

Thanks!

 

The cream stayed cold enough; it was used within 24 hrs anyway, and no issues for us, thank goodness.

 

 

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Edited November 15, 2013 by teddie

[charluch]

Glad to hear you enjoyed your trip ! Sailing on Explorer Dec. 29th. Can't wait !!

[Candleonwater]

We leave in a week. Starting to stress.

 

Did you spend any time in the casino? Wondering what kinds of slots they have in there?

 

Also, did you happen to notice if they offer "advanced skate"? It's the session where you have to have your own skates...

[BonTexasNY]

 

My Time dining went smoothly for our 7:30 reservation; requested and was given the same table for two each night.

 

Teddie

 

Thanks for the info. Sounds like you had a great cruise. We like to go to the nightly shows. Were you able to attend with your 7:30 dinnertime? We never had MTD but hear such good things about it, we might change our March cruise from early seating to MTD.

[teddie]

Thanks for the info. Sounds like you had a great cruise. We like to go to the nightly shows. Were you able to attend with your 7:30 dinnertime? We never had MTD but hear such good things about it, we might change our March cruise from early seating to MTD.

 

Yes, we made the 9:00 pm shows with a 7:30 dinner reservation. You can let your waiter know about your timing needs and they will speed things up if needed.

 

We resisted MTD for a few years, but now we love it and wouldn't go any other way.

 

Teddie

 

 

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[teddie]

We leave in a week. Starting to stress.

 

Did you spend any time in the casino? Wondering what kinds of slots they have in there?

 

Also, did you happen to notice if they offer "advanced skate"? It's the session where you have to have your own skates...

 

I only spent brief amounts of time in the casino. The first night and the last night, actually. I lost $20 the first night, and won $24 the last night. (As you can tell, I'm not a high roller !).

 

They have a variety of machines although I am sure someone else can elaborate on the types. They don't have my favorite machine (goldfish).

 

I will check my cruise compasses tomorrow for the advanced skate, and get back to you on that.

 

Try not to stress! And don't overpack.

 

Teddie

 

 

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[Cigar King]

Hi, King. We had 9598--nice location not too far from elevators. For the past three years, we have taken the early December cruise (same one as you last year), but we wanted the 11 nights, some new ports, and the double points. :)

 

Teddie

 

Thanks. We like cruising in December as well. We have a B2B next December on Adventure, also in 7692. We kind of like that room. Cheers.

 

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[Aldeya]

 

 

Antigua: Purchased day passes for Coconut Beach resort--all inclusive for beach, loungers, palapas for shade, pool, changing rooms, open bar, and lunch buffet. Cab was $6 pp each way, and the driver returned punctually to take us back to ship. Well-worth it--no vendors on the beach, quiet, and off the beaten path.

 

 

Can you tell me more about day passes, how much were they, was it a ship excursion?

 

Thank you.

[teddie]

Can you tell me more about day passes, how much were they, was it a ship excursion?

 

Thank you.

 

I read about the day passes for coconut beach in Antigua on the "ports of call" forums on cruise critic. I emailed the hotel a few days prior to the stop to confirm availability. The passes were $45/ pp. This was not thru RCI. This place was pretty low-key, with 38 ocean front rooms. Most of the guests were British or German. Lovely beach, outdoor bar, lounging decks and dining area and a pretty pool. Towels were provided. Simple buffet: salads, pasta, burgers and fries, with friendly service. I know some others on my sailing booked day passes for Sandals resort in Antigua.

 

 

I hope this helps.

 

Teddie

 

 

 

 

 

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Edited November 15, 2013 by teddie

[avatheps]

Hello, all,

 

We are home after an 11-night Southern Caribbean cruise. A few highlights:

 

Priority check-in (Emerald), and on board by noon.

 

Our JS had fresh carpeting, new upholstery and draperies. Also finally, we get a cabin with a flatscreen TV! The bedding was excellent: soft and plush. Our balcony was repainted during a port day later in the week.

 

Brought on a case of springwater and a powerstrip; no difficulty.

 

Cabin Steward Jose Rodrigues from Goa, India kept our cabin immaculate! Full ice bucket, clean coffee mugs, and fresh wine glasses twice a day.

 

My Time dining went smoothly for our 7:30 reservation; requested and was given the same table for two each night.

 

We brought our own ground coffee, cone/filters. Kettle in the room was a great addition. Not everyone would be bothered with this, but we loved having a great cup of coffee in the morning.

 

Wrote-in items on the room service menu for breakfast; all of which were provided.

 

Non-dairy creamer, which we dislike, was the norm; however, we ordered a cup of half and half with our room service breakfasts, and stored it in the minibar.

 

Dining room food was very good to excellent! Same for Portofino's. Excellent service in all venues.

 

After 8 cruises, 6 of which were on the Explorer, crew friendliness and service was absolutely outstanding.

 

Labadee: we had a Nellies over the water cabana for the day. It DID include the Barefoot Beach buffet. Buffet offerings were great, including steak, shrimp, ribs, etc.

 

San Juan: Walked Old San Juan, bought some sterling silver jewelry, and hit the CVS for minor essentials (read: potato chips).

 

St Maarten: We enjoyed an empty ship for Solarium/pool day, after the downpours subsided :)

 

Antigua: Purchased day passes for Coconut Beach resort--all inclusive for beach, loungers, palapas for shade, pool, changing rooms, open bar, and lunch buffet. Cab was $6 pp each way, and the driver returned punctually to take us back to ship. Well-worth it--no vendors on the beach, quiet, and off the beaten path.

 

St Kitt's: Toured the island with an excellent driver, visited batik factory, botanical gardens, and a fabulous fort up in the mountains.

 

Great weather, except for the final sea day--50 mph winds, pouring rain, and wild seas. The outside decks were closed for most of the day. Spent alot of time in Viking Crown, for great views of the ship's movement, a number of rainbows, and quiet time for reading..

 

This was our longest cruise so far. A bit older demographic amongst passengers, with many nationalities represented. Probably not more than 40-50 children on board.

 

The Explorer is in need of a dry dock, but overall, is in pretty good shape. She is a beautiful ship!

 

That's it, but feel free to ask any questions.

 

Teddie

 

Teddie,

 

That is perhaps the single best review I have read since being with CC. Very concise, comprehensive, and no excessive verbiage. I really enjoyed reading it. Thank you indeed.

 

Bob

[teddie]

Teddie,

 

That is perhaps the single best review I have read since being with CC. Very concise, comprehensive, and no excessive verbiage. I really enjoyed reading it. Thank you indeed.

 

Bob

 

Thanks for your kind words, Bob!

 

Teddie

 

 

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[teddie]

We leave in a week. Starting to stress.

 

Did you spend any time in the casino? Wondering what kinds of slots they have in there?

 

Also, did you happen to notice if they offer "advanced skate"? It's the session where you have to have your own skates...

 

I just checked all the Cruise Compasses--I am missing Day 7 :(

 

There were multiple skating sessions offered throughout this cruise, but none that specified "advanced". The only variations were offerings for "teen skate".

 

Hope this helps.

Teddie

[Aldeya]

I read about the day passes for coconut beach in Antigua on the "ports of call" forums on cruise critic. I emailed the hotel a few days prior to the stop to confirm availability. The passes were $45/ pp. This was not thru RCI. This place was pretty low-key, with 38 ocean front rooms. Most of the guests were British or German. Lovely beach, outdoor bar, lounging decks and dining area and a pretty pool. Towels were provided. Simple buffet: salads, pasta, burgers and fries, with friendly service. I know some others on my sailing booked day passes for Sandals resort in Antigua.

 

 

I hope this helps.

 

Teddie

 

 

 

 

 

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We love day passes and try to book them in ports anytime we can.It's a great way to relax without any crowds!

 

I was looking for day passes for our upcoming cruise and your information helps a LOT.

 

Thank you so much!

[teddie]

We love day passes and try to book them in ports anytime we can.It's a great way to relax without any crowds!

 

I was looking for day passes for our upcoming cruise and your information helps a LOT.

 

Thank you so much!

 

You are most welcome! Just know that Coconut Beach Club was not splashy or luxurious; simply peaceful, clean, and friendly for a nice all-inclusive beach getaway. Just want to make sure; if you are looking for something more upscale, this might not be the place. Their website has lots of photos.

 

Have a great cruise!

 

Teddie

[mama2twocuties]

Nice review!

 

Also, did you happen to notice if they offer "advanced skate"? It's the session where you have to have your own skates...

 

I was also on this sailing. Yes - there was an advanced skate- on one if the days at sea on our way home- Day 10 or 11 I think.

[teddie]

Nice review!

 

 

 

I was also on this sailing. Yes - there was an advanced skate- on one if the days at sea on our way home- Day 10 or 11 I think.

 

Thanks!

 

Yes, you are correct. I just checked Day 11, and the Advanced Skate was at 9:45 AM.

 

Teddie

[maggie416]

Nice review! We are sailing on The Explorer in March, a bit nervous, we are Celebrity and Princess cruisers. My question is about MTD and a table for 2. Are the tables really close together so you may as well be seated with others? We definitely don't want that. Thanks!

Marguerite