Just off Explorer. -a few observations

[Jimbo]

1 minute ago, grapau27 said:

We were in a balcony cabin.

They have never called us before arriving. Maybe we don't tip enough?

[time4u2go]

18 hours ago, voyager70 said:

 

Agree.  As a Gen Xer I always adhere to proper dress codes/suggestions.  Millennials don't care.  It's all about them.

 

Lol I think every generation says that about the generations that come after them!

[grapau27]

17 minutes ago, Jimbo said:

They have never called us before arriving. Maybe we don't tip enough?

I always give the waiter $2-3 cash tip which is on top of the $7.95 charge for hot breakfast and we have always received a phone call a few minutes before our breakfasts arrive.

Our waiter said he rings us so maybe the cash tip helps.

We are D+ loyalty and always stay in a balcony cabin and get room service breakfast every day to eat on the balcony.

 

Edited October 13, 2019 by grapau27

[Jimbo]

4 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

 

We are D+ loyalty and always stay in a balcony cabin and get room service breakfast every day to eat on the balcony.

 

Same for my wife and I.

[grapau27]

2 minutes ago, Jimbo said:

Same for my wife and I.

The delivery waiter told us he rings the customers if he has time so maybe by tipping on the first visit they are giving us the courtesy to be ready when they turn up.

[Tatka]

43 minutes ago, time4u2go said:

Lol I think every generation says that about the generations that come after them!

   Agree, but I don’t think it’s about actual age. We are in our late 40ies. We try to follow dress code of every line we sail (8 in total). On Cunard you simply must wear formal clothes, and in formal night it must be the best formal clothes, but on RCI we never (since 2003) saw majority following .. and no matter where we sailed in Europe, Caribbeans or other places.

 

    We cannot categorize dress code followers and non followers by age too. We’ve seen plenty of 40, 50+ years old trying to enter MDR in shorts. Not less than Generation Z or Millennials for sure.  

     
      As for us.. my husband doesn’t always bring jacket or suit, but he always has nicer clothes for MDR (formal night  or not). If it’s a casual night he might wear black jeans, which almost don’t look as jeans. Whole ambiance of MDR hints for nicer dress code.

[OceansOfTravels]

Hello! I'm excited that you started this thread, I will be on Explorer in January and I have a few questions

 

1) Can you ice skate in the rink, or is it only for shows? Like do they ever host open skating? If so, is there a cost associated with it, and what would I need to bring? (ie socks, shoes, etc)

2) Did you try any of the uncharge restaurants? Did you like them?

3) Any "secret decks" or "explorer hacks" that you found? I'm talking any special places to chill out, secret items at a coffee shop, or anything special

4) What were some of the typical activities offered on sea days? Were you happy with the amount to do onboard? I have four days at sea on this itinerary so I am wondering what will be in store for me.

 

Thank you so much in advance for your help, I'm really excited to cruise the Explorer and make my return to Royal for the first time in many years!

[vettegal99]

We were on the Explorer 9/21 14 day Med cruise.  There were at least 2 open ice skating times.  Check your Compass and it was announced by Cruise Director in morning.  You need to sign a waiver, wear pants, bring socks.

[vacationlover_mn]

On 10/11/2019 at 10:33 AM, doones2 said:

If I didn’t want to dress for formal night what is the other option for dinner that is no charge?  Please don’t say the Windjammer.

You don’t have to dress up for formal night.  In my last 4 sailings for sure, there were guys in shorts and Hawaiian shirts.  The least my husband has done is khakis and a polo, and he didn’t feel out of place.

[Crism]

On Explorer her first cruise back in Miami after this year's TA. Looking forward to it! It's been since 2007 since I cruised on her last! It'll be interesting to see an earlier version of the Voyager class ship after having been on Navigator in September. I'll certainly enjoy the Diamond Lounge while it's still in it's rightful place on Deck 14 😢

[grapau27]

21 minutes ago, Crism said:

On Explorer her first cruise back in Miami after this year's TA. Looking forward to it! It's been since 2007 since I cruised on her last! It'll be interesting to see an earlier version of the Voyager class ship after having been on Navigator in September. I'll certainly enjoy the Diamond Lounge while it's still in it's rightful place on Deck 14 😢

Independence DL is on deck 14 and she was amped last year.

Explorer still had a CL and we went in there 5 nights out of 6 but only went into the DL for snacks and a hot drink on embarking at 11.20 am because windjammer wasn't open yet.

Denzel the CL concierge was in every night and was helping people all the time.

Edited October 13, 2019 by grapau27

[Crism]

25 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

Independence DL is on deck 14 and she was amped last year.

Explorer still had a CL and we went in there 5 nights out of 6 but only went into the DL for snacks and a hot drink on embarking at 11.20 am because windjammer wasn't open yet.

Denzel the CL concierge was in every night and was helping people all the time.

 

They're a few of the ones with the good DLs left. I'm excited to try out both lounges! We actually enjoyed Brilliance and her DL and CL right next to each other. CL had some outdoor space and the DL had the forward ship views. We could bounce from one to the other as the sun/temperature/crowds permitted.

[atush]

19 hours ago, Crism said:

On Explorer her first cruise back in Miami after this year's TA. Looking forward to it! It's been since 2007 since I cruised on her last! It'll be interesting to see an earlier version of the Voyager class ship after having been on Navigator in September. I'll certainly enjoy the Diamond Lounge while it's still in it's rightful place on Deck 14 😢

The Nov 19th?  Me too.

 

And i last cruised her in 2002!

[dramamama628]

21 hours ago, Crism said:

On Explorer her first cruise back in Miami after this year's TA. Looking forward to it! It's been since 2007 since I cruised on her last! It'll be interesting to see an earlier version of the Voyager class ship after having been on Navigator in September. I'll certainly enjoy the Diamond Lounge while it's still in it's rightful place on Deck 14 😢

Going on Explorer out of Miami end of November.  I am hoping you can post and do a favor for me.  We love going to the Karaoke and shows.  Could you check the Cruise Compass and tell me what time the karaoke usually is for adults?  It seems like when we have a late seating for dinner, we were missing the time to go for my son to sing.  I would appreciate it so I can change our MDR time if necessary.  Enjoy your cruise!!!

[dancingfish]

Thanks so much for posting! I am very excited about our upcoming cruise on Explorer of the Seas and seem to be craving ALL the info... 

 

And PS- I will be dressed up every night at dinner! Formal night will be fun for us!

[springfire]

On 10/13/2019 at 6:20 AM, Billy Baltic said:

It’s suggested attire, not a legal requirement. People of all ages are very capable of deciding what they want to wear. I can’t understand why people get so animated about what other people choose to wear. 

My first cruise was back in 1976, I have changed with the times.  I now leave all my formal clothing at home, it really isn't required any longer for your cruise unless you just really want to dress up.  Dress the way you feel best, honestly the cruise line doesn't care how you dress.

[dramamama628]

4 minutes ago, dancingfish said:

Thanks so much for posting! I am very excited about our upcoming cruise on Explorer of the Seas and seem to be craving ALL the info... 

 

And PS- I will be dressed up every night at dinner! Formal night will be fun for us!

My family of 3 (including a male millennial) will be dressed up for dinner every night, especially formal nights.  We always look forward to it and that is one reason we always buy the photo package.  We get dressed up, grab a cocktail and walk around before dinner getting our photos taken.  It's just a fun thing for us.

 

[Twice_a_year]

The Explorer was one of my favorite ships. We've cruise 46 times and had three sailings on the Explorer We always had a aft balcony and loved the extra large balcony. We always felt that the service and food seemed superior than most other ships. In our minds we believed that this was compensating for the lack of amenities available on the larger vessels.

 

Formal nights no longer exist and I miss them. I had a dream that cruising for the old time experience returned. Sticky enforced formal night dress and all MDR dress codes.  Deck chair hogging was not allowed, period. We didn't have slides and no children. The emphasis was on great shows,  great food and great service. Too bad they from days gone by and the cruise lines need to be floating resorts to make the money.

[grapau27]

46 minutes ago, Twice_a_year said:

The Explorer was one of my favorite ships. We've cruise 46 times and had three sailings on the Explorer We always had a aft balcony and loved the extra large balcony. We always felt that the service and food seemed superior than most other ships. In our minds we believed that this was compensating for the lack of amenities available on the larger vessels.

 

Formal nights no longer exist and I miss them. I had a dream that cruising for the old time experience returned. Sticky enforced formal night dress and all MDR dress codes.  Deck chair hogging was not allowed, period. We didn't have slides and no children. The emphasis was on great shows,  great food and great service. Too bad they from days gone by and the cruise lines need to be floating resorts to make the money.

We had 2 formal nights last week on Explorer.

The lobster in MTD restaurant was excellent.

[dramamama628]

Going on Explorer out of Miami end of November.  I am hoping you can post and do a favor for me.  We love going to the Karaoke and shows.  Could you check the Cruise Compass and tell me what time the karaoke usually is for adults?  It seems like when we have a late seating for dinner, we were missing the time to go for my son to sing.  I would appreciate it so I can change our MDR time if necessary.  Thanks for your time.

[atush]

On 10/14/2019 at 6:57 PM, dramamama628 said:

Going on Explorer out of Miami end of November.  I am hoping you can post and do a favor for me.  We love going to the Karaoke and shows.  Could you check the Cruise Compass and tell me what time the karaoke usually is for adults?  It seems like when we have a late seating for dinner, we were missing the time to go for my son to sing.  I would appreciate it so I can change our MDR time if necessary.  Enjoy your cruise!!!

Remind us closer to sailing date!

[The Fun Researcher]

On 10/14/2019 at 2:26 PM, dramamama628 said:

My family of 3 (including a male millennial) will be dressed up for dinner every night, especially formal nights.  We always look forward to it and that is one reason we always buy the photo package.  We get dressed up, grab a cocktail and walk around before dinner getting our photos taken.  It's just a fun thing for us.

 

 

Same here.  We look forward to it, and so do our kids.  Dressing up on a beautiful ship is just something special for us and makes us feel nice.  The photo also make a great way to capture our family in that moment/time of life, all looking their best. 

 

Later in the evening after we see the show we'll typically change into something less formal to wander the ship.

Dan

[styxfire]

Us too, we dress #1 for the ambiance, #2 for the photo, #3 to see the fancy clothes / jewelry everyone else is wearing!
 

I’m open to suggestions for other cruise lines that are preserving the tradition of formal night.  Any ideas?  Unfortunately I can’t afford the cost of an Oceania/Silver Seas lux Cruise.  What other choices are out there?  Or, is there another part of the world where dinners are deemed fancier occasions?

[little britain]

On Explorer now: huge adherence to dress code on both formal nights with at least 80% in DJs, and yes they are still called Formal nights not dress your best. 
Food on board has been excellent.

 

@dramamama628 karaoke last night was 10;30-11:30 in the Tavern fyi

Edited November 3, 2019 by little britain

[Saab4444]

16 minutes ago, styxfire said:

Us too, we dress #1 for the ambiance, #2 for the photo, #3 to see the fancy clothes / jewelry everyone else is wearing!
 

I’m open to suggestions for other cruise lines that are preserving the tradition of formal night.  Any ideas?  Unfortunately I can’t afford the cost of an Oceania/Silver Seas lux Cruise.  What other choices are out there?  Or, is there another part of the world where dinners are deemed fancier occasions?

Cunard