5.28.09 Explorer Review

[sthb23]

This is also on M&M page for our sailing. If the issue wasn't important I would not cross post.

 

Went on the 9 night Bermuda and eastern/southern caribbean cruise on Explorer. Our group included 2 diamond members, and 4 gold members in the C&A. Before departing we discovered via Cruise Critic of the damage to the ship. Also RCL had notified us of the C&A program changes and communication has been made with appropriate management about the unacceptable changes. Enough with the background off to the cruise.

 

We are from the NY/NJ/PA area so we drove up the day of and had a friend drop us off at the port. Bayonne is Bayonne, being from there it's standard but the Russian monument for 9/11 is great and there are good views of the city on a good day. Unfortunately we left in fog and rain, but alas that was our worst weather.

 

We began our cruise with lunch in the Windjammer. Standard fare. I for one miss the grill feature of the older ships. Just my opinion nothing wrong with the indoor grill, but prefer the poolside grill. The windjammer food was average with a better dessert selection than the dining many nights. After lunch we all checked out our cabins and unpacked. The group had 2 balcony rooms and an interior stateroom. The cabins were adequate although the balconys needed to be touched up.

 

The food at dinner was ok at best. The menu was limited, one steak, one pasta, a fish and 2 vegetarian entrees an evening. Of course the alternate menu was always available. One night in the dining room, the menu presented filet of beef tenderloin. It turned out to be 2 slices of london broil. We have also noticed the portions are smaller and it is now a 3 course meal instead of 4 courses. Another old touch that is missed is the after dinner cordial or as we call it the shot tray. We just miss the little RCL shot glasses with that nights concoction. The service was spectacular from our waiter and assistant waiter. The head waiter simply made rounds. We found the wine package to be a good investment, especially as our evenings were Concierge Club, Dinner, back to the club. Yong in the CC lounge is fantastic. We had a great group and will miss this if our membership is not grandfathered come September. More on this to come.

 

The lunches in the dining room were fantastic. The salad station offered great variety and there were many appealing choices despite the menu being on a two to three day rotation.

 

Breakfast for us was the Windjammer and repetitive by choice. The selection was good and the food hot so it is what it is.

 

We also had dinner at Portofino's one evening. The food is excellent but 2 and a half hours of eating is just gorging for us. What the dining room lacks in portion and presentation Portofinos more than makes up. Service here again was impeccable.

 

After dinner we did trivia and the shows. We're not gamblers so no idea if the tables were hot.

 

Being well-read learned types we finished near the top in each round of trivia and despite missing a round almost won the Ultimate Trivia.

 

The shows were pretty good. Some of the dancer lacked enthusiasm but many of the staff were approaching the end of their contracts. This was extremely noticeable with the cruise director's staff. We do not mind the staff having fun but for the staff to be openly drinking heavily is inappropriate. There were other shenanigans beside the drinking but we'll write that off to kids being kids and their contracts being up.

 

This cruise was a slightly above average cruise for us.

 

The reason for this being above average was the attentive nature of our waitstaff, Merrick and Henri, our cabin stewards, Winston and Franklin and Yong, the concierge lounge attendant.

 

The reason this cruise was not excellent is the lack of variety for food, lack of food/snacks, in the sports bar and English pub, the disinterest of the cruise director's staff and the little cutbacks. The cutbacks were the chocolates on the pillows, the cordials, the smaller portions, and the drink of the day not being pre-poured. These are minor cutbacks but signify a shift in the cruise lines attitude. Historically the cruise is an almost all-inclusive vacation with constant attention. Now we're seeing this change. THe most noteable change is the treatment of the loyalty programs members. As discussed elsewhere on cruise critic and in e-mails and postings by RCL, the diamond members are being excluded from the concierge club. Our disagreement is not in the paying for our drinks but the loss of camraderie. The CC represents a place to re-connect with old friends and meet new ones. Now it will take our group another 10 years at least to re-gain the treatment we believed we had earned through our past loyalty with RCL. For the first time in a long time our multi-generational group is considering other lines and alternate vacations. RCL you have a fantastic product and a loyal customer base. Treat us with the dignity and respect we deserve. We have graciously forked over tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars to sail with you. We earned our benefits and wish to keep them. Keep up the good work your doing and return to your greatness.

[DC2OC]

We were on the 4/26 sailing and there was also an issue with the A/C not quite up to par.Is it still that way?

[windjamming]

 

The reason for this being above average was the attentive nature of our waitstaff, Merrick and Henri, our cabin stewards, Winston and Franklin and Yong, the concierge lounge attendant.

 

Great review sthb23! I was on the cruise before you and also was lucky enough to have Merrick as our waiter. He was fantastic and told us he'd been on the Explorer for 7 years. The experience was evident, as dinner was always a smooth operation from start to finish.

[gerif]

Thanks for the review. We have been on the Explorer several times and have always enjoyed her. I'm not really one to notice a bit of chipped paint here and there, but I do understand she is scheduled for dry dock soon.

 

I have noticed that there are fewer choices now available in the MDR and that instead of appetizer, soup and salad courses they have lumped everything together into "starters" but you can still have all of them if you want. Portions are smaller IMO, but I believe this is in direct response to those passengers who "want to try a few different things" so would order several entrees and just take a few bites of each leaving a lot of waste. So, despite smaller portions, you may still have as many as you wish. I seriously don't recall them coming around with cordials - but I'm sure they weren't included. The head waiter makes the rounds to make sure everything is running smoothly - if it is not, then he steps in to make things right.

 

I'm just as upset as anyone about Diamonds no longer being allowed into the CL after September - but I really don't see them "grandfathering" people in. BTW, you say there were only 2 Diamonds and 4 Gold members in your group and you spent quite a bit of time in the CL - didn't you feel bad about leaving the other 4 members of your group to socialize with others before and after dinner?

[amybeth4]

It's amazing what you forget until you're reminded, which I frequently am on these boards, of all the little things missing from the old days.

 

Today I was reminded of the after dinner cordials (and no, gerif, to my recollection they weren't included) in those cute little RCI plastic cup thingies. They were nice because it was a fun way to end dinner with your new table friends.

 

That, the daily newspaper, the mints, the welcome back party (which I hear is ending but I don't think has ended yet) with the yummy canapes and champagne, etc, etc, etc...oh well.

[caribbeanboy]

It's called though times..

[MrPete]

I fail to understand the portion cutbacks.

 

Years ago, there'd be a multiple course meal, with the main entree being satisfying.

 

The more they cut back, the more I find myself ordering multiple entrees. I'm not sure why I need to do this?

 

And I will miss the after dinner cordials. I loved the "souvenier" shot glasses.

 

Moreso, RCCL may miss me. I'm on a "break".

[Guest maddycat]

We were on the Explorer's May 14, 2009 cruise. Overall, we had and excellent cruise. Food was good. Service was great. The ship was very clean and well maintained. We loved My Time Dining.

 

Our complaint was with the wine that we received as a gift from our travel agent. It was delivered to our cabin. In the past we were able to exchange the wine for a different type if we liked. For example, red wine could be exchanged for white. RCCL no longer allows this. They said that the wine was delivered to the ship and therefore could not be exchanged for any wine in the ship's supply. This didn't make sense to us. The wine was purchased from RCCL and delivered to one of it's ships. There shouldn't have been any problem with an exchange.

 

In the past, we have always brought the wine that we received in our cabin to the MDR to enjoy with dinner. This time we were told that there would be a $12 corkage fee. Again, we didn't feel that this charge was justified. The wine was purchased from RCCL.

[laseiber]

We were on the May 23 cruise, and I did see the cordials being offered, but with not a lot of fanfare. We had the same waiter that we had on our first Explorer cruise 8 yrs ago, it is nice to see that they have loyal staff, also I noticed and talked with a cabin steward and was on our original cruise as well. The carpets and balcony's needed a little bit of attention, as our cabin steward (female) never cleaned it once ( balcony). She also was in our room after it had been cleaned, just kind of makes you wonder what they do when we aren't around. I never take any good jewery with me when traveling, money is always locked in safe, and camera is always with me or locked away. They have fixed the impellors on the propellors so speed should not be a problem, they worked on it while we were in Bermuda, and only had one more to fix on an upcoming cruise.

[laurspag]

It's called though times..

 

That's a good point. I know we are often saying that we are loyal, but if they keep making cuts, we won't be. I guess we could sail Carnival or Norwegian, etc., but I'll bet they've made some cut backs too?

 

I do want to point out that I thought the review was quite fair. I think all cruiselines are in the same boat (pardon the pun) and if RCI has made cuts, so have the rest. If we liked RCI more than the others previously, we may still feel the same when we see what has been cut on other lines. I think the key would be in what is being cut, and how important it is to us.

[TRadle]

Thanks for posting the review. We sail on Explorer in August after two fantastic cruises on Celebrity. Your review is great for setting expectations. :)

[ronsauna]

We were also on this same cruise, stayed in GS 1324, wonderful cabin & balcony and great location to everything. I agree with the Op that the food in the MDR could use more variety. We ate breakfast most mornings in the Windjammer. I am a big breakfast person but did not care for their water-like gravy or the raw bacon. Omelets were good as well as the scrambled eggs.

We enjoyed the shows, the pool (always found a chair easily) and the wonderful staff. I thought they did a great job. We played a lot in the casino, at night it was very crowded. They should expand it about 50%. (more $ for RCCL)

Embarking & disembarking went very smooth. Very foggy the 1st nite, they blasted the fog horn every 5 minutes all night.

We had a great time and will do it again very soon.