JUST RETURNED FROM EXPLORER

[clevelin]

My review of the Explorer (sail date 4/3/04 - 4/10/04)

Embarkation and Debarkation: No problem. RCCL was very organized at both ends. Very minimal waiting.

Cabin: 8200, Family Oceanview Suite: Absolutely fabulous! Two bedrooms, living room and bathroom. Six can sleep in the rooms, we only had four. A set of bunkbeds in one bedroom, a queen in the other, and a pull-out sofa in the living room. I thought I'd get seasick being in the very front of the ship, but it never happened. Great views out the three huge portholes. And unlike the Royal Family Suite, this one was not very pricey.

Food: Typical ship food. Not four star restaurant quality, but I enjoyed everything I ordered. And if there was something not to someone's satisfaction, the waiter was quick to replace it with another. The dining room was beautiful, we ate there every day for breakfast and dinner with an occasional lunch thrown in. I wasn't thrilled with the Windjammer. The food was just mediocre. We loved the Cafe Promenade, open 24 hours with unique sandwiches, pizza, fruit, desserts to die for, drinks, etc...

Service: Our waiter Joaquim Dourado, asst. waiter Maria, and our room steward Kelwyn Gibbons went over and above what was desired and expected on this cruise. They went out of their way to exceed normal, everyday service. Fabulous job!

Shows: The shows in the Palace were not good, in our opinion. The comediens were rarely funny and the variety shows were amateurish. The singer in the Schooner Lounge, Norm, was very good as was the singer in the Crown and Kettle Lounge. Dancing in The Chamber was fun, and Dizzy's is a beautiful club. The Ice Show was great, very talented skaters.

[timheff]

Thanks for the post. Taking my family on the Explorer on Saturday. How did you like the ports? I take it you were on the San Juan, St. Martin, St. John, Nassau route. Did you do any of the cruise line excursions?

[clevelin]

timheff:

Shopping in San Juan is a circus. The shops get very crowded. The tour of the fort is very interesting, my three kids (18, 14, 13) all enjoyed it. We did that on our own. The taxis are very convenient.

We went to Orient Beach, which is on the French side of St. Maarten, through a RCCL excursion. We got off the ship, onto a air-conditioned bus which took us right to the beach where we had a fruit punch and padded beach chair waiting for us. Lunch was also included, which was very tasty. You will see half-naked and fully-naked people at this beach. If you have very young kids it might not be for them. We thought it was a hoot! We stayed at the beach approx. 3 hours and then the bus took us back to the ship. You also had the option of getting off the bus at Phillipsburg for shopping if you wanted.

My husband and I shopped in St. Thomas. Lots of great little shops right along the pier. If you want more variety, take a cab into downtown St. Thomas. We also took a cab up to the Marriott Frenchman's Reef Resort. It sits on a cliff and looks out onto the sea. We had our own towels in our bags so we used their pool without any problem. Lunch there was very good. My kids did the Captain Nautica Snorkeling trip which they loved. It dropped them off right over the snorkeling site, so there was very little swimming involved. They got to snorkel three sites and saw quite a few fish, starfish, sharks, stingrays, turtles, etc... Well worth the money.

In Nassau, my husband and two of my kids did the Atlantis tour thing. They did not like it, said it was very crowded, very touristy, very expensive if you wanted anything to eat there. My 18 year old and her friend did the Yellowbird Partyboat, aka the "Booze Cruise." Lots of rum punch, dancing, limbo, with a short stop on the beach. They had a blast. Myself, I stayed ON the ship since everyone else was getting OFF the ship. Very peaceful and quiet. Hope this all helps.