Explorer of the Seas

Peri wrote:
sue mullen wrote:

Welcome home Peri!

Thanks, Sue. Looks like you, me and Jeff are on rolls. Peter and I
also thought this was among our best cruises.

But I probably say that after every cruise!

I hope everyone else will join us on this roll.lol

Normally we come back saying "this was one" of our best, but the Emerald
Princess really was our best. There is nothing major we can say was
wrong and the few minor problems weren't a big deal.

The only problem I can think of right now, was with the tendering to
Princess Cay. We got a late start heading for the island and thought we
would just go down and get on a tender. Instead we had to go to the
Princess theatre which was pack full and there were some people
beginning to be nasty. One of the stories I heard is that we got to
Princess Cay late. Now if they had only announce about the delay, they
wouldn't of had a theatre that was packed full.

I am in the middle of writing a review and hope to be done by the end of
the week. I also hope this post cruise crud is gone by the end of the
week.lol

sue

Thanks Peri,

That is the kind of info I am looking for. Glad you had a nice
cruise.

Debbie



In article ,
Peri wrote:

Deb wrote:
We are considering a trip on RCCL's Explorer of the Seas next winter out
of Cape Liberty New Jersey. We would like feed back from anyone who has
sailed form Cape Liberty, especially in February. Does anyone know how
much parking is per day?? Is there a parking garage, or just a lot??
First/last two days of the cruise is at sea, is it warm enough to be
outside by the pool by the second day?? Any first hand experience with
this ship/port in winter would be appreciated.

Debbie, my husband and I are just back from the 1/25 - 2/3 sailing on
the Explorer. We had a FABULOUS cruise.

You got your parking answers already, and Tom is right in that you can't
predict the weather with any certainty, but I can tell you that the
captain announced it is generally warm enough to enjoy the outdoors by
late afternoon on the first full day of the cruise (the day after you
sail). In our case, things didn't warm up until the following day, but
there was more than enough to keep us happy inside. It was a nine day
cruise, so I didn't feel the lack of outdoor time. Additionally, we got
a "bonus day" of warmth and sunshine on the way back, being able to sit
out and enjoy our aft balcony until late afternoon on the day before we
arrived home.

As for embarkation, ours couldn't have been smoother. We're platinum
(soon to be diamond!) Crown & Anchor members, so we had a private check
in and waiting area, which made things very nice. We arrived at the
pier at about 11:30 AM and were on the ship by 12:15 PM.

Disembarkation was smooth, as well. Not even 15 minutes passed from the
time our color was called until we were off the ship, found our luggage,
sailed through customs, got the car and were on the road. It was
amazing. My best advice: find a porter. You will get to go through a
separate customs line instead of waiting with the masses. The friendly
service and general ease of the process made it well worth a very
generous tip.

I can see that things might back up at the terminal, but we were lucky
and I wouldn't let any potential problems prevent me from sailing out of
Cape Liberty in the future. Not having the hassle of transferring to
the airport made this cruise even more relaxing from beginning to end.

Of course, I wouldn't do it for a shorter cruise, as too much time would
be eaten up in cooler temps, but for nine or longer, this was just perfect.

~ Peri

Thanks Ray for answering.

Debbie

In article ,
"Ray" wrote:

I just cruised from Cape Liberty on that ship in January . We were in a
group and chartered a bus to the terminal , so I can't comment about the
parking , but I can comment on the terminal .

Let me also say that last year I cruised the NCL Spirit from there , and
everything went smoothly .

There was a problem on the Explorer , and that caused a huge delay with
embarking ... about 6 hours . The terminal is not big enough for larger
ships , and there were a great many problems resulting from this . The
Explorer holds probably twice as many people as the terminal was designed to
accommodate , so there was only enough places for about half the passangers
to sit , the rest had to stand all that time . In summer , people could go
outside , but it was freezing that day so standing inside was better . The
problem was compounded by the way the situation was handled by Royal
Caribbean or the terminal staff , whoever was in charge . It was a
surprisingly ineffecient example of handling a large group of people , and
the end result was a mass of people milling about with all their carry on
stuff , sitting in the isles and on the floor or anywhere they could find a
spot big enough . There was no information made available , although they
did provide some food.

We had to wait in 3 different lines to get our cabin keys during all this ,
so it seemed as soon as we got settled in some corner someplace , we were
called to go line up somewhere else , and of course after we finished in
that line had to find a new spot to regroup , which was difficult
considering it was standing room only .

There were a great many complaints about the situation , but there was
nothing the staff could do to make it better , as they just aren't prepared
to deal with things outside of the normal course of buisness.

Also , it appears that these problems are common , an employee told me it
was the third time this winter this had happened. She agreed the situation
was a real mess , but said that it was better than the first two times
because the first time they made everybody wait outside in the cold for
hours , and the second time they did things differently but that didn't work
out so well , either.

I assume things go well if there aren't problems , however they are not
prepared to deal with a less than perfect situation because of the large
number of passangers the Explorer can hold .

It takes about 36 hours to get to warmer weather .

Good luck , and enjoy your cruise !


"Deb" wrote in message
news


We are considering a trip on RCCL's Explorer of the Seas next winter out
of Cape Liberty New Jersey. We would like feed back from anyone who has
sailed form Cape Liberty, especially in February. Does anyone know how
much parking is per day?? Is there a parking garage, or just a lot??
First/last two days of the cruise is at sea, is it warm enough to be
outside by the pool by the second day?? Any first hand experience with
this ship/port in winter would be appreciated.

Thank you,

Debbie

Thank you for answering. I realize weather is unpredictable. Just
trying to get an idea of what others experienced on this ship/itinerary.
Debbie

In article ,
"Tom K" wrote:

"Deb" wrote in message
news


We are considering a trip on RCCL's Explorer of the Seas next winter out
of Cape Liberty New Jersey. We would like feed back from anyone who has
sailed form Cape Liberty, especially in February. Does anyone know how
much parking is per day?? Is there a parking garage, or just a lot??
First/last two days of the cruise is at sea, is it warm enough to be
outside by the pool by the second day?? Any first hand experience with
this ship/port in winter would be appreciated.

First hand experience with the weather won't necessarily work. Because it
changes.

February weather in the NY/NJ area (where you sail from), and southward is
very dependent on the location of the jet stream. If the jet stream is far
up north, blocking the cold, and allowing southerly warm weather to drift up
northward, then it will be nice up on deck. Today was almost 50 degrees in
the NJ/NY area. I was on the golf course today.

A few weeks ago, when the jet stream was further south, it was allowing the
arctic cold to escape and drift south (like with the football game in Green
Bay). The weather in the NY/NJ area was in the low teens and below.

It all depends on the location of the jet stream. North of the jet stream
will be cold. South of it will be warm. But the jet stream keeps shifting.
It depends on where it is the week you sail.

So... if you can predict the location of the jet stream the week you sail,
then you'll be able to predict whether it will be nice enough be up on pool
deck.

The problem is... you can't. So you take your chances.

--Tom

Sue,

thanks for your answer and the website. That was just what I was
looking for.

Debbie


In article ,
sue mullen wrote:

Deb wrote:
We are considering a trip on RCCL's Explorer of the Seas next winter out
of Cape Liberty New Jersey. We would like feed back from anyone who has
sailed form Cape Liberty, especially in February. Does anyone know how
much parking is per day?? Is there a parking garage, or just a lot??
First/last two days of the cruise is at sea, is it warm enough to be
outside by the pool by the second day?? Any first hand experience with
this ship/port in winter would be appreciated.

Here is the website for Port Liberty: http://www.cruiseliberty.com/index.htm

We cruised out of Port Liberty in Sept. and the directions on the
website are very good. Parking is very easy, but it is outdoors and not
covered. Cost is about $15/day.

sue

Ray wrote:

Third , they could improve the terminal to handle the amount of people that
might be delayed based on the size ships that are using the port. Probably
the best option , as there seems to be plenty of room . In my opinion , it
should have been done before the Explorer ever ported from there , at least
during the winter when it's to cold to wait outside.

They need a new terminal there that is larger and lets you walk
right onto the ship as they have in other cities. What they're
using now is the existing building that was there when it was a
military facility.

I believe this is the first year they're sailing from there
during the winter, so it was probably not as much of an issue in
the past.

Bill

Tom K wrote:
Welcome back Peri... how did Explorer compare to Liberty, in your opinion?

Thanks, Tom. The ships are actually very similar. No flowrider or
boxing ring on the Explorer, and the kids' pool area is smaller, but
other than that (and a couple of differences along the promenade, like
no barber shop or wine bar) everything is pretty much the same.

Explorer does not have a Chops restaurant, but it does have Portofino's.
Liberty has both, as you know.

There's no dedicated karaoke bar on Explorer. It doesn't have those
cantilevered whirlpools outside the solarium pool, and Jade is a small
island in the Windjammer instead of a dedicated space. Explorer has an
inline skating track, while the Liberty doesn't. Liberty, on the other
hand, has a golf simulator, and Explorer does not.

In all, the public spaces are pretty much the same. Peter said he'd
call the Liberty the "Explorer on steroids," and that about covers it.

I think the best improvement is the addition of wifi in the cabins on
the Liberty. There are hot spots on Explorer, and it's convenient
enough, but in room internet access is certainly the way to go.

I was very impressed with the condition of the ship. Maintenance is
constant, and the effort pays off. The ship entered service more than
seven years ago, and still looks good as new.

Of course, for some strange reason they actually made us PAY for drinks,
internet, arcade games and such on the Explorer, so that would be a huge
plus for the Liberty. :-)

~ Peri

Did you get a chance to go to the Concierge lounge on Explorer? If so, is
Ricky still there?

--Tom


"Peri" wrote in message
...
Tom K wrote:
Welcome back Peri... how did Explorer compare to Liberty, in your
opinion?

Thanks, Tom. The ships are actually very similar. No flowrider or boxing
ring on the Explorer, and the kids' pool area is smaller, but other than
that (and a couple of differences along the promenade, like no barber shop
or wine bar) everything is pretty much the same.

Explorer does not have a Chops restaurant, but it does have Portofino's.
Liberty has both, as you know.

There's no dedicated karaoke bar on Explorer. It doesn't have those
cantilevered whirlpools outside the solarium pool, and Jade is a small
island in the Windjammer instead of a dedicated space. Explorer has an
inline skating track, while the Liberty doesn't. Liberty, on the other
hand, has a golf simulator, and Explorer does not.

In all, the public spaces are pretty much the same. Peter said he'd call
the Liberty the "Explorer on steroids," and that about covers it.

I think the best improvement is the addition of wifi in the cabins on the
Liberty. There are hot spots on Explorer, and it's convenient enough, but
in room internet access is certainly the way to go.

I was very impressed with the condition of the ship. Maintenance is
constant, and the effort pays off. The ship entered service more than
seven years ago, and still looks good as new.

Of course, for some strange reason they actually made us PAY for drinks,
internet, arcade games and such on the Explorer, so that would be a huge
plus for the Liberty. :-)

~ Peri

Tom K wrote:
Did you get a chance to go to the Concierge lounge on Explorer? If so, is
Ricky still there?

We won't be Diamond until after our next cruise, so we weren't able to
use the Concierge Lounge on this trip, sadly. I understand Ricky is
still the concierge but right now there's a Nicky filling in for him
while he's on vacation.

~ Peri

Ask your travel agent.


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