On a chilly, damp November 1st morning we left Baltimore on a 3 hour bus ride to Port Liberty, NJ for a 2 week repositioning cruise to the Caribbean on RCCL’s Explorer of the Seas. After arriving at the port, we sat on the bus for another hour as it worked its way through the backup until we could unload our luggage. The terminal was as cold and damp inside as it was outside; a cheerless place ...
We were with another couple who came to visit us first from Georgia and we flew from Florida to Newark and stayed at a local hotel. The next morning we were driven back to the airport where we connected with our Royal Caribbean shuttle to take us to the port. Getting to the ship and then onto the ship was a nightmare. It seems all we did was sit and wait, shuttle and wait. Finally, we got on ...
My DW and I were so looking forward to this getaway. We had a balcony cabin 6290. I tried to book so many things prior to our leaving and could not. Okay, Royal Caribbean said corporate was not listening to what sales was saying. Okay, I get that. When I finally was able to book things, I bought a little something for night three, four, five and ten. To my surprise, everything was delivered in ten ...
Bayonne - embarkation. 1 hour queue to get to drop off, 1 hour check in through a large tent, avoid this port for at least 6 months if possible until this shabby facility is updated. Miami/Ft.Lauderdale/Brooklyn/Dubai/ Southanpton are 10 times better. Unacceptable
Orlando - disembarkation. About 45 mins to get off, 15 mins for bags, 3 HOURS to get out of Port Canaveral. Why they have 4 ships and ...
We are seasoned cruisers with RCI and Celebrity, cruised once with NCL in Febuary 2014, and we use this as a benchmark for quality and VFM.
Flew to NYC early to have a couple of days doing “touristy” things, walking the High Line, MOMA and a show on Broadway .
On Saturday morning we took a shuttle car to Bayonne/Cape Liberty, this trip was a little hint of things to come. On emerging from the ...
Where should i start.Getting into cape liberty was a mess. I think it was because a lot of people were beinging dropped off. They presented a traffic problem. We have cruise six or seven times out of Cape Liberty and never experienced this much of a problem. The ship was hit by a rouge wave, no one was hurt and it was handled well. We lost two life boats. The captain kept us well informed
The ...
We are long time cruisers of Royal Caribbean, but the Explorer of the Seas was a new experience.
The crew were all wonderful. We had the best stateroom attendant and dining room wait staff that you could have ever ask for. All of the staff were wonderful. The food was good. The room was wonderful, and very comfortable.
Our only complaint which was big -- cigarette smoke was everywhere on the 4th ...
The Bayonne terminal was a bit of a nightmare; hopefully the new one is up and running when March rolls around. All of the crew and staff were great you cannot say enough about them.
We know Explorer is headed for a refit, but they may have delayed it too long. Our balcony needed a paint job, something I have never seen on a Royal ship before. We had a large balcony so it fit a couple of chairs ...
Explorer OTS repo from NJ to Port Canaveral – Nov 1 to 15, 2014
Friday, October 31, 2014 – Travel day
Good morning everyone. It is 6:40am on October 31, 2014. I am through security at LAX and I am waiting for a 9:10 flight. If all goes well, in about 10 ½ hours I should be landing in Newark. So, as I listen to muffled announcements (that I think are being made in English) regarding the boarding ...
Critique of Explorer of the Seas departing Port Liberty 10/9/14
Great time until debarkation. The Captain announced that we would be an hour late as there was a maximum speed which he was not allowed to exceed. 'Tough sailing because of the weather.' I do not know the reason for the speed limit. If he went 2 nautical miles faster he would have made up the time in the apx 1,000 nautical miles ...