Nancy’s Summer Cruise – Day 1

Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Seas
9 Night Cruise to Bermuda, St. Martin, St. Thomas, and San Juan

After an extremely cold and rainy June, my family and I have decided to “get out of Dodge” and go on a cruise. We needed to see the sun and feel real summer warmth. I have been on the Explorer before, but then, I never had a blog to talk about the various aspects of a cruise. I hope you find this interesting and informative at the same time, especially if you have never cruised before.

After meeting my husband Joe’s cousin Lisa and her friend Mary at our house, we made our way to Cape Liberty Cruise Terminal in Bayonne, New Jersey. I have made this trip three times in the past. Sometimes I wait in a long line of cars and, other times, the entrance is wide open. Today, we were very lucky. We showed up around 11:15 am and drove right up to the porters, all of them ready to take our luggage.

One thing to note about Cape Liberty: Parking is paid for BEFORE you cruise, not after. I asked Joe to park the car and he returned with the announcement: “Congratulations! I just spent $171 for nine nights. Can you please handle the internet access fees?”

Sigh.

As we all checked in online before arriving, formal checkin at the terminal was especially quick, though of course there were the various security checkpoints along the way. (Can’t be helped.) Meanwhile, we learned that my family was scheduled for 6:00 pm dining as requested, but our relatives were set for 8:30 pm. Not quite the way we planned it!

Once on the ship, we made our way to the dining room to get things straightened out. Alas, early dining was booked solid with no way to move two people to our table. We decided to try “My Time Dining” which is new for Royal Caribbean. Basically, you tell the maitr’d what time you are going to dine each night and they get a table ready for you.

With the dining situation covered, we parted ways and went to our respective cabins. Our cabin is a nice ocean view room that is a very modest 162 square feet. However, it does have a rather large, 3.5 foot diameter porthole. There is even a little nook where my son can sit to look out at the waves and the scenery.

While awaiting our luggage, Joe and my son Lex set up the obligatory internet access and got a bite to eat. I stayed in the cabin, reading about all the shore excursion options, the kid’s events, and what activities the spa was offering (I love the spa!). For shore excursions, we decided on one in St. Thomas, one in St. Martin, and one in San Juan. We are skipping Bermuda completely since we have been there a few times before, plus we want to take advantage of the ship’s pool and facilities while everyone is ashore.

After the mandatory muster station drill, I visited the spa. They had all these different promotions and raffle drawings. While I didn’t win anything, I did set up three treatments on a package plan, saving 30% off the total price. I also had a Crown and Anchor coupon to knock off another 10% so yippee!! (Did I mention that I love the spa?) The gymnasium offered all kinds of classes in yoga, spin, etc. but every class came with a $12 fee. Ugh!

Point blank: I don’t think they should charge for exercise. I think back to when I could take a ballet class on a Princess ship – no charge. I say getting that little extra in the gym should be included with the price. Besides, the “drink of the day” was US$9.50 each! I think they can offer these gym classes at no charge. (You know more people are drinking than exercising on a cruise!)

Dinner was very nice. Sure enough, our table was ready at 6:30 pm, just as we requested. We had a very funny waiter who was completely overworked but still made us feel special. I have settled on a reliable pattern for ordering meals when at sea: I get the “spa” (or diet) main meal with the regular very delicious (and not diet) dessert. Yum!

At night, we attended Lex’s orientation at Adventure Ocean (the “kid’s area”), and he had a grand time. Then, at last, off to the casino. I barely gamble on land but I just love gambling on a ship. I played a little roulette, some Three Card Poker and a new enhanced Let It Ride with an extra bet. Fun fun fun!!!

We have to set our clocks ahead one hour tonight, and tomorrow is a “fun day at sea” (oh wait – that is a Carnival tag line), so we are off to bed soon. Will write more tomorrow. Here’s hoping for continued sunny skies!