David Fiske Affiliate Marketing & Web Development

Our home for two weeks was the Explorer of the Seas, a Voyager class of ship.

She weighs 138,000 tons, nearly a quarter of a mile long and can hold 3,114 passengers on top of the 1,000 crew. Cruising speed is supposedly 27mph which is only possible when all three propellers work. A mishap on the previous cruise meant one was damaged. Thanks to the Cruise Critic forums, we were already aware of the problems and possible implications a few days before the sailing. Non-forum users found out as they boarded and needless to say they weren't best pleased. We weren't happy when we found out but had a few days to calm down :-)

As a result, we went through 3 captains (!) and we lost one port of call (San Juan) on top of the lost port of call (Tortola) we lost (with no compensation) 3 months prior.

This meant we spent 3 days at sea at the beginning, a 3 at the end. The weather held out for us on every day except for the last where we had very rough seas. More about that later.
 
The Vessel

She's huge!!! When we were on the transfer coach, we saw glimpses as we travelled through New Jersey but it's only when you are standing next to her that the scale becomes apparent.

From a distance (she's the one on the right):



Up close and personal:



Tower blocks (!):



Our main apprehension about choosing a cruise was that it's very captive. We wondered whether there was enough to keep us occupied at sea. We also knew it was fully booked so that's 3,000 other soles all looking for stuff to do.

Nevertheless, there was plenty to do. There was a whole host of things to do - and some not to do ;-) - including Broadway style shows each night, various on-deck events, rock climbing, ice skating, etc. There was also an on-board Spa and gym as well as various talks and educational groups held throughout the day.

Our cruise director was Dave Chapman, an outgoing Aussie who certainly did his job well. He was a bit over-the-top for our liking but he certainly made the cruise more memorable! Here's a video (from another cruiser) of him in action in the funniest item he performed:



Some of the contest games held on-board included the Men's International Belly Flop Competition (a Scot won that!) and the Men's Sexy Leg Competition (I didn't enter :-P but did you see my legs in the pic above?!!!)

Our room had a balcony so we spent a lot of time using this (it cost extra so we put it to good use). Plenty of coffee on the balcony and the odd meal on the balcony. It was serene out at sea, with nothing blotting the landscape and no noise, other than the lapping of waves. I remember looking out of the balcony as we left New York, looking out at nothing (it was dark) but hearing the chimes of the buoys in the water. Emotive.



One very interesting point to mention was that whilst the ship is large in terms of size and crowded in terms of numbers, it was certainly possible to find quiet spaces and quiet times. During the day the pool deck was packed full of exposed folk (generally lobster red by the end of the cruise) but it was empty at night. The rear of the ship, as well as the heli-pad at the front, generally never saw many people.



The food was amazing too. The honeymoon was more-or-less spent planning the next meal! Food is unlimited and you can eat as much or as little as you want. Room service is free too (a couple of dollars tip is customary) and the prices in the in-room mini-bar are the same as around the ship (drinks other than water, lemonade and tea/coffee/hot chocolate are charged for).

All meals from the kitchens are presented beautifully and they certainly don't skimp on the ingredients. Think smoked salmon, lobster, veal, lamb, chicken, etc.

The service is simply amazing too. When in the dining room, you are assigned a waiter and assistant waiter (Marina from the Philippines and José from Peru respectively in our case). Marina learned our names on day 1 and Jose learned what drinks we liked. Every day the drinks would be there waiting for us and coffee was always served alongside dessert.



Our stateroom attendant was Errol from St Vincent and was the happiest man we've ever met! He cleaned the room twice a day and needless to say, it was impeccable. The last 6 days saw towel animals appear in the room.



The most surprising member of staff was the Kevin the barman. We went to his bar every night before the main show and from the first day he served me, he remembered my name and what I liked. Marina, José and Errol have a small group of clients to manage. Kevin had a boundary of 3,000 people! That's some memory!

The next article will look at the ports of call. The last one (in case you missed it) was about getting to the ship.