Don't leave out of this port in January!

Explorer of the Seas Cruise Review to Caribbean - Eastern

MauraP

Contributor Level: Deck Hand

Cruises: 2-3 cruises

Reviews: 0

Helpful Votes: 8

Overall rating:

3 out of 5

Verified Review

9 Night Eastern Caribbean (Cape Liberty Roundtrip)

Sail date: January 25, 2008

Ship: Explorer of the Seas

Cabin type: Inside

Traveled as: Large Group

Reviewed: 16 years ago

Review summary

We left out of Bayonne in January 2008. We thought it was a good choice since we live in PA and the rest of our family in NY. Our problem was that it was too cold until we actually reached Miami (day 3) to do anything outside. All in all the ship is wonderful, the staff is great as usual and the entertainment was bar none. The food was the worst I've ever had on a cruise ship. Terrible food, wonderful service - I'm not sure I would cruise Explorer again because of the food. And who picked these ports? YUCK. San Juan was nice but we didn't arrive until 3pm so most excursions were out of the question. St. Thomas was beautiful (we did the BOSS scooters - www.boosusvi.com - don't miss out!) but we didn't have enough time, Casa De Campo was depressing (although we did the ATV's and felt like we got the most for our money on this excursion) and not the "tropical paradise" you would have hoped. Also the port time was too short - 8am - 2pm. And Labadee, Haiti, the cruise ships private island. AHHHHH - nice, but stay away fromt he market - I swear those people have a school on how to rape you of all your money prior to leaving. If you do go to the market know this - You can bargain, bargain, bargain. They all have the same items (which is why they are so persistent) and will sell them for dimes on the dollar. For instance - My husband wanted a hand carved globe - it was beautiful - they wanted $50 - I paid $20. Maracas - $25 - I paid $3. Get it? Another thing - be prepared with singles because if you pull out a twenty and ask for change they will laugh and now everything you want is $20. AND - if you get something personalized they will stop 1/2 way through and ask for a tip before they finish. DOn't give it till they are done though. We did feel there were too many colder days at sea so we have moved our Jan 2009 trip till April/May2009 - but it was worth what we paid (ps - we paid almost $600 less a person then what the ship sold out for - BOOK EARLY ON ANY CRUISE FOR THE BEST PRICES!) Don't miss the ice show (get tickets as soon as you get on the boat), don't do spa treatments till the end because they all go on sale, and don't buy logo merchandise until the end (when it's 50% off!)

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

1 out of 5

HORRIBLE is the best word for it. The lobster came out raw, the steak was either too tough or too rare, and the decriptions leave a lot to be desired. Before ordering make sure you clarify what you are getting. Also - we spent 9 nights on that ship and someone in our group had a cold fruit soup every night each featuring a different fruit (just to try - and ps - it was weird and not very good!)

Entertainment

5 out of 5

See the ice show!

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Dave "G'day Dave" Chapman (cruise director), Philipp "Woop Woop" (Activities Manager), Julio and Augusto (Our Waiters), Gerard (Our Stateroom attendant), Sharon (get a massage fromt his girl! She may be little but she can apply the pressure!), Ross (our dining room bartender) and Abigail (our everywhere else bartender) - LOVED THEM ALL.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Mega Cruisers are so sweet - so much to do, so little time.

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5

Always go for the larger balcony rooms if you can - inside state rooms suck. We had to take this one because we booked so late and there were only 6 cabins left.