For our first cruise back after cruise shut-down, this was excellent! We loved sailing on Explorer, and would sail on her again. We made all of our port stops, and enjoyed each port. As long as we could keep track of the protocols on the ship and the different protocols on each island, we were fine. The itinerary was wonderful, and the ship & crew were just what we needed after not cruising for 617 days.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Could not have asked for a quicker, low-stress embarkation that what we experienced for this cruise. We arrived at 12:25 for a 1:00 check-in time, and were prepared with paperwork (boarding pass, passports, negative Covid test results, and vaccination card). We were through the entire process and on the ship in less than 10 minutes. Smooth, fast, and with a smiling face behind a mask at each step!
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
We ate in the main dining room every night (delicious) and loved our wait staff. We ate at Cafe Promenade only once, but it was delicious as well and so convenient! The buffet was hit or miss, but we could always count on finding something to our liking at breakfast and lunch.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
I gave this only 4 stars because the pools were fine and we didn't use anything else.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Stage shows were ok, but we enjoyed the ice show the most. It was a DO NOT MISS in my book! Due to Covid protocols, however, the vaccinated guests did NOT get the best seat choice, which was strange. The best seats (front and center) were for families with unvaccinated children.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
From stateroom attendant to wait staff to guest services personnel, we had nothing but friendly and helpful service the entire cruise.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Layout of this ship was easy to navigate, cleanliness was top notch, and decor in main areas was just plain stunning!
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Spacious balcony cabin with more storage than we even used. Shower was small but the shower head could move and be removed. That helped a lot! Very clean, and the balcony had an average amount of space. The fridge was only a cooler, not a true refrigerator. Hair dryer worked great, and the bed was very comfortable. Pillows were king size in length, which we loved.
Ship tip
There's a small area on Deck 7 with windows that allow you to peek into the bridge and watch the captain and crew do their thing. Also, this ship had a helipad, which is such a great place for sail in and sail away!
We did not tour San Juan, as we arrived late afternoon the day before the cruise. We stayed at the Sheraton San Juan Hotel and Casino, and were able to easily walk to the T-Mobile District for dinner and some entertainment. At that time we were not allowed into any shops or restaurants without proof of Covid vaccination.
Such a beautiful island, and we find something fun to do on each visit. This time we took the water taxi at Crown Bay Marina and headed over to Water Island where we spent several hours at Honeymoon Beach. Nice and relaxing first port day!
One of the highlights of our cruise was the excursion we took on St. Croix. We did a snorkeling tour, which included an opportunity to snorkel in a marine reserve. That was the most incredible variety of fish we saw this trip. The only downfall was how rushed we were buy the snorkel guide. We didn't get to linger in any one spot on the "trail" of the marine reserve. I'd love to go back and stay there much longer!
Reserved an ATV tour through Johnny's ATV Rental and got really lucky! Even with 6 ships in port, we were the only two people signed up for the tour. A very private tour by Johnny made this one of the best experiences of the entire cruise. Johnny is a great guy, and took us on a memorable tour of St. Maarten/St. Martin.
This was by far the most strict island as far as Covid protocols. We were given a white St. Lucia wristband to wear on the island before we even got off the ship. We had to book an excursion through RC, so we went straight to our meeting point on the pier. On the way to the meeting point, we were guided to and through a tent where we had to sanitize our hands and get temperature taken. Once gathered at the meeting point, we walked directly to the catamaran for our excursion. The two beaches we visited were very average, and one had so many vendors in kayaks bothering us during our time in the water that it made us want to hop back onto the catamaran way before our time was up. The run punch on the return trip was the BEST!
Took another catamaran cruise through RC for Barbados, and really enjoyed it. We snorkeled a ton, and even though it was crowded in the water with our large tour group, we still enjoyed the excursion. The food provided on this catamaran was excellent.
We had to choose either a government-approved tour (take your chance once you dock) or a tour through RC for this island. We chose a simple 2-hour tour of the island, which was better than I expected. It gave a good overview of St. Kitts.
Disembarkation was different than ones in the past. We stayed in our cabin until we heard the announcement and/or say our debarkation number on the tv. At that time, we headed off the ship and retrieved our luggage in the terminal. We were asked a couple of questions in order to pass through customs, but it was a smooth and fairly quick process.
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