LynnS13

Thanks all....I am excited too and it is terrible, because now that I have had the "suite" life, I don't wanna go back...hahahaha! I LOVE concierge services and the special perks that come with this ie: free pressing for formal nights/ daily treats in the room/ the special seating on the pool deck comes in handy too.... After this one, told my hubby we can "downsize" to a grand suite....lol

We have been to Puerto Rico a couple of times. We love to go to Senor Frogs....it's a hoppin' place and it is literally right across from where the ship docks!! We have toured Old San Juan on our own and that was interesting......thinking I might want to do something else this time and catch Senor Frogs before boarding since we will be there til 10 or 11pm.....any suggestions?

I will be going to St Maarten as one of our ports of call and am interested in what "Rhino riding" is? Sounds interesting....lol.

It looks like this change will benefit me, as we tend to take longer cruises and stay in suites. You get double points when you stay in a suite!! Not sure if this includes Jr Suites or not....so did a 9-day last year and doing an 11-day next year= 40 points right there....

It will be interesting to see what they come out with next!!

I have planned my cruises around leaving out of a port that we could drive to (NYC/ Bayonne, NJ), just because I thought it would be easier not to have to rely on flying there. That 50 lb. weight limit is TOUGH, especially for the longer cruises (our next one is 11 days) LoL...yes, I am an overpacker...hahaha. THis also allows it to be more affordable to do the longer ones, too. I also look at the itinerary because we like to go to new places....don't mind repeat visits of some places, but always like that we will be visiting some new places too.

Yes Marylou, we r somewhat neighbors...lol. It is GREAT having not one, but two ports within 1.5 hours away :thumbup: and thanks for the welcome back.....

Thanks for the welcome back.....and I am sure I will be posting quite a bit on here....seems to be all part of the whole "book a cruise" protocol....LOL

Thanks for the welcome back....nice to see all of u again......

The Poconos are busier than ever due to the casino and water parks!! Thanks for the welcome back and I am soooo looking forward to our cruise

Thanks Rose...:) I would love to go on the New England/ Canada cruise, but will have to pass for this time due to the expense of our cruise 6 months after....Question: Do u need a passport for this cruise due to going to Canada? How does that work?

Hi All.... It's been awhile since I have been on the boards...however started to plan my next cruise and found my way back! I booked an 11-day Caribbean cruise for March 2012 on the Explorer of the Seas out of Cape Liberty. We did the 9-day one last year and can't wait for the 11-day one.... We have booked the Royal Family Suite again~~LOVED the perks and concierge service!! Glad to see some of the same folks on here and looking forward to the boards again~~ Lynn Poconos, PA

When we were on our last cruise on the Explorer of the Seas, we saw people turned away on formal night due to not having the proper attire for formal night and they were given the paper with examples of what was "required". They were in jeans and t-shirts. I think there is something to be said about formal night being formal/ semi-formal. When I booked our cruise we had 2 formal nights and I told my teens that I would like us to eat at least one formal meal together.....well, every night they ate in the MDR with us, wearing collared shirts/ slacks and on formal nights, suits. They loved it and it teaches them manners and what it is all about to get dressed up, take pride in urself, and enjoy a nice meal!! They are looking forward to going again and are already talking about the fact that they need some more dress shirts since we will be having 3 formal nights next cruise....

Yes, I felt ths pain while recently booking our upcoming cruise in March....for 5 people, 11-days, in the Royal Family Suite....Not too "suite"....lol. I had not realized that there was an increase, but when I booked MTD, she told me what the gratuities would be per person as they need to be pre-paid for MTD...

We sailed on the Explorer of the Seas and have another one booked for March. She is an older ship, however still VERY comfortable and elegant..... There was always PLENTY going on and most things were free!! I agree with the others, it depends alot on what ur itinerary is and what port u want to leave out of. We like to go out of Bayonne, NJ (Cape Liberty). It is about 1.5 hours from us and I don't have to worry about how much my luggage weighs....hahahaha. Hope this helps, Lynn

I found RCI to be fantastic with customer service......the staff is so polite, friendly,and attentive!! Nothing negative to say about this company....

We were on a 9-day RCI cruise and I found there to be a nice mix. My son and neice were teens and had a blast and I did not feel that the ship was overrun by kids. This was a cruise when the kids were still in school....I do believe the summer months would be busier! We went on Carnival in June and DEFINATELY more kids!!! I don't know if it was the time of the year, or that Carnival seems to be a better deal and more affordable for families?? We have another cruise planned for March 2012 again and I can't wait....:) Lynn

yes, the monkey thing seems to work the same way as ur experience with the falls pic.....Lynn

I have been doing some research on St Kitt's for our upcoming cruise and wanted to share this with u.....MANY people warn of the "monkey people". Supposedly, St Kitt's is big on monkeys to have ur pic taken with. From what I am hearing, be prepared because they will literally throw them on u,, or ask to use ur camera to take ur pic with them and then want to charge u like $20 or more! If you play with them, same thing....Just make sure that u discuss a price PRIOR to giving them ur camera or anything to avoid being scammed out of a ridiculous amount of $$....I am not going until March of 2012, so I will be anxious to hear about ur experience there....:) Lynn

booked the Royal Family Suite again....can't wait!!

A bucket of beer is 4 bottles of beer that come in a plastic bucket with ice in it...they are about $24 dollars....Alcoholic drinks run from about $6-10 because some are in souvenior glasses that u can keep. U also need to keep in mind that there is a 15 percent gratuity that gets tagged onto the price of ALL alcoholic beverages! These were prices on Royal, but I have sailed Carnival and they are all pretty much in the same ballpark. Enjoy ur cruise...:) Lynn

Welcome back kevin... Read your great review and we also had a pleasant and wonderful experience with RCI....was looking for ya, but guess we passed each other somewhere in the night...lol. Sorry about no mints on ur pillows...we had Gheradelli chocolates every night...yum yum. Don't know if that was because we were in the suite or not though...Sounds like u had a great time ( I enjoyed St Thomas too) We did the gondola ride to Point Pleasant, which had gorgeous views! And yes, we will sail Royal again, also! Lynn

Again, thanks for the welcome home and I am glad ur all enjoying the review ! Lynn

Again, thanks for the welcome home and I am glad ur all enjoying the review ! Lynn

A new Cruise Review is now available: Ship Name: Explorer Of The Seas Sailing date: 3/19/10 Author: LynnS13 View Review