1shipshape

Does anyone know when the Explorer of the Seas is next scheduled to be in dry dock? I've read lots of negatives about the shape its in and the poor dining experience recent cruisers are experiencing. Anyone on CruiseCrazies been on her within the last six months? I'm a bit concerned to book on her if I will entail a bad experience. I'm not real fond of LARGE ships. How does the embarkation and disembarkation work on her and is it frustrating or have they changed their procedures recently? How long does it take to get off? I know when we were on a LARGE ship over 3000 in Galveston it took us over four hours and we said "NEVER again!" Any comments will be much appreciated!

Does anyone know when the Explorer of the Seas is next scheduled to be in dry dock? I've read lots of negatives about the shape its in and the poor dining experience recent cruisers are experiencing. Anyone on CruiseCrazies been on her within the last six months? I'm a bit concerned to book on her if I will entail a bad experience. I'm not real fond of LARGE ships. How does the embarkation and disembarkation work on her and is it frustrating or have they changed their procedures recently? How long does it take to get off? I know when we were on a LARGE ship over 3000 in Galveston it took us over four hours and we said "NEVER again!" Any comments will be much appreciated!

Do we have any special rates for this cruise? group rates or??? I usually use one company on the internet. They are having a sale on RCCL thru tomorrow on all 2011 May to Dec. cruises. Checked prices yesterday. Balcony starts around $1k for the 9 days. Haven't used RCCL in a number of years. Had to hunt down my member number, username and password. We'll give them a call today and see what they have to offer.

Enjoy your cruise. You're right about the Balcony. It is very difficult to give it up once you try it. I love to just read and sit outside and enjoy coming into each port while out on my Balcony. I would love to try a Suite someday. Maybe if I win the Lottery tonight!

Heard that many people really enjoyed the Mercury. Hopefully will have a great ship to replace it.

We did the Conquest last year. In Jamaica, we did the "Plantation" excursion and it was great. You get to see all the native plants, trees, fruit (did you know there are over 17 varieties of pineapples???). Since it was about an hour ride on the bus from the ship, you got to see a lot of the "real" Jamaica. In the Cayman Islands, we took one of the snorkeling boats out to the reef and it was GREAT! Cozumel, we did a bike and snorkel excursion.... that is the only one we would not do again. Also, don't eat at the mexican restaurant on the pier right off the ship. A big rip off!

We've done early, late, and anytime. So far our favorite is "Any Time" so we can just "go with the flow" every day. We try to go quite early and avoid any crowds or reservation problems. Has worked for us!

Nope, have never seen nor heard of it either. Be careful.

Enjoy every minute and will look for your review upon your return!

WOW! Variety is the spice of life. We have tried Carnival a couple times. Last year on the Conquest had a horrendous experience and we're not too thrilled to try again any time soon. Twice with RCCL.. Alaska was "the Bomb"! Took HAL last fall and totally fell in love. Doing the Nieuw Amsterdam in November from FLL. Would like to try Celebrity and Princess if the ports are ones we are interested in.... such as Canada/New England. Want to do 2 stops in Maine if possible. I love to cruise and could do it every month if I had the time and money. Not enough vacation time right now plus our salaries have dropped and we are forced to furlough 6 days. So, I will enjoy every cruising minute!

Yup, for us we try to get to the terminal around 11:30 or so and get through the registration, pics, etc. Had a real smooth quick entry last time on HAL in Vancouver. We'll see how it goes on FLL in November on board the Nieuw Amsterdam. We enjoy getting lunch and checking out the ship and all the nooks and crannies. We like to tour the spa area and check out any specials. We're just glad to get on board and start our vacation. We like to get to the cruise city the day before to avoid any flight problems. We also like to shop for a few bottles of wine to take on board to celebrate!

We signed up for some pampering while aboard the Nieuw Amsterdam in November. We are looking forward to it. We have booked a balcony cabin on Deck 7 and it should be enjoyable. I miss HAL not playing the "waves" music any more on their website. 1shipshape

We took our first HAL last fall, the Zaandam, and totally fell in love! We have done Carnival and RCCL and HAL totally gets the prize. Smaller ships, better embarkation and disembark experiences, service was better, food was better, room was better... Have I left anything out? We're booked on the Nieuw Amsterdam on November 7th to the Eastern Caribbean and can't wait to get aboard. We are in our 50s and tired of the crowds and the kids so this works perfect for us. 1shipshape

My DH and I will be sailing on the Nieuw Amsterdam from Ft. Lauderdale on November 7th. Very excited! Our 2nd HAL cruise. Took the Zaandam last year and totally loved it. Hope I will see others who will be sailing on that date. Should be a lovely ship! 1shipshape