Okay, here is my attempt to review what to me and my DH was the best cruise of the three we have taken so far. The observations are only mine based on what we did and what was listed in the Cruise Compass for each day. There were some tings that we did not do (who can do everything) and I will try to indicate that.

Okay, for those that find this important, as stated in earlier comments on our thread, there were three forma nights. As usual, they were on the first full day at sea which is the same night as the Captains Reception in the Promenade (day 2) and the next to last night at sea (day 11). There was a third formal the night we left Dominica (day 6). They made a mistake in the Compass that day by announcing it as Smart Casual but placed signs in the Elevator lobby on deck 1 as we returned to see that it was really a formal. In the Compass for that same day they did show Formal Pictures Opportunities.

The list of dress was:
Day 1 - Casual
Day 2 - Formal
Day 3 - Casual
Day 4 - Casual or Caribbean
Day 5 - Smart Casual
Day 6 - Formal
Day 7 - Smart Casual
Day 8 - Smart Casual
Day 9 - Casual
Day 10 - Casual or 70's
Day 11 - Formal
Day 12 - Dirty Casual (they even suggested to wear your national colors)

Next was the entertainment. We did not go to every show but for the most part, the ones we did see were great. They do have some of the same shows and in the Palace Theater, most of the production shows are the same except for the addition of a new show – Invitation to Dance (I will explain later).

List of Entertainment:

Day 1 - Comedian Robbie Printz (not too bad)
Day 2 - "Wild, Cool & Swingin'" (did not see it) & Late Night Comedy with Robbie Printz (did not go)
Day 3 - Greg Bonham (finally saw him after three cruises and he was very good)
Day 4 - Billy Fellows (did not go – he seems to be on every cruise)
Day 5 - Judy Kolba (did not go)
Day 6 - "Vibeology" (did not go)
Day 7 - Love & Marriage Game Show (did not go but watched it on TV and as usual very funny)
Day 8 - Hal Frazier (what a fantastic voice – at times sounded like Nat King Cole and even Johnny Mathis)
Day 9 - Fast Forward (same as before but still good)
Day 10 - Sounds of the Temptations (Fantastic. I do not think they will be there for 12/2)
Day 11 - Invitation to Dance (new production show choreographed by Louis Van Amstel from "Dancing With The Stars" Very good show. Additional comments later)
Day 12 - Farwell Show - Comedy of Jim Colliton and some guy balancing plates on sticks (HO HUM). Allan's Top Ten Dumb Questions was the highlight of the show.

Specialty Shows

Day 3 - "Spirits of the Seasons" Ice Show (best I have seen on a cruise and was shown 5 times during the cruise) and Invitation To Dance (Studio B - preliminary competition show for the cruise guests. Professional dance teams judge and choose 4 couples to perform in the final production show on Day 11. The winners get professional training for the next week, make up, etc)

Day 4 - Under The Stars pool party and buffet starting at 11:30 on Deck 11

Day 5 Battle of the Sexes in Studio B (did not go but I am sure the women won again as usual)

Day 10 The Quest in Studio B (I will not divulge details for those that have not seen it. Those that have, know what it is. Allan Brooks is in top form in this show)


Okay now for the good and bad of the rest

The Explorer of the Seas

Good - She is still as beautiful as I remember from last year. Much to see and do. Take it all in

Bad - She does have some wear that is very evident. There is rust in some locations that is quite visible but not excessive. Many of the wooden rails need to be refinished.

I understand she did take a beating from Noel but she is still beautiful.


Cabin - We were in 7326 and it was very comfortable.
Good - New rugs and bedding (real plush and comfortable)
Bad - We did not find our Cabin Steward (Rene) until day 2 as he did not introduce himself when we arrived. We barely saw him during the cruise and had to leave the tip for him in the room at the end since we could not find him.

Dining Room - Food is not 5 star and there will be some meals that some may not like but there are always the standard stand-bys to order or even ask of special meals and see if it can be done. One of our table mates wanted Salmon that wass not on the menu and got it every night he asked. The Salmon was execellent. We did not eat in the main dining room two nights as we went to Portofinos (review below). I will also consider going to the Dining room more for lunch as you get a control portion instead of the open buffet. This trip was the first time I did this.

Good - Definitely order the Osso Bucco, the Vadalia Onion Tart and most of the soups I got (hot) were excellent.

Bad - Lamb Shank (almost no meat on it) and the Chicken Masala (not what you would expect). Also they did run out of some food items but restocked in San Juan.


The themes in the dining room were:
Day 1 - Bon Voyage
Day 2 - Captain&'s Gala
Day 3 - Get Out There
Day 4 - Venetian Feast
Day 5 - Dinner 1 (I think this was one of the new dinners)
Day 6 - Crown & Anchor
Day 7 - Explorer
Day 8 - Marco Polo
Day 9 - Explorer (I do not remember that this was a repeat of Day 7)
Day 10 - Med 1 (Eastern) – New menu 2
Day 11 - Chef's Dinner
Day 12 - Thanksgiving (I think this cruise only)


Portofino's

We went there on the last two formal nights

Good - It is Portofino's Enough said
Bad - Too much tempting food and it can spoil you quickly.


Misc. Notes

Our Waiter was Julio from Chile and our Head Waitress was Wilma from Lithuania. If you manage to get either one of them, consider yourself fortunate. They were both superb and the best we have had.

The cruise did have some issues with lack of food items. We are not sure why, but they ran out of grapefruit sections for breakfast as well as the figs. They also ran out of English Breakfast Tea and some brands of champagne. It was expected that there would be some issues as this was the first trip of this length and they did their best to restock as soon as possible. They did acknowledge that there are some areas that will have to be "tweaked" before 12/2.

It was disappointing to arrive in St Maarten as late as we did but we made do with the time. Others did not feel the same way.

The miniature golf course was in bad shape and will need some work. This was probably because of Noel.

The Champagne Drink Package is a nice touch. It is less than $50 for 10 drinks (base price) then the 15% gratuity is added on. One hint, buy this card if you want after you are out to sea. Then you do not have to pay the additional tax like I did while you are docked in Bayonne.

The Scenic Rail Tour in St Kitts is definitely a good take. It is a beautiful island and the train takes you through some beautiful vistas. Make sure you wave to everyone you see as they will wave back. The people along the rail route were very friendly and had wonderful smiles for us, including the children.

In Dominica I was informed that some who took the tours up into the mountains had some interesting rides since the roads are narrow and on the edge of the mountain but they did say that the views and the sites were magnificent.

The ports were busy while we were there. We had the Carnival Glory and Caribbean Princess in St Maarten, C. Columbus in Antigua, a Seaborn ship and a 5 mast schooner in Barbados (we found out later that the schooner was quarantined in port and now body was allowed off or on), The Carnival Destiny, Celebrity Constellation and the Crown Princess in St Thomas and as we left San Juan, we passed the Freedom of the Seas on her way into the port.

Be prepared for cool weather possibly into mid day of the 2nd day at sea and the last full day at sea on the way home.

The ship changes its clocks ahead 1 hour the night of the Captains Gala when you go to bed to be on Atlantic Standard time with the islands and changes it back 1 hour on Day 11 on the way home.

The pools are not heated except for the hot tubs so they are "closed" for the first and last sea days. By day 3 they start warming up to about 70 and then by day 4 you get them closer to 80.6 which is the temperature they always report in the islands.

For those that do not know this, you can give your sea pass card to the photographers and they will swipe it to make your pictures attach to an online account that you can view at kiosks as well as the printed versions. Other photos will "magically" appear in your online account as they use a face recognition software to mach the face with the account. We took a picture with 4 couples and the picture correctly appeared in every account including the one that was swiped.

Embarkation was a bit hectic. We arrived around 12:30 and it was already crowded and did not get on board until about 1:30. Debarkation was smooth. We were released at 10:00 and we were at out car by 10:30 including getting our luggage, clearing customs and walking to the car. Luggage was at or cabin before the early seating on the first night and was taken almost as soon as we put it in the corridor on the last night. When we went to claim them, they were where they were suppose to be and we fond them immediately.

All in all, this was a fantastic cruise. Yes there are problems that crop up, but if you keep an open mind and go with the flow, you can have a wonderful cruise as well.


I hope to be able to add some photos to this review before the end of the week.