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Health & Fitness

Can I Tell You About My Cruise?

I just returned from my first cruise. I have friends that have gone and come back glowing from all the rest and wonderful food they had. Let me tell you about my experience.

I just returned from my first cruise. I have friends that have gone and come back glowing from all the rest and wonderful food they had. Let me tell you about my experience.

Getting There

First, while you can use the various cruise line websites to book a trip—it’s easier to use an agent. I didn’t know anything about cruise ships and our room location could not have been better. I went with Ann Marchese  (ann@powertravel.net)  who specializes in cruises. She kept me updated when the price went down on our already booked trip and we were issued credits.

We were excited to leave from Cape Liberty (Bayonne NJ). We were all psyched about not having a flight involved; both for cost and hassle factor. It took about 90 minutes for us to get there from Long Island. We could see the ship, Explorer of the Seas, when we crossed the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. (Incidentally, we learned they cannot have a ship any larger or it won’t fit under the bridge.) My kids had no idea how large the ship would be. All they could imagine is that it might be slightly larger than the Port Jefferson Ferry.

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Boarding the Ship

We arrived early because everything I read said to “get there early and avoid crowds.” They were right. It was worth it. We arrived at the port and fairly quickly moved through the security checks. After, we were instructed to wait until we were called to ride the bus to the ship. It was a very short wait and the kids enjoyed the free lemonade and cookies. The bus ride to the ship is about 300 feet but you’re not allowed to walk. Once you arrive at the ship you’re greeted warmly by all the staff. They give you a sail pass card (like a hotel key) and take your photo. Every time you board or disembark they make sure the photo matches the card.

The problem with getting there early was that you’re not allowed to your stateroom until 1:30. They take this seriously. They have people watching the hall doors and you can’t even sneak a peek (I tried it—trust me). So we walked around with our carry-on bags and heavy winter coats for a couple hours.  The restaurant opened for lunch shortly after we boarded so we went and got a bite. Pretty soon though, we wanted to check the ship out. Still, it was annoying to do with all our crap in tow. At exactly 1:30pm, they opened the doors and we went to our staterooms.

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Staterooms

Now, I knew they wouldn’t be as big as a nice hotel room would be—but they’re really small. Seriously. You cannot open a closet door and bathroom door at the same time. It reminds me a lot of being in an RV. Super compact space where beds pull down from ceilings and sofas turn into tables at the flip of a switch.

We had to have two rooms because you’re not allowed five in one room. Now that I saw the room; I couldn’t imagine sharing it with my kids. Our rooms were both balcony rooms that were joined by a door.  I have to be honest, it did make me a little anxious that the kids had a balcony too. Some people had suggested an inside stateroom for the kids and us on the outside. No way. Maybe if they were older—but not at six, eight, and 13 years old.

Activities for the Kids

In my opinion, this was the best part of the cruise. They have a program called Adventure Ocean. Depending on age, kids go to their programs (morning, afternoon, and evening sessions) which is included in the ginormous price you paid for the cruise. The counselors all have degrees in psychology, education, and background in running programs for kids. This was not babysitting. This was like the best summer camp EVER. They were fun. They did experiments. They played games. They went on scavenger hunts. They took tours of the ship and came back telling ME about rooms I didn’t know about. They performed shows for the ship on the main promenade. It was awesome. My daughter would literally RUN to the program’s door everyday. In addition, you could sign them up for a special dinner option. They would get their food right away and then they would be picked up by the counselors at the front of the restaurant and brought to Adventure Ocean and my husband and I could enjoy our meal without listening to whining about whose feet were touching whose. (Also, that was included. No extra charge). There were a couple of surprise days where they were invited to lunch together or dinner and they went to Johnny Rockets. This restaurant has a surcharge normally but not when they went with Adventure Ocean. Did I tell you yet that it was awesome?

As for my teen—I saw him when we boarded and every night when he returned from the teen center around midnight and sometimes 1 a.m. They had programs back-to-back all day long. It was so great to have my teen meeting other kids his age, from all over the world, and having a gang of friends right off the bat. They also had dinner together several nights. Had I known this in advance, I would not have packed so many dress clothes for him since he ate dinner with us only one night. They had pretty good security on the teen center. They stopped my husband when he tried to go in there to tell my teen it was time to come back to the room.

Activities in General

Our ship had a giant rock wall, ice skating rink, rollerblading area, mini golf, basketball courts, 8 hot tubs, 3 large pools, and multiple bars and casinos. We happened to have mostly crap weather—so being outdoors (which is what we wanted) was sometimes painful from the brutal wind and cold temps. We are not into casinos and we don’t want to sit in a bar and drink the day away. The weather did not stop my kids from conquering the rock wall though. Even my little peanut got all the way to the top (complete with a cheering crowd).

My youngest also participated in many onboard shows (below she is in talent show and telling jokes).

Dining

One thing you always hear about with cruises is all the food. It’s true. There’s a lot of it. You can eat 24 hours a day. Some of it is good and some of it is “eh.”  Our dinners were not buffet—they were in a dining room with a waiter and assistant waiter. We also had a head waiter. The food was just OK. Every steak I ordered was tough. I ordered pork medallions one night and they were really dry and overcooked. The wait staff was very nice and polite but they were not what you’d find in a fine restaurant. Our glasses were frequently empty and sometimes we all had menus and sometimes we didn’t. It was very hit or miss. There is a fancier restaurant you could go to but it had a surcharge (I think about 25/person) and I wasn’t convinced it would be that much better given the regular restaurant. Plus, I already spent a bundle—why should I spend more?

A few different nights the wait staff (and there’s a LOT of them) would march through the whole dining room clapping. They called it a parade. They said they were doing it for us. I have no idea why they did this. It was one step away from the annoying happy birthday songs at any of your Chilis, Applebees, or TGIFriday chains. In my opinion: Royal Caribbean, nix the dining room parades.

If you order a bottle of wine they mark it as yours and cork it for another night if you don’t finish it—which is cool. On the second night my husband went to drink his wine and noticed a small bug doing the backstroke in his glass. He pointed it out to the waiter and he said he’d replace the glass. He assured my husband the bug was from the glass and not the bottle. How did he know that? I think they should have replaced the bottle.

Guest Services

There is always a huge freakin’ line at Guest Services. I’m thinking it’s because they never answer their damned phone.  I have to be honest—that was really REALLY annoying.  I hated that they didn’t answer the phone and I hated that I had to wait in giant line (for at least 20 minutes sometimes) just to ask a question. If you asked anyone on the floor about an issue they would automatically say, “you need to go to guest services.”  Not for nuthin’-- Disney would never do that. Any employee at Disney would help you find the answer. They never push you to someone else or say, “that’s not my department.”

Weather

Unfortunately, just because you’re going to the Bahamas doesn’t mean you’ll have nice weather. The first two days we traveled were REALLY cold. NY was cold and add an Ocean breeze and you will be staying indoors. Which, on a cruise, doesn’t work for me. The only adult activity that is indoors is drinking or casino, so that kind of sucked. My kids had a lot of fun and me and the husband were actually pretty bored. Had the weather been nicer, we could have sat in the Solarium (adult only pool/spa area) and relaxed. There were very few indoor spaces to sit and relax too.  Once we arrived in the Bahamas we found out that late in the evening we were expecting some pretty rough weather. They tied down the ship with extra ropes. A Carnival ship actually had significant damage when their ropes snapped and got tangled in their propellers. The ship crashed into the pier and caused damage to both the pier and ship. We were unable to go to our next port of call and stayed in Nassau. I had imagined Nassau would be nicer for some reason. We took the kids to the public beach. I was very uncomfortable there—constantly swarmed asking if I wanted my girl’s hair braided (that would be total punishment in my girl’s eyes!). Did I want a lounge chair. And then a 6 year old boy asked me if I wanted a drink—a Bahama mama. The wave runners were zipping right past swimmers.  We didn’t stay long.

Because of the lousy weather, all the excursions we had booked (like snorkeling and kayaking) were cancelled. I did manage to score a couple of tickets to the Atlantis Aquarium for my daughter and I. It was the biggest aquarium I have ever seen. Really impressive.

The Skinny on Tips

At the end of the week they lay out a chart of how much you should tip. It’s a lot. They have you tip the waiter, head waiter, and assistant waiter as well as your stateroom attendant.  Not that I wouldn’t tip these people anyway, but, my chart said I should tip 12/day per person in our party. We are a party of five. We stayed seven nights. Can you figure that out in your head or do you want me to do the math? That’s about $420. I did not like the idea of tipping the head waiter (who does NOTHING but come by your table once or twice in the week and smiles asking you how you are doing). If she is a manager/boss, she should not be tipped. Do you tip the owner of a restaurant? The owner of a beauty salon? Never.  To be honest, the one group I felt deserved a tip were the counselors who had my kids all week. I did tip them even though they were not included. (I tipped the others—but I just grumbled about it more).

I will say though—it appears that these people never sleep. They work all day long. I mean, ALL DAY LONG. It’s incredible.

Shows

They had shows pretty much every night. We didn’t get tickets to the ice show and I heard it was good. It’s first come, first served on tickets and I’m too much of a brat to wait on a long line for tickets. We did go to the other shows that were in the large theater and they were really very good.  They were always at 9 and the kids needed to be picked up at 10. Husband and I would go to a show and watch it in peace. It was pretty nice that way.

Would I Cruise Again?

I think mainly the weather ruined our trip and so I don’t think it’s totally fair for me to judge it because of how things went. (No, I wouldn't) I especially hated the ship rocking from side to side and front to back. It rocked so much they drained the pools. Can you imagine the force of the ocean rocking a ship this large? (Totally not doing another cruise) In our staterooms you could hear the hangers banging in the closets and the ship would make the most bizarre noises and shakes.  The walls and windows would creak from the wind outside. My two youngest kids were very upset when the weather was at its worst. When all that’s going on I just dare ya not to think of The Perfect Storm. (Definitely not doing another)

I hated being so isolated. I hated that I couldn’t get on the internet (without paying insane fees) or text my family on the ship. We had “lost” my middle son (who is eight) for a short period and it was really difficult to try and find him without being able to communicate. (I was about two minutes from hysterical blindness during this ordeal).  I found out later that Max had gone to the room to find us. The stateroom attendant did not let him in the room and told him to go to guest services. Now, my son is eight years old. Our room was on deck 10 forward and the guest services desk was deck five aft. Most adults took a week to master getting around the ship. It was a lot to ask of an eight-year-old on the first day of sailing. In my opinion the stateroom attendant should have called down to guest services or brought Max there. Luckily, Max wandered back and forth on deck five and I happened to see him. I had nightmares for the rest of the week.

Honestly I just don’t know if I would do it again (Yes, I do, and the answer is NO). It will be a while before I book another (it's never going to happen). I would do it differently. I would only travel in Spring so I could be more sure of better weather and I’d go farther south than the Bahamas (if I was going to do it but I'm not, so there you have it.)

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