Done my cruise trip report...

[Timon]

For those of you who wanted to read my thoughts about RCCL Explorer of the Seas and my comparisons to DCL, my trip report is up and ready now!

Click on cassworld below then Trip Reports

 

[SplshMtn99]

Hi Cass, I started reading some of your trip last night. Actually started with the end & worked backwards (BC Villas, then Swan, then cruise...)

Before I knew it, it was midnight. LOL It's a great read...I'll finish up this weekend hopefully.

Must of been my night for reading trip reports because I FINALLY finished reading Delswife's "47 part report" too.

Oh, BTW, your camera takes great pictures.

 

[saturday97]

Hooray! Now get your scrapbooks done and posted-- we love 'em! (No pressure, right?? )

 

[OurDogCisco]

Cass, thanks so much for sharing... I never noticed you had a trip report section before. Now, I'll have to go back and read them all.

So, how did Labadee compare to Castaway. If you can compare the two. We've been on one RCCL in the Mexican Riviera and we had a lot fun.

Tina

 

[Timon]

Thanks for replying Splsh! Yeah, I know, there's a lot of reading and I just started my WDW part of the trip report last night so there's still more to come!

saturday97,
LOL It's actually gonna be awhile before I even start to scrap this trip

I have been really sick since I have been home, I am on antibiotics now and heavy duty cough syrup. Would you believe that I even passed the virus back to Rob and he has developed Bronchitis! My poor sweetie

I still want to finish all my web stuff and get that over and done with then I still gotta go through all my pics and decide on my layouts then I gotta get them all printed somewhere and I still have to do some serious restocking of my cardstock and because we were gone for 3 weeks and I have missed 4 days of work since we've been back, cash is a little tight right now.

I can't even imagine that I will even start my SB until December maybe even January but I promise, as soon as I get a few layouts done, I will post them!

 

[Timon]

Tina,

LOL!!! Yeah, there's a bit of reading in my trip reports sections LOL, I think Splsh has been trying to tackle just the new stuff and she's pooped

Labadee was nice. It was much smaller than I expected, there are only 3 main beaches that you could go to and the big one has very big waves and riptides so I wouldn't recommend it for kids. The other two weren't very big, and very crowded because of that!

It's so not in Castaway Cay's league but I guess it made for a decent beach day. I LOVE the fact that CC has Serenity Bay, it was SO quiet and the sand was incredibly soft whereas it was quite a bit coarser at Labadee. The water at CC was also amazing to us. You could see your feet even if you went really far out, the water at Labadee was murky and there were places that the bottom would just fall out in spots, both Rob and I fell in the same place where it's about 3 times deeper than you think it is and you can't see the bottom.

The waverunner was a nice plus to have, but I would have to say the food was terrible. There were hamburgers, hot dogs, spicy spicy chicken, a seafood salad, some weird looking potato salad and a few other small things that didn't look very appetizing.

I don't know, I am sure lots of people loved it but it really felt as if I was intruding. It was right next to Labadee Village and you can see all of them on their teeny boats trying to catch some fish so they can eat. There was also a market run by locals but I walked by and wasn't interested in people pushing me around and bothering me (I've heard some stories boy!)

With CC, I felt like I was truly on a Island Paradise! Nothing but gorgeous sand, surf and just the people on the ship. (which I didn't even see cus I was at SB)

If I ever did go back to Labadee someday, I might do try the waverunner for myself and then I would go back on the ship to be honest.

 

[saturday97]

Timon, I can relate! I haven't even started our May trip yet! Digital photos seem to make the whole process take alot longer. I have to decide which ones I want, throw them in Photoshop to adjust colors, balance, red eye, etc., then have them printed... it takes forever because we take SOOOO many photos-- 400 on our last trip! Aaaagh! So instead of doing my own album, I surf on over to your site!! Hee hee! I don't get much done! But I'm determined to finish before our next cruise in May (yeah, right!).

 

[OurDogCisco]

But I'm determined to finish before our next cruise in May (yeah, right!). [/B]

Hey, I just noticed that you'll be on the cruise the week before us. Luckily, we did a 3 day before so, I don't have as much to scrap plus I wasn't into scrapbooking back so, I didn't take a ton of photos. Now, I take a picture of everything and my family thinks I am nuts. But I think, digital gives you that luxury.

Tina

 

[Timon]

LOL Tina! Yeah, it does take longer with digital! I am sure you will get your May trip done before your next trip! We're all rooting for ya!

Just to give you an idea of what I gotta do...I took over 2500 photos on this trip

 

[NCRedding]

Thanks so much for the link. I love going to your webpages and seeing all your scrapbooks and trip reports. I know exactly how you feel about RCCL--we tried them on our Alaskan cruise--which was great--but we had some of the same service issues that you did--particularly in embarkation and disembarkation. Guest services seemed to be partilcularly bad. Our wait staff the first night had very poor english skills. We had to change table due to a computer glitch on the part of RCCL, our wait staff was much better. I came off the ship saying that I was just going to save my money for DCL.

 

[SplshMtn99]

Originally posted by Timon
I took over 2500 photos on this trip

OMG! Can you imagine how many it would have been if you guys HADN'T gotten sick?! LOL

I've finished reading what you've gotten posted so far. (I think.)
Laughing at your waverunner experience. Yes, I enjoy our jetski alot more when I take it out by myself. I'm always so afraid of falling off the back if I sit behind Scott....because I KNOW I can't haul my big butt out of the water to get back on. So when I go alone....I just make sure I don't fall off. LOL

 

[Timon]

Splsh,

LOL Yeah, actually I was thinking the whole time how many I would take if we were on the Magic
I didn't really take that many photos of the Explorer but I know I would have taken more had we been sailing the Magic or Wonder!

Yeah, the waverunner was quite the experience! I kept thinking of falling off and not getting my big rear end back on too! Next time Rob can go as fast as he wants, I won't be behind him LOL!

 

[saturday97]

Holy Cow!! 2500?? No wonder it will take a while! You may have to quit your job and become a full time scrapper!

 

[saturday97]

Tina, I have a problem being selective about photos I want to include in my scrapbooks, so while I love the freedom to take more shots I just end up making myself more confused when it's time to scrap. Sounds like you'll be on the Western-- that's what we did last year and it was fantastic! We got great photos of swimming with the stingrays at Grand Cayman!

 

[Timon]

saturday97,

Ooohh I WISH!

 

[saturday97]

Timon, I think I can safely say that WE ALL wish for that!! Hee hee!

 

[kellyb2000]

Cass - I can't believe your trip! This is so crazy but I am in the middle of planning our next cruise and thought "let's try something besides Disney" We've been on the Wonder twice and actually are booked to go on the Magic next Sept. (already had it booked before our last trip on the Wonder) but since my husband isn't as big a Disney person as I am, I wondered if we should try something else. So what am I thinking about - RCCL!!!! I, like you, have nothing to compare to except Disney and I have always said I was scared to try anything else, only because Disney was so wonderful!!! We were thinking of the Mariner of the Seas (a balcony would only be $200 more than what we're paying for Disney) but now I'm just not too sure!!! You know you said that RCCL couldn't help the rude, obnoxious people but on Disney, I think, people come on board with that "disney attitude" so they can help that problem! I think I might try to convince my husband that we can go one more time!

Just out of curiosity- what did you think of the salt water pools on RCCL?

 

[Timon]

Kellyb2000,

Don't let my trip report sway your decision. I am sure there are tons of people on my same ship that had a great time. I think it has a LOT to do with the fact that we left out of Miami. I seriously have never seen more rude people in one place EVER! I think leaving out of Port canaveral will make a difference and maybe there will be more Disneylike people since it's close to WDW.

If I ever sail again with RCCL, it will be the Mariner. Never going to Miami again! My brother is on the Mariner right now...somewhere in sunny Nassau today and I'll be asking him about his experience but he has never cruised before so DCL hasn't spoiled him yet like it has us

I think it also had a big impact that we did not get along with our tablemates too! It was such a different story on the Magic, met two great ladies and one of them turned out to be a DISer! One of the biggest things we looked forward to on the Magic was going to dinner every night so we didn't have that experience on the Explorer.