Last minute trip to Alaska on Explorer of the Seas and lots of questions

[KCarr2000]

I like to plan ahead for my trips, hence why I am on the Disboards, but circumstances came up allowing me and a friend to go on a last minute cruise with less than a month to plan. I have lots of questions, so you'll probably be seeing me on here a lot.

First, it's been 30 years since I went on a cruise, so I don't really know what to expect this time as it seems a lot has changed. Additionally, it seems very hard to find information on the RCI website.

1. Is there a fitness center on board that is included in the base price of the cruise? What about yoga classes?
2. I understand that you can take two bottles of wine on board. There are two basic sizes of wine, are the larger ones okay or do they need to be the smaller ones?
3. One of us is considering the drink package. I understand that you cannot use room service with this. Can you buy a drink though and take it to your room or do you need to drink it before leaving the venue where you got it?
4. I assume you can get water (not bottled at stations around the ship), as well as iced tea and standard coffee - is that correct? What about hot tea? I guess we could bring our own tea bags if hot water is available. If that is correct, can you fill up a travel mug or water bottle with iced tea/coffee and take it to your room?
5. I haven't seen anything on schedules for shows and from what I remember of my trip 30 years ago, they didn't really publish that until you were on the ship. Is that correct?

Thanks for any help you can give. I'm sure I'll think of more questions in the coming days.

 

[bumbershoot]

There should be a basic fitness center onboard.

If there is yoga it will be an extra cost. I would estimate $14 per class. (I took a class on Vision and it was not good and not very worth it.)

750 ml bottles of wine. The standard size. Two per stateroom.

Drinks from room service aren't included in the package. But a drink gotten from anywhere else can be brought to your room.

Water is in windjammer and other restaurant areas. It's the same water that comes from your tap. I get the Evian package because my system cannot tolerate ship water. And getting the Replenish package doesn't make financial sense for me. Dh gets Replenish and has two mochas a day, a fresh squeezed OJ a day. Many 500 ml bottles of non-Evian spring water. Sometimes a bottle of sparkling water at dinner. And that works for him.

Iced tea, drip coffee, and plain tea bags are available, along with hot water. The hot tea with packages means Tazo tea bags.On freedom the included (with the fare, no package, just there at the tea station in WJ) tea bags just there for the taking were organic and there was a variety of flavors. Nice.

You might have to take the provided glasses of iced tea and pour them into your bottle. That's keeps anyone from touching the mouth of their bottle to a nozzle etc.

Not sure how shows work on explorer.

 

[KCarr2000]

Thanks Bumbershoot, I appreciate all of the answers. I am finding it very hard to navigate the RC website.

 

[bumbershoot]

Their website is awful.

cruisecritic.com's message boards are great, by the way.

 

[AquaDame]

I like to plan ahead for my trips, hence why I am on the Disboards, but circumstances came up allowing me and a friend to go on a last minute cruise with less than a month to plan. I have lots of questions, so you'll probably be seeing me on here a lot.

First, it's been 30 years since I went on a cruise, so I don't really know what to expect this time as it seems a lot has changed. Additionally, it seems very hard to find information on the RCI website.

1. Is there a fitness center on board that is included in the base price of the cruise? What about yoga classes?
2. I understand that you can take two bottles of wine on board. There are two basic sizes of wine, are the larger ones okay or do they need to be the smaller ones?
3. One of us is considering the drink package. I understand that you cannot use room service with this. Can you buy a drink though and take it to your room or do you need to drink it before leaving the venue where you got it?
4. I assume you can get water (not bottled at stations around the ship), as well as iced tea and standard coffee - is that correct? What about hot tea? I guess we could bring our own tea bags if hot water is available. If that is correct, can you fill up a travel mug or water bottle with iced tea/coffee and take it to your room?
5. I haven't seen anything on schedules for shows and from what I remember of my trip 30 years ago, they didn't really publish that until you were on the ship. Is that correct?

Thanks for any help you can give. I'm sure I'll think of more questions in the coming days.

We just got off the Radiance of the Seas on Friday after a northbound 7 night.

1) Yes, and we had yoga classes on our trip there. There was a fee, but I did not attend any of them so I don't remember... we just used the weights and machines. I can check our compass we brought home, but it may be different than your ship. I did find it odd that there was no water available in there - everyone brought their own water bottles.
2) Standard sized only, but I like the way you think!
3) You can take drinks from the venue, thankfully - especially since not every bar has the same items!
4) Yes, bartenders are more than happy to get you as much ice water as you like for free in addition to the drink stations. There was dark cocoa (not milk chocolate) available for us as well as several kinds of hot tea and hot coffee at the stations.
5) Correct, but you can find Compasses from the cruises so far this summer on cruisecritic.com - they should be very similar to what you will find onboard, through the entertainment will vary depending on who they booked for your specific cruise.

I hope you have a lovely time!

 

[puppytrainer]

I just sailed Explorer last month to Alaska. I won't reiterate what the others said as they were spot on with what they said. What I'll add is about the shows. You can not pre-book anything on Explorer. If you find old Cruise Compasses use them as a guide, but may not be exactly what will be on your sailing. I found a CC from early June and shows and movies we had were different. But it gave me a good guide as to what to expect.

If you have any other questions please let me know.