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Royal Caribbean International
Review with photographs - Explorer leave NJ for the last time
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<blockquote data-quote="Cruizer" data-source="post: 1661431" data-attributes="member: 18088"><p><img src="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b103/ZefH/RC%20Explorer/CI_zpsde40a128.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p><strong>November 4, 2014 – Day at sea</strong></p><p></p><p>I woke up to skyless cloud. The Cruise Compass said it would be partly cloudy with chances of rain. Well, the only part that is not cloudy is the ocean. Yuck! However, I did open my balcony door and it is noticeably warmer. So the ship did not make a “U†turn during the night and head back to New York. </p><p></p><p>Nothing much happening today, so I head up to the Windjammer for breakfast. No reason to bring breakfast back down to my balcony, so I eat in the Windjammer and then try to get some good video of the thing (I don’t know what to call it) in the Viking Crown Lounge. The “thing†is one of those motorized things that brings balls up to the top and drops the balls down a track. The golf balls come to gates and go in whichever direction the gate directs the golf balls. From there the balls either ring bells, do loop-de-loops, bounce into a basket, or gather until the weight of the balls causes the bucket to spill. It is kind of mesmerizing, but very difficult to record on video. </p><p></p><p>Given the weather conditions, I decide to take a few more pictures of the Royal Promenade and then head back to my cabin to upload the pictures and bring this up-to-date. </p><p></p><p>At the Captain’s noon time status report he apologized for the weather, then blamed it on the National Weather Service. He assured us that we are heading in the right direction as the weather we are having today is basically the same as we had in New Jersey, except that it is warmer. It is about 72 degrees and it is expected to get up to 84 degrees tomorrow. We should also expect partly cloudy skies with scattered rain showers. The Captain reminded us that partly cloudy means mostly sunny (which is true – it actually does mean that). Hopefully it doesn’t rain, as I have a helmet dive scheduled and I don’t want to get wet. </p><p></p><p>Having brought this up-to-date and having backed up my pictures, I decide to relax for a while. Later in the afternoon I head up on deck to take some outside pictures. Nothing doing, it is raining too hard. Oh well, it has been a tough year for me and now that things are back to normal, a new normal, but normal nonetheless, I’ve been looking forward to this cruise for about three weeks (yes, things finally fell into place for me about three weeks ago) and I have two goals for this cruise. One is to get away and leave the bad memories of the prior six and one half months behind and two, to relax. So, with no other choice but to remain inside I go back to the cabin and relax. </p><p></p><p>Prior to dinner I head to the Aquarium Bar to try out the Bacardi Rum. Then I decide to use my Diamond free picture to purchase the picture with the Captain. When I do I am told there is a special for Diamond members, five pictures for fifty dollars. I posed in front of five different backdrops on formal night, so I choose one of each plus and album, which includes a picture of the ship) and head off to dinner. The album and free picture cost as much as an 8 x 10 photo, $22.95. I hide the album and pictures under my napkin during dinner. But once we are done, I take it out to look at it. One of my tablemates asks me if I am getting good reception. What??? She thinks I am looking at an iPad. I state the reception is good, but the picture never changes. Actually I am looking at a map of the cruise. From a distance I guess it could look like a leather covered iPad with a map of the Caribbean being viewed. </p><p></p><p>After that I head back to the cabin and check the TV for the results of the election. However, we are one hour ahead of the Eastern Time Zone (we did not move out clocks back when the rest of the US, except Arizona, changed from Daylight Saving to Standard Time) and only the results from the Eastern and Central Time Zones are available.</p><p></p><p>Finally I am tired and tomorrow we will be at our first port and my first shore excursion since January, so until tomorrow morning, good night.</p><p></p><p><strong>November 5, 2014 – Saint Maarten</strong></p><p></p><p>I wake up to good weather. It is 5:30 and the Cruise Compass says sunrise is at 6:15. Well, it is already light outside. The sun is arriving early and my camera is still inside the cabin. I keep my cabin as cold as possible. Even so, I still have to throw the comforter off the bed or I will over heat at night. The problem is that the camera is cold. When the camera is taken outside, the moist warm air quickly condenses on the glass surfaces, like the lens. Attempting to take a picture in this condition is like trying to take a picture in dense fog. It takes about forty-five minutes for the camera to warm up enough that the lens stays clear, meaning that the camera can focus properly and a good quality picture will be the result. So, a sunrise picture is not going to happen this morning. </p><p></p><p>After the failed sunrise photograph opportunity I went back to sleep, as my shore excursion is scheduled for 1:00. The Caption told us told us earlier that we would be meeting the pilot around 8:00am. At 7:30 I figure I have plenty of time until I remember that in Saint Maarten the pilot meets the ship just outside the harbor. Sure enough I look outside and realize we are cruising past the island. I quickly get dressed and got some pictures of the three ships already here (the NCL Epic, the Celebrity Reflection and the HAL Westerndam. The Oasis of the Seas arrives soon after us. There must be over 15,000 passengers here today. </p><p></p><p>I decide to take it easy (cool down) for a while in the cabin, then I go for brunch around 11:00. After brunch I head into town for a couple of shot glasses for a friend that collects them. Because of where we are docked, I must have walked close to a mile round trip for these shot glasses. He better like the two shot glasses I picked out for him. </p><p></p><p>Today I am doing the helmet dive. The helmet weighs seventy-five pounds on land and fifteen pounds in the water. The helmet is filled with air, and the wearer simply walks along the bottom, or at least that is the idea. However, in actual practice one cannot lean to far forward or the water level will rise inside the helmet. If one leans too far back (such as trying to look at the surface) large bubbles come out from under the helmet. Part of the mask is flat, and looking through the flat portion of the mask is normal. However, by looking left or right one is looking through the curved portion of the mask and the view is distorted. Finally the water is about twenty feet deep and it is not stationary. There is a current under the water and standing still to take a picture is not easy. </p><p></p><p>The ticket said to bring some money, which I did. But after everyone has made it to the staging point on the pier, and signed the waivers, we are told the pictures are thirty-five dollars. I’m not bringing that much, nor am I bringing a credit card. So I will not be buying any pictures. As it turns out, the three selfies I took match the quality of the pictures that were for sale. </p><p></p><p>One little hiccup did occur. The group was split in two. I was in the second group. While waiting we were allowed to snorkel. I was concentrating so much on getting my snorkel gear set properly that I forgot to keep track of my camera, which was now lying on the ocean floor, twenty feel below me. Perhaps in freshwater I could dive that deep, but not in saltwater without a weight belt. Fortunately one of the divers was able to retrieve my camera for me.</p><p></p><p>Upon my return to the ship I take a nice freshwater shower and then head up to deck eleven for a snack, some nice cold ice cream, which is free on the pool deck (or one can pay extra and get ice cream at Ben & Jerry’s on deck five). I grab a bowl and spoon from the Windjammer and go outside to get my ice cream. The machine is down for cleaning. Back inside the windjammer I settle for two cholate chip cookies and some watermelon and pineapple slices and a nice tall plastic cup of ice water.</p><p></p><p>After my snack I head back to my cabin to upload and view the photographs. I find that there is a mixture of good and not so good underwater photographs. But, since electronic photographs are free, I don’t mind the photographs that didn’t work as long as I get a few keepers, and I did. After viewing the photographs I update this. I check tomorrow’s schedule and realize I am doing another water activity. So I recharge the battery for the underwater camera. I only have one battery for the underwater camera, two batteries for the DSLR and three sets of two AA batteries for the point & shoot camera. </p><p></p><p>Then I decide to relax until dinner time. At dinner the topic of conversation is what each of did during the day. I had gourmet meatballs as an appetizer and New York steak for the main course. The steak was so good I considered ordering a second steak. However, I got caught up in the conversation and ended up with only one steak. </p><p></p><p>After dinner I return to my cabin. My early morning shore excursion was changed to an early afternoon shore excursion, so I get to sleep in. I stayed up until past midnight. So until later this morning, goodnight.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Cruizer, post: 1661431, member: 18088"] [IMG]http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b103/ZefH/RC%20Explorer/CI_zpsde40a128.jpg[/IMG] [B]November 4, 2014 – Day at sea[/B] I woke up to skyless cloud. The Cruise Compass said it would be partly cloudy with chances of rain. Well, the only part that is not cloudy is the ocean. Yuck! However, I did open my balcony door and it is noticeably warmer. So the ship did not make a “U†turn during the night and head back to New York. Nothing much happening today, so I head up to the Windjammer for breakfast. No reason to bring breakfast back down to my balcony, so I eat in the Windjammer and then try to get some good video of the thing (I don’t know what to call it) in the Viking Crown Lounge. The “thing†is one of those motorized things that brings balls up to the top and drops the balls down a track. The golf balls come to gates and go in whichever direction the gate directs the golf balls. From there the balls either ring bells, do loop-de-loops, bounce into a basket, or gather until the weight of the balls causes the bucket to spill. It is kind of mesmerizing, but very difficult to record on video. Given the weather conditions, I decide to take a few more pictures of the Royal Promenade and then head back to my cabin to upload the pictures and bring this up-to-date. At the Captain’s noon time status report he apologized for the weather, then blamed it on the National Weather Service. He assured us that we are heading in the right direction as the weather we are having today is basically the same as we had in New Jersey, except that it is warmer. It is about 72 degrees and it is expected to get up to 84 degrees tomorrow. We should also expect partly cloudy skies with scattered rain showers. The Captain reminded us that partly cloudy means mostly sunny (which is true – it actually does mean that). Hopefully it doesn’t rain, as I have a helmet dive scheduled and I don’t want to get wet. Having brought this up-to-date and having backed up my pictures, I decide to relax for a while. Later in the afternoon I head up on deck to take some outside pictures. Nothing doing, it is raining too hard. Oh well, it has been a tough year for me and now that things are back to normal, a new normal, but normal nonetheless, I’ve been looking forward to this cruise for about three weeks (yes, things finally fell into place for me about three weeks ago) and I have two goals for this cruise. One is to get away and leave the bad memories of the prior six and one half months behind and two, to relax. So, with no other choice but to remain inside I go back to the cabin and relax. Prior to dinner I head to the Aquarium Bar to try out the Bacardi Rum. Then I decide to use my Diamond free picture to purchase the picture with the Captain. When I do I am told there is a special for Diamond members, five pictures for fifty dollars. I posed in front of five different backdrops on formal night, so I choose one of each plus and album, which includes a picture of the ship) and head off to dinner. The album and free picture cost as much as an 8 x 10 photo, $22.95. I hide the album and pictures under my napkin during dinner. But once we are done, I take it out to look at it. One of my tablemates asks me if I am getting good reception. What??? She thinks I am looking at an iPad. I state the reception is good, but the picture never changes. Actually I am looking at a map of the cruise. From a distance I guess it could look like a leather covered iPad with a map of the Caribbean being viewed. After that I head back to the cabin and check the TV for the results of the election. However, we are one hour ahead of the Eastern Time Zone (we did not move out clocks back when the rest of the US, except Arizona, changed from Daylight Saving to Standard Time) and only the results from the Eastern and Central Time Zones are available. Finally I am tired and tomorrow we will be at our first port and my first shore excursion since January, so until tomorrow morning, good night. [B]November 5, 2014 – Saint Maarten[/B] I wake up to good weather. It is 5:30 and the Cruise Compass says sunrise is at 6:15. Well, it is already light outside. The sun is arriving early and my camera is still inside the cabin. I keep my cabin as cold as possible. Even so, I still have to throw the comforter off the bed or I will over heat at night. The problem is that the camera is cold. When the camera is taken outside, the moist warm air quickly condenses on the glass surfaces, like the lens. Attempting to take a picture in this condition is like trying to take a picture in dense fog. It takes about forty-five minutes for the camera to warm up enough that the lens stays clear, meaning that the camera can focus properly and a good quality picture will be the result. So, a sunrise picture is not going to happen this morning. After the failed sunrise photograph opportunity I went back to sleep, as my shore excursion is scheduled for 1:00. The Caption told us told us earlier that we would be meeting the pilot around 8:00am. At 7:30 I figure I have plenty of time until I remember that in Saint Maarten the pilot meets the ship just outside the harbor. Sure enough I look outside and realize we are cruising past the island. I quickly get dressed and got some pictures of the three ships already here (the NCL Epic, the Celebrity Reflection and the HAL Westerndam. The Oasis of the Seas arrives soon after us. There must be over 15,000 passengers here today. I decide to take it easy (cool down) for a while in the cabin, then I go for brunch around 11:00. After brunch I head into town for a couple of shot glasses for a friend that collects them. Because of where we are docked, I must have walked close to a mile round trip for these shot glasses. He better like the two shot glasses I picked out for him. Today I am doing the helmet dive. The helmet weighs seventy-five pounds on land and fifteen pounds in the water. The helmet is filled with air, and the wearer simply walks along the bottom, or at least that is the idea. However, in actual practice one cannot lean to far forward or the water level will rise inside the helmet. If one leans too far back (such as trying to look at the surface) large bubbles come out from under the helmet. Part of the mask is flat, and looking through the flat portion of the mask is normal. However, by looking left or right one is looking through the curved portion of the mask and the view is distorted. Finally the water is about twenty feet deep and it is not stationary. There is a current under the water and standing still to take a picture is not easy. The ticket said to bring some money, which I did. But after everyone has made it to the staging point on the pier, and signed the waivers, we are told the pictures are thirty-five dollars. I’m not bringing that much, nor am I bringing a credit card. So I will not be buying any pictures. As it turns out, the three selfies I took match the quality of the pictures that were for sale. One little hiccup did occur. The group was split in two. I was in the second group. While waiting we were allowed to snorkel. I was concentrating so much on getting my snorkel gear set properly that I forgot to keep track of my camera, which was now lying on the ocean floor, twenty feel below me. Perhaps in freshwater I could dive that deep, but not in saltwater without a weight belt. Fortunately one of the divers was able to retrieve my camera for me. Upon my return to the ship I take a nice freshwater shower and then head up to deck eleven for a snack, some nice cold ice cream, which is free on the pool deck (or one can pay extra and get ice cream at Ben & Jerry’s on deck five). I grab a bowl and spoon from the Windjammer and go outside to get my ice cream. The machine is down for cleaning. Back inside the windjammer I settle for two cholate chip cookies and some watermelon and pineapple slices and a nice tall plastic cup of ice water. After my snack I head back to my cabin to upload and view the photographs. I find that there is a mixture of good and not so good underwater photographs. But, since electronic photographs are free, I don’t mind the photographs that didn’t work as long as I get a few keepers, and I did. After viewing the photographs I update this. I check tomorrow’s schedule and realize I am doing another water activity. So I recharge the battery for the underwater camera. I only have one battery for the underwater camera, two batteries for the DSLR and three sets of two AA batteries for the point & shoot camera. Then I decide to relax until dinner time. At dinner the topic of conversation is what each of did during the day. I had gourmet meatballs as an appetizer and New York steak for the main course. The steak was so good I considered ordering a second steak. However, I got caught up in the conversation and ended up with only one steak. After dinner I return to my cabin. My early morning shore excursion was changed to an early afternoon shore excursion, so I get to sleep in. I stayed up until past midnight. So until later this morning, goodnight. [/QUOTE]
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Review with photographs - Explorer leave NJ for the last time
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