RC Explorer of the Seas: Part II - Onboard

The stateroom attendant separated these for us before bedtime

You make an appointment for boarding now, so there's little lineup for the health screening and boarding. Our stateroom wasn't ready quite yet, but we went there to pick up the envelope of our Seapasses, and then we got some lunch at the Café, and enjoyed an adult beverage. Then it was time to go to our now open stateroom, and change into attire suitable for the Solarium.

The Solarium is my favourite space on cruise ships. An adults only pool with hot tubs and a quiet space makes me quite happy. And I can spend time not in the hot tub just vegging and watching the ocean go by. The one on the Explorer was a good one, being kept at a reasonable temperature for wet people in bathing suits. I find some ships keep their Solariums absurdly cold for what the expected usage is.

The Izumi sushi restaurant has some wonderful choices, including a lobster champagne roll. We had a lovely lunch here, with a la carte pricing.

I loved the pattern on the Izumi carpet

Ah, the Schooner Bar! The best thing about Royal Caribbean! From the lavender daiquiris, to the singalong piano show, this is my favourite venue on board.

Lavender Daiquiri

Speaking of singing, they also have karaoke every night. Although, some nights it's a contest with the audience voting for their favourites. To be honest, I'm not a fan of this format. To me it flies in the face of what karaoke is all about: each, according to their ability.

Be ye warned! They allow smoking indoors in the casino, so if you are smoke sensitive, you will want to avoid this space. Also, the floor has a glass inset at the entrance, so it can be a bit awkward to step on.

The Promenade has snacks, bars, and shops

View from the Viking Crown Lounge

The Johnny Rockets onboard is available for an upcharge

I plan to cover shore excursions in the next post, but I will finish by saying that the dinner in Chops Grille was wonderful, and the lavender martinis were even better than the lavender daiquiris in the Schooner Bar. The service was, of course, also excellent. This meal was one of the better ones I've had, and it was definitely worth the upcharge.

Next: Part III - Ports of Call

RC Explorer of the Seas: Part I - Getting There and Miami

American Airlines Lounge at Pearson

It's been a while since I've been on a Royal Caribbean ship, so I and my bestie booked a trip on the Explorer of the Seas. We used the cruise line's air booking service, and got a ride on American Airlines. This is a first for me, so this trip introduced us to AA's Business Class product. By the time we got through security and customs there wasn't a lot of time before boarding, so I dashed into the lounge, and grabbed a mimosa, then headed to the distant gate. 

Mimosa! because you need the potassium

Boarding was quick for us, since we were zone 1. I had been prepared for the fact that AA doesn't have screens, and you have to BYOD. I figured I would probably just read anyway. They do have a good movie selection, though, with a few titles I might watch on my way to Vegas (spoiler alert!). The seats are fairly standard for medium-hop business, with a nice amount of legroom, and a bit of tilt with the recline. The aisle side armrests go down, for those who can benefit from such an arrangement. There is space in the centre armrest section for stowage, which includes a charging outlet (no USB on this one). The tray is in the outer armrests, and folds in half. The only thing that bothered me was that the space under the seat in front was slightly lower than normal, and wouldn't fit my carryon. 

AA Business Class leg room

The service was excellent, and our glasses were kept topped up. The breakfast was good, with the eggs being full of potatoes and vegetables. The accompanying fruit salad was also nice. All in all, this was a fine way to get to Miami.

AA Business Class Breakfast

We stayed at the Intercontinental in Miami. It's on the bay, and convenient to the port, and the Bayside Marketplace. The room was very nice, with a partial ocean view, and a view of the swimming pool and pool bar.

🎶Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name🎶

It was very windy, so after we had a couple of beverages by the pool, we decided to take it to the Marketplace and grab a snack. While we were there, we saw a pirate boat, and learned we could take a cruise on it for a scant $25 each. What would you do? We booked a sunset cruise. Of course, it was raining by the time sunset came around, but we did have a good time. It was a cash bar, but I would expect that.

I want to say The El Loro but that's redundant

Next: Part II - Onboard The Explorer of the Seas 

 

Via Rail Business Class

 

Union Station Business Class Lounge

I'd never tried Via Rail's Business Class before, but I wanted to visit a friend on the route, so I booked a trip. The lounge opened shortly after I arrived. It was very basic, offering soft drinks, and little else, but it was a nice, quiet space to wait. They announced boarding, so you don't need to watch the clock or a screen.

Lounge offerings

The seating in business class is interesting. The front half of the carriage faces backwards, and the back half faces forward. In the middle there is a common table, so a party could sit face to face. The chairs are reasonably comfortable for a short haul, but somewhat skinny.

Via Rail Business Class seat

Tray

They have windaisle seats

I preordered the vegetarian breakfast, as I try to limit my meat intake. I have had some meals before that were obviously expressions of hostility towards vegetarians on the part of the caterers, but this took the cake (cake would have been nice). The vegetables in the eggs were overcooked to flavourless mush, and the potatoes were oddly textured and completely devoid of flavour. Nothing was even salted, and no salt was provided.

The vegetarian breakfast

On the way back, thankfully, they didn't have my vegetarian meal, but managed to scrounge a salmon. It was served cold, which I thought was an odd choice for cooked salmon, but any fish in a storm...

Salmon

The service was good, anyway. And considering the price, it's not a bad value. Just don't tell them you're vegetarian. 😉

Next: Part I of my RC Explorer of the Seas report

New Orleans 2022

A blurry image of a New Orleans bar just like you see when you've overstayed in the French Quarter

We had initially booked a direct flight to New Orleans, but Air Canada cancelled it. We were then routed through Houston. They also would not put us back on the non-stop when it was reinstated. Ah, the joys of pandemic travel! My early morning flight on Air Canada Express to Houston included a nice omelette with vegetables in it for a change, and a mimosa. The service between Houston and New Orleans was beverage only (they gave out snack bags that included bottled water, so I skipped that. )

We checked into the Maison Dupuy. The prices were good, and the rooms quite adequate to the purpose. We were a little disappointed that the onsite bar and restaurant were not generally open while we were there (the bar was open late in the week, the restaurant not at all). On the other hand, the pool was lovely, and they don't close it early.

Once we got our stuff stashed in the room, we went out for a wander, starting with Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop. I love the atmosphere of the place, especially the little piano room in the back.  One of my favourite things is just to walk around, grabbing a drink when I want, and enjoying the architecture, and the music. So, wandering took us to many fine bars, including Lafitte's, and Pirate's Alley, and the Carousel Bar, and so on.

Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop

Pirate's Alley

St Pat's Irish Coffee House

Tropical Isle Shark Attack

The Carousel Bar

 

We did a lot of things this trip, cramming several activities into five short days. Aside from the Perpetual Bar Crawl, we had some scheduled tours. The first was a trip on the Creole Queen down the Mississippi to the battle site. There was also a buffet lunch of classic Cajun cuisine (upcharge) and bottomless mimosas (upcharge) and an open bar (definite upcharges).

We also did the 5 in 1 Ghost & Mystery Tour from Haunted History Tours. It was entertaining, and included some new locations and stories I hadn't heard in previous outings.

I have reviewed the Confederacy of Cruisers Bicycle Cocktail Tour before on my old blog, but I had to do it again, so I thought I would give them another boost. They seem to mix it up, so the itinerary and menu were different, and it was still a great time.

Bicycle with drink holder

Preservation Hall has changed the way it runs things since the last time I was there. It used to be a show in the evening with an intermission where you would leave to use the bathroom and grab a drink before returning for the second half of the evening. Now there are multiple sets an evening, and you buy a ticket for one set, no intermission. It's still worth a visit, because of the history and great music.

We started our journey back with The Club MSY, which is airside in Louis Armstrong International. They do table service there, with the usual QR codes on the table for ordering. Knowing there would be no food on the first leg of the trip, I ordered some lovely cheese, and specialty mimosas.

I am a huge fan of the windaisle seats, which I had for all legs of this trip, and the service for a very short hop was good. I do love my mimosas in the morning. 😁

Houston was my first opportunity to visit a Centurion Lounge. My my! It is a magical place. It was busy, but the service was good, as was the food. The cauliflower, long a thing I have not enjoyed, was actually delicious. 

Soon, it was time to head to the gate, and board the plane. It was Air Canada Express, same as down, but I felt so sorry for the flight attendant. Apparently, there had been a problem with the catering, so instead of the hot meal all of us in business class were expecting, we were each given a veggie wrap. No sides, no dessert, no salad (aside from the wrap contents). The FA was diligent in keeping us hydrated, and brought us almonds as snacks, but I think we all felt this wasn't what we paid for. #FirstWorldProblems

On the bright side, we did get a spectacular view of the sunset.

Next: Via Rail business class