Mother’s Day – time to board my first cruise! It was an exciting day, but the weather was less than enthused. Oh well – I’m not letting the weather dampen my excitement. We waited on our bus until we were able to get off and queue up directly under tents to keep us out of the drizzle. Royal Caribbean representatives were on hand with umbrellas, which was nice, to help anyone who needed to get luggage and get to the tents.
We made it through easily, which I think is partly due to the fact that we had followed instructions. We had our luggage tags, our documents, and were smiling. These all may have contributed to the speed at which we went through the line, but regardless, we made it through the line quickly and were boarding the Explorer of the Seas.
We headed to our stateroom to check it out. Honestly, I was pleasantly surprised. Three of us were staying in the room and it was much roomier than I had expected – especially the bathroom! I had envisioned a shower that I could barely move around in, but that was not the case. We took a quick photo from our balcony – can you see how excited we are??? — and headed on our way to explore the Explorer of the Seas.
Here’s our view from the Port of Ravenna – I’m sure that it’s absolutely a gorgeous spot on a clear, sunny day. The town (from what I saw as we drove through on the charter bus) seemed really cute and quaint – a place I wouldn’t mind returning to and exploring a bit!
After exploring for a bit (wow – these things are HUGE) and kinda orienting ourselves to the boat (ha ha – we got lost about 2,000 times – thank goodness for the app and maps everywhere) we decided to head to the Main Dining Room, as we had selected 6:00 seating.
First Time Cruiser Alert – when you book a cruise on RC, you’re given the choice between choosing a set time for dining OR “My Time Dining”. We had no idea what the difference was, and felt like picking a time was better, even if it was early. For us – GREAT CHOICE! We could sit at “our table” #230 anytime between 6:00 and 6:30. The folks who did “My Time Dining” were always waiting. We had a table for 4, so if we didn’t show up by 6:30, someone who was waiting on a table for 4 would be seated at our table. But, we noticed that there was always a line at the “My Time Dining” spot and some seemed to wait quite a while.
My impressions of the main dining room were great. You have the same table, and the same servers, the entire cruise. The menu is set, so you choose a starter, entree, and dessert. There are options to “upgrade” to a few options (steak, seafood) but we never did the upgrade simply because all the options were amazing.
Disclaimer – I’m from the midwest, and beef here is like lobster in Maine. The first night Drake and I both ordered the menu NY Strip. I should’ve known better. I liked the steak, but it was more like a piece of beef I’d use for a stir fry or fajitas – it was thin but large. To me a NY Strip is at least 1 1/2″ thick and not as large as theirs. Don’t get me wrong, it was flavorful and tasty, but not what I’d call a NY Strip.
As far as all the other food, amazing. No complaints at all. Our server, his assistant, and the MDR Manager were all wonderful. They updated us on upcoming ports, any news we needed to know, etc. They also made sure we were well taken care of. My personal note on “Formal Night” is do what makes YOU feel comfortable. We skipped MDR for the first Formal Night and hit the Windjammer buffet. Our servers asked us the next night why they missed us. We explained we were not “formal” folks and they said to not worry about that at all. We went into the MDR on the next formal night, straight from coming back from an all day port exploration. We were sweaty, in shorts/tees/sneakers, and had one lady give us the stink eye from her table of elegantly dressed companions. Judge not lady, and enjoy your meal, as we just did!
After dinner we went to our stateroom and our luggage had been delivered so we unpacked a bit and then I decided to enjoy the remaining daylight, so I grabbed my knitting project, my headphones, and my phone with my audiobook and headed to the Solarium. I got a chair and, as you can see – enjoyed the view, my audiobook, and some knitting. It was a great way to relax and try to shake off the normal “hectic” state that I tend to live in!
I like to unpack on a trip (even short ones) so after the sun went down and I couldn’t see out I went back to the stateroom to unpack my things. We booked this cruise last minute, so after I booked it I started reading about cruising “do’s and don’t”. Apparently the first rule is “Don’t book last minute” – whoops. Spoiler alert – we had a great time. Would our price had been better had we booked months earlier – probably, but this was spontaneous and because we had some Delta credit to use or lose, we went for it.
During my “post booking” and “pre boarding” research time, I found some items that seasoned cruisers recommended. Here’s what I bought, what I used, and why they were helpful or not. Remember, if you purchase through the link I’ve provided, as an Amazon Affiliate, I may get a small commission, but I’m not promoting these products to support my family! These are things I’ve actually purchased and used, and I’m being 100% honest with my opinion.
IMO, a “must have” are the magnet hooks. A ship’s walls are metal, so magnet hooks help provide some extra storage. They’re available in a variety of colors and weight limits. We had the 27+lbs hooks and they were adequate for what we used them for. We hung hats, nightshirt, towels, and a scarf/wrap on ours. It was really helpful for the hats – we travel with a lot of hats, so Drake had two hooks and layered his baseball hats on those.
If you’re traveling internationally, you need electrical outlet converters. I bought two of these and used one all the time. Keep in mind that both Drake and Sara had done a study abroad, so they each had their own converter, otherwise both of mine would’ve been needed. A lot of posts indicated a shortage of outlets on the ship, so I had also picked this power strip up, but never took it out of the box, as we had more than enough outlets. But, not all ships are the same, and the box for this is very small, so I have kept it at the bottom of one of my “always goes” travel bags with other items I’ve determined to be “travel necessities” so it’s there if we need it!
I know I said the bathroom and stateroom were more spacious than expected, but there is no exhaust fan in the bathroom. As a kindness to my fellow travelers and in order to not have the room stinky, take this! It’s small enough I was able to keep it in my travel crossbody (see A Few of My Favorite Things) and then leave it in the stateroom bathroom once we were settled.
As a first time cruiser I was nervous about motion sickness. I took some Bonine chewable tablets but never opened those. These behind the ear patches did the trick for both Drake and I when we felt woozy. I will definitely be taking those on our next cruise. I also had Ginger lozenges from doTERRA, which I use normally when my stomach feels icky. I travel with several doTERRA products. My family teases me about it, but whatever! The Breathe, On Guard, and Ginger lozenges were very handy for my trip when something in the air triggered allergies and my nose was running like mad. I also had Oregano oil on hand, as it’s a natural antibiotic, antibacterial, antifungal and all around great item. Again, the link above is an affiliate link, so I may receive product credit if you purchase through the link, but I never recommend something I don’t use!
On May 15 we sailed into Kotor, Montenegro. Being out first port, it was fascinating and beautiful, even though the weather was rainy and gray. We had booked an excursion through RC for this port, so we followed our instructions and proceeded to the “Tender” into Kotor. The “Tender” is a smaller boat that you board from the cruise ship, and it takes you to the dock at port. The ship as a whole was late getting clearance to start tendering passengers, so we got off the tender and were divided for our tour busses. The three of us must’ve been some of the last passengers on our charter, and each had to sit where we could find an empty seat.
The tour itself was fine for a rainy day. The guide was GREAT and very entertaining, especially given the gloominess of the day. The driver had MAD SKILLS. From the bay, Montenegro seems like a small port with a lush mountain behind it. Little did we know, a road, consisting of over 20 “switchbacks” lets residents and visitors explore the mountain and nearby villages.
Geography lesson time! Montenegro, meaning “Black Mountain” borders Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, Kosovo, and Albania. It was really beautiful, even on the gray, rainy day we visited. If you’d like to learn more about Montenegro, there’s a great BBC profile HERE. I’m no history buff, but the tour was very interesting. Here’s one crazy fact our guide provided that still blows my mind – he has lived in several different countries, yet he has never moved!
Due to it’s remote location and beauty, Montenegro is becoming quite the tourist spot for celebrities. It seems to be a hidden gem on the Adriatic Coast. Because of the weather and time restrictions, our tour was expedited and any stops were “get in, get out, get back on”. We stopped at a small village and had some Montenegrin prosciutto and “black” (red) wine. Then we stopped at a museum for a quick look at some of the royal artifacts from the Montenegrin Royal family, led by King Nicholas I and Queen Milena. They had 12 children, many of whom married royals from other European countries, giving him the nickname the “father-in-law of Europe”. Notably, their daughter Xenia was a trend setter and pioneer in her own right. While many times “betrothed” she never married. In fact, the ending of her engagement to Alexander I of Serbia was so scandalous, diplomatic relations between Serbia and Montenegro were severed. She remained single, learned to drive an automobile, and was said to be “extremely wholesome…with a sunny disposition”. She did charity work and participated in athletic sports. As her father aged, Xenia served as councilor to him, assisting in governmental tasks. When she participated in an anti-Austrian protest, the Austrian government, to whom King Nicholas was indebted to for past favors, Xenia was exiled to France as “punishment” where she lived out her years enjoying life in Paris.
No photos were allowed in the museum, but I’m sure a google search will provide any history buffs with a plethora of information on Montenegro’s Royal family.
As luck would have it, the skies cleared as we traveled from the museum back to port. Again, it was beautiful in poor weather conditions, so I would not refuse a trip back, especially one that provided a few days to explore the areas beaches and villages, enjoy traditional Montenegrin food and drink, and see more of this beautiful country.
Sailing away for now – but next stop is Corfu, Greece!
The Neverending Lori 