Travel Journal: First Day, First Cruise (Explorer of the Seas)

Hello from the sea! 

We are en route to our first stop, which is Lautoka, Fiji. I'm not sure where we are exactly right now though. Probably somewhere in the Pacific Ocean?

It's the second day of our cruise and so far, so good. We are loving it! We booked this trip for my friend's birthday getaway (Luckily, we attended a travel expo last year so we were able to secure this trip by layby!). We were so excited about this trip because this is our first time to do a cruise and to visit the Pacific Islands. Also, I looked forward to getting away and disconnecting. Currently, we are just hanging out in our room. We will be preparing for our fine dining (Yaaasss!) dinner in a bit.

We checked in and boarded the ship, which is Explorer of the Seas (Royal Caribbean), yesterday, around 4:30 P.M at Circular Quay. Since it is our first time to do this trip, we just followed the arrows and the instructions of the crew (as you should. Haha!). We left our luggage with the porters as soon as we arrived at the overseas passenger terminal. We weren't sure if there was a baggage limit so we tried to stick to the usual 25-ish kg limit (But really, I think our luggage were almost 30 kg, respectively. Haha!). Oh my gosh, you will not believe how relieved we were to see that there were no weighing scales waiting for us upon arrival! We packed everything we think we may need because we will be out here at sea on most days of the trip.



The checking in and boarding process were somewhat similar to airports. We filled out documents for passenger manifest, had our photo taken and our carry-ons scanned. Our keycard was provided to us right before we passed through immigration. We headed straight to our room, which is on deck 2, after boarding. We settled down and started unpacking our carry-ons.

Our room is a small suite with a small but lovely view of the sea on a round window. It has a king-sized bed, a small couch for lounging, a television and a desk-slash-vanity area, a closet with enough storage for both of us and our luggage and a small bathroom. Even if it's small, I found it really cosy. And don't let me get started with the sheets, oh my goodness. I love it! It's so soft and smooth but it's nothing special really. I can't explain it. We're obsessed! Haha!

We found pamphlets and a cruise compass (which is like a newsletter that has information for the day's activities and events) placed on our bed when we arrived in our room.  We checked and chose which activities we would like to do for tonight. The housekeeping regularly leaves a cruise compass for the following day on the bed in the afternoon. Speaking of housekeeping, I love that they check, arrange and clean the rooms three times a day. I could really get used to this Madame Life! Hahaha! Ike is the designated roomkeeper in our deck and he is doing a fabulous job. Plus, he is really nice, too.



By 4:45 PM (Yes, I remember the exact time because it was written on the cruise compass), we headed to the assembly for the emergency drill or muster. It was mandatory to attend (as announced by the captain over the announcement channel) this. Similar to what is done during flights, there was a discussion on how to inflate the life jacket, what to do and what to do with children in case of emergency. It was a short talk but the gathering of the crowd took longer because it was a big crowd. We are like a little village here. Our assigned position or the code of the deck where we should go in case an emergency happens is written on our keycard so it'll be easy to refer to in case we forget.



We had a quick look around the ship thereafter to familiarise ourselves with what will be our home for the next 11 days.

I love that they have a library here!

We went up to the upper deck where the swimming pools, whirlpools, outdoor bars, lounges, arcade, basketball court, jogging track, rock climbing wall and miniature golf course (which we were interested to try) are. There is also a surfing spot called Flowrider. We also wanted to try that but we noticed that a lot of people were lining up to do it or just watching by the sidelines. We knew we would suck at it and we would be putting ourselves in a very embarrassing situation if we ever do it in front of a lot of people -- people who we will be seeing for the whole duration of this trip. Haha! Hence, we crossed off that activity from our list.



There were sun loungers and chairs on the upper deck as well, where people can just sit, watch, and enjoy the relaxing view of the ocean and sky (and hopefully enjoy the breeze because the wind level is insane). We watched the Sydney skyline as we leave Circular Quay, which was a fantastic view to look at.



The Windjammer, which is the buffet dining room, was also in the upper deck. Without a shadow of a doubt, this is hands down our favourite place on the ship. We knew straight away that we were going to spend so much time there because we love to eat and we are always looking forward to meal times, especially breakfast. And dessert. You know how I love me some brekky and sweets! Haha! Conveniently and as if sending us a message, the gym is located on the opposite side of the dining room. So my friend and I came up with a strategy that we will deliberately use the stairs to go up and down from our room to the dining area (which is on deck 11, by the way) and either go to the gym before or after meals. If we're going to be eating our hearts out in a buffet, we might as well keep everything in balance so there will be no regrets, if you know what I mean. Haha!

We next went to Promenade to claim my friend's pre-purchased coffee card (She will not survive without her daily dose!). The Promenade is like a mini-mall where you can find souvenirs, jewelries, swimsuits, waterproof bags, coverups and anything you need for any water-related activity and more. The theatre and the casino can be accessed from there, through a connecting staircase, as well. There are also restaurants, lounges and pubs where you can dine and drink and a coffee shop where you can sit and people-watch. The coffee shop is like an extension of the Windjammer because you can grab free teas, instant coffees and some pastries for afternoon tea or for whenever you're hungry and the main dining room isn't open for service yet (Yaaasss!). I tell you, us being hungry will never be an issue during this trip. So yeah, apart from the upper deck, I think this is one of the busiest or crowded parts of the ship. Since there is an easy access, we also had a quick look at the casino. There are more restaurants, lounges and pubs outside the casino, which is a floor below the Promenade. We also located the art gallery where you can buy artworks. Yes, an art gallery. In a ship. Fancy, hey! Overall, I am loving this ship and the staff and enjoying the services. We are like living in our own little world here. I should suggest to Mum that we should do a cruise on our next family trip!



We found our luggage by the door, ready to be unpacked when we headed back to our room to get ready for dinner. We decided to have dinner first before unpacking. So up we went to Windjammer.
We were aware that we will have a buffet every mealtime but my goodness, I did not expect it to be a go-big-or-go-home kind of buffet! I mean, come on, we chose Royal Carribean, why did I expect anything less? There were heaps of selections of food - Mexican cuisine, Italian cuisine, gluten-free options, fruits, salad bar, steaks and more. You will go crazy. My friend and I were overwhelmed with the options! Some were meh in taste, however. Some were really good.

For my first cruise meal, I went to the Italian cuisine section. I had pizza, pasta, some antipasto (Yay for artichoke!) and cheese. It is important to note that their chocolate chip cookie, which I had for dessert, was ah-mah-zing! It tasted like the chocolate chip cookie from Mrs. Fields. Yummmm! I also had berry pie, which was delicious as well. Really simple pie - not too sweet, not too creamy or doughy - just how I like my pie to taste like. I capped off my meal with green tea, as usual.



Unfortunately, we sat on the wrong part of the dining area - towards the back side of the ship - which was the other end of the dining room. No wonder we found heaps of vacant seats there because that spot was more wobbly compared to the other side of the dining room. I read somewhere in my research prior to the trip that the back side of the ship is not a good spot to sit on especially when the ship has just left/is leaving the dock. It tends to be shakier. As to why - I can't remember. There is a scientific explanation here, I think, but I really couldn't be bothered to know. Haha! Of course, we didn't remember that because we were excited to eat and the gorgeous sunset and Sydney skyline behind us were begging for us to sit there. So yeah, 15 minutes later, we felt a bit dizzy. We took our ProCalm tablet, which was prescribed by my GP (and to think we were dilly-dallying if we really should purchase one or not!), and changed seats after we finished our dinner. The seasick tablet took effect straight away.



We went back to our room and started unpacking. Luckily, by the time we got back to our room, we felt a bit better. Another cruise compass (and cute towel art from Ike!) for the next day was left on our bed and we chose which activities we wanted to do for the next day. And our room was made up again! Gee, it has only been 2 days but I know I could really get used to these -- my room being made, unlimited meals being served, no dishes to wash, basically no chores to do and the hotel sheets. I did tell you about their sheets, right? Haha! Really, it's just your usual white, cotton, hotel sheets. But boy, does it really feel smooth and cool to the skin! It's not just the air conditioning and the way Ike tugs our sheets tightly. I think there is something else... Hmm, maybe the fabric conditioner? Or am I just imagining this? It's so comfy that my friend and I kept rubbing our faces and legs on our sheets! HAHAHA!

We had to have matching sleepwear, of course. Haha!

While we were unpacking, we realised that we did not have any drinking water. We didn't really think to bring water with us after dinner. We were so used to having water within reach at home. We considered drinking the water from the tap in the bathroom but we still have 10 days to go and we could not afford to be sick, just in case. I brought my own water bottle though (as per my research, too) but we weren't sure where we could get a refill.  We haven't seen any water fountain (yet?) when we initially toured the ship. We slept last night and woke up today really thirsty! Man, that was hard. We didn't really think we would be thirsty by the time we reach our room and by the time we felt thirsty, we realised we may have to go all the way up to the dining area and beg for water in the kitchen. And they close at midnight.  

Luckily, we found a drinking fountain and bottled water vendo machine at the gym this morning! So today's note to self: Refill water bottle again before the gym closes or before bedtime!