The Explorer of the Seas is
Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines’ latest jewel in its crown. The
second vessel in the “Voyager” class series, she, along with
her sister, Voyager of the Seas, are currently the largest cruise
liners afloat. And there are three more Voyager-class ships
on the way. The third, Adventurer of the Seas, makes her debut
in November, and two so-far unnamed vessels debut in 2002 and
2003 respectively.
The stunning new vessel made
her debut in mid-October. Gliding smoothly into New York harbor,
the sleek vessel, despite her size, was able to dock- and depart-effortlessly,
thanks to the technology of the azipods’ propulsion that allows
the ship’s thrusters to pull away from the pier and glide in
and out of the narrow dock area unassisted.
Built at the Kvaerner Masa
Yards in Turku, Finland, the 142,000-ton vessel is another winner
for RCCL. She can carry as many as 3,844 guests though the usual
passenger run is 3,114 guests, double occupancy. Her normal
cruising speed is 23 knots and she is manned by a mostly Norwegian
staff of officers and an international crew. Her Norwegian Captain,
Olav Gunnar Hyseter, a veteran navigator who has had command
of several of RCCL’s vessels, has had a major say in the planning
and building of the Voyager Class ships. “She is a wonderful
ship,’’ he told me. “Her maneuverability is outstanding, even
when we sailed out of England en route to the New York inaugural.
There was a massive storm front that we had to sail through,
it covered such a wide area we could not avoid it. So we lowered
the speed to about 10 or 11 knots to get us through what could
have been the storm of the century, and the ship handled beautifully.’’
(See Interview)
Similar in design to the Voyager
of the Seas, which made her debut in 1999, the Explorer of the
Seas was to this person a further refinement of the first vessel
of the “Voyager class.’’ “With each new ship, we create, we
add a new and special element that gives the vessel her own
dynamic personality,” remarked Jack Williams, president of Royal
Caribbean International.
To the untrained eye, the
ship’s design looks similar: there is the Royal Promenade, the
Studio B ice-skating rink, the 200-foot rock-climbing wall,
an inline skating area and a miniature golf course, and the
1950’s style Johnny Rockets 24-hour diner-all firsts in the
industry.
But subtle changes have refined
this vessel. According to Juhani Pitkanen, the company’s Turku-based
project manager, “certain refinements were made based on what
we had learned from the Voyager, but we didn’t touch even one
percent of the ship which is truly remarkable. Voyager served
as a benchmark for the future ships and so now we know exactly
where we should be.’’
But a little fine-tuning brought to the Royal Promenade
and the Palace Theater some changes in design and decor. The
four-deck-high Promenade was changed to resemble New Orleans’
famous Bourbon Street at Mardi Gras time as mimes, clowns and
jugglers add a bit of revelry. Various shops, watering holes,
and even an ice cream concession dot the 500-foot long way which
is really the focal point of shipboard activity. Check out the
Weekend Warrior sports bar with its motif showing people in
their normal athletic lives. It even has a gyroscopic pool table
as well as an array of interactive games in the bar’s arcade.
The Promenade leads into the
glitzy Casino Royale where the décor resembles that of a European
casino. Surrounded by 300 slot machines, 10 blackjack tables
and numerous other gaming tables, the casino boasts the largest
roulette wheel afloat. Further forward, The Palace was rethemed
to give the feel of a late 19th century European music hall.
Balconies were place along the sides of the 1,350-seat theater
to bring a sense of space while exposed beams in the ceiling
divert audience attention to the modern stage where state-of-art
sound and lighting enhance the Broadway-style revues presented.
The dining rooms in aft were also improved upon to facilitate
changes in food presentation and passenger flow.
But on this ship, RCCL broke
new ground with the installation of the cruise industry’s first
atmospheric and oceanographic laboratories. The research units
were created in partnership with the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel
School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. Geared to monitor
the earth’s oceans and climate changes as the ship sails in
the Caribbean, the facilities will be manned by a team of rotating
researchers from various scientific institutions The Atmospheric
Laboratory on Deck 14 includes an atmospheric chemistry facility
with clean-air sensors while in another area of the ship on
Deck 1, the Oceanographic lab monitors sea water quality and
temperature. Guided tours, upon request, are given of the labs;
and participating researchers give lectures on their work.
Especially appealing for adults
and children are the two interactive explorations centers on
Deck 4 for guests to have a hands-on experience to better understand
the research being conducted. You can touch an “iceberg’’ or
observe the imaging system that shows the infrared rays emitted
by each guest who walks by a special camera set up to illustrate
the imagery captured by satellite cameras.
On Deck 5 in the area where
the Aquarium Bar is located, the child in all of us will love
the walls of live tropical fish swimming around. I managed to
interact with a grouper by tracing the fish’s movement with
my hand who, in turn, responded by returning to play.
Also new is the $600,000 “ArtStars”
exhibit that graces the Forward stairway from decks 1 to 12,
displaying works by Hollywood legends and other entertainment
celebs. According to Jack Williams, there is nothing like this
currently afloat. “The Stairway of the Stars is certain to delight
our guests.’’ And one that enhances the $10-million-plus worth
of paintings and sculptures on permanent display throughout
the ship.
The three major dining rooms, each named after the explorers
that came to this part of the world several centuries ago-Christopher
Columbus, Vasco DeGama and Ferdinand Magellan-are connected
by a grand stairway. Table settings are well appointed, presentation
of food is professional and there is a good choice of entrees
designed to please all palates. Throughout the dining rooms,
maps and artifacts from the explorers’ travel provide the décor.
And for those choosing an alternate dining style, there is the
Portofino, a private dining room where reservations are required.
It serves mostly gourmet Italian cuisine in a more intimate
setting.
A tour of the kitchens gave
me a better understanding why the dining service works so smoothly.
Given the number of passengers being served, the food served
in the dining rooms is quite good and often times innovative.
Much of the credit goes to the Royal Caribbean executive VP
for Dining, Austrian chef Rudi Sodamin, who is responsible for
the cuisine on all of RCCL’s ships. His innovative menus, which
include a separate vegetarian one, aim to please. Recently Mr.
Sodamin introduced ShipShape Dining that allows guests the choice
of low-fat, low-cholesterol choices for lunch and dinner. The
ShipShape dishes are also offered in the Windjammer’s casual
dining area at breakfast and lunch.
Too much attention is often
paid to the entertainment amenities a vessel offers often to
the neglect of the dining experience. RCCL has done much to
implement fresh food, deliciously prepared and presented in
a professional manner. A typical week’s consumption consists
of nearly 7,000 pounds of meat, 3,000 lobsters, and 40,000 pounds
of eggs. All fresh provisions, especially fruit and vegetables,
are bought fresh from US vendors and stored in stainless steel,
refrigerated holders. While the food is served assembly line
in the kitchens to avoid chaos, with a section here for the
roast meat, another for the vegetables, another for the soup,
another for the deserts, and so on, the serving process runs
quite smoothly. Everything is timed, and the serving staff knows
exactly where to go to get what. Menu offerings are changed
daily and special consideration is give to those with special
dietary needs.
Besides the nightly revues
in the Palace, there is the Chamber for alternate entertainment.
The late-night disco on Deck 3 is built to resemble a Gothic
castle with stone columns and there are gargoyles greeting you
at the entrance. Go down the steps to the dance floor flanked
by “knights’’ in chrome suits of armor. The two-tier spot can
be smoky and over crowded, however. But then there’s Dizzy’s
Jazz Club up on Deck 14 for some jazz and swinging. Teenagers
have their own nightclub on Deck 12. Called Optix, it doubles
as an activity place for kids by day and a nighttime dance area
with music spun from a DJ booth.
There are 939 staterooms
that have an ocean view; 765 of them come with a sliding door
that leads to the balconies. There are 618 interior cabins,
of which 138 face the Royal Promenade. Some of the larger staterooms
have third and fourth berths to accommodate families. My ocean-view
stateroom had the sliding door leading to the balcony. It was
wonderful to be able to sit there in total privacy and daydream
while looking at the vast expanse of sea before me. Definitely
worth the extra money to have that luxury on a week-long cruise.
The cabins are furnished in muted colors; all have the usual
amenities including an electric minibar, hair dryers and individually
controlled air conditioning.
Holding a wedding on board
is encouraged. There is the skylight Wedding chapel that can
accommodate 39 guests. Located over the Crow’s Nest Observation
Lounge, the chapel, reached by a private stairway, is simply
decorated and affords privacy for the wedding party.
There is a comfortable library
as well as a card room to play board or card games.
The Internet Center-clearly
as popular as the Sports Deck or even the Casino-provides 24-hour
access to the Internet. Guests can check their e-mails and send
virtual postcards of the ports visited on the more than 10 computers
at the center. But there is often a wait during the day, so
you have a better chance to log on during the late night hours.
Like the Voyager, the new
ship also addresses the needs of physically disabled passengers.
Many of the staterooms, located near elevators, have functional
bathroom facilities, as well as devices to serve the hearing
or visually impaired guest. Corridors are wide enough to accommodate
wheelchairs, and special dietary foods are available. There
is a professional medical facility staffed with physicians and
nurses to meet any medical problem that arises. In extreme cases,
patients can be helicoptered off the ship to the nearest accredited
medical institution.
The ShipShape Center is fully
geared to work off some of those excess pounds gained from the
surfeit of food offered on board with 20 treadmills, 14 Reebok
cycles, 8 Reebok Body Peaks/elliptical steppers, 18 Reebok strength
units and six Reebok Body Trecs. There is also a free-weights
area, abs crunchers and a gym for exercise/dance classes. For
a break after a strenuous workout, the adjacent Solarium with
its Spanish motif and retractable glass roof provides a quiet
setting. Adjacent, is a pool and two whirlpools to take a dip
in. Or try one of the many therapeutic treatments offered in
one of the Spa’s 14 multipurpose treatment rooms.
For families with children
or teenagers, the ship offers an Adventure Ocean Youth Program
with educational entertainment, such as make-believe activities
area, games, individual and team sports, and child-size computers.
Baby-sitting services are available as well.
Good thought and planning
went into building the Voyager Class ships. Surprisingly, the
largeness of these vessels is not felt because of interior designing
that includes many nooks to escape, allowing passengers more
a feeling of coziness rather than of crowding. Certainly money
was no concern when one looks at the furnishings of the public
rooms or the display of art scattered throughout the vessel.
A cruise on one of these “floating
resorts” affords a great family vacation opportunity to share
a week of fun together while discovering new places to visit-without
having to worry about the logistics of “where do we go now,
where do we eat” traveling frame of mind. So pack your luggage
and try one of these Voyager-class ships. You won’t be disappointed.
Explorer is currently on a
series of eastern Caribbean seven-night cruises out of Miami
through March 31 that visit Labadee, San Juan, St. Thomas and
Nassau. In April, the ship reverses her seven-night itinerary
out of Miami to the eastern Caribbean, by first visiting the
Bahamas first that includes a visit to Atlantis Paradise Island
across from Nassau.
For more information or reservations,
visit www.rccl.com
Captain Olav Gunnar Nyseter
Born in Oppdal, Norway, Capt. Olav
Gunnar Nyseter is the Master of the Explorer of the Seas. At
sea since the age of 17, he began his career sailing on cargo
ships as a deck hand working for the I.M. Skaugen Company. (The
company was one of the three original owners of Royal Caribbean
International.) After later attending the Seaman’s Academy in
Kristiansund, Norway, he was promoted to First Officer and Chief
Officer respectively; and shortly after he obtained his Captain’s
License in 1972.
Captain Nyseter’s association with Royal
Caribbean International goes back as far as 1971 when he was
on board the Nordic Prince on her maiden voyage. He then worked
on large cargo ships and on several new shipbuilding teams in
Japan, Denmark and Norway for I.M. Skaugen before joining the
Pearl of Scandinavia, which was cruising in China and the Far
East. In 1989, he took command of RCCL’s The Sun Viking. Since
then he has also been Master of the Song of America, the Sovereign
of the Seas, the Monarch of the Seas, the Legend of the Seas
and the Splendour of the Seas, his previous command. His eleventh
command is the Explorer. On board the Explorer, Captain Nyseter
spoke with Travel-Scope.com’s P W Mooney. Excerpts:
It is not possible to get
any better ship than this. The ship’s maneuverability is great.
When we were leaving the pier in New York, the surge of the
Hudson tide was running about two knots and it wanted to take
the ship into the next pier. But we took it very slowly, using
the thrusters, and compensating for the current. There was no
tug support. And further down, the current was pulling us down
the river and that is why we used the thrusters to cut the pull.
You just can’t use force.
You can’t force the ship, you work with the ship.
(And the new aziipod technology allows this.)
It is always a challenge to
handle a ship like this. And to have a large amount of people
like this.
Very well. (A test was) when
we sailed out of England en route to the New York inaugural.
There was a massive storm front that we had to sail through,
it covered such a wide area we could not avoid it. So we lowered
the speed to about 10 or 11 knots to get us through what could
have been the storm of the century, and the ship handled beautifully.
Once we got out of the storm, we were able to make up for lost
time.’’
We have (the crew) well trained,
(jesting). Absolutely! Every crewmember had training for three
weeks in Turku before we left the shipyard. And we have training
every day since then, both officers and crew.
Same concept. And we will
have Azipods on all of the ships.
She was a really nice ship.
Smaller, and she does not have all these features. She is very
beautiful inside but the maneuverability was not as good as
the Explorer.
I was almost eaten by a shark
in Barbados (laughing). Scary.
I think I was 19 years old
on a tanker, in the early 60s. And we were in such a storm that
half of ship was under water. This was in the North Atlantic.
I really thought it was the end, that it would be my last day.
I came out of it, even though we lost everything, the sea had
taken even the lifeboats.
Then, there was the time I
was in a typhoon in the Yellow Sea off China. It was a small
cargo ship and that was scary for a while but we also came out
it.
One time we were in the hurricane
Hugo a few years ago and we managed to get out of that as well.
No, the company does. The
captain does not perform weddings, as you have to have a license
or something equivalent. But, of course in the old TV series
“The Love Boat,” Captain Stuben performed a mock wedding on
deck.
No, she will remain in the
eastern Caribbean. We are taking over the itinerary of the Grandeur
of the Seas. (Many of the RCCL) ships have always been in this
area.
After this command I hope
to retire.
No. I will go to Baltimore
(Maryland) where my wife lives. Occasionally we visit Norway
where we have a cabin.
In concluding the interview, the captain
who appears to have adopted America as his country, was more
interested in who would win the baseball World Series, which
were about to start the next day. Unfortunately, his team did
not win.
