Just returned from our 1st cruise

[jalit77]

Just returned from our 9 day cruise on the Explorer of the Seas, this was our first cruise. We enjoyed the ship, the islands, the food, and all employees working the ship, but didn't enjoy the beginning or end while at sea. We left on Friday, 2/5 out of Newark, New Jersey. The east coast was having several storms hit the area which meant for very rocky seas. Several people were getting sick around us, we didn't have this problem since we had the patch for behind our ears, the only side effect we felt from the patch was very dry mouths. We had up to 100-120 mph winds. The ship rocked back and forth so bad that it was very hard to walk without running into things. This lasted for the first day and a half while at sea, than the seas did calm down and the trip was more enjoyable. We also hit rocky seas on our last full day at sea as well, hit the storm that was hitting the Carolinas.

Did I enjoy our first cruise? Yes, except for the rocky seas at the beginning and end of our cruise. Will I cruise again? Yes, but will probably leave out of Florida instead of up north. We had a very good time during our trip and enjoyed our time with our friends.

Thanks to everyone who answered my questions and gave me tips about cruising.

Jean

[Sandy]

Welcome back, Jean. Sorry you went through the rough seas, but it sounds like the rest of the cruise was really enjoyable.

You never know about storms and seas. It's like predicting the weather. Rough seas can happen out of Florida, too, but at least it's usually warmer weather than leaving New Jersey in February.

I hope you have nothing but smooth seas next time around, no matter where your starting point is.

[Sonny V]

I've been on over 50 cruises and there has only been 4 times that I can remember experiencing heavy seas. It would have been worse if you had been on a smaller ship. I hope your next cruise is smooth sailing.

Sonny

[Jim C.]

I agree with Sonny... Its very rare to experience a cruise with seas that bad. We have only had 1 cruise out of all of ours that had what I would consider to be really bad seas. So you already have your odd one out of the way! I would agree that leaving from a southern port will lessen your chances of a repeat. To even further reduce that chance, try not to sail during Hurricane season as anything can happen then. They can normally sail around the big storms or pick alternate destinations to avoid high seas when sailing from Florida, so you have better odds (even in Hurricane season) to be in good weather.

[Dwayne]

Welcome back Jean! Sorry to hear about the rough seas. I know it isn't a pleasant thing when it happens. Glad you didn't get sick at least, and enjoyed the rest of the cruise.

Dwayne