Nathan's Insights

Saturday 04 January 2025
Highlights: All Access tour of Explorer of the Seas, Laughing and having fun at the Farewell Showtime: Steve Mazan show

All good things must come to an end and today was my last full day on the Explorer of the Seas. I had booked an All Access tour to learn about how this ship operates. It meant I couldn’t enjoy breakfast in the Main Dining Room as that takes some time but the Windjammer Buffet was fine enough.

The All Access tour starts in the Theatre with a backstage tour led by the captain of the dance group. We learnt about how the stage is numbered so performers can hit their marks safely. We saw different props in storage that had been used in earlier shows and costumes. It’s amazing what they can do in small spaces to create illustrations of big lived-in spaces.

Our next stop was the Main Dining Room. We were taken to the Chef’s Table and explained how it works (costs extra). Next up was the kitchens where the head chef of the Main Dining Room took us through how the food is prepared and the logistics.

We then moved onto the underbelly of the ship, the below-water levels where the staff work and live. We briefly saw the staff eating buffet room before moving on to food and drink storage. The fresh produce room was 2c so cold but okay for people. The amount of food stored was reduced as we neared the end of this cruise and the resupply for the next cruise.

Some of us then moved into the meat storage room which was set at somewhere around minus 10c. I could see my breath in this room. The alcohol storage room got everyone’s attention. This room has a lot of security on it, looks like the staff aren’t fully trusted compared to the walk-in arrangements for the food and water storage rooms!

We then walked down the main corridor called the I95. This corridor runs the entire length of the ship to allow for the movement of goods and people. The corridor was lined with baggage-handling trolleys for tonight’s bag collection.

We then had to do special security scanning and checks outside the medical facilities. These checks are required for any visitors to the Engine Control Room and the Bridge.

The Engine Control Room is very high tech as you would imagine. We got informed about how the ship operates, how it generates power, how it moves, are the air systems work and how sea water is turned into drinking water. 

The next stop was the Bridge. Great views of the bow of the ship. We were informed how the ship is operated and controlled from the Bridge by the Second Officer. A funny item was the display of a wooden bat with the title “Captain’s Coaching Tool‘ LOL.

We then headed even deeper into the ship for the laundry area. A massive area given how much laundry is cleaned each day. Very efficient process.

With that, the All Access Tour was finished. When I first booked I was disappointed I couldn’t do this tour at the start of the cruise on the first Sea Day but in retrospect, this was better. I understand the ship better after 9 days on board and seeing the props and costumes in the Theatre I could recall how they looked when used. Highly recommended tour.

The tour went so long that I had to miss the Main Dining Room lunch sitting which was a shame since MDR Lunch sittings only occur on Sea days and are great. The Windjammer buffet was fine.

After a late lunch, I went to explore parts of the ship I had previously missed. The most important was Deck 14 and the Dizzy Gillespie Room which provided a great overview of the ship. I also watched people doing rock climbing and playing table tennis.

Later in the day I went for a walk on the Deck 4 walking track and watched the sun go down. I could see ships in the distance as we got closer to Maimi.

After a nice MDR dinner, I reluctantly headed to the final show of this cruise titled Farewell Showtime: Steve Mazan. The performance started with the band playing some songs before the Cruise Entertainment Director recalled the last 10 days. Then comedian Steve Mazan performed with some laughs with topics ranging from cruising to marriage and relationships. 

The performance finishes with all performers from the last 10 days coming on stage to sing a farewell song and dance routine. A nice way to finish.

I headed back to my cabin and started the packing process and listened to the Sydney Cricket Test Match.