Explorer of the Seas - Talking With Captain Olav

Captain Olav Nyseter likes to point out that he has been with his company for nearly 50 years. This may be somewhat startling to some as Royal Caribbean is only 43 years old. However, Captain Olav counts from when he went to work as a deck hand on a freighter for I.M. Skaugen Company, one of the three original investors that came together to form Royal Caribbean in 1969.




During his time with company, Captain Olav has seen cruising grow from being “a little bit wild west” to the polished component of the vacation industry that it is today. In addition to commanding such important ships as Song of America, sovereign, Monarch, Legend, Splendor and Rhapsody of the Seas, he has been involved in bringing 11 of the line’s ships into service. He has also been fleet captain, doing the shoreside management of all of the ships in Royal’s fleet.

These days, he is once again captain of Explorer of the Seas, a ship that he brought into service in 2000. Explorer remains a very popular ship and Captain Olaf is one of the reasons for the ship’s continuing success. Beyond his credentials as a seaman, Captain Olav is personable with a dry Nordic sense of humor that makes him a favorite with the guests.

When I was on Explorer recently, I had the opportunity to Captain Olav about what makes Explorer successful and where he see the ship headed in the future. During the course of our conversation, we also touched upon some aspects of his life that underscore that he is an extraordinary individual. The interview is posted at http://www.beyondships2.com/explorer-of-the-seas-captain-interview.html

St. Thomas Cruise Destination Photo Guide

St. Thomas is one of the most popular ports in the Caribbean. Indeed, it is so much in demand that it is not uncommon to have five large ships in port at the same time.




One of the reasons that St. Thomas is so popular is the shopping. Not only are there hundreds of shops geared toward the cruising public in downtown Charlotte Amalie but now there are malls that border the island’s two cruise ports.



However, there is more to St. Thomas than the shopping. The island has some beautiful beaches and not just Magens Bay, which has been called one of the top ten most beautiful beaches in the world.

The island also has an array of other attractions for sightseeing and activities. A person would be hard pressed to say that there is nothing to do.



I have been visiting St. Thomas since the early 1990s and the island has developed considerably since then. It has become much more tourist friendly.



Beyondships’ multi-page cruise destination photo guide to St. Thomas begins at http://www.beyondships.com/Ports-StThomas.html

Celebrity Silhouette - Talking with the Captain and Hotel Director

Continuing our coverage of Celebrity Silhouette, this we have interviews with two of the individuals who play a major role in creating the cruise experience on Silhouette - - her captain and the hotel director.




The captain of a cruise ship does not just drive the ship. In fact, only a relatively small portion of his time is spent with his hands on the controls - - usually just going in and out of port. Rather, the captain has ultimate responsibility for everything that goes on aboard the ship. He is the CEO, the big picture guy.



Captain Nicholas Pagonis is the captain of Celebrity Silhouette. A very open and friendly person, he is often seen out and about amongst the guests. This is in order to further his vision of what the atmosphere on Silhouette should be like. At the same time, the safety of the ship and the guests is his number one priority, which he takes quite seriously.



In our conversation, we spoke about Silhouette both from a nautical perspective as well as about the overall cruise experience it offers. The interview is posted at http://www.beyondships2.com/celebrity-silhouette-captain-interview.html



Sue Richardson is Silhouette’s hotel director and as such is directly responsible for most of the things that the guests experience onboard - - the accommodations, the dining, the entertainment and the activities. I asked her to describe the cruise experience that Silhouette offers and who the Silhouette is seeking to attract as guests. That interview is at http://www.beyondships2.com/celebrity-silhouette-hotel-director-interview.html

Celebrity Silhouette - Profile, Photos and Dining

This week we begin coverage of a spectacular new ship - - Celebrity Silhouette. She is not spectacular because of her size although she is a large ship (122,000 gross tons). Nor is she spectacular in the sense of having shock and awe decoration. Rather, she is spectacular in the way everything comes together to form a really high quality whole.




Silhouette is a premium cruise ship. Her interior design is eye-pleasing and decorated in a contemporary style. There has been attention to detail in the design and in the people flow through the public rooms. Guests have an impressive range of dining options as well as a range of choices in entertainment and activities. It all just comes together very well.



One of the things that I like very much about Silhouette is that she is not merely a clone of her three sister ships - - Celebrity’s Solstice, Equinox and Eclipse. Having built one successful ship, a cruise line might well be tempted to merely build all the rest of the class in the same way. However, such an approach tends to make the subsequent ships uninteresting. In addition, it overlooks the fact that the cruise industry is quite competitive and the other cruise lines will have analyzed the first ship in the class and adopted the best ideas into their own fleets. Thus, to stay competitive, innovation is the key.



While Silhouette was built on the model of her predecessors, she also has several new innovations. For example, there are two new dining venues - - The Lawn Club Grill and The Porch. Several of the bars have been re-focused to create a different experience. She has a new Art Studio where guests can unleash their creativity. These innovations on top of the differences in décor give Silhouette her own character.



The Beyondships profile page for Celebrity Silhouette is at http://www.beyondships.com/Celebrity-Silhouette-Profile.html It includes examples of the ship’s daily programs (Celebrity Today) as well as copies of menus from most of the ship’s dining venues.



The multi-page photo tour of the ship’s public areas begins at http://www.beyondships.com/Celebrity-Silhouette-Tour-1.html



In addition, we have a dining guide in which Food and Beverage Manager Carlos Echaiz describes each of the ship’s dining venues. http://www.beyondships2.com/celebrity-silhouette-dining-guide.html



Rounding it out, there are my reviews of Blu - - a dining venue that is both a first class restaurant and a healthy dining venue. http://www.beyondships2.com/celebrity-silhouette-blu-review.html and of Silhouette’s innovative new dining venue The Lawn Club Grill. http://www.beyondships2.com/celebrity-silhouette-lawn-club-grill-review.html

Photo Essay on Explorer of the Seas; Review Johnny Rockets

Happy New Year all!




My last cruise of 2011 was on Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas. I had enjoyed cruising on her earlier in the year to Bermuda so when an attractive opportunity arose for a longer cruise on the ship to the Caribbean, I signed up.



Explorer is the second ship in Royal Caribbean’s Voyager class. At one time not so long ago, she and her sisters were the largest cruise ships in the world. Lately, I have heard people refer to her as a medium sized ship. That really is not fair or accurate. At, 138,000 gross tons she is still a big ship in absolute terms. Furthermore, there are still only a handful of ships that are larger - - Royal Caribbean’s two Oasis class ships and four Freedom class ships; Queen Mary 2, and Norwegian Epic.



Explorer has been sailing out of Bayonne, New Jersey in New York harbor on a year-round basis for more than half a decade. People in the New York area have become familiar with her and with her crew. (Friendliness is a watchword onboard). This fact coupled with the fact that many people in the northeast who like the Royal Caribbean product would rather drive to the pier than fly to Florida, means that she gets a lot of repeat passengers.



Planning is underway for a major refit of the ship. Royal is going through its fleet and enhancing each ship with new features derived from the success of Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas. Fleetmate Radiance of the Seas had her makeover last Spring and added numerous dining venues to her features. Explorer’s turn will come. In addition to dining venues, there is speculation that features such as a Flo-rider surfing simulator and a large outdoor video screen will be added. However, nothing appears to be written in stone.



These changes may not benefit Explorer’s New York/New Jersey area fans. The ship is only scheduled to be in New York until April 2013 and the refit may well occur after that. There have long been rumors that Liberty of the Seas would be deployed to replace Explorer. While there is some appeal to having a ship named Liberty sailing from Cape Liberty, these rumors appear to have lost currency. Instead, the speculation is that one of the forthcoming Project Sunshine ships may replace Explorer.



Royal has been quite tight-lipped about Project Sunshine. All that has leaked out is that the ships will be about the same size as the Freedom class ships and will be built by the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany. (The builders of Celebrity’s Solstice class, Norwegian’s Jewel class and Royal’s Radiance class). Beyond that, all that is being said is that they will be “all-weather cruise ships.”



That phrase could mean a couple of things. It could simply mean that the pool deck will be covered in a similar fashion to Holland America’s Vista class ships. On the other hand, it could mean that the ships will have the power, hull design and strength to withstand major storms. If that is the case, the Project Sunshine ships will in essence be 21st century ocean liners - - something all ship enthusiasts would applaud.



My recent voyage on Explorer produced quite a lot of material that I will be sharing in coming weeks including an interview with Captain Olav. This week I have posted a new photo essay showing Explorer in various ports that she visited long with some of the ships that she met there. http://www.beyondships.com/Explorer-photos-Caribbean.html



I have also added new daily programs (Cruise Compasses) to the Explorer of the Seas’ profile page. http://www.beyondships.com/Explorer.html



Finally, I have added a specialty restaurant review of Johnny Rockets. On this last cruise, I found that people assumed that Explorer’s Johnny Rockets was simply a hamburger venue along the lines of the Mast Grill on Celebrity’s Solstice class ships or the Bimini Grill on Norwegian Dawn. While Johnny Rockets produces very good burgers, is more than that. It is an experience. The review is posted at http://www.beyondships2.com/explorer-of-the-seas-johnny-rockets-review.html