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Cruise Ship Reviews : Royal Caribbean International Reviews

Explorer of the Seas reviews


Explorer of the Seas reviews

Average customer rating:
3.8 / 5

Average Rating based on 12 Reviews:
Value For Money
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Fitness Center
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Spa
Specialty Restaurant
Staff and Service
Value For Money = 4.08
Cabin Design = 3.67
Entertainment = 3.09
Fitness Center = 4.10
Food Quality = 4.00
Ship Maintenance = 4.00
Spa = 3.33
Specialty Restaurant = 3.17
Staff and Service = 4.17
4.08
3.67
3.09
4.10
4.00
4.00
3.33
3.17
4.17







choicechance saw things this way:

Value For Money
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Fitness Center
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Spa
Specialty Restaurant
Staff and Service
Value For Money = 4
Cabin Design = 1
Entertainment = 2
Fitness Center = 3
Food Quality = 4
Ship Maintenance = 4
Spa = 3
Specialty Restaurant = 3
Staff and Service = 4
4
1
2
3
4
4
3
3
4

Sleepless @ sea from Barcelona to Dubai, November 5, 2015
Reviewer: choicechance

Pros: Interesting ports on itinerary -- if/when we could make a port call

Cons: The noise level in our Inside Promenade cabin

Date of cruise: October 1, 2015

Departure port: Barcelona

Region visited: Middle East

Cabin category: Inside

Good for children: Yes

Good for teenagers: Yes

Itinerary: We booked this, our first RCCL cruise, for the itinerary -- from Barcelona to Dubai, via Crete, Ishdod (Jerusalem), Suez Canal, & Aqaba (Petra). The 14-day cruise included 11 days at sea, which later turned to 12 when escalating violence in Israel prompted the captain to cancel our port call in Israel, thus further reducing our meagre 3 ports down to only 2! Stateroom: Our cabin was an Inside Promenadee, overlooking the Royal Promenade, and directly above the pub. The noise from the entertainment at the pub and nearby karaoke didn't end until well after midnight, making it impossible for us to sleep earlier than 1 a.m! Then between about 1:30 and 2:30am, there would be noise of chairs being dragged around -- probably cleanup down at the pub. And due to the nonstop music on the Promenade and ambient music in the corridors, even trying to nap during the day was impossible. The cabin layout was one of the worst in our 30+ cruises so far. There was inadequate storage space -- no drawer large enough for a regular 8"x10" envelope! There was also a woeful lack of hangers in the closet, and when we requested more, we were provided with a handful of extremely flimsy wire hangers. Would have loved to use the window seat for reading (see comments on library below) and people watching, but it was so uncomfortable that, after just a few minutes, I had a backache that lingered for days! Nice touch in the cabin was the kettle with coffee & tea, though the dirty mugs were never cleaned or replaced, and we had to wash them ourselves. Dining: We requested a table for 2 in the main dining room, but got assigned to a table for 8. We were told that there were over 700 requestsfor only 36 tables for 2! Why couldn't more tables for 2 be set up to accommodate at least some of the requests? The menu in the Sapphire dining room tended to be repetitive and underwhelming, even on formal nights. Lobsters were totally absent during the entire 14-day cruise -- they can only be had for an extra $20-30! The only shellfish for which we didn't have to shell out extra money was tiger shrimp -- usually overcooked, oversalty or mushy, or all of the above. Food in the Windjammer turned out to be a bit better than in Sapphire, both in selection and quality, probably because the plates weren't dished out in advance waiting under heat lamps to be picked up. Case in point -- the shrimp at the grill in Windjammer on the 2nd formal night was by far better than any served in Sapphire. Same for the strip steaks. Specials like sushi and grilled seafood should have been advertised in advance, so we could have planned for them, instead of stumbling upon them, after dinner! Entertainment: Entertainment was uneven in quality. The 3 production shows at the Palace Theatre, as well as the Ice Show, were good -- great costumes and sets. The comedians were usually terrible, with such strong accents that the (often terrible) jokes were usually lost on most. The programming could be better -- the 2 Scottish violinists on 2 consecutive nights was a bit much! The acoustic guitar player Alex was great, the other guitar player in the pub was not, esp. when he sang, and almost the same songs every night. Activities: The abundant days at sea had us desperately looking for things to do. The FlowRider looked like fun, but I couldn't for the life of me imagine myself trying it out. Same for the rock-climbing wall. Did try the ice-skating once. Swimming pools were usually standing room only, and hot tubs also tended to be crowded. The library was the worst I've ever seen anywhere -- only a few dozens of books that were really antiquated books (Pride & Prejudice, anyone?!), or non-English, or both, plus 3 bibles. No travel guides or atlases usually seen on cruises. The library was no place to be reading -- it was usually filled with several tables of noisy players of mahjongg or other games. Attended a few card-making classes, until they got so full that people started filling up the tables hours earlier and nobody could get in even if they arrived more than half an hour before the classes actually started! Just ridiculous!


memalka saw things this way:

Value For Money
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Fitness Center
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Spa
Staff and Service
Value For Money = 4
Cabin Design = 2
Entertainment = 2
Fitness Center = 4
Food Quality = 2
Ship Maintenance = 2
Spa = 2
Staff and Service = 4
4
2
2
4
2
2
2
4

Very disappointed....., January 17, 2014
Reviewer: memalka

Pros: It was a get away for 7 days

Cons: Cigarette smoke smell permeated many public areas

Date of cruise: January 5, 2014

Departure port: bayonne, nj

Region visited: Bahamas

Cabin category: Inside

Cabin number: 9365

We requested and had confirmation for kosher food, and for the most part the kosher food was not available from day one... many related difficulties. Cigarette smoke permeated many public areas...smoke odors from the casino on deck 5 were apparent on deck #5 (the main deck) especially because of an open staircase in the middle of the deck. Same on deck #11... the Windjammer and pool deck... smell from cigarettes all around... even noticeable on deck #12. Outdoor areas all around smelled of cigarette smoke. Ports were nothing to speak of... Port Canaveral had no areas to walk around,..... Nassau had low quality shops. Royal Caribbean's private island was beautiful... Embarkation was not smooth. Checked luggage at curb, went into waiting area for over an hour,...then bussed to ship. Once on ship, everyone went to Windjammer Cafe.. cabins not available for several hours... overcrowded and long uncomfortable wait. 4,000 passengers in the cafeteria at one time.


vizvarywendy saw things this way:

Value For Money
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Fitness Center
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Spa
Specialty Restaurant
Staff and Service
Value For Money = 5
Cabin Design = 4
Entertainment = 5
Fitness Center = 4
Food Quality = 4
Ship Maintenance = 5
Spa = 5
Specialty Restaurant = 4
Staff and Service = 5
5
4
5
4
4
5
5
4
5

Paradise at sea, June 20, 2013
Reviewer: vizvarywendy

Pros: Beautiful ship, attentive staff, great entertainment, felt like family

Cons: The only drawback is the food at the buffet; really wasn't good at all.

Date of cruise: June 8, 2013

Departure port: Bayonne New Jersey

Region visited: Bermuda

Cabin category: Inside

Cabin number: 1277

Good for children: Yes

Good for teenagers: Yes

Even though there are so many cruise ships, I really feel loyal to RC. When my trip was over, I was already anticipating my next voyage on RC. I loved the cruise director, the entertainment, all the activities, the captain, the waiters..I can go on and on. The ship was beautiful, spacious, so much to offer for all ages from kids to seniors and big enough that I hardly saw kids even though there was over 300 kids on board! Voyage on Royal Caribbean...you won't regret it!


gramparich saw things this way:

Value For Money
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Staff and Service
Value For Money = 4
Cabin Design = 4
Entertainment = 4
Food Quality = 4
Ship Maintenance = 3
Staff and Service = 2
4
4
4
4
3
2

Ship in need of refurbishing, May 29, 2013
Reviewer: gramparich

Pros: Love the promenade

Cons: Main waiter was not up to expectations

Date of cruise: January 6, 2013

Departure port: Bayonne

Region visited: Bahamas

Cabin category: Balcony

Cabin number: 7546

This was my second time aboard Explorer. First time October 2005. Readily noticed ship's condition has deteriorated. Rust on balcony railings, carpets in cabin need replacement as did hall carpets. Waiter in Main Dining Room actually became annoying with constant requests for high ratings for his service. Of the 18 cruises I've taken I'd rate him near bottom. Shore excursions were not great. Arrival time in Port Canaveral was too late for flexible touring. Still in all, we had a great time (14 people, one table)


PitaGirl saw things this way:

Value For Money
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Fitness Center
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Spa
Staff and Service
Value For Money = 4
Cabin Design = 4
Entertainment = 4
Fitness Center = 4
Food Quality = 5
Ship Maintenance = 4
Spa = 3
Staff and Service = 5
4
4
4
4
5
4
3
5

Everything was good. We had a great time., November 20, 2012
Reviewer: PitaGirl

Pros: The layout of this ship is awesome. Totally fell in love with the ship

Cons: No water in the Fitness Center, only fountains that are difficult to reach/use.

Date of cruise: November 4, 2012

Departure port: Bayonne, NJ

Region visited: Caribbean - Southern

Cabin category: Outside

Cabin number: 3544

Good for children: Yes

Good for teenagers: Yes

We totally fell in love with the Explorer of the Seas. Our cabin was 3544. It was in an excellent location, with very little noise. Richard Spacey was the cruise director and he was the best we have had (seven cruises to date). The crew was fantastic and one of the friendliest we have ever encountered. Our six-year-old son loved the Adventure Ocean club and looked forward to going every day. The food in the dining room was fantastic. The Windjammer was good, too ,but your usual fare. Johnny Rocket's was a blast and worth the $4.50 cover charge. All in all we had an absolutely wonderful time and can't wait to go on the Explorer again!


terimill saw things this way:

Value For Money
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Fitness Center
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Staff and Service
Value For Money = 4
Cabin Design = 5
Entertainment = 3
Fitness Center = 4
Food Quality = 4
Ship Maintenance = 4
Staff and Service = 5
4
5
3
4
4
4
5

Our first cruise with RC was a great experience, October 19, 2012
Reviewer: terimill

Pros: The cabin and crew were wonderful, they took very good care of us

Cons: The set dinner seated with strangers is not for me...

Date of cruise: October 7, 2012

Departure port: NJ

Region visited: Bermuda

Cabin category: Jr. Suite

Cabin number: 6394

Good for children: Yes

Good for teenagers: Yes

This was our first cruise experience. After this trip we are definitely going to be cruising RC again! We took our 10-month old son on our anniversary trip to Bermuda. The staff were just great. They paid a lot of extra attention to our baby as most of them had children of their own and had not been home for many months. The baby play room was clean and nicely adorned with new toys everyday. We asked if they had any drums which they found and set up for us. The children's room staff were very nice and all the kids seemed to have a great time. The kids room staff put on several parades with kids in costumes and face paint, singing songs and play acting... they had a ball! Of course, our baby was too little to do these things. The food was good in both the dining room and to my surprise the buffet! We ate at the buffet a lot as the food was good and the timing and seating arrangement was more flexible. I was also surprised to see that there were a lot of "healthy" choices for all meals, although I did indulge a bit since this was vacation! I did not find that there was the kind of price gouging that I expected... we had champagne on our anniversary and I had wine with dinner, the prices were the same as normal restaurant prices. Soda however was unexpectedly high in comparison... I don't drink the stuff anyway but I think it was priced about the same as domestic beer. We did Johnny Rockets once... it was just ok, the buffet food was much better. I did not care for the dining room meal arrangement, the food was indeed better than the buffet but I dislike having to sit with people I don't know and forced to make idle conversation. I did meet a family at our table that we ended up liking very much but I prefer to dine alone as a family. The 24-hour cafe was great. They served fresh coffee (Seattle's Best - which was very good), tea and hot chocolate all the time. They had a Starbucks, too, which we went to a few times, again the price no different from normal... The Norwegian Star pulled up behind us at port and we became friendly with some of their customers who were envious of both the free coffee and the Starbucks we had. I won't mention what they said about their coffee... We offered to buy them Starbucks from our ship and meet them on the pier in the morning. The room (a junior suite) was large and comfortable, we had a full bathtub, a big closet, big vanity, desk, two easy chairs, pull-out sofa and a large balcony. We pushed the chairs to the side and had plenty of room for baby to crawl and play. The room also had a mini fridge (which didn't really keep things very cold) and a room safe. It was a safe room for baby as there were no wires or plugs on the floor... easy to let him just crawl and play. A note about the balcony, the ones in the aft (back) are very large and private but when you look over the balcony, it's not over the water, it's over a deck with the RC logo painted on it, at least ours was. I liked the size but I wanted to peer over the balcony into the ocean which was not possible. Also we cruised from NJ to Bermuda in October... the weather was iffy, it was chilly until we arrived in Bermuda so we didn't use the balcony much, then it rained most of the time we were in Bermuda so we didn't use the balcony much :) This ship had a rock climbing wall, which my husband loved! A great work out room with a hot tub and an amazing view of the ocean and an ice rink (which we did not use but it seemed like a cool thing to have on a boat!). It had several pools and hot tubs but there was never a time that I wanted to go sit in a hot tub full of people I didn't know, and it was too cold to swim except when we got to Bermuda. Our room attendant was great, we had a new towel animal almost every day. We opted to have the gratuities automatically taken from our Sea Pass account but when I examined the amounts, I ended up tipping everybody a little extra anyway, the required tips per day aren't really very much. For the stateroom and housekeeping, it seems all right but the waiters who wait on you three meals or more a day, remember your name, what you like to drink and do funny tricks for the kids at the tables are only tipped a few dollars a day! I tip more than that at a normal restaurant for a single meal at a normal no frills dinner restaurant. These guys worked really hard for their $6 per day! Bermuda was beautiful but it did rain most of the time. We had one nice day to swim in the ocean and Horseshoe Bay was beautiful with a really nice little "baby" bay for the kids. Colorful fish swim right up to you. I didn't like the bus system, they are crowded with cruise tourists and there is really no way to "explore" the island. You are stuck going to the tourist spots with all the other tourists on the packed buses. All of the restaurants with nice views were tourist traps with mediocre very highly priced food. The one very memorable place we ate was Coconuts at The Reefs resort. It was the prettiest view we had on the whole island. The only minor annoyance for me on the ship was the "entertainment" I felt sorry for the entertainers who seemed like very talented people who were stuck doing a cheesey act... but I will admit that looking around most others seemed to enjoy it. I don't like things like karaoke, game shows, art auctions, parades and the like... but I will say that it is very easily avoidable. It's a big ship, I just went to a quieter deck. Folks told me that the ice show was really good, I couldn't go because I didn't want my baby to disturb others but it probably was pretty good, I heard that some of the performers were from Vegas and NYC. I was surprised how much I loved being on the ocean and how easy it was to travel this way. I would like to do a multi port trip next time, perhaps to Europe or Hawaii. I think it would be nice to see multiple destinations without having to unpack several times and run to catch trains etc...


MLsandhaus saw things this way:

Value For Money
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Fitness Center
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Spa
Staff and Service
Value For Money = 3
Cabin Design = 4
Entertainment = 2
Fitness Center = 4
Food Quality = 4
Ship Maintenance = 4
Spa = 2
Staff and Service = 4
3
4
2
4
4
4
2
4

This ship is a great size with lots of areas to "get away" or "join in", November 16, 2011
Reviewer: MLsandhaus

Pros: Promenade is a great place to hang out; outdoor activites

Cons: Not enough things to do at times; entertainment was average

Date of cruise: November 5, 2011

Departure port: Bayonne

Region visited: Bermuda

Cabin category: Balcony

Good for children: Yes

Good for teenagers: Yes

Took this cruise with my daughter for a relaxing get-away. We love the layout of this ship. It offers lots of places to go depending on the kind of atmosphere you're looking for. I like that you can easily get a drink or snack at the promenade any time of the day. This also serves as a main venue for activities at times, which can make it very loud and crowded, but it is usually quiet or pleasantly active. Service was good overall. Some misses here and there but nothing to put a damper on the experience. Food was not great, but pretty good for the most part. Presentation at dinner and in the Windjammer was good. Lots of options to choose from. We did not try the Portifino restaurant on this trip. I gave the spa a "fair" rating mostly due to the girl who worked on me. I thought I was going to have to kick her and wake her up a couple times, and "massage" is an exaggeration for what I got. The weather for this trip was not great. Not a lot of rain, but rough waters and gale force winds. So we were "inside" the ship for the most part. This meant we were perhaps looking for more activities than we might have been. Love the trivia and game-show type activities. But they are often scheduled close to meal time. Most evenings the on-board show was the only option until later - 10:00 ish. Would have liked some other fun options. We had a juggler that was OK. I went by myself since the 24 yr old had no interest in any of the shows. Two shows were ship production numbers. I sat through about 15 minutes of one, but just didn't care enough to stay. I'm not a fan of Dancing with the Stars type of shows, or song-and-dance shows with no-name performers, so take my criticism for what it is. We did go to the ice skating show. My husband and I had been on Explorer a year prior. This show seemed like the same one we saw then. It was fine. Nice costumes. But I guess this falls into the same song-and-dance category for me. I enjoyed it the first time I saw it - considering they're performing on a ship that's rocking in the ocean. I'll probably skip it next time. Overall, I do like this ship. The atmosphere and room are good for days at sea and the size offers lots of options.


SJCatlady saw things this way:

Value For Money
Cabin Design
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Specialty Restaurant
Staff and Service
Value For Money = 5
Cabin Design = 5
Food Quality = 4
Ship Maintenance = 5
Specialty Restaurant = 3
Staff and Service = 5
5
5
4
5
3
5

Had a wonderful cruise., May 4, 2011
Reviewer: SJCatlady

Pros: The crew was great!

Cons: I wish they could do something about kids running around.

Date of cruise: April 23, 2011

Departure port: Bayonne, NJ

Region visited: Bermuda

Cabin category: Inside

Cabin number: 8309

I will definitely cruise this ship again. This was our third cruise on the Explorer. My only complaint is with the way the kids just run wild. I realize the parents should control them, but I don't think it would hurt for the crew to also say something to them. Kids need to "unwind," but we were there to relax.


plaidside saw things this way:

Value For Money
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Fitness Center
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Specialty Restaurant
Staff and Service
Value For Money = 4
Cabin Design = 5
Entertainment = 2
Fitness Center = 4
Food Quality = 5
Ship Maintenance = 5
Specialty Restaurant = 2
Staff and Service = 5
4
5
2
4
5
5
2
5

It was one of the best cruises we have taken, December 24, 2010
Reviewer: plaidside

Pros: We booked a grand suite and it exceeded our expectations

Cons: Needs better entertainment.

Date of cruise: October 12, 2010

Departure port: Bayonne

Region visited: Caribbean - Eastern

Cabin category: Suite

Cabin number: 1252

Good for children: Yes

This was our first grand suite in 16 cruises. It was an amazing experience. They couldn't have done enough for us. The ship was clean, every staff member we had contact with was very helpful and friendly. The only thing we would like to be changed is the entertainment. Most of the shows were singing and dancing using the ships entertainers. We would have liked more variety of acts, such as magicians, jugglers, different singing groups or variety shows.


sfvoyage saw things this way:

Value For Money
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Fitness Center
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Specialty Restaurant
Staff and Service
Value For Money = 3
Cabin Design = 2
Entertainment = 2
Fitness Center = 4
Food Quality = 3
Ship Maintenance = 3
Specialty Restaurant = 2
Staff and Service = 2
3
2
2
4
3
3
2
2

Mass-market and crowded, September 14, 2010
Reviewer: sfvoyage

Pros: Decent food in main dining room; variety of entertainment

Cons: Incessant sales pitch for everything

Date of cruise: August 1, 2009

Departure port: Cape Liberty, NJ

Region visited: Caribbean - Eastern

Cabin category: Jr. Suite

Good for children: Yes

Good for teenagers: Yes

This was a huge boat and it was extremely crowded, with lots of lines at the buffet and not enough lounge chairs on the deck. The food was satisfactory in the main dining room but not good in the Windjammer buffet (Lido). The most annoying thing was the constant pressure for us to part with our dollars: The cruise director going on the PA to tout the cocktails of the day, photographers for portraits, waiters yelling "Fun Time!" to sell cocktails all over the pool deck, jewelry by the inch, shore excursions... The waiters were all only working for tips: All their smiles, cheerfulness and attentiveness - and all the fawning over my baby niece - disappeared the last morning, after tips had been distributed the night before. The entertainment was varied, and some acts were better than others.


ericawollman saw things this way:

Value For Money
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Fitness Center
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Spa
Specialty Restaurant
Staff and Service
Value For Money = 4
Cabin Design = 4
Entertainment = 3
Fitness Center = 5
Food Quality = 4
Ship Maintenance = 4
Spa = 5
Specialty Restaurant = 5
Staff and Service = 4
4
4
3
5
4
4
5
5
4

Friendly crew and very accommodating, September 6, 2010
Reviewer: ericawollman

Pros: Good food, great crew, fun ship

Cons: Inside cabin is loud; too many people/lines

Date of cruise: May 20, 2010

Departure port: Cape Liberty, NJ

Region visited: Caribbean - Western

Cabin category: Inside

Good for children: Yes

Good for teenagers: Yes

It was easy and quick to board at NJ port. The main dining room was excellent. Waiter and staff very attentive and friendly. Room attendent was efficient. Lots of room for clothes, curved bed and great view of promenade (inside room with window overlooking promenade). Mystery dinner at Portafino restaurant was excellent...I never laughed so hard AND food was excellent with very large portions. The spa was expensive except had coupons for discount services. The Rasul was relaxing and refreshing. The spa hot tub jets were great for deep tissue massage. Lots of drinking establishments. Fantastic deals on onboard liquor. The cons include the hot tubs had mixed temperatures...some too hot, some too cold. You had to wait in line to get tickets for ice skating show, then wait in line to get in, then there were no seats. Most shows were like that. Because our room overlooked the promenade, we had lights and music until 2 a.m. Never saw our room attendant to ask for ice, etc. Too much chlorine mixed with salt in the pool. Three levels of pool chairs and almost impossible to find seat near the pool or in the solarium. We asked for early seating in main dining room with a table for six or more...we got late dining time and a table for two...had to find maitre'd the next day to get it changed and he wasn't available until 6 p.m. Overall, our experience was very good and we would definitely sail this ship again.


lou1254 saw things this way:

Value For Money
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Fitness Center
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Staff and Service
Value For Money = 5
Cabin Design = 4
Entertainment = 5
Fitness Center = 5
Food Quality = 5
Ship Maintenance = 5
Staff and Service = 5
5
4
5
5
5
5
5

Our trip on the Explorer of the Seas was FANTASTIC, August 5, 2010
Reviewer: lou1254

Pros: Our waiter and assistant waiter were the very best.

Cons: Too many ports, Puerto Rico could have been elimated.

Date of cruise: July 22, 2010

Departure port: Cape Liberty

Region visited: Caribbean - Eastern

Cabin category: Balcony

Cabin number: 9233

Good for children: Yes

Good for teenagers: Yes

Overall our nine-day cruise was fantastic.

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