snaerff Cruise Review on Explorer of the Seas on Jan 30, 2018

Explorer of the Seas Cruise Review

snaerff

Contributor Level: Purser

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 14

Overall rating:

5 out of 5

Sail date: January 30, 2018

Ship: Explorer of the Seas

Reviewed: 6 years ago

Review summary

We're Australian and just returned from a 10 night South Pacific cruise ex Sydney. Despite an extensive refurbishment in 2015 the ship is showing its age (we were first time cruisers and even we could tell). Nevertheless, our cabin was really well appointed and everything was well maintained .... just a bit tired here and there. Every staff member we had contact with was beyond friendly and extremely attentive to guest needs. Within a day they invariably remembered our names and we enjoyed many funny conversations during the cruise. We'd happily sail aboard this ship again based on the staff interactions alone. Food was average in general, and well below expectations in the main dining room (as a consequence we decided to eat in the Windjammer Cafe after the second night. It was nicer with better choices.) I'd say most larger Australian clubs are of a similar or better standard. Drinks are VERY expensive ($10 AUD for a warm beer and $4+ for a juice or Coke). Entertainment was only fair with the exceptions being the ice skating and dance shows, which were outstanding. Other services were all above expectations and getting on and off was a piece of cake at every port. Royal Caribbean takes security very seriously and there were no issues with marauding kids or drunken passengers at all. Overall, this workhorse provided us with a very fine cruising experience and we intend enjoying her again soon.

5 Comments

Aussiepass 6 years ago

Hey we where on Same cruise try voyager if u get a chance I found explorer just ok but I’ve been on 10 cruises 😆

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snaerff 6 years ago

Thanks! Hope you do sometime. :)

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IkeDeb 6 years ago

So glad you had a great cruise. Hope there will be more. We would love to cruise there. You never know. 😋😋

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snaerff 6 years ago

Thank you. Yes we had a package that included "proper" coffee and hot chocolate etc, soft drinks, bottled water and mocktails. It was about USD$19 a day and well worth it. I'll be cruising on Explorer of the Seas later this year with my kids. :)

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talltilly 6 years ago

Glad you enjoyed your first cruise...it can be addictive. I've never cruised with RCL, but I am occasionally surprised by the cost of a single drink...I'm from Washington state, and the price of my coffee's to feed my Pacific Northwest coffee addiction led me to purchase a coffee card for my next cruise...it seems very economical...maybe explore the drink package options for your next cruise. Good Cruising!

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