Doreen disruption

Item: Explorer of the Seas
Rating: 3.4
Author: veebee027

Explorer of the Seas Cruise Review to Europe - Northern Europe

veebee027

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 44

Overall rating:

3.4 out of 5

8 Night Norwegian Fjords (Southampton Roundtrip)

Sail date: September 13, 2019

Ship: Explorer of the Seas

Cabin type: Inside

Cabin number: 7437

Traveled as: Singles/Friends

Reviewed: 5 years ago

Review summary

Overall it was the people I met on this cruise that redeemed it. I am the biggest RC fan but was disappointed with this one. If we didnt have the multiple changes then maybe the service experience may have been better but Brilliance for example would have been a better ship for the destination

Embarkation

5 out of 5

i have always found RC process easy but I also had The Key

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

I purchased The Key which was meant to include lunch at Chops on embarkation day. A few weeks prior to departure, RC changed this to a Chops menu to be eaten in the main dining room. Overall the food wasnt as good as previous RC cruises however it was still good.

Onboard Activities

2 out of 5

I feel this was the wrong ship for the destination. Ye it had flow rider, pools, rock climbing etc but due to the weather being so cold you couldnt use. Even the solarium didnt have a roof so people were laying on deck chairs dressed for the snow with blankets during the day. On a warm weather cruise it would be a great ship. The promenade felt cramped and limited onboard shopping

Entertainment

2 out of 5

The ice show was great, but other than that the other shows were bad. The performers could sing and dance but the choreography was terrible and you were left trying to make sense of each performance. The main headline was Take That experience. They were ok but even die hard fans didnt know half their songs

Children's Programs

Did not travel with children

Service and Staff

3 out of 5

Just a good, certainly not great which has always been my experience with RC. It was the little things really. Best service was main dining room. We had some itinerary changes due to weather, which happens and I was ok with, better safe than sorry I say but the guest services and shore excursion teams did not handle it well, over charges were applied and they were obviously so overwhelmed by the changes they got defensive and wouldnt listen. The attitude and comments were they could charge what they like. Finally I managed to get someone who listened and eventually corrected the charges. room was ok but things like tissues not replaced.

Ship Quality

2 out of 5

The ship is tired but in all fairness it is having a revamp in a few months which it needs

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5

2 single beds put together but maybe some sort of mattress topper would be good so you dont feel the gap between the two.