Good long break

Item: Explorer of the Seas
Rating: 4.5
Author: trnpet

Explorer of the Seas Cruise Review

trnpet

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 4

Helpful Votes: 79

Overall rating:

4.5 out of 5

9 Night Southern Caribbean (Miami Roundtrip)

Sail date: December 27, 2019

Ship: Explorer of the Seas

Cabin type: Inside

Cabin number: 8457

Traveled as: Family (young children)

Reviewed: 4 years ago

Review summary

We did allot of lounging on this cruise. So as long as we had a chair and a view we were happy.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Would recommend Shuttle to port. We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn near the airport. They offered a cruise package with shuttle to port. Loved that we did not have to deal with the traffic getting to and around the port.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5

Dining room was ok. I think the windjammer had great dinner options. They often had the same as the dining room plus a themed section. Much faster and wear what you want. Breakfast was good as well. Lunch left me wanting more options

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Whirlpools

5 out of 5

Good size. 4 total 2 with shade and 2 open

Casino Royale

3 out of 5

I play slots. So more bonus machines the better. Felt like they needed to replace some of the older machines. Non smoking section is small and did not have fun games.

Swimming Pools

4 out of 5

Nice pools with plenty of edge seating. Pool chairs can be hard to find after 10am

Rock Climbing Wall

5 out of 5

Great. Wish more hours but it was super fun.

Jogging Track

3 out of 5

Not sure how the runner’s run on this unless it is very early. Crowded with the loungers and people do not follow the run/walk lanes.

Spa and Fitness Center

3 out of 5

Great view. But very crowded in the mornings. Yoga mats need to be replaced. Maybe part of the upgrades coming up.

Dunes Mini Golf

2 out of 5

Needs more excitement. Very flat course. No color.

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Studio B

5 out of 5

Amazing. Date is reserved based on your muster station. They only do a few shows so if you miss your scheduled show you may not get to see it. FYI - First row audience did have some interaction with performers.

Palace Theatre

5 out of 5

Loved the live orchestra. Plenty of seats. We watched a dance showcase and a comedian. Both shows were good. Much better singing than past cruises

Centrum

4 out of 5

It’s ok. Gets crowded quickly. Smoke smell from casino can inter this area due to the access in the center of the promenade.

Children's Programs

5 out of 5

Daughter 8 loved kids club. Went after dinner from 7-10pm. After 10 was $7/hour.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Staff was amazing as always.

Ship Quality

4 out of 5

The staff do a great job if keeping up with the maintenance of the ship. This is an older ship so some things are starting to show signs of its age. I did not mind but just something to keep in mind if you are used to the new shops.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Best inside cabin. Plenty storage and hangers. Large desk area. Sink vanity larger most. Kids 4/5 feet tall used top bunks and they had good head space to sit up.

Ship tip

Deck 4 goes around the ship with access to the helipad. My favorite place to grade a cup of coffee and watch the waves.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Oranjestad, Aruba

3 out of 5

Port ok. Did a resort for a day pass at the RIU Palace. The good - pools/towels / drinks / and great buffets included. The bad - no chairs, crowded beach. No shuttle so taxi / bus. Make sure you are 100% dry for taxi.

Thumbs Up 1

Willemstad, Curacao

5 out of 5

Mambo beach was perfect. Great snorkeling. Plenty of chairs for rent.

Thumbs Up 0

Labadee (Cruise Line Private Island)

5 out of 5

Loved. We got a beach bed.

Thumbs Up 0

Kralendijk, Bonaire

5 out of 5

Beautiful.

Thumbs Up 0

Miami, Florida

4 out of 5

Hotel was nice. Traffic crazy if your not used to it.

Thumbs Up 1

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

Once it got started it was very fast and organized

3 Comments

Gwbigdog 2 years ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise.

Thumbs Up 0

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cruisereckoning 4 years ago

So glad you enjoyed

Thumbs Up 0

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CruzeFan 4 years ago

Glad you enjoyed it. We were on the sister ship Adventure of the Seas on a similar itinerary in November and loved it. The ship is big enough to have anything you want to do without being too large. I don’t understand those that post that these ships are “too small” and “nothing to do.” I guess they never learned how to just relax and do nothing without needing to constantly be entertained.

Thumbs Up 6

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Other reviews of this sailing

Food was the worst. Great service! Hot tubs and pool cold. Lots of activities, but lots of waivers for kids to sign. Drink machine were always out of ice and beverages, and needed more machines.

Explorer of the seas.