Nice time on Explorer

Explorer of the Seas Cruise Review

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 36

Overall rating:

4.9 out of 5
Explorer of the Seas

7 Night Southern Caribbean (San Juan Roundtrip)

Sail date: November 28, 2021

Ship: Explorer of the Seas

Cabin type: Suite

Cabin number: 1600

Traveled as: Family (young children)

Reviewed: 2 years ago

Review summary

We booked tbis cruise while we were traveling on the Harmony back in January of 2018. It originally was supposed to be on the Freedom of the Seas, but it was canceled due to early dry dock, then canceled again due to Covid. We were put off for another year, and switched to the Explorer. We came very close to canceling all together, as RCCL made no concessions for the change, in fact we lost $500 in on board credit we were supposed to receive. But, we decided to tough it out and had a great time regardless.

Embarkation

3 out of 5
Embarkation a bit stressful, travelling with an unvaccinated child. Plus, RCCL insisted that we owed $75 even though we paid in full 2 years ago - a bit annoying until they realized they were wrong.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5
Our servers in the main dining room were wonderful. Lulu and Kuldeep. They were friendly and attentive, and remembered everything we liked. Not to mention, the food was the best we've had on a RCCL ship.

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5
We didn't attend many of the daily activities, but from what we observed people were having a great time.

Entertainment

5 out of 5
The pool area entertainment was great, there was more live music than I remember on previous Royal Caribbean trips. We didn't go to any evening shows, however.

Children's Programs

5 out of 5
Our 9 year old son went to Adventure Ocean a few times, he had a good time.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
Every staff member we encountered was friendly and helpful. They definitely made the trip more enjoyable.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5
This was our 4th time on a Voyager class ship, and our second time on Explorer. We traveled on her almost 21 years ago in February of 2001. The overall condition of the ship was very good, they've definitely kept up on the maintenance. A few things around the shop looked a bit old, but certainly not run down.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
We had an owner's suite. There was plenty of room for us, and the layout worked well for our family. The only thing I would recommend - for light sleepers, book a suite on the starboard side. Our room was on the port side, below the designated smokers area. Because of this, there were passengers above us 24 hours a day, and the noise of chairs scraping on the deck above could be heard throughout the night.

Ship tip

Stay on the starboard side if you're on deck 10, if possible. Also, the mask mandates - while tolerable, are certainly not enjoyable.

Ports of call

San Juan, Puerto Rico

5 out of 5
Always enjoy San Juan. A beautiful city with lots of historical sites and friendly people.

Oranjestad, Aruba

5 out of 5
We went to DePalm Island. The weather is never a disappointment in Aruba.

Kralendijk, Bonaire

5 out of 5
First time to Bonaire. Our tour was nice, and Sorobon beach was a lot of fun.

Willemstad, Curacao

5 out of 5
Curacao was more beautiful than I remembered, and the port area was much nicer than the last time we were there.

Philipsburg, St. Maarten

4 out of 5
Lovely island, although with tbe current political unrest it might not be the best time to visit

Disembarkation

5 out of 5
No problems getting off the ship. Went from our suite to a taxi in 20 minutes.
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8 Comments

Cruisers4Lyfe     3 months ago

Thanks for sharing

Gwbigdog    2 years ago

Thanks for sharing.

BeeKimball    2 years ago

Great review, thanks for sharing!

AuntPinkie    2 years ago

Appreciate your detailed review. Glad you enjoyed your cruise.

hollysmomtravel    2 years ago

Thanks for sharing

1CruiseGram    2 years ago

Thanks for the review

javawoody    2 years ago

Thanks for sharing your experience

cruising2004    2 years ago

Thank you for sharing your experience

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