Family Vaca for my parent bucket list

Explorer of the Seas Cruise Review to Europe - Mediterranean

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 11

Overall rating:

4.2 out of 5
Verified Review
Explorer of the Seas

7 Night Greece & Croatia (Ravenna Roundtrip)

Sail date: June 08, 2024

Ship: Explorer of the Seas

Cabin number: 3716

Traveled as: Large Group

Reviewed: 5 months ago

Review summary

Overall, the cruise was very memorable for us given our unique situation. Wish the weather was not so hot and some stops would have been more accommodating for individuals with health needs. Staff on this ship made it all worth while!! Fantastic people on the ship.

Embarkation

5 out of 5
wonderful experience, very quick and efficient.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5
Food was much better than cruises I have sailed with previously. Virgin drinks were good but, alcohol drinks (except for wine) were a bit watered down. Lots of additional fees that were not included in our initial bill. It would have been cheaper to travel and get an airbnb but, the cruise did make it easier as we traveled as a large group since my parents both have cancer. It was memorable for them and us so that's what matters most. This will be my parents last trip as their health is fading fast so very glad that we could all make it together and the staff made the trip memorable for both of my parents in the last days.

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5
Shows were great in the theater. Main pool areas were a zoo and very loud. Not relaxing at all. Nash in the fitness center was stellar! Truly an amazing human being! He was a wealth of information and had a fantastic personality. He is extremely knowledgeable, and we really appreciated him. He was always extremely positive and willing to help. We had a few hiccups on the trip with my husband having to have emergency dental surgery in port. Nach was helpful and checked on him several times to make sure we were doing ok. He went above and beyond what his job required and for that, we will are grateful. The world needs more individuals such as him and he is a huge asset to your company! Due to his knowledge of products and information, we also purchased several thousand of dollars worth of products from him. He really made our time on the ship fantastic and memorable. It was a highlight of the trip and the information is something my husband and kids will be taking with us home and continue to use. He followed up with my husband and I on everything and answered any question we had. We really appreciated his professionalism and attention to detail. We would go back on a cruise just to have more sessions and workshops with him alone! He is top notch! Rohit was also lovely in the gym area as well. Tri and Safitri our wait staff at our table in the dining area were amazing and full of life. They were the highlight of our evenings. They were also phenomenal as well!! I wish we could have wait staff like this at every restaurant. My husband got sick and had to be taken to the dentist for an emergency tooth surgery for a tooth infection while in Croatia. Tri went above and beyond to pack up something for my husband so he can still try and eat and take the medication he needed for the infection. They both remembered our names and made sure they immediately had our drinks and bread ready. Their energy was so positive, and they worked so well together as a team to help serve us. They also gave us great advise about what there was to do on the ship and at port. And Tri was a riot and always came with a smile on his face. It was really appreciated and ended the night on a great note! Marylou the manger was also amazing and on the last might came to our table and brought a special dish made from her home country of the Philippines in which we absolutely loved!! She brought enough for my whole family. The little extra touches and attention to detail made the trip extra special and especial as this was a trip my sister and I put together for my parents as a bucket list item since they both have terminal cancer and do not have much longer to live. The staff on this ship made it a memorable one for our family. It made my mom and dad very happy to be able to spend this quality time with us on the ship. The staff was a huge part of that!

Entertainment

5 out of 5
Great shows in the theater and the ice show. My kids loved the belly flop competition and still laugh about it. DJ played great music but, it was really loud all the time. We could barely hear each other talk on the pool deck. We also liked the band from Jamaica.

Children's Programs

5 out of 5
Teen club-14 year old daughter, 12 and 16 year old nephews liked the area to get away from the adults from time to time. They also did go to the arcade several times.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
Tony our cleaning staff was so sweet and constantly checked in to see if there was anything we needed and went above and beyond with this service! We greatly appreciated him as well. And Anthony in shore excursions was so funny and really helpful. I loved chatting with him. Very helpful. Tri and Safitri were stellar as I shared above, along with Nash in the gym. We also did have 4 massages and my husband's masseuse he stated was fabulous as well. Robert, the main dining hall manager was extremely rude on several occasions and snapped at us several time. I was not happy about dealing with his attitude. We were told one thing by other staff and then yelled at by him after which was not our fault. He needs some assistance and further training on customer service. If he is the manager, he should know better than to speak to people harshly and rudely.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5
Very clean and well kept. Only thing is one of the doors was locked and we had to walk around the other way to get back to our room.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
Cabin was great. Loved the large window and cleanliness! Tony did a great job keeping it fresh and clean.

Ship tip

Lots to do for all members of your family.

Ports of call

Ravenna, Italy

4 out of 5

Dubrovnik, Croatia

5 out of 5
lovely people and cool sites

Piraeus (Athens), Greece

1 out of 5
Depends what you are going for but, we did not find Athens to be a friendly or pretty place and it did not help that it was so incredibly hot. Hop on off busses were a mess and we were not told that you will have to hop on numerous busses to see things which made it very difficult for my parents with medical challenges. We were told initially that they could stay on the bus and ride one bus around town to see everything, which clearly was not the case.

Santorini, Greece

1 out of 5
The port was very crowded with 7 cruise ships there at once. People were very rude and not helpful. There were only two was to get up the mountain, walk stairs or donkey and/or tram. The lines were so long and the power went out on the island so people were stuck. It was so incredibly hot that the only way back to the ship was to walk down the 600 stair. People were pushing and shoving, passing out and falling down the stairs, falling in the donkey poop, and passing out of heat stroke with no one there to help. It was a horrible experience and we will not go back there EVER! When you asked for help from the locals, they ignored you or were very rude. This area is not an area I would recommend for elderly people or people with medical challenges. Both ports in Greece we had to get my parents back to ship early as they were really struggling. Also, our tour we booked, didn't wait or want to be helpful either.

Split, Croatia

5 out of 5
Beautiful city and friendly helpful people. We would love to go back to Croatia and spend more time. My parents really enjoyed it here out of all of the locations as there was rich history, great food and places to sit and watch the people by the water.

Disembarkation

4 out of 5
A bit upset there were not more options for shuttle services. We had to get off the boat at 6:30 am so we did not have time to get breakfast.
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7 Comments

Cruisers4Lyfe     4 months ago

Thanks for sharing

Bertfish     5 months ago

Very well written review. Very sorry to hear about your parents. Cancer is a terrible thing. My wife has battled it for 14 years. Very glad you got to spend some quality time with them now. God bless. #FCancer

AuntPinkie     5 months ago

Appreciate your detailed and informative review. Happy you were able to spend this unique vacation with your parents. Glad you mostly enjoyed your cruise.

javawoody     5 months ago

Thanks for the detailed review

kef2016     5 months ago

Thank you for sharing your cruise experience. Your details were helpful. Glad you had a great cruise.

HeavySeas     5 months ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise experience

cruising2004     5 months ago

Thank you for your detailed review.

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