Explorer of the Seas Cruise Reviews - Reviews

This cruise was my gift to my daughter for her high school graduation.  Alaska is an amazing sight to behold... if you have the opportunity to go...  GO!!  It's a beautiful place and pictures can't hold a candle to the actual sight of it!  Although this was our first RC cruise, it was our 2nd cruise experience.  We traveled with some of our other family members who had a great experience with their first RC cruise when they went on a 9 day Carribbean vacay so we decided to give RC a shot.  All-in-all, the cruise was great...  but... there were a couple of things that should've been better.  First, although the food was great in the main/Captains dining room... our service from the waiter and waiter assistant were more than lacking: water/tea glasses went unfilled even after asking for refills, they repeatedly placed the wrong orders in front of the wrong people at our table so more than once we had to play "musical plates", and the service they gave the table was very slow.  As a matter of fact, the service the first night was so poor, the family of 4 we were to share a table with for the week didn't return after that first night.  The second issue...  soda package drink availability:  soda package costs ~$70 for the 7 day trip, numerous soda packages sold on the ship based on the number of package glasses seen among passengers- - only 6 soda dispensing machines on board on a vessel that is 14 decks high.  In addition to that, 2 of the machines were located in the dining room that was blocked off for private use more often than not and then, of the other 4, 2 were usually out of ice or not working correctly so the dispensed liquid was not cold/refrigerated... definitely not giving the consumer $70 worth of service with this.  Let me just end by saying...  these 2 issues were the only real complaints we had with the trip.  Overall, it was a great experience and we would definitely repeat it.  Our room attendant, Nestor, was AWESOME!!!  The food was great and plentiful!  The staff friendly.  The music varied and fabulous... and did I mention that Alaska was AMAZING!!?!  

For the most part - they did what they said.  I thought the main dining waiters etc. were outstanding.  Our person who cleaned our room was also outstanding.  The ship was lovely and very clean.

Negatives....The shore excursions we signed up for were way too short....i.e/ Mendenhall Glacier (We were only there 1 1/2 hours and it took about an hour to hike to and from glacier - no time to even go to the visitors center).  Even the panning for gold in Skagway was way too short....not enough time to even may a bathroom break.  Juneau and Skagway were great and enough time to see the towns - that was a plus!  The train ride was wonderful! in Skagway.  We went to Beauchart Gardens in Victoria and AGAIN 1 1/2 hours WAY TOO SHORT to see such a beautiful area.  It was raining so it even seemed to take a little longer with all of the umbrellas.  The bus driver was very good and informative. 

The TV programs were terrible - absolutely nothing to watch....and a good portion of the channels were in another language. 

The food (especially the bakery items and fruit)  were always the same day after day no variety.  It would have been nice to have some strawberries, or some different type of bakery items....somewhat boring day after day. 

Overall loved the ship and the itinerary.  Also, the check-in process was very slow and no one realized we could tag our bags and get in line for check-in.  If more people were out front informing the passengers of the procedure it would have gone so much smoother. 

The whole crew was wonderful - NO complaints.

I had set up a day for my daughters Birthday celebration and that did not happen....but we told the crew and they at least sang to my daughter.  NOT sure why that didn't happen. 

They also changed some of the times of activities such as the Sushi making - who wants Sushi at 9:00 in the morning.  We had signed up for noon and they changed it.  We ended up not eating it and throwing it out!

No improvements necessary, cruises on Royal Caribbean are always fabulous when traveling with great friends.  Cruise in all its forms was a wonderful experience.  Great onboard activities, restaurants, shoppinig, and dining.

This was our 2nd cruise with RC and both have been on this class of vessel, they are really nice ships.  The trip offered stunning views at every turn.  We were a little worried about taking this trip so early in the season, but we got lucky and had great weather - 60's and 70's F for daily highs, partly cloudy or sunny every day but one - the last sea day it rained.  That's fine because you're not going to spend a lot of time on deck on the sea days, it is too cold and windy on the north Pacific.  In port it was fine and I used the pools a couple of times while in port, they are heated and it was quite pleasant.

We did an RC tour in Skagway - White Pass Rail, I highly recommend it. In Juneau we made our own arrangements to see the Mendenhall Glacier which was easy, there are multiple operators who will take you back and forth to the visitors center.  In Victoria, my wife booked high tea at the Empress - again I highly recommend that, and we did our own tour of some places in the city.  The trip down the Tracy Arm Fjord was absolutely spectacular.

This is a different type of cruise, our others have all been to warm places with lots of time at the pool.  You won't be doing that here but if you want to see some of the wonders of Alaska, this is a great way to do it.

1. More TV Channels

2. Front Desk poor attitude 

3. Leaving ship luggage needs to out on dock by 7:00 am

4. Lack of concern by management 

5. Would NOT recommend RC to anyone!

Great cruise, not enough time in Juneau of you do three whale watching, samon bake and Mendenhall Glacier.  The excursion was 6+ hours and didn't get a chance to shop there. Also the embarkation needs some serous work. Got there at our declared time and had to wait over an hour and half to get front the front door onto the ship. I was told they were trying something new.... it didn't work. Other than that it was simply breath taking.   Would recommend this to anybody looking to do a cruise. FYI go for the Jr. Suite 9270 plenty of room for a family of 4 which has a larger balcony, walk in closet and full bath tub/shower combo.

The best part of the cruise was the service, the food and the excursions. Our room steward, Nicholas was always there taking care of our needs and keeping our room exceptionally clean. Our waiter, Flickson (India) and our server Antara (Indonesia) made our dining experience a simply wonderful event. I can't wait go on another Alaska Cruise to be assisted by this crew again!!

This cruise got off on a bad note due to serious problems at the port getting to the luggage drop off area.  We took Uber from our hotel to the port.  All private vehicles, uber, hotel shuttles, etc, were diverted to a staging lot where we sat for an hour before finally moving to the luggage area.  This doubled our Uber fare.  People were getting very impatient and angry.  This also caused back-ups at the check in counters.  The port employees seemed very unorganized and uninformed.  Also the problem was likely impacted by the simultaneous loading of the Explorer and a large Celebrity ship docked adjacent.  Taxis did not have to go thru the staging lot so I recommend taking taxi to port.

The cruise itself was fine.  Weather was great, ports stops were good.  Our favorites were Skagway and the White Pass Railway, and the morning in the Tracy Arm Fjord and Sawyer Glacier.  We were somewhat disappointed in the food at the main dining room.  I believe the food quality has declined on RCL over the past few years in the main dining room.  Windjammer was ok, we don't expect as much there.  We did have an excellent meal and service at the Italian specialty restaurant, but $35 surcharge.  Johnny Rocket's is always good with a nominal surcharge.   The Kids Club and Teen Club were great for our grandchildren.

This ship is a beautiful ship with great staff and service. I would recommend traveling with them just based on that. But the food was not as plentiful as you would expect. In the past there was always a buffet somewhere.

Just going to Alaska was enough although the first 3 days was with bad weather.  My one gripe with RCCI is a big one;  the one thing RCCI has started that I don't recall on our past cruises is to place a gang of staff thorough out the Promenade, at the entrance to the Windjammer and actually confronting you at your table while eating trying to upsell you to make reservations at the pay extra restaurants.  I do not appreciate that move.  We paid a small fortune to go on this cruise and I was quite aware that there were $$$ restaurants we could attend if we so desired.   We did not experience this in the past with RCCI or on Carnival so I sincerely hope RCCI catches enough hints from other customers that this practice needs to cease. 

The entertainment shows were great, good music to listen or dance to, good service at the main dining area. The ports of calls were interesting and the weather turned up pretty good.

The Explorer of the Seas is a lovely ship, with a great itinerary.  We had a virtual balcony interior stateroom on deck 10.  What a neat feature!  The room seemed very large & bright, with the "balcony" feature and the placement of the mirrors in the room.

The hot tubs were HOT (great on this cruise) and the pool water was warm. The spa was nice, especially the steam room & sauna.

The food was plentiful and good at the Windjammer buffet..  I enjoyed smoked salmon every morning for breakfast!  The crepe station was terrific.  I also noticed "Gluten Free Island" for those who need a special diet.  The main dining room had a nice menu.  We ate there for dinner most nights.  We did not try room service.  

We ate at one of the specialty restaurants, Giovanni's table, a nice Italian meal, with LOTS of food.

We enjoyed a sushi making class, at Izumi, where we made our own sushi, for lunch.  It was fun!

We also did the champagne brunch galley tour, bottomless champagne and a lovely menu based brunch after our tour of the galley.  The galley team seemed pleased to have us watching them at work.

The Alaska itinerary was good.  I personally enjoyed the enrichment lectures.

The shops had a nice selection of merchandise.

The ice rink was fun.  The ice shows had seating based on your muster drill.  It was a full house at the show I attended.

The photographers were all around.  We purchased a USB drive of our photos, quite convenient, and were able to share our photos immediately from our phones.

The coffee shop on the deck 5 was convenient for grabbing a snack or sandwich.  There was almost always a line for the specialty coffees and Ben & Jerry's ice creams.

I bought the soda plan.  They did need to work on keeping the soda machine full, on a couple of occasions the only non-calorie drink available was water....

Our cabin steward, Laida was amazing.  She was caring & efficient.  She even got me a kettle!  I enjoyed making a cup of chai tea whenever I felt like it.

All of the staff we encountered were pleasant & very helpful.

All in all, it was a really terrific cruise! 

My daughter and son-in-law gave this cruise to their mothers for birthdays , Christmases, Mother's Day and any other gift giving days.  We mothers roomed together while our children were on a different deck.  I chose this particular trip, my daughter chose the cruise line.  We were both so right. If you are only going to take one cruise this is the one - ship, line, trip.  Here are some reasons:

The Crew:  Every crew member is polite and professional yet personable.  I remarked to my daughter that each of them seemed to genuinely  love the job to which he or she was assigned.  I saw many of them doing several different jobs.  This was particularly true with Graham the cruise director.  He has the ability to make each person feel special and my family now talk of him using his first name.

The Food;  We had the greatest dining experience. Our waiter and assistant waiter were exceptional.  Jerry is a born comedian and we came to love him. And the food?  Well you try to find something wrong with it.  I could not.  It was delicious and artistically presented.

The guests:  I met so many wonderful people.

The shows and entertainment:  I love shows!  Your dancers and singers are fabulous.  I love Hayden, came to adore Tillman, waited anxiously for the parades, and partied with the best of them.  Oh, and that band!  If I left anything out I apologize because it was all wonderful.

The Ports of call, the scenery, the ocean:  I was often breathless.  It was all so beautiful.

Our ship:  I loved everything about it.

Ok so it was my first cruise and I am a novice at sixty-nine.

I have no idea how this could be accomplished; but boarding and dis- embarking are tedious.  However, I don't see any better way to do it and I love to tell people how they can do things better.

Additionally,  please show the cleaners that sanitizing a bathroom includes cleaning the side panels of the showers.  I found blood on the outer panel of my shower when I first entered my cabin.  Gust services immediately called housekeeping to sanitize my bathroom.  However, they still did not catch that blood.  I cleaned it myself and the problem was over. It in no way lessened my love of the cruise.

WONDERFUL!

Nice cruise, but things have changed. Room service $7.95 per call. Windjammer Food has gone down hill. We had (8) in our family in the Main dining room. They didn't cook a steak right in 7 days. We ordered at least 5 steaks per night and not one time were any of the steaks cooked right. Either to raw or overcooked each time. Pubic hair on the carrot cake one night, and plastic grilled into the steak on one side. Complained to the head waiter, and that was as far as it went. Our staterooms were well taken care of. Prices have all went up. Time to move on to another cruise line.

Friendly staff overall.  A lot of activities for both kids and adults.

The only big issues are taste of food at Windjammer, and the stop at Victoria, BC, Canada.

Some items/drinks tasted weird.  The stop at Victoria was a total waste of time!

The food and the scenery!

Every one was helpful and willing to meet our needs!!!  The dining room staff, our stateroom assistant, and guest services deserve all 10s!!!!!

The 3 hrs. of getting on the ship needs to be changed!  Possibly, giving  time for certain groups to arrive would be helpful!!!  

Getting off the ship went extremely smooth!!!!

The ship was very beautiful, clean, extremely well taken care of.  The staff were very pleasant and accommodating. 

I have been on other cruises in the past, and I remember being able to eat at so many places without having to pay extra just to eat.  The only "Complimentary" places I could find this time were at the Windjammer, and the Sapphire Dining Room.  I did find soft-serve ice cream on one of the outside areas, and it was also complimentary.  Everyone was very kind, considerate and pleasant except for the attendant in the Sapphire Room when I was trying to get to my dining table at 5:30 pm on May 17, 2017.  All he had to do was look at my card and he could have seen when I should eat and at what table, but all he could do was yell at me that my time to eat was 8:00 PM and I was not allowed to be there then at 5:30 pm.  Otherwise, everything was great. 

The accommodations were excellent.  The crew went way beyond making sure everything was OK or better.  The food was excellent!!!  We are definitely going to take another Cruise.  Thank You

This short cruise was a wonderful breakaway for my family.  Two had never cruised before so each day held something exciting for them.We spent time together exploring the beauty of the ship and all the activities on board were great.  Each port help interesting things to do.  Our family are ready to go again.

Horrible service from maintenance, room service, cabin steward, and the dining room.  This was our honeymoon.  I was so disappointed.  I will never go on a Royal Caribbean cruise ever again!  The only thing we received from Royal Caribbean for our honeymoon was a luncheon with 2 mimosas.  Thanks......