Explorer of the Seas Cruise Reviews - Reviews

I enjoyed nature in Alaska.😀 Canada is very beautiful and clean. People are nice in both Alaska and Victoria, Canada. I had fun in the ship and enjoyed the embaince.

I found Alaska expensive and bargaining is almost impossible. 

Overall the cruise was great.  I thought spent to much in the smaller ports and not enough time in the larger ports.  Plenty of food and things to do.  You should never get bored.

THIS WAS OUR FIRST CRUISE. WE REALLY ENJOYED THE WHOLE EXPERIENCE. I HAVE NO RESERVATIONS ABOUT BOOKING ANOTHER CRUISE WITH ROYAL CARIBBEAN. THANK YOU VIOLET CAMERON FOR YOUR GUIDANCE.

This Seattle based trip offers a great sampling of Alaska.  We enjoyed the cable car ride up the mountain in Juneau.  King crab is a must at Tracy's, walking distance from ship.  Mendenhall Glacier was spectacular.  Skagway was fun, though obviously overloaded with jewelry stores.  Tracy Arm Fjord/Elliot Fjord was a definite highlight.  Ship captain got us to within a mile of glacier with icebergs floating all around.  Only disappointment was that we wanted to see more of Victoria BC but was unable because of long walk on pier.  No shuttles were offered as were at Juneau.

This was my third cruise and second to Alaska so I was expecting quality like I had on previous trips. My first issue was with the bed, while the room was extremely clean the bed was like sleeping on a rock and the crevice in the middle made sleeping with my husband uncomfortable. To add to that the sheets never stayed on the bed. My next complaint was the food. It was like eating in a cafeteria where there was no selection and the food was luckwarm. Also if you missed eating by 9 at night about the only thing you could get was sandwhiches which were good but I did not pay $2,000 to eat sandwhiches when I am hungry. The activities never felt Well planned or fully finished and there was not much to do other than dance or sing Karaoke which I can do at home. Over all I would not recommend Royal Caribbean to anyone.

My cruise was great.  I have wanted to go on an Alaskan cruise for 20 years!  I finally made it.  My husband and I planned the trip for our 27th year wedding anniversary.  We really enjoyed it!

Services in this cruise line is just excellent - fast and meets my expectations. Staffs are very friendly and helpful though I have encountered food that may need  improvements - overall  great!!!  and I would recommend this cruise. 

PRO - Jerime our cabin person was great!  Checked with us daily to see if there was anything he could help us with.  Every employee we talked to on board was gracious and helpful.  Our host waiter and his supervisor in the dinning room also were very helpful in assisting with meals for my grandson who has severe seafood allergies, making sure that his meal was brought separately assuring no contamination by seafood in the kitchen or transport.

CON - There was a problem with the menus getting mixed up.  Seven people at our table.  At several meals we received different menus.  At lunch one day we ordered the crab and clam chowder and were served pumpkin soup.  Nothing was said, the pumpkin soup was put in front of us and the server started to walk away.  Four of us said we had ordered the chowder not the pumpkin; the server said there is no chowder, just pumpkin and walked away. He did not say anything when we ordered the soup and afterward he disappeared.   After that we started rechecking and comparing our menus and that is when we realized similar items on our menu while at least 3 or 4 of the entrees, soups and appetizers were different.    Also, while I used the spa for at least 5 services I found the massages and facials to be overpriced as a premium treatment while they were mediocre.   The accupuncture was exceptional.   I had extra services since they did offer the 10% to 30% off.

Overall, I still rated this cruise a 5 star due to due to having thoroughly enjoyed this vacation with my family, seeing Alaska for the first time, and the helpful friendly staff you employ.  I enjoyed speaking to the staff and hearing about the Countries they call home.     Carol Waitman.

Alaska's breathtaking views coupled with the service of Royal Caribbean makes for a perfect vacation!  Explorer has wonderful amenities and activities for kids of all ages, as well as adults.  I've found with other cruise lines that activities seem to be catered for a particular type of audience or age group, but Explorer had something for everyone.  The ship is beautiful, the service we received was outstanding, and the food was excellent.   This was my first time sailing with Royal Caribbean, but it will definitely not be my last!

Cruising to Alaska on the Explorer of the seas was amazing! So many Activities to do when we were out at sea. The Shows were good, {I've seen better} The best part was the ports in Alaska. The Glaciers are breathtaking. Victoria was my least favorite.The Wi-Fi on the ship is overpriced and not that great.

The most enjoyable part of the cruise was Cruise Tracy Arm Fjord, Alaska. It got very close to the glacier and stayed there for a long time to give everyone an opportunity to view the glacier.  Other than the ship was the biggest one sailing for the Alaska destination, most facilities and services were substandard compared to other cruise liners.

Our favorite part of the cruise was the ports.  The ports were beautiful and interesting.  The ship was large with a loads of amenities.  Rooms were nice and comfortable.  Food was good, but not as great as we expected. Service was good, but not consistent in the dining room.  Almost under the impression that kitchen could not keep up.  Overall it was good, but not any better than any other cruise line.

Can't say exactly what we liked best! Every day was great....service and food choices were wonderful. Also outstanding entertainment every night. We  expected this to be an "older crowd", but instead there were many young families on board. No problems though!!

The excursions were very good. The photo team and entertainment were not good. The food at the regular restaurant and buffet were   not very taste but the special restaurant were very good. Service and organization of get in and get out of ship was outstanding. The shop store was very bad

Beings that I had two balcony rooms for my family, the ship not fulfilling its destinations routes was disappointing and the cruise company did not reimburse for not meeting all the destinations.

Additionally, since I was traveling with family, the urinals in the men's bathrooms were extremely too highly mounted to allow any normal size youth probably under the age of 16 to be able to use.

This was a wonderful cruise!  We splurged and got a room with a balcony.  For the Alaska cruise, this is a perfect choice.  To sit on the balcony watching the beautiful scenery go by is a once in a lifetime event.  Definitely my favorite thing of the cruise.  

The food on the cruise was a disappointment.  If was good food, but not "out of this world".  The cookies were very hard, and could be used a hockey puck.  There was always something to eat somewhere on the ship. 

The biggest disappointment on the cruise was entertainment provided on the cruise.  Retrospectively, there were only a couple things to do or experience on the ship.  Being one of their first cruises, my kids enjoyed the cruise.  I would most definitely take this cruise again, but maybe try a different company. 

My daughter (18 years old), husband, and I took this cruise in late July/early August. We LOVED this cruise! It is very beautiful and a MUST do! My daughter was skeptical about this cruise, being 18 she thought it would be boring. Not a single time did she complain on this trip, but when we returned home, she raved about wanting to go again!

I enjoyed our cruise in Alaska.  I went on a RC cruise last summer also on a different ship and it was like I was on the same boat.  Piano player last year was not the best and this one was drunk nightly.  He took frequent breaks and would stop and talk to us and it was awful the alcohol smell.  He never played songs requested and didnt have good communication with crowd.  I also do not like it that by 12 everything is over unless you are 18-25.  have to go to the 630 show before dinner instead of after dinner and sometimes when on excursion we cant get back in time to see it.  we had fun but after second RC cruise not impressed

I enjoyed our cruise in Alaska.  I went on a RC cruise last summer also on a different ship and it was like I was on the same boat.  Piano player last year was not the best and this one was drunk nightly.  He took frequent breaks and would stop and talk to us and it was awful the alcohol smell.  He never played songs requested and didnt have good communication with crowd.  I also do not like it that by 12 everything is over unless you are 18-25.  have to go to the 630 show before dinner instead of after dinner and sometimes when on excursion we cant get back in time to see it.  we had fun but after second RC cruise not impressed

This is only my second time on a cruise, and this experience was way better than the first time on a different company. The food selection in the Windjammer Cafe had a wide variety and was pretty tasty. The dining room food was well done too in terms of selection and taste. 

Service on the cruise was amazing. All the crew members had a smile on their face. 

I recommend doing at least 1 shore excursion when you arrive to Juneau and Skagway. The town isn't that big and if you aren't a huge shopper, you should really spend the money to explore Alaska that way. Alaska is very beautiful and the sights we saw when just sailing was beautiful. While dining in the Windjammer, other cruise goers said they saw thousands of dolphins jumping out of the water swimming with the ship. We were so bummed we missed it!!!!!

The onboard entertainment was also very fun. Graham Seymour, the cruise director, was hilarious! The shows, music, and entertainers were awesome!