Explorer of the Seas Cruise Reviews - Reviews

Good part:

Excellent food, lots of fun, good facilities, good shore excursions.

CONCERNS:

1. On day of departure, room service was not available and there was no prior intimation for this. Kept waiting for hot water (for my medicine) and when called the room service then came to know about it.

2. Final day, bill was given for $680.88, but on the credit card the charges have been put $687.20 without giving any detail. Of course it is minor by not expected from a responsible company.

The excursion in Skagway to the dog sledding, gold mining and the train ride up the mountain was magnificent. 

The room was not what was expected.  The virtual window was a joke.  The room was very small.  Service was great.  The steward and the waiters were great.  The attendants at the Sapphire dining room on deck 5 were rude and not very accommodating.

The day at sea when there was a storm and the tracy arrm fjord glacier, these where the best of the cruise.  I can't think of anything else to add to this comment.

The food is excellent!  But we had two very disappointments:  1st. when we got on board, one of our luggage was not delivered.  We would like to tag the luggage ourselves, but your staff did not allow us to do it.  The consequence is that the tag was lost, so that your staff could not deliver it.  It took hours for us to looking for the luggage.  Because my 90 years-old mother put some of her medicine in this luggage, she needs it every 4 hours.  If we could not find the luggage in time, my mother might be in very danger.  Your staff need to pay much more attention to luggage!!!   Secondly we rented a wheel-chair ourselves from other company.  But when we wanted to leave the ship, the wheel chair was disappeared in front of our room.  One of your staff collected it BEFORE we left the ship, and at last you could not give it back to us.  It does not make any sense you collect wheel chairs before people leave the ship.  Even the wheel chair is yours, people still need them to leave the ship.  You really should collect them in the area where people wait for taxi.  I was pretty lucky because I purchased insurance for that wheel chair, otherwise I don't know how I can return the wheel chair, or how much it will cost me to pay the rental company???

Our favorite part was the dining experience.  The food was good and the staff was excellent. We felt like we spend enough time at the beautiful ports.  The staff on the ship were excellent.  The drink were great and the service was fantastic.  Loved all the varieties of shows that we watched.  Overall, an excellent experience. 

The cruise director was the best ever.  Food was Par and service was just o'kay.  First time ever we actually gave some constructive criticism to a few departments,  Pillows were awful but a great cabin Stewart. 

Great cruise the views were breath taking. Wish I would have done the land and sea combo. Packing was difficult. Need to bring shorts long pants and swim suits.

our excursions to the country was great.  however, the food was so-so. the service provided by the ship's crew was outstanding ! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

thanks,

paul

It seemed like they were prohibited from writing things down they ALWAYS came back minutes after we ordered anything, food or drinks, and asked for our orders again. Room service always called us back about every order and they still couldn't get it right.  

Every meal had some kind of problem. Arriving at our scheduled time we still had to wait 35 minutes for them to get drinks and a bread basket on the table. The waiter warned us that prime rib would only come raw or very well done. We ordered medium rare and got raw -really. We sent it back and then we got very well done -just like he warned. 

Room service was especially bad -food was always cold, they always left something out, like coffee and creamer for coffee, silverware, and they didn't stick to the schedule a single time within the hour. Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn now and then, but they didn't get it even approximately right a single time. Our photos from the ship got lost and they wasted hours of our time waiting for them to restore them -and it never happened.

We paid a rich price for a drink package that we thought would include everything -even though it was called the premium package, it didn't cover some premium+ cocktails, which was understandable, but it didn't cover a simple can of coke. Cups were ok but we couldn't get a single can even though several other people walked up and got them. Most drink orders were botched, wrong drink, no ice when we wanted it or with ice when we asked to hold it.

An excursion was canceled at the last minute because of weather and then another, almost identical excursion, was offered -for $25 more -it was not canceled for the weather.

The other passengers we met were great but that didn't make up for RC's lack of a plan or system to deliver good service. The room was large and nicely furnished and housekeeping was good but the toilet kept flooding the bathroom. Thank god for the high threshold. They should rename the ship, "Willy-Nilly of the Seas."

I would recommend to others, the overall service was great.

We had a few issues in the dinning room the 1st night and the staff fixed the problems. Everything was great after that.

I was disappointed in the quality and taste of overall in the food. In the Windjammer , it reminded of a diner taste. In the Sapphire, food was good but not great. 

Arctic Zone ice cream machine not working during all the hours listed. We'd walk and walk to get a cone and it'd be already closed.

Room attendants were great and servers in the Sapphire went above and beyond. 

Everyone friendly and helpful.

Getting off and on ship during excursions were well planned out.

  Cruising from Seattle, Washington to Juneau and Skagway, Alaska, Tracy Arms Fjord, then on to Victoria, British Columbia was a sensational, scenery-laden time to enjoy some of the most beautiful places in the world.  If you want to go to Alaska, go now; it is a must-see location. 

  Skagway was my favorite Alaska location; it is so charming and the White Pass Train Ride was an eye opener.  The story of the gold rush in the 1890s was just unbelievable, incredible that so many people climbed almost 3,000 feet.  The train ride is much more comfortable!

  Victoria, British Columbia is just stunning.  Wish we had stayed there for a few days.

  The shore excursion to Skagway was great, but we did not know before leaving the ship that there would be a ramp on land of a 45 degree steep climb.  It was fine for young and fit people, but very difficult to many.  More wheel chairs should have been easily available.

We reserved a junior suite which provided us with priority boarding.  The cruise was to celebrate our 25th Anniversary so we splurged a bit.  The view from the cabin was great!  We were able to sail up to the Dawes glacier and the captain turned the ship around 360 degrees so that everyone would be able to see fro their rooms.  There were sighting of seals, whales & even a bear.  This cruise was about appreciating nature in all of its glory.  Pack warm clothes that can be layered.

We are planning to go again for our 30th anniversary, if not before!

Experience was wonderful. People, Staff and ports of call were great! So many shows and activities - almost need a vacation for the vacation! Only down side was the staff couldn't keep the Coke Zero in the dispensers and the bars had Diet Coke.

We enjoyed the dining services and the shows very much. In my opinion, the shows had more qualities than the Princess cruises.

Your agent, Tiffany Cymbala was very helpful and courteous .

First, I’d like to say Alaska was beautiful!  Every crew member on the ship that I interacted with was wonderful! From my room steward, Nitesh Zaraonkar, to the dining room staff, Ethel DeLeon, Frederick Lanuza, Virgil Eereira, and Juilo Pineda my every request was taken care of quickly and professionally.  We were a party of seven with two of us sitting in motorized wheelchairs.  With me using a knee-shooter but, able to walk a little.  We dined using MY Time dinning at the 8pm seating each night.  The first night we were seated too far back in the dining room for the wheelchairs but were moved to a table closer to the entrance of the dining room for the next night.  This table was way too small to seat all seven of us comfortably.  On the third night we were again moved.  This table was perfect!  This is where we were seated for the rest of our trip.  The trip was a birthday celebration for my son’s 21st.  The third night was his birthday and the cake (Chocolate/Chocolate) was fantastic!  The last curse I was on was also a birthday celebration and on that curse the cake was not so good.

The food on this curse was a bit underwhelming.  In the Windjammer, I found the food to be cold not hot.  The chicken always seemed to be dry.  In the main dining room, the food was not as good as I remember it to be.  Everything needed more seasoning not just salt and pepper either.  Every night the same broccoli, carrots and baked potato for the vegetables.  On the last night, turkey was on the menu with brussel sprouts, some of us ordered it for the brussel sprouts but they didn’t make it onto the ship.  This was not the first time in the week that something didn’t make it onto the ship.  Overall the food was good but as I said a bit underwhelming.  My son would tell you that my taste buds live at a different level because I am a Chef but, I had expected to be wowed a bit more.  It was like you were cooking for the older crowd which have lost their ability to taste.  Foodie people like myself take pictures of their food.  I took none this time.

The room.  When I made the reservation I didn’t know I would be using a knee-shooter.  I had always thought it would be neat to have a window to the promenade so a booked this room turning down the room next to my parent’s that would have been handicapped accessible like theirs.  They are the two that are in the motorized wheelchairs.  I felt like, I’m not handicapped, and I just didn’t want to take a room away from someone that was.  Little did I know that the room I booked would be so small and I would be using a knee-shooter and therefore would be somewhat handicapped.  There was less than 12” from the foot of the beds to the wall.  My shooter could not be moved around the beds.  I would park it in the closet when I was going to be in the room for a while, not the easiest thing to do either since the first bed came across the entrance hallway just past the closet.  I would leave it in the hall if I was just popping in for a minute or two.  My son is 6’6” tall and weighs just over 300 pounds.  The room was a bit claustrophobic for him; especially the shower.  The beds, were as hard as rocks!  Any longer than the seven nights and I don’t think I would have recovered from the bed.  As it was it took two nights at home to feel like I got a full night of restful sleep.  I don’t know if there is anything you can do about this except provide addition padding on request.  You actually may provide it; I never asked.

Excursions were fun.  My son and I went whale watching in Juneau.  We saw lots of wildlife including whales.  Then we went to see the Mendenhall Glacier!  What a sight to see!  The tour guides were great and informative.  In Skagway, we went dog sledding.  This was also lots of fun.  The guides here met the bus with a smaller vehicle so I didn’t need to walk or try to use my knee-shooter which would have impossible.  We got to be pulled in a “sled” and pet and hold the pups.  In Victoria, we didn’t do an excursion.  I had been to Victoria before and was planning to just take a Harbour Ferry Tour from the pier but, they were not running from the pier near the curse ship.  There was a bus to get to downtown for $10 but to do anything there would have been an additional charge.  So we turned around and got back on the ship.  It was a shame; Victoria is such a beautiful city.  I think the curse line should have had a free shuttle to downtown since the curse ship pier is so far from downtown.  Because of ice we sailed for the Dawes Glacier reaching it at about 5am.  At about 7am we had gotten as close to it as we were going to and the Captain let everyone know we were there.  All I can say is WOW!  We were about ½ mile away from its base and the Captain started his 580-degree spin.  I’m not sure which was more impressive the glacier or the spin.

Cruise was fantastic!  Personnel on ship were absolutely the best!  Entertainment was good.  Diningroom personnel were awesome!  They did everything to accommodate any special needs and always had a smile.

Every time we turned around there were more changes.  They disguised these as gratuities that were assessed on everything. Including the deodorant i bought. I have to pay someone to buy deodorant?  I won't be sailing with RC again.

Spectacular views during the entire trip.

This time of year (late May) was outstanding.

Good temperatures during excursions and mountains still snow capped

With only a few exceptions, this cruise was everything that we could have hoped for. We were fortunate to have great weather throughout the trip. The ports and excursions we experienced were great. Seeing orcas and humpback whales in Juneau, traveling into the Canadian Yukon out of Skagway and taking in all the great vistas that our outstanding guide brought us to, and finally walking the streets of beautiful Victoria,British Columbia, were truly memorable experiences. The views from the ship while near shore were breathtaking. We continued to see some whales and many seals while cruising. However, the port of Seattle(Terminal 91) is not equipped to handle two ships at a time. The lines to board and disembark were terrible. It took us two hours to get on the ship. The food on board was not as good as past cruises that we have taken (8). If not for these issues, the rating would have been 5 stars for sure.