Explorer of the Seas Cruise Reviews - Reviews

internet was bad, too bad to be able to use, web pages and e-mail wouldn't load, yet no refund; they try to take every last penny from you, whether they deserve it or not. $3.25 for a small bottle of water? Really? The excursions run from mediocre to terrible. Food is monotonous. Service staff - room attendants, etc. - generally very good. Unreasonable to charge $8.00 to be able to get fountain soda (and up to $22/day or more for other soft drink packages.). Entertainment ranged from good to bad, but unfortunately most of it was very, very bad. They cater to "Diamond Club" members who have full use of the best lounge (only one where you can really see out) to the detriment of the rest of the passengers (like me).  You can look at the food on RCI to see how they cut corners - no veal, for example, in any dishes -they substitute cheaper pork. Medical staff is not smart enough to figure that if they taped open the rest room doors that would decrease the chance of transmission of norovirus, a problem on cruise ships and on this cruise ship as well.

The itinerary was great!!  But the new RCL seems to just view the cruise as a platform for selling stuff.  The internet packages were outrageous and you had to purchase them in blocks (30 min or days).  You could not just buy some minutes use them during the entire cruise like before.  Also the soft drink package is outrageously priced.  We tried Chops and the Italian specialty restaurants.  They have really cut back and I could not get a medium steak cooked correctly in either one.  (I am not picky - I order medium in hopes of getting anything between medium well and medium rare!  If you want a good steak in Chops you have to pay an extra $20 surcharge on top of the $30 surcharge you already paid!!  Even the hamburgers were much smaller.  Very little in the way of port, cultural or educational lectures (the poorest of my experiences) and the one lecture they did have was always scheduled very early  in the morning so the ship could sell drinks via bar games and spa treatments during prime time.  Speaking of the time,  time changes were done in the middle of the day (noon) instead of midnight.  Very confusing and it shortened the daytime and always confused lunch in the dining rooms. (I  guess this reduced the need for day time entertainment of which there wasn't much and maintained the drinking during the night!!  And there was sickness.  They were scrubbing the ship 24 /7.  Mediocre food in the dining room for the most part.  We did enjoy the breakfast buffet and the lunch salad bar in the dining room.  The buffet on deck 11 had very good food with a wide variety but with much repetition.  The service was very good -  the crew really does  its best for the passengers.  But the WOW factor for me is:  WOW what happened to RCL???

The cruise was very relaxing and I was impressed at how smooth all the days at sea were. Been on many cruises with different cruise lines and usually there is at least one not so smooth sea day. I was glad that Captain did the safe thing and did not go to Israel, however we were very disappointed. They kept us well informed on what was going on both with not going to Israel and what we needed to do if there was a pirate attack.The excursions that we took were good and informative. The disembarkation was not pleasant.

it is a worthwhile cruise to take. We enjoyed Dubai and stayed a couple of days before we flew home. We could have used at least a couple of more days.

Compensation for missed ports should be increase. Should have more activities during the day.  Need to improve the quality of food.  Could not rate Israel because it was a missed port.

The room and the staff throughout the ship were wonderful. The food was just ok in the MDR however, Chops and Giovanni's Table were excellent.  The sushi restaurant was way over priced and not good.  We spent a lot of time at sea and there was not enough to do during the day.  It got boring.  The ports were great however Israel was cancelled for political problems and violence so we really only went to 2 ports on a 14 day cruise.  That was disappointing but the safest option.  The cruise line did give us a $150 on board credit for the cancellation of the port. There also was a problem with 'pirates' in the gulf of Aden.  This meant that for the 4 nites we were in the area we had to keep our balcony and curtain closed and we could go out on deck.

 The ice shows were really great but the regular entertainment was just ok.  They had some fun 'parades' on the promenade- 70's and british invasion.

Guest services went over and above to help me with a lost luggage problem.

Cruise was interesting due to the itinerary.

Very disappointed at not being able to visit Israel, due to the hostilities in that country.

Attentive crew, good food, happy atmosphere.

There was limited use of the on-deck facilities during the sailing through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.  For security reasons passengers were not allowed on decks or balconies between sunset and sunrise.  This certainly meant that the cruise line could not meet the expectations of it's passengers.

Would have liked more commentary when transiting the Suez Canal - we did not know what we were observing.  Also much better maps should have been displayed both on the tv channel and in public areas for this type of cruise.

Internet was expensive and ineffective.

Entertainment superb as always.

Disappointed that there were no lectures and presentations telling the history of the ports we were visiting.

Really enjoyed the ice show. They did a great job and it was really enjoyable. The movies at night were fun when it was warm but the big screen really made it fun to watch a movie. Great entertainment acts. Staff in dinning room great and delicious food. Had a wonderful time.

We absolutely loved it,from the captain singing to the wonderful cabin boy we rate it #1, the shows at night were varied and very good, enjoyed them all,the cruise director could do it all,sing entertain,funny,seemed to love his job,really liked him,always plenty to do on board,food as always,great,so was the service

The cruise out of Southampton was an okay cruise. It was our first time to cruise on Royal and we were disappointed in it.  The check-in took a long time and seemed unorganized.  For a ship that had been redone it was not what we had expected.  The shower was very small and had stains on the floor.  It seemed like they charged extra for everything!  Our toilet would not flush 4 times for a period of an hour or two and they did not seem to care.  The internet was EXTREMELY slow.  The service from our waiters and cabin steward were excellent.

Locations were great and excursion to Seville was awesome. Ship is showing the age and needs to be spruced up and restocked. Food in upscale restaurant (Chops Grilll) was not worth the additional cost and dining room odors were not appealing.  

The cabin and cruise staff were very good, the food on ship and the entertainment was very good but I was very disappointed on the fact that they changed the intinary and didn't notify me.....didn't find out until we had already set sail, the cruise was chosen specifically  for its intinary and the fact that there were a few sea days between ports, to make life easy for my mother who is in a wheelchair, the new intinary didn't include villefranche or Lisbon and it was six ports in six days.....rather tiring for my mother.. The Internet was overpriced at about $40 a day and necessary items like NyQuil were being marked up by over 300%...... 

Hummm.....When I complained about my wife's mattress, it wasn't resolved within the 14 days. Wine list was poor and over priced in my opinion. Too much pushing goods in my opinion and not enough shows, comedy acts, magicians, etc for the 14 nights. Very long waiting times for food to arrive at dinner time. Some tables complained that their food had arrived just plainly warm. Better soundproofing for forward cabins over Palace theater...had to wait noisy bands to finish their shows to be able to sleep. Our Cabin was 6525 so you know what I am talking about. Other cruise lines offer complimentary transportation to and from with NO CHARGE to bus/train stations. Us elderly don't have the mobility like the young ones. Windjammer café closed too early at night....9PM. No midnight buffet anymore....why? Too much greed being placed on pictures....charge less, and more will buy...since it's all digital now.

This was a great itinerary. We did something different at every stop! Ship was great, food was all adequate, Windjammer was a bit disappointing but it is a buffet... This cruise originates in the UK so for other USA travelers be aware that there are some differences! Not the same bacon and sausage we are used too, lol! Bingo is a true learning curve, very fun and much less expensive than our version! Seemed that prices all around were a bit lower and not nearly as many people chasing you down trying to get you to spend more money. Loved that aspect of the trip. Met some fascinating people and can't wait to do another trip from the UK!  

This was my first time cruising with Royal Caribbean.  All my previous cruising experience was with Carnival.  I guess I expected more because RC cruises are more expensive and considered a notch above Carnival.  That was not my experience though.  Carnival is much better in the following areas:  Bathrobes in staterooms, better food variety, quality and availability of health conscious foods in all dining rooms, better entertainment overall.  The Explorer of the Seas is a beautiful ship, but was much too crowded, especially since we were confined inside most of the time due to bad weather.  We were always having to look for a place to sit in the Windjammer cafe, and all lounges.  I found myself hanging out in my cabin for a good part of the trip.

This cruise is 'just right' in that you get the cosmopolitan flavor of Rotterdam and Stavanger, and also get to see four very dfferent fjord regions of Norway. The sail-away from Southampton is interesting as you can clearly see the Spinnaker Tower of Portsmouth, and castles on the mainland and Isle of Wight. I'd recommend the excursion to The Hague & Delft Factory the next day, as you will still see lots of Rotterdam en route. If you'd like, due to the docking local, you can easily walk to Rotterdam or take the little shuttle bus. Next stop at Olden is wonderful if you take the Lake Loen cruise. Being there in late May allows you to hear the thundering of the avalanches that will cascade off of the snow capped mountains. Tons of photo ops. In the p.m., take an hour stroll to the tiny village and two cozy churches. Next stop is Flam, and of course the train to the mountain top. Early June is not too late for SNOW! Crazy cool to partake in a mini blizzard, then as the train rolls down to Voss you are back to verdant valleys. The planned luncheon is great, and the town quite walkable. The scenic bus trip back to the boat will leave you breathless at the incredibly steep switchbacks, and wonderful waterfalls. Next stop at Alesund has a very enjoyable and historic downtown, and the view atop Mt. Aksla is incredible. The Viking village which concludes one such excursion is kind of funky. You'll see lots of local families there, and see many of the old homes and sailing vessels from previous lives. Final port of Stavanger is a pretty big commercial city with the opportunity to take in a sailing to Lysefjord. The boat turns around at Pulpit Rock and you see the Billy Goats perched on the steep rock cliffs before you make the waffle stop. Don't worry about sitting inside the cabin, there's lots of roaming room outside also when the photo op appears. The usual cruise ship ups and downs on the Explorer of the Seas; crowded Windjammer café, and delightful one act 'lite' entertainment shows at night that are 50 minutes long. Above average cheer of the crew, they are always happy! Worst two things on the boat, elevators that need to be re-programmed and slot machines that are older and quite hungry. As rated, this is a 4.5 star ship that has had better days but is still quite trendy. For the price and itinerary you can't beat this cruise.

I had heard that cruises were all about eating, which I was ok with since I am pregnant, but I was extremely disappointed in the quality of food on this cruise. It was all very low quality and the buffets just looked like the food had been sitting there all day. Breakfast was no good and the desserts left us searching the ship for something else. Of course, when ever you wanted something else, it was available for an extra fee....good ice cream, better food, wifi, excursions, the add on just left us never wanting to do another cruise because it just wasn't worth the cost. On the other hand, the rooms were nice, we had a balcony room, and I was worried about sea sickness and didn't have any problems.

This cruise was the worst ever. The food was of terrible quality.

The decor was tired. Rugs were old and worn.

The entertainment was terrible. The shows were boring. No snacks after 9pm 

The sofa designed for 'two' was way too small and completely uncomfortable  

The cabin was very small and the beds were extremely uncomfortable.

Royal Caribbean cant come close to Canival.

Refurbished ship, excellent service by staff, friendly, affable fellow travelers with plenty of good food and spirits made this an excellent cruising experience.  The ports were both educational and awe-inspiring, serene views.  The only drawback (and we didn't book the Paris tour since we have spent time there) is long commutes and little time in Paris.

Service was great but weather was much colder than we expected. We still had a great time. The only port that we had a problem was in Bruges, weren't able to do much because of the cold weather and rain. The shuttle that was provided had no coverage from the rain, everyone had to stand in the rain for over 30 minutes. We ended up giving up and returned to be ship.

This is a highly excellent experience.  I am recommending this to all my friends.  The employees are very polite, accommodating and are always ready to lend a helping hand.  They are always with a smile and they go out of their way to give you an excellent and memorable customer service.  I had a time of my life when we have formal dining every night.  They are so accommodating and cater to your needs.  You can feel the warmth and care while they serve you.  Excellent experience that in the end our group is sad to say goodbye. Looking forward to book another one.