Explorer of the Seas Cruise Reviews - Reviews

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.  

This was our third Royal Caribbean cruise and we were again pleased. We stayed in an ocean view room and will do that on our next cruise as the room was a nice size and it was nice to see the ports as we came in.  The food and service in the dining room was great and we meet interesting people.  The nightly entertainment was good, but not as good as our Mediterranean cruise.  The ice skating show was excellent.  Our excursions were interesting and worth the money.  We will definitely cruise with Royal Caribbean again. 

Your bartenders in Schooner's bar made our cruise.  Deney, Nigel, and Big Joe are a true asset to your ship and company.  This is our 3rd cruise, and we have never been treated so special.  Also the manager and waiter in Izumi's were fabulous.  Rose from Giovanni's went out of her way to come and say "hi" to us when she saw us at Schooners.  We were very unsure about Royal Caribbean since we always went with Celebrity, but in the end were very, very pleased.  But please send this message to the managers of the employee's I mentioned, especially Deney's manager. 

This was our first cruise so we did not know what to expect. We had a superior balcony room which was plenty of room for my wife and I and having a balcony on the water was a big plus. The ship had plenty of amenities, activities and entertainment to keep us busy while at sea. We were pleased with Royal Caribbean. The ports of Cozumel and Nassau were a lot of fun too. It was spring break when we went so there were a ton of drunk college kids, so we will go a different week next time. We are already looking forward to our next cruise though!

The food was great. The entertainment was wonderful and exciting.  We loved the relaxing pool. The ports of call were beautiful and exciting. We had so much fun and truly relaxed. The ship was beautiful and we felt so pampered.

We had a great time on the Explorer. The ship had a many activities to keep everyone occupied .  The shows were great . The ice show was spectacular . The food was never ending.

I wanted a short get a way from the cold! This cruise compared to others on RC was just OK. I have had better food, but the food was not bad. The band POSITIVE VIBRATIONS MADE THE ENTIRE CRUISE worthwhile. I did experience  GREAT SERVICE at the pool and my room steward - I HAD A BLAST! WOULD DO IT AGAIN. 

Only our second cruise but it was much more enjoyable than our previous experience except for the food which I would give a D rating the afternoon buffet was not very good. Very poor selection and poor presentation of food .  Dinner quality was better but the deserts were not up to the standards that we expected. 

In the beginning we had some trouble. The terminal number printed on my ticket was different from the actual terminal. We checked in our luggage into wrong terminal. We we were about to enter to the ship then only they told it's the wrong ship. That time our bags were already loaded into the ship. We took a cab to go to another terminal without our luggage. But later they brought our luggage into our ship after 2 days. Other than that overall experience was awesome. Staffs were friendly and food was great.

The ship is beautiful, but the art - spectacular! Every piece from photographs, to paintings, to carvings and amazing hanging metal sculptures were a joy to behold. Food was good, but not outstanding. Entertainment was very enjoyable. Lots of variety. Fun for everyone. 

     Our only complaint is the teeny, tine room 'divider' that wasn't. Approx.18" from the wall when extended, it did not portend to divide the room.  It was something we looked for before booking ( and passing up another line that was honest enough to say they had NONE), since we were sharing tbe room with our adult, handicapped son.  Obviously the cruise lines would rather sell another stateroom, but in our particular case, it wasn't something we felt comfortable doing.  

I was one of a party of four on this cruise. Between all the amenities on board the ship, the extremely friendly and helpful crew on board our crossing was very pleasant. We were very fortunate to have beautiful weather for the entire trip, Bermuda was breathtakingly beautiful, we encountered many wonderful people who call Bermuda home which just made our time there more enjoyable. The ship while being a little older is still very regal and grand with all it had to offer. This was my first cruise and i would highly recommend anyone who has never experienced a cruise to try it. While on board all in our party booked another cruise for 2016 on Anthem. The only thing i could not do was join the crew for a life boat drill while docked in Bermuda, i would have liked the experience but it was not permitted. But i will ask the next time, you never know.

Staff treated us well. We had very nice service. Loved the shows. Very nice overall cruising experience except for the getting off the ship with your own luggage.I felt they were not very organized with the whole process.

This was my first cruise and it was a very nice experience, the best vacation ever for my husband and myself. The staff was very friendly and helpful at all times, the ship was very clean, and they had lots of food.  But what we enjoyed the most were the shows and entertainment in the ship.