Explorer of the Seas Cruise Reviews - Reviews

For the first time I booked a Grand Suite and I learned that you get what you pay for. All the Concierge and extras that come with this wonderful package are well worth the extra money! Booked again for next year. Now for the best part~~ Booking with was the smartest way to go. The onboard credit and rebates were phenomenal. Gretchen Rhodecap, my travel consultant, is the best! She will go out of her way to answer all of your needs and she is on top of everything! If you are not using you are really missing out!!

Explorer of the Sea is a beautiful ship. Nicely arranged cabins. The ice show was the best show I've seen on any cruise. Enjoyed all the ports. Loved the 24 hour cafe. Bars could have stayed open longer.  Fun casino. Pleasant staff.

Cape Liberty was a disaster. It is very confusing. The embarking and debarking areas need to be more clearly defined. Unfortunatelty, it was raining when we arrived, which just added to the chaos. 

We drove to Bayonne and had to wait in line to drop our baggage off. Total confusion.

Our stateroom # 2642 was on the 2nd deck at the rear of the ship and there was a constant whining noise followed by a loud boom. I wouldn't recommend anyone staying there. We had my time dining and scheduled each day for 6PM. The waiters were excellent and we could have more food if we wanted it. Small portions satisfied us. After dinner we attended the 7:15PM shows and they were very good. After the shows we had ice tea or coffee and zepolies in Café Prominade which was very nice.

When we got to Labadee, we went to then  beach on the left side and it was filled with large rocks. Someone could have been seriously injured there. We went further down and swam at a beach that was filled with seaweed and only a few rocks. Very bad experience, but the barbecue was good. 

Our 9 Day Caribbean Cruise was great.  The only problem I think we felt we had was the length of time we were at each island.  We had to cut short each island because the ship was having a problem with a propeller and had to go slower than usual.  Upon boarding we were told we would not be cruising at top speed.  Therefore that meant we had to shorten each island time.  The My Time Dining experience was great.  It worked out really well based on what we did for that day it gave us time to do what we wanted, rest and get ready.  There could have been a few more restaurants that you could go to even if we had to pay because the dining room didn't always have what we wanted.  The shopping could have been a little more diverse.  But overall, it was a great 9 days.

This was my first cruise experience.  The cruise line worked very hard to make everything smooth and enjoyable. There were some things that happened while on the cruise (a storm while at sea and a broken leg for one of our group) that made it a less than pleasant experience, which was not the fault of the cruise line.  If I ever take another cruise, I would definitely consider using Royal Caribbean again.  From the stateroom attendant to the waiters in the dining room, everyone was pleasant and extremely helpful. 

There were plenty of activities for everyone.  All of the facilities were easily accessible and clean.  Our stateroom was comfortable and roomy enough for two people. 

Never again will we do a cruise during hurricane season that is along the east coast!  What was I thinking??  (the words of my husband)  The two days that we were out to sea all day were horrible!  Rough waters, rocking boat, and a lot of activities were not open or cancelled because of it.  Many people were sick.  Bermuda was beautiful!  Weather was great after the rain cleared up.

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!

This was my first cruise, as well as my husband's first cruise - and we both loved it! Our room was lovely (ocean view, deck 9) and our stateroom attendant, Marvin, was wonderful (and very talented at making towel animals). We didn't make a reservation for the first night's dinner and wound up at a table with a few other couples. The second night, we made a reservation and had a table for two with Robert and Arnold as our waiters. After that, we made a reservation to be at the same table with the same waiters every night. The food was amazing EVERY NIGHT and we couldn't have asked for better waiters!

In Bermuda, we did the Bermuda Pirates glass-bottomed boat tour and the Catamaran Coral Reef & Snorkel and really enjoyed both. The tour guides were very friendly and informative and we loved both trips. We also went to Horseshoe Bay for several hours on the convenient mini-bus shuttle.

We loved the cruise and everyone that we came into contact with and will definitely be cruising with Royal Caribbean again!

My biggest problem was being located at the back (ALT) of the ship.  We heard every noise possible, my next cruise will be to ask to be located in mid ship.  The food was fanastic in the Windjammer.

80% of the cruise was fine.  I hate having to ask EVERY time you are hungry or thirsty if its included!!!  Then the waiters/waitresses give you something without telling you its extra.  VERY BAD!!

This was our first cruise and we had a blast.  The staff was absolutely accommodating and kind.  We were already discussing on our way home where we are going to take our next cruise to!

Very old ship and rusty balcony terrible food in main dining room and buffet nice pool area theatre fair amenities ok. Bermuda wonderful the third star is only for the trip. Last trip I took was with Norwegian cruise line, ship was newer,balcony large, food ok, theatre was excellent .I expected royal Caribbean to be much better 

This was a gorgeous party boat. The help were all funny and friendly and could not do enough! The Executive Chef Gary invited us to tour the galley and he is a riot but runs a real tight ship and the food on the boat is delicious-especially Portofino which was worth the extra $50. So many fun and great activities all day-especially dancing at the pool deck. Shore excursions in Bermuda were awesome-Kayacking for 3 hours and seeing turtles all around and snorkeling. We had the bestest time and met great people. Hope to go again next year with the whole family on a reunion cruise to Bermuda-my parents vacationed there for 30 years and Mom has not been back since Dad passed away 5 years ago. If we all go we will be about 20 people out to have a great time and Royal Caribbean is the way to go!!!

The dock in new jersey was not very nice. Cruise line staff was very friendly and ship was great. Life boat drill was not a pleasant time. Bermuda was very pretty. Dinning room wait staff was great. disembarking was quite a chore.

The Bayonne terminal,is under construction so please don't expect clear comfortable convenient on or off the ship.   The ship was amazing, except for our stateroom.   The room itself was beautiful however, each night just before bed there was a banging sound.   It was even continuing during the afternoon when we wanted to take a nap.   Our stateroom attendant was amazing and made each day enjoyable.    We loved the food and choices offered.   Our wait staff were great.    One photographer seemed rude, like she was doing us a favor, but the majority of the staff were very friendly and kind.   We enjoyed the entertainment however one night the sound cut off in the middle of the show.   They had to rewind and start at the end of the last song.   It was a little embarrassing.   

We we would cruise again, but have a better appreciation for the staff and explorer Bermuda even more.

This was a new experience for me to actually drive to the boat. It was very easy and a nice option. On the boat, I found the main dining staff and the room steward very pleasant, very professional and committed to exceptional service. The food was delicious and included many choices. I also did eat at the buffet/quick dining cafe. There were healthy choices and a variety of offerings to satisfy everyone. The boat was beautiful and easy to navigate with many activity choices especially for the children. This boat is very child friendly. If you are travelling with your children, this boat is a good option for you.There were many shore excursion options and the prices were reasonable.  I also liked the Internet $$ as well as someone who did need to check in at work.  For future boat planning, I would recommend an IT technician in the Internet cafe for questions/support or phones at the desks to contact personnel and a no smoking section in the casino.

The ship was a bit older looking, but very clean (we know that a renovation is scheduled within the next 6 months).  The staff were extremely friendly and always helpful.  The food was exceptional, but we were disappointed that the buffet was often closed and that the only option was on the Promenade.  The Promenade was very crowded, with a limited array of choice.  Nevertheless, all of the food was delicious and the service in all dining areas was terrific.  Our cabin steward was very nice and willing to accommodate.  What was disappointing was the pool situation.  The pool that was intended for use by children and adults was very deep for young children who were too old for the kiddie pool area, but not old enough to jump into deep water.  The adults only pool was a foot shallower than the pool intended for use by young kids.  The pool water was also very cold and uncomfortable to swim in.  The shows were fantastic, but there wasn't always enough entertainment in the evening.  On previous cruises, there were shows in the main theater and then there were comics in the comedy areas nearly every night after the main production.  There also appeared to be many areas not being utilized for dancing or other forms of entertainment.

We had bad weather which cut our stay in Bermuda short.  We arrived late due to propulsion issues.  Then left @ 7AM the next morning to avoid a hurricane.  I know we have no control over the weather but the small refund they gave us was an insult.

cruise was so relaxing and enjoyable. explored almost the entire ship I think. service is great, staff is friendly and helpful. the daily activities should be spaced apart more instead of overlapping . can't make it from one level to the next at times the elevators do get busy !

I go on a cruise every year going on different boats   I enjoyed my vacation.  Great atmosphere. 'Wishy-Washy' Lady is cool and funny. All the staff is very nice, helpful, and says hello especially my stateroom person Michael, dining person Cecil.  Stir fry chef Fitz. Great service. The rooms are larger than other boats I've been on and for three in an inside cabin- we were very comfortable, always clean and neat. The entertainment was great the ice shows the dance shows. Cruise director Leigh was excellent and funny. The camp for the kids was excellent. My nephew had a wonderful first cruise experience and the camp added to that. All the girls who worked there from 9am-10pm were absolutely excellent. Thank you. The only thing that was not to my liking was the food in the main dinning room. Service was great, food was not and we stopped going to the dinning room because of the food. It was not spectacular. Same boring steak/ chicken; the new dish for the night just was not appetizing to choose. We choose to go the buffet the rest of the cruise and the best night for food was Caribbean night at the buffet. The island choices were good wish they had more accommodations to the beach. Days at sea were comfortable especially- you can always find a chair to sit in the sun and the track was about the length of the boat.