Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Seas

Pros: Impressive ship, courteous staff, great food, and beautiful island destinations!
Cons: None!!!

Let me just start out by saying that this review is going to run long, I have tried to label all the sections so that readers can skip to the parts that they are most interested in! My husband and I cruised on the ‘Explorer of the...

Pros: Beautifully designed ship!
Cons: This could happen on your next cruise!

Preface Let me start off by saying this cruise aboard the Explorer was not the norm for Royal Caribbean. A passenger became very ill soon after embarkation and had to be transported back to Miami after three hours at sea. That incident snowballed ...

Pros: Excellent Dining. Enormous range of activities. Gorgeous ship. Friendly staff.
Cons: Rollerblading rink not what we had hoped for. Semi-private balconies. Ports and Tours okay.

My wife and I took the Explorer of the Seas for an eastern Caribbean cruise in December 2000. First off, I have to say that I've been on over two dozen cruises in my life, mainly due to having parents who are both in the travel industry and able to get...

Pros: Lots of activities. Parades on Promenade. Ice skating shows. Johny Rockets.
Cons: Inconvenient upper bed. Salt water pools. Charge for drinks/food that used to be free.

First of all, I want to thank fellow cruisers for many time and money saving hints I got from their reviews. I always do a meticulous research before vacation and I find this site to be the most informative. So this review is kind of a payback. And it is ...

Pros: Lots of activities, wonderful food, service with a smile, good ports of call
Cons: small showers, unprofessional photographers

I recently went on a seven day cruise with Royal Carribean. The ship was Explorer of the Seas, the largest cruise ship in the world. The ports of call were San Juan, Puerto Rico, Saint Thomas and Saint Marteen of the Virgin Islands, and Nassua, Bahamas....

Pros: Beautiful ship, good food, and activities for all ages.
Cons: Small showers and little glass on balcony.

We were on the May 7th, 2006 5-day W. Caribbean sailing of Explorer. This was the last Explorer cruise leaving from Miami for some time and a “transition” cruise before repositioning to New Jersey. Arrived at the port at 11:00AM and had checked in by ...

Pros: Great ship, beautiful, with friendly staff.
Cons: Beds are uncomfortable; the crowds on this big ship are like being in Manhattan.

Overview: My daughter (18) and I (52) took our first cruise together on the Explorer of the Seas ship by Royal Caribbean to the Eastern Islands (Puerto Rico; St. Maarten; St. Thomas; and Bahammas (March 6-13,2005). Overall a wonderful experiences but ...

Pros: food, large size, sports deck, adventure ocean, rooms
Cons: drink card, crowded pools, Belize

I traveled on August 29th, 2004 aboard the Explorer of the Seas for what was supposed to be a 7 night cruise but turned out to be an 8 night cruise due to hurricane Frances. We visited Belize City, Belize; Costa Maya,Mexico; Cozumel,Mexico and ...

Pros: Great kids camp and overall wonderful experience for parents and kids alike.
Cons: Salt water pools. The fact that it had to end.

I was on RCCL Explorer of the Seas for the July 4th week, 2002. We went to Nassau, San Juan, St. Th ...

Pros: Plenty of activities, large ship, mostly clean
Cons: Limited dining hours, limited drink choices, the ship is constantly swaying

[2006] I just finished a second cruise on the same ship and will mark comments of how the ship has changed since 2003. The 2006 comments will be in italic. We took our first cruise leaving the Saturday after Thanksgiving 2003. As this was my ...

Pros: Price of stateroom
Cons: Long lines, inadequate number of elevators

Western Caribbean ~ December 5-12, 2004 Itinerary: at sea ~ Belize ~ Costa Maya ~ Cozumel ~ Grand Cayman ~ at sea I recommend and urge you to read and compare reviews of RCI's Radiance, Mariner or Navigator Western Caribbean ...

Pros: Many activities for younger crowd. Ice skating show incredible. Portofino restaurant outstanding.
Cons: Charge full fare for infant. Restaurant service indifferent. Gouge you at everywhere with additional charges.

As a veteran of about 30 cruises in the last ten years, I am disturbed to see an evolution in, at least, part of the industry that would imply the U.S. airlines are their role model. I have cruised with Royal Caribbean three times in the past sixteen ...

Pros: Grand ship, great itinerary, good excursions, and left from my backyard
Cons: B-grade food, over-crowded pool deck, smokey lounges

I just returned from a 9-Day cruise aboard Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the Seas (aka-- the first ship with a rock climbing wall). With over 3000 passengers, this was the largest of the eight cruises I've been on, and I was dreading the crowds. Much to ...

Pros: Just overall a very pleasant experience. Ice show. Service.
Cons: First lunch buffet. Location of dinertime picture taking.

I am a first time cruiser who just returned from an Eastern Caribbean cruise (June 13- June 20) on the Explorer of the Seas. Maybe my thoughts will be helpful to other first timers. I wasn't looking forward to this at all but went because my wife really ...

Pros: Friendly service, good food (over all), comfortable rooms, plenty of things to do!
Cons: Some parents don't supervise their squealing children

Warning- LONG! Bermuda St. Marten St. Thomas San Juan The ship: Overall very good! Lots of space, plenty of deck chairs, clean, easy to get around. However, I did notice that the ship needs light renovations soon, because she’s ...