We sailed the Allure around the same time last year. We feared that we may be a bit disappointed in the Explorer coming off such a big, newer ship like the Allure but for those of you have wondered the same thing, we were not disappointed at all.
Embarkation - A breeze
Rooms connecting balcony rooms on starboard side deck 10 aft. A little disappointed that the balconies did not connect, but I was able to live with it. I was a little skeptical about being under the Windjammer for fear of noise but we did not hear any noise at all.