I just returned today from the 9 day Caribbean cruise with my 2 teenagers age 18, along with my daughter's friend, age 19. We had an interior cabin for the girls, and a balcony cabin for my son and I, all on Deck 8. We have done this cruise twice before, with the exact itinerary 2 years ago. We cruise about every other year, so this is our 3rd cruise, all with RC, all on Explorer of the Seas.

First, I will tell you the ship is in great shape, although worn in a few places, such as stained carpet, for the most part she is a beautiful vessel, and the staff works hard to keep her clean. Although we saw some worn areas, we never saw dirty areas. Personal hygiene was stressed daily and there were plenty of hand sanitizing stations around the ship. Our cabin steward learned quickly that I was not on the same schedule as 3 teenagers, and made it work for cleaning our cabins. He was personable, friendly and always let us know what was going on the next day.

Second- the dining room staff. While they were very attentive, I feel that they are much more overworked than our last 2 cruises. These guys were constantly running, and one of the things that made our last cruises so special was the feeling that the waiters had time to talk to you. I felt like they had no time at all to just make small talk with the passengers, but the service was excellent. Of particular note was the bar staff in the main dining room. I had the beverage package and the first night was served a so-so Cabernet. The second night I asked to see a wine list and they served me an excellent wine selection from that night on. I didn't have to ask, the bar server just knew what I liked and brought it over. On a rating of 1-10 for their service, I give a 10, but boy do they look over worked. Read more