My husband and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary on the Explorer of the Seas. We chose this cruise because my husband does not fly. (This is the first time we sailed with Royal Caribbean. Once with Princess and twice with Carnival.) We left the Pittsburgh, PA area Sunday around 6 a.m. Stopped for breakfast and arrived at Cape Liberty around noon. We got lost one time. The New Jersey turnpike is not labeled "New Jersey turnpike". It is in a logo NJTurnpike and if you do not know that you can miss it. When we arrived at the terminal everything was clearly marked and luggage drop off was quick. You give your luggage to a porter and don't see it again until it is delivered to your room. Parking is pre-pay. We paid $80 for the 5 nights. After you park your car you walk to the check-in area, check-in, get your picture taken then wait for a bus to drive you to the ship. There is a lot of help so it all moves very quickly.
The ship is as large as I had read. Our room, 7332, deluxe balcony, was centrally located. The room was not incredibly large but very adequate. I loved the balcony and will probably get one on my future cruises. From reading reviews from previous travelers I was leery about the shape of the bed and bedding but I can assure you that my husband and I were very pleased with the bed. In fact we slept sooo good. The bedding was new and the mattress great. The bathroom was good so I was pleased with our room. If I had any complaints it would have been the couch. A bit worn but nothing to complain about. Our stewart was nice. On other cruise lines you really don't see the room stewart. They sort of blend into the surroundings. On Royal they greet you, dress professionally and are available usually throughout the day. In fact my husband added an additional tip for his services. Ernie is from Costa Rico. I had visited Costa Rico so we talked about his country. Very nice stewart. Forgot to mention - my husband is a diabetic. If anyone is a diabetic who uses insulin needles you need to let Royal know about 2 weeks inadvance. They will provide you with a hazardous needle container for your disposable needles. We had to get that taken care of while on board. FOOD - on our past cruises we ate all of our breakfasts and dinners in the main dining room. I don't know if the late sitting that was not good for us this time or if the service was slow but we only ate 3 meals in the main dining room. The first night it took us from 8:30 to almost 10 p.m. to complete our meal, not including dessert. (We were sitted with another couple but only ate one meal with them.) So after that we ate most of our meals at the Windjammer. The Windjammer is great. They have a ton of selections. Almost too much. It was crowded at times but that was not usually the issue. The help was great. They got us drinks and cleaned up quickly. It was nice to see sugar-free desserts on the menu everynight. I suggest looking around before getting in line. There are many lines to get your food and every area has different food so check out the choices first.
We had room service twice for breakfast. You should tip the person who brings your food. It was prompt and good. We did not go to either of the two restaurants that were an additional cost. We did not feel the need for this.