I sailed on the Explorer from 12/14 through 12/23 with my daughter (17), my son (14), my mother and my brother. I shared an Owners Suite with my mom and daughter while my brother and son shared an inside cabin across the hall. I planned the trip as well as the excursions and all of the posters on Cruise Critic went a long way toward helping with our cruise, so thank you all for your input.

Embarking - We arrived at Cape Liberty at around 12:30 and were in a long line of cars trying to get to the drop off point. It took us over an hour to actually get dropped off, and finding a wheelchair for my mom was not happening. There were too many people still getting off the ship, as it had come in late, and all wheelchairs were in use. Once we checked in, we did get on the ship fairly quickly.

Rooms - The Owners Suite was amazing and as it was a surprise to my mother, it made it that much more special. Our room steward Gerald did a great job taking care of our room, as did Dereck, the room steward for my brother and sons room. Both were pleasant and talkative and made our trip that much more enjoyable. Read more