Explorer of the Seas Review

4.5 / 5.0
2,038 reviews

What a horrible experience. Shame on Royal Caribbean

Review for the Western Caribbean Cruise on Explorer of the Seas
User Avatar
NextTimeFlyToCozumel
First Time Cruiser • Age 60s

Rating by category

Cabin
Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Rooms
Entertainment
Service

Additional details

Sail Date: Mar 2015

This was our first cruise and it was awful. Was it that the ship was filled with rude, lewd, snotty college kids? That may have been the heart of the problem, but we would have rolled with the punches if Royal Caribbean would simply have fed us. We were so hungry and thirsty the entire time. The vast number of kids made dining rooms, casino, and bars pretty much inaccessible. No big deal, right... there's always room service. But the room service food was absolutely awful. I'm not being picky; the room service food was vending machine quality and quite stale. I'm confident this food was not prepared during the cruise; it had to be leftovers from previous cruises. Why buy food for this cruise?... the ship is about to go into dry dock and these drunken kids won't care what they're fed. We ate and drank everything in the mini bar though the sodas were warm. We tried to call and ask for ice, but no one answered nor returned our calls.

I took time away from my business, hired someone to man my business in my absence, paid for a cruise and transportation to Florida, so that I could sit in a room and live off of M&Ms and hot Sprite.

I'm surprised that I haven't heard anyone complain about Windjammer Café. We tried to eat there a couple of times but there wasn't anything appealing offered. Each time the buffet was large, but kind of sad looking (pasta dishes with barely any sauce and watery veggies), and only one meat selection (chicken tenders the first time, and what looked like "potted meat" the other time). Surely it isn't always like this; I can't believe people would put up with it. I wasn't expecting anything spectacular, but I thought cruise food quality would be on par with Ruby Tuesday or Applebys, but it was not at all. To compare this food with a high school cafeteria would insult the high school.

Cabin Review

Port Reviews

Cozumel

We had a wonderful time in Cozumel. We walked and shopped, had lunch where the locals like to eat, and got to practice our Spanish. When we got tired of walking, we hired a cab to give us a sight-seeing tour.

1 Helpful Vote
previous reviewnext review

Find an Explorer of the Seas Cruise from $262

Any Month

Get special cruise deals, expert advice, insider tips and more.By proceeding, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

© 1995—2024, The Independent Traveler, Inc.