Our cruise out of Southampton was below my expectations. Fortunately, the Canary Islands, Madeira and Azores balanced out a somewhat lackluster Vigo, Spain and Bilbao, Spain. The problem was not the ports however but rather the Explorer itself.

It was overcrowded with nary a seat to be had during evening hours at any of the lounges. And, because there was such an overcrowding, the Schooner was used for trivia and other games during cocktail time, which eliminated any attempts to have conversation. During the day it was impossible to find a seat at a table on the promenade. Forget about getting a chair on any of the sun decks. Passengers claimed their chair for the day and staked it out with towels or friends saving them. I didn't use Windjammer, but imagine it was a madhouse most days.

The main dining room was quite pleasant, although the food selection was boring on some days. As a non-meat eater, selections were limited by my choice, but some of the fish was awful. Very chewy and obviously frozen. The cod was especially horrible. Whoever writes the menus are creative in their descriptions, but not accurate. Luckily, the staff were wonderful and always had vegetables for me. Read more