This was my first cruise and I was very worried from some of the reviews I have read about both Royal Caribbean and the Explorer of the Sea's. I was a fantastic vacation from boarding the ship which took less then 20 min. They will take your luggage out front at the port and get it to your room which will be after 1pm. You cant get into your rooms on the first day until 1pm due to the fact they are cleaning the rooms. Also just so you know you will feel the boat move even in calm water, its not to bad just letting you know no matter how big the ship is you will feel it. You dont need to worry about formal nights there are lots of places to eat on board during the 2 formal nights. I wore shorts and a tee shirt to dinner every night and never felt out of place. The two big things I learned were, when you call to put a travel alert on your bank card make sure to tell them charges will be coming out of Miami Florida because that's where Royal is based out of as well of the city's you are going to so your card doesn't get locked. Also dialing out from your room phone is $17.50 a minute, which Royal Caribbean did credit my account back since I was calling the bank to get my card fixed. The ice sow was super fun as well as the game show Quest. I would not suggest cruising with kids when they are in a stroller as the excursions and ships do get crowded. We have already booked 2 other cruises. Im 31 ands my wife is 26 and we absolutely loved the experience with Royal and enjoyed Explorer of the seas