We have been cruising since the 80's, where our first ship, RCCL's The Song of Norway, introduced us to luxury vacationing. In those days RCCL was a cut above the rest, and that included Carnival, Celebrity, NCL, Princess and Costa. Since then, 14 cruises later, each time we cruise, the overall quality seems to go down, slowly but steadily, regardless of the company we cruise with. As there are more and bigger ships in the water, the overall experience and quality of service becomes diluted. It can cost a billion dollars to float a mega ship, and in order to make a profit on that investment, compromises in quality and service are being made. Today, it is a business, and a big one at that. RCCL today is no longer a cut above the rest; they compete head on with the Carnival monolith,, and as such fall into the middle of the pack.. They all have good features and mediocre ones.

My comments are therefore based on 20 years of cruising experience. Newcomers should be blown away by the overall experience. This being a holiday cruise, both Christmas and New Year's were well presented. This was the reason we booked this cruise and it delivered on that aspect.

The Explorer of the Seas is a fabulous ship, well appointed, with lots to do, and plenty of space in which to get lost. It is however, overrated. This is not a 5 star ship, 4 stars at best. The ship is beautiful, but needs work, and the staff needs to take lessons in customer service. Read more