We just returned yesterday from out 9 night Bermuda/Bahamas cruise. I must admit I was a little concerned before we left due to the poor reviews some had written. I will set the record straight now, this was an awesome cruise! In the words of a gentleman we met on the elevator, "some people can find anything to complain about, this ship is great!". This was my second cruise, my husband, 13y. son, 11y. daughter, we felt at home on the Explorer, our first cruise was on her sister ship Mariner. Not much of a difference with the layout, so it was nice to be somewhat familiar. Emabarkation had me worried. No lie, we pulled up, unloaded our luggage, me and the kids waited for 5 minutes for hubby to park, got in line to get on the ship, and we were in the Windjammer eating in 30 minutes. This was great after driving 8 hours from West Virginia. We went to check out our cabins. We booked two inside cabins with a connecting door. This was the way to go with two kids, way better than all of us staying in a balcony, and around the same price. We had two bathrooms, two t.v.'s, which by the way got wonderful reception and always had plenty to watch (when you had time to watch), and who cares that they are not flat screened? One thing, it did take a couple of hours to get the supervisor to come and unlock the connecting door, just a little frustrating. Our first stop was Bermuda, wonderful! We loved it here and would jump at the chance to return. My daughter swam with the dolphins and it was worth the money, we literally stood along the side of the pool and watched and took pictures while she swam. The staff was exceptionally nice too. The next day we hired a taxi to take us all over the entire island. We saw the aquarium, the cities, the beautiful foliage, and the crazy drivers. Do not rent scooters, they are incredibly dangerous. He even took us the Horseshoe Bay for an hour and a half and waited for us. Well worth the money. We can say the we have truly seen the island. Nassau was our next stop. Wouldn't you know it started pouring the rain down the minute we stepped off of the ship. We did not let this stop us too much. We stayed mainly in town to shop. The streets and sidewalks became flooded, water past our ankles, but we kept trudging along. We visited many shops including the straw market. The rain stopped and it became very muggy so we headed back to the ship. This was nice because it was if we had the ship to ourselves, because everyone was still in port. CocoCay was nice, just a beach day. The kids enjoyed snorkeling while my husband and I explored and laid in the sun. It is a beautiful and amazing island. As far as the ship, we felt it was still in great shape. The staff was wonderfull. Our cabin attendant always kept our room clean and tidy and the kids love the towel animals. Who wouldn't! I would glance at other rooms when we walk down the halls and believe me from the looks of some the attendants had a tough job. Some people are slobs. Dinner everynight in the main dining room was a delight. We would check the menu and make our reservation. We had booked my time dining. We enjoyed our waiters to much, we requested them every night. They were out going, friendly and informative. It didn't hurt that they brought us extra food to try. They kept our glasses full and were attentive to my children, asking questions and remembering the little things that my children liked. Nothing to complain about here. Now if I had some complaints, it would be that some people were rude and pushy. There were many moments that me or my children would be in line, waiting our turn, when an adult would rudely step in front of them. I use these moments to teach my children about manners and how not to act. There are people like this everywhere, not just on cruise ships. Disembarkation was rough, but not horrible. We chose the express, it seems so did everyone else. The ship said it was limited, not true, they did not even check. With that being said, we still were off the ship and getting into our car within half an hour. Wonderful trip overall. We will definately do Royal Caribbean again.