I wanted to cruise the ABC islands without flying to San Juan, Seen this 9 night cruise from Port of Miami at a good rate. The only thing cruising from Port of Miami is it is so busy 8 ships in when we left and returned. This was our 11th cruise, so not new to cruising. The ship is old and has only one more cruise, as of now, before it goes in dry dock for refurbishing. The crew was excellent, food choice was great and good. In the main dinning room the servers and head waiter seen after my 10 year great grandson was tired of steak, they fixed him chicken fingers and fries!! The crew member in the Windjammer was so helpful in finding use seating for 6, when we first boarded. Bon remembered my name every time he seen me. My grandson and his wife enjoyed their evenings at the various places to party at night.We thoroughly enjoyed the theater productions. Our last cruise was on Carnival and they are still geared toward a young party crowd. Royal is my favorite, balcony cabins are larger, food and service in much better. Breakfast in the Windjammer or Main dinning room was always fresh and their breakfast fruit smoothies were delicious. Read Less

We were celebrating our 30th Wedding Anniversary, which was actually 3 days ahead of the cruise launch - but still.... I had forgotten how horrific access to the Port of Miami is - even though we were parking offsite. I was swearing and vowing we were never sailing out of that POS Port again, which my HEA tells me I said last time i fought through Miami Traffic, limited access and construction. We used an off-site parking service, which delivered exactly what we expected and got us to, and picked up from port without having to take our car all the way into the port area. From curbside to Boarding Clerk was a maze of seemingly useless twists and turns and hallways before getting anywhere - but was efficient once we got there. That may have been because we were in the "suite" line and not the general check-in group, as we were in a Balcony MiniSuite. Turns out Explorer is very much a sister ship to Navigator - or as Navigator was when we sailed her - so we were familiar with the layout and immediately felt at home! I had ordered 3 food amenities in advance - chocolate covered strawberries, brownies and box of chocolates. We've found we enjoy the little extra munchies in the room during cruises, and had put notes for the dates i wanted each delivered. They were all there when we got to the cabin - surprised - not disappointed, especially since our room was ready when we got to it. We had a Balcony MiniSuite - which was, for us, a great room! I notified our cabin steward that i would need extra coffee, which was there every day as requested, although i was short spoons to stir for a cupla days??? Not sure what happened there. We were overwhelmed by the amount of space first - and storage second in the room. Save the bathroom - the room could handle a wheelchair or walker - including the nice big walk In Closet! And no surprise - the only power was just to the side of the mirror - half behind the TV. We looked for another hidden outlet - none that we could find. The weather for the beginning and end of the cruise was 'typical Florida winter" - which comes as a surprise to folks who are not native to Florida....Yes it get cold, yes it gets windy, and yes - it gets cold and windy! So spending time out on deck, or even walking the deck was somewhat uncomfortable. The impact of this reality on movies under the stars was devistating - as we enjoy that activity. The further south we went, the better the weather during the day, but it was periodically a bit chill with the air movement at night. We were notified the night before porting into Labadee that our ParaSailing adventure had been cancelled due to weather - this was not the second time we'd suffered a weather cancellation for ParaSailing! But I'd also booked us on to both Zip Lines and they were running, give or take weather. The staff worked with our scheduling, closing the 5 hour gap between the first and second Zip Line adventure to less than an hour - and off we went!! We dashed from the Zip Line to do some shopping - BEWARE of how persistent the "let me help you find" people are in the shopping area!!! All i wanted was a couple of Shooter Shot Glasses...we fended off at least 30 volunteering to help me find what i wanted...and after giving up walking around, we ended up buying the shooters in the building at the beginning of the vendor sales area. Apparently the "let me help you" people aren't allowed in there. It did shower off and on - and a big shower came through right about lunch time - i guess the cabannas and gazebo area used for serving general cruisers during their day at Labadee isn't big enough to hold the population on-shore from 2 ships in port at the same time! oops.... inconvenient - but actually more amusing than anything else... We ate in 4 venues while OnBoard. Primarily we enjoyed the Windjammer, but ate in the Main Dining Room MyTime on Deck 3 for Formal Nights, and Took one night out for Giovanni's, and a lunch adventure At Sea to Johnny Rockets. None disappointed! Windjammer still provides a wide variety of options - changing daily to focus on different nationalities, while still offering the staples of dining in various nationalities and dietary concerns - lotsa salads - lotsa fruit - lotsa fresh! Dinner in the Main Dining Room was fab! We left the table each night sated and smiling. Our first night they acknowledge our Anniversary - delivering a piece of chocolate cake with a candle, and half a dozen of the staff came over to sing. They handled my one 'custom' order just fine (one from this column and one from this column together, and take the veggie from over here and make my dinner please?) The bread offerings have changed over the years - but everyone's found ways of cost savings so it's hard to take that personal. And i'm a sucker for a good Creme Brulee - and they do make a good one on Royal Caribbean! Giovanni's dinner was fantastic. We were well treated, meat was cooked to perfection, and we ordered 2 'shareable' veggies. We actually had gotten full and were ready to leave with no dessert (no room left) when we received a marvelous multilayered slice chocolate cake with a candle - and a few of the staff came and sang Happy Anniversary for us...all rather unexpected! Royal Caribbean does read and pay attention the notes in the file on their passengers. We'd been to Aruba before - and although it read differently - the excursion we ended up on this time was veritably identical to the last, a bit of a disappointment. That was redeemed, however, by the Sunset Schooner Cruise! The weather was just warm enough - and i brought my sweater anyways! That was a GREAT relaxing experience, and will be looking for similar events on future cruises, regardless of port. Bonaire and Curacao were lovely little islands, at the higher level of eye appeal and maintenance we've come to expect from the Dutch owned islands. We ran into a bit of a traffic jam at the beginning of the tour on Bonaire - quickly forgotten in the middle of having fun! The only real complaint i have is with a couple of the Tour operators. I understand that everyone is out to save a buck - but the large vans/small busses used by the operators on a couple of the tours left hubby and I both bruised for squeezing ourselves into the seats. Tour operators should be required to use full size busses, and full sized seats! We're adults - mostly senior citizens with a touch of southern spread - and i'm not the only one who was grumbling about bruises on the tours. Read Less

Very nice ship. Excellent food in the buffet. Lots of variety. We had an inside room for 3 of us, including a 15-year-old teenager. Room was spacious enough for the 3 of us. Room was always very clean. I found the entertainment to be lacking compared to entertainment on Carnival. We are not into art auctions, diamond shopping, or bingo. We don't consider those to be fun activities. There were a number of activities on the promenade deck, which made it almost impossible to get to the cafe to get a snack, coffee, or tea. Also even when arriving at the Star Lounge 20 minutes early, we were not able to get a seat for certain shows. We enjoyed all the ports of call. However, we found that Bonaire did not offer a lot of excursion options. We went swimming and snorkeling on our own. For the most part, the staff were friendly and helpful. We will take another Royal Caribbean cruise but probably on a different ship. Read Less

Explorer is headed for a much needed face lift in April 2020, so one cannot judge the ship by its current condition - this class of ship is our favorite, big enough to have all the amenities but not overly huge like the Oasis class. Sub par weather for first three days dampened the beginning of the cruise but the ABC islands are lovely and we enjoyed good weather for final week. Entertainment was spotty - we still love the live orchestra and the ship dancers were very good, ice show was above average and one of the acts (Barricade Boys) was great. Horrible "comedians" and less than average singer in Schooner Bar. Meals were very good in main dining and the waiters we had were excellent - I thought choices and quality in Windjammer were very good as well. Be aware Port of Miami is very busy when multiple ships are in port, allow enough time for airport transfers and such. Read Less

Cruise on the Explorer of the Sea on 2/21/20 We cruised the Explorer of the Sea on 2/21/20 for a nine day cruise. We flew to Ft. Lauderdale and used the Royal Caribbean shuttle for Ft. Lauderdale to Miami. Our plane landed on the day of the cruise at 9 AM and after picking up our luggage we went to the RC desk down by the luggage area and was advised that the bus would be leaving at 11:30 AM which it did. We made several other stops to pick up additional passengers and then were bused to Miami and arrived at the ship at about 1:30 PM. The cost of the shuttle round trip for 2 people is $120. There 2 more cruises after our cruise and this ship goes into dry dock for 53 days. We were told that they are spending $110 million for major renovations. We had a balcony cabin on deck 6, cabin number 6284. The cabin was fine but I thought that it was a couple of feet shorter than other cabins as it had a love seat instead of a full length sofa. After supper on the first night they had a welcome aboard show with a couple of songs and then a comedian who was not very good. Most people left before the show was over. On the second day at the Cafe Promenade I purchased a coffee card for $37 which entitles you to get 15 cups of specialty coffee. Not a bad deal if you like specialty coffee. The second day we did the cruise critic get together and met some nice people. That night the had a production show in the theater call “Invitation to Dance” which was a high energy song and dance show. As part of the show they had a professional dance champion couple which were very good. The third day we were at their private island Labadee but it rained all day so we did not go ashore. That night we went to see the ice show called The Spirt of the Seasons. It was a feel good show, great music and good skating. The fourth day was a sea day and that night we went to see the headliner show with a singer named Bryan Cheatham, sang some Motown and some other song. He put on a good show. On the fifth day we were in Aruba. At the port in Aruba there appears to be two docks, our ship was in the first dock and the Norwegian Epic was at the second dock which is about 100 yard behind our ship. From either dock it is a short walk to the Main Street. If you wanted to take a public bus to the beach from our ship you walk out to the Main Street and turn right. Diagonally across the street is a Pizza Hut and just pass Pizza Hut is the public bus plaza where you can take a bus to the beach, either South beach or Eagle beach. While in Aruba we took a Royal Caribbean excursion called Sights, Scenes & Taste. It basically made a loop around the island stopping at the Natural Bridge, the California Lighthouse and Eagle Beach. It was about 3 1/2 hours long. On the fifth night they had a production show called Fast Forward, a high energy singing and dance show, very good. We left Aruba around 9 PM heading to Bonaire. We were just to Bonaire in November and took an excursion so we just walked around town. That night they had a comedian/juggler who was very good. On day 7 in the theater they had the third production show called Wild, Cool & Swingin. Another very good singing and dancing show. Day 8 and day 9 were sea days with the normal activities on sale days. On day 8 they had another headliner show in the Palace Theater which were the Barricade Boys who sang all kinds of music, Rock & Roll songs, Frankie Valli songs, Motown songs, several ballads and several songs from Le Miserables. The last sea day our TV did not work all day and night. I called guest services and they claimed that the problem was with the satellite not working. On the last night they had a farewell show in the theater, another comedian who we did not think was very good. Getting off the ship at the end of the cruise was a disaster. We put our luggage out the night before with a luggage tag with the number 30. When we got off the ship all luggage with number 30 was suppose to come out on carousel number 1. There were 3 carousels in the terminal. After waiting for 40 minutes for all the luggage on carousel to come out we still did not have our luggage. There were a number of people who had the same problem. After searching the other 2 carousels for 10 minutes I finally found our luggage on carousel 2. I don’t think I ever remember a cruise terminal using a carousel. Usually they have numbered areas identified in the terminal and you pick up your luggage based on your number, a process that only takes a few minutes. In conclusion we thought this cruise was very good. The ports that we visited are nicer than most of the ports in the eastern or western Caribbean, the food was good but not great and the entertainment was very good on 7 out of the 9 nights. We rarely cruise out of the port of Miami because the port is so congested and in the future I will try to avoid this port if I can. Read Less

We had a balcony stateroom on the port side, 9520, and we loved it. First balcony from the front on the 9th floor, so nobody on our right side as we looked out. It was very quiet. Just two lawn chairs and a table, though, because the balconies are too small for loungers. In Haiti and Bonaire, we faced out to sea while in port, in Aruba and Curaçao, we faced the port. As far as food goes, next time I would not bother spending the extra money on a Dining Package. The Main Dining Room serves the best food on the ship (in my opinion) For example, the horseradish crusted salmon was perfectly done, moist all the way through, and so flavourful! Seafood vol au vent spectacular, beef stroganoff elevated like I have never had, and the tiramisu properly done with ladyfingers soaked in liqueur. At Windjammer, which is the buffet, I wasn’t a fan of breakfast...the Eggs Benedict were done too far ahead and the hollandaise wasn’t good. The French Toast was too thin. However, I simply changed my choice and had delicious bagels, cream cheese, lox, fruit, and hot and cold cereals, which were plentiful. In the Windjammer, they had unusual and very flavourful soups, such as roasted poblano and lemon shrimp...wonderful! The first meal of our 3 meal Dining Package was at Chops Grille. My appetizer was a crab cake served over chipotle mayo, which was good, but not as good as the one in the Main Dining Room. I chose a 9 ounce filet mignon. Although it was tender and flavourful, it was underdone. Unfortunately, the Mac and Cheese was doughy and without much cheese. I was really looking forward to apple pie a la mode, but what a disappointment! The crust was so tough, it was impossible to cut with a fork. Izumi, RCL’s Japanese restaurant , was very disappointing. We were told that we could order up to $70 worth, and then would pay the balance, not including drinks, but we ended up not using the $70. I could not eat the gyoza and sent them back. They were stuffed with nothing but chunks of somewhat tough pork. The sushi rolls looked beautiful, but the rice didn’t seem to contain any vinegar-based seasonings and tasted completely bland! We didn’t bother with dessert or coffee. Giovanni’s Table started badly. I ordered a salad, which proved to be literally a bowl of arugula with a few chopped tomato pieces and a tasteless dressing. The linguini carbonara, however, was delicious, as was the tiramisu, so the restaurant was redeemed in my eyes. The Over the Water Cabanas at Nellie’s Beach in Labadee, Haiti, are comfortable, but overpriced for just the two of us. If you can share the cost with other couples, they are great. Thankfully, we got #2, which had sun from the time we got there around 8:30 until about 2 pm. I would have preferred #4 which has sun longer and has a better view. The ones on the other side of the cove appeared to be in shade until about noon, so depending on what you prefer, you may be disappointed. If you are not prepared to be descended upon by extremely high-pressure sales folk, do not go into the local market, where RCL has allowed Haitian locals to set up stands. Oh my! Very high pressure! They make Mexican beach vendors seem like beginners! Such respectful and polite people though... For excursions on Bonaire, Aruba, and Curaçao, we chose narrated bus tour and then drop off at a local beach for the last couple of hours. In Bonaire, (Chill Out at Ocean Oasis Beach Club & Southern Island Drive) the microphone on the bus wasn’t working, nor were the shocks, but we managed to hear a bit and the beach was beautiful with a kind of naturally protected pool. In Curaçao, (Curacao Highlights and Beach Fun) we were on one of those big tour buses with tinted windows and high seats, so we couldn’t see as much as we would like, but the tour was informative. We had to pay $4 each for lawn chairs when we got to the beach. Best of all was the Kukoo Kunuku Bus Tour in Aruba, which was an open air bus with Lesley, the best tour guide ever! Within 5 minutes, he had us laughing, singing, and shaking maracas to upbeat music while telling the most hilarious jokes about the local attractions. There are two of those buses, and we were lucky enough to get Lesley as our driver and guide. I don’t know how one could request his bus, but he is made for that job and absolutely made our day...the most fun we have ever had on a tour! In Miami, we booked an Eco Adventure Tour of the Everglades with airport drop off for disembarkation day. You have to be out of your room by 8 am, our meeting time on the ship was at 8:30, and at 9:40 we were still waiting to get off. I pitied the people who had squeezed in a last tour before a flight, since we were staying overnight in Miami and had lots of time. Anyway, we finally got off the ship and onto the tour bus 1 hour and 20 minutes late. I thought: oh well, we’ll just start the tour late, but no...that time was deducted from the length of the tour because one person on the bus had an early flight. So we were rushed through the Everglades Park, taken on a quick airboat ride, then herded back onto the bus! The tour guide, who did his very best to get us around to everything, told us that this is always happening with Explorer of the Seas. In the Entertainment category, the skating performance was spectacular, with professional skaters, brilliant choreography, and stunning costumes. The comedian was hilarious. I found the music in the nightly performances tiresome...a lot of big band stuff, standards like Frank Sinatra...I guess to appeal to an older crowd. The dancers are good, but not exciting when dancing to that music. This was our third cruise, as noted above, but first with RCL. We would definitely give them another try. Read Less

Beautiful boat. Great dinners every night. Stayed in Room 3624. Terrific ocean view room right outside 3rd floor dining room - so convenient. Only problem was it was an “adjoining” room so there was a door where the couch should have been, leaving room only for a chair. Also, we had to put a towel under the door. You could hear talking, sneezing, coughing, hair dryer, etc. - it didn’t really help much. The entertainment ran from great to mediocre at best. The headliner shows were very good (except for the 3 Divas - but that’s just my opinion). The ice show was fabulous and should not be missed. Not a bad seat in the house. Not cold. If you plan to skate bring long pants. The magician was also great and funny. Bring towel clips to hold your towels on to the chairs at main pool. The winds get a bit crazy at times. People leave towels and books early to reserve their spots. My only real complaint is the amount of young children and toddlers in the hot tubs at the main pool. Ridiculous! Never went into those. The giant hot tub in the fitness room was always empty, however. We really had a wonderful time and can’t wait for our next RCL cruise. You’re going to love it. Labadee was my favorite stop. Perfect beach day. Took 2 minute tram to Nellie’s Beach. There is also a free short boat ride provided if you did not want to walk down the road. Great tiki bar and lunch was provided. $20 for umbrella charged to room key - worth every penny. Water was crystal clear and warm. Enjoy! Read Less

I know the Explorer is going in for dry dock, and some areas really need it. This did not affect out cruises. EXCEPT for the elevator situation. 4 out of the 6 forward elevators were out of service. Having a forward cabin and a mobility scooter this caused us major difficulties. Especially when trying to get to the conference center. People were getting on whether they were going up or down, just to get on. Walking to the central elevators were a long haul, particularly with small children, when you had to walk back forward after reaching your floor. To me this was unacceptable. Guest services could not or would not give us any information. This made Disembarkation a major nightmare. They needed traffic control and shut down the elevators completely because of crowds Another major disappointment was the Photo center. Computers to order pictures were down most of the week. I bought the photo package and we had 5:30 seating. They didn't even start until 5:15 for photos. We wanted photos before dinner because a 3 and 5 y.o. are messy eaters. They rushed us and eyes are closed and were off center. They wanted weird poses. like knees up to look like we were walking up the fake Titanic back drop. Waving to the camera. I never got my pictures printed even though the manager promised they would be as they were in my cart. You couldn't check out The kids club was great, the food decent, Johnny Rockets was overpriced and meh. The ports were great and excursions fun. We made our own fun and had a great time. despite these issue Read Less

This is my 30th RCCL cruise, of the fifty over 35 years and I am at the Diamond + level. I selected this cruise via a "discounted" Casino Royale cruise certificate. My main focus will be on the casino. Explorer of the Seas has one baccarat table, two three card poker tables, two Ultimate Texas Hold'em tables, several blackjack tables, two roulette tables and on ten seat poker table. Minimum bets start at $10. The slot machines are a mixture of MANY old style slot machines, and "Asian" themed slots and a few video poker machines. The Explorer of the Seas is scheduled to be renovated in the early 2020, before it sails to European ports. THE CASINO NEEDS A TOTAL OVERHAUL. The casino staff were cordial, bar and waiters were prompt in providing beverages to the passengers playing in the Casino Royale. Now on to the rest of the review: Embarkment was at Terminal F, in Miami, FL, and if you ever sailed through RCCL's new Terminal A in Miami, FL, you thought you were back in the dark ages. It takes less than 15 minutes to go through check in and security in Terminal A and get onto the ship. Terminal F had lines for Security to check you passport and cruise documents, then it was up to the second floor to get into another line for you to check in, have them take you picture and get you sign and sail card. Then to another line to finally get on the ship, it took approximate 45 minutes. First day Windjammer Buffet: Crowded, but that was to be expected, standard buffet food, good but not great. Stateroom: Interior room, 7305 which had a window to view the promenade which was the open area in the center of the ship that had the guest services, shops and bars. Nice room, my stateroom steward, Anant was very friendly and attentive, he fulfilled my several requests promptly. Main Dining Room: It appears the RCCL fleet has standardized its memus, as the Sunday menu, was exactly that same as on the Oasis OTS in December and Allure OTS in November 2019. Food was good, and service was prompt and courteous. As this was a casino cruise, I did not do any shore excursions or see any shows. The ship overall, was in good shape, but you could see that it needed to be refurbished, In the Diamond Club, the chairs were somewhat worn, as well as other seating throughout the ship. Pools: There is a Solarium pool and whirlpools for adults only which was nice, The main pools, split on the port and starboard side had plenty of lounges for sun bathing. The smoke area was adequate for the dwindling number of smokers. Drinks are very expensive, so if you tend to over indulge on the adult beverages, the pre cruise discounted beverage package if you buy it only is about $55 + the 18% tips, so if you drink 5 alcoholic drinks per day, its a push, more than 5 per day it might be worth the purchase. I did not eat in any of the specialty restaurants, however, for what I heard at the Diamond Club passengers, the quality has done down hill. Overall it was a good cruise, not a great cruise, compared to the quality of the food and services on the mega ships. The problem is that every time you experience an exceptional cruise, that sets the standard for the next cruise, to be either met or exceeded. Read Less

The embarkation process in Miami was quick and easy. We had stayed at the Epic Hotel near the cruise terminal so it was a short cab ride over. Other than its speed and ease there is not much to say about embarkation. That's probably it a good thing. It was smooth! There were parts of this cruise that were exceptional. For example, the Main Dining Room staff (Alan - Head Waiter, Lin - Waiter, and Uragil - Assistant Waiter) were absolutely exceptional. We have never had better service or a more personalized presentations. The pool areas were always crowded but the staff of the pool bar and everyone involved in the sports programming did a fantastic job. These crews are among the finest we have encountered on any Royal Caribbean cruise. As far as entertainment goes, the headline show in the Main Theater was a Motown thing. Good performers, just not a very interesting show. The ice show in Studio B was, again, good performers but not a very interesting show. The band Midnight Avenue that played in the Star Lounge over and over was fantastic and their singer (Faith) is incredibly talented. Stuff like the 70s and 80s parties was done well enough. But the New Years party was atrocious and seemed completely unplanned. This is our third New Years cruise and the entertainment on New Years Eve this time was just plain terrible. The cruise director, Mike, stood on the promenade bridge and sang a couple of weak versions of Stevie Wonder songs. In fact, most of the stuff that Mike did was dull. He seems like a nice enough guy but he does not ooze the fun like many cruise directors do. Another issue that repeatedly arose was the fact that many of the bars were running out of top spirits. It was as if there had not been a bar stock in a long long while. If you wanted Botanist gin, Four Roses bourbon, Buffalo Trace bourbon, or Pyrat rum the odds were about 20/80 that they had it versus did not have it. Our teenagers had a great time with Optix and seemed to really enjoy the activities there. The helipad became a late evening spot for the teens...some of that was good, some not so good as a few of the teens were rowdy and cursing at other passengers in the are...trying to look cool, no doubt. But, all in all a pretty good group with pretty good programming. Our first port was Labadee. Weather was great and we hung out at Columbus Beach. We did not do an excursion but found plenty to do. For our first trip to Labadee we were impressed. The views along the beaches were great. Our second port was Aruba. We did a sail and beach excursion which was decent but not incredible. The natural beauty of Aruba was the feature, as it should have been, and the crew gave us a good tour of Aruba's history and significance. The drinks on the sailboat were included but were pretty much horrible. The drinks at the beach were included but were made on the ship and were pretty much horrible. Real cheap ingredients. That said, Palm Beach, where Pelican Pier is located, was a nice place to spend a few hours. If you're ever in Aruba on New Years Eve, expect fireworks everywhere. Like miles of firecrackers lit at a time. Insane. Most of the stores close early but restaurants and bars stay open for New Years Eve. Our third port was Bonaire. We rented a golf cart and drove the north part of the island. Navigation can get kind of wild up there and lots of one way streets make it difficult but Google Maps proved quite good at getting us around. There are some areas of the coastline with cliffs and beaches that are beyond words beautiful. We did not do the southern side of the island...but the folks at the golf cart rental recommend it more than north. Lots of stuff was closed because this was New Years Day. The little distillery in Rincon was open. Nice place. Good people. Not much to see at the distillery though. Golf cart rental was a great way to get around the island. Our fourth port of call was Curacao. We did the Discover Curacao shore excursion and it was excellent. In fact the whole experience that we had in Curacao was excellent. The sea walls, the fort, the floating bridge. It's an amazing place. Among our favorites. The ship itself was in great order and looked fantastic. The Main Dining Room food, for the most part, was excellent. We did not do any specialty dining. All in all, a good but not great cruise. I would go on Explorer again just for the Main Dining Room staff, they were that good. But, then again, our next cruise is already planned on the Oasis. Read Less

This was sold as a Holiday cruise - with New Year's celebrated on the ship. We booked a Junior Suite and were not disappointed! It was comfortable and roomy (and the bathtub and walk-in closet weren't bad either!). This was my first Caribbean sailing - but not my first RCL cruise. I was told the ship and amentities would be more crowded than what I was used to - and that there would be a more family vibe. I didn't find crowds to be that bad - we're up early for breakfast so the Windjammer at 7:00 - 7:30am was perfect. Not too crowded at all and seats could be found all over the place! The family vibe was definately there. Not a fan of a lot of kids, but it was okay as they were mostly behaved (even though some took to running up and down the hallways late at night...). Most disappointing was the food in the Main Dining Room. No special dinner for New Year's Eve. Food choices were okay, but not exceptional. All menus were red meat heavy (and I am not a vegetarian by any means!). Appetizers had more imagination and were quite good. We had dinner at Chops one night. My filet mignon was cooked to perfection! My husband rated his steak as just okay. The menu indicated that sides were shareable, but some were not. I think if a couple shares three sides, that would be ample (we shared only two). Desert was just okay - we got the same selection as in the Main Dining Room. RCL staff were wonderful in every area - they all worked really hard to ensure every guest had the most memorable vacation - and we did! Yes, some of the entertainment was cheezy, but there were a lot families, so we went with the flow and had an enjoyable time. Headliners were wonderful and we were quite pleased with all the performers. We wish there were more matinee movies on the sea days. Excursions booked through RCL were great, although really research your tours as we found that the decriptions provided by RCL were not always clear. For example, we booked a UTV ride in Aruba that went in part to the Natural Pool, but no where in the brochure did it tell us we could go swimming so no one on our tour packed a bathing suit or towel. Labadee was a great stop, but unfortunately, the beach lounger we booked was on Adrenaline Beach - which we found as unswimable due to the rocky bottom. Luckily we brought swim shoes, but the ocean floor was painful at times. There was so much to do that we didn't get to, so I hope we'll be able to go back and try the zipline! We opted for Jet Skiing this trip and it was so much fun! One thing if you go ashore, do pack some US $. The Haitians work on the island, and it's nice to tip them for the great service they provide (like showing you to your beach cabana and/or lounger). New Year's on the ship was fun! We got party hats, tiara's and noise-makers at our MDR table. The Promenade, as expected, was packed. I had read about reserving tables for a fee and must say, it would have been a waste of $ to do so - it was much more fun walking amongst the crowd! It was a real party atmosphere. Added bonus - we got to watch the fireworks in Aruba from our balcony! We have very fond memories of our trip. The weather was amazing and RCL staff were fantastic! A perfect way to spend our anniversary! Read Less

First of all let's start by saying that I booked a deluxe balcony suit and spend over $18,000 on a 9 day cruise for my family. To start off, the cruise didn't even include transportation from the Miami airport to the dock. That was an additional charge. Once we boarded we couldn't even go on to our private balcony because it was covered in exhaust soot from the boats exhaust. The bed was hard as a rock and the couch had no cushions. once the balcony was washed and we were able to go out on it the next day, but it was nothing but a spectacle of peeling paint and rust. On a daily basis the deck would be covered in falling paint chips. Not to mention the private balcony, was overlooked by the cruise ship dining room. Not very private. Everything on the cruise ship seemed to nickel-and-dime you to death. You can't even get a Coke without buying it. The ice cream machine on the pool deck was constantly broken. They charge for pool towels as they have to be signed in and signed out and if your kids forget to sign them back in you get charged $25. at the excursions desk, nobody there seemed to have gone any the excursions or able to give any details as to what they're actually like. If that's your department you should at least know what you're selling. The casino was stained and smelled of old cigarette and cigar smell. On a plus note, Our dining room staff attendant we're amazing. And our room attendant was also equally is amazing. For the most part, I would give the staff a 5-star rating, and the boat a one-star. I later found out the boat was due to go into dry dock in the next few weeks and get a huge revamp however this was withheld at the time of booking otherwise I would not have booked a trip for my family or paid such a fee for a boat that was in complete disarray and in need of a major overhaul. A huge disappointment was there Private Island in Haiti, they allow local vendors. At this point they were so abrasive and aggressive, my small children were completely terrified. Also there's very few activities on their private island you can do without an additional cost and ridiculously high fees. Even on the jet ski excursion, they take you to an area where the vendors come up in bombard you with trying to sell local trinkets. I am beyond disappointed with Royal Caribbean's policies. I was not expecting an all-inclusive, but for the amount of money spent I would have expected basic amenities to be included. As for my kids, the kids clubs were of inappropriate age groupings, And lack supervision ... as I witnessed two different fights break out (at one point I had to intervene in order to end the conflict) and no security there to help in the teenage club which included my 12 and 13 year olds alongside 17 year olds. The entertainment for my nine-year-old consisted of one room with a few games in it. the basketball court was a complete chaotic mess as kids were trying to play soccer along other kids trying to play basketball. The ice rink was complete embarrassment and not even worth time. The pools started getting closed up by 9 pm. One evening they even kicked the parents out of the hot tubs by 10. all being said, I highly doubt I will ever return to a Royal Caribbean Cruise line ever again. Read Less

This was my 5th cruise with Royal Caribbean, two of which were also Voyager Class ships including the Adventure and Mariner of the Seas. We enjoyed both of those ships as well. THE GOOD: The good definitely outweighed the bad when it comes to the Explorer. The itinerary of this cruise was great - we made stops at the ABC islands and Labadee, Haiti. The excursions that we chose were informative and thorough.For example, in Bonaire we did a glass bottom boat tour which I certainly recommend for those fascinated by marine life! Additionally, we found that we enjoyed the food on this ship more than we had on its sister ship, Adventure. The buffet and the dining room were equal when it came to dinner, with the Windjammer buffet serving some food offerings that were in the dining room, as well as adding extra options such as burgers, hot dogs, mac and cheese, and a salad bar. At dinner for desert it would alternate between a chocolate fountain and a crepe station in addition to the cakes that changed every night. The service that we experienced in both the main dining room and the buffet I think was up there in my list for ships with the best service (and I've been on over twenty something cruises). The staff couldn't be any more pleasant. At the buffet, you didn't need to get up for drinks- the waiters would immediately come to the table and ask you what you wanted. (Complimentary drinks) Dining room service was also very quick as we would usually be in and out within one to two hours. Our inside cabin was how we expected it: small. However, there was ample storage space. THE NEGATIVE: Entertainment was poor. The nightly production shows were boring. There was also a performance by a group of singers that the ship had brought in that I found so incredibly boring that I left in the middle of it. The only good shows were from a magician that was brought in and the one ice skating show. Speaking of the ice skating show, the ship would assign you times based on your muster station that you would be able to see the show. For us it was a nuisance because we were assigned a time of 7 pm which would be for us in the middle of dinner. During the day there was also a lack of activities to do. There were no slides or other cool attractions found on Royal Caribbean ships. The only things to do were really the FlowRider (which always has too many people), the rock climbing wall, mini golf, and shuffle board. Almost everyone I saw on the pool deck had a book in their hands, (including me!) something that I rarely see on big cruise ships. I definitely would recommend bringing a book as well. As much as I love the Solarium on RC, there were not enough seats for everybody, as it was incredibly difficult to get a seat. The only time we managed to get a seat was at 9:30 in the morning when everyone was either asleep or eating breakfast. As for the ship as a whole it definitely is due for renovation and amplification. This will actually be done by May of this year! However, I still highly recommend this ship! Read Less

As a Crown and Anchor Platinum member...the overall experience was horrible. The food was average at best. The biggest issue I had was that the service was just not even close to what Ive experienced on an RC cruise before. The employees just seemed like they were there to just get a paycheck. I called customer service to discuss my issues as a customer and I felt like they were dismissive and not interested in trying to help make things better. The employees spoke english but their accents were SO heavy you couldn't understand a word they said. We had 830pm dining room seating and didnt leave the table before 11 most nights and that was because the food never came out and when it came out it tasted average at best. The best tasting food on the cruise was at the Promenade. (the pizza) We went to Johnny Rockets and the service was so poor and the servers we couldn't understand the english they spoke because of their heavy accents. The service at the pool was non existent and the bars were overcrowded because of that. The Wifi for the first 3 days was intermittent at BEST. The internet manager spoke English but again couldn't understand what he was saying because of his thick accent. The photographers we had the same issue with. The 800 number is useless and I feel like an unvalued customer. Sorry RC Im going to start cruising elsewhere! Read Less

This was a great Royal Caribbean cruise out of Miami to the ABC islands and Labadee. Royal Caribbean staff were friendly and helpful. We enjoyed our fixed dining and had great vegan food. They brought us the menu the night before and we ordered what we wanted from there. We often ordered 1 or 2 vegan items and then supplemented the rest of our meal from the regular menu. We especially liked the vegan soup and the fresh rolls. We enjoyed all the food we had in the dining room, including breakfasts with buffet option, lunch with buffet option, and dinner in the dining room (no buffet option unless you specifically go to the buffet. The dining room was open for lunch on the first day and that was great too. We had an aft balcony 9692. It was listed as the lowest category 6D obstructed balcony, but we found it wonderful and not obstructed. It was a large balcony with 2 full recliners, 2 chairs that also reclined, and a small round table. It had white bars across it which allowed for breezes rather than being blocked with plexiglass or similar. I guess the ship considers the frame of the ship as the obstruction. At Labadee we got off early and practiced snorkeling at Nellie’s. There were some fish near the rocks on either side, and the closer we got to the swim boundary in those corners, the better. We walked there and back. At Bonaire, we rented a golf cart and went to 1000 steps. We found the surf and winds a bit challenging for snorkeling, but the steps were no problem (more like 70 steps). Then we made our way to Te Amo Beach near the airport. We found this beach perfect for our needs. We went out in from of the Kite City food truck and were on the outside of the reef, which had good fish and was calm enough. At Aruba we took a cab to signature park opposite the butterfly sanctuary and near the Palm Beach Police Visibility Team. Just in front of the police building there is a rocky area and we saw some nice fish. This was on a windy day where people in other locations had problems. This was a great spot for that kind of day. We walked over to the Riu next store and there was a bus stop in front of it to return. At Curacao we took an excursion to Blue Bay Beach resort and the snorkeling and view of coral was wonderful. Better on the left side and you can swim out and follow the drop-off but still be close to the shore there. Best snorkeling for us. One negative was that there were a lot of kids on the cruise, 600 we heard, and so there were more crying kids in places than we had anticipated. Royal Caribbean has been aiming at families but we were surprised about the number when school was still in session. Another was the jogging track. People were spread out across the track which partially blocked it at times. 9 times around was a mile, so it was a small track. Read Less

Explorer of the Seas live report 12/13/19-12/22/19 I will try updating each day, but cruising vacation may get in the way. I will also try to “periscope live”-socialwork911-. I will try to post pictures here as well, if I can figure it out too. Itinerary: 12/13- Car service will pick us up at 9am, be at Port Miami around 10am to embark as early as possible. Sail away is at 5pm pre sail away party planned at schooner bar 2pm slot pull planned for 10:30pm 12/14- sea day meet and mingle in morning…161 people signed up 12/15- Labadee-7am-4pm #6 OW cabana reserved at barefoot beach 12/16-sea day cabin crawl planned 11:00am 12/17-Bonaire-8am-5pm. Excursion planned and booked through RCI, Bonaire Hightlights North and South, 9:30am-12:30pm 12/18-Aruba-8am-10pm. No pre-planned excursions 12/19-Curacao-8am-5pm. Private Journey Excursion booked through RCI-Jewish Heritage Tour, 9am-1pm 12/20-sea day 12/21-sea day 12/22-arrive back to Miami 7am Who we are: I, 63yo, clinical social worker and adjunct professor and DW 59yo, computer programmer, DS, just turned 21 and finishing a radiology therapy program, joining us. This is our cruise history: Harmony of the Seas 3/19, Harmony of the Seas 12/18, Harmony of the Seas 12/17, Oasis of the Seas 7/16, Carnival Victory-10/15, Oasis of the Seas-3/13, Explorer of the Seas-12/09, Explorer of the Seas-12/08, Brilliance of the Seas-12/07, Jewel of the Seas-4/07, Radiance of the Seas-8/06, Jewel of the Seas-4/05, Staten Island Ferry to Manhattan- 5/98-3/2010, Spirit of New Jersey 8/97- chartered for our wedding We are Diamond + and have Aft cabin 9394, 2 bedroom GS on deck 9. We have always booked suite cabins, GS or OS…this will be our first time in a 2 bedroom GS. Generally, we are easy going and relax on our vacations, spend time on our veranda, walking around the ship, attending shows and people watching…..and eating…..going to the Gym daily is on the agenda too. Since this ship has no Coastal Kitchen, we have booked the Ultimate Dining Package as we have found the food in MDR and buffet never to be hot enough (temperature wise). In addition, we find those venues too crowded for our liking. And while the dining choices are limited on this class of ship, Chops, Giovanni’s and Izumi….we will make due. This package also gives us lunch options during sea days. DW and DS have booked the refreshment package. We usually have one/two alcohol drinks a day. We love the Oasis class ship, with all its amenities, and were hesitant to book this cruise since it is an “older” ship, without a CK and right before it’s due for being “amped-up”…..but we love the ABC islands and the price was right, $6686 for 9 nights in a suite, all in with gratuities, booked it while on our last cruise and got $300 OBC too. Here is the packing list I use 7 tee shirts, 2 Hawaiian shirts, 2 long sleeve dress shirt, black jeans, beige dockers, 2 pair shorts, 2 pair gym shorts, 6 pair underwear, 5 pair socks, bathing suit, water shoes, dress shoes, boat shoes, rain jacket, meds/toiletries...I think that's it ropped of at Miami 10:15 terminal G. This a small old terminal.... we walked right in, got sea passes , no line for suite guests the waiting area is cramped and small at about 11:00 we boarded the ship went to concierge lounge, it’s empty . There were some small sandwiches and fruit and cookies, not worthy of suites. The lounge is an “inside “ room can’t tell if it’s day or night. It is on deck 9, same as our cabin. Had two cappuccinos and went up to see the diamond lounge. This is on deck 14. This lounge is bright with a dedicated out door area. Sadly the refreshment offering was the same poor selection. Having the unlimited dining package, we went for lunch at chops. One server, 6 tables... just unmanageable, we waited 30minutes from the time we order still we got our food. I ordered the hamburger, it was perfect, DW had steak salad, excellent, DS order salmon, but when he saw my hamburger, he ate half of my burger instead. Rooms opened and went to see our cabin, we carried on our bags so that was easy.... the room is nice, very spacious for the three of us, great for 4. They say it holds 8 but that would too many. At 4:30 met up with concierge and booked our lunches and diners for the rest of the cruise. Diner at 6:30 in Giovannis, I had filet minion, one of the steaks , Luke butter, DW had linguine and clams, she said it was good, looked just ok to me, DA has mushroom risotto, it was just ok. The roasted squid, was great as was the ahi tuna appetizer. Dessert, chocolate cake , but who had room. Watching basketball as I write this Miami vs LA-right game. In about an hour going for the slot pull as organized by our roll call.... meet and mingle is 9am tomorrow morning, seems early for me. We will try so do a galley tour, as we never did that before. The ship does need a dry dock, as some windows are “smoked” and cabin furniture is tired. Also the second bedroom in this cabin does not have a tv, do is sad.... I’m sure in dry dock it will be added. To be continued Good morning the slot pull last night was well attended and fun... lost $20. But well worth the hour of fun it provided. Walked into the wind jammer this morning , way to crowded for me at 8am. Saw at least two blown windows. I know at dry dock in match all should be fixed, but really no reason to not fix them, since it seems like they been this way for over a year already The bed was firm, but I like a firm bed. I’ll post some room pictures later coffee in concierge lounge is good small cold food offerings same in diamond lounge, but I had to empty the coffee grounds for the machine to work. Good thing I learned how to do this a few years ago meet and mingle in an hour the dry doc will place the CL, or SL in a great location, but without a CK on the ship, it falls short of great. Lunch at chops, the slowest service ever, we are not going back there. Walked into the windjammer to check out offering, it was a madhouse, even for a cup of coffee... never going there.... went to CL for coffee, safe and quite.... going to the gym, will report back on it.... Izumi tonight. Entertainment seems lack luster... the production show... invitation to dance,a fusion of Latin and ballroom dance... really, dancing is not a production show.... more of nothing to do... glad I brought a book to read At the suite cocktail reception, the guitarist entertainment played stairway to heaven and some other rock tunes.... I stood up and applauded her. I was the only one.... went over to her to say thank you.... she is playing in the schooner bar till 8:30 tonight she said Just got back from the gym. Had a good workout. The gym is nice lots of machines and not empty but not over crowded Tonight’s dinner was at Izumi. At first the server said the unlimited dining package was up to $30.00. My email says $35.00. Then he checked with the manager and I was correct. Why would a server say this? A poor staffing issue, one sushi chef for the whole restaurant, 25 tables.... well that means I waited 20 minutes for my appetizer... unacceptable.... my sashimi was very good.... DS had DX sushi plate.... the rice was like mush, way over cooked for sushi rice.... tomorrow is labadee, a beach day with my favorite cabana #6 OW, dinner at Giovanni Labadee is great...barefoot beach was half empty... guess suites and pins stayed on the ship. OW cabana 6 is great. The lunch included baby lamb chops and lobster tails Tonight was dinner at Giovanni, we wanted calamari which only on the lunch menu, our server went and spoke to the chef and got it for us.... love that extra customer service, a nice tip was earned.... all the food was great too.... clearly the best restaurant on this ship service and food, everyone smiles and greats you. Hanging out in schooner bar, guitarist playing rock songs, deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, queen... can’t beat that entertainment on a small ship.... tomorrow is a sea day.... I’m going to try and have breakfast, so far I’ve only had coffee..... also room crawl tomorrow 11am.. Relaxing sea day. Had about 10 people for room crawl, great time, Izumi lunch, again the server says unlimited dining package is $30pp.... I had to train them.... thinking of speaking to loyalty ambassador? After went to ice show... ok, not as good as show on harmony.... the story line was the four seasons..... really no story at all.... dinner at Giovanni, service is great, food good.... went to comedy show, very funny.... spent some time in schooner bar, a few drinks and some music.... good time.... tomorrow is Bonaire, breakfast in Giovanni, as suite guests, off the ship by 9ish.... doing rci excursion, best of north and south, 3 hours, than just probably walk around town.... dinner at Giovanni again, headline show is mark Preston, former member of letterman music group oday we were in Bonaire.... the waves were very rough from labadee, lots of sick people.... but the weather is perfect bagel and lox for breakfast and off the ship by 9am.... rci excursion both and south.... about 35 of us on a small bus, with seats built for small thin people.... the bus should also have a clear dome so everyone can really see sights.... the driver did a great narration job... went to a museum of sorts and had some complementary- meaning prepaid-cactus liquor.... very tasty, also charging 50 cents to use the bathroom? , WTH is with that RCI Next stop slave huts, next salt piles, a good overall tour Went to test the pizza when we got back... no serrentos, so pizza choices very limited, I wanted a mushroom and pepperoni pie, not possible... either plain pepperoni or mixed vegetables ... RCI, really, instead went to johnnie rockets .... Regular fast food Dinner was at Giovanni, ordered the branzino, after 15 minutes they come out and say they are out of it and only have halibut.... servers should know this and have a note in the menus Tomorrow is Aruba, no excursion planned, just go out and walk around Good morning from Aruba.... great weather and blue waters.... sailing was rough last night... very windy and bouncing seas.....no plans, just a leisurely breakfast at Giovanni, banana pancakes, and walk around. We are in port until 9:30pm.... not sure what and where to go once it gets dark off the ship.... my risk tolerance is -1 Rough sailing seas getting to Aruba.... had banana pancakes at Giovanni, alway good and great staff.... spoke with loyalty ambassador about my good and not so good experiences.... she seemed less than interested in what I had to say, IMO walked off the ship and toured the downtown area. I guess I needed to do more research as I was hoping to find a big Dutch/German influence... in fact not one Dutch or German restaurant anywhere, mostly Columbia’s and Venezuela food and language spoken? I guess Aruba had a big immigration flow from those countries and all the Dutch want back to the Netherlands. We even asked some policemen where are the authentic Dutch restaurants, he said there aren’t any.... WTH....did family soft archery competition, we came in 3rd, bronze medal, but it was fun... dinner at Izumi, good fish, service was ok..... tomorrow is Curacao and private journey, Jewish heritage tour.... afterwards we’ll walk around town, maybe it’s more Dutch ...love to have authentic lunch.... dinner at chops tomorrow night Great day in Curacao, meet our tour guide for private journey, Jewish heritage tour... we had a private van, driver and guide... went to two Jewish cemeteries, art museum tour, synagogue, Jewish history museum and distillery to taste Curacao alcohol... the entire tour was fully narrated... not rushed in anyway, no crowds... highly recommend back on the around 2pm for our nap out for dinner at 6:30 at chops, good meal and service.... not much going on this evening, as has been the case for most of this cruise. So off to watch the democratic debate and post game show. tomorrow is a sea day Dinner at chops was not great, the filet minion was chewy, had a real night at schooner bar, piano player was entertaining another fun sea day tomorrow.... doing a galley tour, ping pong, dinner at Giovanni and comedy show.... sadly packing too Last day of this cruise... loved nine nights....breakfast at Giovanni, went to do our galley tour.... very interesting. we went pick up our free8x10 diamond pictures. And then off to ping pong.... after a quick and small lunch at Azumi. The manager came over and asked if everything was ok.... it was, as the last time we ate their it wasn’t and I. Told him, we then went back to the room to start our packing and relax on the veranda. Watch the wake and read our books. went out about 5 to listen to some music at the schooner bar before dinner. Saw our room attendant in the hall, and thanked him for great service and gave him an additional tip.... Dinner at Giovanni did not disappoint, they had our calamari and the filet minion was perfect.... everyone there knows our name and always has a smile, gave our servers and manager an additional tip.... they made our trip after went to the final show and comedian... funny show.... had the drink of day for $8.00.... we walked the ship to take our last looks and enjoy till our next cruise ended up in the concierge lounge for a cappuccino and back to the room to finish packing, sadist night of the cruise tomorrow early breakfast and the concierge will escort us off the ship at 8am. Our car service pick up is at 9am for my last post I will do an overview of what I thought were the good and not so good experiences, IMO thanks for coming along on my trip.... I look forward to going with you next time getting off the ship was a mess......the concierge took us to the front of the line where they check out your sea pass card and then you are on your own....last year on harmony (ft lauderdale) we were taken all the way through to a special customs line..maybe this just how it's done in miami . IMO, here are my highlights of the good and not so good. GOOD: service at Giovanni’s, the most friendly servers and good food being on cruise is always (usually) better than work the 2 bedroom GS is really nice....lots of space to stretch out, nice veranda diamond lounge...lots of light and indoor/outdoor space guitarist and piano player in schooner bar comedy shows the fish in Izumi is very fresh, nice choices private journey excursion in curacao #6 over water cabana on Labadee lunch on Labadee-lobster tails and lamb chops...among other choices the meet and mingle and seeing people you know throughout the cruise NOT SO GOOD: the staff was not friendly....no consistent initiated greetings from staff ....one needed to greet them first food and service at Chops was poor service at Izumi was poor MDR and Windjammer had really poor food and was always over crowded not many activities to do during the day concierge seemed disinterested small inside room for concierge lounge "production shows" were boring of course all these things are subjective opinions, my views and your view may vary greatly....seemed like the main things to do on this ship were drink alcohol, gamble and lay in the sun....JMO Read Less

This was my 1st cruise we upgraded to a Jr Suite abd our accommodations were stellar!! LOTS of room. Only complaint was they could not get the air regulated and it was too hot. We were really glad we decided on a balcony. The ship was nice and we found plenty to do on the ship. I had many spa services and enjoyed everything other than high pressure sales. In fact, I thought that the entire cruise staff was always selling something, especially the specialty dining packages. We could not understand the first person and actually had told him to go away as we had our one reservation we wanted but he tried to convince us it’s cheaper to buy the package. We thought we were just buying a one night deal but it ended up we were charged for the whole 3 night deal and only had one specialty dinner. RC did fix this for us when I went to customer service. As for dining, I really did not think the food was very good anywhere. I’m not picky but especially the dinner menu was really tasteless for the most part. We probably enjoyed eating in the MDR for lunch and breakfast way more than we did in the evening, especially since this was an alternative to pushing about for low quality food in the Windjamner. Also RCL needs to enforce their dress code. I enjoy getting dressed up and dining in an upscale atmosphere but so many low class people were in tacky clothes- shorts, jeans, tshirts in the evening in the MDR. A rule is a rule and they need to be pointed to the Windjamner if they aren’t dressed appropriately for the MDR. Perhaps this was bc we were on a “free cruise” for Kia that there were more people on board that normally could not afford a cruise but it was tasteless for sure. I have to wonder if the issues with the food are due to their upsales for specialty dining? As for the Windjamner, I only visited twice as I can’t stand The queuing And walking about in these places of fat people gorging their faces with low rate food. It’s just gross. I found that the selections were like a college cafeteria, in fact maybe less. Just basic low cost foods. Throughout the entire cruise I never had a special dessert that I would care to have again. But overall the waiters were very good and our request for a Table for 2 in an out of the way place was honored. The ship was really beautiful but due to late dining we never watched a show. The debarkement or whatever it is called for both the ports and the final day were very unorganized and confusing. There were RCL staff giving out different info w regards to where to go and then the line the last day was extremely long. Overall I rated the trip high as we were there more for the experience than the food or I would have given it a much lower rating. We did take advantage if the discount to book another cruise before we left and will give it another try again in the future. Read Less

We are Diamond (soon to be +), booked a Grand Suite. Although we live in Central Florida - we came down a day early and went to the Guitar Casino (very over-rated) and stayed in Hilton Blue Lagoon. Drove over to port in the am. On our first trip around the port, we discovered parking garage by G was "closed" (however you could see rooftop spots available from ship). Drove around again and asked where to go since no signs. Was told go to use Lot J. OK drove around again looking for signs - none. On 4th trip around asked same guy and he said right at stop then left - which we did, but went into apparent construction area. Turned around and went back for 5th time. This time we followed someone and they went way down to "J" garage. Saw a bus sitting there and he took us to over to terminal. Walked right in and check in went quick. Were directed to what was supposed to be a suite lounge - which was a complete JOKE. People walking in and out coming in to get coffee and cookies, going out and sending in their friends, walking around the barrier. Employee in charge of "directing traffic" had absolutely no control. People who were entitled to the suite privilege did not even get seats (we did - folks next to us were first time cruisers also did - several people with pinnacle badges were left standing). Finally time to board and we had to make an attempt to make our way through the crowd, and even then, folks just joined in the line. No cards were checked. Our suite 1264 was what we expected (having booked suites on prior cruises) and our attendant was fabulous. My birthday was embarkation day, which we advised, but were not offered a cupcake or anything (not a big deal). Had my hair cut on first sea day and stylist did great job. There was, of course, the push for the Elemis products they sell on board (which are fabulous, but you get a better deal on their website BTW) - price was what I expected. However, also got eyebrows waxed, and that was a whopping $30 before tip. Won't do that again. First port was Labadee. Thankfully we were aware of the suite perks at Barefoot Beach already as we were NEVER advised of them on this ship. Entry to water is quite rocky - water shoes certainly help. Can't understand why they don't make a little walking area out to the water. On the ship, apparently the maintenance people came into our room (with no notice to us) and took off our balcony handrail to paint. No idea how long they were in there. Next evening we get a notice on bed that there will be "maintenance" on the balcony and you could elect to not have them come in. Well, we just expected that they were going to replace the handrail and it was an oversight for the notice - NOT SO. We walked in from our shore excursion to take a nap and cool down to find several guys painting our balcony with the door open - paint smell overwhelming in room. Thankfully cabin steward ended up coming in behind us to witness. I said something to guest services - more so that I was a little irritated that we weren't informed the first time someone other than the steward would be in the room, and then what the maintenance would be so that we could make an informed decision whether to opt out or not. Housekeeping manager got up with us quite promptly and offered a 10% discount on next cruise - well we tried to book on board, and couldn't use the certificate - apparently have to pay up front and then TRY to negotiate the refund with RCCL corporate. Yeah, we'll see how that goes. I did teach 3 Zumba classes on board and they went over quite well. Men and women were stopping me ashore and on board telling me how much they enjoyed the class. No much else to do. Thanks to Jing for setting it up, the Cruise and Activities directors for the nice morning show shout outs and the bottle of wine (which we drank AFTER class LOL) We did go to the ice show - they schedule you by muster stations - which I think is a good idea so that everyone gets a chance to see the show. It's the same show we have seen before but it was still nice to watch again. The production show was ok. Not like shows in the past. Costumes were kinda low budget. (I am a quilt teacher and fabric designer so I pay attention to these things). Diamond lounge upstairs was VERY crowded the first day then levelled out. Servers did a fabulous job and Jorge was always circulating and visible. Shout out to Brandon, one of the servers!! Appetizers left a little to be desired - perhaps if they just went simple instead of trying to be fancy tossing peppers and weird garnish in the dish. Suite lounge was midship deck 9 and (to me) very clostrophobic. Giovanni's for b'fast was also fabulous and we enjoyed the staff! We sat at Table 531 for main dining and both our guys Abhishek and JRoss, got my onion soup (with no onions) fast and perfect every day!! To muster for shore excursions you go into the theatre, which is a good idea, but they would be better off perhaps having folks sit in designated area for THEIR excursion, rather then tell them to sit wherever. Island tour of Curacao was fabulous. We had Helenica as a guide. Extremely knowledgeable and well spoken. Driver very skilled and safe. Bus was cool and comfortable. First time ever on a Caribbean tour that they did not ASK for tips. Bonaire - another island tour. Salt flats, slave homes. Guide again well spoken and clear. Bus had good sound system - but a little squished (we are not skinny LOL). Aruba did the KunuKonuko tour and it was FABULOUS!! Absolutely fabulous. I love to make noise and party. Driver Leslie was one crazy dude (said in the most loving fashion). I'd do it again and again. Debarkation was another !@#$ show. Waited in the suite lounge and we were escorted off early and were quickly through customs with a porter's assistance. Got outside and were told to wait in an area for a bus to take us over to garage J. Waited 20 minutes...no bus. Asked several port people - no one knew where to find this bus. Finally one of the girls told us to go down between slots 5 & 6, which we did, and we waited some more - no bus. We decided to hoof it over, each of us pushing an approximate 60+lb suitcase and a carry one. I should note that I am 5 weeks out of a heart attack. We got over to RCCL HQ and we stopped and hubby went the rest of the way to grab the car. We're short on points to get to D+ for our December 2020 cruise, so we booked on board for the Harmony out of Pt Canaveral (20 miles from home) in February. Tried to use the housekeeping certificate (nope), then tried to use the $100 casino certificate (another nope). Why even give them? We will NEVER EVER drive to Miami again. We were spoiled on the Allure. The concierges Dexter and Nancy were fabulous. Internet was free. Suite lounge was huge and I could go on and on. Compared to the Allure suites, this was certainly not worth the money. If they had a vacation guarantee, I'd certainly ask for my money back we were that disappointed. Read Less

I sail to snorkel. Ship looked okay but going into drydock 3/2020 for 7 weeks. Embarkation process sucked. Captain blamed it on CBP. 77 b to b held up 4000 new cruisers. Sounds fishy...lolol. Three + hours to board. No one inside had a clue except our FB group. We had a guy held up. He was one of the b to b held up and posted throughout the process. Most meals I could finish. I'm not a foodie. Terrible entrees in MDR. I refuse to pay for Specialty Dining. I was on same route same week on Explorer 2018 and thought MDR food was great. The Quest was great. Performance show was great. I avoided tanning because I burn easily. My Stewart was outstanding. On top of everything. 10's. Dining Room waiter Henry and Kaif were excellent. Labadee looked like an RCI tourist trap. Nice place to stretch legs... Read Less

This was my first cruise at age 75 and have no others to compare it to. My partner is 82 and has been on many cruises so he had those to compare this cruise to. I understand The Explorer of the Seas will be going in to be refurbished in March of 2020. I thought the ship was lovely as it was, but not without its quirks. My biggest disappointments were the entertainment, elevators, food. Day of embarkation consisted to standing in line for 1-1/2 hrs. Not fun for sure. Don't really know what the reason for the delay was due to. Heard 3 different reasons. This was a caribbean cruise to Labadee, Haiti, Caracao, Bonnaire, Aruba. Our stateroom was fine, small, but doable. My partner used the small shower and dropped the soap. Trying to pick it up by stooping he could not get up. What a nightmare. We struggled for 15 minutes but he finally managed to crawl out. Whew! These showers are not for big men. Air conditioning worked very well. Our stateroom was kept clean and very well supplied every day. The attendant came twice a day once in am and again in pm to turn bed down and clean again (I thought it was overkill myself). Attendant left the itinerary for the next day. Ship was very clean. I never saw anything to suggest it wasn't clean. I saw workers cleaning the small tables in the lounge bar with toothbrushes. Geez! Bathrooms on the ship were always very clean and well-supplied. I wished they had paper seat covers but that's just another thing to flush. Entertainment was at best 2nd class lounge acts. These acts were comedians, singers, the Royal Caribbean Dancers. All shows were about 55 minutes. Did not care for the entertainment and was disappointed when there was no "real" entertainment such as a play or musical. FOOD! Such a disappointment. 1st night of the 9 days cruise was the best and so I thought well this will go well. Prime rib was excellent, chicken marsala my partner said was very good. All downhill after that. Do not get wrong there were some very nice dishes but the majority of them, in my opinion, weren't very good. Small portions. Yes, I know we could have ordered more. It took a long time to get your starter dish and after that at least 1/2 hour to get your entree. Long, long wait in between. No chance of ordering more food. I had a problem with "New York Strip Steak" that was published on the outside board but when you got the menu it said "New York Strip Loin". This was a very thin and much tougher cut of meat. Not the New York Strip Steak I know. Another night they were serving turkey dinner with baked brie as a starter. Oh good, I love turkey and had never had baked brie. When I saw menu that night there was no turkey dinner or baked brie. I mentioned this to the waiter and he checked and came back and said that was their Thanksgiving Menu put up by mistake. One night I had Shrimp Scampi. Four very tiny shrimp and linguine that had soaked up the very spicy sauce. I didn't even eat the linguine. Waiter asked how I liked it and I said way to spicy. Then here comes a man in a suit (floor manager?). I told him very spicy and it didn't say that in the description. He said it did and then brought the menu to me and it did not say it had chili peppers in it. He said they would have to change that description. This is just one example of the food problems we experienced. Went to the breakfast buffet in the main dining room every day. It was just OK. I liked the little flower shaped waffles. Bacon was a surprise. I think they cooked it in a big kettle. Every piece was stuck together to the next one. You got a clump of bacon which usually consisted of raw and over done all fused together. I took the crispy parts and broke it apart. There was no way to cut this bacon. Lunch buffet was pretty good. You could get a handmade salad. One day I got a steak at the "live steak station". The chef, or I think really just a dining worker doing the steak, gave us a nice steak, better than the New York Strip loin advertised at dinner. Problem with it was after frying it in a pan, pressing it, turning it, cooking it, fiddling with the heat we cut into the steak and it was completely raw. We ordered medium each. Another disappointment. That young man needs more training that was apparent. And it went on and on for the 9 days. I won't even go into length about the Windjammer buffet. Cold food, runny mashed potatoes etc. I do have to give some slack here. That's a buffet for you, how many times is your food hot, or even warm when you have to carry it through a very air conditioned environment in a huge room. No ice cream machines. One additional comment on the dining experience - at a lunch buffet we were seated way in the back at a table for 2 with 3 other tables for 2. Impossible to get to our table in the middle. Had to walk in back of 3 other tables to get to it. Then we asked to be moved and the floor manager? (he wore a suit) moved us to another round table for 2. OK, there was no butter at the table. I eventually had to get up and ask a waiter for it since it seemed we didn't have one. The menu was still on table and now we had dishes piled up. No one came to remove the dishes or the menus. While we were seated many waiters and waiters standing by the front door had to have seen us but no one came to remove dishes and menus or even ask if we needed anything. We found out the section he moved us to was a closed section. What? He didn't know this? Such confusion in that dining room at times. We just felt abandoned at this table. The elevators, while plentiful, did not work properly at times. Press the down arrow and the elevators went up. Some seemed to be stuck on the 1st floor and never came up again. Many times we had to go to another bank of elevators to only wait again. The first stop was Labadee, Haiti. The walk from the ship was long. My partner uses a cane and had a very difficult time making that walk. I never did go to the market because it seemed so far away. I think they had shuttles but there were a lot of people waiting. We had a drink where we could see the water and then they had a mediocre buffet, with hamburgers that were almost crispy they were so overdone. With the exception of a couple of service staff, everyone was so friendly, smiling, giving you great service. Four people gave us exceptional service and we did give them a private extra tip. Would I go on another Royal Caribbean ship? NO! I thought the the prices of drinks and anything else that required you to buy it was excessive. The word greedy comes to mind. I thought an 18% gratuity was excessive on every drink. While I probably would not mind if it was on the total of entire order. I want to go on another cruise, but not a Royal Caribbean cruise. The excursions were nice and we had nice tour guides that we learned a lot from. Read Less

We've cruised for 15 years and this was our first Royal Caribbean cruise. It was very disappointing because the reputation was this was the best cruise line in the industry. The food was terrible and the entertainment was lacking significantly. The ship was not prepared departure took too long and we had to wait like cattle for almost two hours before being able to board the ship. The majority of the Crew was very helpful however there were other dining room attendants that appeared not to understand English or what was being asked. They would just disappear and never come back. The food appeared to cater to Indian flavors and was limited. I never heard of a ship not having half-and-half for tea and they often ran out of items totally unprepared. I ordered Ruben her party NY strip steak and after three attempts they could not get it right. The steak was maybe an half an inch thick. The first steak came out Raw and was sent back. Second steak came out like shoe leather with a brown gravy put on top which I never saw before. And the third steak was raw with gravy cuz - a really disappointing experience. The menu each night was basically the same with minor changes. The food was Bland and unimpressive and there was no variety. Read Less

Embarking was an absolute mess! The coast guard too a long time for their inspection, I figured this would happen, so we didn’t show up as early as we usually do. We were still there about 15 minutes early because of the shuttle times. We were in terminal G, not sure why we didn’t go to the large new terminal, we were the only RC ship in port that day. The terminal was packed, hot, and one employee directing people was quite rude! I really enjoy the smaller ships, not that she’s really small, and I like the layout pre Amped. We had a great cabin and attendant Mira. Explorer is definitely ready for her refurb, but she is still very nice, and clean. I found an article called secrets of Explorer of the seas, check it out , and visit the locations! Giovanni’s was absolutely amazing, try the gnocchi! The adult pool is nice, places to sit on the top and put your feet in ankle deep water, or room to sit in the very shallow water and/or dangle your legs into the deeper part. The guys enjoyed the Connoisseur Club, the Cigar lounge. Our dining room staff were amazing! Martin and Cristina, they brought me special request salads every night. Our Excursion in Cozumel was the Coba Pyramid climb and Cenote swim. Our Quine was Diego, he was very informative about the culture and history of the area, making the 3 hour round trip entertaining. The sack lunch was one of the better excursion prepacked lunches I’ve ever had, it consisted of ham & cheese on a hoagie bun, a small bag of chips, a lightly crispy Quaker Oats fruit bar, banana, juice box, and a tiny brown bag with mustard, mayo, and a breath mint! They also supplied cold water before the pyramid, and a real sugar Mexican Coke after! The Cenote was beautiful, 60 stairs down a rough spiral staircase. Crystal clear water, life jackets available. There isn’t as much oxygen in the cave, so in short time I was out of breath and had to get out of the water, even the young in great physical shape was huffing and puffing! In Costa Maya we went to a place called Tropicante. Great service, their blog is sandals and skis.com. The service and food are fantastic! Debarking was a breeze! We caught a waiting shuttle to the airport for $10 per person. Read Less

This cruise was cut to 11 days due to bad weather on previous cruise. RCI did offer a price reduction - pro rata - or a full refund to be used towards a future cruise. Apparently full cash refunds were offered, but we did not know this at the time. Anyway we decided to go despite the change which meant we only visited one Caribbean Island instead of four. Summary: barding was excellent and on time. Our stateroom was not well presented, dust visible, and locker doors not properly secured. Disappointing start. We chose My Time dining and we were not disappointed. The food quality was good and the staff were excellent. Casual dining in the windjammer was more than adequate. We felt there was not a great deal of daytime activity, other than quizzes and hard sell presentations at the spa The evening entertainment was average. There were no lecture sessions to attend. All in all a big disappointment and would make us think twice about using RCI in the future. One final point; we did not receive a cruise review form so could not give our views. After many requests we go a very brief form which was a waste of time. We wanted more than anything to rate the excellence of the staff - but the rest left much to be desired. Read Less

I saw this cruise on TV Cruise 1st channel and booked for the transatlantic voyage to the Caribbean. The fact that it was due to visit Islands that I had previously been to in my teens when I was a young seafarer sailing on cargo ships, before everything went in containers, it was to be a nostalgic voyage as well as my first cruise. Needless to say myself and travel partner arrived at Manchester coach station on the 5th Nov 2019 and found we were the only ones there waiting for a coach to Southampton. We where both extremely worried as no place was open to phone and find out what had happened. Maybe you will call us stupid but I don't use emails very much and that is the reason for us showing up on the wrong day. Cruise 1st had sent one email to tell me about the cancellation and rescheduling of the itinerary. I was asked if I wished to cancel and I would have but my travel buddy was all set to go on holiday and travel across the ocean for the 1st time so I couldn't say no. I don't believe the weather and passenger comfort had anything to do with the changes as when we did eventually sail from Southampton the weather was very bad and lots of passengers including my partner were seasick. The ship rarely went above 18/19 knots so could have gone faster and had enough time to visit the missing islands. Also having to pay for internet access , soft drinks and (special) coffee in a drinks package and even bottled water from the cabin steward is a bit much. It's not as though this Cruise Line is struggling. I was given some paltry compensation but it never made up for missing out on visiting 4 Caribbean Islands. I did have a lot more to say about this ship and the company who run it but as I am the only other person who seems to have reviewed this bad experience maybe it is best to just forget it and promise myself to never bother with Royal Caribbean and their very old ship again. Just another thing ! I always expected to be served lobster at some time whilst on a cruise. If it was served I definitely missed it or maybe it was meant to be served on the day about 1000 people on board had sea sickness . So much for passenger comfort. I really do have to say a really big THANK YOU to the service staff especially the cabin stewards who work so hard to clean and make up so many cabins each day and to all the staff I had personal interactions with Read Less

We chose this cruise because of transatlantic Miami destination with four stops in Caribbean islands. One week before departure we were informed that the cruise would depart 3 days later than planned because of storm weather at its position then. Three of the island stops were thus canceled. We had the opportunity to cancel and be reimbursed of change our travel plans to Southampton from Barcelona (nears airport to our home). We were also informed that our cabin would not be a "guaranteed junior suite" but a balcony cabin at same price. Several phone calls resulted in our obtaining what we paid for with written reservation : a junior suite 7692 We were not reimbursed for cancelations of two prepaid hotel reservations , one night in Barcelona (before flight to Gatwick) and one in Southampton. This added extra unexpected expenses. The ship was in excellent condition and cleanliness. The restaurant gave excellent service and a wide choice on the menu. One minus there : price of wines + gratuities !!!! Entertainment on the long seaways was not entirely to our taste. But we give high marks to the ice-dance show, the Beatles imitators and the magician/pickpocket. Passengers were 95% Senior Brits. Disembarkation was extraordinarily well organised. And fast !! Within one hour after waiting in dining room, we were in line at the airport for car-rental. Read Less