Overall. This was our first Royal Caribbean cruise and it won't be our last. We liked everything about the design of Explorer of the Seas, especially the layout. With the Royal Promenade and all dining areas accessed from the center, the stairs and elevators were on the side corridors, so there was never a back-up of people getting off the elevators and stairs. In fact, we found it hard to believe there were so many people on board. No matter what we were doing we almost always seemed to have the place to ourselves - the only exception being finding a seat in the Windjammer at peak hours or a place to watch the parade.

Entertainment.

Top notch, this is what really sets the line apart from Princess and NCL. From the staged shows in the theater to the entertainment around the ship, the quality was superior - we especially loved "One Love" Caribbean band by the pool, "Rosario Strings", a string and piano duet that played at dinner, and the latin band at Aquarium Bar. We don't spend a lot of time in bars but during brief walk-throughs we found good entertainment there - especially the jazz singers and the Royal Caribbean Orchestra at "Dizzy's." Read more