This was my first time cruising on a Royal Caribbean ship, and I will be a repeat customer in the future. I have sailed NCL and Admiral (defunct), but the Explorer was beyond belief. It was the first cruise for my husband and his 16 year old daughter, and they both loved the experience.

Day prior: We flew into Miami on the Friday before the cruise and stayed at the Sheraton-Biscayne Bay (purchased on priceline.com for $35.00). This happened to be during the Free Trade Convention, and they had basically closed the downtown area due to protesters. We were able to get to the hotel by back streets, but the downtown Mall was closed, which is where we planned on spending the evening and having dinner. The hotel only offers an expensive buffet, so we ordered pizza delivered. The hotel is very nice and on the riverfront.

The ship: We woke up and could see the Explorer from the hotel. We checked out around 10:30, arrived at the ship within 15 minutes. We sat in the first holding area about 10 minutes and then proceeded through the various lines. We were on the ship by 11:30. What a beauty. The Royal Promenade is 4 stories high, and beautifully designed. The shops were nice, but it was fun just sitting at the Cafe Promenade and watching the people (great cookies and desserts). You could always find places to sit in the Palace Theatre for the shows, though it was a bit cool for my taste and I often brought a shawl to wrap around my shoulders. Maharaja's was more intimate, and they had ballroom dancing some evenings (also karaoke). The dining room was beautiful, though our table was off in a side room and we missed all the entertainment the waiters did (singing and dancing), plus they often would have music while dining. Check your table assignment when you arrive, if you are placed in a small room, try to change your table assignment. I used the internet everyday to check in at home, it is a slow connection. The minimum I could spend was $1.00, and that was just checking e-mail. Windjammer Cafe had great views all around, we ate most of our meals here except for dinner. We are not pool people, but there seemed to be plenty of deck chairs and the adult only solarium pool was very elegant. We did use the whirlpool there. We did not use the spa or gym. We also do not drink much, but I did spend time one afternoon at the Aquarium Bar, reading. The Chamber disco is designed like a medieval castle, gorgeous, but we did not care for the music that was played at night. One evening they did have a romantic hour of dancing and we took advantage of that. We often walked the decks and listened to the music of the ocean. Read more