This was the first time sailing out of Bayonne. Our group of four consisted of two 18 year olds, a 52 year old mom, and an 80 year old active grandma. We live in Brooklyn so Bayonne turned out to be super convenient. Traffic on a Thursday morning was not too bad and we arrived at the port in about 45 minutes. Embarkation was relatively smooth and we were aboard ship by 12:45. Went directly to the Windjammer for lunch. Had a little trouble finding a table for 4, but not too bad considering the hour. Of course, it was packed. The quality and variety of food was surprisingly good. We ate breakfast and lunch at the buffet daily and dinner in the MDR. The quality of food in the MDR was far superior and we thoroughly enjoyed our meals. The service was exceptional. Our waiters, Erol and Jeffrey were fantastic! They were super friendly and very accommodating and seemed genuinely concerned that we were happy with the food and service. In fact, everyone we encountered seemed to try their best to make us happy, from guest services to our room steward. We all agreed, as seasoned cruisers with over 30 cruises on over 7 different cruise lines, that the service and the professionalism and friendliness of the crew was the best we ever encountered. Because of this we will certainly sail with Royal Caribbean again from Bayonne. The reviews saying the ship is run down or dirty is simply not the case. Yes, she is an older ship, but she has been impeccably maintained. We had inside cabins on Deck 7 and we found them to be spacious and well-appointed with enough hangers, closet pace, and storage. The quality of the food in the MDR was superb. We enjoyed every meal. The buffet was surprisingly good too although we found the burgers to be too well-done for our liking. We enjoyed all the shows, especially the ice skating show. Daytime activities were numerous and varied. No complaints. We enjoyed all the ports. Labadee was beautiful. We would sail again just to visit this port. All in all we really enjoyed everything about this cruise and would not hesitate to sail again on the Explorer. If you can go just go. You won't be disappointed!