We sailed on the August 31 departure of Explorer of the Seas on their first Canada/New England trip for the year with great expectations for this trip. This was our sixth cruise.
We arrived at noon for embarkation. This port is the most inconvenient that we have sailed out of. After checking in, everyone gets a boarding ticket to get on a shuttle bus to go to the ship. The gangway was so steep, I don't know how all of the older passengers even made it on board. Cabins were not ready until 1:00.
Entertainment on the ship was some of the best we've seen--great comedians and better than average production shows. We attended the Murder Mystery Dinner at Portofino which was a lot of fun. Unfortunately, the food at this specialty restaurant is highly overrated. It was a disappointment. Food quality seems rather poor on Explorer.