I joined this cruise in Barcelona and spent the night before embarkation at the Barcelona Airport Hotel. Excellent value for money with breakfast, transfers from the airport and to the port included. Nice room and good restaurant.

Now for the cruise, my first ever with Royal Caribbean and possibly my last.

Explorer of the Seas is a lovely ship, but unless you are into outdoor activities, there is very little to do. Maybe things are better on cruises that are not repositioning but I hate to imagine what it would be like on board in bad weather as sunbaking seemed to be the main activity on this cruise. Even the cruise director seemed embarrassed one day to have to announce 'napkin folding' and a 'belly flop contest' as the items of entertainment for the day. Read more