Explorer of the Seas Review
A surprisingly fun itinerary, with a few on-board hiccups
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My wife and I cruised on EXPLORER on the Pacific Northwest Itinerary from 9/23-9/30. Our prior cruise had been last summer on NAVIGATOR OF THE SEAS, a near twin to EXPLORER, so we knew the layout quite well from Day 1.
For the first time in my cruising experience, I bought the unlimited drink package. Unfortunately, I signed up for it just after the rates went up (and package choices dropped), but I went for it anyway. We have also in the past only sailed in balcony rooms, but this cruise enticed me because we got a good rate for an interior promenade room (on 7th deck). The price jump to oceanview or balcony was more than I wanted to pay.
So the first lesson we learned was that for us, an interior room (even with the promenade window) is just not that fun. I know others don’t care, and that’s fine. But for US…not waking up to natural light and not being able to see the ocean and step onto the balcony was a big, BIG loss. We still enjoyed our cruise very much indeed, but interior rooms are NOT for us, it turns out. So we may find ourselves having more time between cruises because we need to make sure we can afford the balcony. The promenade cabin is about the same size as the balcony stateroom we had on the Navigator last year (maybe a smidge smaller), and we did enjoy the window seat…but people watching from the window didn’t end up being very fulfilling. We had a very good stateroom attendant, the bathroom worked great and we slept very comfortably. No issues there. (I always sleep well on cruises…I have to scratch my head at those who complain. Putting the severe stress of work behind me for a few days makes it so easy to sleep, especially after action-packed days in port.)
Cabin Review
Port Reviews
Seattle
We were only in Seattle for a short time both before and after the cruise, and we need to come back...but it sure is a lovely city with lots to offer and some GREAT food!
Victoria
We booked a private tour, and visited Butchart Gardens (a MUST, MUST see) along with Sea Cider cidery (excellent) and then a drive around town. This was a 4.5 star visit for me.
San Francisco
Having an overnigiht here was FANTASTIC. The ship pulls right up to downtown SF, basically, so the even views of the city lights and the bridge lights is unobstructed and unforgettable. On the first day, we walked to a car rental spot about 15 minutes from the ship (Enterprise) and drove to Muir Woods and spent a few hours there. Then a somewhat whirlwind visit to Sonoma and Napa, with a stop at one winery and one brewery. It was fast but fun for us, since we'd never been. We stopped on the north end of the Golden Gate Bridge that evening and walked halfway across, then back to the car. I recommend taking the time. It's impressive. THen we had a wonderful dinner and back to the ship after returning the car. The next morning, we ubered to Coit Tower. Spend a little time there, then walked down to Chinatown, then a great lunch and finished up at the Museum of Modern Art before ubering back to the ship. We made it with one minute to spare before we would have been "late." Whew! So much to do!!