We make spring crossings every year and decided to try the Explorer to see what it is like. Unfortunately, we booked a cat G suite which is very small, around 250 sq ft with only 24 inches of hanging space in the closet. I think this category was originally designed for single travelers, but couples were booked in all of them. They are still working out many problems left by the shipyard. A couple of major omissions compared to the rest of the fleet are the lack of a forward open deck to enjoy sailing in to ports and there is no rear lounge. The "Horizon" lounge is called Meridian and is located mid-ship. There is no rear entry to the Compass Rose so those with suites in the aft have to walk all the way to the forward lifts, go to deck 4 and walk a long way rearward to access the restaurant. It was particularly difficult for guests with mobility problems. The ship has a lot of wasted space and the decorations are too gaudy for our tastes and toe overall ship size is too large for us.

The staff, as always is excellent and the food has generally been quite good. Many guests feel as we do and prefer the other ships to the Explorer, particularly the Navigator & Mariner.