Explorer of the Seas Review
Rating by category
Additional details
I had done a 7 night South Pacific cruise before on Voyager of the Seas and wanted to see different ports in the Pacific, which was the reason for picking this cruise. I would've preferred to have gone on Voyager again but it didn't return to Australia this season, so we picked Explorer. There's not much difference physically between the two ships.
I will divide this review into positives and negatives. The positives:
- The ship is very nice and very well-maintained. The staff were great. I have nothing but good things to say about the experience on the ship.
Cabin Review
Ocean View Balcony
Average sized cabin. Good storage space. Very sheltered balcony (non-obstructed view). Bathroom was quite small. Beds were very firm and probably need updating. Good location to stairwell and elevators and one deck above Royal Promenade. Quiet location; only noisy when people walked past talking. No noise from any other decks.
Port Reviews
Noumea
We took the hop on, hop off bus through the city. Had lunch at a patisserie and spent some time at Lemon Bay.
Mystery Island
Mystery Island is stunning. We booked a cabana through a local vendor and had easy access to the beach. Snorkelling was very good here.
Isle of Pines (New Caledonia)
We walked to the beach with the rock and snorkelled for a few hours. There are stalls with food and souvenirs. We didn't think it was worth buying an excursion for this island.
Sydney (Australia)
We spent our day in Sydney shopping before boarding the ship.
Lifou
Snorkelling at Jinek Bay was excellent. Cost is $15. The island itself was hilly and the swimming beach wasn't very big but it was very pretty.