This is our 6th cruise on Explorer of the Seas. The ease of driving to Cape Liberty makes this trip sooo easy for us. Embarkation was a breeze. We arrived around 11:15 to the port and were on the ship in no time enjoying lunch in the Windjammer. This was our first time travelling as Platinum members and enjoyed the VIP boarding. Our cabins were promptly ready at 1:00. Muster drills without life vests was much improved! We traveled as a group of 14 and a wonderful time was had by all.

Some high and low points...We ate breakfast every day in the main dining room. I loved the granola bar but the rest of the family voted the French toast as the best breakfast. We had lunch in the main dining room every sea day-the new salad bar is amazing!!!! Dinners were hit or miss. The calzone on the last night was so horrible it was worth noting. We did the couple's massage with stones which was wonderful and we would highly recommend it. In Bermuda we did the Helmet Dive. It was very cool to hold the fish. The helmets were loud but a pretty cool experience. The owner was a bit arrogant and preached his own agenda which was offensive to our group of 11. We also did Horseshoe Bay which was great! We did eat at the Frog and the Onion-slow service and not good food...would have preferred the WJ. In the Bahamas we did the fun day on a Segway. It was incredible (our favorite excursion other than swimming with the dolphins). I was so worried I would fall but it was so fun-I would recommend very highly!!! This excursion was enjoyed by our 10 year old as well as the 53 year old in the group. Coco Cay was great! Kids loved the snorkeling. As far as the ship-the railings needed a fresh coat of varnish, our balcony was slightly rusted-but overall she was in better shape than I expected. Our TV was not a flat screen and the remote numbers were worn-but we don't go on a cruise to watch TV. Service, as always, was wonderful. Piano bar singer was adequate at best (last year on Princess-the singer was amazing). Jewelry store had very low inventory. This year we used magnetic white boards (from Wal-Mart) to communicate. This eliminated the use of the annoying walkie-talkies and was a hit! We each personalized our board so it was sooo easy to figure out who was in each room.

Kids enjoyed adventure ocean and the rock wall. They tried ice skating..but there was a low supply of skates. Read more