Explorer of the Seas Review
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Cruising is our favorite form of vacation as a family. We started taking our kids on cruises when they were 11 and 15. Now at 18 and 22 they still want to go along with Mom and Dad! We chose Explorer of the Seas to Bermuda this year as we were traveling with two other families and their kids, friends of ours and it was convenient for us all to drive to Cape Liberty from Philadelphia and avoid flying.
The drive to Bayonne NJ was easy but the port was not well marked on the streets. However we made it just fine, parking was easy also but expensive ($95 for five days). We waited over an hour in a long line to get on the ship. It was a LOT of standing and barely moving; I do not know how elderly passengers survived the long, hot wait. The check-in agent was not very friendly.
Finally on the ship we waited again for a half hour to get onto a very small and crowded elevator. Ships the size of Explorer should have larger and more plentiful elevators! I have not encountered this problem on all the other RCL ships we have happily sailed on.
Cabin Review
Promenade Stateroom
Claustrophobic in size. View of the promenade is dark and dismal for the entire trip; it is not well-lit at any point. The room layout made it impossible for two people to get around the bed at any given time. Two love seats were hard and uncomfortable. There seemed to be less storage space than any cabin I had ever sailed in, RCL or other lines. Since this cabin category was in the top few I was surprised at the less than comfortable accommodations. The refrigerator was never cold. It was mid-ship however so we did not feel much movement and also it was a pretty quiet location. The bed linens were of good quality.