Royal Caribbean
Explorer of the Seas
7 Day Western Caribbean

M.A. Nowak

EMBARKATION:

Embarkation went very smoothly. On the way to the port from our hotel we were scared that the itinerary was changed due to Hurricane Emily. Emily was expected to hit the Yucatan a few days before we were scheduled to get there. When we arrived at Port of Miami, two men from Royal Caribbean came on the bus and told us that the itinerary had been changed from Western to Eastern Caribbean. It seemed as though they had known about the change for a few days, but neglected to inform the passengers.

It took less than 30 minutes to get on the boat. We went directly to our stateroom. The Gifts and Gear that I ordered was already waiting…in part. I suggest to first time cruisers to skip any “extras,” they are not worth the price.

THE SHIP:

Amazing…Spectacular…A Sight to Behold. The ship was marvelous. The lounges and bars were clean and had great drinks. The Windjammer and Main Dining Room was very pretty and big, plenty of room. We never had to wait to find a seat in Windjammer. The Royal Promenade was the best part of the ship. It was the epicenter of fun and activities. Golf course was fun, but a little hard with all the wind. The Solarium was great…but get there early on At Sea days of you want a decent chair. The Main Pool area was very very crowded. For over 3,600 passengers, the two small pools seemed way too small.

STATEROOM:

We purchased the interior stateroom, based on advice from our friends who have taken cruises before and suggested them. They said save the money because you are never in the stateroom. However, next time I am going with at least a window…the lack of natural light really plays with your sleeping schedule. Example: At St. Maarten we thought it was 3:00am when it was actually 10:00am. The lack of natural light is bad. I will definitely splurge the next cruise and get an ocean view or balcony. Anyway, plenty of room and the storage spaces were great. Plenty of closet room and even our biggest suitcase fit nicely under the beds. Our Stateroom attendant, Angus, was very nice.

FOOD:

Windjammer was excellent, considering it was a buffet designed to feed 3,000 passengers in a 3 hour period. Main Dining room food was excellent, and don’t let your waiter deviate you from ordering more than one entrée. Although the food was enough to fill us, we felt like we wanted to try more than one dish…so order two and eat half…or all of it, its your vacation. We went to Johnny Rockets and the burgers were good, but not spectacular. We did not use Portofinos…a $20.00 surcharge was not worth it.

ENTERTAINMENT:

The shows were very good. The comedians were funny. There was not one disappointment in the entertainment. We missed the ice show…heard great things about it.

THE BAD STUFF:

The itinerary change left us with very little time in San Juan and even less time in Nassau. Explorer of the Seas rescued a Bahamian national lost at sea for three days, which is what gave us such little time in Nassau. I have no qualms about saving a mans life, but the cruise line could have compensated the passengers in some way…free drinks maybe??

Gifts and Gear are not worth it. The items in the brochures and online look much more appealing than that actual item.

Security is extremely lax-there are about 10 security persons for 3,600 people.

The Captain, Carlos Pedercini, was boring and seemed to dislike his job. Arrived back at Port of Miami too early, so passengers were forced off early.

Room service is slow and the food is mediocre…don’t try to order sandwiched before leaving on a shore excursion. It seems that the 24-hour menu stops for 4 hours while docking.

The pools close very early…considering they are listed as 24 hour.

DISEMBARKING:

Went smooth through customs, but had to wait 1 hour for luggage to come out.

OVERALL EXPERIENCE:

Loved it…I am already booking my next cruise with Royal Caribbean.

Do not let the bad comments from me persuade you, the cruise overall was well worth it. I just believe that when you pay the amount of money you do for a cruise, the services should be perfected, and if they are not, then compensation is in order.