rccl-explorer2

Note - this page contains multiple reviews.

Name: Anne
Email: aygoyer@one.net
Age: 43
Occupation: Convention Mgr.
NumberOfCruises: 13
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Explorer
SailingDate: 1/20/01
Itinerary: Miami - Miami
Cabin: 7692 - Cat C
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 65
CabinComfort: 100
FoodRoomService: 90
CruiseStaff: 60
CabinAmenities: 100
FoodLidoDeck: 88
DiningRoomService: 98
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 98
ShoreExcVariety: 95
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 75
ShoreExcValue: 80
GoodForHoneymoon: 85
CasinoStaff: 88
PrivateIsland: 90
GoodForFamilies: 90
LoungeService: 80
TenderService: 80
GoodForSeniors: 85
BeautySalonStaff: 90
EntertainmentLounges: 85
WheelchairAccess: 90
ExerciseFacilities: 97
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 85
BeautySalon: 95
EntertainmentPoolside: 80
CruiseActivities: 85
Casino: 97
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 98
EmbarkDisembark: 80
DiscoNightclubs: 95
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 88
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 31 Jan 2001
Time: 22:01:10
Remote Name: port-cvx1-425.access.one.net
Remote User:

Comments

EXPLORER OF THE SEAS REVIEW January 20 – 27, 2001; Miami to Miami

We had a group of 23 people sail on the Explorer of the Seas leaving Miami on January 20 and visiting
Labadee, San Juan, St. Thomas (St. John) and Nassau. Our group was comprised of people from 14 to 78
years old. Business associates, family and friends comprised the group.

All of us flew to Miami the day before scheduled sailing. We always travel to the departure city a day early
since we nearly missed a ship for flight delays several years ago. Most of us spent the night at a new
LaQuinta Inn and Suites at the airport. This limited service hotel was great. It had a pool and a hot tub and
provided a complimentary continental breakfast. Others in our group stayed in South Beach and at the Hyatt
Regency Miami. We made arrangements for shuttle service from the hotel to the pier. Travel time was
approximately 20 minutes from the airport hotel.

EMBARKATION We arrived at the ship about 11:20 AM. Passengers were being boarded when we arrived.
Most of our group got in line to check-in. My parents were with us and my dad required a wheel chair to get
from the dock to their room. The distance was a bit too far for him to walk. When we requested a wheel chair,
a Royal Caribbean (RCI) attendant took us to a separate waiting area. He took my parents cruise tickets and
birth certificates and returned within five minutes with their cruise cards (room keys). In the meantime, we went
to the suite check-in line (this is a separate line from the main check-in and not easy to see with the number
of people in the terminal. If you are booked in a suite (CAT C or higher) be sure to ask an RCI employee
where the suite check in line is. Our check-in was complete in about five minutes. Our entire group was
checked in within 20 – 25 minutes. Overall, RCI handled embarkation very well.

THE SHIP The Explorer of the Seas is an unbelievably beautiful ship. First, you are awed by her sheer size.
While she isn’t really all that much longer than some of the other megaliners, she is very wide. You notice just
how wide when you step onto the pool deck or look down the Royal Promenade.

The artwork on the ship (if you enjoy looking at art) is wonderful. There is a good mix of art created out of
different media (paintings, sculptures, fabrics, metal, mosaics, etc.) and you are always coming across
something new. I spent a couple of hours just walking around the ship and taking photos of "stuff" I liked.

I have to agree with other reviews I read. The ship never seemed that crowded even though they said the
cruise was sold out. There are a lot of options and places for people to go and they never seemed to
congregate in one place. Even the pool deck was comfortable and there were always plenty of deck chairs.

REALLY COOL STUFF ON BOARD --The stage drape in the Palace Theater (the prettiest I’ve seen on a
ship) --Metal Angel sculpture aft hanging from deck 12 (I wanted to bring her home but she wouldn’t fit in the
overhead on the plane!) --Tiered pool deck --Glass overlook into the bridge (fun place to watch them “drive
the ship”) --Being able to walk to the VERY FRONT of the ship (probably my favorite thing) the way you could
on the Titanic --Moving golf sculpture in the 19th hole (very strange but fun) --Paul McCartney’s guitars (fore
staircase, sorry but can’t remember what deck) --The ice skating show --The sound in the main theater
--Glass floor with artwork underneath at the Casino entrance (careful, it’s pretty but easy to trip over) ?
Johnny Rockets ? Plenty of deck chairs ? A promenade deck that you can walk all the way around

OUR CABIN We were in a CAT C cabin at the rear of the ship. We’ve been in this type of room for the past
several cruises and really like it. One word of warning however for those who have had these rooms on the
Rhapsody or Vision. The balconies on the Explorer are not nearly as big back here as the Rhapsody or
Vision. There is a huge space from the end of the balcony to the end of the ship so you are not really over
the water like on the other ships. Of course you can see the water, but the feeling isn’t the same. We’d
probably pick a cabin on the side of the Explorer should we ever cruise her again.

Our cabin (7692) itself was wonderful. There was more storage space than any other cabin we’ve had in the
past. We had empty drawers and shelves! One great thing about this cabin is that it is wider than those on the
side of the ship or the Rhapsody/Vision. When the couch was pulled out for our daughter’s bed, there was
plenty of room to walk by her bed to get to the balcony. A very nice improvement. In additional to the pull out
couch there were also two chairs and a coffee table in this part of the room. It was a great cabin!

FOOD Our past several cruises on Royal Caribbean had mediocre food. I’m happy to report that the food
quality and choices on the Explorer were greatly improved. Every meal in the dining room was excellent and
everyone in our group felt that way about what they ordered. The choices and the quality in the Windjammer
also improved although you still have to remember that this is a buffet line.

The food at the Promenade Café (open 24 hours a day) was also very good. The pizza, while still not as good
as Princess, was steps ahead of the cardboard pizza served on the Rhapsody and Vision. The pastries,
cookies and sandwiches served here were also very good.

As I read before cruising, the food in Johnny Rockets was really good. We had late dinner seating so we went
up to Johnny Rockets each afternoon (OK, not every afternoon) about 4:00 for a snack. It was never crowded
at that time and we never had to wait for a seat. We also ate lunch here around 2:00 PM the day we were in
Nassau and didn’t have to wait. The only downside was the extremely slow service. For an area that they
serve a lot of people and often have long lines, you would think they would put quicker servers in this area.

ENTERTAINMENT The production shows (done by the Royal Caribbean Singers and Dancers) in the theaters
were terrific and far better than those offered on previous cruises. The sound is state-of-the-art and the
voices of the four main stars of the show rivaled Broadway singers. The featured entertainers weren't the best
but the talent of the production shows made up for it. The ice skating show is amazing and shouldn’t be
missed. Tickets were easy to get (and free). An important note, however; the ice show was only offered on two
evenings on this cruise.

Lounge entertainment all over the ship was good. Nothing spectacular but consistently good.

THE ROYAL PROMENADE The Royal Promenade area was very pretty and helped make the ship not seem
so big. I always had my parents walk across the Royal Promenade to get to and from the back of the ship. It
seemed much shorter than walking the long hallways of floors with cabins only. There was also plenty of
space along the Promenade where dad could sit down and rest for a moment if he tired from walking.

I didn’t think that there was all that much more 'shopping' available on the Royal Promenade. It’s just in a
much bigger space than on other ships. They used this area for receptions and parades and I often felt it had
somewhat of a Las Vegas feel to it. Do we really need Las Vegas at sea?

For anyone thinking about booking an inside cabin that overlooks the Royal Promenade, be aware that they
do parades in this area at least four nights and some of them happen as late as 11:00 PM so it is very noisy.

CREW AND SERVICE Dining Room We had two tables for ten in the dining room that accommodated our
group. We had two different waiters (actually one was a waitress), but shared the same assistant waiter and
assistant Maitre D (formerly called Head Waiters). Both of our wait staff were good but the server at our table
was a bit abrupt and hurried all week long. Our assistant waiter, Sarkan, was fabulous. One night when
someone said the iced tea didn’t taste the same as the night before and she thought it was instant tea, he told
our assistant Maitre D who went and brewed fresh tea for her. His comment was that he wanted to make her
happy and if her tea didn’t taste right, he wanted to fix that!

Our assistant Maitre D, Laurent, was also outstanding. He made our group feel important and nothing was
ever too much trouble. We celebrated two anniversaries and a 50th birthday during the week and he took
care of all the celebrations to make it a lot of fun.

Bar Service If you want good bar service on a Royal Caribbean ship, always go to the Champagne bar. You
can buy wine and champagne by the bottle here and they will keep the wine for you if you do not finish the
bottle. The serve hors d’ouvres and goodies here if you have a drink and they make a point to get to know
your name and what you like. We’ve had similar service in lounges on smaller ships, but this was the only
place on the Explorer that offered bar service like this.

One of the most astonishing things I’ve ever seen by a Bar Server occurred in the sports bar one afternoon
when we sat down with a piece of pizza. She was standing at the end of the bar reading a book from the ship’s
library. She looked up at us when we came in (no one else was in the bar at the time) and looked back down
to continue reading. After about four or five minutes, she walked to the table next to us to pick up a cup and
napkins and walked back to the bar. Then she finally came to our table to ask if we wanted a drink. I was so
shocked I didn’t know what to say. After she brought drinks, she went right back to reading her book at the
end of the bar. I guess it’s getting difficult to get staff for cruise ships too!

One other note about the bars and bar service. An extremely high percentage of the ships crew could be
found in ALL bars throughout the evening, to the point that some bars were filled to capacity without seats
available for passengers. It’s something we hadn’t seen on any ship prior to this one. All bars, except the
Champagne bar seemed short on servers.

Cruise Staff The Cruise Staff is made up of the Cruise Director and his staff that plans the social activities on
board. If there was one major down fall on the Explorer it was Cruise Staff. There were not friendly or
outgoing; when they were supposed to be greeting guests (at the Captain’s Reception for example) they were
talking to each other and ignoring passengers. On 50’s and 60’s evening, two of the cruise staff were busy
fixing their hair in the theatre glass doors instead of greeting passengers. There was one cruise staff member
(Erin) that never smiled (and I saw her frequently). Perhaps many of these staff members were on the ship for
a while, were nearing the end of their contract and needed a vacation, but they rank at the bottom of all cruise
staffs we’ve seen and this was my 13th cruise.

Housekeeping Our cabin attendant was terrific! Friendly, efficient and creative. Exactly what you want from
your cabin attendant. All others on the housekeeping staff were friendly as well. They always greeted you as
you walked down the hall, no matter what floor you were on. The Cruise staff should take a lesson or two from
them.

Captain Johnny While the cruise staff was lousy, the captain was the BEST. He was out and around the ship
more than any other captain we've had, talked to everyone, always joked in his broadcast messages, even
danced in the disco one night!

ACTIVITIES There were plenty of activities to keep one busy on the Explorer. You’re probably familiar with
most of them…ice skating, rock climbing, roller blading, putt putt, great hot tubs, bingo, etc. But one thing that
they didn’t have were activities that got people together to meet others. Things like trivia or name that tune on
previous ships were good activities that allowed you to meet fellow passengers. You won’t find it on the
Explorer. And in the evening, it seemed like they tried to pack too many things in … you’d get to one thing and
all of a sudden it over and they are herding you to something else.

PORTS OF CALL/SHORE EXCURSIONS We didn’t do this cruise for the ports of call. We really did it for the
ship. All the ports of call were fine although it was cool in Nassau and those who took the snorkeling excursion
here froze in the water. Also, some people in our group did the Stingray excursion in Nassau and said it was
terrible….five stingray that seemed poorly cared for in a pen with 70 people from the excursion. Sounds like if
you want to do a Stingray excursion do it in Grand Cayman.

We took 20 people to St. John for the day when we docked in St. Thomas. This has become an annual event
for us. We rent an open air taxi for the day, stop at Cruz Bay water sports so people can rent equipment,
called a grocery store and ordered picnic lunches and spent the day at the beach! The views and beaches of
St. John are marvelous and everyone had a good time here.

Labadee and San Juan were fine. Nothing exciting to report at either stop.

DISEMBARKATION After a great week (other than some of the staff) we had a disappointment
disembarkation. It was a MESS!!! Again, it was mostly staff attitudes that made this so unpleasant. Royal
Caribbean staff were actually yelling (and I honestly mean yelling) at people for absolutely no reason. I wish I
had my video camera along so I could have sent it to Royal Caribbean. Their personnel as we left the ship
was so nasty (before we got to the luggage) that the entire situation could be enough to skip RCI in the future.
There were times throughout the week that RCI staff should have been yelling at passengers, but this wasn’t
one of those!

IN CLOSING All cruises are good and everyone in our group thoroughly enjoyed this cruise. Personally, the
Explorer, as pretty as she is, is a bit too large for us and we prefer smaller ships (the Vision, Mercury or
Ocean Princess are about as large as we’ll normally go in the future). The bigger ships with all their activities
make it harder to relax and they lack the activities that allow you to get to know other passengers and crew. I
feel like I need another vacation now! We also have a serious concern about the higher percentage of poor
staff. When we began cruising 11 years ago, a poor crew member was few and far between. They were very
noticeable on the Explorer! Fortunately, there were also a lot of great crew members as well. One has to
wonder how the cruise industry will be able to continue to staff the increasing amount of inventory that is
coming on-line in the next several years. Hopefully, they’ll manage.

Happy Cruising!

Name: Gary
Email: garymac66@yahoo.com
Age: 46
Occupation: College Administrator
NumberOfCruises: 5
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Explorer
SailingDate: Feb 17-24
Itinerary: Labadee,San Juan, St. Thomas, Nassau
Cabin: 7300 range
FoodDiningRoom: 78
CruiseDirector: 80
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 80
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 85
DiningRoomService: 78
CabinQuietness: 70
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 85
ShoreExcVariety: 75
FoodVariety: 75
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue: 69
GoodForHoneymoon: 70
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland: 80
GoodForFamilies: 90
LoungeService:
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors: 65
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 85
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge: 92
OverallPortsofCall: 75
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 80
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 75
DiscoNightclubs: 90
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard:
SpaceRatio:
OverallCruiseValue: 79
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 28 Feb 2001
Time: 14:40:05
Remote Name: border1.henryford.cc.mi.us
Remote User:

Comments

This was our fifth cruise overall and the third on RC. This was also the first cruise in which we took our
children (ages 10,15,16).

Not so good stuff- -The food and service in the dining room were mediocre. Not nearly as good as our
cruise on the Majesty in August of 99. -Overall service was generaly mediocre. -We had arranged to
sit with another family at dinner whom we knew. They split us up and try as we might were not able to
eat with them the whole week. The travel agent claims it was RC who did it, RC claims the travel agent
screwed up. We are still trying to work this out. -We had booked ajoining cabins 9 months before the
cruise, three of us in one, two in another. When we arrived, we found that the family was split up and
not next to each other. This was a problem. We finaly were able to get the cabins close but not
together. Again, the travel agent blames RC, RC blames the travel agent. -There were 900 kids on this
cruise. Lots of them riding up and down the elevators till the early morning hours. We also noticed kids
loading the elevators with plants and furniture. -We had a problem with about 20 teens sitting and
yelling outside our door and the nearby landing. This happened two nights in a row and security was
slow to respond or react. -The shows other than the production shows were mediocre.

Good stuff- -The ship itself is truly amazing! Darn near worth the price of admission alone. -The youth
programs are very good. My 10 year old daughter and teenaged sons had a great time. -The
promenade mall (more of a mall than a deck) was really great. -The production shows and the ice
show were very good. The main theater is amazing. -There were tons of stuff to do and we did just
about all of them. -The 'Solarium' adults only pool and hot-tubs were very nice, since one could hardly
get near the other pools and hot tubs. We did not have any problems with kids getting into the adult
pool or hot tub. -The three story dining room was awesome.

General impressions: -This ship is geared mostly for families in my opinion. It you want a more intimate
cruise with better service and food pick another ship or at least pick a time outside of school vacations
when there won't be so many kids around. -Unless you've cruised before and had something to
compare it with, most people would say this cruise was a great time. We did have a great time in spite
of the problems. -The best time to use the pools and hot tubs etc. is when everyone else is ashore.
We did most of our shore excursions first thing in the morning and spent the remaining in port time
back on the ship. Really helps to appreciate how nice this ship is. -Labadee was nice, go to the far
hidden beach to avoid the crowds on the beach. -San Juan was a waste of time. Best thing to do is to
walk up to and tour the fort. I didn't see anything else worth doing in San Juan. -St. Thomas was nice.
For five people, the taxi and ship tours were expensive. We rented a car for $62 and drove to Coki
point/beach and had a great time snorkling. -Going into Nassau is a waste of time, though it is good
time to use the ship facilities. -It would be hard to beat this ship as a family cruise, anything else would
seem too small. -My wife and I are neither big drinkers or shoppers so I can't comment on the bars or
the shopping.

Would I go again on the Explorer? Not unless the itinerary changed. If they went somewhere else
besides San Juan and/or Nassau I might consider it but only as a family cruise. I doubt if my wife and I
would go as a couple on this ship.

Name: Jonathan Golaner
Email: golaner@umbi.umd.edu
Age: 39
Occupation: University Administrative Management
NumberOfCruises: 25
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Explorer
SailingDate: 02/17/2001
Itinerary: Eastern Caribbean
Cabin: Deck 10
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService: 75
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 85
FoodLidoDeck: 70
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets: 80
CabinSteward: 90
ShoreExcVariety: 95
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 80
ShoreExcValue: 85
GoodForHoneymoon: 90
CasinoStaff: 90
PrivateIsland: 95
GoodForFamilies: 90
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 80
GoodForSeniors: 70
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 95
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 98
EntertShowLounge: 99
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 75
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 80
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs: 75
DeckSpace: 80
Stabilization: 98
ShopsOnBoard: 85
SpaceRatio: 85
OverallCruiseValue: 88
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 04 Mar 2001
Time: 12:22:52
Remote Name: cache-1.lnh.md.webcache.rcn.net
Remote User:

Comments

This was my 25th cruise, 4th with RCCI. Many reviews have been written about this new ship, with my
cruising experience I would like to point out a few different good and bad points. My last cruise was on
the HAL Maasdam. They were both great cruises, but, in completely differnt directions. While the
Explorer was an extremely high energy cruise, many options of activities, the ship has a constant buzz
of electricity, the Maasdam is a more quiet, relaxed, trickle of champagne. Let's start out with the good
points: The evening shows were some of the best I have seen at sea. I am sure it is diffucult to provide
a show that would appeal to over 3000+ passengers, but RCCI does a great job. The dining room food
and service rank among the best with some of my favorite cruises. If you like shrimp cocktail, I strongly
recommend ordering 2 or more the evening it is servered, it was the excellent. The Head Waiter also
visited AND ASSISTED our table every evening, not just the last evening looking for a tip. One of my
table mates requested a special pasta, the Head Waiter was more than eager to please, and the
following evening our table of 6 were served a delecious pasta appetizer. The Cafe Promenade is
open 24 hours a day serving pizza, a variety of small sandwiches, and a few tasty desserts. This Cafe
is on deck 5, along with the other shops and lounges. I visited Johnny Rockets on deck 12 for a fun
and tasty lunch one afternoon. My club sandwich, and the burgers my friends ordered were fresh, hot,
and delivered promptly. The private island, always my favorite spot to visit was wonderful, RCCI has
expanded the beach area to handle this large ship. This was the first ship I have cruised that felt like a
small city.

Our sailing was fully booked, the ship rarely felt crowded, but there are LOTS of people, and
only a few times were lines longer than expected. Behind the main pool area is a small pool area,
called the Solorium that is reserved for adults only, very nice, relatively quiet with two additional large
adult hot tubs. This was an excellent area to get away from the 700+ children on board! In the Viking
Crown Lounge on deck 14 one evening I enjoyed a young pianist, he played the piano flawlessly,
unfortunately I never got his name or schedule, but it was very pleasant listening to him play, enjoy a
cocktail, and view the sea 14 decks high. FREE Ice cream and yogurt are available at various times, at
various parts of the ship, this was very popular, Princess cruise line take note, people enjoy FREE ice
cream. The ship was unbelievably stable-virtually no rocking was felt except for a small bit one day.

Well, now the not so good: The biggest disappointment was the food in the Windjammer Cafe/Island
Grill. Compared to other cruises this food needs much imporvement, the quality and selection were
only fair, and the desserts very plain. I was very surprised NOT to see a full salad bar. If you use hand
lotion, bring your own, RCCI no longer provides the packages of shampoo, conditioner, and hand
lotion in your cabin, only a shampoo dispenser is attached to the shower wall in your cabin. This was
NOT the cleanest ship I have sailed, I understand the public and/or cruise lines would prefer that
smokers be seperated from non-smokers, but in the pool area, sun deck, and promenade deck very
few ash trays were provided, and they were constantly over flowing because of high use. I would
recommend RCCI either completely elimate smoking or provide more ashtrays. The elevators are
much overworked with this many passengers. During peak traffic hours you can easily wait over 5
minutes for an elevator, and when it finally does arrive it is packed like sardines and you must wait
another 5+ minutes for the next one. Speaking of elevators, does everyone know certain elevator
ediquette??? While waiting for an elevator PLEASE do NOT stand directly in front of the doors, when it
arrives at your floor, PLEASE let people off the elevator, if it is their floor, this will provide more room
for you to enter, besides what is the rush to get to the Windjammer buffet, it will be open for another
hour, and the food is not that great there anyway! Would I cruise the Explorer again, maybe, but
Princess would still be first, followed by Celebrity. Next cruise----Unknown but soon I hope, happy
cruising!

Name: Gary Suarez
Email: gsuarez@21stcentury.net
Age: 54
Occupation: Self employed
NumberOfCruises: 7
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Explorer
SailingDate: March 3, 2001
Itinerary: Labadee, San Juan, St. Thomas, Nassau
Cabin: 7616/DB
FoodDiningRoom: 80
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService: 90
CruiseStaff: 85
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 75
DiningRoomService: 90
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 80
ShoreExcVariety: 85
FoodVariety: 85
DeckService: 85
ShoreExcValue: 85
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland: 95
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 100
OverallPortsofCall: 85
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 85
CruiseActivities: 85
Casino:
AirSeaProgram: 75
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 65
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization: 85
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 11 Mar 2001
Time: 12:06:34
Remote Name: 24-148-22-108.na.21stcentury.net
Remote User:

Comments

This is obviously a beautiful ship. Surprisingly, it was not hard to find areas. Maps of the decks around
the ship are plentiful and easy to understand. This was the best entertainment I've seen in 7 cruises.
The singers and dancers are always high energy on the cruises, but this group was something special.
They were exquisite in their timing and versatility. The Palace theatre is gorgeous. I read in another
review to try to sit in the middle. That's true. The outstanding sound system is much better in the
center; especially for the production shows. We sat in the balcony which allowed an excellent view. The
other entertainers were also top notch. Dan, the cruise director was great. He seems to have a stage
presence and delivers very professionally. The rest of the cruise and exercise staff was good, but not
exceptional. The Captain was personable and very accessible. He also commissioned the Voyager and
will sail the Radiance, the next Voyager class ship, so he is obviously well regarded by Royal
Caribbean.

I go to enjoy the sun and deck space was fantastic. I never had a problem finding a deck
chair. Passenger space ratio must be very favorable on the monster. We never felt crowded in any of
the areas. I didn't think I would find the Royal Promenade area that enjoyable, but found myself walking
through it as much as possible to see what was going on. They had a couple of singers that were
fantastic who performed only in the Promenade. I've seen complaints about charging for extras. On the
street they have a free yogurt machine and a restaurant (cafe promenade) with free pizza and deserts.
Others have said not to miss the ice show. I have never seen anything like this show. You have to get
tickets for it as Studio B only holds 700. Not to worry, you don't have to do it immediately, they have
4-5 shows geared toward early or late dinner seating. The moves these skaters perform would put
Olympic skaters to shame. Again, all the entertainers are top notch professionals. The biggest hassle
was getting to the ship. We live in Chicago which has direct flights about every half hour to Miami. RCI
put us on a connecting flight going down which got us to the ship about 3:00. I like to board as early as
possible to start investigating before sailing. Also the embarkation area was a disaster.

The counter for
check in is about 30 yards long with on line feeding into it. Yet there was no one directing the line to
the next available open station. So you ended up with 30 short lines for each station. If you lined up
behind someone who took a long time, you were screwed. Princess has it set up by cabin number, you
are in and out in a few minutes. Disembarking was also poorly handled I thought. Other than these two
evolutions, crowd control was excellent. The dining room food was not the best we have had, but
certainly 4 star. Our dining room waiter (Monika) was very helpful and knowledgeable. She
recommended certain dishes which I haven't had done much in the past. The food in the Windjammer
buffet was average. The selection wasn't very broad, but at least they have four sections, so again the
lines were not that long. In summary, I really enjoyed the cruise, the staff are very proud to be on this
ship and their enthusiasm showed.

Name: Kris Gray
Email: fishmang@ameritech.net
Age: 46
Occupation: LPN
NumberOfCruises: 2
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Explorer
SailingDate: March 17, 2001
Itinerary: Eastern Caribbean
Cabin: 6257 TR
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService: 90
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 65
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 85
FoodMidnightBuffets: 90
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 80
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 85
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 85
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 95
LoungeService: 95
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors: 90
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 95
CruiseActivities: 95
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram: 95
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs: 90
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 93
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 26 Mar 2001
Time: 19:20:29
Remote Name: adsl-dynamic1-53.rockford.il.ameritech.net
Remote User:

Comments

This was our 2nd cruise with Royal Caribbean and it was fantastic! Our 1st cruise had a lot of bumps in it,
but we thought we'd give them another try to win us over. Since our 1st cruise was on a old ship, Majesty
(Western Caribbean), we wanted a brand new ship for this cruise. Therefore we went for the NEWEST and
BIGGEST ship RCCL offered. What a beauty the Explorer is! It was really hard to remember that you were
on a ship and not in a classy hotel on land. I often might make references between the 2 ships in this
review, I hope this helps you. I sailed with my husband and our best friends. We booked adjoining rooms
for this cruise and we left the kids at home (a choice more parents should make when vacationing). We
booked our air with RCCL and had no problems. Both flights were direct, non-stop thank goodness. We
had no delays flying into Miami nor returning to Chicago O'Hare. O'Hare caused the only problem with the
return flight, as they didn't have an gate for our plane when we landed, so we had to go to the penalty box
until a gate opened up. Embarcation took approximently 30 minutes as there was a line, but they had
many agents working so it went rather smoothly. I was impressed with the new security measures they now
take with boarding the ship. Everyone had to go through metal detectors and your cruise card was used
as a electronic check system when boarding and getting off the boat. They also used the metal dectectors
when reboarding the ship in San Juan & St. Thomas. They were not used when we reboarded in Nassau.
We booked a TR class room, over looking the Royal Promanade. It was larger when compared to our
room on the Majesty, but still cramped at times. If you wanted to walk around the end of the bed when
someone was standing there already, one of you had to back up out of the way for other to pass. The
bathroom was smaller then Majesty's, but still functional. Where else can one sit on the commode, brush
their teeth and shower all at the same time? Ha Ha! The view looking out into the Royal Promanade area
was great.

Our Room Steward, Milton, was excellent. He made towel animals on 3 nights and pillow
arrangements during the day. Yes, they may seem hokey to some people but we enjoyed them. We even
took a class on how to make them the towel animals. The Main Dining Room was very beautiful, rising 3
decks high in the middle with stairs connecting all levels. The only major flaw to this area was that we were
stuck into a small private dining room in the corner. When special events occured, ie The Dance of the
Flaming Babaloo, etc, we had to leave this dining area and go into the main dining room. The food overall
in the dining room was very good. Our waiter, Rhomauldo from India, was very good. He worked very hard
to please us all, we sat at a table for 10. We had trouble with our assistant waiter though, Abba would
dissappear for long periods of time and never return. I complained to Rhomauldo when leaving the dining
room on Wednesday after we had asked Abba for drinks (water & coke for 3rd time and never recieved
them). The next night the Table Captain came and apologized, offering a free bottle of wine for our
troubles. We don't drink wine, so we opted for those cute after drinks in the loving cups. We had a new
assistant waiter for Thursday's dinner, what a difference!

The Windjammer Cafe/Island Grill left a lot to be
desired this time around. Quite frequently when we went through the lines, breakfast & lunch times, the
dishes would be empty-not promptly refilled. Also the selection for lunches was very poor. Most of the time
it was very hard to figure out just what kind of food was being offered, not easily recognised. Ice cream did
flow freely in both the Windjammer, Island Grill, and at Sprinkles. The Cafe in the promanade area was
open 24 hours a day and served small sandwiches,pizza slices, cookies, cakes and coffee. For a charge
they had an Expresso Bar. We ate once at Johnny Rockets, it was OK,at least it was free except for the
Malts & Shakes: $3.00 each. We did not try Portafino's, but spoke to several who did dine there. (The $20
charge per person put us off dining there) Those who did eat there said they had excellent meals, well
worth the extra money. The Ship's Singers & Dancers were outstanding!!! The Headliner on Tuesday was
Paul Bolton. He was amazingly talented (Singer/Impressionist)and even turned a potential heckler into part
of the show, what a pro. His traveling companion for the week was also a celebrity, Michael Berger (of the
late: Mike & Matty SHow and The Home & Family Show). I think we were the only people on the ship that
recognised him. He very graciously talked with us several times & even posed for pictures with us. The
next Headliner on Thursday was not so warmly recieved, Eddie Mecca from Laverne & Shirley TV show. A
very large number of people left early in the show, us included. He has a good voice, just not an
entertainer we would go out of our way to see.

There was excellent twice nightly singing entertainment in
the promonode area. There was also 3 parades at night during the week. This ship was fully booked with
3500 people, with alot of them being children from infant to 18/19 plus. We never really felt crowded or
over full. This ship is BIG, therefore there is alot of areas to be alone or be in a crowd. There was a very
large group of teens with parents & chaparones from Kansas onboard for their Senior High class trip.
These kids were very well behaved, both our friends and us have teenagers and we know how they can
behave. We never had a problem with these kids and didn't hear of any problems either. The little kids
were always with their parents/grandparents or in the planned programs, no problems here either. On Sea
days, all of the deck chairs were usually gone by 10:30am. Didn't see any kids in the Adult Pool area.
Ports of Call: Labadee-didn't go, stayed on board and enjoyed the entire ship to ourselves. We had
enjoyed Labadee when on Majesty, so go if you get the chance, take the wild ride on a banana raft. San
Juan: fairly good shopping, if you see something here, buy it as it won't be in St Thomas. St Thomas: is a
shoppers paradise. Bought several Tanzanite pieces here, good deals can be found, do your homework
first. Nassau: was OK, prices rather high, but overall a pleasant stop.

The only Shore excursion we did
was a walking tour in Old San Juan, over priced but informative. We had done a tour in each city on
previous cruise, we found that this tends to take up most of your time allowed in port, so we decided
ahead of time not to go that route. Cruise Director was Dan Whitley (Dan, Dan the Party Man). He was
entertaining, keeping things livened up. His staff was also great. Lots of activities throughout the day &
night. Captain Johnny Favelaen was very nice, but tended to be long winded when making his
announcements though. A good sence of humor too. Well, this is longer than I expected it to be, hope I
have helped you not bored you. If you have any questions feel free to email me. Overall, we had a great
time on the Explorer and we're very sad to leave her on Saturday. We were ready to go another week!
Note, just because the ship is huge, when the ocean is rough you do feel the movement. RCCL's newest
baby, Radiance of the Seas, was at port in Miami when we returned on Saturday, what a beauty too! She'll
be eventually doing the Southern Caribbean route.

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