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Explorer of the Seas- is it as bad as reviews say?

dg33

By dg33,
in Royal Caribbean International

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Morecruisesplz

Morecruisesplz

Posted
Posted
10 hours ago, dg33 said:

We have booked a Caribbean cruise in January 2025 on Explorer of the seas based on itinerary, but are having second thoughts based on reviews. Any insight would be appreciated.

We sure enjoyed our B3B last year and are booked again for 3 cruises in January 24. 

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Morecruisesplz

Morecruisesplz

Posted
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5 hours ago, Tin can said:

We had a great time on Explorer recently and wouldn't hesitate booking another cruise on her.

 

The only negative was the internet often kicking you off as someone else mentioned above but no big deal.

And that will be improved by Jan 2025. They are working thru the fleet with upgrades. 

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dg33

dg33

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Thank you all for your replies. We are not traveling with kids so don’t need water slides😁 we are elite status on Celebrity so will be Diamond on RCL. This is our first cruise with Royal.

I was excited to try Royal and then watched some You Tube reviews that were very unfavorable about the food. Then saw some trip advisor reviews about the cleanliness. So I am very encouraged to hear from all of you. Thank you!!

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akb5k

akb5k

Posted
Posted

We cruised on Explorer this summer and it was one of our best cruises ever! I would happily book another trip. And we were happy with the MDR food and portions. We did Jewel the summer before and were bored- Explorer was big enough for better entertainment but not too big to visit good ports.

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travelberlin "Live from...." Rare

travelberlin

Posted
Posted
20 hours ago, dg33 said:

Thank you all for your replies. We are not traveling with kids so don’t need water slides😁 we are elite status on Celebrity so will be Diamond on RCL. This is our first cruise with Royal.

I was excited to try Royal and then watched some You Tube reviews that were very unfavorable about the food. Then saw some trip advisor reviews about the cleanliness. So I am very encouraged to hear from all of you. Thank you!!

Is this is your first cruise with Royal after only cruising Celebrity, I would recommend you lower your expectations in order not to be disappointed. Remember that prices at Royal are also lower that at Celebrity. 

I have also seen the reviews of Explorer of the Seas. Although I prefer this class of ships from Royal instead of the large ones, I am also worried about the ship not being properly maintained and with smelly rooms and venues. I have seen that the dry dock this year for this ship, was more an addition of entertainment areas, but they did not make significant improvements to the cabins. 
I am booked on the Explorer of the Seas. I would go with an open mind but  not hight expectations.

 

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stobe1

stobe1

Posted
Posted (edited)
On 10/2/2023 at 9:50 AM, neverbeenhere said:

It floats, has engines and food - All good.

 

So does my pontoon. If I am on the water with some food and friends and family and can get from my dock to my fishing hole or the pub across the lake, I am a happy man. Same goes for cruising for me. Unfortunately, boating season is almost over here in the midwest. 

Edited by stobe1
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Airbear232

Airbear232

Posted
Posted
On 10/2/2023 at 9:51 AM, dg33 said:

We have booked a Caribbean cruise in January 2025 on Explorer of the seas based on itinerary, but are having second thoughts based on reviews. Any insight would be appreciated.

Huh?  Them’s fighting words!  🙂.  EOS is one of our favourite ships.  DW and I have been on her many times.  Decent size and amenities.  One of the few ships left with free sauna and steam.  IMHO, best waiter in the fleet in Gopakumar Viswanathan in Chops.  We were on her in May and had a great time.  Have a wonderful trip. 

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earltonharley

earltonharley

Posted
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My DW, and my family have cruised on Explorer three times and wouldn’t hesitate to board her tomorrow. Don’t let someone else’s experience cloud your decision. People complain because they have a mouth. Make the cruise the best you’ve ever taken. Explorer has a lot to offer. Happy sailing!

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teddie

teddie

Posted
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Our first cruise was on the Explorer, then the Voyager, and then the Explorer again! 

 

Here is a recent Explorer review by Cruising with Ben and David.  They are consistently  objective and friendly in all of their reviews, including this one:

 

 

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ajtaylor29

ajtaylor29

Posted
Posted

We sailed on Explorer 2 weeks ago (Greece and Croatia) for a family vacation and all had a great time! I loved the ship, it's definitely older but we like the old ships as well as the new amped ships! 

I will say that we got the unlimited dining package so never stepped foot in either MDR or Windjammer. My DH and I just know by now that we prefer the specialty restaurants. Our adult kids did eat some at the included dining venues and said the food was good, not great, but that's what is to be expected in any venue that is serving hundreds of meals imo.....

I would not hesitate to book Explorer again! Our next cruise is Harmony (big ship) then back to an older ship (Voyager), then Symphony again (3rd time!)

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  • 3 weeks later...
blueslily Great Review Rare

blueslily

Posted
Posted
On 10/8/2023 at 9:40 AM, ajtaylor29 said:

We sailed on Explorer 2 weeks ago (Greece and Croatia) for a family vacation and all had a great time! I loved the ship, it's definitely older but we like the old ships as well as the new amped ships! 

I will say that we got the unlimited dining package so never stepped foot in either MDR or Windjammer. My DH and I just know by now that we prefer the specialty restaurants. Our adult kids did eat some at the included dining venues and said the food was good, not great, but that's what is to be expected in any venue that is serving hundreds of meals imo.....

I would not hesitate to book Explorer again! Our next cruise is Harmony (big ship) then back to an older ship (Voyager), then Symphony again (3rd time!)

 

Thinking about booking a sailing later this month. A couple folks above mentioned a bad smell in some areas. Did you experience that?

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blueslily Great Review Rare

blueslily

Posted
Posted
On 10/2/2023 at 3:06 PM, irishgal432 said:

Just off Explorer.  Its not new and fancy, but has many activities

Pros:

There are not crazy crowds

No crazy lines for mtd dining.

Easy to get around

Peeka boo bridge that looks into the bridge

Helipad you can go out on

No huge lines getting on and off the ship.  

Dining room food not too bad.

Bar service excellent

 

 

Cons:

Huge line at guest services always with very little staff.

Internet and Chat function sucks,kicks you off and is very slow.

Odd smells in different parts of the ship.

Not a lot of options for lunch on sea days,no Solarium cafe or park cafe.

Windjammer food options not too great.

 

 

What kind of odd smell existed? 

 

What was the cause of it?

 

Considering sailing on her at the end of the month.

 

Thanks!

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irishgal432

irishgal432

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, blueslily said:

 

What kind of odd smell existed? 

 

What was the cause of it?

 

Considering sailing on her at the end of the month.

 

Thanks!

Just odd smells in the hall like old smelly socks, musty smells. Not all the time but occasionally it would just hit in different parts of the ship.  We would be walking sometimes and just smelled unpleasant smells.Our sheets always smelled musty as well. 

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Ashland

Ashland

Posted
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We sailed on Explorer a B2B in March 2022 and loved the ship and we'll be sailing on her again in Feb 2024 a nice 9 nighter and Mar 2025 on an amazing 11 night itinerary. The OS on her is one of our favorites.

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Morecruisesplz

Morecruisesplz

Posted
Posted
6 hours ago, irishgal432 said:

Just odd smells in the hall like old smelly socks, musty smells. Not all the time but occasionally it would just hit in different parts of the ship.  We would be walking sometimes and just smelled unpleasant smells.Our sheets always smelled musty as well. 

You need to carry Febreze! Your smeller is 💔 broke.

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blueslily Great Review Rare

blueslily

Posted
Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, fredmdcruisers said:

That can happen on ship in any hallway or area. Someone has clogged a toilet. 

 

Ok. More than one person shared that comment so I asked about their experience. 

 

Good to read that you had a good experience. 

 

Thanks 

Edited by blueslily
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