You really have me worried!!!

[earltonharley]

We sail on the Explorer of the Seas in April and with all the negativity I am really worried. This will be our first Royal Caribbean cruise experence. My thought now is to go on this cruise like we are novices. Most people loved their first cruise. I can't believe the comments. Oh well. I guess I'll just have to judge for myself. Someone, please say something nice about the Explorer and put me at ease. Thanks

[Cruising89143]

Please don't take all of this negativity to heart. I willing to bet that you have a outstanding time. Those Voyager class ships are great. Please come back and let us know how everything went.:)

[Jimmers]

Only an iceberg could ruin a first cruise. You'll be fine. Get in a vacation state of mind and any little snags will just roll off your shoulders. Our first 4, most recent being in August on LOS, have all been wonderful. Doing our fifth in March on the JOS.

 

Jimmers

[Cruise_Couple]

Explorer is a beautiful ship and we enjoyed our last cruise on her immensely! Don't worry about other people's opinions... yours is the only one that counts on your cruise and the cruise will be a good as you make it. Wishing you a wonderful time!!!

[alicam]

Don't worry about all the nay sayers on here....Personally I think they are all complaining just for the sake of complaining and then reading all their "wonderful" threads on here......I have only gone on Princess once and am now going to go on Royal Caribbean in the spring to try it out....I'm really looking forward to it...no matter what all the "doom and gloomers" say and the "sky is falling crowd" predict...oh yes....I don't want to forget all the "whiners" either...or they will whine that they were forgotten....Go ahead...go on your cruise....do what you want and enjoy yourself...remember...you are on vacation...and even the possiblility of a somewhat lousy week on a cruise will be better than a week at work...IMHO

[ShillyShally]

My first cruise was on Carnival and I had a fabulous time - I have since been on 2 great RCCL cruises and enjoy both immensely. My family wants me to take them on Carnival so they can try it too and so we are - you know I start to doubt it sometimes when I see all the negativity about Carnival? Then I have to remember that I am not them and their cruise experience is not mine - that only I can have it and if I haven't had it yet I certainly shouldn't be worried about it. :) So I would say treat it like your "first" cruise in the sense that it is - your first with RCCL and beyond that have a wonderful time, I am fairly certain it will be a great vacation :)

[TexCruise371]

:D Go and have a great time! Remember, so much of a cruise vacation is a state of mind. You'll be fine.

[Alexis]

We sail on the Explorer of the Seas in April and with all the negativity I am really worried. This will be our first Royal Caribbean cruise experence. My thought now is to go on this cruise like we are novices. Most people loved their first cruise. I can't believe the comments. Oh well. I guess I'll just have to judge for myself. Someone, please say something nice about the Explorer and put me at ease. Thanks

 

My husband and I have done 24 cruises. The last 10 of them with RCCL. Number 11 and 12 are booked for next year with RCCL also.

Trust me, if they were as bad as these "complainers and whiners" say, I would not be on them. RCCL gives a good service and their ships are beautiful.

Please go with an open mind. Judge everything for yourself and not by what you have read on here by just a few of the many thousands and thousands who sail their ships time and again.

Enjoy your cruise and please come back and give us your opinion. ;)

PS, You have picked a great ship to sail on. The Voyager class with the Promenades is extra special to us. ;)

[noelbows]

Many people who post here take the word "critic" to heart and like to criticize everything. You will find many people who have much better things to do than focus on the negative, you just have to find the right posts and the right people. :)

 

Ever since I was young and watched "The Love Boat," I wanted to take a cruise. My first was pre-marriage, my second and third post-marriage but w/o kids and since then only with kids.

 

I can't imagine a better way to vacation, especially if you have children but even if you don't, and would take many cruises a year if I could afford it and had enough time off... alas, that is what savings and retirement are for.

 

You really will enjoy yourself. Don't allow the critics to get you down.

[lori450]

As you can see from my signature, I have sailed on her twice. She is a lovely ship and you will have an amazing time. Please don't take the complaining to heart. Every once in a while we tend to get a little cranky around here.

I think cruisers are creatures of habit and whenever they change our habitat we get a little grouchy. Please just remember that even with the complaints, the vast majority of people on these boards a repeat cruisers. If we keep going back, then there must be something to it, right?

 

Have a blast (and don;t forget your long pants so you can go skating!!) And don't miss the ice show - it's amazing.

[aqhacruiser]

I have sailed on the Explorer on 8 cruises now including B to B's and we love the ship and have several more cruises booked on the Explorer thru 2009. We have our choice of several ships out of NYC but we choose the Explorer. Why don't you check out the CC member reviews of the Explorer as you'll find the majority of people that have cruised the ship seem happy with it:) No cruise or ship is perfect and there can be delays due to weather or in ports with any ship or any cruiseline. Things onboard or on excursions do not go perfectly all the time on any ship and people will have different opinions on many things from food to activities and everything in between but I find the CC member cruise reviews to be a good place to start to find out what people think of each ship. A cruise is what you make it also. If you are going to let every little thing bother you or worry about only the negative comments on any ship, you probably will not have fun. Board with an open mind and a happy heart and you'll have a great cruise on just about any ship! :)

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/getreviews.cfm?action=ship&ShipID=186

[llund]

It is always good to read about the good and bad of each cruise line. The more cruises one takes, the more you tend to compare ships, food, entertainment, etc. I never let what I read deter me from taking the cruise, though. Your cruise will be what you make it. Things do happen when travelling and the food may not always be to your liking but it should not ruin your fun. Just go and have a great time!

[PantherFan]

I am sure you will have a very enjoyable time!

 

Cruising has changed so much for many of us, we started in 2000.

 

Some changes for the best such as more activities on the larger ships for the whole family like ice skating rink, rock wall, flowrider, basketball courts, inline skating, mini-golf, promenade parades, pool areas etc..

 

They have also cut back which is understandable, it is not like any of us really need a midnight buffet every night. :)

 

I am not sure some of the additions are necessary such as Johnny Rockets, Seattles Best, juice bar, Chops & Portifilos or Ben & Jerry's but if it makes someone's cruise experience even more enjoyable than that is great.

 

I think cruise industry wide as the ships get bigger (as in any business) the employees aren't always properly trained in customer service.

 

Even if you are very positive people like we are, if someone is rude or utterly disrespectful it can dampen one's enthusium. (As a business owner, I may be more critical of others in that respect)

 

I think people on this board offer invaluable advice and I may not always agree and I certainly don't use it to set myself up to have a "bad" trip.

 

However, it is nice to know if I have a problem with something onboard --it may happen- I know who to go to to fix the problem. Example: If you don't like your tablemates don't suffer ask to be moved. :D

 

RCL is not perfect but I am sure you will have a terrific trip, meet wonderful people and gain about 5lbs.:)

 

Donna

[willysgrandma]

Have you actually read some of the member reviews on this ship? It is rated a 4 star cruise.

 

While I didn't give the ship a glowing review because I kept comparing it to the FOS, which was one of my favorite ships, it was fine. I have been on a few ships I didn't really care for, but my cruise experience was always good - I've never had a totally disappointing cruise.

 

Relax and enjoy the ship.

[earltonharley]

Thanks to all who posted. I feel I must clear up one point. It is our first ROYAL CARIBBEAN cruise. We love Celebrity, and have cruised a few times on Carnivale. I was just worried because the folks that cruise R. C. all the time were "bad-mouthing" the line. I know all about opinions, (I too, own my own business), but I figure that the people that cruise regularly, would know the difference. I have read the C.C. reviews and sometimes wonder if the cruisers were on the same ship. I know you can't please all the people all the time. I just feel that we should cruise with that "first-timer" attitude. We go away (and literally we have been all over the world) with fun in mind. We enjoy, relax, (although I haven't tried to do all the drinks of the day yet), and recharge. I have cruised with my father, alone with my wife and have cruised with my kids. As I said in an earlier post, my daughter was married on a Celebrity ship two years ago. I really thank all who are giving me hope that R. C. will meet and excede all my expectations.

[H2OH!]

I love Celebrity but also enjoyed my cruises on Royal. DH and I are not "married" to any one line. You will have a fabulous time if you simply enjoy cruising!!! Happy sailing! :)

 

IMO...lately these boards have too many Eeyore's (the dismal donkey from Winnie the Pooh). That is why I lurk more than post.

[cb at sea]

Pesonally, I think 1st cruises should be taken without knowing too much in advance!!! There's no wrong way to do a vacation, and that's exactly what a cruise is.

Don't overthink it!

Explorer is a beautiful ship and the service on RCI is great. Enjoy!

[cot427]

Forget all of the negativity about cruising. Some people just need something to complain about always, and they get more people on board.

 

Anyways, Explorer is a great, beautiful ship. I was on here in 2004, when she was in Florida, and I'm dying to get back on her to go to Bermuda.

 

Her decor was one of the best in the fleet, her food was one of the best, and her staff, they were the best out of all the cruises I went on.

 

Enjoy your first cruise, and come back with positive comments about her.

[lori450]

Donna - I just wanted to say that I thought your post was so well said. thank you.

[megr1125]

we loved it....we would do the ExOS again, and we may.....have more of bermuda to explore...

 

i have pix if you follow the link in my signature....

 

my favorite thing about her is that she's a jersey girl too, just like me!! 1 hour door to door! yippee!:p

 

you sound like you have the right attitude for anything.....we had no complaints on explorer at all.....cape liberty was nice and not crowded. the traffic in and out is all one way so that was the only issue...too many cars! other than that, the ship was lovely, the crew was wonderful, the cruise direcotr (allen brooks i think) was entertaining and the food was fine!

 

go with an open mind....you'll love it! have a great trip!

[cindyscruise]

I have cruised various cruise lines. Before each cruise I would read the reviews. I almost cancelled 2 of them, on 2 different cruiselines, because of all the negativity. Am I glad that I didn't. Yes, you can hit a bad cruise. Service not what it should be, an off night for the waiter etc. but I can say that I have never had a bad cruise. Some negatives on each - sure - but the positives always outweigh the negatives and attitude overcomes all. Have a great time. a cruise is what you make of it.

[Pomperaugrr]

It seems that all too often, some posters focus on isolated incidents and allow those to spoil an otherwise enjoyable cruise by dwelling on the few negatives they experience.

 

It is possible, but difficult to have a truly bad cruise. I always go on board with an open mind and force myself to be flexible and accept what the week throws at me. Rainy weather (We did yoga on the beach in pouring rain in Labadee-I'll always love that memory!), a cancelled excursion, a bland meal (haven't had one yet), a run in with a rude passenger, or whatever, will not spoil my cruise for me. I work hard to go on a cruise, so once I am on board, I'm going to enjoy myself. At best, we are able to go on a cruise once every year or two. Why get caught up in the minutia?

 

To the OP: The Explorer is a great ship. The Voyager class ships really have gotten it right. Enjoy your cruise and don't miss the ice show!

 

Eric

[Debde]

I am sure you are going to have a great time. It seems to me, ship bashing here is like the flavor of the month. Adventure took a bad hit for a while. Enchantment has had its time in the boxing ring and I'm sure the list goes on!

Last year we did a Beaches resort vacation and I went on trip advisor. Sometimes over there and here you can feel like OMG-I just threw my hard earned money down the drain! To date-I am lucky [knock on wood] that I have enjoyed all my vacations, no matter what the reviews were.

I think you're gonna love it!!:D

[sandytoes03]

My DH and I have done 5 cruises, all with RCI, and we're planning a 6th. The Voyager class ships are awesome and I think you will have a wonderful time!! There are a lot of negative comments, but not from me, I love RCI!!

[lovetocruise75]

We have sailed aboard Explorer 3x and each time seems to get better!! Don't worry, have a great time!!