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About Your Ship: Explorer of the Seas

10 Night Eastern Caribbean





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Departs Cape Liberty (Bayonne) aboard Royal Caribbean – Explorer of the Seas

Sailing Date(s): December 12, 2013


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	Average Explorer of the Seas Rating



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	Overall Rating: About the Reviewer: Age: 30 - 49 Cruise Experience: 4 - 6 cruises Traveler Type: Family w/older children Stateroom Type: Balcony Not that great ship by A Traveler from NY Sailing date: Aug 2011 Pros: Service Cons: Teen program boring The ship needs a good make up Rooms looks like the 'golden girls' from the 80' The teen club was very bad organized and all the activities were closed or cancelled. Or reduced access. Not a fun place to your ideal vacation. Our family did not like it. Ship Details: Ship Quality Dining/Food Stateroom Quality Ship Staff Quality Entertainment & Activities Needs new shows Children's Programs Read this user's port of call reviews: King's Wharf, Bermuda Collapse List of Ports Ports of Call: King's Wharf, Bermuda 3 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Did you find this review helpful? Overall Rating: About the Reviewer: Age: 30 - 49 Cruise Experience: 2 - 3 cruises Traveler Type: Family w/older children Stateroom Type: Balcony Vastly overpriced! Terrible value! by David S. from Philadelphia, PA Sailing date: Aug 2011 Pros: The food and hospitality of the staff. Cons: Cruise was disgracefully overbooked!! There were massive lines for most everything - dining rooms, elevators, activites. Literally no quiet areas could be found. Avoid this cruise like the plague- at least in the Summer. It was so ridiculously overbooked you could barely move. Sometimes moving up and down a few floors on elevators would take 15 minutes. The crowds overwhelmed everything. Wait times were insane. We could never find a table for the buffet. My parents were older and really struggled at times. What annoys me is that this cruise was very EXPENSIVE. I have been on far cheaper cruises with a much smaller passenger to staff ratio so even in RCCL's class of cruise this was awful. Cruising should be RELAXING not this stressful. The staff tried their best, but they were obviously overwhelmed. Also, the lack of enforcement of dress code was disgusting. Even in the formal dining rooms, most passengers dressed like bums - caps, hoodies, tank tops, bathing suits, short shorts, sneakers. Made a mockery of the published dressed dress code and no one in the staff even cared. This ship left from North Jersey and this was a pretty hard scrabble crowd. They obviously had no interest in the traditional decorum of a cruise. If you desire at least a modicum of traditional cruising decorum avoid this cruise and probably RCCL in general. I didn't think this would be a "booze-cruise" given the cost but I must admit I was wrong. RCCL markets itself as family-friendly but this cruise was definitely not - there were some real creepy people and tons of drunks - a little scary for kids IMO. Ship Details: Ship Quality Ship was impressive. A little tacky but definitely an engineering marvel. Dining room was beautiful. Would have enjoyed it so much more if there were fewer passengers. It was hard to move anywhere. Dining/Food Food was excellent. Buffet was very well stocked and most definitely better than any I have been to on land. Dining room food was superb. Every night was delicious. Some of the best food I have every had served in a restaurant. Stateroom Quality Room was OK. Obviously heavily used and badly in need of a refresh. However, the stateroom attendants were great and did their best to keep it clean. TV was ancient. Sofa had a visible stain (horrified trying to imagine what caused it given the type of people on this cruise.) Ship Staff Quality Staff was the best part of this cruise. They tried so hard to help and were so friendly - wonderful people. They come from all over the world and work almost non-stop for 6-7 months at a time. They are away from their families for most of the year and they are still so cheerful - amazing. They go out of their way to help, but were clearly overwhelmed by the crowds. Entertainment & Activities Entertainment was decent. First-night comedian was great. Gymnast show was fantastic. Ice show was so-so. I felt bad for the ice-skaters, they worked hard, but had a difficult time with the more complex routines, there were some falls. It must be so hard to ice skate on a rocking cruise ship, especially given the probably awful ice from the hot temperatures. Read this user's port of call reviews: King's Wharf, Bermuda Collapse List of Ports Ports of Call: King's Wharf, Bermuda Decent port, but you need to travel at least half an hour to get to Hamilton and all the nice beaches. Somewhat stressful. 10 out of 11 people found this review helpful. Did you find this review helpful? Overall Rating: About the Reviewer: Age: 30 - 49 Cruise Experience: 2 - 3 cruises Traveler Type: Family w/older children Stateroom Type: Balcony Vastly overpriced! Terrible value! by Lou S. from Philadelphia, PA Sailing date: Aug 2011 Pros: The food and hospitality of the staff. Cons: Cruise was disgracefully overbooked!! There were massive lines for most everything - dining rooms, elevators, activites. Literally no quiet areas could be found. Avoid this cruise like the plague- at least in the Summer. It was so ridiculously overbooked you could barely move. The crowds overwhelmed everything. Wait times were insane. We could never find a table for the buffet. My parents were older and really struggled at times. What annoys me is that this cruise was very EXPENSIVE. I have been on far cheaper cruises with a much smaller passenger to staff ratio so even in RCCL's class of cruise this was awful. Cruising should be RELAXING not this stressful. The staff tried their best, but they were obviously overwhelmed. Also, the lack of enforcement of dress code was disgusting. Even in the formal dining rooms, most passengers dressed like bums - caps, hoodies, tank tops, bathing suits, short shorts, sneakers. Made a mockery of the published dressed dress code and no one in the staff even cared. This ship left from North Jersey and this was a pretty hard scrabble crowd. They obviously had no interest in the traditional decorum of a cruise. If you desire at least a modificum of traditional cruising decorum avoid this cruise and probably RCCL in general. I didn't think this would be a "booze-cruise" given the cost but I must admit I was wrong. RCCL markets itself as famil-friendly but this cruise was definitely not - there were some real creepy people and tons of drunks - a little scary for kids IMO. Ship Details: Ship Quality Ship was impressive. A little tacky but definitely an engineering marvel. Dining room was beautiful. Would have enjoyed it so much more if there were fewer passengers. It was hard to move anywhere. Dining/Food Food was excellent. Buffet was very well stocked and most definitely better than any I have been to on land. Dining room food was superb. Every night was delicious. Some of the best food I have every had served in a restaurant. Stateroom Quality Room was OK. Obviously heavily used and badly in need of a refresh. However, the stateroom attendants were great and did their best to keep it clean. TV was ancient. Sofa had a visible stain (horrified trying to imagine what caused it given the type of people on this cruise.) Ship Staff Quality Staff was the best part of this cruise. They tried so hard to help and were so friendly - wonderful people. They come from all over the world and work almost non-stop for 6-7 months at a time. They are away from their families for most of the year and they are still so cheerful - amazing. They go out of their way to help, but were clearly overwhelmed by the crowds. Entertainment & Activities Entertainment was decent. First-night comedian was great. Gymnast show was fantastic. Ice show was so-so. I felt bad for the ice-skaters, they worked hard, but had a difficult time with the more complex routines, there were some falls. It must be so hard to ice skate on a rocking cruise ship, especially given the probably awful ice from the hot temperatures. Read this user's port of call reviews: King's Wharf, Bermuda Collapse List of Ports Ports of Call: King's Wharf, Bermuda Bermuda was beautiful - BUT you must drive at least a half hour to Hamilton of Horseshoe bay. The dockyard where you anchor is not that impressive 2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Did you find this review helpful? Overall Rating: About the Reviewer: Age: 50 - 65 Cruise Experience: 7+ cruises Traveler Type: Group Stateroom Type: Balcony Great! A wonderful cruise! by Larry M. from Princeton, New Jersey Sailing date: Jul 2011 Pros: We loved the itinerary and the ship Cons: Too expensive to play bingo and need a rock band playing 70s -80s music to dance to We like the Grand Promenade and the open areas. Cafe Promenade was our favorite place to meet. Excellent dance team and band at the shows. Ice show was terrific! Ship Details: Ship Quality Very clean! Staff working day and night Dining/Food Food was OK, nothing exceptional! Stateroom Quality Room was dirty when we arrived, Hair on the floor and in the shower. We mentioned to our room attendent and it was fine after that. Ship Staff Quality All hard workers! Extremely friendly! Entertainment & Activities Shows were good. Need a live band to play 70s and 80s dance music. Latin band was excellent! 3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Did you find this review helpful? Overall Rating: About the Reviewer: Age: 18 - 29 Cruise Experience: First cruise Traveler Type: Group Stateroom Type: Balcony A great cruise by Ray R. from New York, NY Sailing date: Jun 2011 Pros: Lots of activities, a funny engaging host The ship was huge, with lots to do. I spent a lot of time at the gym, which has a cardio area, a weights area, a sauna, and a steam room, and many classes. I also played a lot of ping pong, and spent time in one of the many hot tubs. We were worried that it would be crowded, since there were more then 3000 passengers. But it wasn't. Ship Details: Ship Quality Dining/Food Stateroom Quality Ship Staff Quality Entertainment & Activities Read this user's port of call reviews: King's Wharf, Bermuda Collapse List of Ports Ports of Call: King's Wharf, Bermuda 2 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Did you find this review helpful? Overall Rating: About the Reviewer: Age: 50 - 65 Cruise Experience: 4 - 6 cruises Traveler Type: Singles/friends Stateroom Type: Balcony bugged on cruise. trip ruined by SUZANNE L from hackettstown, nj Sailing date: Mar 2011 Pros: the itinerary. Cons: incident with bedbugs in our room. 2nd cruise on thiis ship. we would have enjoyed the cruise but for the problem with bed bugs in our room, and the way ship personnel delt with it. Ship Details: Ship Quality Dining/Food Stateroom Quality bed bugs Ship Staff Quality poor response to resolving bed bug problem. Entertainment & Activities Read this user's port of call reviews: Labadee (Cruiseline Private Island); San Juan, Puerto Rico; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S.V.I.; Samana, Dominican Republic Collapse List of Ports Ports of Call: Labadee (Cruiseline Private Island) San Juan, Puerto Rico Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S.V.I. Samana, Dominican Republic 9 out of 10 people found this review helpful. Did you find this review helpful? Overall Rating: About the Reviewer: Age: 50 - 65 Cruise Experience: First cruise Traveler Type: Couple Stateroom Type: Inside First time cruisers, It was Wonderful! by Gladys C from Edison, NJ Sailing date: Jan 2011 Pros: The staff was extremely professional, hard working and friendly. I loved that the day is posted on all elevator floors so you don't lose track of the day! Cons: It was a little difficult to come in from the ports between 4-6 and be ready for dinner seating at 6:00PM. Coffee at the Windjammer was not the best As First time cruisers our main problem was not knowing how to pack for a 14 day cruise. My husband felt that one suit would have been enough. Check -in was very efficient and quick. the days on the boat are very busy. You can chose to be busy or just relax. the music and the shows are superb. I strongly recommend to join an early morning ship tour on the ports you tender in, because, they will let you go out first- beating the "tendering" crowd. You should try to get a massage on your way back - they are wonderful up at the Spa. towards the return they offered a "Last days Special" that were very good. If you are a beach goer and your hair is bleached- the deep hair moisturizing treatment did wonders for my hair. Get it done early though, you need at leave it in for at least 1 hour. You get a sea pass attached to your credit card. You Have to be watchful and follow your balance on the interactive TV in your room. Any thing you need repaired- don't be afraid to ask your attendant to help you with. If you need towels to go ashore- big ones are given out by the pool with a 20 dollar deposit on each towel- so make sure you bring them back- get them the night before to avoid the morning crowed. Coffee in the Windjammer is pretty bad but, the coffee in the Promenade Cafe and the main dining rooms are Okay. Do take the trip insurance that Orbitz offers. My husband had an ear infection and needed to see the Doctor twice for a total over $450.00 USD. Bringing cash in small bills on land is very helpful to negotiate lower prices. Duty free liquor and souvenirs are way much cheaper on the ports than on the duty free ship stores. There will be sales night on alcohol, t-shirts, cameras jewelry, watches, handbags, scarves, purses etc... in the promenade area - you have to be watchful, because they are good sales. T-Shirts souvenirs from all the Islands will be available as you cruise back. Once we Disembarked we got one of the baggage stewards to help us with the luggage and he basically just rushed us right through Customs all the way to the pick-up area in about 5 minutes! Really worth the price of the tip! The people who carried their own bags were waiting in huge lines. We should have we taken our laptop to down load pictures in our camera as we ran out of space. Internet is very expensive. Internet Caf and Wi-Fi services at the ports is much cheaper. Be watchful of ports on Sundays -as most Caribbean Islands are very religious and stores will be closed. You are probably better of with taking a tour on Sundays. You should research tours not associated with the boat. We found the same tours to be literally half the price, and nowhere near as crowded. Orbitz also offers tours. Dont Forget to calculate tipping. You can pay it on your credit card or offer cash at the end of the cruise. Gratuity guidelines for each ship are found easily online. And they might feel somewhat high, but once you see how much they work for you, you wonder if you would do it yourself for the suggested gratuity. We Tipped a little bit extra. As I found out the front of the ship is always moving. So if this bothers you, you should get a room towards the back. Ship Details: Ship Quality This is Great Ship. Very huge. I needed to take a morning to "visit" the areas I had not seen - to get pictures. Dining/Food If you like to go off to Port. The 6:00 PM dining time was not very convenient, Specially with kids as you have to change for the dining room. Stateroom Quality Interior stateroom size was actually very comfortable for two of us. I believe the small sofa was a sofa bed. decor is very relaxing. Shampoo and soap are freely available. the room was always kept very clean Ship Staff Quality The staff is very friendly and everyone will go out of their way to help... even maintenance personnel would help. Bring small bills for individual tipping which is welcomed and very well deserved Entertainment & Activities There is so much entertainment that it is hard to know where to start. There are games, shows, Ice skating shows, comedians, music, concerts etc. main evening entertainments are usually offered twice a night. I do recommend that you get there at least half hour earlier as you might not find seats even if you have a ticket. They request you get a ticket for some shows. they will announce distribution time and place. But get there early anyway with your whole party as you can not save seats. Children's Programs There were plenty of children on this cruise. Our kids are adults but I checked it out for my three grandchildren (1,3 and 10 y/0) They have Arcade, Baby sitting areas, baby sitting service. different age appropriate activities. Teenagers have a Teenage only area. they are carefully watched and even I was not allowed in to the teenage area to take a picture when there were kids there. (I went when it was closed) so you know your teenager is not going to be approached by "strange" adults. there are cameras everywhere. security and safety are tight. 23 out of 25 people found this review helpful. Did you find this review helpful? Overall Rating: About the Reviewer: Age: 30 - 49 Cruise Experience: First cruise Traveler Type: Couple Stateroom Type: Inside FANTASTIC LOVED THE CRUISE!!! by A Traveler from rutland ma Sailing date: Oct 2010 Pros: THE CREW IS ACTULLY LIKE THE COMMERICAL HEPLFUL& FRIENDLY Cons: NOTHING We loved the whole thing from top to bottom.. first cruise.. felt real important like we we rich and famous but we aren't. Ship Details: Ship Quality Dining/Food Great food and plenty of it.. Stateroom Quality Great room plenty of room Ship Staff Quality friendly and go above and beyond 24/7 ... just like the commercial always friendly and a smile! Entertainment & Activities Read this user's port of call reviews: King's Wharf, Bermuda Collapse List of Ports Ports of Call: King's Wharf, Bermuda we enjoyed the tours on the island.. learning about the people and country. Don't Miss: Frog and onion 6 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Did you find this review helpful? Overall Rating: About the Reviewer: Age: 50 - 65 Cruise Experience: 7+ cruises Traveler Type: Couple Stateroom Type: Balcony the cruise was mainly for senoir citizen by Ken H from Clearfield, Pa Sailing date: Sep 2010 Pros: Boston Cons: lack of entertainment The ship was very nice and in excellent condition. The staff was very nice and helpful. The food was OK but not extradorinary and the 2 buffets that they had occurred without and announcement. They had a midnight buffet and a buffet in the promanade for 1 lunch but neither was announced. The entertainment was every good but there was not much of it. They usually had one show each night, shown twice but that was it. The piano music, dance music, etc all started after 9 pm. There was very little afternoon entertainment just a calypso band than played for 45 minutes every hour for 3 hours each afternoon. There were very few kids on board so the slide was only open for 2 hours per day. Ship Details: Ship Quality Dining/Food The food you got at sitdown dinners was very good but very limited in selections, usually limited to 5 main courses. Also the my time dinner didn't work out as there were very limited tables available and very few tables for two. The one time we got a table for 2 it was really a tablet for 6 with 4 empty seats which threw off the waiter as he was waiting for the table to fill up so it took a long time to get waited on. Everyone on the cruise must have eaten at the same time in the open buffets because it was hard to find seats there also. Stateroom Quality Ship Staff Quality Entertainment & Activities Excellent entertainment but very limited, on a 9 day cruise the ice rink had only 1 show which was repeated 4 times in 2 days, they could have had more shows. The comedians and outside singers only put on one show each and they could have had afternoon shows. Read this user's port of call reviews: Bar Harbor, Maine; Boston, Massachusetts; Portland, Maine; Halifax, Nova Scotia; Saint John, New Brunswick Collapse List of Ports Ports of Call: Bar Harbor, Maine Very nice town to visit and shop as there were alot of unique shops thet were very close together which made for a nice walk. Boston, Massachusetts The trolley tour of Boston and Cambridge was excellent as you can get off and on at every stop as the trolleys run every 15 minutes. Included in the tour was a free harbour cruise or Charles River cruise but we didn't have enough time to do them. The tour included a second day free but we were only there for one day. it was a very good deal for the money. Don't Miss: Fenway Park Portland, Maine We had toured this town before and there was not anything extrordinary. Halifax, Nova Scotia We toured before. Saint John, New Brunswick We toured before. 3 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Did you find this review helpful? Overall Rating: About the Reviewer: Age: 50 - 65 Cruise Experience: 2 - 3 cruises Traveler Type: Family w/young children Stateroom Type: Balcony Our cruise experience by A Traveler from NYC Sailing date: Jul 2010 Pros: Service was fine, ship is beautiful and well maintained, AC was a blast! Cons: Food was uneven - some excellent, some inedible; jr. suite was smaller than expected and drawer space was quite limited. Extra charges got annoying (for soda) as was the check in and check out of towels each day. The ship itself is huge and beautiful. The shops are somewhat limited and the food in the sit-down dining room was very uneven -- sometimes it was great, others it was quite poor. Lounge chairs fill up fast and the staff doesn't really control "saving" while passengers leave. We observed very poor behavior by a very few passengers who tossed other people's belongings onto the deck because they were left on their lounge chair even tho' they had left for more than the 30 min. limit. Ship Details: Ship Quality Dining/Food Stateroom Quality Ship Staff Quality Entertainment & Activities Read this user's port of call reviews: King's Wharf, Bermuda Collapse List of Ports Ports of Call: King's Wharf, Bermuda The staff on land at the pier, especially those from the ferries, were outright obnoxious. When asked where we get off the ferry, they replied, "Where did you get on?" When landing a distance from the ship, we asked how to get back to the ship, they replied, shouting, "You walk!" They failed to mention that there was a free mini-train shuttle. Don't Miss: Nothing at King's Wharf, but the Crystal Caves in Hamilton is a must see. However, there is an entry to the beach right there at no cost which they don't tell anyone. 5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Did you find this review helpful?
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