SIZE MATTERS

The second of five in the Voyager Class series for Royal Caribbean, the Explorer of the Seas weighs in at 138,194 tons, boasting 1640 cabins on 14 decks.  With a passenger capacity of 3,284 and crew of 1,185, the Explorer of the Seas was launched in 2000 and carries a Cruise Critic approval rating of 4.5 stars out of 5 with just over 1,800 reviews.  

Explorer of the Seas

Generally I prefer ships in the range of 2000 passengers but the enticement in this cruise was the itinerary, a 23-day Seattle to Sydney Trans Pacific sailing.  The Explorer of the Seas set sail from Seattle’s Smith Cove Cruise Terminal Pier #91.  Be sure you check your documents carefully and arrange your transfers to the correct terminal.  Nothing is more frustrating than to arrive at a cruise terminal and discover you are at the wrong one.  Seattle has two.  The Bell Street Pier Cruise Terminal is located downtown and is home to Norwegian Cruise Lines and Oceana Cruise Lines.  The second terminal is the Smith Cove CruiseTerminal Pier #91 located North of town.  Carnival Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises and Royal Caribbean all depart from this terminal. 

I anticipated the check-in process to be tedious for a ship the size of the Explorer of the Seas.  I arrived at the cruise terminal at 9:40am and my large checked bag was quickly whisked away.  I then proceeded to the back of the line and waited for the doors to open at 11:00am.   Once inside the terminal the check-in process was quick and efficient taking less than 10 minutes.   My group boarding number was called at 11:30am and the boarding process was unhurried and totally stress free.   Access to the cabin was anytime after 1pm so with a small roller bag in tow I proceeded to the Sapphire dining room, Deck 3, for lunch.   The three level dining room is very inviting and linked by a grand staircase that features fluted golf leaf columns, golden velvet curtains and a ceiling dome with gold bursts, stars and fibre optics. 

Grand Staircase in the Sapphire Dining Room

Ceiling of Sapphire Dining Room

Sapphire Dining Room from Grand Staircase

I was very disappointed with the food service the first few days of the sailing but the quality improved significantly as the days passed.  By disembarkation I found it to be quite good.    

The size of the ship affords ample space for some unique activities, including an ice skating rink, rock-climbing wall, full-size basketball court, FlowRider surfing simulator, wedding chapel and a miniature golf course just to name a few.  There is also a fully equipped gym with gorgeous views of the ocean.   The pool deck houses a big screen TV for watching “Movies under the stars”.  You will also find three pools and six hot tubs, one of which is open 24/7.  You will also be amazed at the $11 Million dollar art collection on board.   

Miniature Golf Course

Movies "Under the Stars"

FlowRider Wave Simulator

Wedding Chapel (photo by Cruise Critic)

Ice Skating Ring

The Royal Promenade is the pulse and heart beat of the ship.  Longer than a football field and wider than three lanes of traffic, the street is lined with pubs, shops and a café with ample seating for people watching.  This is also the location for numerous street parties and parades, including a fun “Rock Britannia” party.  One of my favorite street parties was Hayden Smith, accompanied by wife Alexa Massey.  Alexa vocals were excellent but I found the musicality of Hayden Smith to be outstanding.  Not only is he an accomplished vocalist but he also played the guitar, alto sax, soprano sax, and flute.   This was just all around great entertainment. 

Royal Promenade

Royal Promenade

Royal Promenade

During the cruise I set my clock back 7 times.  In addition to crossing the equator, I also lost an entire day when we crossed the International Date Line.   One unique feature of this ship is that the day of the week is inset in the carpet of the elevators and is changed daily.  

Floor of the elevator

The captain advised that the passenger count for our cruise represented 46 countries with the United States leading the list with close to 1500.  Next came Australia with 800, then Canada with 475 and the United Kingdom in fourth position with 123.

A favorite ‘great value’ special was the $2 Mimosas offered each sea day at 11:30am in the Casino Bar. 

$2 Mimosa Specials every sea day in the Casino Bar

A favorite show was “Spirits of the Season” in the Ice Skating Rink.  Featuring an international cast, the show combined beautiful costumes with outstanding skating to present a superb ‘not to be missed’ show.   You might want to take a sweater as I found it a little cool.

Spirits of the Seasons in the Ice Skating Ring

Spirits of the Seasons in the Ice Skating Ring

Spirits of the Seasons in the Ice Skating Ring

I have always loved the design and layout of the Royal Caribbean fleet and this ship did not disappoint me.   I found it reasonably easy to navigate with numerous signs and placards located throughout the ship.  

Electronic boards throughout the ship

Complete Deck Plan throughout the ship

Signs for each deck

I took most of my meals in the Sapphire Dining Room but three times I found myself in the Windjammer Marketplace, the main buffet located on deck 11.  It featured mediocre, steam-table cuisine with the exception of a cook to order omelet station for breakfast and the carving station for lunch. I found the noise and large crowds hard to handle. 

Windjammer Marketplace Buffet

Windjammer Marketplace (photo by Cruise Critic)

Guten Free section in Windjammer Marketplace

On one of the shore excursion days, I opted to try out room service, ordering the complimentary breakfast.  Depending on what you order there may be a ‘mandatory delivery service charge’ so check the menu closely for hidden fees.  Delivery was scheduled between 6:30-7:00am and it arrived promptly at 6:32am.  Milk for the cereal was missing but that proved to be my fault.  I assumed milk would be standard with dry cereal but it must be ordered separately.  A call to room service and it arrived within a few short minutes.  I found eating in the room awkward and burdensome however, so did not repeat room service for the remainder of the cruise.  Another feature I did not like was the standard orange juice served at breakfast.  It was very watered down and tasted similar to Tang.  If you wanted ‘real’ orange juice you had to pay extra, about $4USD, per glass.  This was totally unacceptable to me.  

Room Service Complimentary Breakfast

I like having coffee in the mornings but there are only two places on the entire ship where you would find coffee without a charge.  One is in the Windjammer buffet and the other is at the Café Promenade, located in the Royal Promenade.  

Cafe Promenade

Evening shows in the Palace Theatre included three big production numbers performed by the Royal Caribbean Singers and Dancers.  The first production was titled “Invitation to Dance”.  A sensual and passionate world-class production featuring Ballroom and Latin dance that included the Ballroom Champions, Lullia and Anton, from Russia.   

From "Invitation to Dance"

From "Invitation to Dance"

Next came “Wild, Cool and Swingin” featuring the slick Broadway style of New York, the romance of San Francisco, the rhythm and blues of Chicago, the hot Latin Quarter of Miami and the high life of the Las Vegas Rat Pack. 

From "Wild, Cool and Swingin" (photo courtesy of JT Seumatu)

From "Wild, Cool and Swingin" (photo courtesy of JT Seumatu)

The third was titled “Fast Forward”, an energetic fast paced journey paying homage to the movie musicals of the 70’s and 80’s and the pop music they created.

From "Fast Forward"

Other headline entertainers included the comedy of Chris Bliss; funny con man and pickpocket king Bob Arno; singer, impressionist and pianist Bobby Arvon; Australias Rock Piano sensation Jon Dansk; funny, quick witted and clever comedy of Col Cameron; comedian Jeff Nease; Australia’s own hypnotist Shane St James; improve piano man David Curtis; star of Chicago the musical for 4 years Chelsea Gibbs and Larry Price, singer, comedian and impressionist. 

There was an adult only game called “The Quest” that stands out in my memory.  It’s hilarious and one of the wildest shows I have ever seen.  The audience is divided into teams and each team selects a male and a female captain.  It all started off very innocently with the Cruise Director asking for each team to produce a photo ID drivers license.  I thought to myself that the game seemed fairly mild for an adult game but each request from the Cruise Director became increasingly more intimate. At one point he asked for a woman to come down wearing a pair of mans trousers turned inside out and backwards.  The man sitting on my immediate left immediately jumped up and took off his trousers, handing them over to a woman who turned them inside out, put them on backwards and raced down to the Cruise Director.  There are some things you just can’t ‘un-see’.  It was truly a unique and fun event and one that made me laugh constantly. 

No telling what you will see at the adult game "The Quest"

The 23-day adventure on the Explorer of the Seas was not superior but I can say that overall it was certainly a good experience and I would certainly cruise on the ship again.   The best part was the terrific people I met from all around the world.  My personal rating would be 4 out of 5 stars.