Did we make a mistake?

[lild428]

We just booked a 9 day cruise out of Bayonne on April 18th on Explorer of the Seas. It goes to Bermuda, San Juan, St. Thomas, and St. Maarten.

 

In reading some review about the ship, I am wondering if we made a huge mistake. We usually cruise on Norwegian ships. I've always been told/heard that RCL is very luxurious and has great food, entertainment, etc. I've been reading that the Explorer has crap food and no entertainment (people bored on sea days).

 

Is this true?? I'm starting to regret booking....

[Winnigirl]

If you read every review and take it at face value you're going to drive yourself nuts. Very often people write negative reviews because something went wrong on their vacation, or someone looked at them the wrong way, or the weather was crummy.

 

We've sailed on lots of Norwegian ships - I'd say that NCL and RCI are about on par, catering to basically the same kind of passengers. II certainly don't think that RCI is more "luxurious".

 

I think you should relax and look forward to your cruise.

[P&C4/16/67]

You will not regret booking the Explorer.

[djnj]

We were on the explorer last June and it was our first on royal. We loved it and booked our next rc just a few days ago. Just try it, I think you will see the reviews are wrong.

[lild428]

Thanks. Food is one of the things you look forward to on a cruise so I'd hate to be disappointed...

[coupleoffish]

We have been on Explorer twice out of Bayone and you will be happy on her. The shows are good, the CD is great, the crew is very friendly and the food was pretty good(not all of it to rave about) but it was good.

No matter what cruise you go on it's what you make of it and not what some people say on CC. CC is good for guide but not to plan your life buy, everyone has different oppions and outlooks.

[Langley Cruisers]

We have been on Explorer twice out of Bayonne and you will be happy on her....

 

Agreed, us two. We have sailed her twice. She is a beautiful ship with a great crew. As stated, food is subjective but I have never had trouble finding something delicious and satisfying (and indulgent too!) on any of our RCI cruises.

 

I stopped reading reviews for the very reasons mentioned; often, they are written by those who did not have a good time and are looking to complain about something. You can get an idea of the type of person they are by the tone of their reveiw. It was making me crazy, so I swore off reading any more reveiws. ;)

 

My motto is to pick your battles in this life. Don't sweat the small stuff and if something truly does go wrong, handle it as politely and kindly as possible. You always get back what you give.

 

Gosh, I'm full of clichés today! Bwahahahaha!!! :p

 

.

[luvscruising2007]

We love the Explorer. Our most recent cruise was in Dec. The crew was

fantastic, our CD was excellent, Leigh. The shows on RC ships are usually

very good. There may be a clunker occasionally but most are good. The

Ice show is fun and usually during the day.

Food is subjective. Some items great some just so,so. You won't starve.

Please, come back and give us your thoughts.

[mpdahmer]

We just disembarked this morning. This was our first RCI cruise and had a great trip. While the ship is older and could use some updating it was still a nice ship. We actually thought that the food was the best we have had on any of the lines/ships we sailed on. Food in the windjammer was good but repetitive and not as many choices as we had on other ships but still good.

Ship was incredibly smooth even for hitting some rougher water.

The Promenade was a sight to see and there was always stuff to do either on deck or around the ship.

We met plenty of people who either have sailed on her before or others who were going to book or already had booked another sailing on her.

 

Keep your booking and enjoy your cruise...wish we were going!!!

[akcruz]

Follow along with the live review on this thread

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1822384

 

Radio does reviews whenever he cruises and just left on a cruise on Explorer. He does a great job with pictures and telling it like it is. Once you read one of his reviews you will be anxiously awaiting your trip

[steveru621]

Buyer's remorse?

 

Seaday boredom can be a problem the first and last day because the pools are frequently closed during the colder months. We have always slept in and had a late breakfast. Try the spa, have a drink on the promenade, explore the shops on board, fitness center, casino, mini golf, and the CD will have lots of other activities.

 

The food is not crap! It's reasonable and there are lot of choices.

 

People who write bad reviews seem to want one small incident ruin their entire cruise. If you let that happen you are only throwing away money. The biggest benefit for us is we can drive to the port and don't spend 6 hours total; getting to the airport, security, flight time, luggage, and then getting to a hotel the day before the cruise. And of course the reverse when you get back to home port.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[Dharma517]

If NCL is acceptable to you than EOS will be fine. Its not luxury and the food probably won't be better but it isn't bad. You will be disappointed if you are expecting more. You are traveling in April so you also need to prepare to have some colder weather leaving and coming home.

[DragonOfTheSeas]

Any vacation I have ever taken has had a couple of "bumps" in the road. Travel is like that. So, when I read a review with negative comments I remember it and make sure that I try to be proactive in that area.

 

I have found comments regarding food are useless. What I like someone else hates. For example. We were on Explorer the first week they had the new menu. I ordered one of the Chicken Caesar entree salads for dinner. I did not like it at all. The chicken was breaded and fried. It was very hard. There was almost no dressing. [much more on the app salad] The croutons were 2 large pieces of french bread toasted to the crispness of melba taost. [i liked these] I recently read a review where the reviewer said this salad was a highlight of the food she ate. :confused:

 

I enjoy almost any meal I do not cook. :D

 

have a great cruise. We enjoyed the Explorer. Do not miss the ice show.

[smoosh21]

There is no luxury on Royal. If you are looking for that, you will be disappointed. If you need luxury, you need to sail a luxury line like Crystal and not a mainstream line.

 

If you a looking for a fun vacation with good food, friendly service, fun cruise staff, and decent accomodations, you will be fine.

 

I personally have no interest in sailing the luxury lines right now because they dont sound fun. I would rather spend time at an event like Quest.

[StarSong]

Any vacation I have ever taken has had a couple of "bumps" in the road. Travel is like that. So, when I read a review with negative comments I remember it and make sure that I try to be proactive in that area.

 

I have found comments regarding food are useless. What I like someone else hates. For example. We were on Explorer the first week they had the new menu. I ordered one of the Chicken Caesar entree salads for dinner. I did not like it at all. The chicken was breaded and fried. It was very hard. There was almost no dressing. [much more on the app salad] The croutons were 2 large pieces of french bread toasted to the crispness of melba taost. [i liked these] I recently read a review where the reviewer said this salad was a highlight of the food she ate. :confused:

 

I enjoy almost any meal I do not cook. :D

 

have a great cruise. We enjoyed the Explorer. Do not miss the ice show.

 

 

I so agree with your advice, Dragon. CC is a great resource but like most free advice (including mine), it's best taken with a grain of salt.

 

CC reviews are a lot like Amazon reviews. Sometimes people give a product a single star because they believe there was too much empty space in the shipping package. While I understand their environmental concerns, an overlarge box isn't a dealbreaker in my life. However, if I learn that numerous people have problems with the product and the customer support is rude or nonexistent, I'm likely to move on. If it broke after three years but I only need it for two weeks, the long-term durability is unimportant. You get what I mean, I'm sure.

 

If luxury and excellent food are the features you enjoy most on a cruise, then perhaps Celebrity would suit you better than RCI. However, if price is a big factor and good food and a comfortable, lovely ship will suit your needs, RCI is a great option. (I've yet to lose weight on one of their cruises.) I've found the crews to be polite and helpful, the ships' artwork interesting, the ocean gorgeous and the ports generally to be what I make of them.

 

JMHO, but I think you'll like the Explorer. We're going to be back on her in November!

[uksimonusa]

Did thissame cruise back in July, had a great time, food was good, but Explorer now has the new menus so should be even better.

[asylum575]

We've been on most of the lines and always have a good to great time. I refuse to let any one thing ruin my time with my family. That's what the vacation is about.

I crappy cruise would be something like what's been on the news recently. A fire or mechanical problems can really ruin a cruise. That said, I booked Explorer for August. We love driving to the port in Bayonne. NYC parking is nuts, $35/day vs $19/day in Bayonne.

If I want a really casual vacation with little luggage, I choose NCL. I prefer RCI and Celebrity for a more traditional cruise with formal nights. Both types of cruises have their appeal.

Enjoy your cruise, take advantage of all the activities.

[Guest maddycat]

We love the Explorer. We've sailed on her 8 times and have 3 more cruises booked on her. Service is excellent. The crew is very friendly and accommodating. We enjoy the food. We sailed on NCL (the Spirit and the Dawn) twice and find RCI a definite improvement in food, service, and entertainment. The Windjammer buffet is much better than NCL's buffets in both quality and variety. RCI's main dining room food is superior to NCL's. As mentioned by others, the ice shows are wonderful. The ship might be 13 yrs. old, but it is still beautiful and well maintained.

[WeLove2CruiseRCI]

If you read 1 of the reviews I read I understand why your concerned but don't be. It's a great ship with one of the best cruise directors on board right now, Richard Spacey. The staff is very good. Stop in the Crown & Kettle pub after 9pm and listen to Marty Daniels, tell him Jeff & Pam sent you. It's a vacation and it's all in what you make it! Enjoy!

[C Cruise Dude]

We just booked a 9 day cruise out of Bayonne on April 18th on Explorer of the Seas. It goes to Bermuda, San Juan, St. Thomas, and St. Maarten.

 

In reading some review about the ship, I am wondering if we made a huge mistake. We usually cruise on Norwegian ships. I've always been told/heard that RCL is very luxurious and has great food, entertainment, etc. I've been reading that the Explorer has crap food and no entertainment (people bored on sea days).

 

Is this true?? I'm starting to regret booking....

 

I noticed in your signature that you have cruised on the Pearl, same here and it is one of my favorite ships. My first cruise on Royal was on Explorer and it was great. The ship definitely has the Wow to it, you will experience that when you see the Royal Promenade. The food was some of the best that I have ever had on a cruise. The people on the ship were great. The only negatives that I had was leaving from the north, it took a day and a half to get to Caribbean type weather (the first day and the last were a loss) and the seas were rough (not Royal's faults) and LOL, the ice cream in the MDR was the worst stuff I have ever had (soft serve ice cream outside the Windjammer was the best). Enjoy your cruise on Explorer and forget about the negative reviews, some people can never be pleased.

[ItsAllAboutTheSass]

I treat reviews like gymnastics scoring. Throw out the top ones and bottom ones and what is left is a good representation of what you have.

[Esmerelda]

As you can see from my signature, I've done Freedom class, and Oasis class and lastly; we did the Explorer last October. I must say I was a bit concerned being as the Explorer was smaller than all of the other cruises we've taken.

 

To be quite honest, the Explorer was one of our best RC cruises yet! The staff were wonderful and we had no issue with any food. My guess is, you will have a very good cruise. :)

[jenesaisquoi]

DH and I did the 9-day cruise on the Explorer last April/May and another 9-day cruise on NCL's Gem in November. We had a terrific time on both cruises. We thought the food on the Explorer was better than on the Gem. Don't miss the Tutti Salad Bar in the MDR for lunch on sea days. We also had a great dinner at Portofino--the specialty restaurant. Nothing we ate on the Explorer could be rated as "crap." It was all very good.

 

Also, we really enjoyed the entertainment on board. If you are lucky enough to have Richard Spacey as your cruise director, as we did, you will love the pre-show presentations. He was a riot. As far as sea days go, we were never bored. In fact, we thought there were more activities available on Explorer than on our other cruises with Carnival and NCL. As other posters have said, don't miss the ice show.

 

Spend the next few days before your cruise, looking forward to it with excitement. :D It's a great ship and itinerary. I'm jealous. Wish I were going on it this year.

[smeck]

Last April I cruised on the explorer on a nine day cruise and loved it. Very good crew, food was good not great but the nine days seemed like 2 which speaks volumes. Only negative were the shows I thought they were a bit old and had to get younger. Go and have fun.

[lild428]

Thank you for all the reassurance! I would love to try the Oasis class but $$ talks and I live in upstate NY so boarding a train to NYC is cheaper and easier. I am looking forward to the boat much more now. I do notice, however, that NCL has a lot more specialty dining options, but hopefully I will not miss these options on the Explorer :) I will be sure to check out the ice show since everyone has raved about it. Now, the only thing that is stressful is only having just 10 days to pack LOL