Explorer of the Seas - Condition?

[MOSusan]

We will be on the Explorer of the Seas in 30 days.  We originally booked an April cruise which was to be after the dry dock.  They changed the dry dock dates and cancelled out cruise, so now we are going before the dry dock. 

 

If you have sailed her recently, how is she looking?  Did you have a good experience?

[cb at sea]

RCI keeps their ships up very well...  Any maintenance that can be done at sea, IS done!  Dry docks are for things that cannot be done while cruising, like painting the hull, or changing out engines or other heavy maintenance.

[Crism]

Onboard now. There is wear and tear but that's on any ship. Sure there are some windows that need replacing, but they are here and there. Not too noticable. She's got the original bar setups at the pool deck...those get used, a LOT!

 

BUT, compared to my cruise in November, Miami has replaced ALL of the old pool chairs. She's got all brand new ones now. The crew washes and paints where they can, and the inside is still beautiful!

 

Enjoy the trip and don't look too much into it. We're having a blast, the food is great, and the ice show/production shows are fabulous.

[Heatherco]

Hi there!  We are sailing her on the Feb 7 sailing.  I asked this a day or two ago and from what I am gathering is that there some things that need to be taken care of but nothing that will spoil my trip. (Can search for my thread).

 

Some recent reviews haven’t been great but there have only been one or two reviews.  When you consider that most people who don’t have anything bad to say, probably don’t take the time to post their reviews.  But people who have had a less than great experience tend to voice their concerns to warn others.

 

Yes, it is an older ship that needs updating.  Some of the crew were recently at the end of their contracts and seemed to not care as much.  To me, this is all what I would expect on a ship getting ready to go in dry dock.  

 

However, se have been on the Explorer several times and have always had a great time.  I’m hoping this one will be too!

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[Rewind]

46 minutes ago, Crism said:

Onboard now. There is wear and tear but that's on any ship. Sure there are some windows that need replacing, but they are here and there. Not too noticable. She's got the original bar setups at the pool deck...those get used, a LOT!

 

BUT, compared to my cruise in November, Miami has replaced ALL of the old pool chairs. She's got all brand new ones now. The crew washes and paints where they can, and the inside is still beautiful!

 

Enjoy the trip and don't look too much into it. We're having a blast, the food is great, and the ice show/production shows are fabulous.

 

Keep the ship in good shape, I board in two days!  🙂

 

[SteelCityCruiser10]

1 minute ago, Rewind said:

 

Keep the ship in good shape, I board in two days!  🙂

 

Same for you! We board in 11 days. 🥳

Last time we were on Explorer was 2018 in Alaska.  Looking forward to a warm weather Explorer experience!!

[kruzerci]

1 hour ago, cb at sea said:

RCI keeps their ships up very well...  Any maintenance that can be done at sea, IS done!  Dry docks are for things that cannot be done while cruising, like painting the hull, or changing out engines or other heavy maintenance.

 

This is generally true, but not completely. The captain said during the Q&A that a lot of projects were waiting for drydock (i.e. replacement windows are onboard but not installed).

 

We were on Explorer a few weeks ago for 9 nights and it is definitely the most tired and worn looking ship that we have sailed on out of 30+ sailings. You will notice some broken weatherproof windows (primarily in the Viking Crown and Windjammer which you cant see through), two of the elevators were routinely not working while we were on-board (they would open the doors 3-4 times but never move and maintenance would have to reset them), rusty balconies, dated and worn decor/seating in Windjammer/Cafe Promenade/etc.  

 

I will say cabins on the ship were refurbished during the last major revamp about 5 years ago and looked good. Our balcony cabin had a new-er couch, more modern blue/grey decor, etc and we were happy with it. 

[Crism]

Mostly true in the post above. I haven't had any issues with elevators as I avoid them 95% of the time and just take the stairs. Our Promenade View cabin is fine with no issues. There's been 1 broken TV/wayfinder on our floor that hasn't been fixed, but it's the only one I've seen out of operation.

 

Biggest gotcha I've seen from this ship....the internet. It works for basic stuff but I'd reconsider a "Steam" package. We've had both Surf and Surf/Stream and there's been no noticable difference...both terribly slow. Wifi texting and websites are fine, but that's it. There's also no app for this ship (coming after refurb). Enjoy the vacation...you don't need internet anyways 🤣

[mcatmcat]

For me the issue is not the condition of the ship but the crew attitude. Maybe its coincidence but the 2 times that I booked a ship weeks before a dry dock ( without me knowing)the crew seem fatigued and ready to either go home on vacation or jump to another ship in a fresh start. Prices are cheaper before dry dock but its a mistake I wont do anymore.    

[Crism]

18 minutes ago, mcatmcat said:

For me the issue is not the condition of the ship but the crew attitude. Maybe its coincidence but the 2 times that I booked a ship weeks before a dry dock ( without me knowing)the crew seem fatigued and ready to either go home on vacation or jump to another ship in a fresh start. Prices are cheaper before dry dock but its a mistake I wont do anymore.    

 

Not for Explorer on this one. They've swapped out a lot of bar staff once the ship hit Miami. I barely recognize anyone from November. Ice cast and singers/dancers are here until March, but they're fabulous!

[mattR]

Just got off the Explorer Jan 5th.  There are a fair amount of windows that need replacing but that was really the only thing I noticed.  Cruise was very enjoyable the ice show was great.  The food was also great only didn't enjoy the chicken cordon blue one night but really enjoyed all the other meals.  There was such bad reviews the week before we boarded I was concerned but I was very happy with our cruise.  

[BuckeyeMark]

I second (or third!) what everyone is saying ... I was on it in November and the ship was great.  Food was incredible.  Crew was good too.  Really had a great time.  There have certainly been very different reviews, "which just shows to go you" that people look for different things and evaluate cruises differently.  We liked the boat a lot.  A lot.  I think you'll be very happy.  And after the dry dock ... look out!

[Johnamac123]

Sailed Explorer Nov 29-Dec 8. I saw no issues with the ship. I was able to find pool area chairs. I like the R Bar for my pre-dinner drink and the service was always great. My only issues were with food quality in MDR, Excursion Desk and Guest Services. Those issues earned me a 30% FCC. 

 

Everything the leadership told us about drydock sounded awesome, especially the "sports bar" venue. Great size ship on great cruise itineraries makes an awesome combination. 

[Trickie Dickie]

Was just on Explorer. Here are a couple of videos...

Promenade

My room

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[MOSusan]

Thank you everyone for the replies.  This will be cruise number 14 with 10 of them being on Royal Caribbean.  We are taking 3 other couples, 2 of which have never sailed with Royal and I hope to make a good impression on them. 

 

29 days until we sail and I can almost taste it!

 

As I always say, a bad day at sea is better than a good day at work!

[Fa-Li]

45 minutes ago, MOSusan said:

Thank you everyone for the replies.  This will be cruise number 14 with 10 of them being on Royal Caribbean.  We are taking 3 other couples, 2 of which have never sailed with Royal and I hope to make a good impression on them. 

 

29 days until we sail and I can almost taste it!

 

As I always say, a bad day at sea is better than a good day at work!

 

We are on Explorer at the end of February, and this is my situation - we're happy with Royal and won't mind if not everything is perfect, but we are "dragging" my aunt and uncle with us.  They think they prefer Princess and I'm worried this will be a poor introduction to Royal.  

 

I alternate between worried I've steered them wrong, and reminding myself that when we cruised with them one Christmas on Princess, we had the same service issues another poster complained about on Explorer during this past Christmas.  I think maybe the best crew gets that time off to be with their families, no matter the line, making for a less than ideal service experience.  Anyway, the replies on this thread have encouraged me, so thanks @MOSusan for starting it!