Explorer or Emerald Princess?

[Tropical Fish Biz]

We are currently booked on the newer Emerald Princess for April 2009 but I've been looking at the Explorer of the Seas itineraries and am thinking about changing my reservation.

 

Can someone tell me the differences between the two and the advantages of one over the other. Price wise, we could get a full suite for the same price we are paying for a mini-suite on the Emerald (9 days vs. 10 days, however.)

 

I've been on both cruise lines and currently prefer Princess, but I hear good things about the Explorer...different class than Vision of the Seas which is the only RCI I've been on. We like the fact the buffet is open 24 hours on Princess and on RCI, pizza or room service is the only late night option.

 

I'd love to hear opinions from CC members who have experience with both lines.

 

Thanks!

[Cruiser-T]

I am assuming you are looking at the Explorer out of Cape Liberty, New Jersey. For starters, why in the world would you want to waste two days cruising to/from Jersey, that does not sound appealing to me at all when you can depart from Florida. Secondly - The Explorer cruise is nothing more than a glorified 7 night cruise with extra day each way to/From Jersey and it may be cold in April in Jersey.

 

The Explorer was built in 2000 the Emerald in 2007. The Emerald has an exotic itinerary, the Explorer itinerary, well....been there, done that (except Jersey). I'm going Emerald, one month before you, personally, I would never have even considered the Explorer, no comparison IMO between these two itineraries and ships. PLUS - One extra night on Emerald, 10 versus 9.

[aqhacruiser]

I can't tell you about the Emerald but I can tell you about the Explorer:) As far as I'm concerned the Voyager Class ships beat out anything Princess can float! :D You can't really compare the Vision class with the Voyager class as it's so different. The Promanade Cafe is open 24 hours as well as room service. The ship was built in 2000 but it's in excellent condition and there are tons of pics and videos on the Explorer thread for you to see also. The Explorer offers 5 night Bermuda, 9 night Eastern Caribbean, 12 night Southern Caribbean, 9 night New England/Canada and 9 night all Canada from Cape Liberty. The crew is excellent, more activities and amenities then anyone could ever see or do in one cruise, Portifino's, Johnny Rockets, dining rooms, Windjammer Buffet, ice skating, 2 main pools, 1 adult, 1 kiddie, live music everynight in several lounges, rock wall, mini golf, Miami University Ocean Lab, Royal Promanade, Palace Theater, Children programs, teen center, Concierge lounge included with grand suite and up that includes free open bar in lounge from 530-830 every evening, continental breakfast in morning and full service concierge to help you with appointments/reservations, ice shows, disco, etc. etc.:D Personally I enjoy the sea days as they are relaxing but you may want to be in a port everyday. Check out the All Things Explorer thread and the reviews for the Explorer to get a better idea to compare and enjoy your cruise whichever you decide. I will admit I am biased as I've been on the Explorer many times and I can choose any ship out of NYC but I still go back to the Explorer:)

[Cruiser-T]

It figures I would get the lead cheerleader for Explorer to respond to this thread. Look, I do not want to make the a Royal versus Princess thread. I have cruised Royal twice and have loved it (Voyager and Radiance class). We have friends who rave about Princess and we are going to try it out. For the "cheerleader" to make the statement that "Voyager class ships beat anything that Princess can float" is absurd and short sighted.

 

You asked for some opinions and you are certainly going to get what you asked for. Do your research and make your own decisions based on that. Oh BTW, I enjoy "at sea" days also in the Carribean, the thought of having/wasting two at sea days to/from Jersey does not sound at all intriguing to me, unless you want to be inside "shopping the Promenade or playing bingo."

[vmom]

I have been on the Caribbean Princess and the Explorer and plan to cruise the Emerald next year.

 

Frankly I would stay with the cruise on the Emerald just for the itinerary. The ports for the Emerald are more varied and more interesting than the Explorer and as a previous poster said, the extra days on the Explorer are spent getting back and forth from NY to the Caribbean.

 

I have been on 2 Voyager class ships and enjoyed them, however I found them to be rather claustophobic after a couple days. I prefer seeing the sea around me and with the large atrium area, there are less views of the sea unless you stay on the top pool decks. I felt like I was in a floating mall rather than on a ship. I would go on a Voyager class ship again, but do prefer the non Voyager class. If you have a chance in the future to try out a Voyager or Freedom class I would recommend that you do, but for now I would stick with the Emerald.

[Tropical Fish Biz]

Thank you all for your comments.

 

We too like the sea days over more ports. The 12-day itinerary on Explorer has some great ports, the 9-day, not so much, but the price was tempting. We're also from So California and have never been to NY so that was another draw, but I hadn't thought of the cooler weather in April. (Since it is always warm in CA ;) )

 

We are traveling with friends, so we will probably go with our current booking. Another plus is we put a "future cruise deposit" down on our last cruise, so no additional payment is due until Juanuary 2009. :D

 

In the future we will try one of the larger RCI ships. Thanks, again...and enjoy your vacations!

[caviargal]

The Emerald has the Sanctuary which is unique and appealing as well as an additional adults only pool. It also has a sushi bar and offers Anytime Dining, a plus IMO. I like the design of the ship's interior rather than the mall like feeling on Voyager and Freedom class (based on the other Princess ships in this class that I have seen).

 

I am not a fan of Voyager class ships or large ships in general but am currently contemplating a cruise on Emerald. Princess has recently upgraded their menus and the menus are more interesting than recent RCI offerings IMO and IME. Also, one can bring wine and pay a corkage fee on Princess, something we prefer to do. RCI does not allow this.

 

The Emerald itinerary is terrific and I like iidea of the adult only pools and Sanctuary a lot. IME, the adult only Solarium on RCI is randomly enforced and always crowded. We prefer to avoid kids when on vacation and RCI is very family focused. Princess appeals in this regard as well. Just for the heck of it, I think it's time to give Princess a try.:)

[Cruiser-T]

The Emerald has the Sanctuary which is unique and appealing as well as an additional adults only pool. It also has a sushi bar and offers Anytime Dining, a plus IMO. I like the design of the ship's interior rather than the mall like feeling on Voyager and Freedom class (based on the other Princess ships in this class that I have seen).

 

I am not a fan of Voyager class ships or large ships in general but am currently contemplating a cruise on Emerald. Princess has recently upgraded their menus and the menus are more interesting than recent RCI offerings IMO and IME. Also, one can bring wine and pay a corkage fee on Princess, something we prefer to do. RCI does not allow this.

 

The Emerald itinerary is terrific and I like iidea of the adult only pools and Sanctuary a lot. IME, the adult only Solarium on RCI is randomly enforced and always crowded. We prefer to avoid kids when on vacation and RCI is very family focused. Princess appeals in this regard as well. Just for the heck of it, I think it's time to give Princess a try.:)

 

Very nicely stated!!

[Langley Cruisers]

Shelley, we are also booked on Emerald in April 2009, and have sailed Explorer before, and will again next year. The Emerald itinerary and ship itself appeals to us, plus we have family in one of the island ports and look forward to seeing them. Explorer is like an old friend, though - we loved her and know what to expect. We're excited about trying Princess. We'll see!

[qsuzi]

We have been on the Explorer and the Emerald and they are our favorite RCL and Princess ships to date. Our choice would be the Emerald for the itinerary, atmosphere, dining times, and overall features on the ship; (there are some things better on the Explorer and some on the Emerald). What is important to you, e.g., atmosphere, public rooms, itinerary, dining times, updated bedding, ship flow?

[737NG]

I have sailed both and I would have to say Explorer all the way. Don't be fooled by Emerald just because she is new. Our cruise on her was not that good mostly because of the poor service. From the activities and the open air feeling offered by the voyager class ships and the service you can't go wrong.

[vmom]

I have sailed both and I would have to say Explorer all the way. Don't be fooled by Emerald just because she is new. Our cruise on her was not that good mostly because of the poor service. From the activities and the open air feeling offered by the voyager class ships and the service you can't go wrong.

 

This is meant as a respectful observation:

 

Funny how different people perceive things differently. You describe the Explorer as having an "open air feel" Where as I felt the Explorer (or Voyager class) gave me a very closed in, claustrophobic feel.

 

I guess its different strokes for different folks, which is why I'm glad there are different types of ships, and my goal is to try them all.

[caviargal]

What is important to you, e.g., atmosphere, public rooms, itinerary, dining times, updated bedding, ship flow?

 

The bedding is one of the reasons I have not been on Princess in years. How is it on Emerald?

 

vmom, I agree with you. Voyager felt very closed in to me; could have been at the mall as there was no feel of being at sea.

[cruzobsessed]

can someone tell me what the itinerary IS on the emerald?

[qsuzi]

The bedding is one of the reasons I have not been on Princess in years. How is it on Emerald?quote]

The bedding, especially the duvet, is the most comfortable we have ever experienced. Dear 737NG-So sorry but we found the crew/staff eager to please going the extra bit to make the cruise experience memorable. We did love the Explorer and it's difficult to compare because both ships are so different yet great. That's why I asked what was important to the OP. They will enjoy their experience whatever they decide.

[threeofus]

As far as cruiselines...Princess and RCL are pretty much the same....so I would look at itinerary and if it's more exotic as some say...then go for it. It's time RCL took their itinerary to the next level.

 

BTW - IMHO - Anytime dining is a good thing.

 

Have fun!

 

Also..... maybe I missed something...but if it sails out of NJ and you are close by.....what is the questions??? Driving to a port instead of flying is a plus plus plus!!!

[737NG]

The bedding is one of the reasons I have not been on Princess in years. How is it on Emerald?quote]

 

The bedding, especially the duvet, is the most comfortable we have ever experienced. Dear 737NG-So sorry but we found the crew/staff eager to please going the extra bit to make the cruise experience memorable. We did love the Explorer and it's difficult to compare because both ships are so different yet great. That's why I asked what was important to the OP. They will enjoy their experience whatever they decide.

 

No one has to be sorry....different people prefer different things. Some people enjoyed their Emerald sailing some didn't. We tried the Emerald and Princess and found out we preferred RC because of certain things and experiences. That's the beauty of having choices.......why not try them all at least once.

[3redheads]

I haven't been on Princess in years, but here is a link to a bunch of reviews:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/getreviews.cfm?action=ship&ShipID=377

[Tropical Fish Biz]

Thanks to those who have responded.

 

Things important to us: service, food, variety of pool areas, open feeling-ocean views. Itinerary is nice, but we have been to quite a few places in the Carribean area. We like to see new places, but the overall experience is equally important.

 

We also would prefer not vacationing with Spring Breakers. We have raised our kids, and though we don't have anything against other's kids, when on vacation, we just don't want to have to deal with the out of control ones.

 

I'm not sure I would like the "floating mall" effect, but I love RCCL's dining rooms...so grand and open. We choose Traditional Dining on Princess, but whether you go with Traditional or Anytime dining, the rooms are smaller, intimate, and have low ceilings. RCCL wins out here.

 

The reason I asked the question in the first place is not all the reviews for the Emerald have been very complementary, however, most seem to like the Explorer. (This thread is proof there are some who LOVE her ;) ) But she is new, and we are hoping that maybe she just needs time to work out the bugs.

 

Answers to some of the posted questions:

 

We always get an egg-crate and have not had a bad bed experience.

 

The Emerald is going to: Aruba, Bonaire, Grenada, Dominica, St. Thomas (only repeat port for us) and Princess Cay.

 

(Langley cruisers: I saw your thread on the Emerald Roll Call, you will be on her the week before our scheduled trip. If I remember right, you will be going to St Kitts and St Lucia. We liked that itinerary too. Have a great time!)

 

The Explorer has a less than glamous itinierary on the 9 day (again it was the radical price difference that had me looking at this one.) The 12-day cruise however, has some interesting ports. Their website isn't working for me right now so I can't quote them, but definately more exotic than others I've seen from RCCL.

 

We live in California, so unless we want to go to Mexico (again) or Hawaii, we have to fly towards the east coast.

 

All in all, I agree with the post that the two lines are comparable. I'm sure both have pros and cons. We are going to stick with Princess this time around, but are open to seeing what RCCL has for us in the future.

 

Let's face it, the best day at home doesn't compare with even the worst day of cruising. Happy and safe sailings to all!