Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas

 

“Never a ship sails out of a bay, but carries my heart as a stowaway.”

Roselle Mercier Montgomery

In February, we went on a cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas with a group of friends, some that we have known for over forty years. Our cruise was headed to the A, B, C islands (Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao). Our group, had planned this trip for about three years with the help of our wonderful cruise planner, Mike Moyer. This trip was a long time coming because it was canceled last year because of Covid. When it actually happened this year, we couldn’t have been more excited.

Since this cruise left out of San Juan. we flew to San Juan from Atlanta a couple days prior to the cruise so we could explore Old San Juan. When we arrived in San Juan, we grabbed a taxi to our hotel, the Sheraton in Old San Juan, and got settled in. It was a very nice hotel and convenient to the cruise port.

Unfortunately, our ship was not docked in one of the cruise docks right in front of the Sheraton as we hoped. Instead, our ship was parked a good distance from our hotel on the other side of town. When we were riding in our taxi to the port, our driver pointed out a husband and wife pulling their luggage to the port. He told us they called that walk “the walk of despair.” That is because, it doesn’t look like the ship is that far so some figure they can save some money and walk. So they head out walking, but by the time they get to the port, they are both hot, exhausted, and mad at each other for walking. Not a great way to start a vacation.

Video Arcade

The day we flew out of Atlanta, we took a rapid antigen test for Covid first thing in the morning and got a negative result, much to our delight. Royal Caribbean required a negative test within two days of the sailing. Once we we got in line at the cruise port, the first thing they wanted to see was our negative Covid test as well as our vaccination card showing we were fully vaccinated. After clearing that station, we went on to the next station where they wanted to see our passports, negative Covid test paperwork, tickets, and got us checked into the ship. As soon as we were finished, we got our ship card and got to board the ship. It was a very smooth process.

Our favorite band on the ship

Explorer of the Seas is in the Voyager Class of cruise ship and can accommodate over 3,000 guests and about 1185 crew members. This cruise only had about 1600 people because of social distancing during covid and it felt empty. We enjoyed being able to get an elevator anytime we needed one and most of the time they were empty. This beautiful ship was built in Finland and was the worlds largest passenger ship from when it was launched in 2000 to 2002. It has 15 decks and is 1,020 feet long. It sails to the Southern Caribbean, Western Caribbean, and Eastern Mediterranean.

Theater Show

Ice show

Ice Skating Ring

The theater is gorgeous with three levels where you can sit and watch a great show. The top floor was only for the unvaccinated while the bottom floor was for the vaccinated. The shows were grand and colorful and the comedians were hilarious.  A very unique venue on this ship was the ice skating ring where we saw an amazing skating performance. When the skating ring was not in use for performances, they allowed anyone to schedule a time to go ice skating. It was great fun watching some people skate who had never tried it before.

Our room

Fun towel creatures

We went straight to our room to drop off our carry on bag as soon as we got onboard and met our room steward, Collin Ince. He was a very nice man and did a great job with our room on the entire trip. After moving into our room, we were off to explore this beautiful ship.

Floor going into the casino

Floor going into the casino

Casino

The casino on the ship was bright and beautiful.   It was on the fourth floor and along with the art gallery, and more.  

The Promenade

Sapphire Dining Room

Our Friends

Joe and Friends

The Sapphire Dining Room Singers

The Royal Promenade was located on deck 5 which serves as the heart of the vessel and is longer than a football field and wider than three lanes of traffic. Along the promenade are lovely shops, including jewelry, ice cream and fancy coffee shops, and pubs. It is lit up with colorful lights and just a beautiful place to walk. There are rooms above the shops that overlook the Promenade. On the same floor is the Sapphire Dining Room. That is where we met up for dinner every night with our friends. Our servers were Joel and Joann and they both were wonderful and treated us as if we were the only ones in the restaurant.

Pool Deck

Solarium Pool

Up on the 11^th floor was where much of the action was happening every day. The Main Pool is on that floor with live music playing throughout the day to listen to while sitting near the pool or in the one of many hot tubs. There were dance parties and great bands playing while we sat and enjoyed a fancy drink from the pool bar. The bar staff were all wonderful and did their job well even when it was busy. They also greeted us with a smile and seemed genuinely happy to see us. There is also the Solarium Pool and Bar for adults and the fully vaccinated if you are wanting a quieter area. The Windjammer Marketplace, a buffet with a large selection of food to choose, is also on that level if you are hungry for a meal or a snack throughout the day. Plus the ice cream machine was on that level that kept not only the kids happy but adults as well. 

Zumba Class

Flowrider

Rock Climbing Rock

Miniature Golf

Dizzy's

On deck twelve is where the Sky Bar is located. It is a fancy bar with great views of the pool deck and the ocean. There is also a jogging track, video arcade, kids center, and a Johnny Rockets diner. On deck 13 there is a Sports Court and Miniature Golf. They offer Zumba and exercise classes on the basketball court which I attended and really enjoyed. The Flowrider was a great place to sit and watch people surf or at least try to surf. On the 14th floor was where the rock climbing wall was located as well as the  Diamond Club, and Dizzy’s Club. And if you wanted a little private time, the chapel on the 15th floor was a perfect place to go.

Shuffle Board Fun

Mike Moyer and I

We enjoyed our time on this magnificent ship. There was plenty to do all the time, and it was gorgeous. We enjoyed our shuffle board tournaments.  Everywhere you look there was something beautiful to see. I would recommend this ship and this cruise if you are looking for some fun in the sun. If you need help planning a trip, Mike Moyer from Cruise Planners, can help you get scheduled on a nice cruise or land trip and let you know everything you need to know about making your trip a trip to remember. He can be contacted at mikemoyertravel.com or 410-441-0644. He made our trip a very special trip and one we will remember for a lifetime.

Till next time. Bye for now.