Long Review -- Explorer to Bermuda 6/25/06

We had a great time on our Explorer of the Seas cruise to Bermuda last week. I submitted this to the main site, but since the reviews take so long to publish I thought I'd also post it here.

We just returned from an excellent cruise on the Explorer of the Seas to Bermuda. This will not be a true review, but I will include impressions and tips for future cruisers on the Explorer out of Bayonne. I will also make comparisons to Princess, since questions about how the two lines are similar/different seem to come up quite frequently. After sailing on the Grand in March and the Explorer in June, I feel that the two lines are more similar than different, with each doing some things better than the other. I would happily sail on either cruise line! They both have their strong points, and both are far better than being at work! J

We were a group of eleven family members…7 adults and 4 children. In order to accommodate all of us getting to the pier, we hired a mini-bus through Empire International. They provided excellent service and were very prompt on both ends of the trip. We arrived at Cape Liberty about 11:00, and were able to find a porter to take our luggage immediately.

We were surprised to find that there were still many passengers disembarking from the previous cruise, but once we checked in we found that the Cape Liberty cruise port is different from others we have sailed from. The ship isn’t docked right by the terminal, and to board or disembark passengers have to take a shuttle bus to/from the ship. This slows down the boarding process, as well as disembarkation. We checked in right away, and then went to a very roomy lounge to wait for our shuttle bus to the ship. Shuttle numbers are handed out as you check in, and they are given in the order you arrive. Several wedding parties boarded first, and then general boarding began at 12:30. We were on shuttle number 7, which went to the ship at 12:45. I didn’t think the wait was bad at all, especially given the number of people to embark (our sailing had 3,500 passengers).

We were able to go straight to our cabins, since it was 1:00 by the time we were shuttled to the ship to board. Our family had 4 cabins on Deck 9. Our stateroom attendant for 9302 was Sophia. She was pleasant and efficient. I took one look at the sagging mattress and asked for an egg crate topper, which she got us with no problem. Everybody went up to the Windjammer except me and Jim. We were in charge of Portofino’s reservations, and I wanted to make a salon appointment for Monday afternoon (formal night). We had no problems with either reservation, but unfortunately we made our reservation for Portofino’s for Wednesday night, which means we missed lobster/prime rib night in the dining room. If that’s important to you, pick a different night. Even though there’s only one formal dinner on the 5-night cruise, they do still serve lobster in the dining room on the night you leave Bermuda.

The Explorer is a beautiful ship. It’s very dramatic without being gaudy or overdone. Even though there were 3,500 passengers on board, I only felt like it was crowded a few times…in the photo gallery, at the pools in the afternoon on sea days, and leaving the theatre after a show. Those are places where it can seem crowded on any ship, and the Explorer was no different. I thought the layout of the ship made sense, and even though it’s so big it was easy for me to find my way around. For example, the public restrooms were located in roughly the same place on each deck. That sounds like a trivial thing, but it does make it easy to know instinctively whether you should be looking for something on the port or starboard side of the ship. I was impressed with the stability of the ship. For most of the trip I felt very little motion. The Atlantic was unbelievably calm, and we never had more than 4 foot swells all week. Because of her large interior spaces, I didn’t feel a strong connection to the sea when I was in many of the public areas. I ended up spending more time on my balcony than I have on some other ships just so I could have a quiet place to read and gaze at the water.

There were several things on the ship that I thought were a “don’t miss.” The ice show was spectacular! The skaters were all very talented and I was amazed at the things they were able to do on a fairly small rink. The parade down the Grand Promenade on the first night is fun and energetic. The parade is at 10:45, but passengers start lining up much earlier. The singers and dancers wear very elaborate costumes, and the parade has a Mardi Gras feel to it – minus the beads and debauchery! We watched from a little balcony near an elevator bank and had a great view of the festivities. If you’ve always wanted to see the ship’s bridge, visit the “Peek-a-Boo” deck to watch the staff in action. There are several windows where you can see into the bridge, which looks like something out of Star Trek. Finally, all the way forward on Deck 5 (but accessible only from the outside stairs on Deck 4), you can walk all the way to the bow of the ship. Think about the “king of the world” scene from Titanic, and you’ll know what I’m talking about. I thought that was neat just because on so many ships that area is off-limits to passengers. Of course, I don’t think a re-creation of the movie scene would be looked upon favorably, but it’s still a neat place to go and watch the ocean!

Bermuda is lovely, but very expensive. We did the “Wildcat Around the Island” high-speed boat excursion the day we arrived, and thought it was outstanding. It was a great way to get an overview of the entire island in a short amount of time. The second day we were in Bermuda we went to Hamilton and walked around/shopped, but we thought prices were very high and we didn’t buy too much. If I had it to do over again, I would have taken another excursion. Other family members did a boat/beach/lunch tour that they said was very good, and a glass-bottomed boat trip that was just O.K.

Now for the inevitable comparisons between the Explorer and the Grand, and between RCI and Princess. I was a bit apprehensive about this cruise for several reasons. The first was the size of the ship, which I found wasn’t a problem at all, and the second was that our cruise in March was so outstanding that I thought this one would fall far short, and I was surprised and pleased to find that it didn’t. Finally, we usually cruise as a couple, and this time we were with my whole family, which meant an early dinner seating (we adjusted) and more time in the buffet (I still like eating in the dining room better). The two lines really are more alike than different, with each doing some things better than the other. For me, decisions about future cruises would come down to what I was looking for itinerary-wise, whether we’re traveling alone or with a group, and pricing.

EMBARKATION AND DISEMBARKATION – Both lines seem to have this down to a science. My last three cruises before this have all been out of Galveston. Embarkation in Galveston is much faster than it was in Bayonne, but I think that is because of the way the port is set up. The shuttle bus also slows down disembarkation in Bayonne, but once you reach the terminal the luggage is the most organized I’ve ever see.

ADVANTAGE: TIE

CABINS – This is a hard comparison, because our last 2 Princess cruises have been in a mini-suite and on this trip we had a D-2 balcony. The D level cabins on Royal Caribbean are definitely bigger than the balcony cabins on Princess, but they’re nowhere near as large as a Grand class mini-suite. I like that non-suite cabins on Royal Caribbean have a couch, and I think the round shower doors are a huge improvement over the body-snatching shower curtains on Princess. Storage space was ample for at least a week. There were shelves in the closet and good sized drawers in the vanity. My mom had a junior suite, which appeared to have about the same amount of space as a mini-suite on a Grand class ship, but configured completely differently. The mini-suites on most Princess ships are longer than a regular cabin but still quite narrow, while a JS is no longer than a regular cabin, but twice as wide. A Princess mini-suite is divided into a living section and a bedroom section, while the junior suite on RC is one large room. The extra amenities for mini-suites/junior suites are very different. On Princess you get upgraded bedding and linens, champagne on boarding, luxury towels, and upgraded toiletries. On Royal Caribbean you get priority (suite) embarkation and access to the Concierge Club, which Princess doesn’t have. For right now the upgraded bedding in suites and mini-suites on Princess is a big deal, but since Royal Caribbean is replacing ALL their bedding you will soon be able to get a quality mattress in any cabin.

ADVANTAGE: ROYAL CARIBBEAN FOR NON-SUITE CABINS

TIE FOR MINI-SUITES/JUNIOR SUITES

DINING ROOM FOOD – I was disappointed with the dining room food on the Explorer. It tasted a lot more “banquety” to me than the food on the Grand. I thought most of the meats weren’t a high-quality cut, and the New York Strip was inedible. Five of us ordered the NY Strip, and we all left most of it on our plates. Hot food wasn’t as hot as it should have been, and I missed the little extras like fresh-ground pepper and parmesan cheese to taste. We prefer to eat most of our meals in the dining room, so I was disappointed to find that Royal Caribbean has gone with a set menu for lunch with only a soup and one entrée that change. Princess has a delicious pasta dish and several entrees that change each day for lunch, and a few “always available” items. I also found the availability of the dining room for lunch on the Explorer to be very limited. The dining room was only open for lunch on Monday and Thursday, our sea days. It was also closed on embarkation day. We spent a lot more time in the buffet on this trip than we usually do.

ADVANTAGE: PRINCESS

BUFFET FOOD – The Windjammer on Royal Caribbean has a wider selection of hot and cold foods than the Horizon Court on Princess. In the back part of the Windjammer is the International Café where Mexican, Chinese, and other ethnic foods are available in addition to the regular buffet selections. For breakfast there is a made-to-order omelet station in the International Café. The dessert choices are also more varied on RC than on Princess. What’s the nicest thing about the Windjammer on the Explorer of the Seas? The layout makes sense compared to the chaotic buffet set up on Princess. There were no traffic jams, and there weren’t people darting all over the place to fill their plates. The buffets on both cruise lines use the same oversized oval plates instead of trays, so you have to be seated and put your tray down before you get a drink. The drink servers in the Windjammer were readily available and we never had to wait long for service. About the only area where I thought the Windjammer fell short was hamburgers and pizza. They’re just not as fresh when they sit in warming trays as they are when you get them fresh from the grill or oven.

ADVANTAGE: ROYAL CARIBBEAN

SERVICE – Here’s where things get a little ugly. Our service in the dining room on the Explorer was quite poor. Out of seven adults in our group, five of us had cruised before on Princess, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and Carnival. We all agreed that the service on previous cruises far surpassed the service we received on the Explorer. Our waiter and assistant waiter were slow and seemed unable to serve the food in a proper sequence. Often two things would arrive at once, and we’d have to make a decision about which item we wanted to let get cold before we got to it. They never asked our names, never seemed comfortable with serving the children, never figured out what we liked to drink, and just really did nothing to enhance the dining experience. If we hadn’t been a large table on a completely full ship we would have requested a change after the first dinner, but since it was a short cruise and it would have been difficult to accommodate us we let it go. Here’s the little incident that still amazes me: On the last night when we got to dinner, there was margarine on the table but no butter. This was a problem, because we’re mostly a butter family. When we asked for butter we were told there was none on the ship, because they had run out. We found this puzzling because we could see people at other tables eating butter. Our assistant waiter insisted there was no butter anywhere on the ship. Because we were a bit frustrated with our dining experience by this time, my brother-in-law went up to the Windjammer, where what did he find but hundreds of pats of butter! He loaded up his pockets and brought it down to the dining room. About the time he returned the assistant waiter decided he’d better find us some butter. He got to the table with it the same time my brother-in-law returned and put the butter from the Windjammer on the table. At least Alen (the asst. waiter) had the grace to look embarrassed and he steered clear of our table the rest of the evening. That’s just an example, but it seems like that’s how it went for us in the dining room all week.

ADVANTAGE: PRINCESS

SPECIALTY DINING – We enjoyed meals at Sabatini’s on the Grand and Portofino’s on the Explorer. They’re both excellent, but provide a very different experience. At Sabatini’s, you get to taste many small appetizers and pastas, and only order your main course and dessert. At Portofino’s you order everything off a menu like you would in the dining room. Although I enjoyed both experiences, I found Portofino’s more to my liking than Sabatini’s.

ADVANTAGE: ROYAL CARIBBEAN

FUN FOR KIDS/FAMILIES/LARGE GROUPS – This is also a hard comparison for me because we’ve never been on a ship and had children in our party before. I think a Voyager-class ship is an excellent choice for families and large groups. There are TONS of things to do, so everyone can find something that’s to their liking. Somebody in our group tried just about everything. We enjoyed the gym, rock climbing, art auctions, skating, the spa, the children’s club, golfing, and so many other things it would be impossible to list them all. All four children enjoyed their time in Adventure Ocean, and both of my sisters felt comfortable leaving their kids there. I did hear a few complaints on the Grand last March that people felt there weren’t enough organized activities in the Children’s Club to keep their children interested and involved.

ADVANTAGE: ROYAL CARIBBEAN

GOOD FOR COUPLES WHO WANT TO RELAX AND UNWIND– I found more nooks and crannies and quiet places to get away from it all on the Grand than the Explorer. I really missed the aft Terrace pool area that’s reserved for adults on the Grand class ships. Since the Explorer is so big and there’s only one adults-only pool (the Solarium) it was usually quite crowded and not very quiet. I spent more time on my balcony on the Explorer than I do on the Grand, just because that was a quiet place to read and watch the ocean go by. I usually catch some fantastic naps on the padded loungers by the Terrace pool on the Grand!

ADVANTAGE: PRINCESS

ENTERTAINMENT – I only saw one of the production shows on the Explorer, and it was just average. There were three production shows on the Grand in March, and they were all very entertaining. Even though I didn’t think the production show on the Explorer was very good, the ice show just blew me away. It was the most entertaining show I’ve ever seen on any ship. Both lines have the standard magicians, comedians, and lounge acts. I didn’t make it to “Quest” this time, but I went on the Rhapsody and thought it was one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen. Princess used to have “Pub Night,” but I wonder if that’s been discontinued since they didn’t have it on the Grand in March. There wasn’t a major entertainment option on the Explorer the night we were docked in Bermuda. Everyone was encouraged to attend the street festival at the pier put on in conjunction with Royal Caribbean.

ADVANTAGE: TIE

PRICING – I found cruise prices to be higher on Royal Caribbean than on Princess. We paid about the same price for a balcony cabin on the Explorer for five days as we paid for a mini-suite on the Grand for seven days. I think part of that has to do with Bermuda cruises being expensive, and part of it has to do with RC being able to get top dollar for their Voyager class ships. I don’t have a problem with that because they are offering a unique product on those ships. I do have a problem with many of the amenities being shut down on port days, so a lot of the things you are paying for are taken out of the equation. The pools and most of the hot tubs were open, but the rock-climbing wall, the ice skating rink, and the dining room (at lunch) were closed. I thought drink prices on Royal Caribbean were higher than on Princess, and wine cost considerably more. Prices in the shops seemed to be about the same. Ladies, that includes the “Bijoux Ternier” stuff that all cruise ships seem to sell for $10.00 an item. After all, a cruising girl can never have too many fake pashminas, can she?

ADVANTAGE: PRINCESS

COFFEE – I included this category for all of us that love Princess but also love a cup of good coffee. Hmm…a cup of coffee made from syrup, or a cup of fresh Seattle’s Best? No contest here.

ADVANTAGE: ROYAL CARIBBEAN

I’ve probably gone on too long. There were other little things I noticed during the week, some that I thought Princess does better, and some that I thought Royal Caribbean does better. The food and poor service could have been a deal breaker for me if we were traveling alone, but wait staff is the luck of the draw, and I didn’t go hungry, even if I thought the food could have been better. Those negatives were overshadowed by what a great choice the Explorer was for a large group of cruisers of mixed ages. We all had a great time, and we’ve already booked the Mariner of the Seas out of Port Canaveral for the end of June next year. The bottom line is I wouldn’t hesitate to travel on either line at any time, and we’ll continue to sail both, making our decision based on the itinerary, cost, and the ship that best meets our needs at the time.

Thanks for the great review, I just booked this cruise today.

We were on the same Explorer cruise and had a wonderful time too. Everyone has unique experiences with staff according to the luck of the draw... Our waiters knew our names by the first night and had all the favorites of the kids ready for us without asking.

I made some interesting comparisons between the Explorer cruise and a recent Celebrity cruise (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=373652). Amazing some of the similar comparisons juxtaposed with Celebrity in the other court!

Cindy.........thanks for a very informative review. My DW and I are booked on the Explorer in Feb of 08, and the only reason for us booking this is that we made friends on our transatlantic Jewel cruise a couple of months ago........and thougth it would be fun to be with them.

I'm now looking forward to knowing more about the ship.

Rick

We were on the same Explorer cruise and had a wonderful time too. Everyone has unique experiences with staff according to the luck of the draw... Our waiters knew our names by the first night and had all the favorites of the kids ready for us without asking.

 

I made some interesting comparisons between the Explorer cruise and a recent Celebrity cruise (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=373652). Amazing some of the similar comparisons juxtaposed with Celebrity in the other court!

Thanks for sharing your Celebrity comparisons. That was an interesting read.

I'm glad to hear you didn't have the same wait staff problems we had. I think it was an isolated issue, but it did affect our dining experience.

thanks for your great insights..we leave in about a week on eos

Thanks for such a detailed review. I am booking the September 3rd sailing for my 18th wedding anniversary.

Cindy,

Can you tell me how formal, the formal nights were for the men? I have a great selection of clothes but DH's choices are not as great. For our Panama cruise he is going to rent a tux, but this one we are not sure. His one and only suit doesn't fit anymore ( just lost a lot of weight) He has a beautiful navy blazer but I don't think that is dressy enough, should we rent him a tux or buy a new suit?

Sue

Here’s the little incident that still amazes me: On the last night when we got to dinner, there was margarine on the table but no butter. This was a problem, because we’re mostly a butter family. When we asked for butter we were told there was none on the ship, because they had run out. We found this puzzling because we could see people at other tables eating butter. Our assistant waiter insisted there was no butter anywhere on the ship. Because we were a bit frustrated with our dining experience by this time, my brother-in-law went up to the Windjammer, where what did he find but hundreds of pats of butter! He loaded up his pockets and brought it down to the dining room. About the time he returned the assistant waiter decided he’d better find us some butter. He got to the table with it the same time my brother-in-law returned and put the butter from the Windjammer on the table. At least Alen (the asst. waiter) had the grace to look embarrassed and he steered clear of our table the rest of the evening. That’s just an example, but it seems like that’s how it went for us in the dining room all week.

Of interesting note to add to this, on our Explorer cruise (6/16 - 6/25) they ran completely out of butter. Sounds like they never stocked up for YOUR cruise, either. The brit pub in the promenade also never had any cider onboard but they continued to advertise it in their menus. They ran out of limes on the last night of the cruise (imagine a gin tonic without lime), and fresh fruit was nearly totally out as well, so I missed out on fresh fruit on the second to last breakfast.

When we compared the Explorer cruise to our first Grandeur cruise two years before - Grandeur came out tops. I don't think we'll be doing another Voyager class ship cruise - but other reasons came about with that decision as well as the ones mentioned above (it was mainly the CROWDS of people that got to us).

PS - This is by far one of the best written cruise reviews, congrats on doing such an accurate write-up.

Of interesting note to add to this, on our Explorer cruise (6/16 - 6/25) they ran completely out of butter. Sounds like they never stocked up for YOUR cruise, either. The brit pub in the promenade also never had any cider onboard but they continued to advertise it in their menus. They ran out of limes on the last night of the cruise (imagine a gin tonic without lime), and fresh fruit was nearly totally out as well, so I missed out on fresh fruit on the second to last breakfast.

 

When we compared the Explorer cruise to our first Grandeur cruise two years before - Grandeur came out tops. I don't think we'll be doing another Voyager class ship cruise - but other reasons came about with that decision as well as the ones mentioned above (it was mainly the CROWDS of people that got to us).

 

PS - This is by far one of the best written cruise reviews, congrats on doing such an accurate write-up.

Thanks! Unfortunately I was sitting around the house yesterday waiting for a plumber, so I had a lot of time on my hands!:eek:

I know they fan out of Foster's on our cruise. I don't think they completely ran out of butter, but they must have been running low and were trying to conserve. The head waiter told us they re-stock butter in San Juan and were trying to make it last until they got there. At any rate, it appears they are having some problems stocking sufficient quantities of some food & drink items.

I also went on the 6/25 sailing to Bermuda.

I agree with just about everything you said. I didn't have a great dining room experience either.

I thought the food was just okay, not hot at all. I felt there wasn't alot of variety. We went to Portofino's on the last night and had I known it was that good I would have eaten there more.

We also had an obnoxious table next to us that were so loud we couldn't hold a conversation with our tablemates. At one point one of the guys takes off his shirt to put on another one sitting right at the table. He then falls backward on his chair and just lays on the floor while his entire table is clapping and hooting with laughter. And this was not a young guy either. Now I'm all for having a fun time, but when you start to interfere with everyone else's dining experience it's just too much. Our waitress kept apologizing for them, I felt the head waiter should have stepped in and said something to them. (what does he get tipped for anyway????)

Of course we had a great time anyway. It was the first cruise for my kids (10 & 13) and they loved it. It really is a great cruise if you're going with kids. I personally would never take this cruise unless I was with my kids. It was just too crowded for me. I felt like I had to fight to get my food in the windjammer or even take an elevator and lets not even talk about the pool deck. While it was a great family vacation, I'll take my relaxing cruise on Enchantment anyday.

Hi Cindy...Thank you for a great review.

I'm a little confused, however. I haven't sailed RCI, but have 2 RCI cruises booked. One of them is a 12-day on the EOS. I purposely booked a Grand Suite, since I was under the impression the Junior Suites did not have access to the Concierge Lounge. I know that on a 12-day, DH and I will make full use of the Concierge Lounge, if only for the capuccino and espresso. Am I incorrect? :confused:

I believe I have always read that depending on the port, the JS may have priority embarkation, but no access to the Concierge Lounge. If I can access the lounge with a JS, I may be changing my cabin.

Thanks!

Karen

Baltimore

 

CABINS – .The extra amenities for mini-suites/junior suites are very different. On Princess you get upgraded bedding and linens, champagne on boarding, luxury towels, and upgraded toiletries. On Royal Caribbean you get priority (suite) embarkation and access to the Concierge Club, which Princess doesn’t have..

Junior suite DO NOT have access to the Concierge lounge. Only Grand suites and higher. Our friends were on this same cruise last year in a Grand suite. That convinced us to book a GS this year. This was confirmed with RCI reservations when I booked.

Sorry, that was my mistake. My mom was told she had access to the concierge club. Even though she never used it, I just made an assumption that she had been given correct information.

Of course we had a great time anyway. It was the first cruise for my kids (10 & 13) and they loved it. It really is a great cruise if you're going with kids. I personally would never take this cruise unless I was with my kids. It was just too crowded for me. I felt like I had to fight to get my food in the windjammer or even take an elevator and lets not even talk about the pool deck. While it was a great family vacation, I'll take my relaxing cruise on Enchantment anyday.

I agree about a Voyager class ship being a perfect choice for kids. When it's just the two of us I will opt for something with a few less people and a slower pace. Overall we had a great time, and we booked another Voyager class ship (Mariner of the Seas) for next year because it seemed to be the best choice for providing something for everybody.

BigDogMom & Cindy, thanks. It's been a rough week and I thought I was losing it! ;)

SERVICE – Here’s where things get a little ugly. Our service in the dining room on the Explorer was quite poor. Out of seven adults in our group, five of us had cruised before on Princess, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and Carnival. We all agreed that the service on previous cruises far surpassed the service we received on the Explorer. Our waiter and assistant waiter were slow and seemed unable to serve the food in a proper sequence. Often two things would arrive at once, and we’d have to make a decision about which item we wanted to let get cold before we got to it. They never asked our names, never seemed comfortable with serving the children, never figured out what we liked to drink, and just really did nothing to enhance the dining experience. If we hadn’t been a large table on a completely full ship we would have requested a change after the first dinner, but since it was a short cruise and it would have been difficult to accommodate us we let it go. Here’s the little incident that still amazes me: On the last night when we got to dinner, there was margarine on the table but no butter. This was a problem, because we’re mostly a butter family. When we asked for butter we were told there was none on the ship, because they had run out. We found this puzzling because we could see people at other tables eating butter. Our assistant waiter insisted there was no butter anywhere on the ship. Because we were a bit frustrated with our dining experience by this time, my brother-in-law went up to the Windjammer, where what did he find but hundreds of pats of butter! He loaded up his pockets and brought it down to the dining room. About the time he returned the assistant waiter decided he’d better find us some butter. He got to the table with it the same time my brother-in-law returned and put the butter from the Windjammer on the table. At least Alen (the asst. waiter) had the grace to look embarrassed and he steered clear of our table the rest of the evening. That’s just an example, but it seems like that’s how it went for us in the dining room all week.

Great review Cindy.

I have to agree on the service for dinning... Ugly was to kind! We where grossly disappointed in main dining. This is a time for us to sit back with new friends, table companions and share the day's adventures and end with a memorable dining experience, EVERY EVENING.

Many of the same circumstances occurred on our EOS last January. For the most part EOS did a great job. Dinner, I want an experience and it was not achieved on the EOS, great wait staff but they just didn't have a clue. One rough point for us, as small as it may be, EVERY SINGLE NIGHT I Had to remove the same chair from our table so Trina's wheelchair would fit in. We thought after the first night they would get it but no luck.... That was really poor for us... Almost felt for whatever reason, it was left on purpose.

You watch Cindy, Princess will be on the ball for this one on our March cruise, mark my word!

Advantage: Princess (Big Time)

Portofino's could not have been better...

Thanx again and see you back at our thread.

Great Reviews and feedback; we'll be sailing on the Explorer next fall. Can anyone tell me if the royal promanade cafe still serves pastries,sandwiches & coffee and are they still free of charge or is there a cost now involved? I've also heard that Ben & Jerry's ice cream is located somewhere on the ship, can someone tell if there is an ice cream parlor on the Explorer and is there a cost for that. The last ship I was on the ice cream was located in the windjammer and it was free. And the pastries/finger foods and coffee in the promanade's cafe were also free the last time I was on a voyager class ship but I know things change with the times. I do know for sure that on the Jewel of the seas the little pastry/coffee/sandwich cafe charges for everything. If you purchase a coffee/latte or anykind of latte/drink you get a pastry for free, but the last time I was on a voyager class ship the coffees and pastries were all free and you didn't have to make a purchase to get a pastry for free. Any information would be helpful.

I'm always dissapointed to read about the quality of food and service in the dining rooms. :(

I cruise to eat! And enjoy a good meal.

We were in the lucky crowd who had awesome dinner service in the dining room on Explorer. We sailed the same week as Cindy (who I have had the pleasure of chatting with here on Cruise Critic for over a year and met in person onboard Explorer :D ). Anyway, we could not have been more pleased with our service and our food and most of all our tablemates. We (my mother-in-law and myself) were seated at a large table that was part of a group of folks who were all travelling together to celebrate the 40th anniversary of one of the couples. There were about 18 of them and they were seated at two large tables. My mother-in-law and myself were seated in the 2 remaining seats of one of the groups tables. We were both taken aback by this at first and thought, "oh no, this is going to be rather uncomfortable". Well, we could not have been more wrong! We were instantly welcomed into this group as if we had known them all our lives. They included us in everything they did! We spent time with them even outside of the dining room! It was great! We had so much fun and our servers were top-notch! The food was great! We had no complaints at all. So, in short, I just wanted to point out that the dining experience is probably just the luck of the draw on any given ship at any given time. Not to mention that food is very subjective. I enjoyed everything I was served. I do find that the food in Portofino is consistently better than any food I've had on land or at sea! I never miss an opportunity to eat there when sailing on a Voyager-class ship! But it is not because I don't enjoy the dining room food. I just enjoy the intimacy and expert preparation of a higher end meal at least once while onboard if available. The rest of our cruise on Explorer (besides the dining) was also excellent! We really had no complaints about anything the entire week! I love Voyager-class ships! In particular I love Explorer! I think she is a beautiful ship! But, I think RCCL has the prettiest ships afloat in general!

Can anyone tell me if the royal promanade cafe still serves pastries,sandwiches & coffee and are they still free of charge or is there a cost now involved? I've also heard that Ben & Jerry's ice cream is located somewhere on the ship, can someone tell if there is an ice cream parlor on the Explorer and is there a cost for that.

From what I have read the Promenade Cafe food is included. There is a charge for the Ben & Jerry's ice cream as well as the Seattle's Best coffee. There is a $3.95 cover charge per person for Johnny Rockets, food is included but drinks and shakes are extra. Here is a link to the RCCL website regarding the food. I have also confirmed this information with fellow CC friends. You can still get the ice cream at the Windjammer as well as coffee there but it's not as "fancy"!

http://*****.com/foq2m

Cindy...nice review...our cabin attendant was Sophia too....she's a doll.

I thought the dining room food was fine. Our servers were wonderful. We had a table for 2 and we were not ignored. We were offered fresh groun pepper and grated cheese as appropriate.

Yes the food could be hotter..........yes the veggies could be cooked longer but I certainly didn't go hundry and I cleaned my plate nightly.

We went a few weeks earlier than Cindy so maybe we lucked out. However, it's a great ship, a fun cruise and honeslty I like not having to fly. What a PITA to get a decent airfare.......

I agree with Bonnie and megr1125...service in the dining room is the luck of the draw. Unfortunately we didn't draw a lucky straw on this cruise. If our service had been better I would have had no complaints about the dining room. I think our slow service negatively impacted the food, since much of it was cold by the time it was served.

I guess we'll just have to take another family cruise on a Voyager class ship to get a better impression!:D

Nice review, Cindy. It's a shame your dining room service left a bad impression and I'm glad you're giving it another go next year. We had the exact opposite happen - RCI service far outshined Princess, but we were stuck in anytime dining so I have a feeling that was a factor. Gotta love those shower doors instead of the super-friendly shower curtains.

In May we were in a Junior Suite (9306) and had Sophia who is one of the better cabin stewards we've ever had! Always greeted us with a big smile and knew our names from the first day.

In the dining room we had a table for 2 and excellent service. Enjoyed this cruise so much that we've booked the Explorer again for Nov, 2007!

Dee