Many questions about Explorer of the Seas to South Pacific

[Bmwmed19]

Hello everyone,

 

I am planning a cruise April 2017 to the South Pacific on the Explorer of the Seas. This is for our honeymoon cruise! I have been poring over reviews and forums regarding the ship and have a lot of questions that I am desperately hoping people can answer for me.

 

-Is the ship too packed? Are there always long lines? Is it difficult to get a seat at meals, for the shows, for activities?

 

-Looking to book a balcony on deck 12. Has anybody had those rooms before that can tell me about them? I am mostly concerned about noise.

 

-Seeing mixed reviews regarding service and kindness of staff. Are they rude, neutral or great?

 

-Is there a very large amount of children onboard?

 

Thank you so much for any help or advice you can give!! Greatly appreciated.:)

[KAYTWO]

Hi, haven't been on Ex but have spent 40 or so nights on Voyager. I can't say that we have experienced long line ups for things on board, no more than you would expect for this many passengers.

 

I would suggest that you check out when the school holidays fall, as this will have a huge impact on the number of kids on board.

 

Maybe look at Radiance if you are unsure of the bigger ships, or even Legend out of Brisbane.

 

Enjoy your planning and your trip.

[ReneeFLL]

Hi Sharon,

If you do book the Radiance 4-18-2017 maybe we will see you. We are also on thar cruise for our 30th anniversary and it is our first cruise to the South Pacific. We are also on the 8 day cruise right before that also on the Radiance. If you go to the roll call for that cruise someone there might have answers for you. A lot of them have done this cruise several times.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2220763

[jspqld]

-Is the ship too packed? Are there always long lines? Is it difficult to get a seat at meals, for the shows, for activities?

Personally I find these bigger ships less packed than the smaller ones. I really like the Explorer. No problem getting a seat at meals in MDR or specialty dining. You may have long lines at tender ports, but this can't always be helped. You might want to get to the ice shows early for a good seat, or get there late & just stand up the back if you want to just walk straight in.

 

-Looking to book a balcony on deck 12. Has anybody had those rooms before that can tell me about them? I am mostly concerned about noise.

I have had one of these balconies and they are the best kept secret on the ship. No noise to worry about & they are actually in a very quiet location of the ship. The views being up so high are amazing, and these cabins are a bit longer than the rest on the ship & have a more modern fitout & larger wall mounted TV's. SSHHHH keep this info quiet!

 

-Seeing mixed reviews regarding service and kindness of staff. Are they rude, neutral or great?

I found the staff to be fantastic. I think a lot has to do with how people treat them to begin with. I tend to talk with them rather than at them and no complaints from me.

 

-Is there a very large amount of children onboard?

Not on the two times I have been on board, but a Sth Pacific cruise will attract more families & depends if you will be sailing on school holidays. There are plenty of places to retreat to though that kids won't be allowed in or interested in.

[kehlx2]

Hello everyone,

 

I am planning a cruise April 2017 to the South Pacific on the Explorer of the Seas. This is for our honeymoon cruise! I have been poring over reviews and forums regarding the ship and have a lot of questions that I am desperately hoping people can answer for me.

 

-Is the ship too packed? Are there always long lines? Is it difficult to get a seat at meals, for the shows, for activities?

 

-Looking to book a balcony on deck 12. Has anybody had those rooms before that can tell me about them? I am mostly concerned about noise.

 

-Seeing mixed reviews regarding service and kindness of staff. Are they rude, neutral or great?

 

-Is there a very large amount of children onboard?

 

Thank you so much for any help or advice you can give!! Greatly appreciated.:)

 

 

I am asking if this is a roll call for the April 22 2017 to Seattle May 15 2017, as I have been hunting for a roll cal & not wanting to make a 2nd one.

[VPIcruiser]

We were on Explorer two weeks ago in Alaska and we found the crew to be very nice. We had great service through out the ship.

[dolphingirl47]

I am asking if this is a roll call for the April 22 2017 to Seattle May 15 2017, as I have been hunting for a roll cal & not wanting to make a 2nd one.

 

Sorry to the original poster for hijacking the thread. We do have a roll call for this cruise:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=51001304#post51001304

 

Corinna

[AussieVisi2r]

Hello everyone,

 

I am planning a cruise April 2017 to the South Pacific on the Explorer of the Seas. This is for our honeymoon cruise! I have been poring over reviews and forums regarding the ship and have a lot of questions that I am desperately hoping people can answer for me.

 

-Is the ship too packed? Are there always long lines? Is it difficult to get a seat at meals, for the shows, for activities?

 

-Looking to book a balcony on deck 12. Has anybody had those rooms before that can tell me about them? I am mostly concerned about noise.

 

-Seeing mixed reviews regarding service and kindness of staff. Are they rude, neutral or great?

 

-Is there a very large amount of children onboard?

 

Thank you so much for any help or advice you can give!! Greatly appreciated.:)

 

Hello,

 

Do you use that 'other' social media site...with the blue font and a face.

 

There is a group call 'Cruising Royal Caribbean from Australia'. Tonnes of knowledge there about Pacific cruises.

 

But you will have a great time.

 

Raina

Aust

[kehlx2]

Sorry to the original poster for hijacking the thread. We do have a roll call for this cruise:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=51001304#post51001304

 

Corinna

 

Thanks I am sorry(to everyone else on this site) for butting in here also--but couldn't find the dates

[reedy8]

Hello everyone,

 

I am planning a cruise April 2017 to the South Pacific on the Explorer of the Seas. This is for our honeymoon cruise! I have been poring over reviews and forums regarding the ship and have a lot of questions that I am desperately hoping people can answer for me.

 

-Is the ship too packed? Are there always long lines? Is it difficult to get a seat at meals, for the shows, for activities?

 

-Looking to book a balcony on deck 12. Has anybody had those rooms before that can tell me about them? I am mostly concerned about noise.

 

-Seeing mixed reviews regarding service and kindness of staff. Are they rude, neutral or great?

 

-Is there a very large amount of children onboard?

 

Thank you so much for any help or advice you can give!! Greatly appreciated.:)

Hello I googled School Holidays and April is not a good month.

I see Explorer is sailing out of Sydney so its probably their school holiday dates you will want to avoid if you can as families from other states would be perhaps a little less likely to travel then due to the extra cost of flights. (or maybe not!)

 

NSW Saturday 8 April 2017 Tuesday 25 April 2017

QLD SAT 1 Apr 2017 - Mon 17 April 2017

Victoria 1 April - 17 April 2017

SA Friday 14 April, 2017 Sunday 30 April, 2017

WA Saturday 8 April - Sunday 23 April

[aussielozzie18]

Hi

We cruised on Voyager of the Seas (sister ship to Explorer) over NYE so it was a double whammy - very popular cruise during school holidays. We didnt find it crowded at all. These two are big ships with lots of different areas for passengers to hang out. We had no issues at all getting a seat in the windjammer and during shows or deck chair on the pool deck. The only day we noticed the number of kids on board was when we had a day of poor weather and no-one was on the pool deck. On that day there were lots more teens indoor hanging around the stairwells etc but it wasnt a problem and didnt impact our cruise at all. Re the staff - our cabin steward was fabulous. I thought Windjammer staff were efficient and friendly. MDR staff were not so great. I think they were overworked in there to be honest.

 

Obviously if you wish to cruise when there are less kids, you would need to cruise outside of school holidays.