Nathan's Insights

Tour Title: Ten Night Southern Caribbean Cruise
Tour Company: Royal Caribbean
Ship: Explorer of the Seas
Home Port: Maimi 
Countries Visited: USA, Haiti, Puerto Rico, Sint Maarten, Antigua, St Lucia, St Kitts
Dates: Thursday 26 December 2024 to Sunday 05 January 2025 (Duration 10 nights)
Itinerary: Cruise Itinerary (PDF) 
Excursions Pre-Booked: Booked Shore Excursions & Costs (PDF)
Cruise Journal Entries

Explorer of the Seas

This ship was built in 2000. The Royal Caribbean International Explorer of the Seas cruise ship weighs approximately 138K tons and has 1641 staterooms for up to 4000 passengers served by over 1000 crew. There are 15 passenger decks, 8 with cabins. The ship mostly operates out of Maimi for Caribbean cruises.

Cabin

I booked a Balcony Stateroom on this Explorer of the Seas cruise and selected cabin 7320 located on Deck 7 opposite the Library. This cabin was slightly further out to sea than other Cabins on this Deck which I selected for more privacy.

The Cabin / Stateroom has 15.2 square meters of space with the Balcony being 4.73 square meters. 

Cabin Features:

• Queen-size bed (can be converted to Twin Beds)
• Private balcony
• Sitting area (couch)
• Private bathroom with shower
• Vanity area (writing table with a chair)
• Small Fridge
• Television (range of channels including News, Movie and Prime plus Cruise channels)
• Safe
• Phone
• Hairdryer

The Cabin was very quiet. I occasionally head people in the walkway outside, especially on New Year’s Day around 12.30 am as people returned from celebrating but otherwise, this was a great cabin. The storage would be more than enough for 2 people. The shower had strong water pressure and was nice and warm. Lighting was easy to control.

The only disappointment was power points were only located in the vanity area and no USB points. There really should be power points near the bed(s) and next refurbishment they should add USB points. This could be an issue with 2 or more people in the cabin.

Packages

Royal Caribbean offers several packages before cruising including;
1) drinking,
2) internet,
3) dining and
4) photos.

You can buy the packages on board at a significantly higher cost.

I booked a special Black Friday combo package for Soda and Internet (Voom 1 Device) which cost AUD 367.00 for the entire cruise. 

For the internet, you could only be logged into one device at a time so I had to switch between my iPad and iPhone but it was manageable and much better than paying a lot more for 2 devices. The download speeds of the internet were good enough to stream. Upload was very slow but manageable if backing up photos while sleeping. The Internet did not work from my balcony but seemed to work everywhere else on the ship.

I got the Soda package which included unlimited soft drinks. You pick up a special drinking cup that has a chip that allows you to use the soda machines. These cups can be picked up from any Bar on Day 1 of the cruise. You can also use your SeaPass to get soft drinks at any bar. I found this package to be more than enough.

There are also a lot of other drinking packages including Refreshments Package (Soft Drink plus milkshakes plus juices plus coffee) and the Alcohol Package. I did consider the Refreshments package for the milkshake inclusion but the extra cost was a lot which was to cover coffee which I don’t drink.

I never seriously considered the Alcohol package as you would need to drink at least 8 alcoholic drinks per day which is a lot for 10 night cruise. There was no way I could drink that must alcohol however I noted this was a very popular package.

I did consider a speciality dining package when it was on special but it still didn’t represent value to me. If I bought that package then the food inclusions I’d already paid for in my fare were going to waste. It turned out that the Main Dining Room and Windjammer Buffet were more than enough (see dining below).

Dining

I did not select specialty dining packages or pay extra for those specialty dining areas during this cruise. Instead, I used the Main Dining Room (MDR), the Windjammer and Cafe Promenade.

Main Dining Room

A real highlight was the food and service in the MDR. I was on My Time Dining which meant I could pre-booked dining times before the cruise (which I did) or line up on the night looking for a dining table.

The MDR was open every day for breakfast. Breakfast had a good range of cold and hot options. I normally selected orange juice, corn cornflakes, and varied the hot food options from French Toast, Pancakes, Hash Browns and Scrambled Eggs. There were a lot more options than what I selected. This was the best way to have breakfast but it took a while and some days I needed to be an activity quickly so went to Windjammer for breakfast instead.

The MDR was open for lunch sitting on Sea Days plus Day 4 (Puerto Rico port) due to us not arriving until 2 pm. While the menu wasn’t extensive for lunch the food was high quality and this was a good eating option plus a lot quieter than Windjammer.

MDR diner dining was the major event. The menu changed each night. There were usually 6-8 starter options, 6-8 main dishes, and 6-8 desserts. There were also 3 additional cost prime options. The bread was always provided as well (lots of bread). You could order multiple starters, main and desserts although I never did this just going for 1 of each but occasionally I skipped the starter options. 

Windjammer

The Windjammer was open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Usually, the times were Breakfast 7 am to 11 am, Lunch 11.30 am to 3.00 pm, Dinner 6.00 pm to 9.00 pm but there were differences on the same days, for example, the last day Breakfast started at 6.00 am and finished 8.30 am to get people off the ship earlier.

The buffet was extensive and very busy. It could be hard to get a table at peak times. Some of the main options included fried chicken, burgers, hot dogs, and pasta but there was much more. You could get included water, traditional lemonade at lunch and dinner with juices also at breakfast. You could easily just eat at the Windjammer but as a buffet, it is mass food preparation and very busy so when possible I preferred the MDR.

Cafe Promenade

You could also get snacks at the Cafe Promenade on Deck 5. I only used this twice. Once to get some cookies (lovely) and another time when coming back on board just after lunchtime I got some cheese pizza slices (tasty). Cafe Promenade was very popular and offered coffee, sandwiches, doughnuts, and cakes. 

Arctic Zone Ice Cream

The last included area was the Arctic Zone Ice Cream which served vanilla and chocolate soft-serve ice cream. The chocolate ice cream ran out on most days. I did enjoy the vanilla ice cream usually after lunch. 

Excursions

You could prebook excursions or wait to be on board or just decide what you want to do at each port on the day (including just shopping or when available staying on a beach). As this was my first cruise I booked excursions through Royal Caribbean as they guaranteed they would get you back on board. If I had a choice I booked the earliest time available in each port.

Booked Shore Excursions & Costs

• Haiti: Labadee Historic Walking Tour.
  This was a disappointing tour, luckily the only one, as the tour guide spent most of the time thanking people for coming and less time discussing the history of Haiti and Labadee. There was some interesting information but in retrospect, I won’t book this excursion. 
• Haiti: Labadee Traditions.
  This was a great tour. While it rained for the first hour there is nothing you can do about that and the rain wasn’t cold so once you accepted you would get very wet you could enjoy the tour. We caught a boat across to the local village that leases this area to Royal Caribbean. We learnt about the village’s history, watched some dances, had a chance to see and buy local crafts, and got to enjoy the coastline in a remote part of Haiti (no roads to this village). Very enjoyable excursion.
• Puerto Rico: Ghosts and Legends of Old San Juan.
  A very enjoyable walking tour that took over 3.5 hours. While this was a ghost tour we learnt a lot about the history of San Juan.  The main highlight was exploring Castillo San Cristobal, the largest Fortress in the Americas built originally in 1634. But exploring the backroads, the streets and the coastline was very informative.
• St Maarten: Originally booked Catamaran Sail and Snorkel (cancelled). Replacement excursion St Maarten Best Views and Sky Explorer.
  It was disappointing to lose the catamaran sail and snorkel, and as that was cancelled late I had limited options with spaces left. St Maarten Best Views and Sky Explorer still turned out to be good. We have a funny and insightful driver/guide getting to Rockland Estate as I learnt some of the history of this island. The Sky Explorer (Chairlift) is surrounded by the Jamaican Rainforest and gets you 215 metres above sea level providing a great view of the island. I also enjoyed time speaking to other travellers on this tour which was a bonus.
• St Lucia: Amazing Jeep and Catamaran Combo.
  This was probably the greatest tour of the cruise. We started with a catamaran trip exploring the coastline with the major advantage of swimming in the Caribbean Sea. The Jeep tour also got us to travel through the landscape and stop at a coastline village. 
• Antigua: Antigua Land and Sea.
  A beautiful way to explore Antigua. We started with the Land excursion and got some magnificent views of the coastline from Shirley Heights before exploring the historic UNESCO Nelson’s Dockyard. This island had the most beautiful coastal areas which is saying something for the Caribbean. The catamaran tour then provided a view of the coastline from the sea and to enjoy some rum, sun and fun. There was an option to go swimming but I didn’t realise this beforehand so I didn’t bring my swimwear.
• St Kitts: Caribbean Scenic Rail & Sail.
  We started with a catamaran ride exploring the beautiful coastline. This time the catamaran mostly used the wind to sail which was a nice change and very relaxing. I ensured I got a spot at the front of the catamaran this time and I enjoyed the sights, the soft wind and the sun. The highlight however was the St. Kitts Scenic Railway. The track is 29 kilometres long and takes you through villages and the countryside until you get back to Basseterre.
• Explorer of the Seas: All Access Tour.
  I did this tour on Day 9 and it provided access to the theatre, dining room, main kitchen, food and drink storage, staff below level decks, the Engine Control Room, the Bridge and the Laundry. It was fascinating learning about the logistics of this massive ship. Highly recommend.

Entertainment 

A major attraction to a leisure cruise is the onboard entertainment. The bars and pool areas always have something going on including quizzes and other games and singers and bands playing.

You can use the pools and the spas (I loved the spas), play mini golf in high wind (I did surprisingly well), play court sports, climb a rock wall, walk on the tracks on Decks 4 and 12, or go to the Library / Game Room (deck 7).

But I think the main attractions are the shows in both Studio B (ice skating) and the Theatre. 

The performances I went to were:

Day 1: Welcome Aboard Showtime: L.A. Hardy.
A very funny comedy performance. 

Day 2: Ice Spectacular: Spirit of the Seasons.
Skating on ice to music across the different seasons of the year.

Day 2: Production Showtime: Invitation to Dance.
Engaging and energetic Ballroom and Latin Dancing.

Day 3: Headliner Showtime: Abbey Road.
Tribute band singing the many classic Beatles songs.

Day 4: No production due to late finish in Puerto Rico.

Day 5: Headliner Showtime: Comedy Magician Bill Cook.
Bill Cook combines music with mind-blowing magic.

Day 6: Production Showtime: Fast Forward.
Popular movie musicals from the 1980s including; Fame, Footloose, Flashdance, and Saturday Night Fever.

Day 6: New Year’s Eve Countdown.
On the the Royal Promenade their was a countdown to 2025 and a ballon drop with lots of singing and dancing. This would only occur on New Year’s Eve.

Day 7: Headliner Showtime: Duo Quintessence.
Gravity defying aerial and acrobatic show.

Day 8: Headliner Showtime: The Nashville Tenors.
Singing a mix of soul, funk, and country. While I didn’t get in to most of the music the performance of Leon Cohen’s Hallelujah was incredibly moving.  

Day 9: Production Showtime: Wild, Cool & Swingin’.
Iconic music and dance styles from New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Maimi, and Las Vegas that had me tapping the floor.

Day 10: Farewell Showtime: Steve Mazan.
Funny comedy from Steve Mazan about taking cruises and relationships. Ended with performers from the entire cruise singing a farwell song which was a great way to finish.

I particularly enjoyed the Ice Spectacular (ice skating and dancing) on Day 2 and Duo Quintessence (stunning acrobatic show) on Day 7 and both shows highlighted performers pushing their bodies to the limit in artistic displays. 

The Fast Forward Show to Day 6 was the most enjoyable musical performance probably as I recalled the 1980s that I grew up in.

Summary

This was my first leisure cruise. I had undertaken an exploration cruise to Antarctica and an adventure cruise on a catamaran to the Galapagos Islands but these were vastly different to a leisure cruise with 4,000 passengers and shows.

It was very different to anything I’ve done before. There was a lot of energy on this cruise. The staff and tour guides were always trying to get the energy up, asking questions and getting you to shout out answers. Loud music was also common. Staff were always professional and asking you how you were going and if they could help. Very much in the USA service style which takes some getting us to. 

As a former backpacker, this was as far as I could get from my early travel days. However, as I get older the easier travelling style has some appeal. I was hoping this cruise would turn out to be a good way to travel so it would be an option for a future Scandinavian Europe cruise to the coastlines of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, to explore fjords, islands, and rocky shores.

This cruise was enjoyable and it is a future option that I will now actively research. I might go with an interior cabin as it is far cheaper and I didn’t use the balcony a lot for the extra cost.

Cruising is set up more for couples but is still okay for singles. Ideally, I’ll find someone to join me on my next cruise.