As we sailed from the Southern Caribbean back to Miami on February 15, 2025, we walked around the ship, taking photos.
The Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Seas was medium-size for the Royal Caribbean fleet--3000 passengers and 1000 staff. It felt very big and a bit crowded to us, after sailing on the 1250 guest Oceania ships. We realize that different cruise ships appeal to different types of people. The Explorer of the Seas had elaborate recreation equipment that Oceania ships lack--a miniature golf course, wave pool, water slide, skating rink, and several swimming pools. It even had a chapel! The ship didn't, however, have the educational speakers, well-stocked library, and chef-led cooking classes that we enjoyed on Oceania.
The food was delicious, if not quite as gourmet as on Oceania.
The Caribbean is a tourist mecca. At the best known ports, such as San Juan and St. Martin, the cruise ships were literally "wall to wall." I didn't mind that very much. I read my 600 page Lonely Planet Caribbean travel guide cover to cover, took the longest shore excursions at each port, and felt I learned a lot about the six islands we visited.
We tried each of the three "specialty restaurants" on Explorer of the Seas, which compared to very good restaurants at home.
On our last night on board, we ate at the oriental specialty restaurant. Our waiter asked if we were celebrating anything special. When we said we weren't, he asked when each of our birthdays was. He said that my birthday, March 17, was close enough to February 15 for a special treat. The wait staff sang me "Happy Birthday" and brought a molten lava chocolate cake with a candle to blow out! It was a fitting finale to an excellent trip. I also added #s 121, 122, and 123 to the countries I have visited--Dominica, Antigua, and St. Kitts!
The food was delicious, if not quite as gourmet as on Oceania.
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