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Explorer of the Seas

Voyager-class cruise ship · flagged in The Bahamas. Browse upcoming sailings and route previews for this ship.

Image via Wikimedia Commons
Tonnage
138,194
Capacity
3,114
Built
2,000
Length
311 m
Upcoming
82

Reviewer read

A solid, middle-of-the-fleet ship. It falls behind on embarkation.

Explorer of the Seas rates higher overall than 48% of the ships we track. Fitness is its strongest showing. The weak spot is embarkation.

Why reviewers choose it

  • Fitness7.7

    Higher than 72% of ships · 1,432 ratings

  • Activities8.1

    Higher than 65% of ships · 1,265 ratings

  • Value7.0

    Higher than 57% of ships · 1,618 ratings

  • Service8.7

    Higher than 52% of ships · 3,695 ratings

The one caution

8.2out of 10 for embarkation

Higher than only 31% of ships. The typical ship scores 8.44.

Of the 1,670 reviewers who wrote about it, 66% were positive.

Everything else, in two lines

Four are good without being remarkable: fitness, activities, value and service. They rate higher than 52% to 72% of ships.

Family sits in the middle of the fleet too, but only 51 people scored it, so treat it as a hint.

Seven fall below the fleet: dining, entertainment, disembarkation, ship quality, public areas, cabins and embarkation. They rate higher than 31% to 47% of ships.

Cabin grade barely matters here. The inside, oceanview, balcony and suite grades all score between 8.37 and 8.63. Pick on price and position, not on rating.

One place worth knowing about

  • Windjammer The restaurant people mention most61% positive · 678 comments

Reviewers named 12 places by name. This is the one where knowing changes anything — the other 9 are all liked by 66% to 81% of the people who mentioned them.

Who says it suited them

First-time cruisers (290 of 316), families with teens (60 of 72), couples (39 of 47) and large groups (13 of 16).

No group described it as a poor fit.

What we can’t tell you

How it suits older travelers
Too few reviewers on this ship described traveling as seniors.
How it handles mobility needs
Too few reviewers mentioned accessibility here.
Whether it's good value today
Reviews describe the fare people paid, not the one you'll be quoted.

Every category, compared

The mark on each bar is where the typical ship sits.

CategoryRatingCompared with other shipsEvidence
Disembarkation8.7Higher than only 45%884 ratings · broad
Service8.7Higher than 52%3,695 ratings · broad
Ship quality8.7Higher than only 45%1,942 ratings · broad
Cabins8.3Higher than only 43%3,894 ratings · broad
Embarkation8.2Higher than only 31%2,731 ratings · broad
Activities8.1Higher than 65%1,265 ratings · broad
Dining7.8Higher than only 47%3,795 ratings · broad
Public areas7.7Higher than only 44%1,827 ratings · broad
Fitness7.7Higher than 72%1,432 ratings · broad
Entertainment7.5Higher than only 45%3,689 ratings · broad
Family7.5Higher than 78%51 ratings · limited
Value7.0Higher than 57%1,618 ratings · broad

4,262 published reviews · 308 from the last three years · 26,720 individual comments read.

On the chart

Upcoming sailings on Explorer of the Seas