Cruise Choices - Galveston

[jaredhamburg]

I am thinking .of the cruise below (9 night on Explorer of the Seas out of Galveston) and had some questions for the wonderful group brain on this board.

1.)  Is Explorer of the Seas a good ship?  I know people like Liberty of the Seas really well, but it has more mundane Western Caribbean itineraries (done that twice, have never been to the Bahamas).  The Jewel of the Seas sailings to the Bahamas do not line up with my job very well (cannot easily take vacations in the first quarter of the year).  I know Galveston is limiting, but it is a drive versus a flight and saves a lot of money.

2.)  What is good to do as a cruise excursion in Miami and Orlando given the times?  It would be my wife and I and a 10 YO girl and a 6 YO boy.  I wish it was going to Key West, but that may not be a thing for cruise ships at all.

Thanks everyone!

 

[jaredhamburg]

4 minutes ago, crisgold52 said:

In general whichever RCL ship you choose to go with kids is good seeing as RCL caters to a Family Demographic and for those young at heart. The Explorer like many ships in its class has dedicated kids spaces on board and a general family friendly feel.

I've been on HAL and Viking but those ships are quite boring for a family demographic and generally the ages on non-family type cruises like those or even Regeant 7 Seas is 60+ or higher. I only stick with family friendly lines now. And RCL does it really well.

 

An excursion in Orlando post-cruise would be Kennedy Space Center with Airport Drop off, or in Miami a fan boat tour of the Everglades again with Airport drop off. When would this be , in 2021? One would hope there will be new norms in place by then.

Hi!  The plan would be October 2021.  I am hoping things would be some kind of normal by then.  But.....I thought we would be back to normal by now when this whole COVID-19 mess started.....Thanks for the tips!

[twangster]

Explorer is part of the Voyager class while Liberty is Freedom class.  

Freedom class is basically a stretched version of Voyager class.  It's like they took a Voyager class ship and welded in an extra section in the middle.  The extra space in the middle makes room for a dedicated Sorrento's Pizza in the Promenade and an extra pool on the pool deck.  On Explorer pizza is available at cafe Promenade.  

I like Voyager class.  They are a perfect size while not being too big.  They aren't small (bigger than anything in Carnival's active fleet up to this point) so they are a large ship while keeping the guest count to a reasonable level.

Balcony cabins on Explorer are cove like in nature while Liberty has a more open balconies with glass.  Explorer was suppose to go in for her "amplification" right when the pandemic started so it was cancelled.  They had already been doing some things to her such as the cabins were already touched when I sailed her June 2018.  Explorer was set to receive water slides in the amplification so that's a notable omission right now.

Other differences - Liberty has a Suite Lounge while Explorer still has the interior Concierge Lounge, one of a handful left in the fleet.  Generally speaking if you like Liberty you'll feel right at home on Explorer.   The layout except for the extra section in the middle is very similar.  

[krhardy]

You'll have a great time on Explorer!

Recommendation in Orlando would be Kennedy Space Center...close, interesting, and reasonably priced. No need to do a formal excursion unless you just really want to...you can taxi or Uber from the port and purchase your tickets on site.

In Miami, the zoo is a great option.