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I'm booked on Explorer in March next year, and I'm pretty excited about it.

Last night, I met someone who cruised on her three months ago, and informed me she's a very tired, horrible ship and she'd never cruise on her again. Colour me gobsmacked! ??

Now, I don't know this person at all, and it's entirely possible she's just one of those folk for whom the glass is always half empty.

So I'm reaching out to people who might be more objective, and who in some cases (lucky group cruisers!) have recent experience on Explorer.

@twangster and Matt's photos show a ship I'll be delighted to cruise on.

Can someone reassure me please? Pretty please?

 

 

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I have been on Explorer a few times, the last time was February this year an she was a great ship. You have nothing to worry about, she is clean and tidy with an amazing crew, you will have a great cruise.

Here is my review if you are interested.

We are on her again next in March next year.

 

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Compared to Harmony or Symphony, Explorer doesn't look brand new.  However I never thought to say she is old and tired.  

The only thing that caught my eye the whole week was the bar in the pub.  It's different compared to other Royal pub bars.  The pub bars that I have experienced before were along the back wall leaving the bulk of the pub space open.  On Explorer the bar is near the entrance, triangular shaped and occupies a lot of floor space in the pub.  As a bar this worked okay with good access to bartenders.  When the pub singer was there, I didn't feel there was a lot of room to sit and listen to the music.  That's not "old and tired", it is just different. 

Keep in mind I was on sister ship Adventure in May a month before Explorer.  Adventure was refreshed earlier this year.   I was pleasantly surprised to see newer carpet in our Explorer Interior cabin, just like Adventure.  The chair at the desk had been replaced just like Adventure.  I noted the same on our brief cabin crawl.  Their were large flat panel TVs in the remodeled "Tavern" bar. I was very pleased with Explorer over all. 

No water slides, but that isn't "old and tired" either.

It may not be new like Anthem which has decor like Harmony, but I was quite happy with the appearance of Explorer.  I suppose if someone has only sailed Voyager class and they are longing for something different, only then might you say that you are tired of her.  However that doesn't make the ship "old and tired".  

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We sailed on explorer in June as part of the group cruise. I thought the ship was in very good shape. I didn’t notice any excessive wear and tear in the public areas. We had a couple of minor issue in our room with our balcony railing and door being in bad shape. We mentioned it to our room steward (who was fantastic) and he had both fixed immediately. Couldn’t have had a better resolution. 

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9 hours ago, June May said:

Last night, I met someone who cruised on her three months ago, and informed me she's a very tired, horrible ship and she'd never cruise on her again.

This is such a pet peeve of mine.  No, Explorer is not brand new but she's no jalopy either.

I think Explorer was a fun ship to sail on and the Voyager Class, in general, is a fabulous choice. 

This is why I warn everyone never to take reviews of ships seriously.  We all cruise differently, and I firmly believe the cruise experience is what you make of it.  That and a positive attitude and open mind going in makes the largest difference.

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21 hours ago, June May said:

Thanks everyone - I had hoped this was the case. I suspect the lady in question has a case of cruise snobbery going on.

Now I can go back to looking forward to my cruise! And using all the excellent tips from everyone here to help me plan!

 

Hi June May. As Matt referred to, take online reviews with a grain of salt.  Some people's expectations are way too high to begin with, while others only comment on the negatives they see, none of the positives.

I'm sailing Explorer in Oct/Nov and I cannot wait. If every review I read between now and then is bad, I will still be looking forward with excited anticipation.

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