Explorer of the Seas — the basics, and what to ask
A large ship, 3,282 berths, but not the scale where you need a map for the first two days.
A veteran — 2000. Older ships divide people: smaller, more characterful, often cheaper, and the fittings show their age in places. Plenty of people prefer them and say so loudly.
Big enough that a sea day never runs dry, small enough that you are not queueing for lifts all week.
Passenger-to-crew is about 2.8 to 1. Fine, but at peak times — embarkation day, the buffet at one — you will notice.
From her deck plan: an ice rink, an indoor promenade, a waterpark, a casino, a spa, a theatre, a dedicated kids area, a sports deck and a central atrium. That is what the layout shows — if something has been changed in a refit, correct us.
Cabins run from deck 2 to deck 12 across 8 decks. The usual advice applies and applies harder on a ship this shape: mid-ship and low is the steadiest ride, and what sits directly above your cabin matters more than the view out of it.
Been aboard? Say what you would tell someone booking her next month.
#1·