Explorer Of The Seas

The 2000-built Explorer of the Seas cruise ship is the 2nd Voyager-class Royal Caribbean liner, with sisterships Adventure OTS, Navigator OTS, Mariner OTS, and Voyager OTS.

The vessel (IMO number 9161728) is currently Bahamas-flagged (MMSI 311316000) and registered in Nassau.

History - construction and ownership

Royal Caribbean International (RCI) is a US passenger shipping company, travel brand, and subsidiary owned by Royal Caribbean Group (RCG/shipowner). Established in 1968, RCI currently holds over 20% of the worldwide cruise market. It also has RCG's largest fleet by both vessel number and gross tonnage.

All RCI ships have names ending with "of the Seas".

The 3300-passenger Explorer OTS has been surpassed in size by the Freedom-class and the world's largest Oasis-class liners. Still, she remains among the largest cruise ships worldwide, designed as a floating resort with a wide range of amenities, activities, and entertainment.

Highlights include a 60x40 ft ice-skating rink, a shopping and dining promenade, a rock-climbing wall, a wedding chapel, a full-size basketball court, and a spa complex. Explorer appeals to all age groups, making her a popular choice for multi-generational family cruises. She is also one of Royal Caribbean's more affordable ships.

Decks and Cabins

Explorer Of The Seas staterooms (1641 total, across 34 categories) include 115 Suites, 652 Balcony, 232 OceanView, 138 Promenade View, and 504 Inside cabins (including Virtual Balcony). Most cabins are 150-160 ft2 (14-15 m2), while most balconies are 50 ft2 (5 m2). The largest accommodation is the Royal Suite (1090 ft2 / 101 m2 plus a 215 ft2 / 20 m2 terrace with Jacuzzi). There are 27 wheelchair-accessible cabins.

The ship has 15 decks, 14 of which are passenger-accessible, with 8 dedicated to cabins.

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

Dining on Explorer ranges from the main dining room to the Windjammer Café buffet and the 24-hour Café Promenade. Food is well prepared with a wide variety of choices. The main dining room offers "My Time Dining" for flexible dinner hours, as well as assigned early or late seatings. The 3-level dining room is one of the most elegant among mid-priced cruise lines, with a grand staircase, gold-leaf columns, velvet curtains, and a dome ceiling decorated with golden rays and stars. Each level is themed after legendary explorers: Magellan, Da Gama, and Columbus.

The Windjammer buffet offers casual meals with highlights such as the egg station at breakfast and the carving station at lunch. Vegetarian guests fare better in the main dining room for lunch. The Windjammer serves as a flexible alternative for dinner, featuring many items from the MDR menu.

The Italian specialty restaurant Giovanni’s Table charges a US$20 per-person cover (drinks not included) and serves multi-course meals. Johnny Rockets, a 1950s-style diner, offers hot dogs, burgers, chili fries, and onion rings for an additional fee.

Follows the complete list of Explorer of the Seas restaurants and dining venues:

• Sapphire Restaurant (540-seat aft dining room, fixed seating for dinner)
• Windjammer Café buffet (310-seat; Early Breakfast 6:30 am, Breakfast 7-11:30 am, Lunch 11:30 am-3:30 pm, Dinner 6:30-9 pm)
• Johnny Rockets (248-seat retro diner, surcharge applies)
• Giovanni’s Table (Italian specialty, reservations recommended)
• Izumi (Japanese cuisine)
• Island Grill (454-seat buffet venue)
• Chops Grille (steakhouse)

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

Evenings bring Broadway-style shows at the 4-deck Palace Theatre. Bars host live performances ranging from classical guitar to jazz and country. Studio B Ice Rink stages the popular “Ice Planet” show with falling snow effects. Admission is free, but seating is limited.

Other activities include rock-climbing competitions and street-fair-style entertainment along the Royal Promenade. For quieter moments, guests can visit the Aquarium Bar with its 56 tons of saltwater tanks, the nautical-themed Schooner Bar, or the Seven Hearts Card Room.

Additional amenities include complimentary 24-hour room service, a supervised youth program, Internet/WiFi access, and laundry services.

Follows the complete list of Explorer of the Seas entertainment venues and lounges:

• The Palace Theatre (1362-seat; two grand productions nightly featuring dance, acrobatics, comedy, and game shows)
• Studio B (904-seat indoor ice rink for ice shows, demos, and parties)
• The Chamber Disco and Nightclub (240-seat)
• Focus Photo Gallery and Shop; Art Gallery (auctions held in the 350-seat Star Lounge)
• The Centrum (social hub); Next Cruise Lounge; Concierge Club (26-seat, suite and loyalty guests only); Viking Crown Lounge; Crown Lounge (former Diamond Club); Dizzy’s Lounge (96-seat jazz club); Crown and Kettle English Pub (75-seat)
• Schooner Bar (130-seat piano bar); Connoisseur Cigar Club (34-seat lounge); R Bar (wine tastings); Sky Bar; The Tavern (sports bar)
• Casino Royale (416-seat)
• Café Promenade (105-seat, 24-hour, serving snacks, drinks, and Starbucks coffee)
• Royal Promenade Boutiques (perfumes, jewelry, duty-free alcohol, souvenirs); Sea Trek Dive Shop
• Royal Caribbean Online Center (24-hour Internet lounge)
• Vitality at Sea Spa & Fitness Center; 7 Jacuzzis; 4 pools
• Solarium (adults-only pool, café, and bar)
• Outdoor movie screen
• Video Arcade; Optix Teen Disco; Living Room teen lounge; Royal Babies and Tots Nursery
• Adventure Ocean kids’ lounge
• Sports Court (golf simulator, table tennis, basketball); Jogging Track; Rock-climbing Wall; Mini-golf course; FlowRider surf simulator
• Skylight Wedding Chapel (40-seat, also for religious services)

During her 2023 drydock (January-March), Explorer OTS received “The Perfect Storm” dual-racing waterslides, installed aft on Deck 13, between the FlowRider and Sports Court.

The Perfect Storm includes two racer slides (“Cyclone” and “Typhoon”), accessed via a 3-deck-high, glass-enclosed staircase. Minimum height is 48 inches (122 cm), maximum weight 300 lbs (136 kg). The slides are complimentary, with no age restrictions.

Itineraries

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2021 Explorer of the Seas sailed Caribbean roundtrips from San Juan, Puerto Rico and Miami, Florida.

The 7-day Southern Caribbean itineraries from San Juan visit St Maarten, Aruba, Curacao, Bonaire, St Thomas USVI, St Croix USVI, St Lucia, St Kitts, and Barbados.

From PortMiami, she operates 6-day Western Caribbean and 8-day Southern Caribbean voyages, all including a call at Royal Caribbean’s private island CocoCay, Bahamas.

Explorer of the Seas is one of Royal Caribbean's Voyager-class liners, with sisterships Adventure, Navigator, Mariner, and Voyager. The ship's godmother was Jackie Joyner-Kersee (US athlete and Olympic medalist). The naming ceremony took place on October 21, 2000, in New York Harbor. On October 28, she started her inaugural cruise (maiden voyage) from NYC to the Eastern Caribbean.

"Explorer of the Seas" is not a randomly chosen name. The ship is equipped with a laboratory for studying the seas and the atmosphere, operated by the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science at the University of Miami.

On May 16, 2016, Explorer OTS (at that time the largest passenger ship on the US West Coast) arrived at her new homeport in Seattle WA. Her inaugural Alaskan season offered 7-day roundtrips to Alaska and Canada, visiting Juneau, Skagway, Tracy Arm Fjord, and Victoria BC.

The ship's Captain is Kjetil Gjerstad (Norwegian).

In 2016, Explorer OTS also debuted in Australia-New Zealand and Asia, with homeport departures from Sydney NSW and Singapore.

In 2020, after completing her planned major drydock in Cadiz, the ship was scheduled to homeport in Civitavecchia-Rome for 7- and 9-night Mediterranean itineraries visiting Italy and Greece/Greek Islands (Santorini, Crete, Mykonos). After her Transatlantic repositioning to the USA, Explorer OTS was to be homeported in Miami Florida for 5- and 9-night Eastern and Southern Caribbean itineraries, all including CocoCay Bahamas.

Explorer OTS refurbishments review

Drydock 2025

The drydocking in 2025 (September 21 through October 19) was at Navantia (Cadiz). The 3-week project included routine maintenance and safety inspections, classification works, hotel upgrades, and hull cleaning/repainting.

Drydock 2023 (Royal Amplified)

The ship's drydocking in 2023 (January 29 through March 12, at Navantia) was mainly for routine maintenance (technical and hotel overhauls, hull cleaning/painting). The project also added The Perfect Storm (aft-portside of Deck 13), a dual-racing waterslide complex featuring the Cyclone and Typhoon tube slides.

Drydock 2020-2021 (Royal Amplified)

The major refurbishment (USD 110 million project) in 2020 (March 17 - May 6, at Navantia) was part of RCI's "Royal Amplified" fleet renovation program. However, due to the Coronavirus pandemic (shipyard closure and RCG’s financial losses), the project was revised and completed later in 2023. The 2020 drydocking was limited to technical works, including hull cleaning/repainting and routine maintenance.

The "Royal Amplified" refurbishment continued in 2021 and added new venues and amenities:

• (Sports Deck 13) Perfect Storm (outdoor complex with 2 high-speed waterslides – “Cyclone” and “Typhoon”), both spiraling portside around the FlowRider. On the starboard side is the raft slide “Tidal Wave” (rafts plummet down a steep drop, shoot up a vertical wall, then free fall back down). Note: This aquapark and slide concept was first introduced on Liberty OTS and Harmony OTS (Oasis-class).
• Redesigned pool deck (Lido Deck 11) with hammocks, daybeds, casitas (small wooden cabanas), and in-pool chaise lounge chairs.
• "The Lime and Coconut Bar" (3-level poolside bar).
• Completely renovated Solarium (adults-only complex forward on Deck 11).
• Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen (specialty trattoria restaurant).
• "Playmakers Sports Bar and Arcade" (sports-themed lounge with Owner’s Box/VIP seating).
• Johnny Rockets Express (pool deck dining and beverage service).
• Starbucks (kiosk with coffee beverages and pastries).
• Studio B (2-level lounge on decks 2-3) upgraded with the laser tag game "Clash for the Crystal City".

The Youth Center was redesigned and upgraded. Adventure Ocean (kids’ complex) received new rooms and age-specific activities. The Teen Lounge gained a new hangout space, music and gaming experiences, and an exclusive open-air sundeck.

Drydock 2018

During the 2018 drydock, all staterooms were renovated. Also, on Spa Deck 12 (aft), Slashaway Bay (kids’ aquapark) was added – an interactive water play area with cannons and geysers, replacing the old Outdoor Youth Area (“back deck”).

Drydock 2015

Drydock 2015 (March) resulted in the following upgrades:

Chef’s Table (private gourmet dining experience) was introduced.

On Deck 2 (starboard), the Board Room was replaced with 4 new oceanview cabins.

On Deck 3, the Chamber disco was replaced by 19 new interior cabins. Also, aft portside, 5 new oceanview cabins were added, along with 15 new cabins starboard (using space from the Art & Photo Gallery). The gallery was renamed Focus, and the Dining Room was renamed from “Magellan” to “Sapphire.”

On Deck 4, the Chamber disco (level 2) was transformed into Giovanni’s Table (Italian trattoria). The Eco-learning station and Aquarium Bar (portside) were replaced with The Tavern (sports bar). The Dining Room was renamed from “Da Gama” to “Sapphire.”

On Promenade Deck 5, Maharaja’s show lounge was redesigned and renamed “Star Lounge.” The Champagne Bar was replaced by R-Bar. The Dining Room was renamed from “Columbus” to “Sapphire.”

On Deck 6, one new inside cabin (6137) was added, and the Business Services office was replaced with Next Cruise.

On Deck 7, one new inside cabin (7139) was added, and some balcony categories were changed. Category changes were also made on Deck 8.

On Deck 9, one new inside cabin (9237) was added, with additional category changes.

On Deck 10 (Navigation), one new inside cabin (1233) was added, with further category changes.

On Lido Deck 11, an outdoor theater (Jumbotron / large movie screen) was installed. Portofino (Italian restaurant) was replaced by Chops Grille (steakhouse). The Island Grill became part of the Windjammer buffet.

On Spa Deck 12, Royal Caribbean’s signature Nursery was added. Around the ShipShape Spa, new Spa cabins were introduced in the "Panoramic Oceanview" and "Balcony" categories. Aft, Adventure Beach was replaced with the Outdoor Youth Area.

On Deck 13, the in-line roller track was removed and replaced with Royal Caribbean’s signature FlowRider (surf simulator).

On Deck 14, the “Diamond Club” lounge replaced the “19th Hole” sports bar, serving “Crown & Anchor” members only. Multipurpose rooms (Cloud Nine, Seven Hearts) were replaced by Izumi (Asian restaurant).

Digital signage boards (wayfinders) were installed across several decks. These touch screens help guests navigate the ship.

Wi-Fi coverage was upgraded to shipwide.

Cabin amenities were upgraded with HDTVs in all staterooms.