The quiet one, and the smart buy
Explorer of the Seas has never been the headline sister. She did not invent the formula like Voyager, and she did not get the transformative refit that turned Navigator into a different ship. What she has is the complete Voyager-class toolkit at a price that regularly undercuts everything around her.
That toolkit is not small. A four-storey Royal Promenade, a full ice rink with a professional show, a rock climbing wall, and a proper main theatre — all included, all on a hull small enough to cross in a couple of minutes. Twenty years ago this was the biggest ship on earth. It still delivers a genuine big-ship week.
The honest case for her is arithmetic. If the fare gap to a heavily amplified sister is several hundred dollars per person, and you were never going to ride the water coaster, Explorer gives you the same cruise for less money. That is not a compromise, it's a calculation — and for a lot of travellers it comes out clearly in her favour.
Explorer is the sister where the promenade-view interior does its best work. You get a window, natural light and the ship's social spine outside it for close to interior pricing — on a ship already priced below her sisters, that is the cheapest way to get a genuinely pleasant cabin in this class.
Is she your ship?
Three questions, one honest answer — including “book her sister instead” if that's the truth.
Should you book Explorer of the Seas?
We'll tell you yes, yes-with-an-asterisk, or point you at a sister — which is the answer nobody else's website will give you.
Where she actually sails
Explorer has worked Caribbean, Bermuda and European seasons over her career, and tends toward full-week itineraries rather than the three-night getaway circuit. That is part of her value case — a week-long route on a lower fare is a lot of cruise for the money. Deployment shifts by season, so verify for your dates.
Her sisters
Five ships, same bones, very different refit budgets — which is the whole decision in this class.
Explorer of the Seas is one of five Voyager-class sisters. They share a hull design, the Royal Promenade, the ice rink and the rock climbing wall — but their amplification histories diverge sharply, and that matters more than launch year.
The other four: Voyager of the Seas · Adventure of the Seas · Navigator of the Seas · Mariner of the Seas
For how they compare head to head, and which one suits which trip, see the full Voyager Class guide.
What she's like onboard
What you'll actually use, and what makes her different from her sisters.
The best cabins to book
Where to spend, where to save, and the cabin type unique to this class.
The honest downsides
What we tell clients before they book her.
Her refit was a freshening, not a rebuild. Her 2015 dry dock brought the FlowRider and Perfect Storm slides, so the class kit is all aboard — but she didn't get Navigator's $115 million rebuild. If your children specifically want an aqua coaster, that's Navigator, not Explorer.
The interiors show their age more than the amplified sisters. Cabins in particular. The public rooms hold up better than the staterooms, and the bathrooms are unmistakably of their era.
Fewer dining concepts than the refreshed ships. The newer casual restaurants that came in with the big amplifications aren't all here. The core dining is solid; the variety is narrower.
When to book
Her value case is strongest on longer itineraries, where the per-night saving compounds. Watch for shoulder-season weeks in particular — that is where her fares get genuinely striking against her better-known sisters.
The verdict
The best pound-for-pound value in the Voyager Class.
Explorer of the Seas is what happens when you strip the marketing away and ask what you're actually buying. You get the promenade, the ice show, the rock wall, a real theatre and a full-size big-ship week — for meaningfully less than the sisters with the water coasters.
Book her if the maths matters more than the marquee. If you have children who will genuinely use an aqua coaster, pay up for Navigator and don't look back. If you don't, Explorer hands you very nearly the same cruise and lets you spend the difference on a balcony, an excursion, or simply on going at all.
Quick answers
Is Explorer of the Seas a good ship?
Yes, with clear eyes about what she is: the complete Voyager-class experience at the lowest fares in the class, without the newest thrill hardware.
Does Explorer have waterslides?
Yes — the Perfect Storm slides and a FlowRider came aboard in her 2015 refit. What she doesn't have is Navigator's aqua coaster.
Explorer or Navigator?
Navigator's $115m rebuild added an aqua coaster and costs more. Explorer carries the same FlowRider, slides and class inventions for less.
How old is Explorer of the Seas?
She debuted in 2000 as the second ship of the Voyager Class.
Considering Explorer of the Seas?
Tell us about your trip.
Your dates, your crew and your budget — and we'll tell you whether she's the right sister, what she's actually sailing in your window, and what to reserve the moment booking opens.
Tap a question or the button and an advisor will answer against current pricing before you book.