Explorer of the Seas - Profile, Photo Tour, Captain's Interview

Explorer of the Seas is one of five Voyager class ships that were built for Royal Caribbean. Although she has been in service for 11 years now, she remains one of the largest cruise ships. More importantly, she has been able to survive in the very competitive New York area cruise market for five years on a year-round basis while other ships have come and gone.




I returned to Explorer recently to see if I could uncover the secret of her longevity in New York. Although she does not have all of the features of her giant fleetmates Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, as a large ship, she still has quite a lot. There is always something happening on the Royal Promenade and as I discussed in an earlier posting, her Portofino specialty restaurant is the best that I have sampled in the Royal Caribbean fleet.



Furthermore, you do not have to travel all the way to Florida to get on the ship. If the destination is the Caribbean, you get there by sea. There is also the option of just going to Bermuda or up to Canada and New England. It is very convenient if you live in the northeastern United States or are in New York for a visit.



Another thing I noticed was the friendliness of the staff. Captain Henrik Loy, master of the Explorer, told me that he sees the bond that forms between the crew and the guests as one of his ship’s greatest strengths. As proof, he pointed out that half of the guests that cruise on Explorer are repeat guests. Hotel Director Benny Weidecker added that Royal Caribbean is very much focusing on personalized service in order to create such connections.



My interview with Captain Loy and Mr. Weidecker is posted at http://www.beyondships.com/EOS--Captain-HD.html



Also while I was onboard, I re-photographed the ship. As a result, the Beyondships photo tour of Explorer of the Seas has many new photographs. It begins at http://www.beyondships.com/Explorer-tour.html



Similarly, the Explorer profile has been updated with new Cruise Compasses, menus and various informational handouts that were distributed onboard. There are also many new exterior photos of the ship. The profile page is at http://www.beyondships.com/Explorer.html