Explorer Of The Seas
Cruises
Departure Ports
Starting Price, Per Night*
Maximum Duration
|
Spec |
Value |
|---|---|
| Age | 25 years (since 2000) |
| Class | Voyager class |
| Length | 311 metres (1,020 feet) |
| Beam | 49.1 metres (161 feet) |
| Tonnage | 138,194 gross tonnes |
| Capacity | 3,286 lower berth (4,290 maximum) |
| Crew | ~1,180 |
| Speed | 22 knots |
| Itinerary | Florida year-round + Mediterranean summer: Bahamas, Caribbean, Mediterranean |
Prefer to sail Royal Caribbean from Australia?
Explorer of the Seas sails from Florida and the Mediterranean, so an Australian booking is a fly-cruise. For a no-fly Royal Caribbean cruise from Sydney or Brisbane, see:
What is the Explorer of the Seas?
Explorer of the Seas is a 138,194 gross tonne, 311-metre Voyager-class ship operated by Royal Caribbean International, the second of five Voyager-class sisters and in service since 2000. She carries 3,286 guests at lower-berth capacity (4,290 maximum when every berth is filled), with around 1,180 crew on board. Her signature spaces are the Voyager-class hallmarks: the Royal Promenade, a four-deck-high interior boulevard of shops, bars, and cafes running down the centre of the ship, and Studio B, a full-size ice rink that stages professional ice shows. She also carries a FlowRider surf simulator and a 40-foot rock-climbing wall on the aft funnel.
Built by Kvaerner Masa-Yards at Turku in Finland and entering service in 2000, Explorer of the Seas briefly held the title of world’s largest passenger ship until 2002, and unlike several of her sisters she has not had the Royal Amplified upgrade, so her line-up is the Voyager-class standard. She is registered in the Bahamas and does not homeport in Australia: she sails Bahamas and Caribbean itineraries from Florida and crosses the Atlantic for a Mediterranean season, so Australian guests fly to join her.
How many decks does the Explorer of the Seas have?
Explorer of the Seas has 15 decks, with cabins on eight of them, so your stateroom sits on one of those. The remaining decks hold the public spaces you use during the cruise: the four-deck Royal Promenade, the three-deck Main Dining Room, the Windjammer Marketplace buffet, the Royal Theater, the Studio B ice rink, the Vitality Spa, the Adventure Ocean kids’ centre, Casino Royale, and the top-deck pools, FlowRider, and rock-climbing wall.
What cabins does the Explorer of the Seas have?
Explorer of the Seas carries 1,641 cabins across four core tiers. You can book:
- Interior cabins, including the Voyager-class signature Promenade View Interior: inside cabins with bowed windows that look down over the Royal Promenade boulevard rather than out to sea, alongside standard interior cabins.
- Ocean View cabins, which add a picture window, in sizes from standard up to an ultra-spacious layout.
- Balcony cabins, with a real private balcony, in standard and more spacious versions.
- Suites, which on the Explorer of the Seas are tiered by size rather than grouped into Royal Caribbean’s Star, Sky, and Sea Royal Suite Class (that program runs only on the line’s newer Oasis, Quantum, and Icon-class ships, not this Voyager-class hull). They run from the Junior Suite up through the one and two-bedroom Grand Suites, the Owner’s Suite, the Deck 14 Panoramic Suite with its forward wall of glass, and the Royal Suite at the top, at about 1,087 square feet. Larger suites add Concierge Lounge access, a Suite-Only Sun Deck, and priority check-in and boarding.
There are 115 suites in total.
What does the Explorer of the Seas itinerary look like?
Explorer of the Seas splits her year across two regions, an unusually wide schedule for a single Royal Caribbean ship. You can choose:
- Bahamas and Eastern Caribbean voyages of 5 to 8 nights from Port Canaveral or Fort Lauderdale in Florida, calling at ports such as Nassau, Royal Caribbean’s private island CocoCay, St. Thomas, Tortola, San Juan, and Amber Cove.
- Mediterranean voyages of 7 to 12 nights from Barcelona, Civitavecchia for Rome, Ravenna, or Piraeus for Athens, calling at Naples, Livorno for Florence and Pisa, Marseille, and Palma de Mallorca, plus Greek and Adriatic ports such as Santorini, Mykonos, Kotor, and Dubrovnik.
What are the top facilities on the Explorer of the Seas?
Explorer of the Seas has eight standout facilities:
- The Royal Promenade, the four-deck-high interior boulevard lined with shops, bars, and cafes.
- Studio B, the ice rink that stages professional ice-show productions.
- The FlowRider surf simulator.
- The 40-foot rock-climbing wall on the aft funnel.
- Mini-golf on the top deck.
- The sports court for basketball and table tennis, plus the jogging track.
- The main pool and the H2O Zone kids’ splash area.
- The adults-only Solarium with its glass-roofed indoor pool.
What is the onboard experience of the Explorer of the Seas?
Explorer of the Seas‘s onboard experience covers six areas:
- Dining
- Bars and lounges
- Entertainment
- Activities and pools
- Wellness and fitness
- Kids and teens programming
Dining is built around a traditional three-deck Main Dining Room, which serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner with set seating or flexible My Time Dining, rather than the split four-restaurant setup on the line’s newer ships. Casual options include the Windjammer Marketplace buffet, the 24-hour Café Promenade and Sorrento’s Pizza on the Royal Promenade, the adults-only Solarium Bistro, and the Pig & Whistle Pub for English-pub fare. Specialty (extra-charge) venues include the Chops Grille steakhouse, Giovanni’s Table for Italian, Izumi for Japanese, Johnny Rockets for burgers, and the multi-course Chef’s Table.
Bars and lounges run from the Schooner Bar piano lounge and the Pig & Whistle Pub on the Royal Promenade to Boleros for Latin music and the Vintages wine bar. Olive Or Twist is the high-deck observation lounge, the Voyager Nightclub takes the late-night sessions, and Casino Royale runs the gaming floor.
Entertainment centres on Studio B, where the ice rink hosts professional ice-show productions, and the Royal Theater, which stages Broadway-style production shows. The Royal Promenade carries parades and party events down its four-deck length, and Casino Royale covers the gaming.
Activities and pools lead with the FlowRider surf simulator and the 40-foot rock-climbing wall on the aft funnel. The open decks carry the main pool, the adults-only Solarium with its glass-roofed pool, a sports court for basketball and table tennis, mini-golf, and a jogging track. The H2O Zone is the kids’ splash area.
Wellness and fitness centre on the Vitality Spa & Fitness Centre, with a full menu of massages, facials, and body wraps plus a thermal suite and a salon. The adults-only Solarium, with its glass-roofed indoor pool, is the quieter relaxation zone, and the gym carries cardio and weights with paid group classes.
Kids and teens programming runs through Adventure Ocean, split into Aquanauts (ages 3 to 5), Explorers (6 to 8), and Voyagers (9 to 11), with the H2O Zone for water play. The Living Room is the teen lounge for ages 13 to 17.
Who is the Explorer of the Seas best for?
Explorer of the Seas is a strong fit for you in three scenarios:
- You’re a US East Coast cruiser who wants Voyager-class scale from Port Canaveral or Fort Lauderdale for a Bahamas and Caribbean sailing.
- You’re a Mediterranean cruiser who wants Royal Caribbean’s largest operation in the region, since she sails from the widest set of Mediterranean home ports in the fleet: Barcelona, Civitavecchia, Ravenna, and Piraeus.
- You’re a multi-generational family and want the age-banded Adventure Ocean clubs alongside the Voyager-class signatures, from the Royal Promenade and Studio B ice rink to the FlowRider and the rock-climbing wall.
Explorer of the Seas is an older Voyager-class hull that has not had the Royal Amplified upgrade her sisters received, so she’s less suited to you if you’re after Quantum or Icon-class scale or the line’s latest thrill features. What she offers instead is the proven Voyager-class layout across an unusually wide choice of regions.
Where does the Explorer of the Seas dock?
Explorer of the Seas works from two sets of home ports depending on the season. For her Bahamas and Caribbean sailings she departs from Florida, at Port Canaveral and at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale. For her Mediterranean season she has the widest home-port base of any Royal Caribbean ship, sailing from Barcelona, Civitavecchia (the port for Rome), Ravenna on the Adriatic, and Piraeus (the port for Athens). Pier assignments can vary by voyage, so check your booking for the exact terminal. She does not sail from Australia, so Australian guests join her either in Florida or in the Mediterranean.
Prefer to sail Royal Caribbean from Australia?
Explorer of the Seas is a Florida- and Mediterranean-based ship, so an Australian booking is always a fly-cruise. If you’d rather board closer to home, three Royal Caribbean fleetmates sail from Australian homeports:
- Anthem of the Seas is the upgrade pivot, a newer Quantum-class ship that homeports in Sydney and Brisbane in the Australian summer. Her signature features, the North Star observation pod and the RipCord by iFLY indoor skydiving simulator, are a step up from the Voyager-class feature set on Explorer of the Seas. See Anthem of the Seas cruises.
- Ovation of the Seas is the other Quantum-class Australian regular, with a similar newer-generation feature set to Anthem of the Seas on Sydney and Brisbane summer rotations. See Ovation of the Seas cruises.
- Voyager of the Seas is the closest size-and-feel match, the lead ship of Explorer of the Seas‘s own Voyager class. She sails Australian summers from Sydney and Brisbane and carries the same four-deck Royal Promenade, Studio B ice rink, and FlowRider surf simulator format on a near-identical platform. See Voyager of the Seas cruises.
Explorer of the Seas FAQs
How old is the Explorer of the Seas?
Explorer of the Seas entered service in October 2000 as the second of Royal Caribbean’s five Voyager-class ships, which makes her 25 years old in 2026, turning 26 in October. She was built by Kvaerner Masa-Yards at Turku in Finland, briefly held the title of world’s largest passenger ship from 2000 to 2002, and was christened by the Olympic gold medallist Jackie Joyner-Kersee. Her most recent drydock, in September 2025, was routine maintenance.
How many passengers can the Explorer of the Seas carry?
Explorer of the Seas carries 3,286 guests at lower-berth capacity (standard double occupancy) and up to 4,290 passengers when every upper berth and sofa bed is filled. With around 1,180 crew, that is roughly 4,470 people on board at standard occupancy and about 5,470 at full capacity.
How long is the Explorer of the Seas?
Explorer of the Seas measures 311 metres (1,020 feet) in overall length, with a beam of 49.1 metres (161 feet). At 138,194 gross tonnes she was, briefly, the world’s largest passenger ship when she launched in 2000.
What are the noisy rooms to avoid on the Explorer of the Seas?
One cabin position on the Explorer of the Seas is worth avoiding if you’re a light sleeper, based on a researched architectural pattern for the Explorer of the Seas that transfers across the Voyager-class hull (sisters Voyager of the Seas, Adventure of the Seas, Navigator of the Seas, and Mariner of the Seas):
- Forward cabins on Deck 6, above a Deck 5 lounge, which sit directly over the venue below and pick up music and late-night noise.
Call Cruise Guru on 13 13 03, use Contact Us, or submit a Request a Call Back form, and a consultant can advise on specific deck and cabin numbers within the category you are considering.
Does the Explorer of the Seas have a water slide?
No, Explorer of the Seas doesn’t carry waterslides. As an older Voyager-class hull she has the class-standard pool deck, and her water feature for younger children is the H2O Zone splash area beside the main pool. Her headline thrills are different: the FlowRider surf simulator, the 40-foot rock-climbing wall, and the Studio B ice rink. For a Royal Caribbean ship with a full waterslide complex, her Amplified Voyager-class sisters Voyager of the Seas, Navigator of the Seas, and Mariner of the Seas carry the Perfect Storm waterslides.
Can Australian cruisers book the Explorer of the Seas?
Yes. Explorer of the Seas doesn’t sail from Australia, so you fly to join her, either in Florida for a Bahamas and Caribbean sailing or in the Mediterranean, where her long European season pairs well with a wider Europe trip. For a no-fly Royal Caribbean sailing from Sydney or Brisbane, the section above on Anthem of the Seas, Ovation of the Seas, and Voyager of the Seas is the better starting point.
Indicative cruise-only fares for Australian guests start from around A$1,830 per person for an interior cabin, about A$2,140 for a balcony, and about A$2,961 for a suite, though these are limited-availability snapshots that move with the season, so check the live fares on this page for current pricing on your chosen sailing.
