CruiseMates' editor Fran Golden visited Explorer of the Seas in
Southhampton just prior to
her crossing to the U.S. The ship debuts in New York Oct. 17, 2000 before
moving to Miami.
Why mess with a good thing? Royal Caribbean didn't. The 137,000-ton Explorer
of the Seas is the world's biggest biggest ship (beating its predecessor
Voyager of the Seas by some 28 tons), but otherwise is very similar to its
sister ship. And as Martha Stewart would say, "That's a good thing." But I
did discover
several new features.
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Like the Voyager, the Explorer -- which recently previewed in Southhampton,
U.K., prior to its official U.S. introduction in New York -- boasts
extraordinary recreational facilities.
What does set the Explorer apart is its new science offerings. The ship is
home to Atmospheric and Oceanographic labs operated by the University of
Miami and NOAA (National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration).
Real-life scientists will be on board doing science experiments on wind,
water and the like. And guests can take a scheduled tour of a lab, watch
through glass while scientists work, and enjoy hands-on science exhibits
much
like you'd find in a science museum.
There are, of course, other interior design differences between the Voyager
and the new ship. The Explorer's most striking room is the disco, done up in
Gothic style complete with gargoyles, sconces with fake flames, and stained
glass-style windows.
Explorer of the Seas' outdistances all but her sister ship in terms of
on-board activities
including a rock climbing wall, mini golf course, basketball/volleyball
court, and in-line skating track, as well as extensive children's facilities
including enormous play areas, a kiddie
pool with slide, and a teen disco, which in this case includes an Internet
Cafe corner. The video game area, already large on the Voyager, has been
expanded here. And like its predecessor, the Explorer is home to a Johnny
Rockets.
There is also, of course, the ice skating rink, which Royal Caribbean
officials said was the most popular feature on the Voyager. The new Planet
Ice show, which previewed to European agents and press on a two-day preview
sailing, is excellent, and received a standing ovation. Loosely based on a
space theme, it includes a psychedelic sequences to music by The Doors.
A new stage show, History Repeating, which previewed in the Explorer's
theatre, is one of the best shipboard shows ever with wonderful dancing and
singing, and lavish sets and costumes. One segment featuring Madonna's song
Vogue had the women singers and dancers in Marie Antoinette garb and the men
in hot pants with thigh-high boots. A James Bond segment included Guns n'
Roses' Live and Let Die (if these shows aren't geared towards the Baby
Boomer
crowd what is?).
The wonderful Promenade introduced on the Voyager, wide and long enough
to host parades, and offering Promenade-view guestrooms, is little changed
on
the new ship. The line did take out the mini Promenade casino, replacing it
with a mini video game room next to the Explorer's extreme sports-themed
sports bar (there had been talk of adding pool tables, but that feature will
be saved for next year's Radiance).
The three-story dining room on the Explorer is somehow less extraordinary
than on the Voyager -- while the Voyager's opulent space, reminiscent of the
Titanic, caused jaws to drop, the Explorer's art deco styling just seems
more
run-of-the-mill.
eastern Caribbean itinerary from Miami beginning
October 28.
