This was my second time on the Explorer this year. I was on it in April, D2 balcony & again in September, JS. Both were 5 day to Bermuda. Side note: I also booked a cruise for 14 people, 5 cabins in August, 9 night. Embarkation and Disembarkation were flawless on both of our cruises. Lots of construction in Cape Liberty but didn't seem to affect the Ebb & flow of cruisers. I will say, waiting to park took about 40 minutes. Not sure why.
In all cases, the cabin reviews were generally positive. The balconies were spacious yet the balconies were in need of TLC. They suffered from chipped an rusted paint, mismatched furniture. The JS had 3 chairs and no table. Made it difficult to enjoy coffee or a cocktail. Our D2 had an old TV that was on its way out. Our sliding door in the JS was very difficult to open and then close w/o a whistle or draft. The D2 operated correctly. Everything else was par for RCCL. We enjoyed the activities on the ship. We also thought the singers and dancers did a nice job but there wasn't much variety as far as evening shows in the Theatre. The Captain and Cruise Director were great, as were our Cabin Stewards on both trips. The wait staff on both cruises in the MDR had a lot to be desired. We were asked to leave while we were finishing our coffee, in MyTime Dining, and on the cruise in April we were pretty much ignored and then asked, "what do you want," when it was time to order. Not the service we were used to. The 14 guests mentioned above, were all family and the sat together in the MDR. They were satisfied with their dining staff. Food was good but not great. The Windjammer was good. Seating was at a premium at times bug they did well keeping the tables cleaned. Didn't get drink service in the Windjammer on either cruise except on one or two occasions.
Having said this, we are Diamond members and have saile many times with RCCL and will continue to do so. I just hope that take a look at some of the things they have been skimping on over the last several years. Many feel, me included, that the attention to details & customer service is becoming a thing of the past.