We chose this cruise for a family Christmas cruise because we believed there would be lots to do for the kids. Our only criticism of the children's activities are that a couple of the attendants had so little interest in what they were doing it didn't make it enjoyable for the children. Also children were vetted according to height for the wave pool which resulted in shorter older children missing out on using that facility in favour of younger children who may have been taller. Our seven year old grandson was only just short of the height restrictions but 5 and 6 year old taller children who were not so adept at sport were able to use that facility. Seemed a strange way of vetting use.

We had just come off a 26 day cruise with another cruiseline (with only 900 passengers) where we were so disappointed to miss 3 shore stops because that cruise line believed it was not safe to tender. This Royal Caribbean cruise though with about 4500 passengers with such a well trained tender staff had no problem getting all passengers off in a very timely manner, way quicker than our previous cruise and on ports which would have been considered unsafe on the other cruise. This made us realise how untrained the other cruises staff were with tendering processes. Well done Royal Caribbean and Explorer of the Seas.

The food at speciality restuarant Izumu was brilliant with the food in the main dining room being of good quality. Service at both restaurants was excellant with the wait staff being very attentive and knowledgeable on the menu. We didnt like the way parents allowed their children to handle food in the buffet restaurant and only ate there if in a hurry. That should be stopped as there was gastro onboard however none of our party caught it. Overall we would definitely go on this ship again even without the grandchildren. There was so much to do with the entertainment in the evening being very good. With so many passengers we had been expecting huge delays for boarding, disembarkation and tendering but did not find this at all. This had to be one of the most well organised cruises we have been on. Thank you Royal Caribbean and Explorer of the Seas. A great experience.