Returning to Royal Caribbean

The Explorer Cruise......The return to Royal Caribbean. Part One.

The first thing we noticed was that there was a big new terminal to enter the ship through. The Port of Miami had grown up quite a bit since our last Royal Caribbean cruise. We had a planned rendezvou with our cruisemates George and Marie from Pensylvannia and Marilyn and Don from Long Island and Greg and Sheila from Montana and Carols' sister Chris and husband Joe, from Florida, who all originate from Long Island. We met in the terminal and checked in and began our entry to the ship.
The weather for late March couldn't have been better for a cruise. The Explorer was not brand new but it was less than a year old. Everything sparkled and shined as we entered the ship and were greeted by the staff. As usual, everything on a cruise ship looks fabulous as you first board. The big difference on this cruise is that the Explorer of the Seas was a Voyager Class ship and that is a big difference from any of the other cruise lines ships.
The main difference is that in the center of the ship there is a huge mall that runs inside about one hundred yards long. As we set our eyes on the entry way of what is called the ROYAL PROMENADE....... we said"WOW!"
We walked down the cobble stone tiled Promenade looking at the the shops as we strolled along. There was the Cafe Promenade, where they serve sandwiches and desserts and coffee is always available. There were the Jewelry shops, the General Store....... the duty free Liquor store ... the Sports Bar and the English style Pub, among others. The Promenade has three levels of cabins that face into the mall with a bay window. On any other ship these rooms would be interior rooms that have no window.......no view. But these cabins are unique for cruise ships and added a new category to choose from.
It didn't end there with new and cool things. The ship had a rock climbing wall, a miniature golf course, an in-line skating track, a full size basketball court and an ice skating rink. All we could say is"WOW!"

Part 2 Next..... The cruise itself.