Cruising into Sydney for the first time in November 2015, Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas stole away the mantle from its ever-so-slightly smaller sister Voyager of the Seas as the largest ship to home port in Australia. This accolade will be short-lived and duly transferred to the significantly larger Ovation of the Seas from December 2016.
But regardless of whether you’re simply looking for the biggest possible ship to squeeze through Sydney Heads, the range of activities and entertainment available to you if cruising on Explorer of the Seas is extensive and varied and if getting involved in everything the ship offers is how you like to cruise, you’ll easily find something to suit your tastes every day.
At maximum capacity, Explorer of the Seas caters to 4,029 passengers, however its general published capacity is 3,800 guests, with crew member numbers at 1,100. In this article, we’ll take a tour of some of the highlighted entertainment venues you’ll find onboard.
Top Deck Sports
If you can’t sit still and keeping active is your game, anybody looking for you on this ship will probably find you on Deck 13 moving between a number of games and activities all included in the price of your cruise fare. So you don’t need to pay any extra to enjoy them. Not all are physically strenuous or designed to raise the heart rate, but are intended to cater to the widest possible range of passenger demographics, whether cruising solo or as a family.
In this part of the ship, usually towards the back, you will find the:
- Explorer Dunes Mini-Golf Course: Installed recently as part of a multi-million dollar upgrade, this nine hole course is open throughout the day, with guests able to pick up their putters and golf balls near the beginning of the course. Each hole will provide a different challenge and fun for all ages.
- Sports court: If basketball is your thing, this full size sports court can cater to guests looking to shoot a few hoops or groups of friends eager to form two teams for a friendly yet competitive basketball session. The ship’s entertainment team can occasionally be found here offering prizes to guests able to sink more baskets than LeBron James.
- FlowRider Surfing Simulator: One of the hallmarks of the Royal Caribbean experience, this unique activity is open most of the day for guests to try at their leisure – whether standing up on a surfboard or flat on a bodyboard. Occasionally, it is worth heading up to sit in the adjacent stands to watch the ship’s FlowRider pros showcase their trick arsenals.
- Rock Climbing Wall: Another activity open most of the day and situated right behind the sports court, the rock climbing wall offers several different tracks for more than one guest able to take on the course at a time. Challenge yourself to reach the top and ring the bell.
