Royal Caribbean International · Contemporary · Voyager-class
Explorer of the Seas is one of the lower-graded ships we track: 3.4 of 10, #151 of 176. It carries 44 tons of ship per guest (median 41). Crew cover 2.6 guests each, about the fleet norm.
Passengers rate it strongest on how crowded it feels and weakest on the food — reported separately, and not part of the grade, which measures the ship itself.
Graded against every other ship we track, on one curve. The method.
On today’s fares, yes — the best sailing we can currently price scores 7.4 out of 10 for value, better than the going rate for a ship of its class.
That is a 7-night Europe sailing departing 25 October 2027, from $590 per person in an interior cabin — about $84 a night. A Value Score of 5.0 means a sailing costs what genuinely comparable cruises cost: same class of ship, same region, similar length. Above 5.0 the fare beats that going rate; below it, it does not. Explorer of the Seas grades 3.4 of 10 on vessel class, and 3.9 of 5 from 49 traveler reviews. How the score is built.
Sister ships share a hull, so they differ only in condition. A newer sister is the same vessel, less worn.
Every fare is the line’s own price. Zero markup: the line pays us if you book through CruiseIndex, you never pay more.