Explorer of the Seas to sail first European season following major refit

Royal Caribbean International’s Explorer of the Seas will sail its very first Europe season in summer 2015 from Southampton, UK, the cruise line has announced.

The 311m, 3,114-passenger cruise liner will replace Adventure of the Seas, a fellow Voyager-Class sistership, which was originally intended to be home ported in Southampton.

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She will offer the same 3-night to 16-night roundtrip cruises from late April next year through to September. Cruise passengers will be able to choose from either her three or eight night Northern European itineraries, 11 to 16-night Mediterranean cruises, or a selection of 10 to 14-night Madeira, Azores and Canary Islands cruises.

Adventure of the Seas meanwhile will instead remain in San Juan, Puerto Rico, sailing seven-night Southern Caribbean cruises throughout the summer season.

Explorer of the Seas will be arriving in Southampton fresh from an extensive revitalization refit in drydock, which is expected to take one month and will see the cruise ship upgraded with a number of new innovative features, including a new FlowRider surf simulator, a 3-D Movie Theatre, and a series of new novelty restaurants reflecting cuisine from around the world.

Her staterooms and suites will also be considerably upgraded, with Royal Caribbean’s immensely popular virtual portholes showing a view of the outside world, introduced in her interior cabins.