Explorer of the Seas docked in the port at Argostoli, Greece in 2023
History
Bahamas
Name	Explorer of the Seas
Owner	Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (2000) Explorer of the Seas Inc.[1]
Operator	Royal Caribbean International
Port of registry	2000–2002: Monrovia,  Liberia 2002 onwards: Nassau,  Bahamas
Route	Bahamas, Bermuda, Eastern Caribbean, and New England itineraries (Australia)itineraries of Bayonne, New Jersey, Baltic ports
Builder	Kværner Masa-Yards Turku New Shipyard, Finland
Yard number	1345
Laid down	15 June 1998
Launched	4 November 1999
Completed	28 September 2000
Maiden voyage	28 October 2000
In service	2000–present
Identification	Call sign: C6SE4 DNV ID: 19903 IMO number: 9161728 MMSI number: 311316000
Status	In service
Notes	[2][1]
General characteristics
Class and type	Voyager-class cruise ship
Tonnage	138,194 GT 108,654 NT 11,000 DWT
Length	311 m (1,020 ft)
Beam	38.6 m (127 ft) - Waterline[3] 49.1 m (161 ft) - Max[1]
Draught	8.3 m (27 ft)
Depth	11.7 m (38 ft)
Decks	15
Deck clearance	3,400 m (11,200 ft)
Installed power	6 × Wärtsilä 12V46 (6 × 12,600 kW)
Propulsion	Diesel-electric Two ABB Azipods and one Fixipod Four bow thrusters
Speed	23.7 knots (43.9 km/h; 27.3 mph)
Capacity	3,286 passengers (double occupancy), 4,290 (maximum)
Crew	1,180
Notes	[2][1][4][5]

Explorer of the Seas is a Voyager-class cruise ship owned and operated by Royal Caribbean International, completed in 2000. She can accommodate over 3,000 guests, including scientists making use of a built-in atmospheric and oceanographic laboratory operated by the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science. The lab, with its attendant educational and outreach programs for passengers, was discontinued in 2007.

History

The Explorer of the Seas was completed in 2000 and has the capacity of 3,000 passengers. An automated system for gathering data was installed in 2008.^[6]) At launch, Explorer of the Seas had a tonnage of 137,308 GT, exceeding that of her sister ship Voyager of the Seas by 32 GT and making her the world's largest passenger ship. She held that record until being overtaken by Navigator of the Seas in 2002. In early 2015, Explorer of the Seas received major upgrades, including the replacement of the inline skating rink with a Flowrider surfing simulator and increasing her tonnage to 138,194 GT.^[7][8] The ship's godmother is American athlete Jackie Joyner-Kersee.^[9]

In 2019 September, it was announced that the ship will get a refurbishment with $110 million in makeovers before its 2020 summer season.^[10] The refurbishment that was to take place under the amplification program in 2020 was delayed indefinitely due to the COVID pandemic, instead only technical refurbishment took place.^[11]

In July 2021, the ship was used to house some rescue workers and other officials involved in the rescue and recovery effort of the Surfside condominium building collapse.^[12]

Ports of call

In fall 2014, she sailed 5 to 9 day Caribbean cruises out of Port Canaveral, Florida.^[13] After dry-dock refurbishment in the spring of 2015, Explorer began to sail Northern Europe, Mediterranean, and Madeira, Azores and Canary Islands itineraries out of Southampton, Hampshire, United Kingdom.^[14]

From November 2015 to 23 April 2016 Explorer of the Seas was based in Sydney, Australia, for the summer cruise season. A 24-day cruise relocated the ship to Seattle for the summer 2016 season.^[15] In 2019 January, the ship brought 4,000 passengers to Wollongong.^[16]

Starting in 2021, Explorer of the Seas will sail out of San Juan and will be traveling through the southern Caribbean.

Accidents and incidents

Rescue of Tumbleweed

On 16 February 2008, while en route from Bayonne, New Jersey, on a nine-day cruise to the Caribbean the bridge crew heard a faint mayday call over the radio. This turned out to be the crew from Tumbleweed, a 39-foot sailing vessel,^[17] which had a planned sail from Baltimore to the Florida Keys. The crew reportedly had a mechanical breakdown of both engine and sails. The vessel drifted for 11 days to the location N32.35 W 72.49–roughly 275 miles southeast of North Carolina. Explorer of the Seas located and rescued the three men, who then departed the ship in Puerto Rico on 21 February 2008.^[17]

Crew overboard

On 5 May 2010, 26-year-old Assistant Waiter Mauritius Satianand Buddaru was caught on surveillance jumping overboard. The ship turned around to rescue him but was unable to locate the Assistant Waiter.^{[18][unreliable source?]}

Norwegian Star collision

On 14 September 2012, Explorer of the Seas was moored in Bermuda when heavy winds pushed Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Star at its stern. Neither ship suffered any significant damage.^[19]

Norovirus outbreak

On 24 January 2014, 281 passengers and 22 crew members aboard Explorer of the Seas fell ill, reporting symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea. Due to the number of passengers sick, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sent a Sanitation Program Officer and an epidemiologist to the ship on Sunday, 26 January 2014, when it was docked in St. Thomas.^[20] By 27 January 2014 the number of ill increased to 564 passengers and 47 crew members and a decision was made to end the cruise early.^[21] After Explorer of the Seas returned to port, 684 of the 4,237 aboard had symptoms of norovirus.^[22]

Gastro outbreak

On 16 December 2015, A total of 182 passengers out of the 3,566 on board Explorer of the Seas contracted infectious diarrhea. The ship's operator contacted South Eastern Sydney Local Health District before arriving in Sydney at 6am. None of the passengers were taken to hospital.^[23] It was also on this cruise that all of the passengers on board experienced a freak storm on 15 December 2015. During this storm the ship experienced a crosswind of 150 knots (277.8 km/h) and the ship listed to the port side by 10 degrees.^[24]

On 4 November 2019, the ship was forced to delay her arrival back in Southampton due to the heavy storms battering Western Europe.^[25]

Coronavirus pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that at least one passenger had tested positive for Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 within 14 days of disembarking from the ship on its voyage from 8 to 15 March 2020.^[26]