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 ft 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 mi 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, a crewmember was caught on surveillance jumping overboard. The ship turned around to rescue him but was unable to locate the crewmember.[18]
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 kn 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]
Surfside search and rescue
After the June 2021 Surfside condominium collapse, Explorer of the Seas was moored nearby to host nearly 600 search and rescue personnel assisting with the incident.[27]
Passenger overboard
On 9 August 2024, an unnamed passenger from the United Kingdom fell overboard as the ship traveled from Santorini, Greece to Zadar, Croatia. Search efforts commenced, with the Croatian Coast Guard assisting, and a planned stop in Zadar was cancelled.[28] The search was called off after four days.[29]
Storm troubles
On 7 November 2024 a storm affected the ship near the Canary Islands, causing a 14.5º heel, some injuries and material damage.[30][31]
Passenger overboard
On 2 March 2025, a female passenger went overboard on the first day of a themed "The 80s Cruise" traveling from Miami to Nassau, Bahamas. The ship stopped for search and rescue, but resumed course several hours later while the Coast Guard continued search and recovery efforts.[32]
