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florisdekort

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Everything posted by florisdekort

  1. Have a fabulous cruise! I hope the weather improves for you.
  2. I’m not sure this is accurate. On our recent cruise, both my iPhone and my laptop were connected to my WiFi account simultaneously without any issues. I did not have to log out the one to activate the other.
  3. Given the ship is sailing half empty, it’s simply not needed. We had 2 tender ports on our recent cruise and every time there were less than 10 people on the tender. (We were in a Residence suite.)
  4. Because Seabourn wants to sell out the ship and no sane person is currently booking a cruise from Haifa, regardless of its departure date.
  5. If you read the daily programs he posted, and that were posted on the thread covering the previous cruise, you’ll know precisely what the activities are. The excursions are just like any other mainstream cruise line. Same vendors as MSC.
  6. I think it’s operational but it was *never* open during our 14 night cruise from Quebec to Miami and I was told it’s unlikely to be opened a lot in the Caribbean as “it rains too often” and “we already have 3 outdoor pools”.
  7. I think it depends on what you’re used to. They’re large compared to, for example, Azamara, but small compared to Seabourn. The bathrooms in particular are a joke compared to Seabourn, where all rooms have both a large tub and a separate shower, and dual vanities.
  8. Off menu - not when we were on board the previous sailing. They’re very rigid. Very different from Seabourn where they’ll literally serve you anything you ask for as long as you give 24 hours notice. Large salad - there’s a salad station at the buffet. Floris
  9. Disappointing to read that Explora did not learn from past mistakes.
  10. It honestly didn’t bother us. We don’t mind sleeping with earplugs.
  11. The loud creaking noises were there every night in our suite. We slept with earplugs in.
  12. Just disembarked this morning. It was bumpy enough to crack a glass panel on our balcony!
  13. We’re currently racing down the US east coast much faster than we need to, I assume to get ahead of some weather that’s forecasted to build up tomorrow morning. The pics show wave height today at 2 pm and tomorrow at 2 pm. 4 feet vs. 14-18 feet.
  14. Explora has no dress code. Wear what makes you happy. People focus way too much on what others do and don’t do. Regarding Anthology, nobody suggested that we wear a jacket, and hardly anyone does.
  15. More Sakura and our arrival in cold, rainy New York this morning. It’s an overnight stay and we are dining in town tonight, so no food pics tomorrow, sorry! 🙂
  16. It’s a stunning afternoon as we make our way to New York. The north Atlantic Ocean is being very kind to us.
  17. In Kidless defense, there have been plenty of examples of Explora putting TAs and influencers on a freebie ahead of actual paying guests, most recently at the inaugural event where paying guests were restricted to Emporium Marketplace, with the other dining venues open for these so called “VIPs” only. (Paying guests actually had their confirmed reservations cancelled to make space.) It’s the world upside down. That said, it’s in the past now and it doesn’t serve any purpose to keep bringing it up over and over again. Let’s hope Explora learned from it. I’ll follow reports from the 3 November sailing with interest.
  18. Marble & Co continues to deliver. Last night I finally gave in and ordered the 800 gram USDA Prime Porterhouse. Wow. The creamed spinach is outstanding as well. And the fresh lobster brioche… better than we’ve had on shore 🫣
  19. For the record, since you are quoting me, I don’t agree. I doubt Emporium Marketplace will work when the ship is full (2 stations specifically, the pasta station and the grill) and I worry about the capacity of the Journeys Lounge. It was good to hear though that Management shares those concerns and is thinking about possible solutions. Apart from that, Explora 1 is - in our opinion - an absolute winner.
  20. Just following up on this. That’s the official list but it seems you can ask for anything that’s on the included list; they try really hard to accommodate. We asked for a bottle of Moet Rose and it promptly appeared. Moreover, every time it’s empty, it seems to automatically refill itself 🤔🤣
  21. Those were the only choices at dinner last night. I understand there’s more choice at lunch. There’s only 220 on this cruise. We’ve been told the 3 November cruise is 450 (out of 900 at double occupancy).
  22. We’re in Portland, ME today. The Captain sent a letter about the mass shooter that’s still on the run, increased security measures at the port (we didn’t notice any), increased police presence in town (we didn’t see any) and suggested that everyone is extra cautious. Well done, Explora. The town is gorgeous, the sky is blue and the lobster rolls to die for. Life is good! Last night we had pre-dinner cocktails at our private bar, the Astern Lounge. It seats about 150 people yet every evening we are the only guests there. I feel bad for the guitar player who is giving us private concerts nightly 🤣 but… we are loving it! Dinner was at the Emporium Marketplace. As we hardly ever have lunch, this was our first visit. The venue is absolutely beautiful and I like the fact that the food is behind glass and being served to you. At regular buffets, too often I see people sampling food, sticking their fingers in their mouth and then handling utenzils, or sneezing all over the place. This setup is much more hygienic. Dinner at Emporium Marketplace however is not for us. Please note the “not for us”. I totally appreciate that many will love it, so please respect our opinion as well. At dinner, we just want to sit down, order and relax. We really enjoy table service. Emporium Marketplace is the precise opposite. For every course, you need to get up, go to a station, and place your order. You then have to wait for your order to be finished (5+ minutes at the pasta station and even longer at the grill) and carry your plate back to your table. Ironically, when you’re walking back, waiters approach you to ask if they can carry your plate. After standing for 5+ minutes, I think I can handle the final 5 seconds as well, thank you 🤣 There was only one Chef cooking pasta and each dish takes 5+ minutes. My partner’s pasta was cooked first, so by the time I got back to the table with my plate, he was already nearly finished. Not the dinner experience I’m looking for. I also don’t see how this concept is going to work on a full ship; the queues would be horrendous. We ran into the GM over coffee and he said that Explora is “very aware” of the problem, and is already looking at changes, including handing out buzzers. I couldn’t help myself and replied that buzzers would make me feel like dining at a Sizzler’s. Hopefully they come up with a better solution. As for the food itself, the quality was outstanding and our pasta delicious. It’s mostly all western though (with a few exceptions). No butter chicken, no curries, no spicy Asian food. They do serve sushi and a stir fry of the day. Another thing lacking is an ice cream station. All they have is one flavor of soft serve. Lastly, the pizza. I get the fact that it’s fancy pancy real Italian pizza, but serving only margherita and tonno pizza just doesn’t cut it. As Hank already wrote a few weeks ago, both the Chef and the Maitre D were totally unwilling to even consider a bespoke pizza, or just adding some salami (readily available at the sandwich station next door) to a margherita. “We don’t do bespoke.” During 400+ days on Seabourn, I don’t think I ever heard “no” to such a basic request. And good luck to them when the ship hits the Caribbean and mostly American guests are going to ask for meat lovers, hawaiian and more. Marble & Co tonight - our favorite. Can’t wait! (the sun was in the wrong spot)
  23. The next cruise, 3 November, has ~450 passengers, incl. a significant number of travel agents and influencers. Subsequent Caribbean cruises are currently around ~500. The Christmas cruise is ~700. From a very reliable source on board the ship.
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