mungojerrie

Not a peep from EJ directly. However our TA asked for our banking info and receipts. Evidently they will be reimbursing us via wire transfer.

Great news! I wish you smooth travels, interesting sights and conversation, and a generally wonderful trip.

I think this is a very important point. Those of us who chose the early cruises are likely to be right on point for their targeted marketing. I know that we were enticed, and could have been great brand ambassadors. We have yet to have any communication from Explora Journeys regarding the 17th cancellation. We should have been in London right now, savoring a few days of anticipation for this voyage. I'm so sorry for the stress those of you on the upcoming voyages are experiencing. And so sorry for your dashed travel plans uktog.

Hi uktog. I hope your re-grouped vacation planning is finding success. We have opted for a Silversea B2B Alaska cruise later this month. We live on the west coast of the US, so this will be a much simpler journey. After having to pull back all the previous arrangements we've made, simplicity is desirable. And while our luggage is now sitting in Southhampton, Luggage Forward has assured us it will be returned shortly. I asked our TA to express our disappointment in the 30% future credit. He made the call and was told no, that the cancellation was a call made by MSC and therefore they have no insurance coverage and will not increase it. So I would be very interested to hear if others were able to negotiate a higher percentage. Wishing you good travels.

Sorry. The July 17th cruise.

According to our TA, the first cruise will be August 1st. We are very disappointed! Especially since I have an AirTag in my luggage, and it is currently on its way across the pond. We have been told that all our expenses will be reimbursed (cruise fare, air, luggage, transfers...), and that we will get (I think) 30% future cruise credit. Double drats.

Our TA just called. Cruise is cancelled.

Thank you for keeping our hope alive😄.

Meanwhile, our luggage was picked up yesterday (Luggage Forward) and on its way to Southhampton.🙃 .

My first attempt was 65 days out, via the check in button on the home page. I was not logged in , so the site wouldn't have known my sail date. Second successful try was at 59 days out, again with the button on the home page. I've noticed now that the button is gone from the home page, perhaps they've moved it. And when I do log in to my account, 'my bookings' shows nothing. They've got a ways to go to make this a good workable site.

Yay! I was able to check in this morning, and we have received our boarding passes, check in time and berth, and luggage tags. Starting to feel real, this is (for me) such a leap of faith to take the first cruise on a new line and a new ship😊. But someone's got to do it, eh? We've sailed on Regent, Silversea, and Seabourn and we are always looking for an even better fit with our preferences. Fingers crossed. It will be a lovely couple of weeks in any case!

I was able to get into the check in forms (we are also on the first cruise), but it seems a bit buggy so I did not complete it. For example, I entered the correct info for my passport issue and expiration dates, yet in the finally summary page the system shifted the dates by one day. And it kept dropping the country code for our emergency contact and telling me the entry was invalid. So I just quit and will try again in a few weeks.

Had to laugh, as I suspected some of the descriptions for many of the excursions sound so absolutely almost too wonderful. If you've looked at the other Zeebruges experiences, is there one that does stand out to you? We are on the inaugural cruise and this will be the first port. We usually do on-our-own or private tours, but they've really put a lot into these descriptions to make them attractive, and unique. Thanks for your insights.

Hi Tapi, no need to apologize. So much is still a 'guess' as to all things Explora. My guess is that you've booked through an Ensemble Group travel agent, and they are providing you a credit towards shore excursions. I just received a brochure from my TA for 'Experiences', which turns out to be their name for shore excursions. Hope that helps.