CJANDH

We were in a Cocoon Residence and the bathroom was also small. Luckily, that suite also has a powder room, but the other Residences do not. On RSS and SS the higher suites nearly all have a half bath as well as a big master bathroom (much bigger than Explora).

Two thoughts on that. First, if you are paying for a top suite with a huge balcony, you might spend a lot of time there. Secondly, the ship often "anchors" early in the morning. We were woken by, and kept awake by, the thrusters around 6AM several days on Explora.

Cannot speak for Silver Nova aft suites. But on Explora the problem is not motion but NOISE. The high cost aft suites ("Residences" in Explora speak) overlook the aft pool. When kids are playing there it can be hard to be on your balcony. Also, when the ship is in a tender port they use the thrusters along with GPS to keep the ship in position rather than use anchors. The noise and vibration are awful.

The dedicated adult pool at the front is not open very often and is more like a hot tub than a pool. The aft pool area on deck 5 would make a good adult only area and would solve the problem of noise for the top end Residence suites that overlook it. We only had a few kids on our March cruise. But they seemed to spend most of the day loudly enjoying the lovely infinity pool at the back of the ship. We decided not to book a Christmas cruise as the number of children would likely be substantially more and the noise issue exacerbated.

I was in 6089 right below you. There was noise from the aft pool. Also, there was noise from the thruster engines when we were "anchored" at a port. They do not use anchors. They remain in place with a GPS linked thruster system that vibrates the ship and makes a lot of noise all the time they are in tendering mode. If your itinerary is tender intensive, I would think twice about an aft facing cabin.

But at home you have to pick up your towels and make your bed 🤪

The Regent comparison is actually understated a bit as Regent includes shore excursions and unlimited laundry for every stateroom. I took out the airfare and hotel costs, but could not price the value of the included perks. Thanks for your thoughtful reply. There are indeed many things to consider as you compare cruises. But at the end of the day, whatever your choice among these excellent brands, you will have a great cruise. Chris.

And that might be another area that distinguishes EV from the competition. Perhaps they are going after a passenger who is looking for a better experience from the "cheap seats" than they can get with RSS or SS. I am just suggesting that their high end is not competitive.

Your thoughts are welcome anyway.

It seems to me that Explora may have missed out on attracting the high end of luxury cruisers with their selection and design of Ocean Residence suites. I am talking about those cruisers who are currently booking the large suites (over 600 sf. excluding balcony) on Regent and Silversea. Regent has 20 large suites for a 744 pax ship. Silversea has 10 over 800 sf. for a 596 pax ship, plus 34 Silver Suites that are almost 600 sf. Of Explora’s 23 Residences, only three are truly big suites. The huge Owners suite is 1668 sf. and the two Cocoon suites measure 797 sf. The rest range from 603 sf. To 678 sf. Additionally, only the Owners and Cocoon suites have 1.5 bathrooms. The rest have one small bathroom. Finally, the most expensive Residences are located at the aft of the ship overlooking the rear pool deck. This is a noisy location when children are playing in the pool and also prone to noise from the thrusters when the ship is in tender mode at a port. Comparing pricing across the brands, not including air and hotels, for a 14-day Caribbean cruise, Explora doesn’t appear to be good value for those wishing to spend more for more cruise space (perhaps the most profitable customers). Explora Regent Silversea Cove (10) 603 sf $19K Seven Seas (4) 577 sf $18K Silver (34) 590 sf $14K Serenity (4) 646 sf $22K Grandeur(12) 655 sf $19K Royal (2) 800 sf $20K Retreat (6) 678 sf $20K Grand (4) 800 sf $21K Grand (4) 880 sf $23K Cocoon (2) 797 sf $23K Master (4) 1100 sf $24K Owners (4) 800 sf $29K We have stayed in a Cocoon Residence. It is a beautiful suite with a huge deck provisioned with a hot tub and lots of comfortable seating. However, on a Caribbean cruise with lots of tender ports and kids in the pool below the deck, it wasn’t for us. I will be interested to hear comments from other Residence guests.

I was in a Residence in March and the bottle waiting for me was Mercier. I complained that I did not get the advertised 2013 Dom Perignon. A couple of days later a bottle of Dom arrived from the head Butler with compliments. Squeaky Wheel!!!

Almost certainly right. Cherry Blossom Season is always an excuse for dressing up in Kimono.

Can you buy the SSP with OBC ahead of boarding or do you wait until on board?

Thanks for the tip. I will "search".

I have booked my first Viking Ocean voyage, an Iceland/Greenland cruise on Neptune embarking July 13, 2025. I was surprised to find that the final payment date is April 30, 2024, over a year ahead of embarkation. This seems awfully early to have to tie up the full cruise amount (including airfare and hotel). I am used to 4/6 month dates on Regent, Silversea and Explora. How come Viking is such an oddball?