Belgian cruiser1

My DW and I were on Explora 1 when she passed through, and yes we were disappointed to go into the new locks. Nobody on the ship had told us anything, so what I've read about the ship's beam being 2 feet over the limit ... is the first bit of explanation we've got. And yes, the heat was oppressive. Every time I went out on the balcony I felt like I was turning into crispy bacon.

I believe my wife and I have just completed the sailing after this one, leaving NY in the pouring rain on the 25th of sept. (which makes sailing past Lady Liberty a whole lot less marvelous). We stayed in a (not-Haven) Penthouse suite on deck 14 and were very pleased with the cabin. We had made a bid on the Haven equivalent, but didn't win that bid. I am however surprised that the Haven bar is such a disaster. On our sailing we quickly discovered that the Observatory Lounge (which can be packed in the morning or on rainy afternoons) has a lot of free tables and quick service as soon a s people start going to dinner, so that was often our place to go from 18h00 onward - especially as other customers didn't play the sickly game of outbidding each other (in the literal sense - throwing a bunch of dollar bills on the bar counter) to get served first by any of the bar tenders.

This sounds as if you have encountered similar problems yourself ? Was it with Ponant as well ? So far - almost 7 weeks after the cancellation - I am still waiting for my reimbursement.

Can I just ask - did you board the ship in Fusina ? If so - how did Silversea arrange that - where was the check-in, luggage drop-off etc ?

No offense taken, ann1965 - bygones. But no, we didn't see one euro yet, and I've talked to my lawyer to see if we can do something. You are absolutely correct that this is not worthy of a company that mentions the phrase 5 star luxury every time you give them a call. They cannot apologize enough for this, and I don't mean that I blame them for the problem with the ship - it is the lack of a prompt settlement that brings about my displeasure most of all. Almost anyone would get a fine if they were this late with their payments, but Ponant seems to think that the law doesn't apply to them.

Looks Great. We are non-German speakers but do understand the language well enough to get by when we visit their country - so we may be giving this cruise company a shot in the near future. Does anyone know if they have a loyalty program ?? Haven't been able to find anything about that.

on another note - the ship is actually sailing now, en route to Portsmouth at a leisurely pace - probably without paying passengers, but maybe with reporters or travel agents => I'm sort of amazed we haven't seen anyone put up a video on Youtube, except for a 2 minute short that only shows the lobby and people perusing it on the day it was officially handed over to the company

Whether I am a glutton for punishment or not (can't say I really like that insinuation, but I will try to set a better example by remaining polite) - things are looking up. We've established a satisfactory contact with someone at Ponant in Brussels, and it looks as if we're getting some honest compensation (which doesn't mean that we've gotten our money back - but that takes time I guess). So yes, it took us some effort whereas I would've liked a bit more initiative from the other side, but if it ends well. In regards to future sailing on Ponant ships ... I can definitely say that the only one that is still on our agenda (and had been partially prepaid) will be the absolute decider.

Ouch - that's a bummer Ann1965. We convinced another couple to join us on a Celebrity cruise years ago, and felt so guilty when things didn't run smoothly. As to Ponant, well - we gave them a first chance to impress us in 2020 (before Covid) and they failed, due to arrogant people and sloppy service in the main restaurant. The second chance we gave them, was another miss - as they suddenly switched a number of major aspects of the cruise and never bothered to inform us. Their third opportunity to prove that they truly are 5-star, was this cruise that got cancelled.

That I understand Host Jazzbeau - but I'm sure they have the identities of all the passengers that were booked on the cancelled cruise, no ? So they could've used that information to contact us, instead of us having to take the initiative here.

Okay - hadn't expected a reply from Ponant, but that is welcome. I am surprised to read however that we should contact the company, whereas good service would mean them contacting us - no ? Soit - while I prepare a mail to the "aprèsvoyage" (not really appropriately named, as we haven't even done the voyage, so it can hardly be called "après") in my best French, could we please get some information here on what sort of compensation we can expect to get ?

My wife and I were already in Bergen to begin our 7 night fjord cruise (embarking July 17th) when we were informed that the cruise was cancelled because of technical issues with one of the tenders/life boats. We know the ship then went to a shipyard near Bergen. Does anyone know more ? Was any of you on the ship when it ran into these problems while anchored at Loen (near Olden on July 14th or 15th ? Does anyone know if Ponant is helpful or difficult when it comes down to getting your money back ? Any input is welcome.

and people who booked a cruise in august, will not have expected that to become the inaugural either

and you have every right to - we've also had to move heaven and earth to get some rightful compensation, and this ... is peanuts (beats me how they expect to build loyalty this way, whereas they did hire so-called top executives from rival companies ... or maybe that was all smoke and mirrors ?)

I would wait before booking extra cruises on Explora too. I've got one booked for March, but ever since they canceled the whole Alaska season in 2024 and so forth ... I'll see what that gives before letting myself be "lured" into an additional booking. The postponed launch keeps reminding of the sayings posted months ago on this forum - which basically comes down to "let the Italians do the cooking, decorating, designing and making love ... but don't leave the organizing in their hands"