Waltershipman

24 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

The second attachment is interesting.  I'm Discoverer Plus on Azamara, which gives 100 JEC – but thanks to their (formerly) shared loyalty program my status on Celebrity is Elite Plus, which gives 200 JEC.

 

This is backwards to how Ponant rates the two levels in their loyalty match program (DP on Azamara gets you Grand Admiral on Ponant, while EP on Celebrity only gets plain Admiral).

 

I think that Explora would see Azamara loyalists as a more likely group to cultivate, as Ponant evidently does.  Or do they think that it's the 'ship within a ship' experience that is most relevant?

I apllied for Match when it was instituted however EJ did not extend the credit as my booking preceeded the program 

Oh well

9 minutes ago, d9704011 said:

There you go; the capacity to spend money (and I am implying that they have plenty of money to spend) is not a good way to assess the character of people.

ABSOLUTELY CORRECT I knew a man pretty well who was beyond wealthy. In the many hundreds of millions of dollars wealth and he used to have his wife let him in the movie side door to avoid paying. Having financial resources does not equate with class nor character . That was my point. You may have misinterpreted my comment.  Oh well

I promise not to hog a lounger regardless of anything lol humor

7 minutes ago, RPen63 said:

Interesting, but colour me surprised.  I recall seeing a blurb in Currents during a Caribbean cruise in 2022 stating that items left on loungers would be removed after a specified period of time.  I think it was 30 minutes but it may have been longer.  Maybe they eliminated the policy of are not willing to implement it.  The only solution is to keep bringing it up on the surveys!

It still surprises me but it should not finding that some passengers paying significant cruise fare may not possess the requisite quality of character that would eliminate this issue. Gratitude is so important including the belief that there is plenty to go around for everyone including lounger chairs

6 minutes ago, Harry Lake said:

I'm going to assume that you're talking about staff removing them. But I think I would be inclined to. Just wait maybe 10-15 minutes and very nicely fold the pieces and stack the a couple of feet away. If challenged I'd just say 'oh sorry'. Period.

We are in Happy Valley what town do you live in

4 minutes ago, harryw said:

Speaking of moving, my wife and I are Celebrity refugees.

C used to be our choice for many years, but discovering O changed our lives,

Have been on both  and on Celebrity as our 1st post Covid cruise on a familier ship and itinerary in January and it was great. Recent changes to Celebrity accompanied by price increases particularly at the Retreat are and will continue to drive me and others to Oceania and other lines. Was on Explora Journeys in October and it was wonderful 

1 minute ago, harryw said:

Speaking of moving, my wife and I are Celebrity refugees.

C used to be our choice for many years, but discovering O changed our lives,

Excellent looking forward to our 1st post Covid Oceania cruise in January 

16 hours ago, JRIH said:

I've been on 3 Carnival cruises.  That's all they were, booze cruises.

16 hours ago, JRIH said:

I've been on 3 Carnival cruises.  That's all they were, booze cruises.

My last carnival cruise was Easter vacation over 30 years ago. That says it all for ne although tastes and ones age group and family dynamics dictate decisions 

6 hours ago, harryw said:

While it pales next Mideast settlement issues, as I am sitting poolside on the Vista in an upright  chair since the lounge ones are claimed with towels or personal belongings - is there any way to fix this problem? It is a universal

challenge on cruise ships regardless of demographics and ubiquitous CruiseCritic subject of debate.

Bad behavior is bad behavior. You can put lipstick on a chair hog but it is still a hog,

Agree  unsolvable and also  an issue on vacation hotels

On 12/2/2023 at 4:59 PM, osandomir said:

Based on our experience sailing on O ships many times we definitely didn’t notice that no self serving buffet stopped transmission of the viruses. I don’t know if there’s any evidence to how this favorably compares to the other lines. But that being said, we much prefer O buffet where one is served by the staff to the self serving version on the other lines.

Years ago on Azamara there was a norovirus breakout and the ship changed it buffet delivery with only crew touching food and doing all service.  The virus ended quickly as reported but who knows

17 hours ago, Stickman1990 said:

No - same here - I couldn’t reconcile the headline of the article with reality (now there’s something new - not!)

 

Hopefully the 2025/2026 itineraries are put soon - now just how solid they are is another matter altogether

Spoke with my TA yesterday and he was only able to see as you report

48 minutes ago, Stickman1990 said:

I’d say it was a very typical mix you’d find on any of the luxury lines; Regent, Silversea and Crystal - age is just a number and I’ve met many people much older than me who I would aspire to be as active and having as much fun at their ages. Similarly we also have younger friends who cruise

I didn’t find many walkers and I can’t recall 1 mobility scooter on our cruise 

 

So I’d describe the guest mix more by saying while most are retired many are very physically active and also very socially engaged - I love chatting with fellow cruisers and I certainly met many interesting fellow guests on Explora (and on the other lines mentioned above) 

 

Re the use of models in photo shots - all lines do that and imho create an unrealistic expectation - we tend to dress down but also respect dress codes (not that Explora has one) - but some of those model shots just look ridiculous and so out of place 

 

I should add my voice to others in requesting higher chairs and lounges to aid getting up and down - fingers crossed they listen to that and make adjustments on Explora II

48 minutes ago, Stickman1990 said:

I’d say it was a very typical mix you’d find on any of the luxury lines; Regent, Silversea and Crystal - age is just a number and I’ve met many people much older than me who I would aspire to be as active and having as much fun at their ages. Similarly we also have younger friends who cruise

I didn’t find many walkers and I can’t recall 1 mobility scooter on our cruise 

 

So I’d describe the guest mix more by saying while most are retired many are very physically active and also very socially engaged - I love chatting with fellow cruisers and I certainly met many interesting fellow guests on Explora (and on the other lines mentioned above) 

 

Re the use of models in photo shots - all lines do that and imho create an unrealistic expectation - we tend to dress down but also respect dress codes (not that Explora has one) - but some of those model shots just look ridiculous and so out of place 

 

I should add my voice to others in requesting higher chairs and lounges to aid getting up and down - fingers crossed they listen to that and make adjustments on Explora II

Agreed thanks

And on our sailing as well no scooters nor walkers and lots if active people and we enjoyed fellow passengers as well

3 minutes ago, Stickman1990 said:

I know nothing about Rolexes but maybe this will help

 

When we were onboard in September these ones were available for immediate sale and delivery (hopefully you can tell models from the photos)

 

 

 

They had others on display in the window but they were not available for immediate delivery 

 

 

 

Off topic but i was wondering your take 

In my instagram  i see many posts by EJ with professional models it seems with large followings which it seems EJ is targeting . I find that of interest. On our cruise we had older seemingly more affluent nice people just regular people.  Of course lots of TA too

20 minutes ago, Harry Lake said:

"Toned down" isn't "Fusion." 

 

What Is Fusion Cooking and Cuisine? An ...

 

Delishably

https://delishably.com › food-industry › what-is-fusio...

 

Fusion cooking is essentially a mixing of food cultures and cuisines. It is about taking the best of two or more culinary disciplines and combining them to hope...

Sakura on Explora Journeys is fusion at its finest

3 minutes ago, peder said:

How can customers even make any plans with Explora? I was about to book (and went as far as getting a hold on two cabins), but now leaning toward letting that option pass and saving myself from future frustration should they redeploy yet again.

 

Also I'm worried that they'll make cost-cutting decisions, meaning that even if my sailing did proceed as planned, it's too far out for me to have any confidence that the product will still be the same thing they're promoting today.

These are real concerns given the state of affairs at this time. The current product offerred is excellent and food extraordinary. If the lowered cruise fare are reflected  in the quality of the cruise offering that is something we do not know yet but are yet very important considerations in booking.

7 minutes ago, uktog said:

This was the astern deck tonight as they struggled to get their spot to film a standard sunset 🤣🤣

 

 

Dang very humorous actually 

18 minutes ago, WESTEAST said:

Do miss Franck's Mashed Potatoes on Oceania and curious if EJ offers this side dish?

Yes they absolutely do in multiple dining venues and they certainly are excellent 

6 minutes ago, cruisr said:

I showed this to my DH and asked who their target market is?  I told him I have no idea but based on the outfit the model is wearing, it is not us, or probably most of the people on the current cruise LOL.  That is one ugly choice of clothing.

The entire influencer promotional posts are at best perplexing. Having been on the ship in October saw many TA no identifiable influencers.  Fantastic cruise. We were just two paying cruisers and loved it. Maybe being an influencer is akin to being a content provider with no other description. No offense this is meant  as humor and said in fun and jest

21 minutes ago, Stickman1990 said:

The sale ends at the end of 4 December - you still have time to book. I have a friend booking today 

Good point i am booked on Oceania Vista on January plus family trip in April so will timing wise wait for now

Thanks for looking out for me

10 minutes ago, uktog said:

Drat!

Dang i guess i will look for the sales on Black Friday 2024 

41 minutes ago, Woofa said:

One thing to keep in mind, in my opinion, is also the level of food savvy of the customers.  In my opinion, over the course of its history O, a smaller niche line, has attracted a clientele of well traveled and well ate (not sure this is the right word, sorry)  people.  Many live in and around major cities and have access to a very high level of food.  They have spent a considerable amount of effort, time and money throughout their lives enjoying dining.  Most likely they are also older (as is the typical O clientele) and have found exactly what they like in their area and frequent those restaurants.  Of course many cook well also. As a result, they are knowledgeable, and picky when it comes to food.  A previous poster has opined that a relative of theirs judges a cruise food option on whether it is a restaurant they would return to and frequent on land.  Respectfully I don't find this reasonable.  Having lived in New York, The Philly area, and Miami I do not feel its reasonable that the GDR, or even a specialty restaurant is going to come close to what I found as my go to places for different cuisine in those areas.  Now that I live around Dallas (which does not compare food wise in my opinion) maybe we are closer.

Yes, we expected better than Applebees and yes, we felt the food across the board was good to very good. Perfect, no.  Would I go back if this was a land restaurant?  Well, depends on price of course but assuming it was a higher end restaurant, most likely not.  That does not mean we did not enjoy it.  

We read thousands of posts before we chose O and I felt the consensus was that no line that was not considerably more expensive (and not even clearly those) had consistently, significantly better food to the opinion of these boards.

As has been said before, go in with an open mind, a reasonable expectation and not buying the marketing and I believe most people will be happy.

 

Loved your post and with that said i will say that on a cruise in October on the new Explora Journeys the food was across the board 5 plus star rivaling any restaurant any where and I too have traveled  and eaten well. I hope the O dining  on our upcoming Vista cruise will be excellent. Also to note that head of their culinary at EJ is Franck Garranger was former head of culinary SS and O

Also was on an R ship on Azamara with very small cabins yet loved it and loved the cruise

3 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

You are entitled to your opinion. But, those original Renaissance ships were built like a “brick out house.” As each of the four “R” ships  (R for Regatta Class, NOT Renaissance) started the Oceania cruise line [Regatta and then Insignia], they received a multi-million dollar renovation (including Sirena which took $40 million to turn the Ocean Princess into an O ship (which then received a recent NEXT Era makeover.

If a little rust here and there really bothers you, than a classic cruise ship like any of O’s four R ships are definitely not for you. But, don’t worry. The R ships have a very loyal following including us.

All that said, note that, with Vista and Allura joining the fleet, the future of the R ships is a bit uncertain. O knows that, without the “R”s they will lose a significant number of regular passengers. But, then there’s the question of the viability of an 8 ship fleet given an uncertain future of the cruise industry.

 

In any case, if you’re not a big fan of the “R”s, O may not be a good cruise line for you.

Was on original R ship on Renaissance and a rebooted Sirena in 2020 in a Next PH which was beautiful 

1 minute ago, edgee said:

You are one of the most informed contributors to this board, so I really accept your point. Wondering what factors contribute to their "delight." Would be surprised to hear it is rave reviews from guests.

Love your posts Ed 

5 minutes ago, Snaefell3 said:

No scandal, just more folks asking "Who's Jacques?"

My DW still makes some of his recipes from his book that was in our cabin and purchased years ago

Thanks

1 minute ago, edgee said:

IME including recent multi week cruise on Vista with many sea days, no buffets in GDR.

Got it thank you much

Cruise well