Wheelhouse

I was told that Explora II will not have the seating in the elevator area like Explora I. Even if they removed one of the two unused obstacles on Explora I flow would much improved.

My wife checked this morning. This is absolutely correct. The bottle has a maple leaf and even says “Made in Canada”

Explora now has a 5 piece ship’s band that I find pretty decent.

I asked a waiter last night in the Astern Lounge and he said it would be shown there. There are only 60 seats of so that can see the screen so it would need to have additional locations. Today at lunch I asked a Maitre D and of course he had no idea what I was asking about. He did make a phone call and came back saying there would be a big event using the Conservatory pool screen. So at this point who knows. I think the Explorer Lounge would be the best location.

Got a more exact passenger number for Feb 9. It’s 651.

Was just told that there will be over 700 passengers for Feb 9 from Barbados.

I was sitting at the lobby bar yesterday and a woman ordered a Negroni not knowing what it entailed. I told her that it was a strong drink and mentioned to the bartender that my wife said that I made a terrible Negroni. He discussed all the intricacies of the drink and the necessity to use Tanqueray rather than a cheaper alternative. This guy certainly knows what he is doing.

I am going to book EJ for my next year’s winter cruise. To me it’s a good fit for the Caribbean. Prices look pretty reasonable now.

Excellent review. I have also sailed both ships (on EJ now) and agree with most everything. Explora is a slightly longer and heavier ship than Vista and there are considerably more passengers on Vista. Explora just feels way less crowded. There is never any waiting for elevators or “hogging” of deck chairs. For us that is important. I have found the service on Explora to be head and shoulders over what we received on Vista. I believe the daily program and announcements on Explora have improved since you sailed in the fall. Still not quite up to the level of Oceania, but it’s a brand new line and they are still feeling their way.

This is really nothing new. Some of the mass market lines like Princess have been doing Movies Under the Stars for a least 20 years. They are often well attended.

We are also on the TA. It would be a good time to use frequent flyer miles for the flight over. You cancel those at the last second and get your miles reinstated.

Hi David. Then why are all the people in this thread complaining?

There is a simple solution to this. Just don’t book Vista for a warm weather cruise.

I thought that I would make some additional comparison between Explora 1 and Oceania Vista. Of course both are brand new. Vista has a beautiful library and Explora has none. This might be important to some people and meaningless to others. Oceania’s future ship Allura will have a lesser library and the space will get a gelateria. The lack of a pool grill on Explora is unusual, but there is an extremely large bar area at the Conservatory pool which is mostly unused that could easily be partially converted to a grill area. 4 pools on Explora and only 1 on Vista makes Explora a much better choice for warm weather cruising. There is zero problem getting good pool seating on Explora and the current cruise has more passengers than any previous ones. We were on Vista for a cooler weather cruise and it was obvious the lack of pool seating and shade would be a big problem. Vista also carries more passengers. On a cost basis 16 days on both in a basic veranda cabin (OT3 on Explora vs Concierge Veranda on Vista) is pretty similar.

I was told 616 and have not waited in a single line yet. There is plenty of room on this ship. Elevators arrive immediately. We are on for the next cruise also and I have heard there will be less passengers. Though they do not wear stickers on their foreheads, I have not met a single person yet who has appeared to being a travel agent or influencer.

We ate last evening in Fil Rouge and it was a bit of a clunker. My wife felt that her lobster was mostly lobster helper. I can’t say that I have ever seen a smaller piece of Maine lobster and I spent the first 20 years of my life in New England. As we were boarding on 31 Jan, we ran into Heike from Azamara. For those interested she was just leaving and will be back in 3 months. Today the luminary Dr Lori, an art historian, spoke on shipwrecks and she was excellent. My wife was very familiar with her from You Tube and the Discovery Channel. Trivia is at 6pm and is well attended. An additional earlier session would be nice.

One observation in my promised comparison to Oceania Vista would be in relation to pool seating. With four pools on Explora and only one on Vista, I don’t see any problem here with the chair hogging that seems to be causing major headaches onboard Vista’s Caribbean itineraries. On our Montreal to Miami Vista voyage I did not see one person under age 50 and the average age was probably 75. Though it’s somewhat itinerary driven, Explora seems much more varied in age.

We also ate at the Med Yacht Club last evening and thought the food and service were excellent. The only hiccup was my wife’s soup was incorrect. She loved the octopus appetizer and the Dover sole. I would order my beef fillet again exactly as it was presented. We tried 3 different bars over the course of the day and evening and had no problem finding satisfactory options. I agree the muster drill announcements were ear piercing. I was in the lobby bar at the time and carefully observed all the hosts present. They had no reaction like it was commonplace.

Embarkation was different. We were processed onboard. I think it was just a function of this particular port. It went smooth enough. We did sit for a bit waiting in the heat before we were transported on the shuttle buses by numbered groups. Water was provided. Any arrival time given was meaningless as it was first come first serve on the transfers.

Onboard now. I think that I got an accurate passenger load of 616.

Made it to Barbados. We are staying in the Bougainvilla Besch Resort. So far I am pretty impressed by this place and I want to get in a recommendation.

We were on the Oceania Vista in October and are now seated on AA metal headed for Barbados and Explora 1. I will also try to make a comparison.

We spent 15 days on Vista in 9095 and had no problem whatsoever with noise from the adjacent rooms

On a recent Oceania Vista cruise I do not recall seeing a single passenger under age 50. We board EJ two weeks from today and expect that it will be much more age varied.

Call Explora directly. You don't need the TA.