Cody-wody

1 minute ago, chefchick said:

I stand corrected.  It seems by your many postings that you did not enjoy your Explora cruise and that is unfortunate.  It’s great that there are so many other lines out there for you to enjoy.

I’m pretty sure I wrote that we *did* enjoy it. Please see first post. But it was a one-and-done for us. 

4 minutes ago, chefchick said:

And yet none of those are included in your fare.

Uh not true. Spa thermal use included on Viking. Included in fare with various cabin types (Aquaclass, Spa Class, Yacht Club) on other lines (at typically lower fares than Explora). 

4 hours ago, Khareef said:

A cold water pool after the sauna is very much missing imho

It's actually kind of dingy space. Very dark and somewhat claustrophobic. Maze of corridors to get back to main area. Strange outdoor area that nobody ever uses. NOT one of my top spas and I love the thermal suite/Spa. Celebrity, NCL, Viking, MSC, even Holland America have nicer thermal areas IMHO. 

13 minutes ago, CruiseCrew123 said:

There were no umbrellas in Celebrity either apart from a few small in the retreat 

I feel like it was much less an issue on Celebrity and there wasn't a prohibition on them like at MSC/Explora. The pools are also less a focus on Celebrity. 

As in my original post: the pools on Explora 1 are a true highlight. I was so excited for the pools and they are gems! Gorgeous. But on our cruise, the seating around the pools was basically unusable and very empty. Same for the deck chairs and areas around the hot tubs. This was 100% due to extremely bright hot sun with no shade....  and it ruined the pool experience for us and many others. 

On 9/8/2024 at 7:45 PM, wcGma said:

What are the hours of the spa facilities? Different on sea days? is that the hydotherpy pool, steam rooms, sauna.? Are there showers locker room there as well?

Hours were same each day. Yes pool, steam, sauna. It's nice but not as nice as you expect from the pictures (IMHO). Spa is often empty due to low ship occupancy. There are showers in the locker rooms.

One trick: on the sea day if you get in there in the morning, they didn't in my experience, ask you to leave. So if it was open 8a-10am for non-spa appointment guests (thereabouts), you could arrive at 9:45 and stay for an hour. 

I had a similar experience.. give them a deadline and tell them you'll contact your credit card company for a refund if they miss it. I got my refund within days. 

These companies HATE chargebacks and your entitled to a chargeback if the product/service isn't delivered. 

As an aside, what a slimy thing for them to do..... luxury... uh huh. 

To piggyback, there are NO restaurants besides Emporium open for lunch (that I recall) and they are quite strict on cabin access before about 2 or even 3pm (which means no lunch room service). We put our bags in our room upon arrival (around 1230) and that also seemed very much frowned upon... but we did it anyway. I consider this part of the "Embarkation mess" that I described in my review. Nobody told us when our cabin would be ready - we had to ask - and there was no announcement. Check in staff seemed pretty clueless and it was hardly a "luxury" experience. Fortunately things did get better. 

13 hours ago, Elizabethbea said:

Oh just put on a Hat and sunblock!

The sensation of baking in hot sun and/or being completely bathed in chemical sunscreen isn't for everyone. I have noticed that certain nationalities tend to favor it over others (and seem less concerned about skin diseases, skin cancer, premature aging, etc.) 

2 hours ago, Dr. Cocktail said:

We enjoyed our YC sailings on Seaside but the COMPLETE lack of shade was ultimately a deal breaker for us. Just too unpleasant. We actually brought chair umbrellas with us but they wouldn't fit the bulky chair arms.

 

On E, we were able to find shade but had to occasionally move.

 

I just don't get it with these new ships - the worst I've seen are the new Silversea Ships - the pool deck looks like the surface of the sun but without the subtley ....

The policy against umbrellas on MSC/Explora ships is absolute lunacy and reflects the whims of a billionaire family putting their own oddities/eccentricities ahead of paying customers. We're done with MSC/Explora... 

15 hours ago, Elizabethbea said:

Hum, Im not sure the class system on a ship sits comfortably with me ...I prefer  for all passengers to have the same amenities..but each to his own..

Can't agree more. We've done "ship within a ship" on NCL and MSC Yacht Club and no desire to do that ever again. It was fun the first time but after that it nags on you and you still deal with the hordes of people throughout the rest of the ship. We also saw lots of "sneaking in" happening in later cruises which was uncomfortable... 

18 minutes ago, Dr. Cocktail said:

At present, I think that they are still aiming for their stated target audience - "the working wealthy".

 

This group generally can't get away for longer than a week or so.  I'm pretty certain things will change as E3 and E4 come online.

 

They're also smartly (in the long run) aiming at a younger target audience than the "legacy" luxury lines.  These younger travelers will hopefully age into older travelers with more time!

 

That's us. Late 40s. I guess you can call us "working wealthy" in that this wasn't terribly expensive for us. We probably have a 40-50k per year vacation budget. That said - we have no interest in going back to Explora so they missed us completely. We'd see them 2-3 times a year if we really liked them (we're trying Windstar next and have high hopes). 

What I saw onboard was very little of our demographic. We were on for a week. I saw a surprising number of overweight Europeans (mainly British) who gorged at the buffet then passed out drunk in the common areas... I also saw several obvious influencers (I think any influencer can have a high end suite anytime they want..) 

I really don't know who this line appeals to other than foodies trying to enjoy it before they inevitably cut back... they said intergenerational was a priority and while my parents might enjoy it, the kids would hate Explora. Was there even a video game room? The only kids/teens area I saw was near the center pool and it was pathetic. The casino is the size of a cabin so that part won't appeal to anyone either (including my parents who like some casino). 

I also don't think most of the "working wealthy" are going to drop 10-20k on a watch on a cruise ship.... or other trinkets which seemed to be the focus of the retail. 

40 minutes ago, Khareef said:

I am on board right now (brindisi), the ship seems pretty full to me. Excursions and spa treatments are really priced way too aggressively, embarkation in venice was a bit amateurish. Suites are nice, food very good, i found the ac too low everywhere and you can’t turn it off on the suites (thanks god i can eat outdoor most of the time). The lack of a proper spacious forward bridge space is quite appalling to me, not sure why they designed the ship this way. Coffe and cocktails are good, it seems quite a few guests are enjoying the dj nights and live music. I still prefer expedition cruising but for a relaxed vacation this is an excellent choice. 

Sound similar to our experience. I agree on Excursions... too few and too expensive. The ShorEx manager is a nice guy (if it's same person) and admitted there's a problem. I was told they have trouble getting vendors to work with them because the European guests in particular don't like  to book excursions and they wind up cancelling a lot of tours and/or not selling many seats. The ShorEx team also seems pretty uniformed about ports and thus can't even make good recommendations if you want to "go it alone." Overall - ShorEx was a stressor for us.

Also the Spa, to me, was underwhelming. I don't think it's nearly as nice as the Viking Spa (which they seemed to be emulating) and yes the treatments were VERY highly priced. It's almost like they haven't figured out their demographic... the shops were the same way... they are gearing towards much wealthier people than they are actually attracting.... 

13 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

We have a transfer from our Rome hotel to FCO in October for €75 (total) with Stefano's Rome Cabs.  We have used them before (from Rome to Civitavecchia), and highly recommend them.

Thank you but that seems a lot more expensive than the train which is like 30 Euros for two people. We'll try to see about the bus transfer... 

Many time cruiser on MSC Yacht Club, NCL Suites, Celebrity, Carnival, HAL....

Bottom line is we enjoyed Explora 1 but have no desire to sail Explora again. We sailed them in mid-August Europe and the ship was literally LESS than half full! Judging by some of the fellow cruisers onboard, I tend to think they are heavily discounting in Europe. There was also, probably, a half dozen very senior MSC executives onboard taking notes, including, we were told, the assistant to the owner/CEO of MSC. I really think changes are coming...  

Good, for us:

1. Food was best ever experienced on a ship. Coldwater lobster available every evening. Simple, high quality ingredients. Really delicious. Wine is decent but very cheap. Lots of $5 bottles being served. 

2. Staff (for the most part) pretty good. Well-meaning but not super empowered.  

3. Ship is very pretty with EXCELLENT stabilization (apparently a new kind of propeller and other innovations). That said, it's a hotel-design in the sense that the sea isn't the focus. There are fewer unobstructed vistas of the ocean and lots of high glass walls outdoors. If you love the sea this might not be your ship. 

Ok, for us:

1. Entertainment was pretty typical mid-sized ship fare. We honestly didn't love the Cruise Director (ahem - Entertainment  Manager). He has a pretty fake and somewhat snooty/condescending style that definitely won't charm everyone. Ex Holland America guy. Entertainment events were VERY badly attended. Like embarrassingly so. We're talking less than five people in the huge show lounge for TED-style talks. Featured singers at the evening show (who were very good) would get a few dozen people. 

Bad:

1. Five glorious pools - including the spa. What's wrong? NO SHADE. If you like baking in the sun then you'll be fine. If you prefer to layout in the shade your going to have problems. Consequently the pool areas are often empty. We asked why they do this and were told the billionaire owners of MSC are extremely superstitious and believe umbrellas bring bad luck to ships. I KID YOU NOT. For this reason, no umbrellas! Multiple staff told us this and honestly it's enough for us to never sail them again as that's just ridiculous. This completely ruined the pool scene for us.

2. Embarkation was a disorganized mess. Great way to start things off! Security officers far less friendly than other lines. Saw them vaping in full view of customers, etc. My first thought was "these guys belong in front of a nightclub, not a supposedly five star luxury ship."

Bottom line in my humble opinion is Explora is definitely in a state of flux. I'd expect major changes. Sailing half full during the peak of the peak season tells you everything you need to know (a year post launch). I wouldn't be surprised if they folded the line into MSC or did something else dramatic... and the one REALLY good thing, the food, is likely to get cut if they need to cut costs. 

We're disembarking in Civitavecchia (Wind Spirit) and I have a couple of questions:

1. Does Windstar sell a transfer into Central Rome? NOT the airport. Debating about buying train ticket.

2. Does the ship dock in a convenient location to easily reach the train station? I understand there's a shuttle to the port entrance but it's then a mile long walk to the train station? Is this how it works for Windstar? 

Any advice on getting from the Wind Spirit into Central Rome is appreciated!