mike@sea

Thank you for sharing. I really do wonder about the dark blue lounge seats. How stupid! Yes it looks nice, BUT it will get so hot in sunlight, that no one can sit on it. Weird choice, especially since the furniture on Explora 1 is both appealing and functional. Why change it to the worse ?

The bag of free laundry service is only applicable until 48 hours before debarkation. As usual, the content will arrive the next day, provided it was left with the suite host in the morning.

Hey Magnus, the ports are all nice, some more than others. St Barts was one of my favorite. I noticed that the ship will next year partly dock at different ports over this season. That could make a slight difference, e.g Castries being on the other side of the island in St Lucia, not so nice from what I heard. Anyway, I think you should look at it from a more practical side. The problem with San Juan and especially Barbados are the very high cost for flights. AA is mostly dominating the market, some UA and AC flights, and that is it. Barbados from Europe is in the hands of BA and VS along with a few Charter flights, think TUI. Also Hotels in both, SJU and BGI are crazy expensive and not really good. You will want to fly in at least a day early, so that must also be taken into account. I am currently looking at SJU for Feb next year, where my next cruise will end, and I am not impressed to say the least. I will therefore probably head straight back to MIA, overnight there and fly back the next day. MIA is equally expensive , and I would suggest using points if you have any for a hotel brand. Interconti runs at 500$ a night minimum , and although freshly renovated , is not necessarily worth it. These are my thoughts and experiences. One last remark, use the ships tours. They are expensive but since you have OBC , that helps and saves you a lot of stress. Most destinations are not necessarily the best place to go on your own. It is not like Europe and some of the islands are quite poor. M

Mine arrived only yesterday. For others it arrived already the day of debarkation. But if I remember correctly, it was said on the ship, it would arrive a few days after the cruise. Maybe give it another day or two, then contact your Ambassador.

When were you last on Explora ? How can you say all these things, when none of what you say reflects the actual experience on Explora ! Please accept that Explora has evolved ever since you sailed. Period. The staff by the way are excellent. Why would you think that someone who worked at a hotel in Dubai is not qualified enough? And besides, only some of the staff have not worked on ships before. Some even worked on Crystal before. But do not go back, because they have no opportunity to grow on Crystal. On Explora they do.

Ocean Cay experience might differ for you either way. I only experienced it as an Explora passenger. I was able to walk everywhere! Even the YC enclave. No one cared or checked which cabin. There was no buffet or extensive food offer anywhere on the island, which explains this. Two or three open food trucks , that was it, I believe none at the YC area. Only drinks. In fact we were actually asked to dine on board , they explained there would’ve only limited foodtruck options ashore. All that made sense, as the island felt deserted with the Explora passengers. It is built in mind for a few thousand passengers , not for 700. As nice as it was in its own weird way, it felt a bit strange. Also, picturing it with 5000 passengers made me cringe. I would have gone back to the ship within five minutes if it were full like that. But that’s just me. Long story short, you do not need the YC area. It is there however and you can for sure enjoy drinks there if you wish. But it won’t be the same as in YC.

With all due respect, I am not sure , why you even „host“ this board, if all you can comment on is Crystal this and Crystal that. You have not stepped foot on Explora 1 to my knowledge , yet you leave your comments , all in favor of Crystal. I think you should not comment at all, unless you have been on both. And even then, maybe think about passing the Explora board on to someone else, who is less biased. just my two cents. Again, with all respect.

Hey Magnus, without knowing you, your age, your interests, experience , what you are looking for , no-one should answer that question. Well, of course with the exception of the Crystal cheerleaders and the Explora haters on this board. And believe it or not, there are a few. Not sure, why they are on this board, but they are… I just got off Explora today, after 17 exceptional and relaxing days. I traveled solo and had the best of times. I would and will go back in a heartbeat. I am in a Miami hotel now, waiting for my flight back home tomorrow. I really really miss the ship and especially the staff and wish I was still on the ship. In all my travels and cruises, the Explora staff was probably the best. Very personal and very attentive. You as passenger will be the center of attention, if you let them. Just be open and friendly, and they will call you by name on day 2 and bend over backwards. I did not have a boring minute in 17 days on the ship , but in the end it all comes down to you and your expectations. So do your homework and decide what’s best for you and your expectations. Explora will for sure further develop out the very few kinks onboard. I believe that Explora 2 will be identical to Explora 1, having some minor design issues with one pool at the front an in regards to some GT Suites, whose balcony tends to get the occasional sprinkle from above. Other than that I did not detect any issues worth mentioning. Others might disagree, but the majority if not all passengers on my cruise loved every minute.

Forgive me to add to your live review, which I enjoy as much as everyone else, with the difference that I am on board too. Just a little observation from my perspective as a B2B passenger, who is now onboard for 9 days. The vibe on the ship has completely changed since Miami. Although less passengers, the ship feels fuller during the day. Especially noticeable at Emporium but also around deck. Last cruise more people were searching for shade, this cruise it is the opposite. And there are quite a few chair hogs. Weird, since there is enough deckspace, but I guess some people think it is appropriate, even on a luxury cruise. There are much more Europeans on this cruise, including children. Not a problem at all from my perspective. They seem to have a good time just like the adults. It became a bit quieter on the ship, maybe because Europeans tend to talk quieter. At the same time, some of the friendliness and Hello‘s you would hear all the time in the corridors or on deck are missing. As mentioned, the vibe is different. Not bad, just different. Last week there were quite a few travel agents onboard. Some people here on CC think that is a bad idea. I think the opposite. It is necessary to introduce travel agents to the brand and ship, so they can then share their experience with their customers. And most of us rely on our travel agents. Also they were a friendly and lively bunch in a good way last week. They brought laughter and joy to the ship and enhanced the atmosphere, especially at night in the theatre. I did not see any so called influencer by the way. Shows were excellent last week, special shoutout to a performer called Nathan James who literally rocked the boat with his brilliant performance and his incredible voice. I am sure this cruises entertainment will be equally good, from my perspective Explora does a pretty good job there. This also applies to other varied activities as well as gatherings like for Singles, Prism (LGBTQ+). The crew generally does a great job and is very personal and very friendly. It is also nice to see faces from Africa again, which I had not seen many if at all on cruises over the past years. And with this, back to you Noggins…. 🙂

The issue you faced with Emporium on embarkation was definitely caused by the horrible horrible immigration at Miami cruise port. They only sent 2 agents for disembarking passengers, roundabout 600. Explora officials said they paid for 6 agents and only received 2. Port of Miami should really be ashamed of themselves. The tip issue when checking in your back is also a well known problem at Miami port for many years and affects every single embarking passenger, every day. Again shame on PoMiami who do nothing about it. The disembarkation took till 11:15, plan was to have everybody off the ship by 9:30. b2b passengers not on a tour or with independent plans to visit downtown had to wait till appr 11:00h before we were able to disembark and immigrate , which of course we all had to, as Key West was our next port. We were only allowed back on board by the PoMiami officials at 12:00h. Only after we were back on board, the first new guests arrived on the ship. No wonder Emporium was packed, as most guests arrived at the same time. The week prior in Barbados, it was no zoo at Emporium at lunch time, and there were about 200 more guests on board. In fact, for the past 8 days it has always been a pleasure to lunch at Emporium, with lots of available seats and a speedy drink service.

On board now and will continue with you back to Barbados. The ship is wonderful, the crew outstanding and the food very good. It is objective, but I have not had a single bad meal. Marketplace is truly excellent ! Fil Rouge my favorite. You are in for a treat and I am sure you you will have a great time as well. I am loving it.

The new Champagne is actually really nice. No complains at all from me. Having a really nice time onboard now. Staff are fabulous and so attentive.

Same here Dennis. for my next years b2b. Only first portion appears. But I am sure they will sort it out. Also could not find Barbados in their airport list when I entered my flights for the upcoming cruise. Instead chose „other airport“.

I am sure that for the crew and also for the whole overall atmosphere, a full(er) ship is much better in most ways. It enhances the workflow and resembles what they have been trained for. I often observed that flight crews on sold out flights work their best, whereas half empty planes or compartments lowers the overall quality and given attention of the crew. I guess it’s similar on ships. we‘ll see. Really looking forward to my first Explora. And yes, after those numbers , I did make reservations for Sakura and Marbles this morning. They replied within two hours and I received days one and two, which is great. I did not really care which days and let them decide. The hour I got is exactly what I asked for as preferred , although I also gave them a certain range. So far, so good. Now all I have to do is be in Barbados on time… best including luggage.

I did not make dining reservations yet. I am torn now, if I better should do so, looking at the number you just quoted. Wow. That would mean that we sail at almost full capacity. Cool in a way. Perfect for the entertainment due to an enhanced atmosphere and hopefully good for excursions, which hopefully will not all be cancelled again. I would have made reservations today, if it already worked online. Maybe I will send an email tomorrow asking for reservations. It’s a b2b, so I can still test their onboard reservation for the 2nd part of the trip.

Just noticed that EJ deployed a new website user interface version, which will allow you, once it works ( which is not yet the case as I am writing this ) , to log into your profile, then go to menu symbol on the pages upper left side ( as the bookings don’t automatically appear ), select My Explora account at the bottom, then My Trips, then open the dedicated reservation and all new menu items appear on the left side of your screen, including „Restaurant Reservations“. Huzzah!

The majority of customers is not on CC, so I believe there are indeed „more like myself“. 😉

I will stick to my plan to make reservations once boarded. I am on vacation then and while I do like to go for dinner around 19:00, I am also flexible, especially if I have nowhere else to be. I believe the original idea was never for guests to make reservations ahead. Hence, no online possibility to do so. But as said, I will happily report here, if not making reservations ahead turns out to be not such a good idea. 😉

But since every suite is guaranteed one reservation at Sakura and Marbles each per cruise, why bother ? Why not relax and book it once onboard at the designated desk ? Especially if doing a B2B, which will not get you a reservation for the 2nd cruise before departure anyways. Isn’t it easier to do it altogether , once onboard? That’s how I will be doing it for my upcoming March cruises. In case it does not work out very well, I will gladly report it here. On MS Europa2 it works like that without any problems by the way. No pre reservation possible and necessary.

Every change to existing bookings requires an immediate notification. They must have known and planned those changes for the past weeks. Of course I do want to know proactively, not days after the release, if at all, about any change. The recent changes have again not been communicated to the booked guests. I am personally affected for the third time now. Indian Ocean, cancelled. North America East Coast, cancelled. My Middle America/ Caribbean booking for 2025, completely altered. No more Middle America ( they canceled that for the 2nd time now over the past 12 months ) , ports like Costa Rica, Panama are gone. Now the ship is instead redeployed to New Orleans overnight and Progreso Mexico overnight, followed by Cozumel, which I can then enjoy with the other 12.000 cruise ship passengers from other lines. Something I can „enjoy“ with every other cruise line there is, for a lot less money. What are they thinking ? I am not flying half around the globe to visit Cozumel again, or stay overnight in a container port in New Orleans in February, then float the Gulf of Mexico to yet another port, which so many other cruise lines visit too, where I am then able to see Flamingos or salt for an increased excursion price. How on earth are they going to keep 3 or 4 ships afloat in the future, if they cannot sell anything else than the usual Caribbean and Med ?

If you have booked a 2024 EXP2 cruise, better check your routing, as it might have changed. Not for the better of course, at least not in my case. They added such dazzling and exciting ports like Cozumel and New Orleans, and dropped more exotic ones like Panama and Costa Rica. Again ! This is the second complete rerouting for me, original I booked the Indian Ocean. Well done Explora. The fourth routing change for the two ships. They all end up now in the exact same ports like all the other big ships. Only difference is, everybody else is reliable and mostly cheaper. What are they thinking? They don’t at all, I believe. Ocean State of Mind Exotic extended journeys What a joke ! I guess its time for them to cancel Explora 3, as they seem to be unable to fulfill the needs and taste of their clientele ,plus they run out of ports they might or might not end up going to… A huge disappointment, again. I am not sure yet, how to deal with it, probably finally cancel the whole cruise. What a joke of a company.

@uktog Thank you so much for your answer. I would be OK with Euros. But still. I will review my „booked“ excursions for my March B2b and better cancel one or two costly ones, then possibly rebook them only once onboard, when it is definite that they are scheduled. Thinking e.g the Levi’s Highligts and Four Seasons lunch one, which I am not so sure about anyways and which is quite pricey. Thank you so much for all your comments and posts here over the past months. After all those negative experiences beforehand I m really happy for you, that you are having such a great time!

What happens when an excursion is being cancelled? Does the amount paid appear as onboard credit, which would not be ideal, or do they transfer the amount back to the credit card It was paid with? I would be hesitant to book expensive excursions, if the money, paid before departure , would not be credited back to a creditcard, since I would have no use for it as credit on my onboard bill.

I agree with most of your observations and I believe we mostly think the same in regards to EJ. However, this round of cancellations and they way EJ dealt with it by NOT (!! ) notifying any German nor UK agents ( and probably other EU countries ) with booked passengers on those cruises, is an absolute shame. And inexcusable! That’s besides other missing information in the past and ignoring already booked passengers along the way in the past 2 years. Not sure how this is dealt with internally within EJ, but I sincerely do hope that some heads who clearly do not belong in their positions are being axed over this. That is not how you build trust with clients and agents. The new routings do also no longer reflect , what they promote and what the initial thought was. Longer journeys, new ports etc. The new routings do not substitute in any way, what people had booked before the cancellations. You cannot compare an India to Africa routing to the same old Dubai to Dubai or Miami to Barbados. So EJ disappointed many , some even twice ! That’s why people are angry, not having meltdowns , but feel they do neither get the respect nor the thanks they deserve for booking early, believing in a brand and promoting the brand, ever since they booked.

Single supplement went up on most cruises and appears now at 150 % for regular suites and 200 % on PH and higher, on 2025 cruises to the Caribbean. That eats up the 30% FCC unfortunately. I am almost certain they will adjust and lower it again during the upcoming months, but for now, that’s what it is. That of course is still way better than what other cruise lines offer for single cabin occupancy ( except for those lines which offer one of those super tiny single cabins ).