Adults Only!

[BuckGood]

Is Explorer Journeys going to be an Adults Only cruise line?🙏🏻

[CruiseCrew123]

Nope 

[CJANDH]

3 hours ago, BuckGood said:

Is Explorer Journeys going to be an Adults Only cruise line?🙏🏻

Read the post already discussing this subject.

[maggie.1008]

I think Virgin and Viking are the only adult only lines that I know of.

[Host Jazzbeau]

1 hour ago, maggie.1008 said:

I think Virgin and Viking are the only adult only lines that I know of.

There are also a few cruise lines with select adult-only ships, but the ones I'm thinking of  [P&O?] are not luxury by any stretch.

[RICHARD@SEA]

I wish EXPLORA would make their ships or a t least on ADULTS ONLY.

I like children but believe there is a time & place for them.

 

Perhaps a cruise line could have  a CHILDREN ONLY ship or 2!!!

[vistaman]

German Hapag Lloyd does put a limit on the numeber of children on board. 

[uktog]

And have you seen what adults only means on Virgin complete with its tattoo parlour and adult fun games involving alcohol. We saw a tv documentary that was enough for us to know it’s not for us

[Roel94]

On 6/1/2023 at 6:08 PM, uktog said:

And have you seen what adults only means on Virgin complete with its tattoo parlour and adult fun games involving alcohol. We saw a tv documentary that was enough for us to know it’s not for us

Well we had fun.food very good and shows were fun. Saw on drinking game at dinner.skip the resturant .

[ctjon]

Been on several cruises on Crystal where there were kids but you really wouldn't have know it - they tended to stay in the special kids play area and when they were in public they were well behaved.  Probably make more difference in the parents and how they keep their kids in line than whether there were kids there.  Of course there were never a lot of kids

[kool kruiser]

Like ctjon, our experience on Old Crystal was the same. Personally, I think there is little to fear from Explora allowing youngsters on board, the limited facilities available for them compared to the mainstream cruise lines should curtail their numbers. I anticipate that the end result will be similar to that experienced on Old Crystal.

[nrc]

There are children on board, from toddlers to teenagers, and all are surprisingly well behaved.

[Nunagoras]

1 hour ago, nrc said:

There are children on board, from toddlers to teenagers, and all are surprisingly well behaved.

Ok, thanks!...

 

I'm just trying to realize for whom the heck is really Explora marketing their product to:

 

Refugees from Crystal? Not so much. They planned their company far BEFORE old Crystal went bust.

 

Non English speaking Viking like cruisers? It could have worked, if they have gone that way, but bambini, or if you prefer kids, are a strong part of Italian heritage.

 

Oceania/Azamara refugees? Quite unlikely: Those trademarks are very well founded on a very strong fan base!...

 

X/Princess refugees? Again: Surely both those 2 lines are going larger ships, globally, but their demographics might not be interested on paying so much more to have little bit more than the same... Those would end up on HAL, most likely, and HAL has a strong fan base as well.

 

Regent/Silversea/Seabourn refugees or lite cruisers? Again: Possible but not likely. Strong fan bases on those as well.

 

JIMHO; It seems pretty much likely they'll need to build a niche of their own. At a glimpse from the videos already available, their ships do feel like they're elevated old MSC Musica class ships for old line MSC goers now ready to pay more for some more exclusivity. Let's see how that works in the day to day operations!... Wondering what they'll do with the ships if Explora doesn't become the success they are anticipating...

[Dr. Cocktail]

2 hours ago, Nunagoras said:

 

I'm just trying to realize for whom the heck is really Explora marketing their product to:

 

JIMHO; It seems pretty much likely they'll need to build a niche of their own. At a glimpse from the videos already available, their ships do feel like they're elevated old MSC Musica class ships for old line MSC goers now ready to pay more for some more exclusivity. 

I am totally a cheerleader and have enjoyed your posts but I think that you're not getting "it" here.

 

Explora has been totally transparent in revealing who their prime target audience is ... the working wealthy from age 50 to 65.  This age group (where I am in!) will want something much nicer and may want to bring their kids or grandkids.  They don't want to be bound by fixed schedules for dining and entertainment. 

 

You're boxing yourself in by comparing the product to what's out there already.  Regent? Regimented and aimed at 70+ cruisers. Silverseas?  Design like a Hilton Garden Inn and too formal. Viking? Like a mortuary but with worse music. Azamara? Nothing that couldn't be solved by actually building a new ship with cabins bigger than a camper van.

 

To quote you, they DO want to build a niche of their own - 40 to 60 something luxury travelers  are increasingly not going to want what's currently on offer. I was 100% attracted by the "free flowing" nature of it all.  And they're smart enough to know that if they grab their audience now, they're never going anywhere else afterwards if they're satisfied.

 

And to say that the ships are similar to MSC's Musica Class is simply disingenuous. Very few (if any!) ships sailing today have 4 pools, each with their own individual bars, let alone one carrying under 900 passengers. Look at Seven Seas Splendor and Explorer with their two pools and limited sun decks.  Grandeur only has one pool.  My luxury cruising friends have been blown away by these same videos!

 

It is known in the industry that if you want to know how much a cruise line spent on a ship, look up at the ceilings!  Explora has beautifully finished and considered ceilings in all of the restaurants and lounges. A lot of money was spent.

 

While I'm not doing cartwheels over children on board, when I look at all of my cruises over the last three + decades, I can honestly recall one incident where I wanted to seriously harm a teenager and countless more involving "grown ups"!

 

Where Explora has missed the boat up till now, so to speak, is their handling of their cancelled sailings and delays. Many consider a cruise to begin when you make you final payment and when you get off the plane at home .... any and all bad experiences will be unfairly or not attributed to the cruise line.

 

It's pretty simple .... what Explora is offering is not what you want. No biggie .... that's why the other cruise lines you mentioned are available for you to sail on!

 

Edited August 12, 2023 by Dr. Cocktail

[Nunagoras]

1 hour ago, Dr. Cocktail said:

I am totally a cheerleader and have enjoyed your posts but I think that you're not getting "it" here.

 

Explora has been totally transparent in revealing who their prime target audience is ... the working wealthy from age 50 to 65.  This age group (where I am in!) will want something much nicer and may want to bring their kids or grandkids.  They don't want to be bound by fixed schedules for dining and entertainment. 

 

You're boxing yourself in by comparing the product to what's out there already.  Regent? Regimented and aimed at 70+ cruisers. Silverseas?  Design like a Hilton Garden Inn and too formal. Viking? Like a mortuary but with worse music. Azamara? Nothing that couldn't be solved by actually building a new ship with cabins bigger than a camper van.

 

To quote you, they DO want to build a niche of their own - 40 to 60 something luxury travelers  are increasingly not going to want what's currently on offer. I was 100% attracted by the "free flowing" nature of it all.  And they're smart enough to know that if they grab their audience now, they're never going anywhere else afterwards if they're satisfied.

 

And to say that the ships are similar to MSC's Musica Class is simply disingenuous. Very few (if any!) ships sailing today have 4 pools, each with their own individual bars, let alone one carrying under 900 passengers. Look at Seven Seas Splendor and Explorer with their two pools and limited sun decks.  Grandeur only has one pool.  My luxury cruising friends have been blown away by these same videos!

 

It is known in the industry that if you want to know how much a cruise line spent on a ship, look up at the ceilings!  Explora has beautifully finished and considered ceilings in all of the restaurants and lounges. A lot of money was spent.

 

While I'm not doing cartwheels over children on board, when I look at all of my cruises over the last three + decades, I can honestly recall one incident where I wanted to seriously harm a teenager and countless more involving "grown ups"!

 

Where Explora has missed the boat up till now, so to speak, is their handling of their cancelled sailings and delays. Many consider a cruise to begin when you make you final payment and when you get off the plane at home .... any and all bad experiences will be unfairly or not attributed to the cruise line.

 

It's pretty simple .... what Explora is offering is not what you want. No biggie .... that's why the other cruise lines you mentioned are available for you to sail on!

 

Ok! Quite interesting that is. When I was comparing with Musica class, I was comparing "basic" inside design wise. If you watch carefully; it's same MSC's design signature with an Explora twist. Now the market target: Yes; that can be unique as well, the same way as Virgin is unique at their way. Virgin might to be for affluent 20-40yo with no kids. Explora for those same affluent to very affluent ones when they reach say, 40-70yo. Permit me a single note about Viking. They only sell for the English speaking market, and they're doing what is possible and impossible to avoid wheelchairs and other disabled people at their ships, making them a 40-70yo audience as well. non English speaking markets very affluent individuals wishing for a Viking like ship would be called for Explora. I'd be one of them, nonetheless, but I still remain in the fence, for some reason... Time will tell... Regarding avoiding kids, that is becoming such a luxury market feature, these days on land tourism. Nothing against kids myself, but hope that, at that market level their numbers would be controlled.

[saminina]

6 hours ago, Dr. Cocktail said:

While I'm not doing cartwheels over children on board, when I look at all of my cruises over the last three + decades, I can honestly recall one incident where I wanted to seriously harm a teenager and countless more involving "grown ups"!

It's not worth thinking about.  But now that I am, there might be more than the average count on the Christmas time cruise.  My October cruises should be close to zero.   I've only seen well behaved children on ships.

 

And there will be plenty of current SS and SB passengers booking Explora.   Plenty of former SB crew, too.

[vistaman]

6 hours ago, saminina said:

It's not worth thinking about.  But now that I am, there might be more than the average count on the Christmas time cruise.  My October cruises should be close to zero.   I've only seen well behaved children on ships.

 

And there will be plenty of current SS and SB passengers booking Explora.   Plenty of former SB crew, too.

i very curious to see former SB , Crystal or SS crew ...

[Dr. Cocktail]

16 hours ago, Nunagoras said:

Ok! Quite interesting that is. When I was comparing with Musica class, I was comparing "basic" inside design wise. 

Good morning!

 

Ah - I understand the reference to design now - there is a LOT of Yacht Club design "vocabulary" used, not necessarily for the better!  As I've stated before, I think  the cabin bathrooms just aren't big enough for the aimed audience. They're basically identical to the newest MSC YC ships.

 

The suite furniture, carpets and cabinetry also aren't luxe enough - I understand "understated" but this is going too far.

 

I didn't realize that Viking only catered to the English speaking market. I did know go-around towards the disabled.

 

Viking was one of those products where a LOT of us on board just didn't get "it". It was OK but hard to believe how successful they were with what they were offering. It was interesting to see how many people only cruised on Viking - first on their riverboats and then their cruise ships.

[bitob]

12 hours ago, saminina said:

It's not worth thinking about.  But now that I am, there might be more than the average count on the Christmas time cruise.  My October cruises should be close to zero.   I've only seen well behaved children on ships.

 

And there will be plenty of current SS and SB passengers booking Explora.   Plenty of former SB crew, too.

and former Crystal cruisers.  I know many who have booked Explora including me!

[Nunagoras]

1 hour ago, Dr. Cocktail said:

Good morning!

 

Ah - I understand the reference to design now - there is a LOT of Yacht Club design "vocabulary" used, not necessarily for the better!  As I've stated before, I think  the cabin bathrooms just aren't big enough for the aimed audience. They're basically identical to the newest MSC YC ships. - Absolutely agree!... I finished to see a wonderful Spanish video on the ship, and it is my understanding that from E3 onward (no time for such modifications for E2, JIMHO), they'll need to rethink at least the top suites bathrooms so that they meet the current land and ship standards for that audience.

 

The suite furniture, carpets and cabinetry also aren't luxe enough - I understand "understated" but this is going too far. - Er... Even those Affluent+ individuals on their 40's now want some sort of sophisticated simplicity. Other than bathrooms, especially on the fancy top suites, all the other stuff seems ok on me. At least they're bright and elegant suites, not dark "stuffy" snobbery ones like some Regent ones, for example... The ship as a whole reminds me such a regular upper middle class home on Continental European land. I'd feel at home myself on E1 just a few seconds after boarding. That is great!...

 

I didn't realize that Viking only catered to the English speaking market. I did know go-around towards the disabled. - Yes, they are. They didn't sell me a ticket because I'm out of English speaking market whom also happens to be a disabled individual.

 

Viking was one of those products where a LOT of us on board just didn't get "it". It was OK but hard to believe how successful they were with what they were offering. It was interesting to see how many people only cruised on Viking - first on their riverboats and then their cruise ships. - Actually it has something to do with the price tag versus expected audience. They aren't true luxury, I believe they are even lower the Explora level at that front, even if both companies ships do come from a similar platform. In summary: If you are electable to be a Viking cruiser, they offer you the best value for your buck possible at see. I know, their pricing has been rising, but so has been industry wise. their inclusions and exclusions level is incredible for what you get at that half inclusive price tag. Then, the distinctiveness: Full adult, no photographers, no casino, soft entertainment, basic included shore excursions, reasonably priced alcohol package, that is a strong incentive for so many ones alongside the ~950 guests per cruise... At Viking's price it is just too good to be true!... I had a slight hope Explora was coming for the segment, but they want another thing: Those Gen Xers now growing on their age wealthy enough to partake, eventually with their bambini, will have here their comfort zone quarter at sea!... As will Millenials and Gen Zers alike at due time. Explora seems well equipped for the generational transition!...

 

[CJANDH]

On 8/12/2023 at 11:36 AM, Nunagoras said:

Regent/Silversea/Seabourn refugees or lite cruisers? Again: Possible but not likely. Strong fan bases on those as well.

A strong fan base that is being tested by the aggressive price increases being implemented for 2024 and out. I am a top tier suite purchaser that has switched from Silversea to try Explora Journeys because Silversea have more than doubled the price for their top suites.

[Nunagoras]

4 minutes ago, CJANDH said:

A strong fan base that is being tested by the aggressive price increases being implemented for 2024 and out. I am a top tier suite purchaser that has switched from Silversea to try Explora Journeys because Silversea have more than doubled the price for their top suites.

Pretty much all the market is rising prices these days, including Explora! It is crazy, but things are what they are. Maybe when we can control inflation a little more worldwide and the anxious to sail after the pandemic waves go a little bit away, as well as cruise lines do away with pandemic debt we might see some more normalcy on the market again.

[Azulann]

As a loyal Viking cruiser who some years ago came from Celebrity , I would only be interested in Europa ships because  of their design . I will wait for trip reviews by actual passengers too. None of the other lines have open views of the water and sky in the common areas like Viking ships. I would expect service would be great just like Viking . 

[Nunagoras]

4 hours ago, Azulann said:

As a loyal Viking cruiser who some years ago came from Celebrity , I would only be interested in Europa ships because  of their design . I will wait for trip reviews by actual passengers too. None of the other lines have open views of the water and sky in the common areas like Viking ships. I would expect service would be great just like Viking . 

Both Viking and Explora ships do come from a similar platform out the same Fincantieri shipyard, so, no surprise they'd be structurally more similar than different. Explora offers more pools, a casino, and a totally different inside management though. Both great ships. Perhaps Explora more expensive, but different amenities. According to the few videos available, my best bet would be for a slightly younger demographics target on Explora.

[commodoredave]

On 8/12/2023 at 2:14 PM, Dr. Cocktail said:

Explora has been totally transparent in revealing who their prime target audience is ... the working wealthy from age 50 to 65

I turn 66 next year. Will I have to leave Explora and find another cruise line?