Explora cruises from the eyes of clients

[travelberlin]

To those guests who have been or are on a cruise with Explora, Is Explora delivering the following?

 

ALL INCLUSIVE JOURNEYS

In-suite welcome bottle of champagne upon arrival

 

A bottle of wine and a bottle of spirit of the guests’ choice upon arrival

 

Authentic, cultured and intuitive service from our team of hospitality experts

 

Nine distinct culinary experiences, including in-suite dining

 

Unlimited beverages, fine wines and premium spirits, speciality coffees, teas and soft drinks available anytime, including in-suite mini-bar*

 

Access to the spa thermal area

 

Wellbeing and fitness programmes on board and at the destinations

 

All on-board gratuities

 

Complimentary Wi-Fi throughout the ship

 

Shuttle services from port to city centre (where required/available)

[peder]

On 8/23/2023 at 5:27 PM, TER777 said:

~400 on board on turnaround day 9/24. 

I had read an interview a while back from maybe an Explora marketing exec saying they were targeting around 60-70% capacity? So this would be closer to 40%, for one of their first sailings.

 

Doesn't suggest that sales are off to a strong start.

[Host Jazzbeau]

54 minutes ago, peder said:

I had read an interview a while back from maybe an Explora marketing exec saying they were targeting around 60-70% capacity? So this would be closer to 40%, for one of their first sailings.

 

Doesn't suggest that sales are off to a strong start.

Nor a disaster, given how most companies have to ramp up.

[Nunagoras]

9 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Nor a disaster, given how most companies have to ramp up.

That's it. E is a new company out of a segment where the market is severely limited and very well served. They're not your centuries old trademark, so not a disaster either as you so well state. Just for simplification I'd join together mid and full luxury companies here. You have a lot of trademarks already there; some 8 biggies, plus the smaller operators!... Furthermore you had the pandemic effects which are not entirely solved yet. E is on a difficult situation right now. I believe MSC could have been more successful if they had gone with the 125k GT / 3000k guests young generation segment of X/Princess standards than at proper luxury. That is the segment where the good money really is to be made, and only 3 companies doing it right now: X, Princess and Virgin. Disney, Cunard and HAL are market niche. They can do some business in Dubai (Russians) and the Caribbean (at a discount for part of the current luxury "excommunicated" by inflation ones) with this E thing, but they have 5 ships to redeploy in the next few years. If the luxury market remains as limited as it is now, they'll most likely need to rethink at least some of those ships. E3-E5 will likely to remain for that specialty revised venture. E1-E2 with their first run hardware bugs will likely to end up elsewhere on the MSC's portfolio. By the way; their need to redeploy both ships from mid next year onward indicates their bookings weren't great. They wouldn't piss 900 guests per week at a single second. Maybe they have less than 100 per week in average, with several below 50. Sorry for the ones affected... But that would have been reality at this segment level...

[peder]

1 hour ago, Nunagoras said:

I believe MSC could have been more successful if they had gone with the 125k GT / 3000k guests young generation segment of X/Princess standards than at proper luxury. That is the segment where the good money really is to be made, and only 3 companies doing it right now: X, Princess and Virgin. Disney, Cunard and HAL are market niche.

 

And maybe the shortening of the itineraries is one step closer to competing in that space? And Explora 3+ are still a ways out, so maybe there's wiggle room for upsizing those ships a bit and adding some mass-market amenities?

[Nunagoras]

33 minutes ago, peder said:

 

And maybe the shortening of the itineraries is one step closer to competing in that space? And Explora 3+ are still a ways out, so maybe there's wiggle room for upsizing those ships a bit and adding some mass-market amenities?

No it isn't. It is a "try on haul" measure to see if they can fit in a new market niche in the Industry just for themselves. Winter season in Dubai with the Russians would be a success, but that is just for one ship.

 

As regarding those ships; there is no time now for them to be anything but what they are designed to be. Those ships were commissioned to Fincantieri before the pandemic. In no way will them to have any substantial structural modifications. They're extremely small to compete on the X/Princess range and even more pax would be a no-no even at their current perceived level. Maybe they'll just to make them with, for example, larger and better top suites bathrooms, updated restaurants and the likes.

 

If the brand fails entirely, then my best bet is that they'll to do another thing: Remove from them the over expensive pianos and other luxury items, divide all those penthouses and residences on smaller cabins... And just to redeploy those ships as mainstream MSC Lirica+ class replacing the ageing ones and one more for growing purposes...

Edited August 30, 2023 by Nunagoras

[Caroldoll]

Well, I for one am completely happy with this size ship and I just think people have not heard about Explora. The longer cruises is very much to my liking.  I hate the shorter ones.

[Roel94]

I still can not get my agent to give me information on the new cruises. I am booked late 2024. I like to know if my cruises are going.

[CruiseCrew123]

Explorer 1 or 2?

[RJ2002]

Our travel agency hosted a webinar yesterday with Aimee Price, one of Explora's North American sales heads.   A few comments stood out.

 

+ She acknowledged right off that both Explora 1 and 2 were being redeployed, and that the new itineraries would be published online in a couple of weeks.  She did add that TA's should have some advance info on the new schedules now.

 

+ Aimee acknowledged that they would continue to evaluate the dining situation onboard.  She  specifically referenced the issue of only being able to secure one reservation in each venue per sailing, rather than each segment on a B2B.  She made a point to distinguish the difference between Emporium Marketplace (cooking station concept) and other line's 'buffet' setup.

 

+ A participant asked about the ability to bring wine onboard.  She didn't know the answer and is to get back to the webinar participants.  If an answer comes through, I'll try to remember to post.

 

+ Someone asked about duplicate bridge.  Aimee acknowledged there is no card room onboard, but that tables were available in areas of the ship for card playing.

 

+ Aimee noted the number of connecting cabins onboard (60ish?) and specifically brought up multi-generational families - and that they will have youth programs during holiday and summer sailings.

 

+ There was a noticeable 'plug' for the onboard boutiques - specifically the high end watches.

 

The bottom line was that Explora will be continuing to evaluate and fine-tune onboard operational matters after these initial sailings.

 

 

[Critically Cruising]

11 minutes ago, RJ2002 said:

+ Aimee acknowledged that they would continue to evaluate the dining situation onboard.  She  specifically referenced the issue of only being able to secure one reservation in each venue per sailing, rather than each segment on a B2B.  She made a point to distinguish the difference between Emporium Marketplace (cooking station concept) and other line's 'buffet' setup.

 

Am I carrying my plate in both cases?  Then "cooking station" means nothing more than trying to disguise a buffet.

 

A far cry from the "Effortless ALL-DAY DINING.  Elegant à la carte meals day and night" that the brochures touted.

 

 

[Host Jazzbeau]

2 hours ago, Critically Cruising said:

 

Am I carrying my plate in both cases?  Then "cooking station" means nothing more than trying to disguise a buffet.

 

That's one way to look at it.  OTOH there is a world of difference between à la minute cooking and soggy steam table food.

[Nunagoras]

2 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

 

That's one way to look at it.  OTOH there is a world of difference between à la minute cooking and soggy steam table food.

This. From the videos the place is pretty much a copy of what we have here in Lisbon at El Corte Inglés's Gourmet Experience. Imagine some 4 or 5 local celebrity chefs with their stands selling their food. You'll go stand by stand and they'll give you the food. Some food there is table served though, but the area is pretty much a metal copy of said venue. I wouldn't mind having all my meals at E's Marketplace if one day I'd happen to be aboard.

[Camillus112]

Nunagoras, it's been ten years since I've been to Lisbon's El Corte Inglés (a store I love to visit while in Spain) and I am so glad they have now local celebrity chefs working there.  However, I very much prefer a full service option at dinner time...with the local celebrity chefs 😇.

[Nunagoras]

6 minutes ago, Camillus112 said:

Nunagoras, it's been ten years since I've been to Lisbon's El Corte Inglés (a store I love to visit while in Spain) and I am so glad they have now local celebrity chefs working there.  However, I very much prefer a full service option at dinner time...with the local celebrity chefs 😇.

Many thanks for your preference. At your time here the celebrity chefs weren't there. I don't remember what was there on their current area then; maybe they had the seasonal changing promotional items there or such. Gourmet Experience started as a full table service both for lunch and dinner. Now it is more liberal for lunch with those premium finger foods and such you can pick and go. You can to purchase some tidbits from one place, some from another and make a meal out of it or peruse the table service. Either way even on full table service; you chose your food with the chef's host stand and they'll deliver the food for you within the confines of the venue.

[Camillus112]

Thanks for your explanation, Nunagoras.  I hope to get to Lisbon again in the near future and experience this new option.  We travel frequently to Spain and another trip to Portugal (Lisbon) is now looking, sounding, smelling, delicious.

[Critically Cruising]

4 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

That's one way to look at it.  OTOH there is a world of difference between à la minute cooking and soggy steam table food.

 

So what you have is a cooked-to-order BUFFET.

 

The adjective may be different but the noun is still the same.

[Host Jazzbeau]

You win

[Nunagoras]

47 minutes ago, Camillus112 said:

Thanks for your explanation, Nunagoras.  I hope to get to Lisbon again in the near future and experience this new option.  We travel frequently to Spain and another trip to Portugal (Lisbon) is now looking, sounding, smelling, delicious.

You're very welcome. Lisbon is a great city to visit!... And we have other wonderful places to visit as well!... And our cruise terminal is wonderful at the center of the city. Sadly Lisbon is not that central for main cruise destinations!... Still a good place both for a cruise day, embark or disembark!...

[Host Jazzbeau]

3 hours ago, Nunagoras said:

You're very welcome. Lisbon is a great city to visit!... And we have other wonderful places to visit as well!... And our cruise terminal is wonderful at the center of the city. Sadly Lisbon is not that central for main cruise destinations!... Still a good place both for a cruise day, embark or disembark!...

We'll be there in two weeks.  Three nights in Lisbon, Alcobaça/Batalha/Tomar, Coimbra, Porto [10 nt river cruise to Salamanca and back, plus one extra night in Porto], Obidos/Sintra [three nights in Sintra], and Queluz/Oceaniáro de Lisboa.  [Following a 7 nt cruise around the Azores plus 6 nts in Madeira this spring – we're doing Portugal intensively in 2023!]

[travelberlin]

6 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

We'll be there in two weeks.  Three nights in Lisbon, Alcobaça/Batalha/Tomar, Coimbra, Porto [10 nt river cruise to Salamanca and back, plus one extra night in Porto], Obidos/Sintra [three nights in Sintra], and Queluz/Oceaniáro de Lisboa.  [Following a 7 nt cruise around the Azores plus 6 nts in Madeira this spring – we're doing Portugal intensively in 2023!]

It sounds great. We were there this year. Took private transfers from Lisboa to Porto and viceversa. On the way to Porto we visited Coimbra and Aveiro. We have loved Portugal.

I was planning to return with Explora next year but it seems that my itinerary has been cancelled. I have nothing official yet.

Ivi

[Nunagoras]

7 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

We'll be there in two weeks.  Three nights in Lisbon, Alcobaça/Batalha/Tomar, Coimbra, Porto [10 nt river cruise to Salamanca and back, plus one extra night in Porto], Obidos/Sintra [three nights in Sintra], and Queluz/Oceaniáro de Lisboa.  [Following a 7 nt cruise around the Azores plus 6 nts in Madeira this spring – we're doing Portugal intensively in 2023!]

That's lovely! Have a wonderful stay here!!!...

[PaulMCO]

23 hours ago, RJ2002 said:

+ A participant asked about the ability to bring wine onboard.  She didn't know the answer and is to get back to the webinar participants.  If an answer comes through, I'll try to remember to post.

 

 

 

Amazing when a head of sales does not know their own product -- or maybe that they keep changing their policies.... from Web site FAQ

 

 

 

[Roel94]

On 8/31/2023 at 10:24 AM, CruiseCrew123 said:

Explorer 1 or 2?

Both

and the kittke I inks is that my fall24 are shorter but idea in ports .

[happy cruzin]

We know that the casino is small, it looks like here are only 3 table games. Can anyone confirm which games are offered?