Got an email from my TA: Itinerary changes for 2024 coming up. Your itinerary may be canceled.

[goldengatecruisers]

So far, the Hawai'i cruise in April/May 2024 is not affected by the changes to Explora 1 itineraries.  I do wonder, in light of recent Panama Canal issues and several cruise lines altering their schedules to avoid the transits, whether Explora will do the same.   The cost of a full transit is rather expensive and currently Explora travels to the Pacific and then back again just prior to the newly announced itineraries.  That is a lot to pay for a series of Pacific cruises which, I am told, are not selling well.   Will MSC calculate it is not worth paying for two full transits and then redeploy Explora 1 in the Caribbean Sea?  I am not holding my breath that they will leave the voyages on the Pacific side intact.  Curious as to what others are feeling about the Hawaii cruise. I am currently booked on the 18 night itinerary and considering options.

[Wheelhouse]

3 hours ago, goldengatecruisers said:

So far, the Hawai'i cruise in April/May 2024 is not affected by the changes to Explora 1 itineraries.  I do wonder, in light of recent Panama Canal issues and several cruise lines altering their schedules to avoid the transits, whether Explora will do the same.   The cost of a full transit is rather expensive and currently Explora travels to the Pacific and then back again just prior to the newly announced itineraries.  That is a lot to pay for a series of Pacific cruises which, I am told, are not selling well.   Will MSC calculate it is not worth paying for two full transits and then redeploy Explora 1 in the Caribbean Sea?  I am not holding my breath that they will leave the voyages on the Pacific side intact.  Curious as to what others are feeling about the Hawaii cruise. I am currently booked on the 18 night itinerary and considering options.

We are also booked on that 18 night Hawaii itinerary.   I was told months ago by an Explorer representative that the Hawaii cruise was their second best selling cruise after the initial TA.  Whether he was just blowing hot air I have no idea, but looking at the schedule I would think the Pacific cruises would have all been cancelled when they dropped Alaska if Hawaii hadn't been selling well.

 

We have some time yet to see what is going on before we lose more than the "administration fee" by cancelling. I personally am wondering what there will be to do for 10 sea days on Explora I.  There is only so much time I want to spend at the many pools and bars.  I've done R/T Hawaii before and numerous TA's, but Explora seems to be lacking in interesting onboard entertainment.  I guess I can spend my time waiting in line to get into the restaurants or maybe perusing the watch shops.  

[commodoredave]

On 8/29/2023 at 5:31 PM, travelberlin said:

Shorter itineraries? Not our piece of cake. 

Ivi

From what I have been reading in the Explora forum, the company seems to have targetted people under 65 from Russia who want shorter cruises! 

[maggie.1008]

I am waiting to book the Hawaii cruise. The current reviews are making me nervous. 

[DuffyMcfluffy]

We are also booked on the Hawaiian cruise. 
I wish EJ would make up their minds very soon about this cruise so we can book other cruises. We love Alaska in May!

[sasejm]

On 8/31/2023 at 6:33 PM, Wheelhouse said:

We are also booked on that 18 night Hawaii itinerary.   I was told months ago by an Explorer representative that the Hawaii cruise was their second best selling cruise after the initial TA.  Whether he was just blowing hot air I have no idea, but looking at the schedule I would think the Pacific cruises would have all been cancelled when they dropped Alaska if Hawaii hadn't been selling well.

 

We have some time yet to see what is going on before we lose more than the "administration fee" by cancelling. I personally am wondering what there will be to do for 10 sea days on Explora I.  There is only so much time I want to spend at the many pools and bars.  I've done R/T Hawaii before and numerous TA's, but Explora seems to be lacking in interesting onboard entertainment.  I guess I can spend my time waiting in line to get into the restaurants or maybe perusing the watch shops.  

 

Wheelhouse - I just checked the current passenger load for the 18-day Hawaii cruise and here is what I got from a travel company that allows you to see what rooms are available, supposedly in real-time. 

I will put everything in approximations since I can't confirm the exact number, but I will assume this is correct. 

Explora 1 has approximately 461 cabins (suites, residences, etc.)

There are currently approximately 172 booked cabins and 289 available cabins.

If each booked cabin has 2 persons, the current passenger load would be approximately 344. That should leave about 289 bookable cabins left and around 578 passengers. I hope this helps.

Edited September 3, 2023 by sasejm

[Wheelhouse]

4 minutes ago, sasejm said:

 

Wheelhouse - I just checked the current passenger load for the 18-day Hawaii cruise and here is what I got from a travel company that allows you to see what rooms are available, supposedly in real-time. 

I will put everything in approximations since I can't confirm the exact number, but I will assume this is correct. 

Explora 1 has approximately 461 cabins (suites, residences, etc.)

There are currently approximately 172 booked cabins and 289 available cabins.

If each booked cabin has 2 persons, the current passenger load would be approximately 344. That should leave about 289 bookable cabins left and around 578 passengers. I hope this helps.

Thanks sasejm,   I don't really think that is a particularly strong booking, but there is still better than 7 months before embarkation.   The cruise can be booked as two separate segments. I don't know how that might affect the tabulation.   We booked early with a fare considerably lower than that presently quoted, but I still feel that we will most likely cancel.  The hardware looks great, but the management to date appears substandard and the company is presently not very interested in longer cruises.   It also doesn't look like they are returning to Hawaii in 2025, so this could be a one off occurring only because  they have a few more cabins sold than many of the itineraries they have already cancelled.  And if they don't sell a bunch more cabins MSC may still cut it.  

[sasejm]

33 minutes ago, Wheelhouse said:

Thanks sasejm,   I don't really think that is a particularly strong booking, but there is still better than 7 months before embarkation.   The cruise can be booked as two separate segments. I don't know how that might affect the tabulation.   We booked early with a fare considerably lower than that presently quoted, but I still feel that we will most likely cancel.  The hardware looks great, but the management to date appears substandard and the company is presently not very interested in longer cruises.   It also doesn't look like they are returning to Hawaii in 2025, so this could be a one off occurring only because  they have a few more cabins sold than many of the itineraries they have already cancelled.  And if they don't sell a bunch more cabins MSC may still cut it.  

Yeah, I didn't check the 9-day segments for passenger load. I would imagine it's not split down the middle. Explora has canceled one of my two booked cruises. I would probably cancel the other cruise except we are paid in full and would pay a penalty for the November 2023 cruise.

[travelberlin]

By the way if someone is interested in rebooking, it can only be done via a TA. Not directly online. 
We, clients are not able to see prices online. A quite intransparent booking procedure which will take additional time for TAs and clients in case of interest on an itinerary.

 

Ivi

[uktog]

They’re trying to keep TAs on side. That’s what drives this rule. Protecting commissions 

[bitob]

This does not bode well for Explora's most popular itinerary.

Most cruises I book have to be booked waaaay ahead to get a decent cabin.  I am on many sold out cruises. 

[florisdekort]

Perhaps slightly off topic, but someone commented on a different forum that the 17 (!) sailings from Dubai and Jeddah are all targeting Russians as Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan are all countries that don’t participate in the embargo / don’t actively support the Ukraine, so that’s apparently where wealthy Russians now spent their holidays or (in the case of Dubai) have (temporarily) relocated to. If that’s true, it’s frankly the most disappointing news about Explora I’ve read so far.

 

 

 

[Host Jazzbeau]

14 minutes ago, florisdekort said:

Perhaps slightly off topic, but someone commented on a different forum that the 17 (!) sailings from Dubai and Jeddah are all targeting Russians as Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan are all countries that don’t participate in the embargo / don’t actively support the Ukraine, so that’s apparently where wealthy Russians now spent their holidays or (in the case of Dubai) have (temporarily) relocated to. If that’s true, it’s frankly the most disappointing news about Explora I’ve read so far.

I didn't take that post as evincing knowledge that this was the motive, but rather a snarky rumor that since all the sophisticates on Cruise Critic won't book Explora they are forced to go after the Russians who have so few choices these days. 

[PaulMCO]

 

20 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

I didn't take that post as evincing knowledge that this was the motive, but rather a snarky rumor that since all the sophisticates on Cruise Critic won't book Explora they are forced to go after the Russians who have so few choices these days. 

I disagree.  Egypt is a hotbed on Russian tourists in the winter. 

 

Why base a cruise line in both Jeddah, which is not known as a tourist port, and Dubai which had lots of Russian tourists in the winter.  Those itineraries are rather odd.

 

Notice that the one GCC country that has sanctions on Russian is missing from the cruise -- no stops in Kuwait..   Definitely suspicious and make me think a lot less of Explora and MSC,