Explora 17 November - 6 December

[Roel94]

I am on Ritz yacht which also does not have ship crew going with us. I did ask and was told that snore ex was to busy to go.i know they need office help to call operators etc. I seen two crew members and one of those is legally from home office. The shore ex person has taken notes from me and other guests. Naturally one tour was rained out,one they had no clue we were coming. Another was call tea etc..not enough food. We got money back twice since I walked on the yacht. I tried to show pictures of the rare ones I done. I been told not enough help on ship and onky really shops,spa or future cruise could go.

[Roel94]

10 minutes ago, uktog said:

A lot of issues do not come to light until the ship sails and the motion of the ocean highlights them. Likewise issues with guests and staff using places only come to light. It’s like snagging a new building. So an unfair criticism - should there have been as many- who knows but this was the prototype vessel 

I think the worse pool ever was Crystal as they close the pool a lot.  I question some of the ship builders. Motion always brings water out of pol. Maybe a poor design on paper. On Ritz now and not seen water yet out if pool.

[Tyler919]

On 11/30/2023 at 11:26 AM, maggie.1008 said:

Can you please find out how long Heike will be on board?

Jan 20, she just told us.  Back in April.

[uktog]

We had a guest entertainer in the lounge last night Dennis Daye a pianist who writes his own arrangements taking classical pieces into rock, pop, jazz styles, he was absolutely excellent and very personable coming round to chat to guests between the two sets. The four hand piano playing with Natalia was the highlight for us

Unfortunately, his second set was slightly marred by a buzzing hum that started in the lounge ceiling but did not seem to concern staff.  Several guests, probably those with hearing devices left during the show as a result which was a shame. 
This is the kind of show we’ve been waiting for and what Explora needs more of. 

 

Food continues to delight. Last nights Pork Cheeks in Sakura were delicious

 

We had previously spent the day having a simple walk round Williamstad having done island and beach tours previously. This time as in other ports the selling of tours onshore was aggressive, we did go to the booth but three people all started shouting over each other pushing their maps in our face so the result was no one got our business. (The ships tour we wanted was cancelled which is a common theme). In the end we enjoyed our town walk looking at the art etc much more fun. 

 

 

 

 

 

[Dr. Cocktail]

The humming noise was loud and  ridiculous and I marched up to the host who was dismissive. We left.

[Mr Luxury]

3 minutes ago, Dr. Cocktail said:

The humming noise was loud and  ridiculous and I marched up to the host who was dismissive. We left.

Customer service at its best 😁

[uktog]

4 minutes ago, Dr. Cocktail said:

The humming noise was loud and  ridiculous and I marched up to the host who was dismissive. We left.

It was bad and such a shame 😳 

[Dr. Cocktail]

1 hour ago, uktog said:

It was bad and such a shame 😳 

My partner thinks it was feedback from his own click track, not engine noise….

[uktog]

3 minutes ago, Dr. Cocktail said:

My partner thinks it was feedback from his own click track, not engine noise….

It was strange it started at exactly the same time as the manoeuvres to leave port. We will never know but the entertainment staff weren’t bothered 

[Tyler919]

Med Yacht Club has "fresh catch of the day" on their menu. Thursday night (leaving Bonaire) it was sort of understandable that they regretted to inform us there was no fresh catch.  On a thought last night, after 2 days in Curaçao, I went by to ask if there was fresh catch and they said still not, they had not been told when they might be resupplied. 

 

 I remember a couple of times on board ships when we would get to destinations like this one, the ship announced that you could in limited numbers go with the chef to the local market where he would be picking things up for the nights fresh offerings. Those were enchanting adventures listening to an onboard chef let you know what he was looking for whether it be vegetables fruits or local seafood. 

 

If you're going to have a fresh catch of the day listed on the menu, and you're in the Caribbean, there are certainly sources at every destination except for possibly the very smallest of Islands to keep a stock of fresh local ingredients. There are restaurants all over the island that require such. Perhaps Explora has not created those relationships but I am hopeful that MSC has them.  Another missed opportunity.

 

 

Edited December 3, 2023 by Tyler919
Grammar

[uktog]

There’s not been a fresh catch since Miami so that item is work in progress 

 

Weve got the influencer/ photographer’s today. Personally I’m very comfy in my pool seat and won’t be moving but I have to say the suit the male model is wearing looks ridiculous and certainly wouldn’t encourage me to book but I’m probably not their target 

Edited December 3, 2023 by uktog

[Tyler919]

8 minutes ago, uktog said:

There’s not been a fresh catch since Miami so that item is work in progress 

 

 

That's astonishing. I know they're trying to be sustainable, so printing new menus is out of the question. But at least some whiteout?  

And yet right upstairs at lunch listed in the Emporium as the fresh fish of the day yesterday was Corvina. Fresh frozen I guess.

Edited December 3, 2023 by Tyler919

[Dr. Cocktail]

1 hour ago, uktog said:

There’s not been a fresh catch since Miami so that item is work in progress 

 

Weve got the influencer/ photographer’s today. Personally I’m very comfy in my pool seat and won’t be moving but I have to say the suit the male model is wearing looks ridiculous and certainly wouldn’t encourage me to book but I’m probably not their target 

I tried to dive bomb you based on your photo and spoke to a LOT of UK people but failed!

 

Soooooooo mysterious!

Edited December 3, 2023 by Dr. Cocktail

[cruisr]

8 hours ago, uktog said:

There’s not been a fresh catch since Miami so that item is work in progress 

 

Weve got the influencer/ photographer’s today. Personally I’m very comfy in my pool seat and won’t be moving but I have to say the suit the male model is wearing looks ridiculous and certainly wouldn’t encourage me to book but I’m probably not their target 

I showed this to my DH and asked who their target market is?  I told him I have no idea but based on the outfit the model is wearing, it is not us, or probably most of the people on the current cruise LOL.  That is one ugly choice of clothing.

[Waltershipman]

6 minutes ago, cruisr said:

I showed this to my DH and asked who their target market is?  I told him I have no idea but based on the outfit the model is wearing, it is not us, or probably most of the people on the current cruise LOL.  That is one ugly choice of clothing.

The entire influencer promotional posts are at best perplexing. Having been on the ship in October saw many TA no identifiable influencers.  Fantastic cruise. We were just two paying cruisers and loved it. Maybe being an influencer is akin to being a content provider with no other description. No offense this is meant  as humor and said in fun and jest

[Tyler919]

On the off chance that this is interesting to anyone, thought I would post it. Obviously it only applies to Barbados on this trip but I am sure it is similar on others.

[uktog]

3 hours ago, Waltershipman said:

The entire influencer promotional posts are at best perplexing. Having been on the ship in October saw many TA no identifiable influencers.  Fantastic cruise. We were just two paying cruisers and loved it. Maybe being an influencer is akin to being a content provider with no other description. No offense this is meant  as humor and said in fun and jest

This was the astern deck tonight as they struggled to get their spot to film a standard sunset 🤣🤣

 

 

[Waltershipman]

7 minutes ago, uktog said:

This was the astern deck tonight as they struggled to get their spot to film a standard sunset 🤣🤣

 

 

Dang very humorous actually 

[Dr. Cocktail]

I was literally  lying 6 feet to the right when this was taken!

 

(I was the one making the “sssssss” sound when the sun first hit the water and the water draining “slurp” sound as it finally disappeared!

 

I remain a classy guy!

[uktog]

I was classy today with my choice of tacky t shirt 😂

[shouka4ever]

20 hours ago, uktog said:

This was the astern deck tonight as they struggled to get their spot to film a standard sunset 🤣🤣

 

 

Oh I’m the one who make the time lapse

[uktog]

Martinique is another island still technically part of France. As such the euro is the currency which highlights the need to carry some on these cruises. This was particularly the case today as taxis were scarce and most would only take Euro cash fares. 

We were on the island in 2019 docked in the main town but saw St Pierre driving through on an excursion. It was great to dock here and enjoy a leisurely stroll around what feels like a very French town. 

It’s very simple with the local Market selling wonderful smelling spices was on

The local livestock run around freely 

This was the first time we’ve been greeted at the pier by local officials with really great handouts including suggested town walking tours. 

The black sand beaches are a feature including one that fringes the town. 

We did the Volcano museum in 2019 and encouraged others to do so today which they did. The town was destroyed in 1902 by a volcanic eruption and you can see evidence today. 

Most notable is the theatre whose shape can clearly be understood. What amazed us most was the fact that even today the stones smelt of burning and sulphur  

The afternoon was typical sunshine followed by frequent showers, but this brought us the most amazing rainbows from the ship, including some that were almost complete arcs around us a phenomenon I’ve never seen before  It was hard to capture them in photos, but a lot of fun trying

We had another very good dinner on board and spoke about how every meal has been faultless something we’ve never had on a ship before. We enjoyed time in the lobby bar after dinner, listening to Natalia, the Ukrainian, pianist.  Unfortunately, in that you get sound coming also from the lounge and it seems like the show tonight was extremely loud!

[moofster85]

Hey there totally understand given you’re on your last day if you can’t find out but both of my boys love playing basketball and we’re excited about the half court being there. They both asked me if they should bring basketballs with them and I was going to, but I figured I’d ask to if you have an opportunity to see if they have any there. Thanks for all the photos looks like fun!

[Alethers]

5 hours ago, moofster85 said:

Hey there totally understand given you’re on your last day if you can’t find out but both of my boys love playing basketball and we’re excited about the half court being there. They both asked me if they should bring basketballs with them and I was going to, but I figured I’d ask to if you have an opportunity to see if they have any there. Thanks for all the photos looks like fun!

Just back to the ship from an excursion.  Balls are provided, you don’t need to bring them with you!

Edited December 5, 2023 by Alethers

[uktog]

There were certainly balls in evidence last week as the activities staff took the teens for a game.