Explora 17 November - 6 December

[moofster85]

Thank you both!!!

[Stickman1990]

On 12/3/2023 at 10:46 AM, Roel94 said:

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.

Are you booked on Explora? I know you love pools and pool bars - I think you’ll be impressed with what Explora have to offer in that regard  

 

Remember those Crystal ships are quite old now - I suspect technology has moved on. Having said that it doesn’t take long to drain or refill the pool on Crystal and better to have a safe environment that letting guests put themselves at risk through a misjudgement 

[Roel94]

19 minutes ago, Stickman1990 said:

Are you booked on Explora? I know you love pools and pool bars - I think you’ll be impressed with what Explora have to offer in that regard  

 

Remember those Crystal ships are quite old now - I suspect technology has moved on. Having said that it doesn’t take long to drain or refill the pool on Crystal and better to have a safe environment that letting guests put themselves at risk through a misjudgement 

Canceled due to major port changes. I had a great cabin, know food is good. Pools even old I seen better . Pool bar on crystal ..there really never been one..it was grab and go when I was on Crystal.if you sat at lunch you were in the way. 

[PrivateIdaho]

Thanks for all your updates. Safe travels!

[uktog]

3 hours ago, Roel94 said:

Canceled due to major port changes. I had a great cabin, know food is good. Pools even old I seen better . Pool bar on crystal ..there really never been one..it was grab and go when I was on Crystal.if you sat at lunch you were in the way. 

Pools are fabulous each with a dedicated bar and attentive staff. Ok there’s a minor issue with the Helios pool but the others are great 

[Roel94]

1 hour ago, uktog said:

Pools are fabulous each with a dedicated bar and attentive staff. Ok there’s a minor issue with the Helios pool but the others are great 

I was answering someone Elise who knows I am a swimmer.Explora has big pools and I will love them when I find the right cruise.

[little britain]

Is there any cross over from the MSC loyalty programme would you know? Thanks 

[uktog]

6 hours ago, little britain said:

Is there any cross over from the MSC loyalty programme would you know? Thanks 

No crossover at present 

[safarigal]

11 hours ago, little britain said:

Is there any cross over from the MSC loyalty programme would you know? Thanks 

I don't know if your booking would be eligible for this - but I will try to attach the info on Explorer Journeys status match.

Exclusive Welcome Match.pdf Explora Journeys Exclusive Welcome Match Program Terms & Conditions.pdf

[Host Jazzbeau]

The second attachment is interesting.  I'm Discoverer Plus on Azamara, which gives 100 JEC – but thanks to their (formerly) shared loyalty program my status on Celebrity is Elite Plus, which gives 200 JEC.

 

This is backwards to how Ponant rates the two levels in their loyalty match program (DP on Azamara gets you Grand Admiral on Ponant, while EP on Celebrity only gets plain Admiral).

 

I think that Explora would see Azamara loyalists as a more likely group to cultivate, as Ponant evidently does.  Or do they think that it's the 'ship within a ship' experience that is most relevant?

[Waltershipman]

24 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

The second attachment is interesting.  I'm Discoverer Plus on Azamara, which gives 100 JEC – but thanks to their (formerly) shared loyalty program my status on Celebrity is Elite Plus, which gives 200 JEC.

 

This is backwards to how Ponant rates the two levels in their loyalty match program (DP on Azamara gets you Grand Admiral on Ponant, while EP on Celebrity only gets plain Admiral).

 

I think that Explora would see Azamara loyalists as a more likely group to cultivate, as Ponant evidently does.  Or do they think that it's the 'ship within a ship' experience that is most relevant?

I apllied for Match when it was instituted however EJ did not extend the credit as my booking preceeded the program 

 

Oh well

[uktog]

In our experience status is irrelevant onboard 

[Stickman1990]

25 minutes ago, uktog said:

In our experience status is irrelevant onboard 

The only upside is the OBC (or whatever it is in Explora speak) that comes with the status match 

 

But once again any booking made during the Black Friday sale will not allow for Status Match OBC to be added

[little britain]

9 hours ago, safarigal said:

I don't know if your booking would be eligible for this - but I will try to attach the info on Explorer Journeys status match.

Exclusive Welcome Match.pdf 142.88 kB · 19 downloads Explora Journeys Exclusive Welcome Match Program Terms & Conditions.pdf 608.52 kB · 28 downloads

Thank you very much! 
Interesting to see which lines they are targeting.   My MSC Diamond beats my RCI Pinnacle which is considered lower than X Zenith in their eyes! 

[uktog]

Our final stop was Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, which was a new island for us. As we still had on board credit to use, we opted for a ships tour, the tastes and of the island which cost €89 each.  It involved about 90 minutes drive through the twisting island roads to a venue which did not seem to have any other guests where are buffet of local food has been prepared.  Chicken was particularly tasty, and we enjoyed time on the Veranda. There was only six of us on this trip.  We noticed there were a few private tours being sold at the port and also people were taking boat trips which seemed readily available.

 

 

We then returned to the ship for our final, beautiful meal in Fil Rouge and the dreaded packing  for tomorrow. We would be getting off our new home and making the long journey back to the cold.  The sail away music as we set off at sunset got me! 

We did give extra to a few staff, and in each case, they were extremely surprised to receive our small gesture  It was also lovely that the last night didn’t have the wind down feel you get elsewhere - everyone was dressed up for dinner as usual rather than in their travel clothes and you had no sense as you often get another lines that they were really prepping for the next set of guests, rather than caring for you  - that was a lovely feeling. Well done Explora. 

[gymfreak]

9 minutes ago, uktog said:

Well done Explora. 

So glad you had an amazing cruise with only minor hiccups.

Your posts have been invaluable for our upcoming Caribbean cruise on Explora in January . Only downside is the wonderful Heike is leaving the ship on our embarkation day. We were looking forward to seeing her.

I suppose that means we shall have to see if we can book again 🙏 Safe flight home

[uktog]

Disembarkation started exactly as was published at 8:30. However, that didn’t stop people getting agitated well before then.  Nothing changes there were still people who had booked flights athlete despite but what the Cruise line tell them - when will people learn!

 

Our flight was not until late afternoon, and so we opted to take the excursion to St Nicholas Abbey for a steam train ride

 

and house and rhum distillery tour and taste

 

 

It also included an extensive island tour and then lunch. 

It was a very good way to spend the time and use up the rest of our onward credit.
 

However, it was slightly spoilt by the selfishness of some other guests who had taken the trip, despite being advertised, only for people with flights after 5 pm.  Several guests had flights at 3 pm and had ignored the information given.  On other lines, we have been required to give our flight number when booking trips like this and we have not been allowed to join the tour, even if there was only a 10 minute difference on their earliest flight cut off  

I think Explora need to do this because what happened was that our poor driver was having to drive us cross country rather than an easier route to cut time to try and get these people to the lunch venue and then taxis have to be got for them to take them to the airport. It was all rather rushed for the rest of us, and very selfish of the these guests who kept passing their level of anxiety onto everyone else which we really did not need!!

[uktog]

Just now, gymfreak said:

So glad you had an amazing cruise with only minor hiccups.

Your posts have been invaluable for our upcoming Caribbean cruise on Explora in January . Only downside is the wonderful Heike is leaving the ship on our embarkation day. We were looking forward to seeing her.

I suppose that means we shall have to see if we can book again 🙏 Safe flight home

I think you might be tempted to book again!  It’s very different to Azamara- in our view the differences are positives although we don’t write Azamara off (yet!).  

 

The staff are equally friendly but in a more subtle way (which we like).  “Fraternising” with some guests including off ship does not seem to be encouraged which is great as all hosts (as crew are called) feel equal as do all guests. Of course some guests may speak with some officers more than others but it’s much less “competitive” amongst guests. An example is yes there are bar chairs for guests to sit at and hosts will speak to guests there but they give equal attention to every guest including those sitting elsewhere not just have conversations with some at the bar. Azamara Atlas Bar in particular could learn a lot from the Explora Lobby Bar! 

The  food is on a different level but then to be fair so is the food budget.
 

There are so many pool options, currently shade is a little limited but that’s being addressed (the balconies which all have a substantial round table two comfy upright chairs and a day bed as a minimum) are shaded so that’s always an option. 

I absolutely loved that pool bar service involved staff quietly walking around looking for guests signaling they wanting drinks, then going to get individual orders not guys roaming up and down shouting (waking you up!) bar service then delays whilst they gathered up large trays of drinks to serve. 

I also liked that martinis and cocktails were properly made (eg measured not free pour). This view may not be shared by everyone but latterly around all the bars on Azamara I found free pours to be far too spirits heavy and quite unpleasant (even when you asked for it not to be strong).

 

Of course the suites are so different- even the entry level ones have more space than a club continent suite and I defy anyone to use all the storage! 

 

Azamaras itineraries still win but a lot of Explora beats them and for next year, factoring in the additional cost of a club continent suite and drinks package to an Azamara fare, on current pricing Explora per day in an entry level suite was  less per person per day than Azamara for a very similar itinerary. So Explora got our summer 2024 booking. 
 

They don’t recognise loyalty onboard (thank goodness!) once outside your room everywhere is accessible to everyone and so far the conversation opener with other guests is where are you from or what did you do today, not how many cruises have you done, oh I’m top cruiser etc 😛) 

 

I will be interested to read how your cruise goes, by January  even more tweaking will have happened on Heike’s watch - with entertainment being a priority. She knows where she needs to get to, she just has to bring others (including those in Head Office) with her on that path. 

[kidless]

On 12/3/2023 at 10:06 AM, uktog said:

 

Oh my! We certainly don't fall into the target audience based on this get up! However, they gladly took our money! 

 

I personally find all the TA’s & influencers annoying. We had Porthole magazine running around taking photos while we were on board. As well as a bunch of TA’s.  It's to be expected being a new line and hopefully will settle down

[kidless]

1 hour ago, uktog said:

 

I absolutely loved that pool bar service involved staff quietly walking around looking for guests signaling they wanting drinks, then going to get individual orders not guys roaming up and down shouting (waking you up!) bar service then delays whilst they gathered up large trays of drinks to serve. 

I also liked that martinis and cocktails were properly made (eg measured not free pour). This view may not be shared by everyone but latterly around all the bars on Azamara I found free pours to be far too spirits heavy and quite unpleasant (even when you asked for it not to be strong).

 

 

I agree with so much of your summary, especially these two points. Even when DH and I would sit on deck off the beaten track. Where it was quiet and not a soul was around wait staff always quietly came by so no need for DH to find the closest bar for a new beer. 

 

I loved that the bartenders on board for the most part knew the proper way to make a cocktail! Only in conservatory pool bar did we find they had a heavy poured. I did not have to request light pours at any other bars as drinks were made properly. ❤️

[uktog]

9 minutes ago, kidless said:

Oh my! We certainly don't fall into the target audience based on this get up! However, they gladly took our money! 

 

I personally find all the TA’s & influencers annoying. We had Porthole magazine running around taking photos while we were on board. As well as a bunch of TA’s.  It's to be expected being a new line and hopefully will settle down

I agree, at times it was pathetic but we laughed it off. It was not good for my husband’s blood pressure that they kept refilming the lady with the very high split skirt coming down the main staircase as he was enjoying his pre-dinner drink on the sofa beside the stair. If you knew the Ray Stevens song, it was very much a case of don’t look Ethel  too late - quite a few free shots 😂😂😂

[Waltershipman]

2 hours ago, kidless said:

I agree with so much of your summary, especially these two points. Even when DH and I would sit on deck off the beaten track. Where it was quiet and not a soul was around wait staff always quietly came by so no need for DH to find the closest bar for a new beer. 

 

I loved that the bartenders on board for the most part knew the proper way to make a cocktail! Only in conservatory pool bar did we find they had a heavy poured. I did not have to request light pours at any other bars as drinks were made properly. ❤️

Loved Sylvesti in the Lobby bar

[uktog]

1 hour ago, Waltershipman said:

Loved Sylvesti in the Lobby bar

There’s a really lovely new host who takes orders there -Sylvie from Zimbabwe. Last cruise was her first ever time on a ship though she’s hotel school trained. Very first night she’s talking confidently to guests. Look out for her - she’s certainly one for the future!  Delightful young lady. 

[tiggertom]

6 hours ago, uktog said:

I think you might be tempted to book again!  It’s very different to Azamara- in our view the differences are positives although we don’t write Azamara off (yet!).  

 

The staff are equally friendly but in a more subtle way (which we like).  “Fraternising” with some guests including off ship does not seem to be encouraged which is great as all hosts (as crew are called) feel equal as do all guests. Of course some guests may speak with some officers more than others but it’s much less “competitive” amongst guests. An example is yes there are bar chairs for guests to sit at and hosts will speak to guests there but they give equal attention to every guest including those sitting elsewhere not just have conversations with some at the bar. Azamara Atlas Bar in particular could learn a lot from the Explora Lobby Bar! 

The  food is on a different level but then to be fair so is the food budget.
 

There are so many pool options, currently shade is a little limited but that’s being addressed (the balconies which all have a substantial round table two comfy upright chairs and a day bed as a minimum) are shaded so that’s always an option. 

I absolutely loved that pool bar service involved staff quietly walking around looking for guests signaling they wanting drinks, then going to get individual orders not guys roaming up and down shouting (waking you up!) bar service then delays whilst they gathered up large trays of drinks to serve. 

I also liked that martinis and cocktails were properly made (eg measured not free pour). This view may not be shared by everyone but latterly around all the bars on Azamara I found free pours to be far too spirits heavy and quite unpleasant (even when you asked for it not to be strong).

 

Of course the suites are so different- even the entry level ones have more space than a club continent suite and I defy anyone to use all the storage! 

 

Azamaras itineraries still win but a lot of Explora beats them and for next year, factoring in the additional cost of a club continent suite and drinks package to an Azamara fare, on current pricing Explora per day in an entry level suite was  less per person per day than Azamara for a very similar itinerary. So Explora got our summer 2024 booking. 
 

They don’t recognise loyalty onboard (thank goodness!) once outside your room everywhere is accessible to everyone and so far the conversation opener with other guests is where are you from or what did you do today, not how many cruises have you done, oh I’m top cruiser etc 😛) 

 

I will be interested to read how your cruise goes, by January  even more tweaking will have happened on Heike’s watch - with entertainment being a priority. She knows where she needs to get to, she just has to bring others (including those in Head Office) with her on that path. 

Thanks for the informative review. I enjoyed it so much that I have booked for March 2025 on Explora 11, Miami to Lisbon 😁😎. We’ve just had our first Azamara cruise in over 4 years, on the Azamara Onward and really enjoyed it but we’re keen to try something new. Explora sounds right up our street. 

[Waltershipman]

5 minutes ago, tiggertom said:

Thanks for the informative review. I enjoyed it so much that I have booked for March 2025 on Explora 11, Miami to Lisbon 😁😎. We’ve just had our first Azamara cruise in over 4 years, on the Azamara Onward and really enjoyed it but we’re keen to try something new. Explora sounds right up our street. 

Great EJ is excellent I have wondered about Azamara as i sailed on it when it was still part of RCCL and enjoyed it much. Seems people still like it even the R ship small cabin size. Service food seems pleasing to CC posters