Not sure if upscale and Explora is right for me

[If_this_is_tuesday]

I almost always have gone solo and always took the cheapest cruises i could find so that was Carnival and NCL and one Costa in europe for bucket list pyramids and Nile river. I switched to MSC years ago and feel they are the best value but certainly not the best quality line. But after trying Yacht Club i have the itch for better lines.

Finally the question is my cruises are pretty much drinking, eating, and watching sports on tv. I'm wondering if the tv channels out of Florida are the same as on MSC in the USA. And it seems Explora ships don't have a sports bar? If Explora isn't a good fit what cruise line is? Unless i'm reading the rates wrong it seems a few cherry picked cruises are about the same price in Yacht Club and Explora.

 

[Noggins]

11 minutes ago, If_this_is_tuesday said:

I almost always have gone solo and always took the cheapest cruises i could find so that was Carnival and NCL and one Costa in europe for bucket list pyramids and Nile river. I switched to MSC years ago and feel they are the best value but certainly not the best quality line. But after trying Yacht Club i have the itch for better lines.

Finally the question is my cruises are pretty much drinking, eating, and watching sports on tv. I'm wondering if the tv channels out of Florida are the same as on MSC in the USA. And it seems Explora ships don't have a sports bar? If Explora isn't a good fit what cruise line is? Unless i'm reading the rates wrong it seems a few cherry picked cruises are about the same price in Yacht Club and Explora.

 

Impossible for anyone to give you advice to be able to rely on based on your brief summary but what can be said, I believe, is:

 

~ if what you like about Yacht Club is the nicer accommodation and better food but go elsewhere on the ship for your 'entertainment' and 'vibe' then Explora is probably not for you.

 

~ if you'd enjoy classy (but not stuffy) bars and restaurants and can survive without a sports bar / 'sports bar crowd' around you then you may be OK. (don't get me wrong, plenty of people on board like sports!) 

 

~ my guess is that you'd be lucky to find any other like minded singles amongst the c600/750 passengers you might be sharing the ship with.

 

~ you don't mention a need for shows etc etc such as MSC offer. Don't assume there is anything like the equivalent.

 

If I were you I would spend time reading threads here getting a sense of the sort of people you'll likely be around as well as spend time considering the facilities and the ship's hardware.

 

Finally, I've had a think about any other line that you might want to consider and can't think of one that fits your specification. Ship within a ship is a neat concept that works well for many. Have you tried NCL's Haven? Princess have some nice options to upscale the experience.  If you're determined to go beyond what you've already found and liked and definitely don't need big ship facilities then perhaps Explora is the one to chance your arm on. 

 

Good luck.

 

ps it's not Tuesday, it's Wednesday....😎

 

 

 

 

 

 

[maggie.1008]

You might enjoy the new Celebrity Edge class ships. The newer ones have a sports bar and Martini bar that are always active. They also have an area like MSC YC called the Retreat. 

[saminina]

Agree with two previous posts.  Plenty of options.....Explora is not one.

[If_this_is_tuesday]

Thanks for the replies. I'm not anti-social but i'm fine with being alone so the question about a sports bar was for wondering if there was a place with several good sized tvs and plenty of sports available on the channels not necessary to have a place to hang out with fellow sport lovers. Shows, casino, ports, spa, lounges etc... i don't care about. 

I'm feeling Explora isn't right for me but i'm going to track down what tv channels they have.  

 

[kelleherdl]

You can sail Explora Journeys for roughly the same per person per day as MSC Yacht Club. Which is considerably cheaper than either NCL Haven or Celebrity Retreat for the same size cabin. EJ uses Starlink WiFi, so streaming is definitely an option for most of the Earth that EJ sails. BTW, MSC is moving over to Starlink as well. I’ve seen some comments on taking along your Firestick, or similar device, if you have one.  Personally, I have no experience with streaming. The stateroom TV’s are very large.

[Boatdrill]

14 hours ago, If_this_is_tuesday said:

Finally the question is my cruises are pretty much drinking, eating, and watching sports on tv.

 

11 hours ago, If_this_is_tuesday said:

Shows, casino, ports, spa, lounges etc... i don't care about. 

With respect I ask why do you cruise ?

Everything you like to do, you can do at home. 

[CJANDH]

10 hours ago, Boatdrill said:

 

With respect I ask why do you cruise ?

Everything you like to do, you can do at home. 

But at home you have to pick up your towels and make your bed 🤪

[Dr. Cocktail]

11 minutes ago, CJANDH said:

But at home you have to pick up your towels and make your bed 🤪

Have you ever been to my sister-in-law's house?

[parallax]

It seems like Las Vegas would be a better option.  I think a mass market line would be a better option.  When I'm on a cruise, I never turn on the TV.  I will say that the internet is so good on Explora that some people were streaming football games on their devices.   

[Noggins]

13 hours ago, Boatdrill said:

 

With respect I ask why do you cruise ?

Everything you like to do, you can do at home. 

By reading random 'live reports' from that section of CC (look for the tab at the top of the page if you'd never noticed it) I discovered that people cruise in all sorts of different ways. So much so that it is actually quite addictive - and certainly eye opening!! It hasn't resulted in my having any wish to change the way we cruise......but it has made me careful not to be as judgmental as I might naturally be!