Challenges of booking excursions (UK guests)

[uktog]

Explora really needs to get a grip on this one.  It probably does not affect US guests as there is a different operating model between US travel agents and cruise lines.   

In the UK, the vast majority of guest working through larger agents, paying their cruises balances to the agency not Explora. (No risk payment protected by ABTA travel trade protections).  We pay agents about 16 weeks before the cruise but the agency do not pay Explora until we join the cruise - again standard terms.  However, Explora systems cannot cope with this and it has come to a head for us today.

We went to book a shore excursion we have to pay for.  We did not want to wait until we got onboard because it was something that is capacity controlled and might sell out.  No problem, two places booked but then the problem.  The call agent can only process the full outstanding balance which includes the cruise we have already paid for.  There is no method that allows you to pay for excursions only.  I need to revert to the travel agency to work out how we tackle this.

 

(Note Azamara use the same software but they can take payments for excursions separate from the notionally outstanding cruise balance so this one is well and truly on Explora)

[Corriegr]

That’s really interesting as we paid our full balance for our Nov journey on Explora 2, a few weeks ago and wanted to book a specific excursion but cannot even access excursions as says we have not paid the balance.

Edited August 5 by Corriegr

[uktog]

6 hours ago, Corriegr said:

That’s really interesting as we paid our full balance for our Nov journey on Explora 2, a few weeks ago and wanted to book a specific excursion but cannot even access excursions as says we have not paid the balance.

Yes we have two cruises in quick succession and our November one has the same issue. However we need to use OBC on that one (no other uses for it) and have been told that unlike Azamara who allow us to use OBC in advance to secure excursions it’s a no from Explora. They seem blind to this service inconvenience 

[KJB416]

I’m in the USA and can not access my account the last several days when I’ve tried to log in. It just goes back to their home

page every time I try to log in. Very weak in my opinion. Like, one day your site is down you fix it, but this is going on a week or more that I can not log in to my account. 

[CJANDH]

7 hours ago, uktog said:

Yes we have two cruises in quick succession and our November one has the same issue. However we need to use OBC on that one (no other uses for it) and have been told that unlike Azamara who allow us to use OBC in advance to secure excursions it’s a no from Explora. They seem blind to this service inconvenience 

I admire your perseverance, utog. You seem to have had nothing but trouble working with Explora Journeys right from the early cruise delays/cancellations to the current inability to reserve shore excursions. Why do you keep punishing yourself? I gave up on them after one voyage.

[uktog]

14 minutes ago, CJANDH said:

I admire your perseverance, utog. You seem to have had nothing but trouble working with Explora Journeys right from the early cruise delays/cancellations to the current inability to reserve shore excursions. Why do you keep punishing yourself? I gave up on them after one voyage.

Despite the issues in the earlier cruises which were entirely their fault due to cancellations, they issued future cruise vouchers and not full refunds to us.  We enjoyed the onboard experience last year so decided rather than push to have the vouchers changed to cash based on new information we had about our rights under UK consumer law, we would use the vouchers for a cruise after all.  However dates, prices etc required us to actually take two cruises hence the current arrangements.

At present I cannot see any more cruises being booked with Explora before 2026 - maybe they will settle down by then but they have to sort out this Seaware software nonsense.  Maybe overseas travel agents are happy to do all the leg work on shore excursions for guests and handle all the payments and changes, that is certainly not what UK agents expect to do.  However my persevering agent has managed to take payment for the excursions though they now have to send a separate payment to Explora which is hassle for them.

 

Dear Explora please let ALL guests book and pay for excursions direct preferably through an online portal!!!