uktog

They only have very expensive specialist shops

We have a large amount of obc for the transatlantic due to Explora messing up on an itinerary change. Our hotel booked through them was to be b and b but they claimed unable to get a rate other than room only so gave us obc to cover the extras. This was in addition to the obc (price reduction not given) when they reduced the cruise by two nights. My agent tried very hard to argue a refund but no. It was ridiculous and Explora just said obc for 4 nights breakfast and 2 nights less or nothing I accepted the position because I’d identified three excursions that whilst pretty expensive would use the credit. I will be very unhappy if we do not get these now we have to wait until we board to book them. I expected Explora to be like Azamara as they use the same software and to be able to use obc to book excursions precruise. Having been onboard before I know there is absolutely nothing else I would want to spend this obc on. I will be very very unhappy if I can’t get the excursions I want or close alternatives

I couldn’t imagine dragging bags in the heat for the sake of 10 euro taxi

They do a special every night. Many people who go align their visit to their favourite special. There is a board advertising the special every day by the Deck 9 lifts and if the chef has fixed on the special before the Insider goes to print you will find the details there.

Agree but there they do not act all insulted if you ask for a measured drink. As you say each to their own (the Patio is a once a cruise for us on a casual night after a long day’s touring but not an absolute must by the way )

Even the bartenders can be inconsistent- our experience was with those two. I am much more a fan of cocktails precisely measured rather than free pour guessing

Unfortunately the theatre doesn’t always deliver well prepared drinks as you get in good cocktail bars on land. Too often staff equate an overly heavy hand on the spirits bottle with a good cocktail. I know though that some guests think that is great

Drinks would be charged at $18.95 each for a special cocktail if you do not have a package. It’s not really an experience other than rather bright video wall. I far prefer if I want a quiet drink having it in Prime C where you can get the included drinks

They can mix non alcoholic drinks but so can the Den and the Living Room so not worth a visit imho.

There are no included drinks available in the Atlas bar only the ultimate package range so no package you have to pay and there’s no Gordon’s etc. There are now books in the Living Room but it’s only a fraction of what the library had. As before there are travel type books in the Den.

One solo lady at our Bob turned up 40 minutes late as she only wanted the main course. To be fair she had told her butler but it messed up the table dynamics. Even if you don’t want the food you could take a morcel of each course - so rude

Great to read another of your excellent reviews. It’s so helpful you store them all together on your website so I don’t have to search here for them! Your reviews first helped us many years ago on Celebrity cruises and it’s fantastic you’re still sailing and producing quality well selected photos (just the right amount!) with such useful hints and tips. Thank you!

Whilst I agree when you are working around food allergies (nuts and chilli in our case) you want to find a menu that has least adaptations otherwise as DH found to his cost he gets lower quality substitutes at times.

Same on Azamara. Last time on Explora either they ignored the maximum or it wasn’t applying on the excursions we did. Azamara are brutally strict their system flags up your age and it will not allow a booking to be made - in our case we couldn’t join a cooking class which was ridiculous. They said it’s the company that provides the excursions that sets the limits and they have to follow them strictly. No way round the issue - other than suggesting I being slightly younger went and DH went on a panoramic drive around - that was the ultimate slap as he’s fitter than me.

Interesting we’ve been told sale reductions do not reduce your fare and in the UK it only relates to a wholesale reduction eg change in taxes

Thank you. No need for the sarcasm 😂

So would I

Not on their UK site as far as I can see

This business practice is not global. Cruise lines may well look after US guests this way but the cruise industry does not have as generous terms in UK, Europe and Australia. Explora appears not unsurprisingly to be follow European conventions. Those of us who have watched others benefit from price drops in the past whilst locked out prefer the Explora model.

It’s been reported on another thread you cannot bid on b2b cruises on a single reservation number. It’s a bug the outsourced provider cannot work around. Evidently the advice is to enquire once onboard. Personally I’ve given up on the upgrade “benefit” a long time ago when they outsourced it and weren’t transparent on whether loyalty counted or not. I book the best I can afford from the outset and leave it at that.

Our experience in the UK booked through one of one of their major travel agent partners is no chance. It’s a rebook and loose the initial deposit (we declined)

Very interesting. Although a little OTT should be compulsory pre board viewing. One area he touched on which we have noted regularly is a problem on Azamara is some guests are monopolising the serving crew in bars and particularly in Windows café the first day and service really suffers. Our son worked in a hotel which was a high-end experience and had a lot of Asian staff who joined them. One of the training programs they had was what they called disengagement training. Azamara needs this. What this related to was explaining to staff whose cultures were to be impeccably polite that there were techniques to use to be able to get away from guests and perform their work duties as part of a team. Indeed some of the staff reviews were marked down because they spent so long chatting to guests even though the guests reviews might name them as being wonderful. The feedback they got from the Trainees was they were very grateful for this training because many of them found the level of questioning intrusive and awkward . Dare I say it particularly by some of the American guests who tend to be quite intrusive compared to British European guests would ask eg asked about number of children family circumstances where they live animals they had at home etc - not realising a line was crossed. The staff found it an intrusion into their personal space unsettling but they answered the question perhaps giving the impression of wanting to share the information. Training practice answering questions like that and give a polite response close down the conversation was so appreciated. I think also Azamara could also give some of the more Junior crew guidance on how to interact with guests on social media. Recently, I have seen one member of the staff publicly displaying on their page thank you notes including the names of the guests, their home addresses and gifts received. It’s almost like they are looking for this from others which is totally inappropriate and must annoy some of their fellow crew members. I also think Azamara should strongly discourage guests from funding crew members at home on an individual basis. It happens and I know it upsets some crew. We all have a lot to learn and need to me much more emotionally intelligent around staff and other guests. This video was a timely reminder.

Grits

Have you any other suggestions how they could tackle this?

Why not tell the servers your preferred tastes - they will be able to give you great advice. I love the smoked negroni but it is a matter of taste