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Ginger ale was readily available as a mixer last week.

We sensed generally the captain is very cautious (no bad thing). Docking and undocking generally were much more cautious and slower than we’ve experienced in the same ports with other lines even in no breeze

Only the Residences guests go to the small areas (well that was the plan last time)

We ended up with no soufflés after 40 minutes had to give up. They had two large tables - they actually half way through wanted furniture moving to be one but the GM was called and good on her she said no needs prior arrangement. It was such a shame they spoiled some of the last night for so many

Given their disruptive behaviour in Fils Rouge the last night putting the galley under pressure with all their petty requests which impacted everyone else’s experience I hope the cruise line is more selective in those they engage with. This was a group of almost 20 entitled people who thought they owned parts of the ship.

We had no problem getting extra but we always did it via the reservation desk during the day rather than walk ups. The demand patterns were inconsistent two nights when we went there were walk ins ahead of us who were accommodated but on the same night Sakura was rammed full. It seemed to be a case of flex round and go against the trends!

We were told onboard it was expected to be around 700 with up to 50 under 18s.

Yes but only one or two very high end brands

Yes but there were only 320 guests onboard. Instead of walk up in the evening it’s easier to speak to the host at the podium on deck 5 who is there 8-6 and she can see full availability across all book able venues

Yes if you count the open doors, did not experience any other format on our cruise but a door or the front window was always open as conditions allowed it

Although the excursions looked expensive, we found they included a bit more than your average excursion. Our Death in Paradise tour in Guadeloupe included extensive snacks and lovely surroundings and in Bonaire we had a very good guide and experience (with both snacks and lunch). None of our tours had more than 10 people on them.

If bids are being accepted for your cruise you will get an email invitation late March - it is not something that happens on every cruise

Or alternatively people run threads about their experiences for each cruise which can also give port information? I agree information from cruisers rather than subsidised guests or influencers is really useful. I was so put off by the facebook blogs of an early cruiser who seemed to be unable to take off her dark rose tinted glasses. I was so relieved to discover that I did not need to have a spiritual attachment to the ship to be able to enjoy it!!!

There is no shade at the astern pool because the original awnings were not wind proof (so much of the ship had been designed by hotel designers without regard to sea conditions) but we were advised an alternative removable umbrella system was being sourced that could be used.

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.

I will do a summary for these boards shortly (I’ve put some things on the Explora board) but excellent and with their sale as they’re cheaper than Azamara on a like for like basis per day (ie factoring in room type and drinks package) we happily rebooked

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 😂😂😂

When is your cruise- you’re possibly too early to bid

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.

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!!

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.

The tuna and the halibut were excellent although the focus of the venue is very much meat related

We stopped there last month on Explora

Tanya Roberts- she wanted to continue to be an entertainer whereas the Explora role is called Entertainment Manager (so not doing shows) but managing the entertainment delivery

As Tgg says the LinkedIn message leads you to believe for now it’s a life away from sea she seeks. Given that Explora has proved not to be a good fit for one former Azamara Cruise Director I’m thinking that’s not where she might head. It’s a very different entertainment culture and also future cruise sales seems to be staffed by marketing professionals so not sure what her husband would do