Stickman1990

No it was a widely circulated offer to those on the Silversea mailing list. I’m not a solo traveller but also received it. I’d ask your TA to check what’s on offer. I could imagine it’s a popular offer for solo travellers

Are they people who have actually sailed on Explora?

At 60,900 tons Explora 1 is larger than many luxury cruise ships which sail the world without any issues. As it is very new it is equipped with all the technology to handle the seas including stabilisers We really didn’t experience any heavy seas on our recent Iceland/Geeenland cruise and we didn’t feel any uncomfortable. Having said that there will always be some guests who wear bands and patches and the ships hospital can provide drugs to help. The alternative is a Ginger Cosmos cocktail dispensed at most of the ships bars

We were on the same cruise as you and never found the ship chilly. The thermostat in our suite worked well and we were able to regulate the temperature to suit our needs My wife feels the cold but certainly didn’t need anything beyond her normal cardigan around the ship I think temperature and aircon are second only to food in terms of varying opinions on the same thing….

Pretty sure there is - but also pretty sure it won’t all be to your liking 😉

Using that definition of “uniform” then so do all the Explora crew as well I would say that what the Captain or Cruise Director wears (with stripes) when on duty on Crystal is a uniform in this context

Ok I rang Home Affairs here in Sydney and got a definitive answer - have to say I only had to wait 5 minutes and got through to a human who could answer - I’m in shock 😂 The answer is if you are eligible to apply for a 601 then even over 75 you can still apply online and as you know there is no specific health check or questions asked - the system will process in the background and eventually approve or decline it - so if for some reason the system or processing officer wanted to raise a health question they could but that would be the only issue Once approved as long as you have answered the questions accurately then if the 601 is granted then you have a valid right to entry to Australia Hopefully that resolves it clearly and you can now apply and enjoy your visit to Australia

I haven’t seen that but I don’t track Oceania (despite my TA telling me we should consider it) - it doesn’t surprise me though as lines will try to maximise revenue and if bookings are going well they’ll edge up fares if they can get away with it My philosophy is to book early and secure the price (not so keen on paying early though after our Crystal experience in 2022) - so 2024 is pretty much booked up already - so it’s 2025 fares I’m looking at now and I’m waiting on Explora to announce their mid to late 2025 itineraries as we want to return for sure

I don’t know of any luxury line where the price of the all inclusive wines matches the price of the house Champagne - the champagne is always about 3 times more expensive than the average price of the standard inclusive reds and whites Having Moet as the standard pour champagne is very nice for us champagne drinkers

Thanks - sounds like we made the right choice of a walk around town dodging the down and outs in the parks and returning to the ship for more oysters and lobster in Emporium 😉

Sounds good - we just walked around town. At least you weren’t on the Photography excursion where the bus broke down 😉 What was the cost of the excursion?

The burger station offers a good range of dishes as well I’m not sure what the status is on drinks after 2pm but the pool bar isn’t too far away - as is the gelato and crepe place

What will you drink then? I agree their markup is over the top - and hence we didn’t buy anything - so their loss as we explained to them Interestingly we bought a bottle ashore and asked as to the corkage charge - they went away and came back with “there will be no charge for corkage” - at this point anyway - we got the feeling that it was something they hadn’t really decided on just yet so it will be interesting to see how that develops for wine guests bring onboard

I’m a very casual sort of guy….so as long as it’s clear they’re crew then I’m ok with that. I could always tell the hierarchy in restaurants - at least I thought I could Despite my slovenly appearance we’re still friends right - 😉😂

Here’s what he’s wearing these days as Head Concierge - I guess we may be talking at cross purposes when referring to uniforms - yes it’s a uniform but not the stripes of an officer like cruise directors and the Captain wear

I don’t think it was me and I can’t recall that particular dish - perhaps it was the person who posted each day over his month onboard

Deck 5 for Crema and Deck 11 for the Gelato bar on Explora 1 - my point was that on Seabourn they’re located together and effectively extend the available selection when in Seabourn Square without having to move between venues I understand why Explora has it up by the pool area - it’s just a different approach not necessarily a bad thing

I don’t believe the concierge staff have worn uniforms in the past on Crystal so not sure it’s a change with new Crystal. They may wear uniforms on formal occasions but it’s not their day to day dress Some lines like Crystal do have a lot of crew in uniforms eg Cruise Directors but Explora tend not to. Interestingly when I spoke to Monique - quasi cruise director (not her official title) as I can’t recall the names Explora call her role she confirmed her ranking around the ship was senior when she explained she would be one of the last people (a handful) to leave the ship in an emergency

Here’s the included wines as at last week - not as extensive as some lines but plenty of variety and quality is good (for included wines) The cocktails lists vary from bar to bar - and of course the bar staff are happy to make up anything they have the ingredients available for - we had fun designing our own cocktails on a number of occasions Here’s an example of what’s on offer in Sakura - it will give you idea of the selection and cost of additional spirits - not that Sakura has some specialty themed cocktails - no surcharge - and they were very nice

Actually the cabinet and selection on Seabourn Encore in Seabourn Square would be larger - and they also have the gelato bar to tempt you. Only problem on Seabourn back in 2018 was we lost interest in dining there when the attendant told my wife when she asked about dietary issues that “dairy free and gluten free were the same weren’t they?” as she happily swapped the labels on the offerings around

Yes we had heard reports from friends on that one about all the fabulous catering and the whole experience - so our expectations were high but sadly not fulfilled My wife says she knew it wasn’t going to be great the minute we boarded and were handed cheap and nasty paper hats and whistles from a nickel and dime shop. Actually that’s not correct as the staff quickly said - “don’t give one to everyone as we don’t have enough” One of the other posts about not arriving the day before the cruise reminded me of meeting people in Circular Quay who had flown in from the UK and US to join Serenity in March 2020 for the future legs of the WC2020 - sadly it wasn’t long before they were advised no new guests were boarding Serenity and it was diverting to Perth. It was all downhill from there I’m afraid - and of course they had the challenge of joining the global exodus of travellers trying to get home in the early days of the pandemic before borders shut Oh well all this talk of Doyles and seafood towers has made me think about heading there for a meal - but we’re having a heat wave at the moment so it’s too hot for outdoor dining - 35 degrees (95 F) yesterday and tomorrow for our holiday weekend - it looks like we’re in for a long hot summer this year

Afternoon selection - and yes they can heat the paninis up in a sandwich press if you want and if you have a sweet tooth Interestingly several in our group had breakfast at Crema where they have a selection of yoghurt, fruit and pastries available in the morning

I disembarked Explora 1 last Monday after a 16 night cruise so I guess that qualifies me to respond then

What lines are 6 Star? Who certifies them as such? I suspect it’s just a marketing term…. So what rankings do you put the luxury lines at - and why?

Book a table on the beach - the views hard to beat Then order the seafood tower