Sidney68

As mentioned in another thread passenger numbers were c.300 for the transatlantic crossing that departed from Miami yesterday; when it reaches Barcelona in just over 2 weeks time a member of management advised that they were expecting passenger numbers to be at 750, their highest level and about 17% up on what we experienced last week. Not sure what proportion of these are paying v TAs/marketing 

I recall on previous posts a number of comments on the books in the room and a lack of a library on board. Obviously I can only speak for our suite but there is actually a fairly diverse range of books a number that do look as if they have been enjoyed. A couple of other guests I have spoken to have been reading books from their suite also, I will likely leave any of those I brought with me on the shelf provided they remain in a decent condition. To give you an indication of the type of books on offer;

trick of the dark - Val McDermidd

The man who saw everything- Deborah levy

the Waldorf Astoria bar book - Frank Caiafa

Fire and Fury - Michael Wolff 

36 hours world (travel book) the New York Times 

The Devils Star - Jo Nesbo

people power profits (business) Joseph Stieglitz 

troubled blood - Robert Galbraith 

the other side of the dale - Gervase Phinn

with nails - Richard E Grant 

giant of the senate - Al Franken

Isabelle in the Afternoon- Douglas Kennedy

women and power - Mary Beard

apologies for the lack of capital letters - I am writing this on my phone and it doesn’t want to play ball! 

5 minutes ago, KJB416 said:

I’m so glad to hear it’s improving. Please continue to keep us updated.

 

On another note, I also can’t be in the sun for long periods of time, but husband loves it. In their marketing brochures they have covers on the beds on deck 5 around the pool like picture below. I’ve never asked about it bc both of my trips have been in cold weather and sun has not been too much of an issue.  Do you know if the shades in the picture below are available?  I’ve never seen them up while onboard and like I said never needed them to ask after them .  

They are certainly not used on this trip but I will enquire if they are ever used or available. On level 5 shade is restricted and my partner sits on one of the sofa’s next to the bar with his book which suits him well. There are “four poster”

type cabana’s with curtains on deck 11 but not directly by a pool if that is an issue. Lots of shady areas in the conservatory pool, it’s just too humid in there for our liking, with or without roof on. 

I am delighted to say that service has resumed to its previous high standards, it appears that the staff have organised themselves well and are now taking paper orders for cooked to order food and providing buzzer type alarms so that you know when your order is ready in emporium. The staff are as delightful as always and really keen to please. 
 

Although the passenger levels have increased 50%, the numerous pools and outdoor spaces are coming into their own, so whilst I may no longer want to sit at the busy (loud) pool on deck 5, there are plenty of other areas that are a little quieter that I can escape to. My partner who cannot take the sun has managed to find little cabana’s to offer some shade which is good, the conservatory pool is just too humid for my liking. I still believe this line has a lot to offer and I would certainly travel with with them again albeit I may just consider carefully routes and length of each leg 

I am sorry to say that the service has deteriorated significantly. I have tried to give leeway to accommodate the change in passenger numbers but it is so dramatic I need highlight. Lunchtime in emporium I waited 15 mins to get a glass  of water - in the end I had the go up to the maitre D and ask if there was any service down our end of the restaurant? In the end he himself had to serve us. Empty plates were not removed and the whole experience resembled a very bad all inclusive buffet concept. Tonight, the restaurant still managed a good level of service but go into Explorer lounge and Journey’s lounge before and after dinner oh dear, what a change. We ordered drinks in a nearly empty explorer lounge before dinner and had to chase after 15 mins as our drinks hadn’t arrived, I don’t think they had clean glasses… In journeys lounge they were more interested in collecting dirty glasses from the previous show than taking new drinks orders. How things change! I really am trying so hard to not find fault but the change is so dramatic it is hard not to . 

As reported by other posters previously the evening entertainment needs work. The two singers have great voices but hearing similar songs night after night is repetitive! Overlay that on a two week cycle so that we are now on repeat of our first week and boy I am ready to scream! 

I am trying to keep an open mind but my near perfect ship has changed, the new clientele are younger and brasher than we had previously I am guessing a large population being influencers and TAs. It no longer has the sophisticated vibe that I look for on a cruise and I consider myself young at heart. I guess this is the clientele that Explora are looking to attract which is fine but I am not sure that it is for me. The astern pool resembles a paddling pool and vast swathes of guests try to cool down and a child splashes in the shallow water, a far cry from what we enjoyed last week. The staff I would say are working hard and whilst as you would expect service is slower, they are still attentive although are taken away from duties keep asking for people to not take glasses in the pool! It resembles a 5* all inclusive but not the luxury model I look for. The Astern lounge last night drowned out the two talented musicians through loud talking and a crying child. I am sure fine for most but not me unfortunately 

11 minutes ago, registrar said:

Where is this cruise ending? And where is the next cruise going? What do the excursions cost?

I am not sure exactly where it ends but know that one leg ends in Panama tomorrow and then the next in Miami and then it goes on to Barcelona.. after that perhaps someone a little more knowledgeable will be able to comment. 
 

i am going to post separately on the excursions that we have undertaken via the ship (we have done some ship excursions and some we have arranged ourselves). They range I would say from euros 100-210 dependant upon the length and content. I will see if I can upload a list of the excursions we were offered on this cruise for your information 

An update on the conservatory pool.  Be prepared for a dripping roof I assume due to a build up of condensation… it’s like being in a rain forest! 🤣 also sleep being constantly disturbed by the frequent sounding of the Claxton blaring I assume due to poor vis ability… sending a message to the bridge to turn the volume down! 😉 pretty please 

Hi, I have now taken the opportunity to visit the Rolex store and provide you with a little information which I hope is helpful to you.

The store assistant was quick to state that stock availability changes week by week, but at the time of writing based upon your preferences; 

Daytona - not in stock. Apparently this is a very hard to come by model and as such she did not feel it was likely that they would ever get hold of one of these. If in stock the tax free price (all in Euros) would be 14,800

Pepsi, currently in stock in white gold 42,100

GMT, in stock 11,350

Batman

Oyster Bracelet (not currently in stock but they do occasionally have) 11,100

Jubilee Bracelet 11,300

In terms of the tax declaration, when the ship arrives in a disembarkation port at end of its “leg” or journey the ship provides a list of sales made to the authorities. This could affect individuals who have purchased if they are disembarking in the country of their origin and duty applied. i.e if a US citizen had purchased on board and was disembarking in Miami tomorrow. If it were an UK passenger in transit it would be up to that individual to declare (or not) when they reached their own country.

I also asked directly about their 2 sales a day policy, she was of the opinion that this had been misunderstood. Whilst she did not want to disclose a number, she did say that there was a limit on the number of watches that would be sold PER PASSENGER. That seems to make more sense to me as I suggest they are trying to control the level of high value, tax free items each person has? I took some photos of some of the items on display but it appears that they hold more that is not out on the shop floor. Sorry they are not good quality! 

The ship still continues to impress and I am so very pleased (ok well smug) that whilst a number of guests depart tomorrow I still have another week onboard 😊. Today is a sea day and a rather wet and stormy one at that! Again the design of the ship excels as I have managed to find a comfortable bed at the conservatory pool, which now has its roof on creating a tropical delight and the perfect place to read my book, take a dip in the pool or sit in one of the whirlpools that face the ocean. The bar staff are working hard delivering refreshments and no area of the ship feels crowded despite everyone needing to be induce. Granted we are well under capacity and this could be a different story next week when numbers nearly double but for the moment anyway this is a perfect way to spend a day. Speaking to the head of service last night he feels that the staff are well prepared and excited to have a higher level of occupancy tomorrow

We have now dined at all restaurants and have found the quality of food and service to be excellent at all. My standout is Shakura and my partner’s is Fil Rouge. None of the restaurants have felt overly busy. I do prefer the lack of a main dining room and to date I have had no issue with finding something new to eat on each visit, although as others have said as I start to look to my next 10 nights on board I can see this starting to get a bit repetitive and therefore a rotated menu would be an improvement.

We managed to secure a booking at each Shakura and Marble and Co before we arrived and then on our first day managed to get another booking at each later in the week. In addition I have found that the staff do their best to try and accommodate where there are able for example this evening they have extended a couple we met on boards booking from a two to a six to allow us and other two to join them. It will be interesting to see if this changes next week when more passengers are on board.

The Med YC and Shakura open at lunchtime on sea days although as yet we haven’t taken advantage of this as we love the Emporium Grill concept. There is a small outside seating area here with a variety of table sizes and banquet style seating which is nice if like me you like to dine outside. It is quite a walk to the food though and therefore you definitely get your steps in! There are also a few tables by the conservatory pool but again unless you want ice-cream it’s a long way from the food and would not be easy for some passengers to carry food that distance. Saying that on occasions a helpful waiter/waitress has taken my plate and carried it back to the table. I do miss the variety of outdoor dining that they had on Seabourn which extended to evening options too. Another  point, is that the aircon in Emporium is very effective and can be extremely cold. The that may be welcome for some particularly as it has been humid the last few days but it was a little too chilly for my liking. 

I really cannot fault the food at all, absolutely delicious and something to meet all tastes. 

My partner is celebrating his birthday today and we returned from our excursion to find our cabin in darkness and the room decorated, what a lovely surprise! This is going over and above and certainly made him feel very special photo doesn’t do it justice with all the little faux candles, banners etc.

One of the bar staff has just informed me that they are expecting a high number of passengers embarking in Panama, taking the ships passenger level to around 700. It will be interesting to see how this changes the service (if at all) and ambiance. I will try and get a more accurate figure 

The key holder is just a small navy cardboard wallet, probably again done for sustainability reasons, but after a week it is still in tact and usable, although not sure it would be much good if it gets wet!. I have however seen others on board with lanyard type holders or plastic cases that I suspect they brought with them which seem a bit more durable. 
 

i agree with Mikes comments on the tote bag although it has come in handy for me as whilst I bring my own bag to use on the ship I don’t necessarily want to take a branded bag ashore and on some trips. The nature of the bag did mean that after a recent ATV excursion in Mexico where myself and the bag got incredibly dusty, the tote was able to go straight in the washing machine which was helpful. If you have been on Seabourn or Regent where they provide a Longchamp type zip bag which folds small, I suggest you may wish to bring that with you or similar.

So a busy couple of days - there always seems to be something going on around the ship - plus we have been on a few excursions organised by Explora. I will cover my thoughts on the excisions separately on the ports of call forum although on the whole I would say they offered fairly interesting itineraries which we enjoyed. 

We have now experienced all restaurants Shakura being our favourite. The langoustine roll and duck compote was to die for and whilst the penang beef curry was milder than I would normally expect, it was delicious. Whilst there had been lots of debate on marble and co, we really enjoyed our meal and as we have found every where the service was attentive. The only evening meal I have been a little disappointed in was at the Emporium Market place, whilst there were upgraded seafood options such as lobster and oysters, the rest of the offering was the same as lunchtime. It just did not feel special enough for us, but that is personal opinion. Great for breakfast or lunch but with everything else on offer I will likely not repeat that one again. 
 

I have now used 3 of the pools, all of which are beautifully decorated with comfortable beds and bar service. None have been overly busy and lots of shaded areas available for my partner who cannot cope with the heat - we just need to often sit at opposite ends of the pool, but then I am used to that 🤣. The pool on deck 5 astern is my favourite, it’s quiet and whilst you cannot swim in the pool it’s perfect for a dip, although yesterday the temperature of the water resembled a bath probably because it is so shallow. 

little gifts keep arriving which personally I really like. For anyone who may have had the same question around water bottles as I did before I arrived, you are given a smart metal water bottle in your room on arrival which I really appreciated. I nearly brought my own with me as I hated the large plastic bottles Seabourn handed out daily which seemed to taint the taste of the warm water after a few minutes in the sun. We have had some sweet delicacies, some aromatherapy oil and a tote bag. 
 

Overall really enjoying the ship and its facilities. The entertainment is ok and does need some improvement but I am keeping an open mind. I am not expecting large west end shows but the same two singers each night is a little repetitive. The Whitney Houston “tribute” was great and the billy Joel night fun and well attended, likely because people connected with the artist. They certainly got people up dancing which was nice.

after dinner entertainment is an important part of my holiday and I would say that a lot of the bars lack atmosphere, likely because there are so many and too few passengers. Maybe this will change when the ship is a little closer to capacity. I do enjoy the two guitarists however who seem to be hidden away in the astern lounge on deck 5. They have commented however that then usually play (they have 3 sessions per night) to themselves so are overjoyed when they have an audience. That must be so hard for an artiste and I wonder how long they will retain talent like that if that is their experience every night, I also question why they are not being offered a slot on the main stage, they certainly shouldn’t be hidden away!

café Créma is nice although I wished it opened 30 mins earlier to accommodate those of us who are up early! I tried to get a coffee at 6.30 before my yoga class and whilst they were “setting up” refused to serve until 7am. It wouldn’t have taken a lot and I certainly wasn’t the only one looking for a caffeine intake on that morning. I know we have a machine in our room but as others have stated, some other halves like to sleep in and would appreciate the loud gurgling of the nespresso machine at that time of the day.

i am definitely ready for our two back to back sea days. The daily activity app is great and I am enjoying setting reminders of activities I am interested in doing. It also shows dinner reservations and allows you to book more - a really positive addition and welcome after the pre cruise IT debarcle. 
 

Tomorrow I am planning to attend an open air boat camp, use the wellness centre and attend a photography class. Should be another great day aboard Explora 1.

1 hour ago, Jratlanta said:

My wife would like to purchase a Rolex for our anniversary cruise in January.  Has anyone purchased onboard and does the shop stock popular models?  Thank you in advance.  

Happy to go and have a look later this evening for you. They seem to have a fair few models onboard as well as two other boutiques; Piaget and Cartier also selling watches. Let me know if you are looking for anything in particular and then I can check the price so perhaps you can assess how this aligns to what those at home? 

5 hours ago, English Tim said:

First image towel elephant

2nd extended balcony -Rosy one side and me the other!

3rd sunset at Cabo San Lucas

4th View of Mazatlan

Spécial treatment Tim, we haven’t had a towel elephant #jealous 🤣

2 minutes ago, Noggins said:

I do agree - but I recall at least one toilet where the auto door goes from the very public deck area directly into the toilet cubicle. And the hand-swipe locking mechanism was both not intuitive and the 3 menu options (unlocked, locked, open , if I remember correctly) were so close together you just never knew for sure whether the door was definitely locked - or not.... 

I distinctly remember being relieved (in a different way) that the low passenger count made it a) less likely someone else would find the door unlocked when I hoped I'd locked it and b) the deck area would not be thronged with folk getting an unwanted viewing should disaster strike.

(British trains suffer from the very same problem. Or should I say British train passengers.)

I think I also found the same toilet and had the same confusion (and fear!) I then spotted a red light high above the door so worked on the premise that (hopefully) that meant it was locked, although luckily I never had that tested! 

Day 3

sleeping really well on this trip, in fact I didn’t wake until 8.30 am which is unheard of for me usually being an early riser. Dinner last night at the Med Yacht Club was I would say average. We shared a selection of tapas as a starter and both had the pork for our main course, there was no issue and perhaps just a poor choice but it wasn’t as nice as some of the other dishes I have sampled thus far. 
 

The entertainment last night was good, both singers have great voices and the show was well attended. After this we took to the Astern lounge to enjoy two talented guitarists‘Josh and Raffael ’who had the small audience up dancing and having fun. The bar staff were very attentive, may be a little too attentive 😉

I promised to update on the sunset yoga class. I was very impressed, a knowledgeable instructor led the class of very mixed abilities, which he did with care ensuring that everything was adapted to meet the needs of each. He went around adjusting poses something that is often missed but is so important. I followed the class with a spin session on one of the techno bikes which was excellent. The gym is small, clean and well equipped on par with that on RSS Explorer and of higher quality than that on Seabourn. To add to the experience I was lucky enough to witness a large dolphin pod (around 30/40 I would suggest) jumping and playing in the surf - amazing! 
 

Today is a sea day and whilst the weather is a little cool and no sun as yet, I have still managed to sit by the astern pool in deck 5 which is lovely. Sat here watching the ocean from the infinity pool is fantastic and very relaxing. There appears to be numerous talks and activities onboard for those who wish to avail themselves, I have a few highlighted of interest including a salsa dance class, a talk on green energy advancement, a weighted Pilates class and a some time in the wellness centre. I definitely won’t be bored! 
 

A couple of personal views/observations in case of interest; as others have said the restrooms are so hard to find?! I frequently lap the deck trying to find them - hey one way of getting the steps in I suppose! 
 

On previous cruises I have noticed that doors in common areas are extremely heavy and I have always been slightly concerned at how anyone with even slight mobility issues cope with them. Onboard Explora 1 many are automatic opening or have a sensor and are level so this helps accessibility. I am sure someone who perhaps has needs in this area will be better placed to comment, but it struck me as a positive.

I am really not a fan of the small bathroom. This is definitely the most compact of bathrooms I have ever had, even on entry level suites. The design is not great, the bathroom mirror steams up and don’t even try to get more than one of you in at a time. It feels a little like an enlarged airplane cubicle (ok slight exaggeration but you get my drift) and my partner and I are getting rather good at playing human Tetris! Seabourn and RSS definitely excel in these areas.

The laundry room is adequate with two dryers and separate washers. Washing tablets (but not fabric conditioner) are provided. However a major design fault is the ironing board which pulls out from a unit right in front of the door! There is no signage and as such as I opened the 

door I took out a fellow guest who was minding his own business ironing his shirt for dinner!!! I have reported and will obviously take more care next time but someone could be injured. The other guest also commented that the iron plate was not clean and therefore likely to mark items if you didn’t use a cloth between the item and the iron itself. 

Sorry to hear this Tim, I do also hope Rosie is well. I am sure you are being well looked after however, if you do need anything picking up offshore or from the ship please do let me know and I can drop it to your cabin. Wishing you a quick recovery 

8 hours ago, HappyInVan said:

My room (OT1) was compact and functional with a small balcony. The bathroom is comfortable with a large shower stall. Shower controls clearly marked. One nice feature is the ledge on which a pax can sit and wash themselves.

 

The ship provides aromatic liquid soap and lotion branded as Mandala blue. A smart Dyson hairdryer is located in the drawer of the makeup table. 

 

Unfortunately, not every suite was usable. I was booked into 6016 and it made a tremendous amount of noise in rough seas. Creaks and groans. My Suite Host ( steward) suggested that this was normal.

 

I waited until the weather calmed, and discovered that the room still creaked and squeaked. Complained to Guest Services and was moved. Quiet!

 

IMO the problem lies with the excessive use of decorative ceiling panels. Some of the work must have been faulty. In fact, the room door of 6016 was misaligned.

 

For comparison, I was tossed about on Deck 18 bow of the Meraviglia and my room did not make anywhere the same amount of noise.

 

At 4am, I woke up to the sound of glass clinking. Switched on the light. Three one-liter glass bottles were dancing across my cabinet and colliding with each other. That was how unsettled it was on the Meraviglia.

 

Photos below show the decorative panels on the ceiling of my Explora

suite and the Crema Cafe.

 

Great photos! 

So we headed to Fil Rouge for dinner last night and had a lovely meal, I had the Lobster Thermidor and my partner had the Hake which was expertly deboned at the table. The restaurant was only half fall so although I made a reservation via the explora app, I probably didn’t need to. The service was attentive and my general first impression of the staff is a real willingness to please. We attended a performance by two of the “artistes” for those of you who love explora speak 🤣 in journeys lounge which was ok, both had nice voices but as soon as they had finished the audience disappeared and we failed to find any life or dancing (which is an important part of any holiday for me) maybe we were looking in the wrong places.. I will try again this evening. 
 

i slept really well, probably the best I have slept since arriving in the USA, the bed was comfortable and pillows to my liking. As we were in San Diego for a very short time we were up and about for an early breakfast in Emporium before heading off the ship at 8.30. We were very impressed with San Diego and opted to do our own thing utilising the services of a hop on, hop off trolley tour which worked really well for us and we were back on board for lunch.  
 

The Emporium Market place is in my opinion a great concept, it provides a great deal of choice but still maintains the freshly cooked approach which I much prefer to a standard buffet. There was obviously a lot of training going on of newer staff, but this was unobtrusive and done in a manner that was commendable. Having witnessed extremely poor service in a number of restaurants on our last RSS cruise in November where new staff appeared to just be left to get on with it, this was a breath of fresh air. Never once did we have to ask for top ups on drinks or sit with finished plates on our table - all very efficient.

This afternoon the sun has decided to come out and I am enjoying the conservatory pool, the beds are comfortable and plentiful. My partner does not fair well in the sun but has not had any issue finding a shady spot - I guess this may be helped as the ship is not at capacity, but even so there appears to be numerous spots around the ship where we will both be happy. 
 

Tonight is the Med Yacht Club but before I am going to give the sunset restore yoga a try and perhaps hit the gym - well a girl has to do something to try and fit in her clothes at the end of this trip!!! 🤣 I will report on how I found that later. 

2 hours ago, English Tim said:

With reference to storage space for clothes there are three large drawers underneath the TV, which you may not have found.

Thank you Tim, unfortunately found (and used) those already 🫣🤣

54 minutes ago, English Tim said:

What a great first day on board, but we did make the mistake of arriving at the port too early and having to wait until 1130 to board.

 

We immediately met our old cruising friend, Heike, and I’m sure that she will do a brilliant job for the company and the passengers.

 

Sadly, I am a little under the weather this morning, something that happens to me occasionally due to a weakness my throat. a lovely young lady in the Emporium made me some honey, lemon and hot water.

 

I enjoyed a lovely crêpe with chocolate sauce and trimmings, yesterday lunchtime and we experienced the conservatory with and without its roof. I felt the temperature in there this morning was a little cool and I’ve made an enquiry to find out whether this is normal. I have no doubt that when the weather warms up in the next day or so the roof will be open and it will be very hot in there. 

 

Last night we had a Marble Grill dinner, which was really good, although at the beginning I felt there was a desire to upsell the wine. 
 

I am disappointed that they no longer provide my Moët champagne, but I had read about it on here so expected it to be the case. 
 

There are only 400 passengers on board, but they expect from Miami onwards that the numbers will increase dramatically.

 

The crew are absolutely wonderful, being genuinely friendly and have a great desire to be helpful.

 

One thing I miss, being an early riser, is the ability to help myself to a coffee in one of the lounges, which would then allow me to use my computer without disturbing my wife. Possibly, I could use room service and ask them to bring it to the lounge.
 

My wife would like to know if we can order caviar with our champagne, so maybe one of you guys reading this can help us with this question?

 

Today we are going to rent electric bikes and will need to keep moving to keep warm as the weather is a little bit cool and grey.

 

Please ask any questions and I will do my best to go an answer to them.

 

 

Sorry to hear that you are feeling a little under the weather Tim, I hope you feel better soon. I too await with interest regarding the caviar as that is something I really enjoyed on Seabourn