Waltershipman

30 minutes ago, PaulMCO said:

Emporium for sure.  Maybe Med Yacht or Sakura (either one or the other).

Loved the foie gras at lunch 

1 hour ago, cruisingxpert said:

Oysters Rockefeller are cooked but I didn't see any.  I really enjoy raw oysters but I was disappointed when I tried them on Explora in May.

Dinner at Emporium last year 

1 hour ago, glawless said:

We are going to be on the inaugural cruise for explora 2 in a couple of weeks.  What is normal attire for dinner?   I know Anthology and Fil Rouge have a no shorts policy.  Are dressy shorts and a button down shirt common in the other restaurants or do men all wear long pants?  
 

thank you!

Men wearing nice pants or slacks akin to what might be worn at any nice land based restaurant is most appropriate.

4 hours ago, don731 said:

Feb. 14-28 MIA-MIA-SJU.  
 

Enjoy

6 minutes ago, don731 said:

We’re onboard Explora 1 in February as well.  Love to follow the compare and contrast with other similar lines.  Following this thread with great interest.

What date do you sail

30 minutes ago, Dr. Cocktail said:

Took me a day to respond ... whereas I enjoyed my YC cruises, EJ is on a entirely different level. There's simply no comparison.  

 

Don't worry about TA's and influencers.... there were some on our past sailings but not really noticeable except on the odd occasion.  Some were, in fact, really interesting and you just ignored the others.

 

If you look at my signature, I've sailed on everything from converted ferries to 100 passenger expedition ships and everything in between.  Stop worrying .... Explora is the real deal!

 

I fully agree with Gary on this one .... have realistic expectations but it's pretty darn special!

 

WELL SAID

28 minutes ago, cruisr said:

My DH and I are sailing in December and it will be first time with Explora.  i have sailed on almost 100 cruises starting with my HS graduation present on the Oceanic.  We love Seabourn and Crystal.  That being said, we both hate the MDR,  On Crystal, as we are always in the suites that allow unlimited dining in the alternate restaurants, we avail ourselves of that.  We do not like dining in a MDR.  This is the appeal of Explora.  Lots of choices and choice is good.  I think we will like it.

You will love it

We too have been on over 100  Cruises over the last 40 years and will be returning in January to EJ for our 2nd EJ cruise with lots of excitement.  It is a great cruise

Enjoy have fun

On 8/31/2024 at 6:22 AM, lorene1 said:

This comparison with Vista and Explora is really helpful.  We are booked on Explora II for 14 day Carribean Feb. 2025, and Oceania Allura for Sept. 2025. Looking forward to both.  Hope that Oceania invests in more staffing🙏

 

While on board Vista we were told that many staff had moved over to Explora Journeys 

On 4/2/2024 at 9:06 AM, don731 said:

Excellent thread.  We were on Vista for 17 days in February, and were less impressed than our previous cruises on O (Riviera).  We felt it was not up to the price point we paid for a concierge verandah, even with prepaid gratuities and generous OBC.  Will check out EJ for sure.

We sail again on EJ in January with great joy

22 minutes ago, Momsareader said:

We are also Oceania Aficionados and have booked b2b on Explora June/July 2025 to Greece/Turkey as we liked their itineraries better. We are looking forward to it. My sister and brother in law travel with us often and are currently on an O cruise. We have another O booked for Aus/NZ in 2026. We shall see what we think! Regardless, we will be in beautiful Greece and Turkey enjoying ourselves.

Was on Explora Journeys last October and Oceania Vista this last February.  While O entertainment was stellar without doubt we preferred EJ and food far superior.  I previously did a comparison of the two on this board back in February 

Enjoy

43 minutes ago, KJB416 said:

I’ve been in 6042 (above creama lounge and heard music and smelled smoke so won’t book in that area again), 7104 and have 7101 booked on an upcoming cruise. The only issues I’ve heard of is the vibration from the thrusters if you’re in a tender port, but I have not experienced this as we had no tender ports on my last cruise.  Personally, I’d save the money. 

AGREE We were in 6040 without an issue however we did smell smoke when we were near elevator area

Maybe we were on cabin away lol

Enjoy

45 minutes ago, CruiseCrew123 said:

I’m hoping for some AC/DC etc but think I will be disappointed 😂 

I don't think it will be Lawrence Welk

56 minutes ago, Wheelhouse said:

As for the dress code, it can be very mixed.  We did 16 days in February which could have been booked separately as 9 day and 7 day cruises.  During the first 9 day segment my wife thought that she was somewhat underdressed, yet during the second segment I recall her quote  "some of these people look homeless."  Overall, the country club casual idea Dr Cocktail describes is spot on. 

I found that in October last year the evening clothing worn was a bit more casual than I expected to see  given the high price and demographics of passengers. 

I think being comfortable takes a high priority on board rather than dressing up. However overall the dress code I experienced was  tasteful casual IMHO

17 hours ago, Hlitner said:

I cannot speak to the UK-related issue, but will tell you that today, we are boarding the Encore (in Dubrovnik) where we had both 3 upsell offers (all rejected by us) and an eventual upgrade (no extra cost) from a V1 to a V4.  We had originally booked a VI Guarantee.  The upsell offers started coming about 2 months before our sailing, with a new upsell offer, every two weeks.  Each offer was for upsells to a higher category of normal veranda suites.  We really like SB, but have never found any reason to pay extra for higher category V cabins, since nearly all those suites are identical except for location.   On such a small vessel we really have little interest in location.

 

On most of our SB cruises, we have booked the lowest category guarantee and usually received some kind of upgrade.  On one particular cruise, there was no upsell or upgrade offer.  That particular cruise was completely full, so an upgrade would not have been possible.  

 

Hank

HAVE FUN 

1 hour ago, Dr. Cocktail said:

Explora wants you up, out and off very early .... I don't keep my dailies but if memory serves well, it was not much later than 9.

 

Might I suggest using ResortPass?  They have numerous properties in Miami and Miami Beach where they will check your bags and let you have a nice pool or ocean-side day. Really makes your debarkation day a pleasure!  We spent the day at the EAST Miami that did provide luggage storage. Check the reviews of where you want to stay to make sure that it's provided.

Stayed at Sonesta near Miami airport in February and had our room from 1000am until 600pm at a good rare. Plus restaurants nearby so it was satisfying and met our needs

1 hour ago, chill6x6 said:

"Destination experiences canceled more than 24 hours before arrival at an excursion port don't incur a cancellation penalty, unless otherwise noted. If a destination experience is canceled 24–0 hours before arrival, a 100% cancellation fee will apply. The refund will be applied to your onboard account in the ship's currency."

Thank you

23 minutes ago, chill6x6 said:

I don't know but I will try to find out...

Thank you

9 minutes ago, cruisingxpert said:

I asked Guest Relations and they said you can cancel up to 72 hrs before.   Forgot to ask if refund was back to original credit card used.  Read somewhere on this forum that refund went to your on board account.  As long as that was refundable on board credit I guess you could get it back at end of cruise 

Thank you

3 hours ago, chill6x6 said:

Yep....I came to post.....many, MANY Caribbean excursions on Explora site as of yesterday.

 

Timing was almost exactly what my TA told me.

Does anyone know if a booked excursion is cancellable and is the cost refundable thanks

13 minutes ago, Nashna said:

No idea.  This is just what they are now posting under their excursions.  I haven't seen anything for our January 24th cruise.

Thanks enjoy Nancy we sail january 28

5 minutes ago, Nashna said:

Looks like Explora Journeys is offering Blue Waters in Antigua.  

Beach Relaxation at Blue Waters Resort & Spa

• Spend a day at the smart Blue Waters Resort
• Enjoy three private beaches around Soldier Bay
• Unwind on a lounger by one of the resort’s pools
• Dine at The Palm Restaurant for à la carte cuisine and buffet dishes
• Sip your choice of premium drink from the open bar

Activity Level: Moderate

Features: Beachside Experience, Meal Included

6 Hrs

Meal Included

English

Minimum Age Requirement: 18

From €335.00 per guest

Hi Nancy 

My cruise is end of January and am wondering if you have any info on when excursions will post and be book able

Many thanks 

On 8/15/2024 at 9:36 AM, kris816 said:

I recently found this on the website. Looks like a lot of excursions have been added and you can download a PDF with all of them:

 

https://explorajourneys.com/us/en/Destinations-Experiences/all-experiences?region=car

 

I am wondering when excursions will be available to actually book fir Carribean 2025

Thanks 

7 hours ago, Hlitner said:

My answer will surprise some, but we think the best way is to simply socialize on cruise ships and ask folks how they book their cruises.  I used to joke that liking to share larger tables has probably saved us over $100,000.  What we learn from fellow cruisers, over more than 50 years of extensive cruising, has saved us a lot of money.  The bonus is that it also enhances our knowledge about which cruises. ships, and cruise lines to book and avoid.

 

Also keep in mind that one person's good TA may not work for others.  For example, we need no "hand holding" from our cruise agents, so our priorities for cruise agents are good service and the best overall deals.  The deal thing is quite interesting because it is possible to save 7-10% + on many bookings by simply shopping around for the right agencies.  On some of our longer cruises, the savings by using the right cruise agency can mean saving thousands of dollars (on a single booking) versus booking directly with a cruise line.  We sometimes remind our favorite cruise agents (we currently have two) that our loyalty is only as good as the last deal.

 

Hank

 

 

Great points Hank

I have mostly  been using although not totally exclusively a TA that was referred to me in the hall way on a cruise over 20 plus years ago

3 hours ago, CJANDH said:

If you enjoyed the beaches when on your hotel based visit to the Caribbean, you should consider just going to beach resorts for the day at some of your ports of call. You can do this independently for far less that the Explora tours and can set your own times. Check our resorts near the port before you go on your cruise and see which offer day passes. Then take a taxi from the port. Or you can visit Shore Excursion sites and pay a little more to have it set up for you.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

Many times we will meet some fellow passengers as we exit the ship and agree to share a taxi tour which usually works out great 

Just allow time to return and board

Enjoy 

6 minutes ago, PaulMCO said:

fairness....  The perfume shop has only custom made perfumes.  Nice but if you like a scent you better buy a gallon because you will never see that scent again..

 

The sundries are in a closet.

 

@Waltershipman  we had 1100 Euro in OBC from Explora. We were not able to access it ahead of time -- that was in Jan (so do not know if they have changed)

Thanks Paul