PutnamNY

I guess the context of the tip went missing and the $40 only got the attention. The whole point was about us returning the OBC's in one way or other to the employees. We are from NY and tipping is customary even if the meal is free. It's an individual choice and not to be judged for tipping or not. It's a way of thanking for extraordinary service which was the case on Explora 1. What's going missing in all of this nitpicking on an individuals preference to tip or not is the fact that Explora seems to apply fresh promotions or OBC's to new booking only and not existing bookings or reservations. If you made a booking in Dec, then any promotions in March is not applied or other benefits applied which I personally think is not a good policy. That was the whole point.

I have been reading this thread and other ones and here seems to be the issue for Explora Journeys. It's called "Consistency". The young lady at future journeys almost scoffed when we mentioned that folks are getting 800 Euros OBC and she claimed that it's impossible and out of policy. For us, every $$ we received in OBC we pretty much gave it back in cash to the waiters and other staff at the lounges as cash tips. For example any dinner at the restaurants, we left behind a $40-$50 cash tip on the table when we left. It is short sighted for Explora Journeys to not apply equally programs and benefits across the board. Folks like us don't bargain or care about the pricing. However we want to pay the same as others. This doesn't seem to be the case as of now. In the interest of transparency, our experience with Pre-Cruise sales was nothing but exceptional. Its the bad taste lingering after wandering into the Future Journeys, that's making us realize all of this.

We did our 1st cruise after 30-yrs and decided to go with Explora 1 (Valetta). We did a lot of research and the price point, number of passengers, all-included etc made us pick this cruise. We booked directly with Explora Journeys agent and they were "wonderful". The follow-up and service was excellent from the sales agent that worked with us. Ship impressions ... My wife and I commented during the travel several times, that it doesn't feel like a cruise ship. It's like walking around in a 5-star hotel or resort. It was very clean and well maintained. (in fact too clean to be slippery at places) Rooms ... We were on deck 8 and it was quiet. (too quiet). The rooms were great except it could use a better vent fan in the bathroom which could avoid the fogging on the mirror. Very spacious walk-in closet and dressing area. The cabins were cleaned twice a day and the young lad spent a lot of time whether clean or dirty. There was a welcome champagne which we left behind in the refrigerator. We probably just made tea once or twice in the room. But everything was available, including liquor, beer, coke etc if needed. Everything was perfect in the suite room. Restaurants ... We did have multiple meals at the Emporium marketplace. It was top notch. The chefs were very good and the food was excellent. If you find a table to sit, an army of waiting staff came back to back and made sure you had everything from coffee or water or anything for that matter. Very high level of service. (Only nitpick ... for such an elaborate offering, they didn't have fresh juices such as orange or anything, just from concentrate was made available) The specialty restaurants were excellent. All items on the menu were excellent. The portions were small and perfect. The wine list was good (free ones) and you guys should try the Malbec from Argentina. In all of the restaurants, you couldn't have a slightly empty wine glass and they pop in right away and fill it up. Again, the service is just too good. This is something you have to experience to appreciate it. The Lounges .... The lounges were a hit or miss depending on where they were located. The staff again in all the lounges were right there and making sure you had what you wanted. No waiting. Photography ... We attended 2 of the photography sessions and enjoyed it. The 2 folks who did the classes were top notch. Cooking class ... The cooking class was great and it was a nice experience. Entertainment ... This was a 50-50 for us. The main Journeys lounge setup is perfect. Very spread out and cozy at the same time. We had Billy Joel night, but it was a bit rough to listen to Billy Joel with a British cockney accent. Another issue is that most shows were over by 10pm. So, if you had a late dinner, you missed the evening entertainment. All they had was a DJ and a dance floor. Maybe it is us, we being the inexperienced cruisers, that we missed most of the shows. Shore excursions ... We did none. But were disappointed both in Willemstad and St. Pierre after getting off the ship. It would have been nice if the lady explaining each destinations had a bit more detail for self-travelers. The presentation seemed to be more oriented to packaged tours. After coming, we watched a YouTube video of 2 guys sitting at a beachside bar in St. Pierre. (wish we knew it existed and which way to go there) Overall ... It was a great experience. The overall trip was awesome once on the ship. The service was just the best all around. The staff at every point, every turn went above and beyond to help you or ask you and take care of your need. The same type of quality you get at the Four Seasons or the Ritz. Myths & Realities .... No pool chair hogs found. Lots of seating. No guys in hoodies found in the specialty restaurants. The wine list was fantastic. (free list) Embarkation at Colon ... It was a bit confusing once we reached the cruise port terminal. We were made to wait outside the entrance until 11AM before we were let in inside. Even that happened with thanks to this wonderful lady from the Explora cruise, that saw us and made sure we were at least seated inside the terminal area. (That part of Colon is very seedy and it's not safe to be wandering around with your luggage etc.) So, it will make sense for Explora to arrange or explicitly give instructions for embarkation at Colon. (maybe we experienced this because we did our own transfer from Panama City) Disembarkation at Bridgetown ... The whole experience was smooth. It was fast. We booked for 120Euros a car ride to the airport and this was perfect. Having seen this now, we would not attempt own transfer in or out of the cruise terminal at Bridgetown. It's a very complex complicated cruise and cargo terminal. Exception .... The paradox. The whole experience was so exceptional, the only sour point was us wandering into the Future Journeys. The whole experience made us shake our heads when we walked out. The person who attended to us made it feel like she is doing us a favor talking to us and looking for deals whereas the entire ship crew and staff were bending over backwards to give us the best experience. The staff at the Future Journeys lounge could learn some sales techniques and about American passengers. Maybe an American staff would better understand American customers ... as opposed to someone from Eastern Europe?? (Just able to speak English is not qualifying enough)

We have a cruise embarkation out of Colon coming up. We plan on arriving a day earlier into Panama City (in the evening). Ideally we would like to go visit a lock and see ships move through it in the morning and then head to the cruise terminal in Colon. Seeing the cautions in and around Colon, what's the best approach if we have to be at the cruise terminal by 1pm or 2pm. Any recommendations for sightseeing around the locks and proceeding to Colon? Will be there be any car service companies available for half a day to take us around and drop off at the Colon cruise terminal? Looking for ideas and recommendations. Thanks.

As long as they weren't screening "Barbie", it will be ok. It's a big screen to watch a movie. We used to do a lot of Summer movies in Bryant Park (NYC).

Can anyone share their embarkation experience on Explora 1 at Colon? We will be staying overnight at Panama City and heading to Colon on embarkation day. Hopefully we can find a good car service or agency that can give us a tour of the locks before taking us to the cruise terminal. (The reason for this question, I read somewhere else that Colon is a bit on the seedy side and need to be careful)

Our Explora Journeys travel advisor took care of our restaurant bookings for Marble, Anthology and Sakura at the time of booking the cruise. Very simple and fast.

What about Beer? Peroni? Stella? or any lager for that matter.

Some of these "high-end" body wash & shampoo have a strong scent to them instead of a neutral scent. Sometime, these strong scents are a migraine trigger. Which way do these Mandala Blue tend to be? Any opinion. (I use a plain Dove bar soap daily to put this in perspective)

I didn't get a chance to write this last night properly. Our only interaction in booking the Explora 1 cruise has been via calling their travel advisors. During our interactions, we were attended by their advisors from the UK, USA and Australia. They seem to be using a VoIP phone and some were too hard to hear due to a hollowness in the call (speakerphone maybe?), however within a few calls, you will get a clear understanding on which advisor knows the game and is willing to work with you. We stuck with one and would call and leave a message at the extension. The advisor would call us back the same day or the next day. The overall interaction was extremely positive with them and we even got some OB credits etc. Now the website is a different story. If you had called any of their advisors, and then tried to login to your account via the website, it will error and lock you out. The website checkin was also error prone and had to call them to fix it. We are checked in but the iPhone app is still asking us to checkin. So, their website, mobile app, backend system plumbing is all not working properly. Hopefully they will fix it. BUT, their customer support (EJ) has been nothing but EXCELLENT.

Thanks a lot.

Got it. Much appreciated.

Should I try one of those YouTube video agents? There were a few who have posted detailed videos.

Thanks a lot. Will try the self-service first. (Amused on the eco-friendly cleaning and pressing .... Not sure what that means)

Our booked room is on Deck 8 of Explorer 1? Are there any noise issues on this deck? There is a self-service laundry, but can someone post the laundry prices if they are traveling on Explora 1?