Dr. Cocktail

You have to ask at reception.

True, true….🤔

Did you lose a bet?

You mean it’s NOT A Small World After All?!

I have agreed with many of your posts and statements but these two? I dunno….. There’s really no way of knowing why Explora was launched ….. I would be more suspicious of MSC’s seeing the incredible success of Viking and thinking that they could do better AND have a product that they could sell globally. The Yacht Club formula was basically to revive the old First and Second Class system with a twist - common entertainment facilities but with a private hotel component. As for the marketing - I’ve stated this before and can’t state this enough - Explora is NOT just an “All Yacht Club Ship” just as Regent is not an all “Haven” ship and Silversea is not an all “Retreat” ship. They are extremely different animals catering to clients with very different needs and expectations.

I was literally chatting with my agent last week about this same issue. She has seen an uptick in interest in Regent because of their "all-inclusive" nature. Many of her clients literally want to make one booking and have someone else handle the rest. We have friends who are long-time Regent cruisers and again, they like Concierge and above cabins so that the pre-departure hotel is included. They were shocked at our Recent Celebrity Apex sailing that involved individual bookings for: 3 flights, three private transfers, one hotel, 7 theater tickets, three museums, one Norwegian State Railway ticket, one Geiranger bus tour and one shore excursion!

We are (were?) frequent Haven cruisers and have no immediate plans to return. We do, however, have three more Explora sailings booked! As I've stated on these boards, I'm just off Celebrity Apex which was 8 weeks after my second Explora. The eye twitching is abating but I still have PCSD!

Absolutely .... but, um, it's been only 9 months! I know that I'm a cheerleader for Explora - but - there are a LOT of industry interviews in print and video with statements from the Vago family. They point blankly state that they don't have to care about pleasing shareholders. As a wholly owned family business that has been around for over 50 years, they take the long view on most everything. Again, they have stated (and people can scoff) that they plan on dominating the luxury segment. Back to your initial quote - I think that a "reasonable time" for a start-up cruise line would be 5 years to see where you stand. Celebrity didn't make any money for their first 8 years until they were bought out by RCI.

Loving your review! My new shaver actually recharges on a usb port - 🤷‍♂️. For our second sailing on E1, I brought a usb nightlight! But …. an outlet would have been better!

Hey - we still talk about entering the Grand Dining room on Celebrity Century almost 30 years (!!!!) ago on the upper level and walking past the orchestra as you descended the grand staircase!!! Our memories play tricks on us but it was remarkable how 900 people could be served a SUPERB dinner simultaneously with no need of specialty restaurants. But .... I've hijacked this topic enough...

I am a cruising addict and my partner enjoys it but not to my level. He's much more rational but after about 5 days of hearing people say "Celebrity is my FAVOURITE line", he was "um, could you please tell me why?" Pictures can NOT show how these ships ultimately don't work. Not a single "enclosed" lounge to have a quiet drink or chat, practically no live music but pumped in aggressive prerecorded music everywhere, dining areas far too small for the number of passengers and a constant din because of the numbers of people. It's been 13 years so my memory may not be serving me well but the Solstice Class ships were far superior.

We have sailed on Celebrity 33 times with over 250 days onboard but had a civilized separation almost a decade ago. It was becoming apparent that the product had become Royal Caribbean with a bit of rouge applied. We tried again 5 years ago and had a terrible experience but yet returned as their Norwegian Fjords itinerary was perfect for us. As I always tell friends, itinerary is always number #1 and you can usually suck it up for a week or two! (ie get over yourself!) But .... after having read soooooo much about the Edge Class ships (pro and con) I was unprepared for how it all just didn't work! It really was like someone had floated a high-end mall to sea with a capacity of 2000 but loaded it up with 3000 instead for ... just because. I know some people go between Carnival and Seabourn or the like but it just didn't work for us. The noise! The crowds! The lines! I have yet to try Seabourn or Crystal (and will be on Seabourn later this year) but Explora is a good fit for me at this stage of my life.

Gary: I have really enjoyed your previous posts and your definitive Haven reviews. As a long time and frequent Haven cruise - don't worry. You're going to have a fabulous time! I've been on two Explora sailings, have three more booked and am likely going to book a 4th in the next week! As I found on my Celebrity sailing last week, there's no going back!

Thanks so much for your review! I feel your pain .... I sailed on Explora in November and March and followed up on Apex 8 weeks later. I still have PCSD - Post Celebrity Stress Disorder. I don't think that my eyelid will ever stop twitching!

Sidney68: Thanks so much for your live posts! Greatly enjoyed .... I'm faaaaaaaaar too lazy to do them myself. I chatted with an officer on our last cruise and Explora II will have much more shade and Explora I will get improvements upon her return to Europe. I am assuming umbrellas and such. I loved my two cruises on Explora and am presently recovering from PCSD - Post Celebrity Stress Disorder! I just got off Apex 8 weeks after Explora and I don't think that my eye will ever stop twitching!

Thanks! Happy that you're booked again!

We've sailed twice and did a few catamaran excursions where we chatted with a lot of people. Basically everyone had been on Regent/Silversea/ and particularly Seabourn. While there were many cruise first timers, there were extremely few people who had sailed on a premium or mass market line before. On our second sailing we actually travelled with our friends who generally do Regent and Silversea. I spoke to management on board and was told that Explora II will have a lot more shade and I would be getting more too on her return to Europe. We're also shade monsters and didn't find it a huge problem as we would just move once or twice a day. There's waaaaay more shade than the Regent Explorer Class Ships and it appears that there's basically no shade at all on Siver Nova and beyond. We sailed with 400 on our first trip and between 600 and 700 for our second and the ship strangely felt much better with the additional passengers! Just a nicer vibe although it made second visits to Sakura and Marble next to impossible.

We have sailed twice in a Penthouse over the last few months and my advice is .... don't worry about it! You cabin attendant will leave a form in the room for your alcoholic preferences and they will appear in due course. The sizes will range from 200 cc to 1 L and will be replenished if consumed. Obviously, you can tell him or her what you want ... they really want to make you happy! Of course, they will do the same for juices, mixers and pop. As for wine - we ordered lunch one day from Room Service and asked if it was possible to get a glass of wine. The operator said "wouldn't you much rather have the bottle?". I complimented her on reading my mind!

Good morning! We had between 600 and 700 on our sailing (I can't remember!) and the ship felt no more crowded than the 400 in November. Second reservations were a problem -we weren't successful but our friends who ate early got in a few times.

I have taken the liberty of reposting the article link in a more accessible fashion as many may not understand that the original title of this post is actually the link. This way, people can read and interpret the article for themselves. https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2024/04/explora-journey-creating-a-unique-cruise-brand/

To clarify, NOWHERE in this article does it say that they have no plans to change. As for "they think that they are doing great": This is the exact quote from their Chief Sales Officer: “At the very beginning, we told a very bold story. Many of our travel partners didn’t believe us. Now, they do,” he said, noting that Explora Journeys has created a “category of one.” Austin said that Explora never aimed to create a “copy of a classic, traditional cruise brand” but something “very special, different and unique” that incorporates the “vision and the dream” of MSC Cruises Group owners to create something entirely new.

Have you ever been to my sister-in-law's house?

We all know that I am a "cheerleader" on these boards but I still think that it's better than being a font of negativity like what we've also seen! Our RegentCertified (sm) friends who joined us thought that the food on Explora was miles above R. I was 60 on our last sailing a few weeks ago and Explora defines what I think that luxury cruising should be. No excessive bling, no need for me to be babysat, fantastic fellow passengers, no need for bragging about "badge appeal" and one upmanship and just plain swell. A quiet, elegant product on a ship whose outdoor decks and bars are unmatched by anyone else in the industry. Oh ... and btw... Happy Birthday!

Yes! While many references have been removed, I've attached this link that shows that you get a complimentary bag of laundry. https://explorajourneys.com/ca/en/life-on-explora/onboard-services When we had our room service lunch, I asked for two glasses of wine. The operator was "wouldn't you much rather have the entire bottle?". Bottle arrived n/c but I didn't ask about cocktails!

We loved Explora just as much the second time as the first. I'm loathe to comment as people tend to seize on the negativities but I just wish there was a larger, rotating selection of wines. We were joined by friends who are total Regent devotees and commented on how Regent couldn't compare on food or entertainment! Returning to the Champagne, we should be happy that it's not the Montaudon aka swill that is the house brand on Seabourn!