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In your case I would spend it on great Champagnes on board : the Krug is a bargain , Billecart Salmon Rosé is also great and Ruinart Blanc de Blancs is in the top of that style If I had that OBC I would chose a Krug Rosé also a bargain ! Dom P Rosé is overpriced everywhere. I am also feeling sorry when I open one of my last great Bordeaux as at the actual high prices I cannot follow anymore so I moved on to great bubbles elsewhere in CC I made comments on 3 companies with heavily overpriced wine lists - 500 $ for a Dom P and 350 for the dry Y of Yquem ???

I did 3 Regent cruises last year - and I noticed very few connoisseur's drinks were ordered The same with the wine .... maybe it is depending on the itinerary ?

there were 2 trven fairs in Belgium I heard once again TA are invited ???

I mostly agree with you. I did add - in my strict review- the fact friendliness is not resolving everything and create a luxurious product. I did not like to explain to bartenders how to make some classics - ok that can happen once but not on a regular base. I think seabreeze and negroni are not too complicated - seriously I did not risk to ask for more complicated items such as a Singapore sling ( afraid to send it back ) I am not the Belgian king but some "hosts" were far too outgoing - i do not think they should approach guests by their first name on a second day. Explora is indeed a beautiful ship but in the penthouses the bathrooms are extremely narrow and imho in a penthouse the restroom must be separated. and i do not understand the wine policy - there are plenty of affordable wines in Italy qualifying to be included - and also the fact the special wines are too expensive (they are indeed cheap on MSC ) Also the knowledge of the sommeliers - I ordered a chardonnay - not available - he did recommend a complete other grape ?? yes in the Gulf states in some restaurants there is only "white" and "red" Yes for me the F& B operations are very important however "bad" entertainment also can be disturbing like a piano player constantly playing mistakes or a singer with a "crack" repeatly. Also the quality of the fruits was a disaster during my cruise. There are simply TOO many items on Explora not appropriate on a "luxury" cruise ship ( and exception for RC and Eclipse i know nearly all of those )

Thank you for all those pictures and copies of daily program and menus However Crystal still is having a very expensive wine list ( non complimentary ) 500 $ for a Dom P ?? They can compete for the most expensive wine list on the seas with Explora and Oceania; gold silver adn bronze All my booked cruises - 5 - are in Europe so , when the OBC is finished shopping in France and Italy and Greece. I do not understand it as the present owner aways did have very reasonable - even cheap - prices for special wines on the company he previosusly owned ...

you were great and friendly company especially for the trivia 😄 i am going to the Splendor now on 26 th Feb

I am really looking forward to my Symphony in early June ! Explora did hire a lot of people previously working in the Emirates, Qatar . It is ashame and insulting to paying pax all those TA and more are still there "in large quantity"

And heavily abusing the free alcohol, especially the free Moët , and far too avaricious to grant one $ gratuity ! During my cruise a few Belgians always there when something is free 🤑

Also the fact some 100 travel agents, influencers and journalists were pampered in front of the paying guests and vast majority were abusing the complimentary Moët : it WAS disturbing!! I complained on board : F&B was "busy" and gen manager was "occupied" - constantly ??? I told it to the representative and she is aware that i do have a gastro background. Reply : ashame Explora and you did not match ?? I requested to be contacted after I did the final questionnaire phone and email added - nothing so far ?? we are 6 months later I do not know how it is now : but the only canapés I saw on board during my cruise were served for meetings not to passengers. I was in a premier penthouse what cost me a 5 fig as a single For me : in the "luxury" level ??? my most terrible experience - this year I am going 3 times to Regent and twice to SS and one Hapag - every of those does have a weak point i agree the complimentary Champagne on Regent could be better in view of the high fares, lunch buffets on SS not very special and embarkation on Hapag imho far too late . 😁

sorry but all the items I wrote was the truth ... i do not think - meanwhile - the extra for drinks that occured an extra but free on other luxury lines is waived and I do not think the onerous prices for special wines and champagnes decreased

stay on the grandeur!! i did both

explora.pdf

also people going to the bathroom with a smartphone ... and c😋oming back with a reply

cheers !

my review was very negative for Explora !

May I add the non complimentary wines are very reasonably priced ?

Holland America for sure NO luxury product !!

for me the door with seabourn is closed : if wine is important : the complimentary wines on Regent and Crystal are very good but the connoisseur wine list on Crystal is very expensive - on Regent the prices are very decent on Silversea the connoisseur wines are somewhat lower priced as on Regent and choice is more elaborated especially in whites on Regent no extra's for the speciality restaurants - on Silversea no extra for cooking class SALT read my review on Explora : complimentary wines very poor and wine list extremely expensive ! imho in view of the rather high prices on Regent that company should offer something better as complimentary Champagne Heidsick Monopole Blue top laundry is free on Regent Silversea is having some more choice of complimentary wodka's on SS every cabin does have a butler but the 2 newest Regent ships are very lavish : Splendor and Grandeur

I was a week on Grandeur in December last year - no big complaints. The weather was very inclement. Concierge suite was very good - I am a single . Great room attendants ! Was twice on the Splendor as well , maybe the atmosphere on the Splendor was friendlier. Only had to send back 1 far too sour drink.🙃 Maybe some more fresh fruits were appropriate as well. ( sub tropical areas ) CD was somewhat haughty and he only did the trivia on the first and the last afternoon. One big issue for me : the latest disembarkation is at 9 am and my dayroom is only as from 10 am ( illness + medication ...early morning is not my best time of the day ) I agree the embarkation on Regent is "early" comparing to some other lines.

45euro if you take one very luxurious indeed ???😝😝

my 3 cruises on regentwere in a concierge now I am in a G2 on the Splendor as - being single - the supplement was too high do guests in "basis" cabins also receive liquor ?

there was a time when bathrobes were taken away the last day ...

it was done on my 2 crossings on the QE2 in 1992 and 1998

are "fancy dress "parades still going on Cunard?

without any doubt you will need a taxi if you are staying in Toulon - you simply cannot walk from Toulon to La Seyne - there is only space for one cruise ship in Toulon La seyne is complete with a cruise terminal you can also stay a night in Toulon before the cruise , I am booked on the same cruise and will stay some days before the cruise in the village of Cassis ( with great wines) there is also a boat from Toulon to Cassis but then you must walk from the station to the quay what is rather difficult with luggage - and I do not know the schedules of that boat