commodoredave

I’m not fond of price gouging in any situation as it shows a disregard for passengers. Where might it occur next? Be careful!

They would. But why? It may alienate people if they feel ripped off and make them less likely to sail with Explora again.

Good information. I can think of no valid reason to pay the outrageous prices as offered by Explora.

Yes, next day at the Astern bar outside. Always great to meet people from CC at sea.

I agree with your point. However, we are in much different mindsets about not caring about price, and leaving $40-$50 dinner tips. I care about price and will usually wait for a sale or incentives to book a cruise. In addition, when gratuities are included as with Explora, I may on occasion leave a small extra tip of $10-$15 per dinner meal for exceptional service. But not most times. I have no issue with you leaving much more as tipping is a personal choice. I also don’t have an issue with you paying more for your cruises than me. You have earned your money, and should spend whatever way makes you happy. The same for the rest of us.

Well said.

Exactly my point. Good cruise lines know that the best time to sell a passenger another cruise is when they are on the ship.

No. We book on board because there are usually good deals offered to do so. For example, on our Amazon cruise with Seabourn in October, they promoted several great deals including some to the Antarctic. We bought one. As Explora offered us no incentives, we might as well wait until they do one day.

Agree. They have some issues to deal with on the operational side. For example, just got off a 7-day Caribbean cruise with Explora, and didn’t receive a single flyer about booking future cruises or meeting with the cruise consultant. This is our first cruise in years where we haven’t booked a future cruise on board.

Exactly. Well behaved children who are properly supervised by their parents are not the issue. It is the unsupervised ones that behave badly and ruin the experience of adults. It is up to ship staff to step in when parents won’t so that all have a safe and enjoyable experience.

Of course you are right. In the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy wants to go home because there is no place like home. When people get annoyed about anything that is different from home - like having champagne and caviar — they are sometimes called Dorothy and/or advised to remain in Kansas. It’s an Oz metaphor.

Tipping is a personal issue and everyone should feel comfortable doing what they wish to. Personally, I will on occasion tip individual crew for outstanding service- this can include our room steward, maître d’s, waiters and bar tenders. I rarely give money to the crew fund.

My apologies to all those wonderful people from Kansas, some of whom I have sailed with, for insinuating that someone on this thread was kicked in the head by a horse there. Metaphorically speaking.

I’d like to chat with you more, but I’m running late to meet some friends for champagne and caviar, over which we shall choose our next cruise. 😀

Good idea. Is Uber allowed access to the cruise terminal?

Thanks for posting, Kansas.😃

Better yet, there is no caviar on Carnival. But they do have bologna sandwiches and Kraft dinner.

I get so annoyed by people who like champagne and caviar that it drives me mad. My knickers get in a knot, I get all hot and bothered, and steam comes out of my ears. What annoys me the most is the thought of that golden hued magic sparkling elixir being consumed with those tiny delicious balls of caviar. The only thing I can say is “Where and when can I get some!”

Another day, another day without shade. Traversed the entire ship twice without finding a aingle lounger in the shade and it’s only 10:00 am.

Speaking from our experience this week, with only 650 on board with a capacity of 900, we have not been able to get shaded lounges on most days. Now, part of this may be chair hogs, but only a small part. Once again, please post if you have actual factual numbers that prove Explora has the same number of shaded chaise lounges as Regent and Silversea on similar sized ships. I can’t verify Oceania numbers as I have never sailed on hee ships.

Glad you responded. First, Oceania is not in the same luxury class or price point as Explora, Regent or Silversea, which one expects more from. Putting that aside, there are just 24 chaise lounges in the shade in Explora’s Conservatory Pool, which is the ship’s largest pool area. In contrast, the main pools on similar sized Regent and Silversea have nearly twice that amount. Furthermore, Explora has no dedicated shaded loungers in its bow and stern pools. If one doesn’t want a shaded area to sit in, that’s not an issue. But for the many people who want shade, Explora is indeed deficient and a poor choice for hot weather cruises. It’s a consideration that is important in choosing a cruse line.

Verum.

Yes, there are a handful of shaded lounges in the Conservatory pool, but where many would normally have been are replaced by two very long hot tubs. As for the other 3 pools, they have been nicknamed Melanoma 1, 2 and 3 for their lack of shade. I challenge anyone reading this to point to any other ship with less shaded chairs per passenger than Explora. This is a well known fact and already an accepted issue by management, and I was told they are looking into possible fixes.

Those are the cabins reserved for livestock and magicians.

Personally, DW and I love the caviar and champagne on both Seabourn and Silversea. We also love people who don’t like it as it leaves more for us!!