travelberlin

What do you mean you have just cancelled your cruise? Did you receive a letter from Explora cancelling your cruise and on that basis you have decided to take the option of asking for the full refund? Or have you cancelled your cruise without waiting for a specific communication concerning your booking? If this is the case, do you have to pay cancellation fees because of that? Ivi

I am not sure this is right. They seem to work on new itineraries… Ivi

Good for you if those shorter itineraries work for you. For us, it is not worth the effort to fly to a port (with all the inconvenience that this means) to take a seven days cruise, which is going to attract a crowd of people who might use the week as an all inclusive resort and behave similarly. The “I am on vacation and I don’t care” attitude supported by drinks being included. We are travelers and not just vacationers doing a cruise. Explora was attracting us because of being better than MSC. After reading first experiences from paying guests, we are not sure Explora is for us. It sounds too similar to MSC in terms of service. Besides that, cancellations, changing itineraries, etc are providing mistrust. We will see the prices attached to those shorter itineraries and decide. A beautiful ship is not enough. Ivi

Those are certainly awful. We do not take those not even in Yacht Club. Ivi

MSC has the so called Grand Voyages. They are not the 7 day itineraries. Our favorites are from Santos to Hamburg or from Buenos Aires to Venice and Viceversa. For example Santos to Hamburg about 22 days. Ivi

Explora was supposed to be different than MSC. By the way all our MSC cruises have been long. The so called Grand Voyages on average 20 days. Ivi

Good question. I am on a similar situation. Waiting to see the prices. I hope they do not overestimate the experience they are offering setting high prices. Rebooking might be risky if they change or cancel itineraries again. Ivi

Thanks for posting this 🙏 Ivi

Shorter itineraries? Not our piece of cake. Ivi

As a non smoker, I have not had a problem on the Royal Clipper. I have loved the experience. Ivi

I do not see an alternative to Azamara for me. The closest would be Oceania in that Premium Category. Having said that, this that not means that I am not cruising. I am booked on cruises with the New Crystal and with Explora. Different markt segment than Azamara though. New Crystal and Explora are claiming a place in the luxury segment not in the premium one like Azamara. We will see how they actually perform. I also like cruises with Windstar and Mein Schiff. We have several options for cruising although the experiences would be different that those in Azamara. But maybe it is good so… Ivi

Sakura is very different in the offerings to Umi Uma as far as I can see. I have no problem with that. Ivi

To those guests who have been or are on a cruise with Explora, Is Explora delivering the following? ALL INCLUSIVE JOURNEYS In-suite welcome bottle of champagne upon arrival A bottle of wine and a bottle of spirit of the guests’ choice upon arrival Authentic, cultured and intuitive service from our team of hospitality experts Nine distinct culinary experiences, including in-suite dining Unlimited beverages, fine wines and premium spirits, speciality coffees, teas and soft drinks available anytime, including in-suite mini-bar* Access to the spa thermal area Wellbeing and fitness programmes on board and at the destinations All on-board gratuities Complimentary Wi-Fi throughout the ship Shuttle services from port to city centre (where required/available)

Right now I do not see my cruise which was at the end of May 2024. I hope the reason is just a glitch on Exploras web page. Ivi

I am very disappointed about the cancellations, shifting from originally marketed “freedom to choose “ with respect to restaurants (this is my biggest disappointment) and inefficiencies in organizing shuttles in ports. Somehow they are not providing the “luxury” experience they have promised. Ivi

Does anybody know when they are going to sell the segments of this world cruise? I am interested on some countries/ports but not on the whole WC. Ivi

And that itinerary is one of the star itineraries from Azamara! Maybe there is a lot of competition nowadays in that region? Are clients moving away from Azamara? Ivi

I am so sorry that this is continuing and that clients are experiencing so many problems in trying to book with Azamara. Reading this thread does not motivate us to book with Azamara right now. It is sad 😞. Ivi

Thank you! That looks good 👍 Ivi

Terry, you are right. The person who posted that info on the two wines has corrected himself. The poster makes a serious impression, providing well balanced information. Since at MSC there were really just one red, one white and one rose to choose from as part of one of the beverage packages, and Explora is showing some teething problems, it was not too difficult to believe that being MSC the parent company, maybe that was the case. I am glad to hear it is not. Ivi

That would be very nice. I hope they will use regional wines. Ivi

Or most probably they will not have a wine list because if they run out of a particular wine they do not have to justify it. It happens in many cruises that after a while several wines are not available any more at MSC . Ivi

Thank you for giving us more information. Glad to hear that there are more options fore the wines. Do you remember any of the names? Or is there a wine list for the included wines? Ivi

Honest reviews from paying guests are being provided about Explora in other social media channels. The overall impression seems to be positive. There are however some things that for me are important information. For example that there is a cigar lounge in deck 5 and that you can smell the cigarettes in some cabins specially in deck 6. That would be very annoying for non smokers like us. I hope Explora can do something about this. In addition, long lines for the restaurants Sakura/Marble and only two types of included wine available to choose from: one red and one white? Otherwise one would have to buy and the bottle prices start at Euro 40. I hope that they improve the wines options and that we will not get offered the merlot and pinot grigio that the “easy package” from MSC includes. Ivi

I am sorry to hear about your fall but glad to hear you are feeling better. After a fall I had in the Frankfurt airport a couple of years ago, which included me being transported by ambulance to the University Hospital in Frankfurt, now I am much more conscious of being very careful specially when I am traveling. I am also very glad to hear that Crystal has helped you to recover your luggage so quickly. This is very good from them and it contributes to our expectations of having exceptional service. Ivi