travelberlin

We had Jacquart in the MSC yacht club. I am glad to hear Explora will serve Veuve Clicquot. It is my favorite. Charles Heidsieck is OK. If this will ve a rose, I will be happy 😃 Ivi

Thank you again. I was able to look if there is a strike planned, selecting the dates in which I will be in Italy before my cruise. As far as I could see, there is no strike planned between June 26th and 28th. Ivi

Thank you! Ivi

How do we get the information about strikes in Italy before hand? In Germany the Union can call a strike for the next day. It happened to me and of course no way to avoid it. Ivi

Me too but at the moment just one with Crystal 😉 Ivi

Ask the Assignees. You might get an answer from them. Crystal said to me it is the Assignees giving them the numbers. And the Assignees seem to be making mistakes. I am waiting for an answer from the Assignees. But as I have said before, i have booked a cruise. Ivi

In my case, the credit was also for less of the amount that old Crystal owes me. I think it is a problem of the assignees not of the new Crystal. Anyhow I am booking a cruise. I think for the next cruises, the assignees might get my amount right. Let’s hope… Ivi

Alaska cruises and those cruises which were not selling well, were cancelled. Including mine out of Brasil. Reason? Due to popular demand from guests and travel agents, Explora I will stay in the Caribbean instead of going to South America. Ivi

I have received an email from the Crystal initiative with a certificate. The amount of credit was less than what the old Crystal owns me. I have asked them why and they have told me this amount was given to them by the assignee. I have asked the assignee and instead to tell me the reason for the lower amount of credit, they have told me to resubmit my claim! I have done it with very clear explanations of the amount due to me by Crystal. Since then, no more news from them. It is the never ending story… I am willing to give new Crystal a try and I have requested my travel agent to book a cruise for me. I hope things will get solved and I am looking forward to be on board the Serenity again. Ivi

Thank you so much for this information! Ivi

I have seen that all trains from the airport to Civitavecchia mean we have to go to Rome and change there. For example in Trastevere. I am somehow afraid of the strikes. How do we get the information if there is going to be a strike? Any advice of a company for a transfer? Ivi

Can somebody please recommend a reliable transfer company from Fiumicino to Civitavecchia? I have also tried to look at train tickets with train Italia but even though they provide the train schedules it is not possible to buy them online. How do we get the train tickets? Ivi

This thread is called “my changing opinion on sailing Explora “. I have to say my opinion about Explora has changed after the many cancellations. This is not a good way to start business … ivi

The reason they gave for the cancellation of my cruise is that the ship will stay in the Caribbean because of popular demand. Go figure… Ivi

I am quite disappointed about the cancellations. Of course the reason is probably that they are not selling enough cabins on those itineraries being cancelled. I am quite tired of cancellations from flights, trains, cruises… I need to have a reliable cruise line to book with. Even though they offer compensation, this compensation does not make up for the lost itinerary and it is not as generous because prices of cruises have already increased since my original booking. Ivi

Explora cancelled my cruise out of Brasil! 😠

The terminal Benito Quintela is in Buenos Aires! 😳 This is becoming ridiculous. Ivi

I am also interested on the answer to this question. Azamara is not answering calls anymore. Ivi

No. I do not know who she is. I knew a Tanya Roberts who was an actress but she passed away. Ivi

Thank you. I actually want to book a service. But I want to use my OBC and since it is not appearing, I am not able. I will see if my TA can contact Azamara and have it included and book the service. Ivi

Thanks for your post. With your explanation I have found the page. Ivi

Despite that on this email sent on April 28th, it mentions the OBC issues being fixed, unfortunately as of today May 13th the onboard credits are still not visible. Ivi

At the previous Azamara web page there was a category listed for solo discounts. I have looked at the new page for this category and it does not exist. Is this part of the issues that Azamara is having with the new web page or Azamara has dropped this category on purpose? Ivi

Unfortunately with many cruise lines their booking pages do not show the actual availability. It appears the cruise lines want to sell first the less attractive cabins (forward or back cabins). After some time they release other cabins. Can you input somewhere your preferred cabin number? Ivi

I see you have got good suggestions. Unfortunately the prices of the hotels in Italy have jumped up. I was trying to book a hotel for Rome for two nights before my cruise and several hotels are fully booked or are very expensive. Because of that, and having been in Rome several times for extended periods of time, I have decided to book at an airport hotel (Hilton) and transfer from there to Civitavechia. Even that hotel, which has quite disappointing reviews is selling at high prices. Supply and Demand 😔 Ivi