Latest news about Explora Journeys

[uktog]

19 hours ago, Roel94 said:

Wanted my birthday..when that was cancel I went over a year out.most ships are late. Ones thst are not have other problems. I can wait.

Given the reason for the problem, vessels launched a year ago or coming back out from dry dock a year ago are also affected.  The difference is they have "sailing certificates" but their owners will now realise these certificates could be withdrawn, they have a serious safety issue and can they continue sailing knowing key panels are now not considered to be fire retardant.

Explora were ready for guests (albeit probably with a few rough edges we would have tolerated.  The last 24 hours has been a roller coaster trying to find anything that would fit

[CB BOARDER]

According to the article, the shipyard was originally notified in May that one of Paroc's (manufacturer) fire retardant panel "models" lost certification. It wasn't until this week a 2nd style panel lost it's certification and the local distributor started recalling the panel(s).  The delay wasn't announced until after the 2nd panel failure which leads me to believe replacement panels weren't sourced until recently (which could be a little concerning). The article also states the panels are being recalled by the manufacturer (versus some governing body). I'll be interested to see how flag states and port of calls respond to this (if at all).

 

Very unfortunate for Explora, totally out of their control and the timing just plain sucks....

 

Edited July 8, 2023 by CB BOARDER

[uktog]

33 minutes ago, travelberlin said:

They have cancelled other cruises and have not offered a free cruise as compensation. It is like it is. In this case is a safety issue. In my case the cancellation was because apparently of popular demand they decided to stay in the Caribbean.

I was not a happy cruiser trying to find another itinerary to rebook and realizing that their “generous offer” was diminished by price increases.

Ivi

Yes they have cancelled other cruises but they were not happening in the immediate future, you had time on your side and was a standard redeployment in many ways. 

This is a very different situation, there are some guests already en route.  For those of us trying to find anything that works into the date its not a good situation. Whilst there might be last minute discount on elements of the holiday the airfares are through the roof and for us flying from a regional airport where the schools have just gone on holiday availability even being very flexible is virtually nil.  

A 30% voucher which you have to use in 12 months doesnt cut it, sorry

[travelberlin]

1 minute ago, uktog said:

Yes they have cancelled other cruises but they were not happening in the immediate future, you had time on your side and was a standard redeployment in many ways. 

This is a very different situation, there are some guests already en route.  For those of us trying to find anything that works into the date its not a good situation. Whilst there might be last minute discount on elements of the holiday the airfares are through the roof and for us flying from a regional airport where the schools have just gone on holiday availability even being very flexible is virtually nil.  

A 30% voucher which you have to use in 12 months doesnt cut it, sorry

I fully agree with you. 
They will refund all your costs. But in your case is the issue of not having time flexibility due to still working.

For me the cancellation of my cruise was also not painless. Several plans had to change because of that. But we are not competing about who suffers more in case of cancellations. I feel your pain and as I have said, I agree with you. And I wish you luck. I hope you will be able to book something you like. 
Azamara maybe?

Ivi

[uktog]

Thanks Ivi - unfortunately Azamara look like being unable to help partly because of issues with the agent being able to get a hold of someone who has sufficient knowledge to put the flights togehter

[Riocca]

6 minutes ago, uktog said:

Thanks Ivi - unfortunately Azamara look like being unable to help partly because of issues with the agent being able to get a hold of someone who has sufficient knowledge to put the flights togehter

Friends of ours booked this morning with Azamara U.K. complete with business class flights and transfers with no problem at all.

[uktog]

2 minutes ago, Riocca said:

Friends of ours booked this morning with Azamara U.K. complete with business class flights and transfers with no problem at all.

It is so frustrating because it is not working for our agent who is trying every combination - the business class flights for the two of us would have been around £2000 and  there was messing around with room availability so your friends are very lucky

Edited July 8, 2023 by uktog

[uktog]

28 minutes ago, uktog said:

It is so frustrating because it is not working for our agent who is trying every combination - the business class flights for the two of us would have been around £2000 and  there was messing around with room availability so your friends are very lucky

Just checked - it was £3800 for Europe - my TA pointed out we could currently get to New York business return for that 🙂 We both think the figures were wrong!

Edited July 8, 2023 by uktog

[Riocca]

9 minutes ago, uktog said:

Just checked - it was £3800 for Europe - my TA pointed out we could currently get to New York business return for that 🙂 We both think the figures were wrong!

Their’s are outbound Rome return Venice both LHR with BA Club Europe plus transfers for just under £2000 which they were happy with.

[CruiseCrew123]

It’s only a short hope to Rome or Venice - give economy a go 😉

[uktog]

Edinburgh to Athens return from Venice £3613 for two in business with BA or £2281 economy

Edited July 8, 2023 by uktog

[jjs217]

7 hours ago, machotspur said:

 

The FT article appears to be suggesting that there are 45 'boats' in operation with the faulty panels. (The article is not particularly well written though).  

Is there a way to find out which 45 ships have been installed with these faulty panels?

[FlyerTalker]

24 minutes ago, uktog said:

Edinburgh to Athens return from Venice £3613 for two in business with BA or £2281 economy

 

Just my two kopeks worth:

 

Within Europe, business class is rarely worth the stand alone pricing.  (And yes, when combined with intercontinental flights, it's another consideration.)  Your main benefit is that you get a higher luggage allowance, combined with an empty middle seat.  OTOH, you are still in a single-aisle aircraft with limited pitch - IIRC, BA gives you 30" spacing, which is not much. 

 

If you want a great flight research tool, try ITA Matrix (and it is NOT associated with the new Italian airline ITA):

 

matrix.itasoftware.com

 

You can't purchase through that site, but it does provide powerful search.  Use the "time bars" setting and you get a great feel for your travel experience.

 

If you give me dates, I can run it for you you.

 

 

 

 

[FlyerTalker]

5 minutes ago, jjs217 said:

Is there a way to find out which 45 ships have been installed with these faulty panels?

 

Fincantieri knows. And for a great number of reasons, likely won't be commenting with specifics.

 

Ask yourself - would you be telling the world which of your customers may have issues with their ships? 

 

 

[Dr. Cocktail]

3 minutes ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

Fincantieri knows. And for a great number of reasons, likely won't be commenting with specifics.

 

Ask yourself - would you be telling the world which of your customers may have issues with their ships? 

 

 

It's not just Fincatieri - it's Meyer and Chantiers de l'Atlantique!

[jjs217]

5 minutes ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

Fincantieri knows. And for a great number of reasons, likely won't be commenting with specifics.

 

Ask yourself - would you be telling the world which of your customers may have issues with their ships? 

 

 

Good point.  I was just wondering if I have a cruised booked on one of the impacted ships.  I'm guessing the "45" won't be able to sail with the faulty panels.

[daleandrews]

One has to hope that Explora has all the information concerning when it will receive replacement panels and how long it will take to substitute them and that this was carefully considered when they reported on the new delivery date.  The problem is, for all of us, this is unknown information.

 

I was on a Southwest flight once where the plane was indefinitely delayed.  After a few minutes a Southwest engineer came into the waiting area carrying a mechanical apparatus in his hands.  He asked for everyone's attention. We all gathered round and then he explained what the apparatus did during landing and explained that if there was a problem with it a light went off in the cockpit.  That had happened.  He explained that the problem was likely the light, not the apparatus, but that we couldn't take off until they knew for sure.  He told us what would be involved in finding this out and told us what the likely delay would be if it was the apparatus versus if it was the light.  Southwest then gave repeated updates on the process and ultimately reported on the repair made and we took off an hour or so late.  Nobody complained.  Everyone was calm.  That was because Southwest brought us into the process so we didn't sit around worrying out wild possibilities.  That's transparency.  For the life of me I can't figure out why companies don't generally understand that that is how to best approach a situation like this.

 

[uktog]

18 minutes ago, jjs217 said:

Is there a way to find out which 45 ships have been installed with these faulty panels?

You could get a clue last night on the Paroc website if you clicked on their marine references.  Interesting today they have taken the pages down but I do remember Royal Caribbean Advernture of the Seas was one

[FlyerTalker]

15 minutes ago, daleandrews said:

I was on a Southwest flight once where the plane was indefinitely delayed.  After a few minutes a Southwest engineer came into the waiting area carrying a mechanical apparatus in his hands.  He asked for everyone's attention. We all gathered round and then he explained what the apparatus did during landing and explained that if there was a problem with it a light went off in the cockpit.  That had happened.  He explained that the problem was likely the light, not the apparatus, but that we couldn't take off until they knew for sure.  He told us what would be involved in finding this out and told us what the likely delay would be if it was the apparatus versus if it was the light.  Southwest then gave repeated updates on the process and ultimately reported on the repair made and we took off an hour or so late.  Nobody complained.  Everyone was calm.  That was because Southwest brought us into the process so we didn't sit around worrying out wild possibilities.  That's transparency.  For the life of me I can't figure out why companies don't generally understand that that is how to best approach a situation like this.

 

 

Why?  I'll tell you.

 

When there is an irops situation, the priorities are to first identify the problem, then repair the problem, then document the repair, then get revised dispatch documentation and clearance and then send the aircraft on its way.  In most all cases, the people who have the technical knowledge to properly explain the situation are busy working on the problem.  There aren't extra people with that knowledge just sitting around and able to become PR spokesmen.  Further, gate agents are usually incapable of technical explanations and thus give the standard "they are working on a mechanical issue".

 

Going onward, there are few situations where it is a simple binary "it's either A or B".  Most times, it's a troubleshooting process where it could be A.  And if not A, then it's time to find out if it is B, C, D or even E.  Sometimes the problem can be merely written up for future maintenance, sometimes it's a MEL (Minimum Equipment List) issue where the aircraft can't fly unless a specified system is 100%.  And then, you have the question of once they find what replacement part is needed, is it in stock at that location.

 

You were probably VERY lucky to have both extra staff available along with a piece of equipment to demonstrate.  I've never seen that in millions of miles of air travel.

 

 

[Dr. Cocktail]

1 hour ago, uktog said:

You could get a clue last night on the Paroc website if you clicked on their marine references.  Interesting today they have taken the pages down but I do remember Royal Caribbean Advernture of the Seas was one

and Oasis!

[steamboats]

1 hour ago, jjs217 said:

Is there a way to find out which 45 ships have been installed with these faulty panels?

 

It's not just cruise ships but also other type of ships (ferries, cargo vessels...).

 

1 hour ago, Dr. Cocktail said:

It's not just Fincatieri - it's Meyer and Chantiers de l'Atlantique!

 

Meyer has not used this type of panels.

 

steamboats 

[steamboats]

18 minutes ago, Dr. Cocktail said:

and Oasis!

Oasis was buildt by STX Finland (now Meyer Turku) and in 2009. The affected panels have been certified since 2020. Therefore also the Adventure of the Seas is not affected.

 

steamboats 

[morpheusofthesea]

2 minutes ago, steamboats said:

Meyer has not used this type of panels.

That's what they say at the present time. 

[steamboats]

21 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

That's what they say at the present time. 

 

That´s the official statement by Meyer. They did not use this specific kind of panel on their newbuildts. They are using poducts by Paroc but not the one which lost their certificate.

 

steamboats

[saminina]

2 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

Within Europe, business class is rarely worth the stand alone pricing.  (And yes, when combined with intercontinental flights, it's another consideration.)  Your main benefit is that you get a higher luggage allowance, combined with an empty middle seat.  OTOH, you are still in a single-aisle aircraft with limited pitch - IIRC, BA gives you 30" spacing, which is not much. 

Add:  Priority security line, lounge access, maybe some food to chew.