For all questions regarding Explora

[PaulMCO]

5 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

 

We also have a decent On Board Credit, so decided to look at some of the excursions.  But other posters have mentioned that if you book in advance (prior to getting on the ship) you will immediately be charged (to your credit card) for the excursions.  There have also been posts that EJ will not later (once onboard) allow cruisers to use their OBC for excursions booked prior to the cruise.  ARGH.  On some other lines, such as Seabourn, it is a simple matter to have OBC applied to previously booked excursions and a credit issued to one's credit card for the previouls charge.

 

Hank

My TA confirmed the OBC issue and no way to get credit for pre booked excursions.   Said it was a complaint heard by HQ and that they are working on this  (??).  Maybe they want you to use the OBC in the Rolex shop  🙂

[morpheusofthesea]

What negative waves?

[Waltershipman]

22 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Called EJ, this morning, about making dinner reservations for our Sept 25 cruise.  The "ambassador" quickly took care of our requests for reservations in Marble and Company as well as Sakura.  She than mentioned Anthology and asked if we wanted to make a reservation...at which point I asked her "who is the guest chef."  She could not find any information about the identity of the chef. but said she would try to get an answer and send me an e-mail.  Bottom line is that a month before a cruise they do not seem to have a clue.  There is also no way to make dinner reservations online...which should be a simple process.  I should add that the only reason we even knew to make advance reservations was from the info we found on this CC blog.  EJ has sent us no communication or info about reservations and there is no info on the web site about when/how to make advance restaurant reservations.

 

We also have a decent On Board Credit, so decided to look at some of the excursions.  But other posters have mentioned that if you book in advance (prior to getting on the ship) you will immediately be charged (to your credit card) for the excursions.  There have also been posts that EJ will not later (once onboard) allow cruisers to use their OBC for excursions booked prior to the cruise.  ARGH.  On some other lines, such as Seabourn, it is a simple matter to have OBC applied to previously booked excursions and a credit issued to one's credit card for the previouls charge.

 

Hank

Emma Bengtsson is a Swedish chef who holds two Michelin stars at the New York City based restaurant Aquavit. She is the first female Swedish chef to win two stars, and only the second female chef based in the United States to do so.

 

I think she may be next Anthology chef

[Waltershipman]

19 minutes ago, PaulMCO said:

My TA confirmed the OBC issue and no way to get credit for pre booked excursions.   Said it was a complaint heard by HQ and that they are working on this  (??).  Maybe they want you to use the OBC in the Rolex shop  🙂

Hank when do you board i board october 3 in quebec

[Dr. Cocktail]

30 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

  She than mentioned Anthology and asked if we wanted to make a reservation...at which point I asked her "who is the guest chef." 

 

7 minutes ago, Waltershipman said:

Emma Bengtsson is a Swedish chef who holds two Michelin stars at the New York City based restaurant Aquavit. She is the first female Swedish chef to win two stars, and only the second female chef based in the United States to do so.

 

I think she may be next Anthology chef

She was confirmed earlier in the year ..... the current chef finishes September 25 so unsure she and her crew will start immediately.....🤷‍♂️

 

They HAVE confirmed this chef as a stand-in if required:

 

[saminina]

1 hour ago, crickette said:

These are the words that led us to believe that Explora was going to position itself outside the luxury market.  "Explora Journeys is transforming luxury cruises into ocean journeys which inspire you to travel further, immerse deeper and linger a little longer. Embracing enticing destinations to create lifelong memories."  and "(the)brand that redefines the luxury cruise category".

 

 

And to meet that ends, we have decided to go with seven day itineraries.

 

Defining luxury, ultra, premium, whatever, is best left to the individual doing the booking.

I would never slot SS, SB, with H-L....or even Crystal.  Advertising your product as ultra luxury does not make it one.  And those that are closer to ultra do not market themselves as such.   Where Explora fits is TBD.  I'm trusting they shake the MSC mentality sooner than later. 

[dolls123]

10 hours ago, Whipsnade said:

Here is the deal on the free laundry direct from the director of housekeeping.

You are permitted one bag of laundry free per seven day cruise segment. So no more sending out two or three pieces per day. I think best strategy to send out a bag on day four or five. Always another way to skin a cat, right?

She also told me there are many luxury cruisers who are complaining about laundry, fruit and in suite no table cloth policies. She is trying to get MSC to modify policies to confirm to what all of us Crystals, Regents, Seabourns abd Silverseas are accustomed to. Getting resistance from headquarters. 
Even though I have my petty gripes I must say the ship is beautiful.

Food in every venue excellent and presented beautifully.

Center pool under magrodome biggest lap pool on the ocean.

Forward lounge on top deck best designed of any ship we have sailed. Outdoor and indoor lounges and chairs. 

 

 

Penthouse guests: 1 bag per person? and was the pressing free (up to 48 hours of check in) ?

[Whipsnade]

Haven’t tried the pressing. 

[Whipsnade]

Yes all PH categories one bag per suite on each seven day cruise. 

[dolls123]

17 minutes ago, Whipsnade said:

Yes all PH categories one bag per suite on each seven day cruise. 

So they changed it? Website says 1 bag per person 

[java spot]

Hit the nail on the head here. The copywriters for their advertising are trying so hard to write what they think are compelling luxurious images. I find their text to be completely tone-deaf to the audience they think they are persuading. 

[Nunagoras]

2 hours ago, saminina said:

 

And to meet that ends, we have decided to go with seven day itineraries.

 

Defining luxury, ultra, premium, whatever, is best left to the individual doing the booking.

I would never slot SS, SB, with H-L....or even Crystal.  Advertising your product as ultra luxury does not make it one.  And those that are closer to ultra do not market themselves as such.   Where Explora fits is TBD.  I'm trusting they shake the MSC mentality sooner than later. 

Tastes are subjective. Quality and feature sense is still objective. You can't have the same service standards and features at a 700 pax ship compared to a 1000 of comparable tonnage. Explora inserted themselves to the 1000, and as far as I can tell, they're minimally delivering that service quality. Try to watch the full videos for the likes of SB, SS, RSS and compare them to the few ones on E. No matter the sophistication level of the wonderful atrium and lobby bar... What the videos show is a different market target. E will likely to be popular among 35-55 entry luxury level individuals whom still have a job and want some distinctiveness on their holidays... But, please don't compare that to the likes of SB, SS, RSS. You can compare them to the likes of OC, VO, AZ though. When I learnt they were going with a prototype akin to VO's one with same shipyard I became with that real impression... But Ok, I used to be a bank's market analyst myself... Maybe extreme sensivity!...

[morpheusofthesea]

Appears from reports on social media that Explora 1 is falling a little short on what is expected from a "luxury" cruise line. Perhaps more important is the space ratio of the ship to other ships in the "luxury" category and if the 1:1 ratio of guest to staff is up to what it supposed to be. If these ratios are consistent with luxury industry standards then the only fault has to be not properly "curated" (expert oversight and organized by a professional). Suppose this is just another case of 'learning on the fly'. 

P.S. I recall hearing stories of the Celebrity Edge debut that the first sailings, before the public were allowed to be sold, were of restaurant staff waiting on privileged crew to ' get the bugs out so to speak' before paying passengers. Just have to thank these foolhardy retail guests for their wanting to be 'guinea pigs' for the rest of us.

Edited August 29, 2023 by morpheusofthesea
P.S.

[saminina]

49 minutes ago, Nunagoras said:

 Try to watch the full videos for the likes of SB, SS, RSS and compare them to the few ones on E.

 

Will pass on suggestion watching videos of other lines.  I have watched a couple for E and agree with your mindset.

[Nunagoras]

34 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Appears from reports on social media that Explora 1 is falling a little short on what is expected from a "luxury" cruise line. Perhaps more important is the space ratio of the ship to other ships in the "luxury" category and if the 1:1 ratio of guest to staff is up to what it supposed to be. If these ratios are consistent with luxury industry standards then the only fault has to be not properly "curated" (expert oversight and organized by a professional). Suppose this is just another case of 'learning on the fly'. 

P.S. I recall hearing stories of the Celebrity Edge debut that the first sailings, before the public were allowed to be sold, were of restaurant staff waiting on privileged crew to ' get the bugs out so to speak' before paying passengers. Just have to thank these foolhardy retail guests for their wanting to be 'guinea pigs' for the rest of us.

Sadly this. I couldn't have said it better... But I want to make things as diplomatic as possible... Surely, the hardware is impressive... But actually it needs a few bug fixes: For example: If they have a sushi counter at the Marketplace, why not a few more tables at Sakura and all of them slightly more separated instead of a sushi bar? Same for Med YC: Why that lounge lobby inside a restaurant, when there are lots of lounge space just outside at a bearable distance? A few more tables and the ones still there a bit more separated would to do wonders in service quality, and they still can do it at a nearly no cost.

 

Regarding the software; I wouldn't comment for now: They need some months to make it up to par with the industry. I'd comment later on.

[Whipsnade]

They will do well with this ship on 7 day cruises out if Dubai. 
This cruise Southampton to NYC is our first  and probably last. We hate 7 day cruises. 
However with some of my gripes about laundry and bkfst room service I must say the dining has been outstanding. The new concept of replacing main dining room with six specialty restaurants is working well. Choices, food and presentation are excellent. 
Muzak everywhere is annoying as are the giant screens showing Explora commercials. 
Shore excursions are routine. Nothing special. Shorex staff is minimal and tours are 70% empty. I guess all the three and four day pax are not touring. 
They are definitely going for younger affluent pax on short  trips rather than us old timers who stay on board for months at a time. 
BTW, no cruise director!  So no Happy Warrior playing court jester. 

[goldengatecruisers]

1 hour ago, Whipsnade said:

Muzak everywhere is annoying as are the giant screens showing Explora commercials. 
 

I was not expecting muzak to be played around the ship.  Do you mean in passenger corridors, elevator banks, walking from venue to venue?  Can you please be more specific about where this is played.   Also your comment about giant screens showing Explora commercials.  Would this be in the Conservatory?  From watching a few videos on line I think there may be large screens in the Astern Lounge and possibly one more elsewhere, but I can't place it at the moment.   Are these commercials played with volume so it interrupts enjoyment of the venue?   I am thinking relaxing by the indoor pool would be marred by a promotional video being played over loudspeakers and dominating the atmosphere on the screen.   I would appreciate more specifics to help understand where and when we would encounter this.  Thank you very much for your ongoing observations during your time on board.

Edited August 29, 2023 by goldengatecruisers

[bitob]

This all sounds pretty awful to me. 
cancelling. 
I am not their target customer

[Whipsnade]

Muzak in halls, elevators and all public areas. Not in cabins unless you turn it on. 
large screens astern, central atrium and journeys lounge. No sound, just a three min continuous video loop promoting Explora. Very annoying. 

[uktog]

Muzak is a cheap deal breaker- but I’m stuck with vouchers because they messed me around so much and continue to do so

[Dr. Cocktail]

13 hours ago, goldengatecruisers said:

I was not expecting muzak to be played around the ship.  Do you mean in passenger corridors, elevator banks, walking from venue to venue? 

 

8 hours ago, bitob said:

This all sounds pretty awful to me. 
cancelling. 
I am not their target customer

 

3 hours ago, Whipsnade said:

Muzak in halls, elevators and all public areas. Not in cabins unless you turn it on. 
large screens astern, central atrium and journeys lounge. No sound, just a three min continuous video loop promoting Explora. Very annoying. 

 

1 hour ago, uktog said:

Muzak is a cheap deal breaker- but I’m stuck with vouchers because they messed me around so much and continue to do so

Sorry but terrible Costco level Muzak played EVERYWHERE on Seven Seas Splendor!!!

 

It’s particularly bad in all the restaurants.

Edited August 30, 2023 by Dr. Cocktail

[morpheusofthesea]

Sorry, it 'sounds' like 'nitpicking' to complain about the type of background music piped throughout the ship. For someone to cancel a booking over this sort of observation is ridiculous. It must be 'buyer's remorse' from the start and someone is just looking for any excuse to cancel. We actually look forward to the Muzak played in the YC Restaurant; "Sweet & Lovely" by Keely Smith is an 'earworm' that brings back fond memories of dining there. Pieces by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, etc., beacon back to the nostalgic days of fine dining and cruising. (At least they beacon us back to those days). It is subtle nuances like the type of background music that trigger later in life fond memories (in some, in others it appears nightmares).

[uktog]

11 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Sorry, it 'sounds' like 'nitpicking' to complain about the type of background music piped throughout the ship. For someone to cancel a booking over this sort of observation is ridiculous. It must be 'buyer's remorse' from the start and someone is just looking for any excuse to cancel. We actually look forward to the Muzak played in the YC Restaurant; "Sweet & Lovely" by Keely Smith is an 'earworm' that brings back fond memories of dining there. Pieces by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, etc., beacon back to the nostalgic days of fine dining and cruising. (At least they beacon us back to those days). It is subtle nuances like the type of background music that trigger later in life fond memories (in some, in others it appears nightmares).

I’m not cancelling I just will review booking Muzak plus the daily hop on hop off guest regime. I’ve had it on MSC yacht club. It’s not for me

[saminina]

Muzak might be something MSC/YC passengers enjoy.  Not so much for folks sailing Crystal/SB/SS/H-L.   Further proof target demo lies elsewhere.

[Dr. Cocktail]

5 minutes ago, saminina said:

Muzak might be something MSC/YC passengers enjoy.  Not so much for folks sailing Crystal/SB/SS/H-L.   Further proof target demo lies elsewhere.

Please read my post #196!!!!