For all questions regarding Explora

[Host Jazzbeau]

4 hours ago, Dr. Cocktail said:

Cruise Industry New is reporting that: "The Explora III will launch in summer 2026 and be the first of Explora Journeys’ four luxury vessels to be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), the world’s cleanest maritime fuel available at scale that plays a key role towards the decarbonization of international shipping"

 

That is, four vessels powered by LNG.

That isn't the only way to read that quote.  The first of four vessels [total] to be powered by LNG – i.e. #1 and #2 are not LNG, #3 and #4 will be LNG.  Or you could be right – I wouldn't put down a bet on either interpretation.

[Catlover54]

5 hours ago, bitob said:

I hope he is reading these boards

If he doesn't fix the problems he will never fill those ships.

 

"Incredibly positive feedback"- hilarious

 

The reference is to "guests, travel advisors, and media" but it seems most of the positives have been travel advisors and media, or guests with a more restrained and balanced view (which doesn't mean they didn't enjoy their cruise, some exceptions who clearly hated it). 

Do travel advisors and media *ever*  write negative reports about a [comped] cruise they have been on? It doesn't mean that positive reviews by them are wrong and untrue, it just inspires skepticism in me when they drool, just like strikingly positive over the top reviews about a line written by their main cheerleaders (who often receive other indirect benefits) inspire skepticism.  

 

And yet I always hope the gaga travel advisors, media, and cheerleaders are right about how wonderful things are .  As someone who mixes and matches lines and is always exploring alternatives, I am delighted that sometimes things turn out to be even more wonderful than expected, though not necessarily in the way you thought it would be.

 

I'm holding off on Explora for now as my dance card is pretty full for a year or so and I have no interest in some of their destinations on dates  I could squeeze in a quickie. I'll give them time to sweep their biggest dust bunnies under their designer rugs, and then I will probably book even though I won't be able to get a bath tub and the view of the sea from the bed will be partially obscured by a bookshelf 🙂

[florisdekort]

We’ve decided the same as Catlover54 and are holding off on any further Explora bookings (following our upcoming Explora I cruise on 20 October) as the new itineraries are of no interest to us. We were keen to look beyond Seabourn but finally locked in our plans for 2024 today and… it’s all Seabourn. Let’s see what 2025 brings. 
 

 

[Mr Luxury]

11 hours ago, Dr. Cocktail said:

Explora pays more than anyone else so I sincerely doubt it!

Money isn't everything.

 

[Chris1981NL]

20 hours ago, Mr Luxury said:

Not enough FCC

What a start for EJ

They looked so promising.

Isn't that the risk of booking a cruise? Especially with tender ports? Safety first. Weather on the way to Iceland looks very bad I do understand why adjusting the final days.

[Whipsnade]

Even though I am not a Rolex guy, I will stop by the shop and  inquire today. 
We are now two days to Rejkavik instead of one due to Lerwick cancellation. So an extra day to enjoy the wonderful pool, right?  Wrong. They chose today to do “maintenance”.  Not sure what that means. No notice how long pool will be closed. 
Sea amazingly calm making this crossing like a pond. Have made this trip in 30 foot seas. 
Anyone want to comment on the safety of LNG ships?  How often do they need to refuel?  Will there be enough terminals worldwide?  Just curious. 

[Nunagoras]

5 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

That isn't the only way to read that quote.  The first of four vessels [total] to be powered by LNG – i.e. #1 and #2 are not LNG, #3 and #4 will be LNG.  Or you could be right – I wouldn't put down a bet on either interpretation.

Yeah! That is the confusing part. I'm not an English native speaking, so I didn't assume that possible nuance... But yes, the quote has such a possible double meaning for sure... I'm with you!...

[Mr Luxury]

1 hour ago, Chris1981NL said:

Isn't that the risk of booking a cruise? Especially with tender ports? Safety first. Weather on the way to Iceland looks very bad I do understand why adjusting the final days.

The weather will always dictate but EJ have plenty of issues of their own doing going on.

[Nunagoras]

1 hour ago, Chris1981NL said:

Isn't that the risk of booking a cruise? Especially with tender ports? Safety first. Weather on the way to Iceland looks very bad I do understand why adjusting the final days.

That it. I have only 8 Ocean cruises under my belt and 1 port entirely cancelled and another changed on 2 of those cruises. Safety first.

[Whipsnade]

Weather crossing from Faroes to Iceland so far calm as a mill pond (almost). I have been here in 30 footers. Foggy and misty. We are blowing our fog horn. Not sure what we are avoiding out here. Maybe an errant whale. 

[Jratlanta]

….an errant whale. LOL and well played.  Thank you for visiting Rolex.  Unfortunate the solarium pool is closed for maintenance; presume it was scheduled in advance as it makes little sense to close the pool to guests in poor weather.  I look forward to your balanced reports and wish you a fantastic remainder of your cruise. 

[Mr Luxury]

1 hour ago, Whipsnade said:

Weather crossing from Faroes to Iceland so far calm as a mill pond (almost). I have been here in 30 footers. Foggy and misty. We are blowing our fog horn. Not sure what we are avoiding out here. Maybe an errant whale. 

That'll be fog horn testing.

[Whipsnade]

If there is no one out there to hear it does it still make a loud noise?

[morpheusofthesea]

17 hours ago, Dr. Cocktail said:

Explora pays more than anyone else so I sincerely doubt it!

 

[AtA]

21 hours ago, Nunagoras said:

Yeah! Crystal is quite surprisingly attracting their former workers back.

It's well over 80%.

I follow a Brazilian influencer with thousands of viewers and a pretty good sponsor base whom has been out of working on ships since he exited the Crystal Symphony due to the pandemic, and he said he couldn't resist the call to work alongside his wife on the return of the Crystal Symphony to the high seas. I believe he has signed a 6 months contract, quite short considering the usual in the industry.

That's a standard contract for Crystal. Maybe that's one of the reasons so many have returned. 

Maybe both him and the company were just interested on current cruising region and season? Whatever else, on their last video it was evident their pride to just return what they called home, and their emotion while entering the ship again!...

That feeling was there for both crew and those of us who love sailing with them. The feeling of coming home.

Capturing good crews at this ship size industry level would be top priority. No matter from one comes. What matters is that the good ones do stick with the company.

When you treat crew with respect, they respond in kind. I heard some not so nice stories from the crew of their time on the other "luxury" lines. The lack of respect being a top issue.

Let's see what Crystal will be able to do now. I have listened elsewhere they'll to build some new ships... But new ships require time.

They are planning on building 4 new ships; two expedition ships and two ocean ships. They expect all 4 to be sailing by 2029 with them starting with the first expedition ship and first ocean ship.

For now they have out of standard old ones.

Those old ones are wonderful. I prefer them because of their central atrium and the walking track. That central atrium is where so much action takes place.

 

[AtA]

20 hours ago, Dr. Cocktail said:

It’s been all over the web how much Explora is paying in crew blogs and such. 

 

Actually , how do YOU know that Explora crew are not being treated well?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I didn't say they're not. I'm implying that money isn't everything. I know many who returned to Crystal, and took pay cuts because they were not treated with respect at the other lines they went to work for when Crystal went bust.

[AtA]

18 hours ago, Dr. Cocktail said:

and our first LNG powered ship Explora III.

I thought all the ships were supposed to be powered by LNG. At least that's what I recall from their first ads

[bitob]

The old ships are a dealbreaker for many

Not for Crystal devotees

 

Nice to have choices.

[Stickman1990]

9 hours ago, AtA said:

I thought all the ships were supposed to be powered by LNG. At least that's what I recall from their first ads

No the first two are conventional and I’ve never seen Explora advertise or mention anything different than that 

[Whipsnade]

22 hours ago, Jratlanta said:

….an errant whale. LOL and well played.  Thank you for visiting Rolex.  Unfortunate the solarium pool is closed for maintenance; presume it was scheduled in advance as it makes little sense to close the pool to guests in poor weather.  I look forward to your balanced reports and wish you a fantastic remainder of your cruise. 

Seem to have lost your Rolex query. Please send again. 

[Jratlanta]

Asking if the Rolex shop has inventory to sell? Specifically, does the shop still pick submariner, GMT and Daytona models?  Again, very appreciative of you and all you’ve shared on Explora l.  

Edited September 8, 2023 by Jratlanta

[morpheusofthesea]

1 hour ago, Jratlanta said:

Asking if the Rolex shop has inventory to sell? Specifically, does the shop still pick submariner, GMT and Daytona models?  Again, very appreciative of you and all you’ve shared on Explora l.  

There is another gentleman on another social media site that published this short review that might help you.

"I have one more topic for today. It might not interest many or all, but I allow myself to write about it. Regarding the available shops, you've probably all noticed that there are four luxury outlets on the ship, offering Piaget, Rolex, Cartier, and Panerai. The crowds seem to be relatively small, as far as I could observe from occasional passing by both in the ship's own shop (Journey) and the probably most well recognized Rolex shop. The Rolex shop offers on a few days models that are rarely available elsewhere and sometimes require years of waiting. There are a few rules here as well. Firstly, different models are featured every day, maximum 12. Currently (subject to change), only three watches per day can be sold, out of these 12 watches.. You can buy a maximum of one Rolex per cabin and journey (not per leg). If you have your eye on a specific Rolex, it's quite challenging, and you might have to rely on luck. Planning a vacation around it might not be advisable. But anyway enjoy your shopping..."

Edited September 8, 2023 by morpheusofthesea

[Jratlanta]

Morph, Thank you for sharing!  This information is exactly what I was curious to know.  

[Hlitner]

That sounds completely nutz!  Shops are there to sell merchandise and it seems strange for them to set ridiculous rules, if they have inventory.  Perhaps the better solution is to take a cruise to Kusadasi, go the the "Genuine Fake Watches" store where you can likely buy the "rare" Rolex for about $10 :).

 

Now, I know this sounds silly but true story.  A few years ago, DW and I were at that store (in Kusadasi) and bought her Dad a Real Fake Rolex Daytona for less than $10.  It did look real and actually ran.  He wore that watch to work and a few folks noticed.  He mentioned that his daughter had bought it as a gift which impressed some folks :).

 

Hank

[Waltershipman]

19 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

That sounds completely nutz!  Shops are there to sell merchandise and it seems strange for them to set ridiculous rules, if they have inventory.  Perhaps the better solution is to take a cruise to Kusadasi, go the the "Genuine Fake Watches" store where you can likely buy the "rare" Rolex for about $10 :).

 

Now, I know this sounds silly but true story.  A few years ago, DW and I were at that store (in Kusadasi) and bought her Dad a Real Fake Rolex Daytona for less than $10.  It did look real and actually ran.  He wore that watch to work and a few folks noticed.  He mentioned that his daughter had bought it as a gift which impressed some folks :).

 

Hank

Our experience in Kusadasi was sitting in a tent for about 4 hours and coming home with a beautiful Turkish rug  lol and true