boooomer Posted July 10 #1 Share Posted July 10 Im monitoring the occupancy of the cruise were booked on Explora II for Dec 6 14 day B2B Mia Bridgetown Mia. With the exception of the base PH and Owner’s Residence almost all the other PH and Residences are vacant. And that’s for the 14 day. There’s probably even more avaialble on the individual legs We were upgraded once (for a nominal fee) from PH to Oceania Suite on the new at the time Marina. That was an unexpected treat. Bernie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrivateIdaho Posted July 10 #2 Share Posted July 10 (edited) We were upgraded due to maintenance issues with our AC. But haven’t heard of complimentary upgrades. My understanding is that EJ still hasn’t started a frequent cruiser program. Perhaps upgrades will be offered when that program starts. Edited July 10 by PrivateIdaho Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlawyer50 Posted July 10 #3 Share Posted July 10 3 hours ago, boooomer said: Im monitoring the occupancy of the cruise were booked on Explora II for Dec 6 14 day B2B Mia Bridgetown Mia. With the exception of the base PH and Owner’s Residence almost all the other PH and Residences are vacant. And that’s for the 14 day. There’s probably even more avaialble on the individual legs We were upgraded once (for a nominal fee) from PH to Oceania Suite on the new at the time Marina. That was an unexpected treat. Bernie How do you monitor the occupancy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boooomer Posted July 10 Author #4 Share Posted July 10 43 minutes ago, dlawyer50 said: How do you monitor the occupancy? By going to Explora’s website, picking the cruise we’re on and go to book a particular type of stateroom. The website will then show the available state rooms. It’s tedious ans you can only do one type of stateroom at a time; and they tend to show a maximum of 10 staterooms at anyone time. So it’s not that accurate for the OTs, but more accurate for the limited number of PH and Residences. The numbers haven’t changed since we booked almost a month ago. I’m sure TAs have software that’s more accurate. From posts on cruise critic - some folks expressed concern that the Explora style of restaurants smaller more intimate venues and the cooked to order buffet might not work if the ship is fully booked. So I'm monitoring the cruise. What im seeing is counter to other cruises I’ve booked where the higher end suites sell out first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Dr. Cocktail Posted July 10 #5 Share Posted July 10 1 hour ago, PrivateIdaho said: We were upgraded due to maintenance issues with our AC. But haven’t heard of complimentary upgrades. My understanding is that EJ still hasn’t started a frequent cruiser program. Perhaps upgrades will be offered when that program starts. Same here .... we were upgraded from a PH to a higher category PP because of a noise issue. But to the best of my knowledge, there are currently no complimentary or paid upgrades available. (If I was going to be technically 100% accurate, if you book a PH, you get the next higher category of PH) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlawyer50 Posted July 10 #6 Share Posted July 10 2 hours ago, boooomer said: By going to Explora’s website, picking the cruise we’re on and go to book a particular type of stateroom. The website will then show the available state rooms. It’s tedious ans you can only do one type of stateroom at a time; and they tend to show a maximum of 10 staterooms at anyone time. So it’s not that accurate for the OTs, but more accurate for the limited number of PH and Residences. The numbers haven’t changed since we booked almost a month ago. I’m sure TAs have software that’s more accurate. From posts on cruise critic - some folks expressed concern that the Explora style of restaurants smaller more intimate venues and the cooked to order buffet might not work if the ship is fully booked. So I'm monitoring the cruise. What im seeing is counter to other cruises I’ve booked where the higher end suites sell out first. Thanks Boooomer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Sthrngary Posted July 10 #7 Share Posted July 10 6 hours ago, boooomer said: Im monitoring the occupancy of the cruise were booked on Explora II for Dec 6 14 day B2B Mia Bridgetown Mia. With the exception of the base PH and Owner’s Residence almost all the other PH and Residences are vacant. And that’s for the 14 day. There’s probably even more avaialble on the individual legs We were upgraded once (for a nominal fee) from PH to Oceania Suite on the new at the time Marina. That was an unexpected treat. Bernie @boooomer Hello there. You are comparing two very different cruise brands. Oceania Cruise on the newly renovated Marina and Explora Journey on their newest ship the Explora II. On Oceania Cruises, I did get an upgrade from a Penthouse to a Vista Suite on the Riviera in October 2023 for a 10 day European cruise. There was a cost to me but I was offered the upgrade due to an issue. I was offered an Upgrade from Crystal Cruise just before the cruise left just after they began cruising again when covid started to get better. Just like your experience with Oceania, there was a reasonable upgrade fee. My first Explora Journey Cruise is on Explora I in February 2025. That cruise is now wide open. Just like you, I am hoping to score a upgrade for a small or reasonable fee. My gut tells me complementary upgrades will not be offered. I have done all my due diligence to attempt to find out who I have to share my paid upgrade request with. I am coming up empty. I hope this topic stays active so if a process becomes put into place, those that want to participate, have the opportunity. Thank you for posting. Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KJB416 Posted July 11 #8 Share Posted July 11 I’ve asked twice just before my cruises about an upgrade and a fully paid upgrade is all that’s been offered. It never hurts to ask though, you never know when things might change. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boooomer Posted July 11 Author #9 Share Posted July 11 17 hours ago, KJB416 said: I’ve asked twice just before my cruises about an upgrade and a fully paid upgrade is all that’s been offered. It never hurts to ask though, you never know when things might change. Great thought thank you. Who makes the decision once you’re on Board? The cruise I booked is actually two legs. At the moment the second leg has most of the upper penthouses and residences as vacant. I know its highly unusual but maybe a mid cruise change? There’s one Deluxe Penthouse with an aft view that really looks nice. The view over the aft pool is special. It’s not avaialble on the first leg. But open on the second leg. and the cost differential on the second leg is $200. However, as I think about it, the dispatcher might not approve of moving. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Dr. Cocktail Posted July 11 #10 Share Posted July 11 (edited) I think 🤔 that there are two big things at play here… 1) With many cabins available in the OT category, there’s no reason to get people to free up their existing cabin for others to book. That’s a big thing about upgrades - they’re a double benefit for the company - “resell” the existing cabin and make money on the upgrade. 2) At this early stage of the game for Explora, you don’t want to “train” people to not pay full price for a PH and above. They want to preserve the value (different use of the word) of these big suites. I’m seeing this now on Air Canada and their upgrade bid program. The minimum bids to upgrade are not much less than if I had paid for Business Class in the first place. On my recent flights to and from Europe, they left plenty of seats empty in Biz. . Edited July 11 by Dr. Cocktail 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KJB416 Posted July 11 #11 Share Posted July 11 I agree with Dr. C on this and Explora would rather have the higher end suites empty than offer any “upgrade” at a discount. In regard to who to talk to once on the ship, good luck with that. Whomever it is, they will have to run it by corporate to get it approved. Nothing happens on that ship when it comes to money that is not decided by Geneva or where ever their headquarters are located. On my disembarkation, I found they double charged my spa treatment. It was a gift from my FIL and the spa made a big deal about how sweet it was bc it was my birthday. Well, he got charged and I got charged for it and it took over 30 minutes with the Explora guest services person on the phone, having to repeat several times what happened as though it was really complicated to get my charge refunded. They charged both of us and one of us needed to be refunded. Simple. But it took over 30 minutes. It was just embarrassing for the ambassador and I felt so bad for him. He never lost his cool though and just kept reiterating what had happened and I needed to be refunded. This is the stuff I really don’t like about Explora. They control the ship from afar way too much. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare PaulMCO Posted July 11 #12 Share Posted July 11 This is not NCL, Carnival or RCI... Paid upgrade -- yes but at full or near full price. Those empty PH's are reserved for the influencers or TA's to impress. 🙂 There was one braggart YouTuber in Crema who got upgraded. Very loud and of course several paying guests just shook their heads. I did meet one person at embarkation who got upgraded to a Cove from a Grand PH with some additional $$. He had his TA call them a few weeks before the cruise and they gave him an offer. That would be my suggestion. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boooomer Posted July 12 Author #13 Share Posted July 12 Thank you all for the valuable info! My personal experience with upgrades were with Holland and Oceania. Two dramatically different companies. And as others point out - both with well established policies. On Oceania, our first cruise I paid full retail for a PH with a TA closely aligned with O. Through the TA Oceania offered the O Suite at a modest increase and we took it. Different experiences with Holland. Both booked at significant discounts directly with HAL. In the first instance the original booking was a “free” guarantee stateroom (I expected an interior) - just pay the port fees, taxes, and the drink package. This was offered to 4* & 5* mariners. A week before departure, HAL assigned me a balcony stateroom on a high deck forward - a beautiful stateroom, but a problem for anyone that suffers from sea sickness. When I called HAL they offed me a Signature Suite mid ship. For a very modest fee - less than one k for an 11 day holiday cruise.. When that ship sailed it was at 110% capacity. The second instance is our cruise this coming November - also deeply discounted fare directly with HAL. A Grty balcony. I asked what it would cost to upgrade to a Neptune Suite. HAL offered it at the same discounted rate and I only paid the difference between the two discounted rates. And I’m across from the Neptune Lounge - their prime location. In both instances with HAL the HAL associate had the authority to make the upgrade. And had the prices instantly. It’s not their first rodeo. Because I’m booked with a TA on this cruise, I probably will have to go through him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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