CanadianGuy2018 Posted July 19 #1 Share Posted July 19 I am writing to express my extreme frustration and disappointment with the service and communication I have received from Explora Journeys. In January 2024, I booked a cruise for my spouse, myself, and my mother-in-law. Before booking, I asked numerous questions about pricing, policies, fees, cancellation, and more. I took careful notes of all the answers provided by the agent and decided to book the cruise based on the information given. Fast forward to July 2024, I noticed that the pricing for our cruise had dropped substantially. On Friday, July 12, I called and spoke to a representative for over 32 minutes to inquire about getting the better pricing. The agent explained the cancellation policy, fees, and other details, none of which matched what I was told in January. She informed me that there was nothing she could do but assured me that a senior representative would contact me within 24 hours. No one called me back. I called again on Tuesday, July 16, and spoke to another representative. This agent also explained the cancellation policy, fees, and other details, and again, this information did not match what I had been told by the previous agents. He too promised a call back within 24 hours, which never happened. It is now Friday, July 19, one week since my initial call, and I have yet to hear from a senior representative. I am exasperated, stressed, and at my wit's end with Explora Journeys. How can three different agents from the same company provide inconsistent information about policies and fees? Here is a thought: compile a comprehensive handbook of your policies and fees, ensure every agent reads it, and refer to it when answering customer queries. It is not difficult to be knowledgeable about the company's policies. If you do not know the policies, do not provide customers with false information. I have never encountered a company so disorganized. I deeply regret booking my cruise with Explora Journeys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parallax Posted July 19 #2 Share Posted July 19 As part of the reservation, have you looked at the terms and conditions associated with your booking. Those terms would govern and tell you the implications of cancelling or changing your booking. This is also why I recommend working with a travel agent. They can address these sorts of issues much quicker. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanadianGuy2018 Posted July 19 Author #3 Share Posted July 19 I asked the booking agent all my questions. Next time I will use a travel agent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Avery Posted July 19 #4 Share Posted July 19 32 minutes ago, CanadianGuy2018 said: I asked the booking agent all my questions. Next time I will use a travel agent. Ask your travel agent to inquire from EJ about taking over your booking. Might be too late from original book but a good TA will know how to do it if possible. Then work through your guy. Much nicer and less high blood pressure for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Waltershipman Posted July 19 #5 Share Posted July 19 5 hours ago, Jim Avery said: Ask your travel agent to inquire from EJ about taking over your booking. Might be too late from original book but a good TA will know how to do it if possible. Then work through your guy. Much nicer and less high blood pressure for you. Absolutely yes using TA is the way to go 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seatrial Posted July 20 #6 Share Posted July 20 I’m just curious, what is EJ’s official policy on price-drops after booking? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare uktog Posted July 20 #7 Share Posted July 20 2 hours ago, seatrial said: I’m just curious, what is EJ’s official policy on price-drops after booking? Our experience in the UK booked through one of one of their major travel agent partners is no chance. It’s a rebook and loose the initial deposit (we declined) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrkdive1 Posted July 20 #8 Share Posted July 20 Not sure why anyone would expect the cruise line to give you the lower price if the fare drops after booking. This is normal supply and demand as they try to fill cabins on a cruise line. Just like booking an airline and trying to fill seats. If the price drops after you booked your flight you would not get the lower fare. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Waltershipman Posted July 20 #9 Share Posted July 20 24 minutes ago, shrkdive1 said: Not sure why anyone would expect the cruise line to give you the lower price if the fare drops after booking. This is normal supply and demand as they try to fill cabins on a cruise line. Just like booking an airline and trying to fill seats. If the price drops after you booked your flight you would not get the lower fare. Actually I have many times contacted an airline or hotel after a price reduction and they do extend the reduced price. Examples are Alaska airlines and Marriott I find it's always worth a few phone calls. Just did it this week on two bookings 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrkdive1 Posted July 20 #10 Share Posted July 20 Alaska Airlines changed their policy in 2018 and now only gives you a credit if the price drop occurs within 24 hours of booking. https://www.alaskaair.com/content/deals/special-offers/price-guarantee/price-terms-another-site https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/travel/alaska-airlines-changes-terms-price-drop-guarantee Hotels such as Marriott will honor the lower price because your credit card has not been charged and there is usually free cancelation up to 24 hours before date of arrival. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joseph123 Posted July 20 #11 Share Posted July 20 1 hour ago, shrkdive1 said: Not sure why anyone would expect the cruise line to give you the lower price if the fare drops after booking. This is normal supply and demand as they try to fill cabins on a cruise line. Just like booking an airline and trying to fill seats. If the price drops after you booked your flight you would not get the lower fare. This has always been common practice. Most cruise lines will honor cost reductions if there is a price decrease or incentives offered before you make final payment. I have personally experienced that with just about all the cruises I have taken. For Explora, I had a 7 day cruise booked on the Explora II for this Feb that I booked during the black Fri sale event last year and then noticed that there was a 9 night cruise offered a month earlier at the same price. I contacted Explora customer service and they allowed me to make the change without loosing my deposit. I was informed that their policy was such that they would allow one change only without penalty before final payment is made. So in essence, I am now booked for a 9 day cruise on Jan 5, Mia/Mia for the same price I had booked the 7 day cruise Feb 21, SJA/MIA. I also paid $1,000.00 less pp than the rate being offered today for an OT1, so that Black Fri sale was pretty awesome! I am very happy with that and the way their customer service team handled. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare uktog Posted July 21 #12 Share Posted July 21 15 hours ago, joseph123 said: This has always been common practice. Most cruise lines will honor cost reductions if there is a price decrease or incentives offered before you make final payment. I have personally experienced that with just about all the cruises I have taken. For Explora, I had a 7 day cruise booked on the Explora II for this Feb that I booked during the black Fri sale event last year and then noticed that there was a 9 night cruise offered a month earlier at the same price. I contacted Explora customer service and they allowed me to make the change without loosing my deposit. I was informed that their policy was such that they would allow one change only without penalty before final payment is made. So in essence, I am now booked for a 9 day cruise on Jan 5, Mia/Mia for the same price I had booked the 7 day cruise Feb 21, SJA/MIA. I also paid $1,000.00 less pp than the rate being offered today for an OT1, so that Black Fri sale was pretty awesome! I am very happy with that and the way their customer service team handled. This business practice is not global. Cruise lines may well look after US guests this way but the cruise industry does not have as generous terms in UK, Europe and Australia. Explora appears not unsurprisingly to be follow European conventions. Those of us who have watched others benefit from price drops in the past whilst locked out prefer the Explora model. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankhi Posted July 21 #13 Share Posted July 21 This is just one of the reasons I book online. I can take my time and actually read the T&C and review the cancelation policy and inclusions. Using a TA just adds another level of possible screw ups and misunderstandings. Basically, talking on the phone leaves too many opportunities for things to go wrong. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Waltershipman Posted July 21 #14 Share Posted July 21 18 hours ago, shrkdive1 said: Alaska Airlines changed their policy in 2018 and now only gives you a credit if the price drop occurs within 24 hours of booking. https://www.alaskaair.com/content/deals/special-offers/price-guarantee/price-terms-another-site https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/travel/alaska-airlines-changes-terms-price-drop-guarantee Hotels such as Marriott will honor the lower price because your credit card has not been charged and there is usually free cancelation up to 24 hours before date of arrival. Yes but in practice I have found alaska airlines gives you a 1 year future flight credit for the difference deposited back into your account when it go lower however they don't just give it to you one needs to call and ask I look at my flight prices all the time when sales are advertised 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJ2002 Posted July 21 #15 Share Posted July 21 2 hours ago, frankhi said: This is just one of the reasons I book online. I can take my time and actually read the T&C and review the cancelation policy and inclusions. Using a TA just adds another level of possible screw ups and misunderstandings. Basically, talking on the phone leaves too many opportunities for things to go wrong. In the US at least, a TA can put a courtesy hold on a booking (usually 7 days I think), and then you have plenty of time to review the booking details, T&C's, check out your own airfare if applicable, etc. We do this all the time. I'd rather have an experienced luxury TA on my side in case of potential issues down the road. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankhi Posted July 21 #16 Share Posted July 21 Different people need different levels of assistance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Host Jazzbeau Posted July 21 #17 Share Posted July 21 7 hours ago, frankhi said: Different people need different levels of assistance. You don’t need it until you need it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregoryPaul Posted July 22 #18 Share Posted July 22 Interesting discussion, especially as the FAQ section of their website states; If I book now and the fare is further reduced, will I get the discount? We do not have a discounting strategy however should your fare be reduced for any reason, we will adjust your fare accordingly. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Waltershipman Posted July 22 #19 Share Posted July 22 17 minutes ago, GregoryPaul said: Interesting discussion, especially as the FAQ section of their website states; If I book now and the fare is further reduced, will I get the discount? We do not have a discounting strategy however should your fare be reduced for any reason, we will adjust your fare accordingly. Great info thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare uktog Posted July 22 #20 Share Posted July 22 6 hours ago, GregoryPaul said: Interesting discussion, especially as the FAQ section of their website states; If I book now and the fare is further reduced, will I get the discount? We do not have a discounting strategy however should your fare be reduced for any reason, we will adjust your fare accordingly. Not on their UK site as far as I can see Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare At Sea At Peace Posted July 22 #21 Share Posted July 22 We've adjusted our booking methods based on CC member comments, suggestions and recommendations. We do select the cruise line, ship and itinerary with dates, book or hold a reservation and send to a select few TA's for 'what can you do?' quotes. Recently, for MSC, we've enjoyed $1,500-$2,000 OBC or 'actual discounted pricing' (which was a first for us). With MSC requiring only $398 to book a reservation and keep for months, booking ahead for us is a no-brainer. Also, transferring reservation to a TA (that is offering almost 10% OBC or other) within the 30-day MSC transfer OK window is now SOP for us too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seatrial Posted July 22 #22 Share Posted July 22 Thank you GregoryPaul. The FAQ statement regarding price reductions is very interesting. I did find the statement in FAQ under "Booking" and then "Pricing" on the U.S. website. I suspect that this may need to be updated, but it is currently there. I guess I need to read the exact Terms and Conditions to see if this FAQ answer contradicts anything in T&C. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanadianGuy2018 Posted July 22 Author #23 Share Posted July 22 On 7/19/2024 at 7:35 AM, CanadianGuy2018 said: UPDATE - my issue has been resolved! Thanks to Explora Journeys staff. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandma Cruising Posted July 22 #24 Share Posted July 22 7 hours ago, uktog said: Not on their UK site as far as I can see I found that exact wording on the UK site under Booking FAQs in the Pricing section. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare uktog Posted July 22 #25 Share Posted July 22 12 minutes ago, Grandma Cruising said: I found that exact wording on the UK site under Booking FAQs in the Pricing section. Interesting we’ve been told sale reductions do not reduce your fare and in the UK it only relates to a wholesale reduction eg change in taxes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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