mike@sea

The issue you faced with Emporium on embarkation was definitely caused by the horrible horrible immigration at Miami cruise port. They only sent 2 agents for disembarking passengers, roundabout 600. Explora officials said they paid for 6 agents and only received 2.   Port of Miami should really be ashamed of themselves. The tip issue when checking in your back is also a well known problem at Miami port for many years and affects every single embarking passenger, every day. Again shame on PoMiami who do nothing about it. 

The disembarkation took till 11:15, plan was to have everybody off the ship by 9:30.

b2b passengers not on a tour or with independent plans to visit downtown had to wait till appr 11:00h before we were able to disembark and immigrate , which of course we all had to, as Key West was our next port. 
We were only allowed back on board by the PoMiami officials at 12:00h. 
 

Only after we were back on board, the first new guests arrived on the ship. No wonder Emporium was packed, as most guests arrived at the same time. 
The week prior in Barbados, it was no zoo at Emporium at lunch time, and there were about 200 more guests on board. In fact, for the past 8 days it has always been a pleasure to lunch at Emporium, with lots of available seats and a speedy drink service. 

On board now and will continue with you back to Barbados. The ship is wonderful, the crew outstanding and the food very good. It is objective, but I have not had a single bad meal. Marketplace is truly excellent ! Fil Rouge my favorite. 
 

You are in for a treat and I am sure you you will have a great time as well. I am loving it. 

The new Champagne is actually really nice. No complains at all from me. Having a really nice time onboard now. Staff are fabulous and so attentive. 

Same here Dennis. for my next years b2b.  Only first portion appears. But I am sure they will sort it out. Also could not find Barbados in their airport list when I entered my flights for the upcoming cruise. Instead chose „other airport“. 

I am sure that for the crew and also for the whole overall atmosphere, a full(er) ship is much better in most ways. It enhances the workflow and resembles what they have been trained for. 

I often observed that flight crews on sold out flights work their best, whereas half empty planes or compartments lowers the overall quality and given attention of the crew. I guess it’s similar on ships. we‘ll see. 

Really looking forward to my first Explora. And yes, after those numbers , I did make reservations for Sakura and Marbles this morning. They replied within two hours and I received days one and two, which is great. I did not really care which days and let them decide. The hour I got is exactly what I asked for as preferred , although I also gave them a certain range. 
 

So far, so good. Now all I have to do is be in Barbados on time… best including luggage.

I did not make dining reservations yet. I am torn now, if I better should do so, looking at the number you just quoted. Wow. That would mean that we sail at almost full capacity. Cool in a way. Perfect for the entertainment due to an enhanced atmosphere and hopefully good for excursions, which hopefully will not all be cancelled again. 

I would have made reservations today, if it already worked online. Maybe I will send an email tomorrow asking for reservations. It’s a b2b, so I can still test their onboard reservation for the 2nd part of the trip. 

Just noticed that EJ deployed a new website user interface version, which will allow you, once it works ( which is not yet the case as I am writing this ) , to log into your profile, then go to menu symbol on the pages upper left side ( as the bookings don’t automatically appear ), select My Explora account at the bottom, then My Trips, then open the dedicated reservation and all new menu items appear on the left side of your screen, including „Restaurant Reservations“.

Huzzah! 

17 hours ago, frankhi said:

You not making reservations ahead of time is great for us that do, wish there were more like you.

The majority of customers is not on CC, so I believe there are indeed „more like myself“.

😉

I will stick to my plan to make reservations once boarded. I am on vacation then and while I do like to go for dinner around 19:00, I am also flexible, especially if I have nowhere else to be. I believe the original idea was never for guests to make reservations ahead. Hence, no online possibility to do so. 
But as said, I will happily report here, if not making reservations ahead turns out to be not such a good idea. 😉

But since every suite is guaranteed one reservation at Sakura and Marbles each per cruise, why bother ? Why not relax and book it once onboard at the designated desk ? Especially if doing a B2B, which will not get you a reservation for the 2nd cruise before departure anyways. 
Isn’t it easier to do it altogether , once onboard? 

That’s how I will be doing it for my upcoming March cruises. In case it does not work out very well, I will gladly report it here. 
On MS Europa2 it works like that without any problems by the way. No pre reservation possible and necessary. 

Every change to existing bookings requires an immediate notification. They must have known and planned those changes for the past weeks. Of course I do want to know proactively, not days after the release, if at all, about any change. 
The recent changes have again not been communicated to the booked guests. 
 

I am personally affected for the third time now. Indian Ocean, cancelled. North America East Coast, cancelled. My Middle America/ Caribbean booking for 2025, completely altered.
No more Middle America ( they canceled that for the 2nd time now over the past 12 months ) , ports like Costa Rica, Panama are gone. Now the ship is instead redeployed to New Orleans overnight and Progreso Mexico overnight, followed by Cozumel, which I can then enjoy with the other 12.000 cruise ship passengers from other lines.

Something I can „enjoy“ with every other cruise line there is, for a lot less money. 
What are they thinking ? 
I am not flying half around the globe to visit Cozumel again, or stay overnight in a container port in New Orleans in February, then float the Gulf of Mexico to yet another port, which so many other cruise lines visit too, where I am then able to see Flamingos or salt for an increased excursion price. 
 

How on earth are they going to keep 3 or 4 ships afloat in the future, if they cannot sell anything else than the usual Caribbean and Med ?

If you have booked a 2024 EXP2 cruise, better check your routing, as it might have changed. Not for the better of course, at least not in my case. They added such dazzling and exciting ports like Cozumel and New Orleans, and dropped more exotic ones like Panama and Costa Rica. Again ! 
 

This is the second complete rerouting for me, original I booked the Indian Ocean. 
 

Well done Explora. The fourth routing change for the two ships. They all end up now in the exact same ports like all the other big ships. Only difference is, everybody else is reliable and mostly cheaper. What are they thinking? They don’t at all, I believe. 

Ocean State of Mind   Exotic extended journeys     What a joke ! 

I guess its time for them to cancel Explora 3, as they seem to be unable to fulfill the needs and taste of their clientele ,plus they run out of ports they might or might not end up going to…
 

A huge disappointment, again. I am not sure yet, how to deal with it, probably finally cancel the whole cruise. 
What a joke of a company. 

@uktog Thank you so much for your answer. I would be OK with Euros. But still.  
I will review my „booked“ excursions for my March B2b and better cancel one or two costly ones, then possibly rebook them only once onboard, when it is definite that they are scheduled. Thinking e.g the  Levi’s Highligts and Four Seasons lunch one, which I am not so sure about anyways and which is quite pricey. 

Thank you so much for all your comments and posts here over the  past months. After all those negative experiences beforehand I m really happy for you, that you are having such a great time!

What happens when an excursion is being cancelled? Does the amount paid appear as onboard credit, which would not be ideal, or do they transfer the amount back to the credit card It was paid with? 
I would be hesitant to book expensive excursions, if the money, paid before departure , would not be credited back to a creditcard, since I would have no use for it as credit on my onboard bill. 

17 hours ago, Dr. Cocktail said:

I was just making fun of "snowflake culture" where we're all offended by, well, something!

 

It's funny how people were having meltdowns on these boards because of the canceled itineraries ... I was "high-five", got to rebook with a discount!

I agree with most of your observations and I believe we mostly think the same in regards to EJ. 
However, this round of cancellations and they way EJ dealt with it by NOT (!! ) notifying any German nor UK agents ( and probably other EU countries ) with booked passengers on those cruises, is an absolute shame. And inexcusable! 
That’s besides other missing information in the past and ignoring already booked passengers along the way in the past 2 years. Not sure how this is dealt with internally within EJ, but I sincerely do hope that some heads who clearly do not belong in their positions are being axed over this. That is not how you build trust with clients and agents. 
 

The new routings do also no longer reflect , what they promote and what the initial thought was. Longer journeys, new ports etc. The new routings do not substitute in any way, what people had booked before the cancellations. You cannot compare an India to Africa routing to the same old Dubai to Dubai or Miami to Barbados. So EJ disappointed many , some even twice ! 
 

That’s why people are angry, not having meltdowns , but feel they do neither get the respect nor the thanks they deserve for booking early, believing in a brand and promoting the brand, ever since they booked. 

Single supplement went up on most cruises and appears now at 150 % for regular suites and 200 % on PH and higher, on 2025 cruises to the Caribbean. That eats up the 30% FCC unfortunately. I am almost certain they will adjust and lower it again during the upcoming months, but for now, that’s what it is. 
That of course is still way better than what other cruise lines offer for single cabin occupancy ( except for those lines which offer one of those super tiny single cabins ).
 

Wow, these are obscene prices ! NOT(!) ok, given what their customer already paid for the journey. 

Interesting.

How and when were you notified regarding the cancellation ? I am affected with 2 reservations made with 2 different travel agents in Germany. None has been informed from Explora whatsoever in regards to a) ANY changes of their routings, b) as to why not a single cruise after mid May appears online for 2 weeks already, c) if,  when and how their booked guests, some even paid in full, will be notified/ contacted about losing their reservations. 

Not a word yet. I contacted my agents myself of Friday afternoon, asking what was going on. They had no idea and were surprised, now they are waiting for reply from EX after contacting them. 

Meanwhile, others, mainly from US, have been notified, cancellations and apparently refunds were already initiated. Probably some are even already rebooked to the still not released new journeys. 

Shocking! They will have a lot explaining to do next week, followed by a bigger offer than the 30% on top, if they have the audacity to bring new replacement future bookings into the game. 
 

I really want to like them, I still believe in many aspects of the experience with EX, but this behavior is so unbelievably unprofessional, that I am not sure, they can lure me in again. 

I guess my „Ocean State of Mind“ got somewhat lost along the way….

Just speculation of course, but my best guess is a redeployment to the Caribbean, Barbados, probably Miami. Or both, allowing guests to embark in either port. 

Hoping for South America, but doubt it, after they already cancelled one season there. 

So maybe there will be at least one longer transatlantic cruise each way. We will see. 

New itineraries equals a cancellation to me, as the new itineraries come with new sailing start dates, which no longer match the original booking.  Clearly a cancellation. 

I am affected twice, on both EX 1 and EX 2, not a word whatsoever yet from Explora to the travel agents involved.  Nada. Bookings still appear in profile, one with all new ports , no longer matching, the other as originally booked but clearly no longer operating as booked. 
 

It seems that the US market is much much better informed from Explora, than their very own EU market agents and clients.  
This was also the case before, when they came up with special offers. Non were distributed in EU, only if you specifically asked for the promotion ( if by chance you heard of it ) , whereas US agencies and US customer were informed about promotions apparently pro actively. 
No wonder they could not fill the ships, how could they without proper promotions. 
Instead of promotions and special cruise fare teaser, 2for1, referal promotions or whatnot, they raised the fares twice. Something I did not understand. 
 

I wonder how long it will take for Explora in EU to inform the agents and clients about their booking cancellations. 
 

They cannot load the new voyages, before affected clients were given a choice to rebook their selected cabin again. Well one would think this is how it should go.

I hope someone here is able to post the new Explora 2 cruises as well soon. My hope still lies in Explora 2 doing longer cruises, outside the usual 7 day back to back mass market offer.  

As mentioned earlier in the post, Explora 1 cruises should be released soon, Explora 2 cruises in about 1-2 weeks, according to the first post. 

My October 24 cruise, although originally leaving from Quebec enroute to Miami now lists ports in the Med, followed by Suez Canal on Nov 6th. Looks like Explora 1 will be heading towards Middle East, which was originally the plan for Explora 2. 

I can see the new ports in my reservation, but they no longer match the reservation title , nor the original route of the booked b2b. Strange, but I guess it already reflects what is there to come the following days. 
Whether or not Explora 2 will still do Africa in 25 ( which I doubt ) or head across the North Atlantic in fall of 24 remains to be seen.

…expect the unexpected with Explora. 🙃😀

No information regarding booking yet, but I did not expect that. I am sure it will take a couple of days. 
I do not believe that agents in Europe have been contacted yet. I only learned about it here and kept checking my res as well as the overall availability, which still shows zero results after mid May. 
 

My guess is , that Explora 2 Africa season also goes down the drain.  
Unless Explora 1 picks it up, but I have a feeling Dubai is more lucrative for them, especially given the fact, that they could welcome Russians from there. ….Rolex…..😉

I would be losing my upgrade then for my Jan 25 reservation as well, so my intention to book a new cruise for an even higher price with no upgrade tends to zero. 
 

But let’s see, what the next days will bring. Maybe Explora 2 will be redeployed to US/CA or Caribbean instead. 2 more weeks and we know that as well. 

Looks like Explora 1 stays in the Med for fall 24. I can see different ports in my October 24 booking from Quebec to Miami now, when I pull the reservation up in my profile. When I click on the dates, new ports appear such as Athens, Paphos, Haifa, Port Said, Suez Canal

So, Explora 1 will not return to the US and Canada in fall 24 but will most likely deploy to Dubai, maybe Asia, but my feeling says Dubai.

Expecting more negative surprises for Explora 2 then in about 2 weeks. 

Yeah…

5 hours ago, ajouni said:

Are you on the cruise now so you are speaking from personal experience.  I want to be sure I’m getting an accurate assessment from someone currently sailing.  Thank you. 
 

 

Hi Ajouni,

I am not on the cruise. It was my reaction to the reports of those on the cruise who confirmed my initial worries. My wording was a bit harsh. Apologies for that. I was really frustrated after reading the initial reports. My agent and best friend warned me about Explora being MSC and spending so much money on a product which has to prove itself first. 
Men never listen, so I booked a few cruises meanwhile, taking advantage, so I thought, of early prices, before the product becomes even more expensive. I was convinced it would be awesome and in the same league as MS Europa 2/MS Europa. 

Then over the course of the past months I lost my confidence a bit. Canceled cruises, unimpressive and quite pricey excursions ( Caribbean ), some with silly and never before heard of age restrictions. Despite being only months away from the cruise, no information whatsoever on available pre/after cruise hotels/ transfers ( Journey Enrichments ) , still no excursions loaded ( for Q1 24 ) despite sailing to the exact same ports as in Q4 23, which is around the corner. 

If I had not made my own flight arrangements, I would have a problem now, as apparently Explora has not sorted much at all yet. They still , after over two years don’t have a decent website to fill in the manifest, book excursions, look at restaurants, book restaurants. 
I would have expected more from Explora after everything, they promote. 

Then finally the first cruise started , the first reports came in and I was extremely shocked to read about the restaurants, the unavailability of reservations ( despite not telling guests beforehand how and where they should pre reserve ), to learn how they apparently treat b2b cruisers in regards to reservations ( although I do think that it is incorrect information that they only allow 1 reservation despite paying two cruise  ). 

So my apologies I raised so many eyebrows here.
My impulsiveness is my weakness. Besides that I promise I am quite a nice person and easy to be around. I definitely praise out loud what can be praised, always appreciate those who work so hard to make things special.  
Now I sit back and wait for the next reviews to come in, before I react. 

Like I said, you can only make one good first impression. And they definitely did not make one in my opinion, not to me. 

And the restaurant situation also does not fall into the category „issues“ either. Yes I expect issues of course, but I also expect the availability of basic things right from the beginning. Being able to dine in a nice and quiet, non hectic atmosphere, in accordance with the price tag definitely is one of those requirements. Not being able to get a table at all certainly reflects an epic fail, not an „issue“. This is not Princess or NCL. 

In this category, you cannot and should not leave such a bad first impression. There are many ways to avoid that, as there are many ways to deal with customers, which you let down and disappointed by canceling cruises, both long and short term. 

Yes, one has to wait and see how they improve. However. They specifically decided not to have a main restaurant, but apparently they were not clever enough to do the maths and create enough restaurant seats, not counting the buffet in. How they want to fix that seems impossible to me. Customers will always want to try their restaurants, especially given the fact, that apparently the food seems delicious. 
Who pays 10000$ and then wants to pick up food at a food stall/food counter due to lack of restaurant seating. I don’t. That’s all I am saying. 

They needed to consider the warm weather in contrary to cold weather cruises, where outside dining is impossible. This situation was discussed here before, and we hoped that it would work out. Well, apparently it does not. 

Also how can it not be clear, which restaurants are reservation only ?  It seems that you need reservations for all restaurants now. And how can you mislead future passengers by saying you can easily book additional visits once onboard, when in reality this is never possible due to lack of tables?

Well, let’s see how the next cruises go and how they improve the restaurant situation.