Summer 2024 cancelled cruises

[CruiseCrew123]

Has anyone heard from Explorer regarding the summer cruises that have been cancelled as Explorer 1 will now be in the Mediterranean 

[happy cruzin]

3 hours ago, CruiseCrew123 said:

Has anyone heard from Explorer regarding the summer cruises that have been cancelled as Explorer 1 will now be in the Mediterranean 

 

I heard about it from my TA - and read a couple of articles that also stated the change.  But have not heard about anything directly from Explora.  Did you check their website for an official announcement?

[CruiseCrew123]

Nothing on the website . I chased our TA - the email from explorer had gone to the wrong place . Not sure what they are offering will cover the cost of a new cruise next September looking at current prices 

[happy cruzin]

7 minutes ago, CruiseCrew123 said:

Nothing on the website . I chased our TA - the email from explorer had gone to the wrong place . Not sure what they are offering will cover the cost of a new cruise next September looking at current prices 

Were the Alaska sailings that they have canceled ever open for booking?

[CruiseCrew123]

Not sure about Alaska but we had booked Panama to Miami 

[SummmerInKefalonia]

If anyone finds through their TA the new 2024 cruises of Explora I in Med, please post them here.

[travelberlin]

I am also interested to see what cruises will Explora offer in Sommer 2024 in Europe. Until now only cruises for Explora 2 are mentioned.

Ivi

[Cruiseswithfamilyornot]

I'm surprised nothing still.   I'm trying to hold off on booking a cruise to wait and see what Explora has available,

[Vineyard View]

Same same. Mediterranean is my target  for 2024 but nothing yet before August? 

[CruiseCrew123]

Has anyone who had a cruise cancelled managed to successfully rebook anything yet ?

[daleandrews]

I read that in a report summarizing a speech given to some TAs an official of Explora said that new itineraries filling in the gap months in the supper of 2024 should be out in about a week, i.e., third week of May.

[CruiseCrew123]

Let’s hope so as we were told 2 weeks on 3 April 

[frankhi]

Summer of 2024 cruises dates are available through some online TA's. Not showing yet on Explora site.

[frankhi]

Summer 2024 are now on the EJ site

[CruiseCrew123]

Explorer 1 journeys are very boring compared to the ones they cancelled 

[peder]

I had wondered if they were going to end up in the fjords after the Virtuosa had some itineraries modified, but now it's clear the scheduling changes across the two lines are unrelated.

Edited May 23, 2023 by peder

[TER777]

Explora 1 now not going to Brazil in 2024 but will instead be in the Caribbean October 2024 April 2025. 

[CruiseCrew123]

Well I’ve finally managed to rebook . Ended up with a 10 day Athens to Barcelona in September 24. Not half as good as the Panama to Miami we had previously booked but at least no extra cost 

[maggie.1008]

Will Explora go to Alaska in 2024 or 2025 ? 

[travelberlin]

Explora cancelled my cruise out of Brasil! 😠 

[peder]

On 5/25/2023 at 7:26 AM, TER777 said:

Explora 1 now not going to Brazil in 2024 but will instead be in the Caribbean October 2024 April 2025. 

At this rate, they'll mass-market Explora so much they'll just re-merge operations with MSC

[travelberlin]

I am quite disappointed about the cancellations. Of course the reason is probably that they are not selling enough cabins on those itineraries being cancelled. I am quite tired of cancellations from flights, trains, cruises… I need to have a reliable cruise line to book with. Even though they offer compensation, this compensation does not make up for the lost itinerary and it is not as generous because prices of cruises have already increased since my original booking. 
Ivi

[mike@sea]

I am sorry to hear about your lost reservation. I fully understand your frustration. I can also honestly not understand, what on earth they are doing. Prices raise almost every 2 months now, but apparently they have a hard time filling the ship(s) at markets outside US and Europe. One would think, prices adjust according to demand and every new line, like every new restaurant, first has to prove to the audience, how good they are. What better way to attract new clientele first through an acceptable price as well as through great service and routings, which attract customer around the globe. 

 

But apparently, Explora rather tries to become one of the most expensive cruise lines, even without a single review and way before the first vessel even started its first journey. 

With the same mostly boring routings like every other cruise line.
Unless they finally prove to be as good as they want to be ( in August) , thinking Hapag Lloyd MS Europa 2 as a benchmark, and unless they start to get their act together in regards to reliability, they will soon end up and be known as yet another but very expensive MSC cruise line, something they try to avoid at all cost.
Time will tell - soon. 

It puzzles me, how they want to fill their ships, once Explora 3 is on sale, as not too many parts of the world remain for Explora, after obviously only concentrating on Med, Northern Europe, US East and Caribbean. 
I wonder what will happen with Explora 2 routings DXB-BOM- MBA- DUR- CPT in 2025. This probably represents the next season to be cancelled due to low demand ( and high prices ). Again, time will tell. 

I still hope it’s going to be great, but I am less sure recently. No longer sure which market and clientele they are actually looking for. I have a feeling , that they also aim at wealthy Russians in the long run. That would represent the end of my „love story“ with Explora. 

[Host Jazzbeau]

35 minutes ago, mike@sea said:

It puzzles me, how they want to fill their ships, once Explora 3 is on sale

Not to mention that they originally announced a total of 6 ships!  They probably looked at Viking's success and thought they could duplicate it at the luxury level – but luxury customers value exclusivity, so 6 identical ships may ruin the image.

[mike@sea]

One other thing that puzzles me is the complete absence of „special offers“ of any sorts  from Explora. Even the Status Match promotion was not really promoted. Well at least not in Germany. I only learned about it here and had a hard time getting it. 
Why didn’t they bring on special offers for the South American journeys or those down US west coast, before canceling the whole season and disappointing customers who trusted them with their money. 
 

The Westcoast journeys were not the best, not in regards to the ports, which were great, but in regards to the season. It’s actually bad planning for a cruise line. No surprise there were only a few bookings. I loved the routing at first, but then I double checked the weather at the destinations at that time of the year. August and September have high temps and quite some rain down that coast in Mexcio. Occasionally even heavy storms. More rain and little sun October in Middle America , Costa Rica. Still hurricane season with often heavy hurricanes towards the end of hurricane season in October/ November in the Caribbean. 
if the price is right, this is worth the risk. But with Explora pricing, one thinks twice and rather books something else. So why did they offer this routing in the first place , why didn’t they wait till November to leave California for the journey towards the Caribbean?
 

And the cancellation of South America seems strange. Oceania for example fills their ships easily , as do other lines. Why can’t Explora ? It must be the high price combined with Barbados as a starting point , which isn’t easy to reach and which is very expensive to reach. But why no special offers to boost those sailings ? 
 

Just my thoughts….