From Quebec to Miami (Oct. 20 - Nov. 3) join our voyage

[Cruisergal1208]

2 hours ago, florisdekort said:

 

In case of interest. 

Could you post the list of the complimentary  in suite spirits offered. 
Thanks.  

[Dr. Cocktail]

28 minutes ago, Cruisergal1208 said:

Could you post the list of the complimentary  in suite spirits offered. 
Thanks.  

I couldn't resist!!!!

 

[Stickman1990]

42 minutes ago, Cruisergal1208 said:

Could you post the list of the complimentary  in suite spirits offered

I don’t think there’s a predetermined list - Rather than limiting yourself to a list you can order a bottle, or two, of any of the included alcohol - for example we ordered a Plymouth Sloe Gin which we took a liking to in the bars - I doubt any list would in close that as one of the options 

 

I have seen some complaining of small sized bottles being provided - that wasn’t the case for us with a litre of Hendricks and 700ml of the Plymouth being provided 

[Host Jazzbeau]

4 hours ago, kidless said:

I find the changing of names from steward to host etc totally silly and unnecessary. If they want to set themselves apart from other lines do it in quality of service, food, decor, itinerary, and a wide range of other things that would better help them stand out. Do they correct you if you call them by the wrong name?

I think we should call the Captain "Venti," the Staff Captain "Grande," the Chief Engineer "Tall," the Hotel Director "Short," the Cruise Director "Demi," and everybody else "Cup O'Joe."  🤪

 

[kidless]

[cruisr]

It really saddens me that the OP has not come back to post.  Cannot blame him.  There are some boards that I don’t participate in as if you are perceived to not approve of everything your opinion is questioned.

 

We haven’t deposited yet and if some people on here are typical of the guest demographics and psychographics Explora may not be the cruise for us.

[Critically Cruising]

5 hours ago, Stickman1990 said:

I don’t think there’s a predetermined list

 

There was a short listing of available spirits that was in our room on boarding.  No one mentioned ordering anything other than what was offered on the sheet.

 

 

[Critically Cruising]

4 hours ago, kidless said:

 

That's the one.  Ordered the Tanqueray gin and got Pink Pepper instead.  Told that Tanqueray was not available, even though it was on the list.

 

 

[florisdekort]

Day 3 dinner, another winner. I’m trying hard to find any fault on this ship, but no luck 🤣 Our first 72 hours have simply been perfect 👌🏻 (Contrary to our pre-cruise experience / poor shoreside customer service, but I’ve raised that enough.)

 

We’ve now left our holding pattern and seem to be en route to our next (first) port of call, Sydney, Canada. Today we are going to the Spa for massages and tonight we are trying Chef Emma Bengtsson’s new menu at Anthology, so stand by for more food pictures 😁 Daily Program also included.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Waltershipman]

49 minutes ago, florisdekort said:

Day 3 dinner, another winner. I’m trying hard to find any fault on this ship, but no luck 🤣 Our first 72 hours have simply been perfect 👌🏻 (Contrary to our pre-cruise experience / poor shoreside customer service, but I’ve raised that enough.)

 

We’ve now left our holding pattern and seem to be en route to our next (first) port of call, Sydney, Canada. Today we are going to the Spa for massages and tonight we are trying Chef Emma Bengtsson’s new menu at Anthology, so stand by for more food pictures 😁 Daily Program also included.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Love to hear your spectacular journey and totally agree. The communication with Geneva is suspect and on board life is as good as it gets. ENJOY

[Cruisergal1208]

On 10/20/2023 at 11:16 AM, artbcpa said:

Are you kidding? We have outside tours booked.

Would like to hear your impressions and opinions of the ship and food and anything else you can share to help those of us waiting for our boarding date  Have enjoyed your pictures and reports so far.   Thanks 

Edited October 23, 2023 by Cruisergal1208

[Hlitner]

Seeing that relatively simple, but also elegant caviar starter does bring back wonderful food memories. 

 

Hank

[florisdekort]

Our day 4 dinner was at Anthology. We highly recommend it! The venue is beautiful, the open kitchen is so much fun, and Chef Emma Bengtsson’s new tasting menu is in our opinion truly worthy of 2 Michelin stars. The caviar, the lobster and the birds nest (her signature dessert) were the standouts. The service was excellent and the wine pairing surprisingly good value at €75 per person (vs. the price of some of these wines on the list of revenue wines). 

 

Obviously it’s a fair question if this experience is worth the extra €180 per person (or €255 incl. wine). Given Explora’s price point, the answer probably is that one visit per cruise should be included, but then again, they simply don’t have the capacity to host up to 900 per cruise, so need an upcharge  to reduce demand. And would we do it again for €255 on a future cruise? Yes. So I guess therein lies the answer. 

 

Photos below. We’re in Sydney today. Looking forward to getting off the ship for the first time!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 24, 2023 by florisdekort

[florisdekort]

In another indication that there is something “cruise ship” about Explora 1 after all, we just received an invitation to the Captain’s Table tomorrow evening. How lovely traditional! 😃👌🏻 

 

[uktog]

10 minutes ago, florisdekort said:

In another indication that there is something “cruise ship” about Explora 1 after all, we just received an invitation to the Captain’s Table tomorrow evening. How lovely traditional! 😃👌🏻 

 

Do you realise tomorrow night is the 7th anniversary of Car 2 my FB memories remind me

 

Apologies to others this will mean nothing!  
 

Will be interested to learn about your table experience 

[florisdekort]

8 minutes ago, uktog said:

Do you realise tomorrow night is the 7th anniversary of Car 2 my FB memories remind me

 

Apologies to others this will mean nothing!  
 

Will be interested to learn about your table experience 

Has it been 7 years??? Wow! What a night that was 😄😍

 

[kelleherdl]

Was Anthology fully booked last evening? Just wondering if the experience is being well received. We opted not to do it on Reykjavik to NYC. We’ll board again next week and still considering.

[florisdekort]

2 minutes ago, kelleherdl said:

Was Anthology fully booked last evening? Just wondering if the experience is being well received. We opted not to do it on Reykjavik to NYC. We’ll board again next week and still considering.

I don’t know if it was fully booked. There were empty tables, but the capacity is defined by the kitchen, not by the number of chairs. 

Emma Bengtsson has taken over since your last cruise so I’d say go for it. She has done a terrific job. 

 

[Hlitner]

Will "flash back" to our post about dining in Anthology a few weeks ago, when Chef Emma was onboard and actually cooked our meal.  The price, at that time was 190Euros pp + 75 for the wine paring, or 530Euros total per couple (with the wine).  So, for whatever reason, they dropped the price for food by 10 Euros pp.  While we we agree with the OP that the experience was excellent, we did not think it was worth 530 Euros more than the regular restaurants (which have no extra charge).  In the interests of full disclosure, that 530 Euros cost us nothing since we had a ton of non-refundable On Board Credit,  I wondered at the time, if any of the other diners (all 5 of them) actually paid out of pocket for Anthology.  My advice to future cruisers is to book through agencies that will enhance your booking with a generous OBC, and you can then use that credit to cover the cost of Anthology :).

 

We also pointed out, at the time, that although the Anthology menus are curated by "Guest Chefs,"  those Guest Chefs do not stay on the ship beyond their initial short stay.  So, for example, Chef Emma was aboard for a few days (between Quebec and NYC) but her curated menu will continue into the spring.  

 

Must admit that we are still missing all that wonderful food on the EJ1 :).

 

Hank

[florisdekort]

Apologies, Hank is correct, it was €190.

 

 

[macbest]

On 10/21/2023 at 10:03 AM, florisdekort said:

The current list of included/complimentary wine on Explora 1. You can ask for any of these, anywhere. 
 

Definitely catering to a European clientele. No Pinot Noir and only a French chardonnay. Hope this gets added to over time. In fact no American wines on this list. 

[florisdekort]

5 minutes ago, macbest said:

Definitely catering to a European clientele. No Pinot Noir and only a French chardonnay. Hope this gets added to over time. In fact no American wines on this list. 

We were told lots of American wine will arrive in Florida, where it can be loaded without EU import taxes. 
 

[uktog]

1 hour ago, florisdekort said:

We were told lots of American wine will arrive in Florida, where it can be loaded without EU import taxes. 
 

Isn't is funny - our preferences are European so by the time we arrive it looks like the American switch has been flicked.  We might as the Sommelier to find some "old stock" if the selection is too heavy for us

[florisdekort]

14 minutes ago, uktog said:

Isn't is funny - our preferences are European so by the time we arrive it looks like the American switch has been flicked.  We might as the Sommelier to find some "old stock" if the selection is too heavy for us

Given this line’s heritage I’m pretty sure the majority will always be European. Fingers crossed. 
 

[Dr. Cocktail]

1 hour ago, florisdekort said:

Given this line’s heritage I’m pretty sure the majority will always be European. Fingers crossed. 
 

Yacht Club was primarily European with few exceptions. It really “flipped” me from my past preference for New World wines.