Explora versus Crystal: Just the facts please!

[Wheelhouse]

7 minutes ago, commodoredave said:

No. We book on board because there are usually good deals offered to do so. For example, on our Amazon cruise with Seabourn in October, they promoted several great deals including some to the Antarctic. We bought one. As Explora offered us no incentives, we might as well wait until they do one day.

I received an additional 5% discount and 800 euros OBC for booking onboard.  I did have to ask the future cruise consultant if there was any advantage to doing so as there was no messaging to indicate the benefit. 

[Whipsnade]

And they still have no loyalty program. One would have thought this would have been the backbone of any marketing plan. 

[commodoredave]

5 hours ago, Wheelhouse said:

I received an additional 5% discount and 800 euros OBC for booking onboard.  I did have to ask the future cruise consultant if there was any advantage to doing so as there was no messaging to indicate the benefit. 

Exactly my point. Good cruise lines know that the best time to sell a passenger another cruise is when they are on the ship. 

[PutnamNY]

17 hours ago, Wheelhouse said:

I received an additional 5% discount and 800 euros OBC for booking onboard.  I did have to ask the future cruise consultant if there was any advantage to doing so as there was no messaging to indicate the benefit. 

I have been reading this thread and other ones and here seems to be the issue for Explora Journeys. It's called "Consistency". The young lady at future journeys almost scoffed when we mentioned that folks are getting 800 Euros OBC and she claimed that it's impossible and out of policy. 

For us, every $$ we received in OBC we pretty much gave it back in cash to the waiters and other staff at the lounges as cash tips. For example any dinner at the restaurants, we left behind a $40-$50 cash tip on the table when we left.

It is short sighted for Explora Journeys to not apply equally programs and benefits across the board. Folks like us don't bargain or care about the pricing. However we want to pay the same as others. This doesn't seem to be the case as of now. 

In the interest of transparency, our experience with Pre-Cruise sales was nothing but exceptional. Its the bad taste lingering after wandering into the Future Journeys, that's making us realize all of this.

[saminina]

Why would you post about leaving behind a $40-50 cash tip?

 

You would have to be very foolish to book on board without incentive.  It was so easy to do that on the last Explora cruise.  People do it....I did it on my first with incentive, did not on second.

One of the many marketing failures by the company.  The list is so long that it should be a case study at Phoenix University.

[commodoredave]

6 hours ago, saminina said:

Why would you post about leaving behind a $40-50 cash tip?

 

You would have to be very foolish to book on board without incentive.  It was so easy to do that on the last Explora cruise.  People do it....I did it on my first with incentive, did not on second.

One of the many marketing failures by the company.  The list is so long that it should be a case study at Phoenix University.

Well said. 

[commodoredave]

6 hours ago, PutnamNY said:

I have been reading this thread and other ones and here seems to be the issue for Explora Journeys. It's called "Consistency". The young lady at future journeys almost scoffed when we mentioned that folks are getting 800 Euros OBC and she claimed that it's impossible and out of policy. 

For us, every $$ we received in OBC we pretty much gave it back in cash to the waiters and other staff at the lounges as cash tips. For example any dinner at the restaurants, we left behind a $40-$50 cash tip on the table when we left.

It is short sighted for Explora Journeys to not apply equally programs and benefits across the board. Folks like us don't bargain or care about the pricing. However we want to pay the same as others. This doesn't seem to be the case as of now. 

In the interest of transparency, our experience with Pre-Cruise sales was nothing but exceptional. Its the bad taste lingering after wandering into the Future Journeys, that's making us realize all of this.

I agree with your point. However, we are in much different mindsets about not caring about price, and leaving $40-$50 dinner tips.

I care about price and will usually wait for a sale or incentives to book a cruise. In addition, when gratuities are included as with Explora, I may on occasion leave a small extra tip of $10-$15 per dinner meal for exceptional service. But not most times.
I have no issue with you leaving much more as tipping is a personal choice. I also don’t have an issue with you paying more for your cruises than me. You have earned your money, and should spend whatever way makes you happy. The same for the rest of us.

[PutnamNY]

I guess the context of the tip went missing and the $40 only got the attention. The whole point was about us returning the OBC's in one way or other to the employees.

We are from NY and tipping is customary even if the meal is free. It's an individual choice and not to be judged for tipping or not. It's a way of thanking for extraordinary service which was the case on Explora 1. 

What's going missing in all of this nitpicking on an individuals preference to tip or not is the fact that Explora seems to apply fresh promotions or OBC's to new booking only and not existing bookings or reservations. If you made a booking in Dec, then any promotions in March is not applied or other benefits applied which I personally think is not a good policy. That was the whole point. 

 

 

[Whipsnade]

They have been playing this game right along. We had booked three btb cruises in PH. When they cut prices by 40% and refused the same to us we said bye bye Explora. 

[cruise_loverinlaval]

On 2/29/2024 at 6:02 PM, commodoredave said:

Please send me all the Crystal bargains you find. I’ve been looking for over a year to find a nicely priced cruise with them but no success so far. I’m willing to book far in advance or short notice. Thanks.

Hello, I am looking at a 12 nights cruise on Crystal Symphony, Dubai to Dubai, Dec 21, 2025 to Jan 2, 2026. If you use the promotion offered today - reserve 12 months in advance and get 20%, than the price per night is $380 USD per person per night.  Quite a deal to get the quality of Crystal.

 

There is another factor which affects the Canadianpassengers is the exchange rate used by Crystal.  The cruise Dubai to Dubai is $5700 USD which is $ C7704 using today exchange rate. But on the Crystal Canadian website the price is showed as $ C7950.  Crystal does not use the daily current exchange rate to publicize on its website.  For me since I have a credit card that gives me 3% Boni Dollar on my travel transactions, My cost will be $ C7711, which is similar to pay in US dollar using a US$ Credit card.

[ak1004]

33 minutes ago, cruise_loverinlaval said:

Hello, I am looking at a 12 nights cruise on Crystal Symphony, Dubai to Dubai, Dec 21, 2025 to Jan 2, 2026. If you use the promotion offered today - reserve 12 months in advance and get 20%, than the price per night is $380 USD per person per night.  Quite a deal to get the quality of Crystal.

 

There is another factor which affects the Canadian passengers is the exchange rate used by Crystal.  The cruise Dubai to Dubai is $5700 USD which is $ C7704 using today exchange rate. But on the Crystal Canadian website the price is showed as $ C7950.  Crystal does not use the daily current exchange rate to publicize on its website.  For me since I have a credit card that gives me 3% Boni Dollar on my travel transactions, My cost will be $ C7711, which is similar to pay in US dollar using a US$ Credit card.

 

Agree, it's a good deal.

 

But prices for this area have usually been less than Europe. We sailed on Silversea in Dec.2022 a very similar itinerary for $5,500 CAD for 12 nights. And SS includes excursions, plus their cabins are 305 sqft while Crystal is 215. To get a comparable size cabin on Crystal the price will jump to $9,570 CAD even when applying the 12 % discount. 

[cruise_loverinlaval]

6 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

Agree, it's a good deal.

 

But prices for this area have usually been less than Europe. We sailed on Silversea in Dec.2022 a very similar itinerary for $5,500 CAD for 12 nights. And SS includes excursions, plus their cabins are 305 sqft while Crystal is 215. To get a comparable size cabin on Crystal the price will jump to $9,570 CAD even when applying the 12 % discount. 

FYI, if I was to apply the 20% discount from Crystal + the 3% of my credit card, the price of the cruise would be $ C6130.  Not bad since the cruise is end of 2025 vs Dec 2022.

 

I was told by a very strong source that SS Canadian prices give some advantages to Canadian passengers since SS uses a better exchange rate.

[ak1004]

7 minutes ago, cruise_loverinlaval said:

FYI, if I was to apply the 20% discount from Crystal + the 3% of my credit card, the price of the cruise would be $ C6130.  Not bad since the cruise is end of 2025 vs Dec 2022.

 

I was told by a very strong source that SS Canadian prices give some advantages to Canadian passengers since SS uses a better exchange rate.

 

Yes, this is correct. SS rate is around 1.30 give or take.

 

It is very easy to check if you are in Canada. Go to cruisecritic "find cruse", select Silversea. Then click on "find a deal", in many cases it will take you to SS website and will show prices in CAD. Then compare.

 

 

 

In this case, the rate is 1.308 which is better than the official. Crystal is using 1.38-1.39.

[CJANDH]

2 hours ago, cruise_loverinlaval said:

Quite a deal to get the quality of Crystal.

I would imagine they are having trouble selling cruises to the middle east right now. Who know when the troubles in the Red Sea and elsewhere will end.

[commodoredave]

2 hours ago, cruise_loverinlaval said:

 

Hello, I am looking at a 12 nights cruise on Crystal Symphony, Dubai to Dubai, Dec 21, 2025 to Jan 2, 2026. If you use the promotion offered today - reserve 12 months in advance and get 20%, than the price per night is $380 USD per person per night.  Quite a deal to get the quality of Crystal.

 

There is another factor which affects the Canadianpassengers is the exchange rate used by Crystal.  The cruise Dubai to Dubai is $5700 USD which is $ C7704 using today exchange rate. But on the Crystal Canadian website the price is showed as $ C7950.  Crystal does not use the daily current exchange rate to publicize on its website.  For me since I have a credit card that gives me 3% Boni Dollar on my travel transactions, My cost will be $ C7711, which is similar to pay in US dollar using a US$ Credit card.

It was kind of you to advise me of this cruise - thank you. It is a good price, and I do want to sail again with Crystal, even if just once. However, we no longer cruise over Christmas as we have young grandchildren who believe in Santa as much as I do! Watching them open their gifts is pure joy.

Thanks again.

[JTor]

Context: I sailed many times on old Crystal but my first NC cruise is 2025.  I have been on Explora once (Jan. 2024).  Unless the company changes dramaticallly, I will never cruise Explora again.

 

OP was concerned about cabin size.  This is just not an issue for us.  We don’t spend time in the cabin.  It’s a place to sleep, that’s all.  Food, service, itinerary, entertainment and deck experience are WAY more important to us.  

 

The onboard experience on Explora was fine.  The food was amazing.  The ship is new and looks great.

 

However, we will never sail with them unless something dramatic changes because they are SHOUTING VERY LOUDLY that they do not care about passengers.  Website is a mess.  Call for help, you don’t get it.  We would not have been able to board at all if my agent didn’t escalate and escalate for us.  No onboard future booking concession.  No loyalty programme.  Post cruise we filled all the forms and asked to be contacted.  Waited 6 weeks, nothing.  Wrote to their customer service department explicitly…. nothing.  I don’t think they could communicate any more clearly that WE DO NOT MATTER TO THEM.

 

I would rather be on an older ship in a smaller cabin but giving my money to a company that is at least willing to PRETEND they care.  We’ve had good experiences with Silversea, Regent, Crystal and Oceania in the past - things weren’t always perfect but efforts were made to resolve any problems and we felt the companies valued our business.  I know Star Clippers isn’t in the luxury sector but wow, we were booked with them when the tsunami hit Thailand and they were AMAZING at taking care of us.  Explora? I feel they do not value my business at all.  So why would I give them my money?

[Whipsnade]

We agree. Explora a mess. MSC should stick to the three star business which they do well and sell their beautiful shops to Crystal.