In September 2022, I booked a 17-day Arabian Sea cruise through Vantage Travel Services to celebrate my 80th birthday with my wife. The cruise was to set sail in October 2023. I used my credit card to leave a $2,000 deposit and paid the remaining $17,905 shortly afterward by bank transfer. I also bought the Worldwide Trip Protector plan from Travel Insured International (for $1,954), in part because it covered financial default and bankruptcy of cruise lines. Vantage then canceled the cruise and offered me an alternative date I could not make; I also declined their offer of credit and asked for a refund, which they agreed to. But no refund ever came, and they stopped answering the phone. My credit card returned the $2,000, and I filed an insurance claim for $17,905. It was denied, as was my first appeal. Then Vantage filed for bankruptcy, and my second appeal was denied too. The reasons given by the insurer were outrageous. They cited a vague parenthetical phrase in the policy’s bankruptcy clause, claiming I wasn’t covered because I purchased the cruise directly from the cruise line (rather than, say, through a travel adviser). Then they said my policy lapsed when I canceled the trip. But I did not cancel; Vantage did. I also filed a complaint with the New York State Department of Financial Services, which was rejected. Can you help?
New Cruise Company Explora Journeys A Potent Luxury Contender
01.05.2024 - 05:13 / forbes.com / Explora Journeys
The arrival of enormous ships, like the 7,000 passenger/3000 crew member Icon of the Seas, is an effective way to promote the cruise industry. But cruise companies are also launching smaller vessels designed to give passengers more individual attention, like the new Explora I from Explora Journeys.
The Explora I, launched in 2023, is a sleek 63,000-ton ship designed for just 922 passengers, each housed in an oceanfront suite. Another important number is 1.32 to 1. This represents the crew to passenger ratio, showing the line’s commitment to passenger service.
Ship staterooms start with the Ocean Terrace suites, at 377 square feet. They feature amenities such as a king bed, a chaise lounge day bed, and big glass doors that make it true ocean front view. Bathrooms include European walk-in showers, heated marble floors, and Dyson hair dryers. The ship also has some 67 penthouses from 462 to 763 square feet, and the Ocean Residences, from 750 square feet up to 1600 square feet.
The Explora I has 12 bars and lounges, and 64 cabanas on deck for guests, with multiple indoor and outdoor whirlpools. The spa has a dry sauna, a steam room, Himalayan salt treatments and more, for “the gift of ocean wellness,” which also includes workouts with free weights, 30-minute yoga classes, Pilates, and rowing machines.
Explora Journeys, said to be the only major cruise line that’s privately owned, is part of the private shipping company MSC. The Italian owners made their private yacht a model for the type of service they planned to deliver. Explora I is the first of a planned six ships, with Explora II set to arrive in August 2024.
Along with many travel agents, a key market for Explora Journeys, I was invited on an introductory cruise from Los Angeles to Vancouver, Canada. Destinations enroute included San Francisco, Astoria, Oregon, and Victoria, British Columbia.
Focusing on luxury, Explora’s rates are all-inclusive, including gratuities, alcohol and its powerful Wi-Fi service. A handful of amenities, such as Anthology Restaurant, which features a rotating cast of Michelin-star chefs, have an addition price.
Prices we found range from a ten-night journey from Barcelona to Barcelona for $3,835 (via Gibraltar, Seville, Madera, etc.) to a 44-night extravaganza “connecting continents” from Vancouver to Barcelona via the US West Coast, Mexico, the Panama Canal, and the Mediterranean for $18,450.
The Explora experience began at the Port of Los Angeles, a warehouse-sized building reminiscent of a bus terminal. However, Explora made check-in fast and almost fun, with friendly representatives using data tablets to check us in at small tableclothed tables, rather than at the clerk’s counter.
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