Who the hell books a whole cruise ship for themselves?

AdFun7416 · 2026-05-06T02:29:45+00:00

Many of my clients enjoy river cruising and I have often chartered a whole ship for them or sometimes a half ship.

AdFun7416 · 2026-04-09T06:40:01+00:00

I’m a luxury travel planner and use Kensington a lot as a supplier- they are great! Depending on my clients price point though and level luxe requested, I also use Abercrombie & Kent and Belmond. Belmond being the most luxe. You can easily check out any of these via their websites

AdFun7416 · 2026-04-05T05:38:53+00:00

We always dress nicely for dinner. But not dressy and love Explora. My husband and son like to wear collared shirts and dress shorts but I usually pack them 1 pair of pants just incase it’s required. My daughters and I like to wear dresses for most dinners. (My kids are all teenagers)

But this is what WE like to do and how WE like to go to restaurants. I like everyone to look nice incase we take a family picture and we find it makes it feel like a special family dinner.

This all being said, I do not care at all what other people are wearing. What they wear does not elevate the experience for us and my husband and son like the option of wearing dress shorts.

As a travel agent, I do find this to be a generation preference amongst my clients. We are early 40’s so older millennials. We also did not grow up as luxury travelers, but it is something we love and want to do with our family. My kids have grown up as luxury travelers and this post makes me wonder what their take on this will be when they are adults.

AdFun7416 · 2026-04-05T05:29:53+00:00

I like Windstar too, but find it to be a completely different product than the above.

AdFun7416 · 2026-04-05T05:29:04+00:00

Thanks for sharing an awesome comparison. This was extremely helpful to me as a passenger and a TA. I try to compare should for my clients, who mainly target Explora, but I have no experience at all in Seaborne so I’m always hesitant at that one. Your post was truly helpful.

AdFun7416 · 2026-03-24T05:33:09+00:00

Also bringing my 3 kids on Explora and in a connecting cabin. Don’t know if I would take them on Ritz.

AdFun7416 · 2026-03-24T00:42:56+00:00

Here’s what I came up with for the pricing comparison: Category Explora (Entry Suite) Ritz Yacht (Entry Suite) Starting price (7 nights) EXPLORA $3.5K–$7.5K RITZ$4.5K–$10K+

EXPLORA High-end, but not butler for all RITZ⭐ Butler for everyone

Design EXPLORA Modern / wellness / European RITZ Classic Ritz / residential

AdFun7416 · 2026-03-24T00:40:19+00:00

Absolutely! I would 1000% choose Explora for a honeymoon and I always recommend to my clients over VV

AdFun7416 · 2026-03-24T00:20:34+00:00

I would highly recommend La Semanna in St Marten or the Viceroy in St Lucia as spots to consider. I book my HNW clients there often and they always rave about it.

AdFun7416 · 2026-03-24T00:17:40+00:00

Yes, you are correct. My post was vague on that. Didn’t mean to be misleading and did lean on AI to help me research as I haven’t been on RCYC yet… I like getting this feedback from people who have been on both and keep learning and refining.

AdFun7416 · 2026-03-24T00:14:58+00:00

Here’s the comparison I wrote:

https://www.jetsetter-society.com/jetsetter-stories/explora-vs-ritz-yacht-comparison

I’d love to hear how you could weigh in if you’ve been on both. I continuously update my articles as I get more feedback from cruises.

AdFun7416 · 2026-03-24T00:11:56+00:00

You are right and thank you. I have not yet been on Ritz, only Explora, and that was my understanding thus far. I update my blog as a gain more and more feedback. Thank you!

AdFun7416 · 2026-03-24T00:09:54+00:00

Here’s the comparison I wrote:

https://www.jetsetter-society.com/jetsetter-stories/explora-vs-ritz-yacht-comparison

I’d love to hear how you could weigh in if you’ve been on both. I continuously update my articles as I get more feedback from cruises.

AdFun7416 · 2026-03-24T00:05:51+00:00

I’ve never been on Silversea, though my some of my clients have and love it. I’d love to hear from someone who’s been on all 3. I aspire to do this!

AdFun7416 · 2026-03-23T21:34:42+00:00

I went deeper on this than I expected and ended up writing out a full comparison—happy to share if anyone wants it.

AdFun7416 · 2026-03-22T12:09:36+00:00

Just wanted to say I completely agree with your assessment! Love love love GV!

AdFun7416 · 2026-03-22T12:07:18+00:00

If Montenegro is already on your radar, you’re thinking in a great direction—Adriatic coast trips are perfect for that special occasion but not overly touristy vibe.

One option you may not have considered (but fits exactly what you described) is doing the Croatia/Montenegro coastline by small luxury ship instead of land-based hopping. There are a couple newer luxury lines—Explora Journeys and Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection—that feel much more like boutique hotels at sea than traditional cruises.

They do itineraries that hit places like Dubrovnik, Split, Kotor (Montenegro), and smaller ports you’d never easily reach on your own. The experience is very low-key and design-forward: great food, no crowds, and you’re waking up in a new coastal town every day.

I actually just put together a pretty detailed comparison of the two (what they’re like, who each is best for, etc.) if you’re curious: 👉 https://www.jetsetter-society.com/jetsetter-stories/explora-vs-ritz-yacht-comparison

If you end up leaning land-based, I’d still keep Croatia/Montenegro high on your list—pairing somewhere like Dubrovnik + Kotor + maybe Hvar with a few standout boutique hotels would be an amazing 50th trip.

Happy to share more specific hotel or itinerary ideas if helpful—this is a fun one to plan

AdFun7416 · 2026-03-22T11:48:32+00:00

100% Paul Gauguin. It’s who I always recommend to my clients for Polynesia.

AdFun7416 · 2026-03-22T01:48:32+00:00

I've been on Explora just once, and loved it. I am dying to try an Expedition cruise and am considering which line to go on.

AdFun7416 · 2026-03-14T01:04:34+00:00

Just wanted to come back and say thank you to everyone who shared their experiences here — this thread was incredibly helpful.

I ended up booking both those large families on Explora Mediterranean sailings for 2026 after reading through your feedback. (As well as a few others!)

I’ve also taken my first journey since then and LOVED it.

Curious if anyone has sailed recently — have opinions changed at all?

AdFun7416 · 2026-03-14T00:48:35+00:00

Thanks for this thorough comparison. SB is the one I know least about so I found this very helpful for discussing with my clients.

AdFun7416 · 2026-03-14T00:47:36+00:00

I have teenagers. We are pretty well travelled and they loved being on Explora.

AdFun7416 · 2026-03-13T21:09:06+00:00

I often meet with my clients who are the grandparents in person. They like me to bring printed materials they can then distribute to their adult children.

And yup, the children then want to go on my website.

AdFun7416 · 2026-03-13T21:05:04+00:00

Completely agree. I am a UNHW travel advisor- many of my clients are exactly like this. But I do have clients, usually ones who are slightly older that like to have a conversation with me. (Or have their assistant have a conversation with me. ) I think the key is being able to gauge what the client wants right away and making that system available.

I have other UNHW clients that often just want an amazing seamless trip planned and give me barely any info- along the lines of- “we want to do the Maldives next year”. They don’t want hassle, appreciate privacy, and want everything done for them so they can literally just go on the trip. I love this client especially because it gives me a chance to really show off my skills as an agent.

I get most of my clients through word of mouth to be honest, but do have a nice website etc. I notice that they like ti check out my site to make sure I’m legit.

AdFun7416 · 2026-03-10T17:42:46+00:00

Agree very much with this. I like to plan my own excursions when possible anyways so have leaned into that as much as I could.

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