Hlitner

Now that you mention it, that is strange. We mostly use the aft elevators (close to our suite) which does not have those cushions. I will say that, for the most part, we love the design of this ship. Consider that in the Journey's Lounge (which is used for much of the evening entertainment) there are no obstructed seats! The ship wide lounge has been designed without a single pillar in the field of play (so to speak). I do think the big design negative, that will primarily impact older cruisers, is the very low seating which is throughout the ship (other than in the restaurants). Getting up from the seas and loungers, especially after a few glasses or Moet, is a real challenge. The low seating does fit the contemporary design, and offers lots of stability in rough seas, but will annoy some folks. Hank

We might be in the middle of what some would call an "awesome" experience. We are on the brand new (2 months old) Explora Journey 1 (a new luxury cruise line). The ship is about 66,000 tons and designed to hold approximately 900 passengers. But for a host of reasons, our cruise currently has only 241 passengers (and 640 crew) for a whopping space ratio of 274 tons per person! We have 5 dining venues onboard that are all open and operating normally, to serve 241. Truly a once in a lifetime event. The longest we have ever waited for an elevator was less than 10 seconds! This morning in their Lido (which can seat several hundred) we only could see 6 other passengers from our table! Hank

I will talk about something that is important to some mobility challenged folks which is elevators. On EJ1 I think the elevator situation is among the best on any ship with one caveat/issue. The ship has two elevator areas (mid/forward and the aft bank). Each consists of 4 elevators, and they the largest we have seen on any ship. Each elevator is rated for 26 people! Folks with scooters or wheelchairs (we have seen none on this cruise) would never have a problem (or wait) to get into an elevator. The system is very good, and we seldom wait more then 10 seconds to get an elevator. I do not think this would change, even if the ship were full. The passenger decks are primarily on decks 4-12, with 4 and 5 being the decks with most of the restaurants (and some lounges). The one problem is that the aft elevators only go as low as deck 5, because the ship design would put them in the galley on deck 4 (this was discussed a few weeks ago on CC). For us it is not a problem. We simply use the aft elevators to deck 5, and if we want to go down to 4 there are several staircases (or the mid/forward elevators). There are also a few "tricks" to getting around the ship, without becoming stuck :). On decks 4 and 5, the main thorougfare is on the Starboard side of the ship. On deck 11, if you are in the Conservatory (indoor pool) and want to get to the aft elevators, you must enter on the Port side of the Emporium (there is no elevator entrance from the Starboard side). Just one of those things that are common to smaller vessels and not a problem once you get used to the layout. But as I previously mentioned, do not expect to find any deck plans (on the bulkheads) to help you find your way. Hank

I am also a coffee snob :). It is a mixed bag on the ship. Crema is all about expresso (they have two large espresso machines) and Illy Beans (which many folks would rank among the best coffee in the world). The expresso is perfect and drinks made from espresso (i.e. cappucino, americano, etc) are all excellent! In the Emporium (where most folks have breakfast) they will serve items like cappucino (not as good as in Crema, but still decent). This morning I decided to try coffee, but to have some fun I asked the waiter for "french press" coffee. Not sure he understood, but it was kind of a test. He came back with a large coffee pot, said "french press coffee" and poured. The coffee was the usual "lido blah" that we get on most cruise ships (Seabourn is the exception since they will actually bring a french press to the table so you can make it as strong as you please). At this point I am simply not sure if it is possible to get anything close to what we might call good strong American coffee. Not an issue for me, because I do love Illy espresso and can also be happy with the americano made from Illy. I will add that they also have sit down breakfast in Fil Rouge, but DW and I have yet to try that breakfast. We have no clue as to the coffee that may lurk behind those doors. Hank

Nothing but worthless guesses/rumors. My 241 number comes directly from the security folks and is accurate, but they do not have a clue as to the future cruises. The best part of being on a "ghost ship" is that all the venues are operating normally and with what appears to be full staff. Where some of us had speculated about how difficult it might be to eat in the various venues, you might say we are children in a candy store. DW and I do not need to decide where to eat until we are ready to walk in the door. We still have to try Fil Rouge and the Med Yacht Club, so I suspect we will make that choice this evening. It is tempting to just return to Sakura, but we do feel the need to try all the venues. Another couple told us they had a very nice dinner, last night, in the Emporium where they only saw one other couple! Unreal! We walked by the Med Yacht Club restaurant about 7:30 (on our way to Sakura) and the place was almost completely empty! Spread 241 souls between 5 venues, that are open from 6:30 - 9:00 and you can imagine how empty these places can be on most evenings. And we are not even talking about Anthology (we have no clue what is happening in that venue but did notice some folks at their wine bar. On our walk back to the ship, today, we stopped at CVS and bought a small bottle of Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice. DW misses her "Cosmos" and we decided not to depend on EJ bringing aboard any Cranberry Juice here in bean town. It also bothers me that a cruise line owned by the Aponte's does not have any Pelligrino! Perhaps it will take an e-mail to Mrs. Aponte to get that issued resolved, but we shall wait and see. Hoping that the small supply issues are all resolved by tonight, but you know what they say about "hope." Hank

So let’s continue with some things that make EJ so very different. We are now docked in Boston, which is actually a fabulous port city whether one takes a tour or simply goes off on our own. EJ1 does have free shuttle service into the heart of town or some of us will just walk a few miles. But there have been no port lectures, no port guides sent to the suites, no excursion lectures, etc. Folks are truly on their own and are expected to do their research or book excursions. This ship also has no displayed deck plans nor a decent app. You can find your way around with some signage (like a large hotel) but that can be a little tricky with the unique layout. For us, all this is fine, since we are very independent travelers who do not need hand holding. Others may not be happy. This might help explain why we have seen some major differences in reviews. The onboard public rest rooms are worth mentioning. The beautiful sinks have 3 identical spigots. The left one is a hand dryer/ blower, the middle is water, and the right is liquid soap. Since there are no labels or directions it will surprise most first time users. Getting back to the number of passengers (NYC to Quebec) the official count is 241 (not to far from the rumored 200). We just returned (from lunch in Boston) and did not see another passenger during reboarding. Hank

For me, today will be sort of a test. The shortages, such as with Diet Coke, ginger ale, Cranberry Juice, Perrier, Pelegríno, etc. is the kind of thing that happens on many ships. But at this price point, there should be no shortages after a long port day in Boston, where getting provisions is not difficult. I have to smile when I recall being on a Seabourn cruise that ran out of Diet Coke. A bar tender said to me, “we run out of things like Coke, but we never run out of caviar. That might sum up the attitude on luxury lines.

Yep, just pulled into Black Falcon. For us, we will probably just take a walk and stop at Yankee Lobster for great lobster rolls. Many of the crew cannot go ashore because they are so new to ships that they do not have their necessary Seaman’s Books needed for shore time in the US. DW used the word “creepy” ti describe this cruise. At times, there is not a passenger ti be seen. I had cappuccino at Crema earlier and was the only customer other than a couple of Senior staff. Having breakfast in the Emporium, and looking from my table can see 8 other passengers. EJ has tried to create an experience that is more akin to a resort, than a cruise. I wonder if they have taken that too far. I think of Seabourn and their “Caviar in the Surf,”. Block Party , etc. This line lacks what I would call “cruise soul” which some will love and others will dislike. This concept was best expressed by the “Experience Manager” who explains their is no Cruise Director because EJ does not “direct cruises.” Hank

Before I turn in for the night, I decided to post something about dinner (tonight). Although we had a fantastic lunch at Sakura (posted earlier) we decided to try and get in for dinner (without a reservation). The dinner menu is completely different than lunch (other than the Sushi bar items) and Sakura is definitely the most popular dining venue on the ship. At 7:30, after being fortified with a few adult beverages we walked up to the host at Sakura and ask if they were accepting walk-ins. We were immediately seated near the open kitchen (these would normally be considered less desirable tables) which was perfect since I wanted to observe the chefs. We started off with a shared gyoza (pot stickers) platter. I also ordered a soft shell crab tempura starter and DW ordered a fried langostino starter. By the time we finished that food, we were both stuffed and very happy. My main was 3 New Zealand lamb chops (rack of lamb) that were smoked and presented with an excellent teriyaki-type sauce. The lamb truly melted in my mouth and was as good as any lamb chops I have ever eaten...anywhere! By the time we had some dessert, DW and I were blown away by the quality of our dinner. She did not disagree when I said it was within the top 5 cruise ship dinners, we have ever had...and we have had well over 1400. Other posters have said good things about Sakura, and we now join the fray. We look forward to returning on Sunday (when we have reservations) and a few other times (if we can get a table as walk ins). Late this afternoon we finally called this a "ghost ship" because of such a small number of passengers. Depending on which staff you ask, we have somewhere between 200 and 240 and, at times, it is hard to find more than 100. A senior staffer told me they did not expect to have a big crowd until they get to Miami (for their Caribbean cruises). DW and I did spend nearly the entire day relaxing and reading at the indoor pool, where there were never more than 10 other passengers. Unreal! All is not perfect. There are supply problems with the rare item of soda pop. No ginger ale, no Diet Coke. There is no Cranberry Juice (DW has them making her Cosmos with pomegranate. How on earth can they spend a full day in NYC and not be able to restock these basic items. There apparently is also no Harveys Bristol Cream (or any other cream sherry). Today, the seas have been a bit rough (3-4 meters) for some folks and we heard of a few passengers who were not handling the seas in a good way. But most of the passengers are well seasoned cruisers and simply roll with the waves and have another drink :). Service, in all venues, has been excellent. I wanted to offer a rebuttal to someone's negative comment about 10 days ago. This poster made a big deal out of 3 small shelves, in their suite, which could not be easily used for storage because there were items on these shelves. It turns out these are 3 shelves, that each have a work of art, to simply add to the decor of the suite. They are not intended for storage. In our suite, the 3-art works are quite nice (the kind of things we would purchase at an art festival). If we were to complain about anything in our suite (and we are NOT complaining) the night lights (which are triggered by motion sensors) are too sensitive and can turn on when not wanted. Not a big deal (also a complaint on some new Princess ships). I would also warn future cruisers that laundry is expensive (there are no laundry by the bag specials). Let's be blunt. Folks will spend big bucks to go on a luxury ship and then be unhappy about paying $10 to launder a single item. There are laundramats for those that want to do their own laundry, and then there are the heavy packers (like me) who simply bring enough clothes, so we do not need to deal with laundry. We met the captain (Diego Michelozzi) this evening and he seems to be a down to earth charming gentleman. I believe he came aboard in NYC. I also wanted to mention that we have not seen a single passenger or crew member (host) wearing a mask. And regarding dress codes, smart casual is the norm with very few men wearing jackets. Hank

Once upon a time we stayed, annually, in a Myrtle Beach resort/hotel that had twice daily room service. About 3 years ago, after we had booked and paid for an upcoming week, we received an e-mail saying that the daily service was no longer included (unless we wanted to pay an extra $40 per day. The maids would only replace towels and do a real cleaning only twice a week! We have never returned to that resort, and now simply rent a condo (much larger than a hotel room) for about the same price. And that is my feeling about cruise ships. We know what to expect on cruises (been doing this thing for about 50 years) and that is one reason why we love to cruise. Tis a slippery slope to accept these kind of cutbacks. My goodness, we remember cruising when there was no such thing as extra cost restaurants, add-ons in the MDR, or add-ons on top of the add-ons in the PG. Our reaction to all the cutbacks has been to simply move most of our cruising to luxury lines. The past premium mass market lines of yesterday (like HAL) have become the new budget lines! And many fans simply see what they want to see, ignore the cutbacks, ignore the constant add-ons, and ignore the downgrading of entertainment. When you lower the bar...you simply get a lowered bar. Hank

Both HAL and Princess offer souffles in the MDR. It can be found as both a starter (such as goat cheese souffle) or a dessert. I do not recall seeing consommé as a normal item on any cruise line. Hank

I will toss in info from a couple, we met yesterday on the Explora 1, who told us they were on their 30th cruise and 15th cruise line. Seemed like a lot of lines for such a few number of cruises, but they explained that they cruise for itinerary and could care less about brands. Hank

I am starting to think this line should attract those seeking culinary delights. Today, at lunch we could choose from the Emporium, Sakura or the Med Yacht Club. We decided to try Sakura where lunch is about sushi, sashimi, etc. We are not big sushi eaters, but Sakura could make me a convert. Everything we ate was fantastic. The tuna was very high grade and melted in my mouth. Our waiter was concerned we had not eaten enough and forced us to share a bento box that was superb. They had yellowfin that tasted like it just came out of the sea. As we were returning to our loungers at the indoor pool, we had to pass through the Emporium where I spotted a large display of raw oysters on the half shell. Got 4 of those and they were delicious. Now we have another problem because our loungers are near the gelato place where they have 5 gelatos and 5 sorbets. OMG! I will not even look at their crepe menu. Hank

Just to be clear, on this thread I am talking about the here and now on the ship. We are sticking to facts. So, for example, when I say that the only scheduled activity we had this morning was a lecture on photography, that is fact. There are also the usual fitness stuff. The next activity is “Let’s get Quizzical” at 12:15. In the afternoon they have something called Artistery Beyond Boundries at 2:30. For DW and I, this is fine since we are not activity people. But many cruisers would be bored. Hank

This is a sea day, but there are very few “activities” on the ship. This morning there is a lecture on travel photography. There is supposed to be a 2 1/2 hour Chefs Kitchen class on making pasta. That venue can only hold 12 passengers and the cost is 150 Euros. Nothing in the daily schedule mentions the cost although an asterisk indicates there is a fee. The chef cancelled the class because sea conditions are too rough to be work with knives and hot water. Something we are noticing is that quite a few things involve big fees, but finding out the cost is not always easy. They have added some culinary tours (in the ports), and they sound amazing until one learns that the cost can be 600+ Euros per person.

I am going to try and post some things in real time, like now. It is 9:50 am and DW and I are sitting in very comfy loungers at the Conservatory indoor pool. We are among a crowd of 2! There is probably room for about 120 here, but we have it all to ourselves. At one end of the pool area is a huge video screen displaying the rather tacky “Explora Journeys” along with the MSC logo. There is a waterfall in front of the screen which is strange. Speaking of design, the low chairs/tables in Crema have a big problem. The wooden arms of the chairs scrape against the marble table tops, so the front of the chair arms are already wearing away along with the stain. These chairs will look ragged, within a few months. Had breakfast in the Emporium. All is fine, but we think it is a pretty typical high end Lido. Those who are used to Seabourn (us) would miss the table service that Seabourn has in their Colonnade. I had and excellent omelet, but waited at the counter like one normally does in any Lido buffet. The fresh pastries looked good and my croissant was very good, although I prefer more butter within the bread. My fresh OJ was disappointing, as it lacked the really fresh orange flavor. I do think the Emporium will do fine on a full ship as there is plenty of seating and the counters are spacious with plenty of staff (oops…. “Hosts”).

Funny thing is that when we had drinks at the large Lobby Bar, the cocktail napkins were printed with the MSC logo.

A few words about Crema. This is the coffee bar , on deck 5) which has low seating. To call this lounge drop dead gorgeous would be an understatement. There are plenty of waiters or you can just order at the large counter. There is also a small food case (items rotate during the day) where one could get a croissant or a cookie (not much variety here). Not a place to come for a meal, but perfect for a coffee. Since they do have booze, it might be a good spot to have an Irish Coffee. Like most of the ship, this area has a very warm contemporary decor and is lined with huge floor to ceiling windows. Outside the windows there are chairs/tables on a promanade, but I am not sure if this gets service from Crema, since nobody is outside on this dreary morning.

We can all speculate, but I think they missed a huge marketing opportunity by not actively promoting EJ in all the Yacht Clubs. So far, all the passengers we have met seem to be normal cruisers and paying passengers. At the moment I am enjoying my cappuccino in Crema and just saw the NYC Sandy Hook Harboe pilot boat come aside and pick up our pilot. Seas are about 2-3 meters and it is starting to feel like we are on a ship 😋

Ok folks, since we talked about a "clean slate" we are starting a new blog. We welcome comments, additions and even flaming DW and I have an awful lot of cruise experience, so some might find this thread interesting. We boarded EJ1 today, about 1:30. in NYC, and to be very blunt, after 12 hours on the ship we are challenged as to how to review this vessel. While the vessel capacity is about 920, there are only 200 (approximate) passengers on this 8 day cruise from NYC to Quebec City and we do not expect a lot more at QC. So how on earth can one review a ship which has 200 passengers served by a crew of more than 600? We are in cruise heaven and realize this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, So as you follow along on our thread, always keep in mind we are less than 25% capacity. Embarkation in NYC was fast and easy (with only 200 passengers this is not a surprise). We started the process about 1:20, were aboard by 1:35 and were at the Lido (Emporium Marketplace) by 1:45! This was necessary since that venue closes at 2pm after which we would have been at the mercy of a snack at the Crema Cafe or room service. Our initial take on their Lido is that it is an upscale "Lido" with lots of staff. Although it is a buffet (with many scattered stations), DW could not walk away without a "host" (their term for crew) insisting on taking her plate to our table. Food was OK (we both had fish/chips) and the hosts were all over us pouring water and wine. That being said, ask for Pelligrino or Perrier and we quickly heard, "we are out" and can only give you the fresh or sparkling water that is made on board (nothing special). A little after 2pm, we were told we could access our suites. We a OT3 Suite (which is a regular suite). It feels somewhat smaller than Seabourn Suites, and about the size of a Yacht Club suite. Our cabin (marked as "twins" on the deck plan) was made up as a King (the twins pushed together in normal cruise fashion. The cabin has the usual safe, stocked fridge, etc. There is a walk-in closet area which also has the make-up area. This includes a top of the line Dyson hair dryer (these sell for about $500) which made DW smile. Overall storage is pretty good, but we have seen better on other lines. Our bathroom has a single sink and a large shower (with waterfall nozzle and another hand held nozzle). There is no bath tub in our suite! That is good for us, but others might want to ask for a bath if that is their preference. Our cabin has a large (at least 48 inch) Samsung TV with the usual news channels (MSN, FOX, Sky, etc. One previous poster complained about some shelves that had stuff blocking the ability to store items on those shelves. These are 3 shelves that are intended to house artistic items (in our suite they are neat sculptures) and not storage shelves! We thought it terrific, that EJ put some art in the suites. I should mention that there is NOT an electrical outlet (for shavers, etc) in the bathroom! Since the ship is so empty, we decided to go to Sakura for dinner (about 7:15). Big mistake as they would not take any "walk ins" this evening since they already had plenty of reservations (and we think local guests). The hostess suggested we try Marble and Co, where we were quickly seated. Other poster have not been kind to this venue so we had some concerns Our dinners were good and the service, excellent. We both started with their signature caviar over a potato thing. The caviar was good, and the bland potatoes a decent accompaniment. It was topped with eatable gold leaf. A good start for we caviar lovers. Next, I had the lobster bisque which was decent. DW's main were lamb chops (she said they were perfect) which were two large chops. Our waiter had suggested she order a double portion, but DW was not that hungry. I was going to order what they call "Prime Rib" but our waiter suggested one of their filets (mommy told me to listen to waiters) which was perfectly prepared and served with my requested green peppercorn sauce. We also had a few sides (OK, but nothing to shout about). For dessert, DW had beignets (with 3 different sauces) and I had the terrific Yuzu Cheesecake. No complaints, and a darn good meal for a luxury cruise line. After dinner we went to the Journeys Louge for their 9:30 show. They had a decent 4 piece band (woodwind, bass guitar, piano, drums) and several singers. This was decent lounge entertainment with music from Bruno Mars to Rosemay Clooney. After dinner we went up to deck 11 to check out the Explora Lounge and indoor pool. The area was empty (except for staff). The pool area is lovely, the loungers well padded, and the area gorgeous. It will be fine for 200 passengers, but we wonder how this will all work when the ship is full with 900+. The Explora Lounge was gorgeous (with a nice view of NYC) but had no customers (embarkation evening). Hosts (staff) quickly were at our side asking if we wanted anything! A few other thoughts. Our visit to the restaurant reservations desk was frustrating. We are not allowed to make a reservation for our next cruise (we booked an 18-day cruise which is essentially a 8 and 10 day) until 2 days prior to the end of our segment. We than went to the tour desk to spend some of our OBC. We were able to book one tour (during this 8-day segment) but could not book any tours for next week (until the first day of the next cruise). If you book an excursion pre cruise, your credit card is charged! They will not later allow you to cancel, get a credit and change that payment to your OBC. When we pointed out to the excursion person that most cruise lines let you use your OBC for excursions (booked prior the cruise) she told me "we are not other cruise lines, I am trying to be very honest and give the pros/cons. We can understand some of the negative posts that say that the policies/staff here are unyielding. They have their policies, do not want to hear if they are bad, and have no interest in making improvements or changes. Ok, so now on to the October 12 (naming ceremony issue). Our ship docks in NYC on Oct 12 but the cruise does not actually end until the 13th. EJ decided to have their "Naming Ceremony" on the 12th and, at the last minute, offered passenger a few options. What has been posted is only partially right. For those that simply want to stay on the ship until the 13th, they will need to debark on the 12th, be cleared by immigration, and then wait until allowed to reboard (this will likely be no more than 2 hours). As of today, there is not needed to take off your luggage or pack. It is just like a typical turn-around day (on back-to-back cruises) where the the ship will be "zeroed out" and then folks can come back aboard. Another option (offered to us) was to disembark a day early, be taken to the Times Square Edition Hotel. EJ will take care of one night at that decent hotel, provide $150 per person for incidentals, breakfast at the hotel, and transfers. They would also refund a pro-rated amount for that last cruise day. Another option is to stay on the ship and be among the invited guests to the "naming ceremony." Our cruise agent called us today (after we boarded the ship) and had a US representative of EJ on the call (3 party call). The rep wanted our decision as to the options, and we decided to attend the naming ceremony and stay onboard until Oct 13. We go to NYC on a regular basis and had no reason to spend a night in a Times Square hotel (not a good neighborhood these day). We also figured that a Naming Ceremony is a special event not often experienced by cruisers! So, why not? My complaint about this issue is that EJ created the problem and did not present the options until the last few days. Our cruise agency was not notified until Saturday, and it was not until AFTER we were aboard that we could learn all the real options. There was a third option to take a nice cruise credit, but we had no interest. I apologize, if this post is not up to standards, but it has been a long day, the booze has been flowing.. etc etc. In our future posts we will try to go into more detail and answer any questions. Hank

See my new blog. Hank

Just took a look at where the EJ1 has docked in NYC, and it is at Pier 90! That particular pier (which is a one-ship pier) is located at 50th Street and 12th Ave. I will take a wild guess that the ship will be at the same pier when it returns on Oct 12, because that makes the most sense for the folks who will pay for parking. Hank

Our best excursion (in over 100 cruises) happened to be the most expensive. It was a helicopter tour, in Juneau, that flew up Mendenhall Glacier and landed at a summer dog sled training camp, used to primarily train sled dogs that ran in the annual Iditerod . We all had a chance to both drive and ride in the sleds, as well as meet some of the dogs. Absolutely perfect day shared with world-class athletes (the dogs). Hank

When we started cruising (70s) trays were very common at Lido buffets on most lines. Then, they gradually disappeared, Why? We have been told it was for a variety of reasons. 1. Cleaning all those trays uses a lot of water and energy (which equals money). 2. Studies have shown that eliminating trays reduces food waste. and 3. Studies have also shown that folks consume less, when they do not have trays! All this is good for cruise lines. Hank

If the line were to be judged on pre-cruise support/communications, they will be a big failure. Of course, many of us have had delt with cruise lines that had awful land-based customer service but excelled onboard. Even after 50 years of extensive cruising, we have never gambled on a new ship of a new cruise line...with nobody having a clue what to expect :). Gonna be fun. Also looking forward to finally trying "O" this spring. Hank