Waltershipman

4 minutes ago, uktog said:

Availability is not usually an issue - cancellation of the excursion is a greater issue especially if you cannot spend the OBC any other way.  What you will find when you get onboard, the number of excursions offered is usually less than what was advertised.  Typically that is not because they are full but because they have pulled them.  I understand this is often because they could not get transport or guides

Many thanks much appreciated

I enjoy your posts

Since OBC is not available on EJ for use until after boarding how available are excursions once on board in order to take advantage of the OBC rather that booking in advance

Any info is helpful and thank you

20 minutes ago, Sthrngary said:

The best word of wisdom comes from @Dr. Cocktail

 

All contributors have something to offer. All Social Media influencers have something to offer. If you enjoy research and not everyone does, you are looking for comments or opinions that follow a trend or pattern.  One over the top great review or video or one supper bad review or video does not outline the brand.  

 

Why so much about this subject.  Personal for me. I have made some very expensive poor decisions in my life.  My personality creates a self talk that is more degrading to myself then making the decision.  Not saying this is healthy, just saying it is me.  I hate making bad decision but less so if I did do my due diligence.  Than, I knew most of the time what I was getting into.  I can then forgive myself. Like knowing, Oceania Cruises misses port often.  I knew it, I booked it anyway, and the missed a port so it did not effect my cruise to bad. 

 

Up to this point, very few video reviews are out there about Explora Journey.  So hard to gain all the information we all might need from that.  Nice to hear good stuff and look forward to more information in the next many months. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

In spite of some blemishes we will be back for our 2nd EJ cruise in January. It's sort of like you don't stop loving someone or sonething just because they have one or a few zits. Right?

46 minutes ago, PaulMCO said:

I am sure the kids will love the menu at Fil Rouge (fois gras, escargot) and Sakura (suschi) etc.

Marble and the Emporium are the more likely venues for kids. 

 

Asking for something special on Explora -- good luck -- could not get a custom pizza in January,

However my 6 and 8 year old grandchildren would want Sakura for every meal since they love sushi and wagu beef. Who knew???

14 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Not sure you have it right.  Keep in mind that Explora, just like its MSC sister company, is a Euro-centric cruise company.  While you think in terms of Florida and the Caribbean, the MSC folks think more in terms of Europe and Europeans.  While MSC does now have a decent presence in the Florida/Caribbean market, the bulk of their fleet is still dedicated to Europe.  When EJ was just getting it's start, one of its marketing ploys that just about everything, onboard, was sourced in Europe.  The bottom line for EJ is that, at the moment, it is a tiny cruise line with only 900 berths.  It is difficult to justify a huge marketing budget for such a small company, and they still go out of their way to keep separation from MSC....(although there is a big MSC sign in the Emporium indoor pool on EJ1.  In fact, we got a laugh when, on EJ1, we would sometimes get MSC napkins.

 

I posted, long before EJ1 did its maiden voyage, that the EJ folks were missing a huge opportunity by NOT marketing to the MSC Yacht Club passengers.  In fact, when we were on the Divina (in the Yacht Club) and ask the future cruise consultant about booking EJ, she recoiled in faux horror and said, "we are not permitted to talk about that line!"   Now, more than a year after beginning operations, most of our cruising friends tell us they have never heard of EJ or know nothing about it!  

 

Hank

 

When it comes to European cruises, the airport situation is not nearly as important to customers.   The reality of small ship luxury lines is that the customer base has a more worldly view and seeks out more exotic itineraries than found in the Caribbean.  

 

I do think that competition causes a real problem for small ship luxury lines in the Caribbean.  We have an upcoming Silversea cruise, that does a 2-week Caribbean itinerary, and we were able to snag reservations for less money than cruising in the Caribbean on MSC's Yacht Club.  Silversea sold our cruise at more than 50% lower cost per person/day then most of their more exotic itineraries.  

 

You can even look at the mass market lines to see the problem with the Caribbean.  Cruise HAL, on a Caribbean cruise, and you will find some amazing deals.  Take that same line on one of their more popular itineraries, such as the Voyage of the Vikings, and HAL can demand 3 times (and more) the price per passenger day then they get in the Caribbean.  

 

I think that, at least for now, the major marketing for EJ is the European market.  The bulk of their North American marketing has been to "reach out" to travel/cruise agencies.  But even though DW and I have previously cruised on EJ (so are in their data base) the amount of marketing we get (via e-mail and snail mail) is miniscule when compared to many other lines.

Well said as always Hank

9 minutes ago, johng75370 said:

Yes.  There is some variety in the Marketplace, but the restaurants have menus that are decided by corporate and have not changed since launch.  For a 7 day (or even 14) there is a lot to choose from, but the menus are static.

Statically great IMHO

3 hours ago, momofmab said:

We are on the Jan 28th sailing as well!  Looking forward to it!

Looking forward to connecting

4 hours ago, Newstart said:

Hello - any advice regarding cabin 6040 on Explora for next cruise. I was quite happy to hook this cabin, but recently read some negative comments about music, noise and smoke coming from the Crema Lounge on Deck 5. I’ve always had a cabin below mine on cruises so trying to find out what previous Explora cruisers think? Should I try deck 7 instead - or is Deck 6 perfectly fine? I did ask for a lower deck due to my motion sickness. Thank you 😊

We were in 6040 last October and no problems. It was great

Enjoy

5 hours ago, JonoBhoy said:

5 Jan

Enjoy we sail January 28

Enjoy

2 hours ago, JonoBhoy said:

We have cruised a number of times within MSC YC and love the product it offers, we have not sailed EJ yet but are booked on EJII in January 🙂 .

 

As @Hlitner covered off, the overarching difference with MSC YC and EJ is MSC YC offers a ship-within-a-ship experience on a luxury mega ship versus EJ offering an ultra-luxury experience right across a mid-sized ship.

 

I cannot speak to EJ experience yet until I have sailed, but certainly the noises I have heard from CC and videos on YouTube seem positive and I look forward to making my own mind up. As for MSC YC; the experience within YC is largely fantastic with excellent amminities including a very enjoyable pool deck, great alfresco breakfast/lunch, great piano/bar experience in the YC lounge, an overall good-to-great food experience in YC restaurant (although not without the odd bad experience or course). The issue with MSC I have is the experience on the rest of the ship especially when it comes to food and drink. Their ships are beautiful but my experience is when you venture out of the sanctum of the Yacht Club the drop off in experience is significant, not terrible, but to the point where I would not want to sail MSC without being in YC, and returning back into the YC after a couple of hours out in the population reminds me of that. 

When do you sail in January 

4 hours ago, Khareef said:

wouldn’t be easier to book your own independent excursion at 1/3 of the price…all they do is rely on third parties and then charge a huge premium…

True except for one big thing which is a port cancellation and the need to cancel an excursion and how the terms of cancelation are handled by the vendor 

2 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Will look forward to reading your cruise comments after your voyage.  We had looked at the EJ Caribbean schedule, but opted to book an amazing bargain deal, for the Caribbean, on Silversea.  Will be curious to know if EJ brings back the Moet Champagnes.

 

Hank

Please also keep me posted on SS experiences 

All the best

4 hours ago, Hlitner said:

I find myself agreeing with PaulMCO's post.  When we cruised on EJ1, our main issue was with the attitude of some senior staff and Guest Relations folks who pushed out an attitude of "we are not a cruise line" but rather a floating resort.  In fact, the Guest Relations staff (I refuse to use that juvenile Explora Speak) would get annoyed at any kind of comparison to other lines.

 

So now, EJ makes another senior management change and brings in outside talent with little to no cruise line experience.  This from a corporation that is full of cruise-experienced talent from the MSC side, including many wunho have contributed to the wonderful Yacht Club Experience.  

 

Although we enjoyed our 18 days on EJ1, we have felt no strong desire to book more future cruises with EJ.  Instead, we have been on lines like Seabourn, Silversea, and Oceania.  These are all lines that understand they are cruise lines (not hotels) and have a good understanding of cruise passengers.  

 

We do wish Explora the best and hope that the new President is a fast learner when it comes to running a cruise line.  Ships are not quite the same as floating resorts.   We hope that at some point, EJ will get over themselves and start thinking about their customers.

 

Hank

Always respect Hanks experiences and observations. I was fortunate to travel with Hank last October and since then we both sailed on O Vista although We unlike Hank  have not had any  cruises other than Vista since our EJ cruise.

We however have booked another EJ cruise with guarded optimism for Carribeanwhich will hopefully provide more outdoor experiencesthank previous.. We found O in February to be less than our prior O experiences and cost cutting was evident. Our main issue however was the Vista felt crowded.. we do not plan to go back to O absent a great deal.

We are giving EJ another try even though there could be hiccups from reading the CC boards as well as our own past experiences. I hope that back of house issues have been resolved and that on board communication with staff has improved

Hank be well cruise well and keep reporting your life cruise experiences . I enjoy your posts

All the best

David 

20 hours ago, Dr. Cocktail said:

 

I dunno ... I'm arguable the biggest Explora cheerleader on these boards (though the very nice Waltershipman gives me a run for my money!) but I'm extremely disappointed with  what I'm seeing.  

 

The gorgeous but not particularly functional lobby bar with its inadequate seating  was supposed to be different on E 2  but still has the exact same large and clunky furniture.

 

The acknowledgement of senior staff of not having enough shade has been met only  with the original as-designed chaises at the Astern pool having their little canopies. Deck 12 remains unchanged. The suggested "built-in" shaded areas that were coming aren't present.

 

As we've heard from uktog, the  extraordinarily unimpressive wine list remains an unacceptable offering for a luxury line.

 

These were all areas that could have had an easy fix (even adding pergola-like structural shading along deck 12 is not a big deal while under construction).

 

All the senior staff on board were very gracious and listened intently but our concerns were obviously not addressed.

 

A disappointment.

Thank you  Dr Cocktail and yes Waltershipman is nice. Thanks for the tip of the hat and yes I am a big cheerleader for EJ

My main reason these days for returning to EJ is that it fits my needs.  Cruising needs vary overtime.  While raising a family we chose more family fun cruise experiences. 

As a long time cruiser my DW and I choose fine dining , luxury accommodations., excellent service, 

Beautiful surroundings. E J handles that well  

EJ is not without blemishes  in previous times any complaints focused on back of house issues and the need for TA and on board staff to communicate with Geneva which can be difficult. Last year when we sailed the car we ordered on debarkation never came. It took months to get a refund. 

Last year there was only scant port info when we arrived at ports about the ports.

As for the Lobby bar it is a fun place for pre dinner hanging out although I have seen many post positives about sky bar which we will visit next time on board.  The lobby bar got very full with no places to sit when the ship picked up a larger passenger load.

SOLUTION 

I utilize  my TA for dealing with financial issues and similar matters. I also have developed a relationship with one of the EJ Ambassadors in Geneva that I communicate with about dining  shore excursions and those items to maximize my cruise experience and cut down communication problems.

Have a happy day and hope to see you on board one day. Last February which on O Vista we had a CC meet and greet that was very much enjoyed and got people to connect on person

Thanks for all of your posts 

On 9/1/2024 at 4:37 PM, Waltershipman said:

While on board Vista we were told that many staff had moved over to Explora Journeys 

The most recent pricing for next year in Carribean on O Vista is very interesting indeed 

5 minutes ago, uktog said:

So?  I was comparing EJ November to EJ now. Whether I cruise on Azamara or not is irrelevant 

Love your comparisons since our 1st EJ cruise was last October and next one in January so the comparison is very informative and appreciated. We do enjoy EJ very much

2 hours ago, Stickman1990 said:

So you’ve never actually cruised on a luxury class line then?
 

Luxury lines offerings embodies far more than a large cabin/suite eg dining, enrichment, decor and most importantly service 

Yup it's the totality of the luxury experience that makes it luxury

1 hour ago, breadandbutter said:

Where at?

Emporium Marketplace 

30 minutes ago, PaulMCO said:

Emporium for sure.  Maybe Med Yacht or Sakura (either one or the other).

Loved the foie gras at lunch 

1 hour ago, cruisingxpert said:

Oysters Rockefeller are cooked but I didn't see any.  I really enjoy raw oysters but I was disappointed when I tried them on Explora in May.

Dinner at Emporium last year 

1 hour ago, glawless said:

We are going to be on the inaugural cruise for explora 2 in a couple of weeks.  What is normal attire for dinner?   I know Anthology and Fil Rouge have a no shorts policy.  Are dressy shorts and a button down shirt common in the other restaurants or do men all wear long pants?  
 

thank you!

Men wearing nice pants or slacks akin to what might be worn at any nice land based restaurant is most appropriate.

4 hours ago, don731 said:

Feb. 14-28 MIA-MIA-SJU.  
 

Enjoy

6 minutes ago, don731 said:

We’re onboard Explora 1 in February as well.  Love to follow the compare and contrast with other similar lines.  Following this thread with great interest.

What date do you sail

30 minutes ago, Dr. Cocktail said:

Took me a day to respond ... whereas I enjoyed my YC cruises, EJ is on a entirely different level. There's simply no comparison.  

 

Don't worry about TA's and influencers.... there were some on our past sailings but not really noticeable except on the odd occasion.  Some were, in fact, really interesting and you just ignored the others.

 

If you look at my signature, I've sailed on everything from converted ferries to 100 passenger expedition ships and everything in between.  Stop worrying .... Explora is the real deal!

 

I fully agree with Gary on this one .... have realistic expectations but it's pretty darn special!

 

WELL SAID

28 minutes ago, cruisr said:

My DH and I are sailing in December and it will be first time with Explora.  i have sailed on almost 100 cruises starting with my HS graduation present on the Oceanic.  We love Seabourn and Crystal.  That being said, we both hate the MDR,  On Crystal, as we are always in the suites that allow unlimited dining in the alternate restaurants, we avail ourselves of that.  We do not like dining in a MDR.  This is the appeal of Explora.  Lots of choices and choice is good.  I think we will like it.

You will love it

We too have been on over 100  Cruises over the last 40 years and will be returning in January to EJ for our 2nd EJ cruise with lots of excitement.  It is a great cruise

Enjoy have fun