Yacht Club vs Explora Journeys

[morpheusofthesea]

We booked Explora Journeys just about two years ago on January 18, 2022. It had been advertised by MSC as all Yacht Club ship. Having fallen in love with MSC YC we thought it only natural to 'move on up' to the best life has to offer. We do not know how much of life we have left and how much longer we can climb the stairs. We will miss not having the elevator override key cards we get on the 'Sea'ships, but with one tenth the number of passengers we don't anticipate an elevator problem needing an override. We have been spoiled by our MSC YC butlers and can not imagine any butler exceeding our expectations, so when we read that the Penthouses (#6012) did not have a butler we had to upgrade to a Cove residence (#6010 next door) for an additional $10,700. The same ocean air, the same exposure to the sun and shade. (This is what happens when one tastes luxury for the first time). Hopefully the cabin has enough wardrobe space for my Diva with 12 suitcases. Perhaps I can add to this some more, but now SWMBO wants me to get off the computer and pack up the car and fit 2 more suitcases .

 

[jethapgun]

Have a wonderful cruise!! I enjoy your posts - thank you! My husband and I have been on both MSC YC and Explora. Some things felt very similar to us, but other parts of Explora were different. The food knocked our socks off on Explora, and the comfortable guest/crew ratio (we were on one of the November sailings, around 60% full, if that). We hope to continue to cruise on both! Enjoy! 

[loge23]

Have a great cruise! Looking forward to your impressions of Explora. 

[bigblue1952]

Have a great cruise.  I am looking forward to you cruise review.

[travelwide]

Getting off tomorrow.  Will be following along. 

[morpheusofthesea]

"I found out long ago
(Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
It's a short way down the Holiday Road
(Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)

Holiday Road
Holiday Road

Jack be nimble, Jack be quick
(Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
Take a ride on a East Coast kick
(Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)".

 

So one doesn't say I'm not in the 'right' frame of mind when it comes to my observations.

[morpheusofthesea]

Got to the port at 8:30 am. Terminal G parking garage G across the street. Never park on ground floor due to flooding. Asked for porter when we pulled up and unloaded, tipped porter. Directed to go into terminal, not wait like MSC where we all stand outside in the blazing sun until 10 am. It is cold inside Terminal G. Before we are allowed to take the escalator up to security a TSA agent checks the manifest for our name. We are escorted by an MSC port agent up the escalator from our front of terminal. DW took the time waiting for the porter this morning to chat with guests leaving the Explora waiting for rides. Consensus so far is lovely ship. Nothing else. Oh yes, lack of entertainment. 
   Up the escalator through security into checkin which doesn’t open until 11 am. Seating in this terminal has only 63 seats. It’s 9:30 am.

 

[morpheusofthesea]

Another difference between MSC YC and Explora in the terminal is the MSC agents came around and handed us our daily program for today. We enjoyed MSC posting everything in am/ pm versus Explora is 24 hr military time always having to subtract 12 for an ever feeble mind. 
 Our captain this cruise is Serena Melani.

[JAGR]

Well, judging by your title, there is no "poop deck" on Explora Journeys! 😉

Have a great time, and happy holidays to you both!

Edited December 22, 2023 by JAGR

[morpheusofthesea]

4 minutes ago, JAGR said:

Well, judging by your title, there is no "poop deck" on Explora Journeys! 😉

Have a great time, and happy holidays to you both!

I debated whether to include PD to my title. Thought it might be a little ‘long in tooth’ displaying a dearth of imagination ( and dwindling mental faculties).

[morpheusofthesea]

It is 10 am and the customer service supervisor approached us to say hello and a group of 20 people that were just escorted on to the ship were marketing people invited on board for a special one hour event. They were all congregating here with us in the terminal, we thought they were passengers. They were not allowed on board until the ship zeroed out. They will have to be off before we will be allowed to board.

[morpheusofthesea]

Plenty of time waiting and reading the daily program comparing it to Seaships I find a comedian, an all female rock band, a male and a female vocalists, a port/ travel speaker, a Chaplain, a travel lecturer and finally a psychiatrist….board certified. Don’t recall needing a board certified psychiatrist sailing in the yacht club.

[morpheusofthesea]

In an effort to align with their commitment to sustainability practices printed copies of this daily program have to be picked up at guest services….had DW add a printed copy of the DP to our butler list. Yacht club we always got one delivered the night before.

[morpheusofthesea]

Embarkation day on Seaships one has the option to eat lunch in the YC Restaurant. No restaurants are open today for lunch other than the buffet on Explora. 
  Check in started at 11:15 am with 12 podiums all manned. Only 4 podiums got used as there were only 4 of us guests present to board. Our butler Anil came over to introduce himself and escorted us to a podium to check in an then up another escalator to the gangway directly to our cabin. He took another 10 minutes to go over the cabin. He said my old Yacht Club key card would work in the light switch.

  Muster drill works the same as on Seaships. Watch a video, call 881 to verify it was viewed, go to muster station and have key card scanned.

[travelwide]

3 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

In an effort to align with their commitment to sustainability practices printed copies of this daily program have to be picked up at guest services….had DW add a printed copy of the DP to our butler list. Yacht club we always got one delivered the night before.

Last cruise it was on our bed at turndown. Changes already.

[morpheusofthesea]

1 hour ago, travelwide said:

Last cruise it was on our bed at turndown. Changes already.

I was quoting from today’s program. No choice of newspaper in printed form (more sustainability). Our butler mentioned to us that he is like a ‘genie’, should we want any  restaurant reservations see him. I imagine it is an extra perk for Residences.

  I really enjoyed the Emporium buffet. Not at all crowded. It was similar only to the Market Place buffet as one has to go through the Conservatory pool just like the Jungle pool with no one stopping to wash their hands at the entrance. What helps is no one is allowed to touch a plate and no tongs or ladles. Everything is served. I had a small piece of grilled salmon looking at the display piece behind glass. The eager chef had a covered tray of partially cooked salmon filets and popped mine on the grill for a five minute grilling.. Had the pizza, I had to say it was better than MSC.

  The cove residence is not as big as the Royal suite on Seaships. Must give the cabin of RS the better grade.

[morpheusofthesea]

Muster drill was similar to Seaships. Don't use the elevators, but with so few on board and so many green ball caps scanning cabin cards there was no waiting around. I was looking for a pink ball cap, but since no one was wearing I flashed our cards at a green cap and he scanned them. We are so used to the elevators on the Seaships that when we went up to the Emporeum Buffet from our cabin on deck 6 to 11 we got on the elevator and the doors closed and the elevator did not move. Then we noticed all the buttons and remembered we now had to press our desired floor from inside the elevator. Spoiled by MSC. Luckily the doors remain open longer for guests to get around furniture. We are use to the elevators closing quickly on MSC. These elevators appear wider than Seaships.

[Jorhammer]

Curious to see how what’s the difference between having a butler or not, aside from the $10k

[morpheusofthesea]

1 hour ago, Jorhammer said:

Curious to see how what’s the difference between having a butler or not, aside from the $10k

Never hearing the word “no “. I  do not want to elaborate, as we are being accommodated as we have been accustomed to on MSC Yacht Clubs. 

Edited December 23, 2023 by morpheusofthesea

[morpheusofthesea]

Tonight we have a band with a male and female vocalist sharing the stage in Journeys Lounge  just like one would see in Le Cabaret Rouge on Seascape minus the sideshow acts.The show lasted 50 minutes with a break for half an hour. No where else to go so we decided to sit tight and wait for the next show.

Edited December 23, 2023 by morpheusofthesea

[morpheusofthesea]

2 hours ago, Jorhammer said:

Curious to see how what’s the difference between having a butler or not, aside from the $10k

Having thought about this you are on the right track. One gets so much the same in MSC Yacht Clubs for a lot less.

[morpheusofthesea]

Notice that the staff are trying to be more fraternizing. I feel a level of service above normal. Like a hovering. Nothing wrong with this. One doesn’t need to search for an attendant, walk into any lounge and immediately be escorted to a table and waited on.

[morpheusofthesea]

Explora must be listening because the entertainment hostess (cruise director) announced that there will be a different show every 8:30 & 9:30 in the Journeys lounge every night. That is different from Le Cabaret Rouge where we would see the same acts.

[jethapgun]

7 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Notice that the staff are trying to be more fraternizing. I feel a level of service above normal. Like a hovering. Nothing wrong with this. One doesn’t need to search for an attendant, walk into any lounge and immediately be escorted to a table and waited on.

Completely Agree! The word hovering explained our experience as well - but not in a bad way. It felt as every time you walked into a room or venue, or the sliding doors opened and you walked outside to one of the pools, someone was immediately on hand to offer a drink, etc. Very attentive service! 

[morpheusofthesea]

34 minutes ago, jethapgun said:

Completely Agree! The word hovering explained our experience as well - but not in a bad way. It felt as every time you walked into a room or venue, or the sliding doors opened and you walked outside to one of the pools, someone was immediately on hand to offer a drink, etc. Very attentive service! 

"Stepford" staff.