Our Final Word on EJ

[PrivateIdaho]

On 1/17/2024 at 3:08 PM, Bongomeme said:

Excited to try the ship in hot weather!

We were with you Scotland to NYC and did another MIA to MIA in Dec. So nice to enjoy the outdoor bars and pools. Have a great time. 

[PrivateIdaho]

On 1/3/2024 at 1:49 PM, Waltershipman said:

We sail late this month  on the new Oceania Vista and i hope we are not disappointed.  I suspect that in some areas they will exceed EJ and in others not so much. Its the not so much areas I wonder about.

We have completed 3 EJ cruises and due to a lack of itinerary choices, are considering the Vista in March. Looking forward to your evaluation and comparison. Have a great trip.

[Waltershipman]

2 hours ago, PrivateIdaho said:

We have completed 3 EJ cruises and due to a lack of itinerary choices, are considering the Vista in March. Looking forward to your evaluation and comparison. Have a great trip.

Will be happy to provide  that info

 

Thanks much

[Waltershipman]

2 hours ago, PrivateIdaho said:

We have completed 3 EJ cruises and due to a lack of itinerary choices, are considering the Vista in March. Looking forward to your evaluation and comparison. Have a great trip.

We sail on Vista january 31

[maggie.1008]

Our good friends were on the Vista in a PH 1 and raved about it. They have also been on all the luxury lines. They were on last month for the Christmas cruise. They said only a few children onboard. 

[PrivateIdaho]

23 minutes ago, maggie.1008 said:

Our good friends were on the Vista in a PH 1 and raved about it.

I hope there is a lot to rave about, but I have a feeling they won’t compare to EJ. Willing to give them a chance. 

[Waltershipman]

4 minutes ago, PrivateIdaho said:

I hope there is a lot to rave about, but I have a feeling they won’t compare to EJ. Willing to give them a chance. 

Will be on January 31 so will know 1st hand comparison 

[as3369]

We like to visit the casino while on the ship, but we aren't "big" gamblers.  Can anyone tell me what are the table game minimums?  We like to play Ultimate Hold Em, Three card poker or blackjack but only if they have reasonable antes.

 

Thank you

[parallax]

The BJ table was $25 on our cruise. 

[as3369]

1 hour ago, parallax said:

The BJ table was $25 on our cruise. 

Thank you.  Do you know what type of poker game there is (Ultimate, 3 card, etc)?  Just deciding whether we are going to purchase Euros for the cruise.  Outside of the casino, I can't imagine what we would need cash for.

[parallax]

I think they can provide UTH if people are interested.  You can take out chips as a room charge.  There is no extra cost in doing so.

[lelak]

can anyone tell me what brand TVs they have (Samsung or LG, I bet)?

 

Thanks!

[italyforme]

TV is Samsung.  You can connect a Bluetooth speaker if you like.  Nice music and movie selections.

[commodoredave]

On 1/17/2024 at 12:09 PM, PaulMCO said:

I will take another opinion -- though somewhat the same.

Best food and variety of food - Regent by far

Friendliest staff - Seabourn/Explora

Best shows and Entertainment - Regent (though we enjoyed old Crystal)

Most inconsistent cruise line - Silversea

Best Itineraries for longer cruises -- Seabourn

Best Vibe of the Ship -- Explora by far

 

Best ship for a short Cruise - Explora.

 

Our big issue with EJ has been the food.  Not that it is bad, it is good but for a longer cruise it would be boring.  Menus are fixed and never change.  Even in the Emporium.

 

For someone under 50 looking at a Luxury line for a short 10 day cruise -- this is the demographic that Explora is targeting.

 

 

They are comparable. Toured an OT1 with the TA's on this cruise.   I have yet to go on Nova or Ray, but they have a similar space and utility.  The SS bathroom is bigger.  The Veranda on Explora is nicer with the day bed.

Taking our first EJ cruise on March 1. Been on most of the upscale luxury lines and found only slight differences among them. We are now looking to try a small ship experience. Been on SeaDream but found the ship a bit tired and the outdoor space limited. My TA has suggested we try Emerald Cruises which has twin ships that carry just 100 passengers. Anyone out there ever been on the Emerald ocean yachts (as opposed to their river ships)?

[JTor]

On 1/15/2024 at 10:47 AM, thebigcruiseguy said:

We too are younger cruisers and while we haven’t yet sailed EJ- we are booked for next month. We have sailed with X, SS and Seabourn. Our experience was that SS while upscale and nice, was not for us- the physical spaces were well designed however the ship had very little energy / vibe, and the food was some of the worst we’ve ever had. Seabourn was a lovely experience, service was great, food was mostly good and the experience while not ever rowdy was fun filled, casual but elegant and service was fantastic. 
We think we’re going to love EJ!

Another vote for EJ based on your stated preferences.  

 

On 1/15/2024 at 9:56 AM, zackarykeef said:

We're thinking of booking an EJ cruise for next year. We mostly have cruised on NCL and X, but we are looking to try our first smaller/luxury line after having sailed twice in MSC YC. Although we are young (early 30s), we do not need entertainment, parties, etc. We enjoy aesthetics, good food/drinks, and are looking for an overall more upscale/relaxed crowd, as some of the mainstream lines are becoming a little too rowdy for us.

 

The only thing is...there are so many to choose from! For those of you who sail these lines, what would you recommend? Viking Ocean? Oceania? Regent? EJ? I don't even know where to start. We cruised once on Princess and absolutely hated it. We tend to like newer and more modern ships (MSC Sea- class, X E-class, NCL Prima class). Any suggestions are welcome!

agree with BigCruiseGuy you will hopefully love EJ based on your stated interests.  Ship is gorgeous, food is the best at sea, it’s casual, the crowd is varied in age and origin and quite worldly.  Oceania may also suit you at a lower price point, less inclusions (especially if you don’t drink).  We found the Regent passengers quite non-diverse but perhaps that has changed.

[Waltershipman]

2 hours ago, JTor said:

Another vote for EJ based on your stated preferences.  

 

agree with BigCruiseGuy you will hopefully love EJ based on your stated interests.  Ship is gorgeous, food is the best at sea, it’s casual, the crowd is varied in age and origin and quite worldly.  Oceania may also suit you at a lower price point, less inclusions (especially if you don’t drink).  We found the Regent passengers quite non-diverse but perhaps that has changed.

SPOT ON sailed EJ in October and loved it and will be on thr new Oceania Vista this week. Lots to experience lots to compare. Certain to please 

[Stickman1990]

49 minutes ago, Waltershipman said:

SPOT ON sailed EJ in October and loved it and will be on thr new Oceania Vista this week. Lots to experience lots to compare

Please come back and share your comparison of Explora 1 v Oceania Vista - definitely interesting in feedback on the two experiences 

[Waltershipman]

13 minutes ago, Stickman1990 said:

Please come back and share your comparison of Explora 1 v Oceania Vista - definitely interesting in feedback on the two experiences 

Will do for sure. Will be an interesting experience to compare

 

Take care and thanks for all your posts and input

[Dr. Cocktail]

1 hour ago, Waltershipman said:

SPOT ON sailed EJ in October and loved it and will be on thr new Oceania Vista this week. Lots to experience lots to compare. Certain to please 

Have a great trip - will be eager to hear all about it!

[Waltershipman]

14 minutes ago, Dr. Cocktail said:

Have a great trip - will be eager to hear all about it!

 

14 minutes ago, Dr. Cocktail said:

Have a great trip - will be eager to hear all about it!

Thank you so much I will report back

 

I enjoy your posts

[Dr. Cocktail]

33 minutes ago, Waltershipman said:

 

Thank you so much I will report back

 

I enjoy your posts

Thanks!

 

I will be curious to compare Explora to .... Explora!  Back later this winter but it appears that we will have almost double the passengers of the first time.

[Stickman1990]

1 hour ago, Waltershipman said:

Will do for sure. Will be an interesting experience to compare

 

Take care and thanks for all your posts and input

Thank you - happy to help with info where possible 

 

Were on Crystal Serenity next month so I’ll no doubt be comparing the two lines 

[Waltershipman]

9 minutes ago, Stickman1990 said:

Thank you - happy to help with info where possible 

 

Were on Crystal Serenity next month so I’ll no doubt be comparing the two lines 

Will love that comparison as well 

 

Enjoy

 And thanks 

[Waltershipman]

20 minutes ago, Dr. Cocktail said:

Thanks!

 

I will be curious to compare Explora to .... Explora!  Back later this winter but it appears that we will have almost double the passengers of the first time.

Will be interested to see how EJ is with a higher pax count

 

Enjoy I will report

[Dr. Cocktail]

41 minutes ago, Stickman1990 said:

Thank you - happy to help with info where possible 

 

Were on Crystal Serenity next month so I’ll no doubt be comparing the two lines 

 

30 minutes ago, Waltershipman said:

Will love that comparison as well 

 

Enjoy

 And thanks 

Will also be curious to hear the comparison!

 

I'm  going on Celebrity Apex in the spring so am wondering how we'll readapt to big ship cruising!