Considering Explora Journey But Would Appreciate Some Feedback as Comparted to other Brands

[JanR]

12 hours ago, saminina said:

Not knocking Glenmorangie.   Not a fan of poured shots, so watching a barman ever using a shot glass is the first obstacle to overcome when paying for a premium whisky.   You forgot Ballantine's as being on the included list.  A distant second choice.  It's nice to have Ardbeg, but it's beyond my pallet.

 

Looking at included red wines on the list, average retail is $9. USD.   If they retailed for $20, it would not change my opinion.  The premium wines that could tempt me are grossly overpriced.

It's not a big deal to supply my own.  As I do with bathroom paper products and (first time this cruise) butter.  

Ballantine's is a blended Scotch. . .I was speaking of single-malt Scotches which is what I drink.  Premium wines on any cruise ship are grossly overpriced.

 

11 hours ago, registrar said:

WOW!! Why is alcohol your decision on going with a cruise line. 

For me, it never is.  I was just having a dialogue based upon comments of another poster.

[HappyInVan]

On 5/15/2024 at 8:35 AM, Sthrngary said:

My travel agent suggested for me to learn more about Explora Journey.  I read a few reviews, I saw some familiar contributors from other boards. I am looking at to consider Explora but need some comparisons to what I have been used too in the past. Any and all feedback would be appreciated...

 

 

Having sailed with several brands, I can offer these observations.

 

1) Mainstream brands remain under pressure, as cruise fares (adjusted for inflation) continue to fall. On Holland America, Alaska fares are as low as $50 pp/day on last minute deals. Now, they're offering free travel for third and fourth pax. Reports of overcrowding on popular shorter cruises.

 

2) Some expeditionary brands are able to raise and hold prices. Still some discounts if you're patient.

 

3) Among 'luxury' brands, MSC YC IMHO offers the best value. Ship within a ship. The butler service for basic suites is poor, and the rooms are small. Still, the best package for privacy, entertainment and food. The YC on the newest ships are a sight to behold.

 

4) Explora Journeys is the new kid on the block. So far, with only 2 ships there's not much prospect for exploring. The itineraries are rather familiar. That said, Explora is popular with those who eat and drink.

 

There are service and quality issues among the staff. Some are ex-Regent and some are ex-RCL etc. Half have never been on a cruise ship. Remains to be seen how quickly these issues can be resolved.

 

The established luxury brands have their strengths and loyal pax. Do you fit into the social networks among the pax?

[2SailingNomads]

IMO Explora is very much a work in progress and hasn't yet decided what it wants to be when it grows up.  Initial marketing high end champagne especially for more expensive suites.  After a few sailings no more.  "Journeys" now most are 7 day cruises. Not going to discount the price would rather sail empty, reality is sales all the time.

 

Nice ship, very good service and food, but not what was originally marketed.  Limited included spirits, poor wines and overpriced revenue wine list, and agree with saminina about the TP cheap stuff.

 

[English Tim]

I had a chat with one of the corporate people yesterday, who is onboard for a short time. I told him how pleased we were with the food and beverage offerings and the facilities, but the one thing that really grates with me is that when we booked, many months ago the champagne on offer was a fair bit different to what is available today. I explained that my feeling would be that with a new cruise line, they would need to pretty much offer what they promote and if clients feel that things have been advertised and not provided, they may look to book their cruises elsewhere.

[RJ2002]

19 minutes ago, English Tim said:

I had a chat with one of the corporate people yesterday, who is onboard for a short time. I told him how pleased we were with the food and beverage offerings and the facilities, but the one thing that really grates with me is that when we booked, many months ago the champagne on offer was a fair bit different to what is available today. I explained that my feeling would be that with a new cruise line, they would need to pretty much offer what they promote and if clients feel that things have been advertised and not provided, they may look to book their cruises elsewhere.

 

It's good that you shared your feedback directly with management.  What was his response?

[Jim Avery]

I Hope EJ resists the all prevailing industry urge to pack em in.  Everyone I am reading so far are enjoying less than full pax loads.  That always makes it nicer for those onboard.  We have sailed most of the lines and have watched all of them go the "bigger is better" route.  Even tiny SeaDream went from 98 passengers to the current 112 on the same ships.  Viking has been our most recent "fave" but they are now so popular that they fill the ships most cruises.  I love the style and size of Viking but they need to sail with a couple of hundred less.  EJ rilled to capacity will not have the feel expressed by many here.

[English Tim]

6 hours ago, RJ2002 said:

 

It's good that you shared your feedback directly with management.  What was his response?

He said he would refer back to management and agreed with me.

[vistaman]

9 hours ago, English Tim said:

He said he would refer back to management and agreed with me.

8 months after my cruise no single contact about my complaints and comments ...

[Sthrngary]

When I wrote this topic, I had no idea what responses and comments I would get. Some of the contributors have been around CruiseCritic.com for quite some time.  I am communicated with others on other topics in the past.  

 

The comments here and other places are all over the board.  Yet, some of the issues are identical to other brands. Some of the positive point are as well.  

 

We as cruise enthusiasts each have a different set of Likes/Dislikes for our future cruise adventures. The purpose of this stream was to assist in the determination of if my unique set of future cruise "Likes" would be satisfied with an Explora Journeys cruise.  To clarify, all I am looking for is an enhancement to the experiences I have had in the past.  To raise the bar just a bit not to the moon.  

 

So far, here is my take on the information given:

 

To New To Rate: The brand's marketing does not reflect the actual experience.  Should not be a surprise to anyone.  That is what Cruise Marketing Departments do.  They never learned the notion of "Under-Promise/Over-Deliver".  

Items Being Omitted Since Sailing Started: Many have shared the Champagne offering is gone or the quality has been reduced from initial sailings. For me, I don't care about the Champagne.  The concern is inconsistencies between what is stated will be provided, what was provided and what is provided.  Today it is the Champagne, what is it tomorrow when I am onboard.

Drink Package Quality of Items:  Every brand of recent with very few exceptions are getting heat on the quality of their wines and spirts.  The solution is to lose the amenity of a provided drink package, have an upgrade plan like NCL (Premium Plus Beverage Package) or simply pay extra for premium offering.  I like other brands that allow you to bring wine and spirits onboard for your special drinking pleasure.  The issue is one feels like they already paid for the package, it should be better.  

Ships 1/2 Filled:  Folks are worried that when the ship fills up to 90% to 100% the quality, personalized service and attention to detail will be less. This is a real issues based on my personal past.  I was on a Crystal Cruise just after they started to re-sail post-covid.  The ship was at 20% capacity.  It needed more people.  I was on the NCL Joy, in the Haven at 50% capacity.  It was PERFECT. I went back on a few months later at 100% capacity and it was really over crowded. The bottom line, I get the concern. I guess we will find out. 

 

As someone new, simply looking to try the brand, I will simply watch the pricing and see if one could catch a sale or promotion.  The only real way to evaluate a new brand to you is to try it.  Bite the bullet and give it a go.  Thanks to everyone's comments.  You all have been heard.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[English Tim]

I agree with Gary.

 

The onboard service on virtually all the ships I’ve ever been on has been first rate. On Explora, they go to another level and some are very keen to offer top level service.

 

There is a fast difference between the level of service on board and what we often suffer from the shore service personnel.

 

I have had some interesting discussions with senior management and clearly all is not well. Hopefully they will find the optimum solution and will all be happy, or as I have explained if they don’t get it right for me, then I will vote with my feet.

[Sthrngary]

Update on my Quest:

 

I promise the folks here on the Explora Journey, CruiseCritic.com blog, I will not post daily as I have done so many times in the past.  For those that have read my posts, they will thank me for that.  But I wanted to give a follow up on my decision to consider Explora Journey Cruises.

 

Questions:  I wrote 19 question out and called the Explora Journey Cruise phone number.  The first time I called, I gave my name and phone number per the recordings request for a follow up call.  After two days, no one called me back so I called again. Within just a few minutes, a gentlemen answered the call.  He answered each and every question I had.  Professional, easy to understand and no spinning the answers.  

American Express Platinum Cruise Perks:  One question was about the American Express Platinum Cruise Perks.  It seems that they became available that very day.  I hope that helps some folks on this blog.  You receive the OBC from AMX and can still use the "Unique Escapes" sales promotion. 

Twin Beds: I am going on this cruise with my older sister.  I needed two twin beds that were separated.  I was told, OT-1 did not have twin beds but OT-2 and OT-3 did.  Just an FYI for some one who this matters too. 

Excel Comparison of Cruise Brands: I do comparisons on expensive products all the time.  It is a throw back to my career prior to retirement.  I compared Oceania, Crystal Cruises and Explora Journey.  It is impossible to do an Apples-to-Apples comparison.  The different brands make sure of that with their different policies.  However this is not my first Rodeo.  So I used information I had on Oceania and Crystal.  I called Crystal to verify their information was correct and I was just on Oceania so I know that pretty well. I added in the Explora Journey.  I look at the total investment, daily investment for each guest, Amenities, Perks, and misc information.  It is and has always been a very helpful way to evaluate if used with Blog, article and video information one can find online. 

YouTube.com Video's:  I watch all I could find and they differed somewhat but gave a consensus of information that added to my knowledge base. I much prefer normal people rather then travel agents of so called influencers.  

Conclusion:  I stick with my statements on post # 34 of this stream.  However, my further research gave me the confidence to move forward.  I booked a 8 day Caribbean Cruise on the Explora I for late January 2025.  My sister is all-in.  I look forward to the experience and appreciate everyone's feedback.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

 

[Waltershipman]

1 hour ago, Sthrngary said:

Update on my Quest:

 

I promise the folks here on the Explora Journey, CruiseCritic.com blog, I will not post daily as I have done so many times in the past.  For those that have read my posts, they will thank me for that.  But I wanted to give a follow up on my decision to consider Explora Journey Cruises.

 

Questions:  I wrote 19 question out and called the Explora Journey Cruise phone number.  The first time I called, I gave my name and phone number per the recordings request for a follow up call.  After two days, no one called me back so I called again. Within just a few minutes, a gentlemen answered the call.  He answered each and every question I had.  Professional, easy to understand and no spinning the answers.  

American Express Platinum Cruise Perks:  One question was about the American Express Platinum Cruise Perks.  It seems that they became available that very day.  I hope that helps some folks on this blog.  You receive the OBC from AMX and can still use the "Unique Escapes" sales promotion. 

Twin Beds: I am going on this cruise with my older sister.  I needed two twin beds that were separated.  I was told, OT-1 did not have twin beds but OT-2 and OT-3 did.  Just an FYI for some one who this matters too. 

Excel Comparison of Cruise Brands: I do comparisons on expensive products all the time.  It is a throw back to my career prior to retirement.  I compared Oceania, Crystal Cruises and Explora Journey.  It is impossible to do an Apples-to-Apples comparison.  The different brands make sure of that with their different policies.  However this is not my first Rodeo.  So I used information I had on Oceania and Crystal.  I called Crystal to verify their information was correct and I was just on Oceania so I know that pretty well. I added in the Explora Journey.  I look at the total investment, daily investment for each guest, Amenities, Perks, and misc information.  It is and has always been a very helpful way to evaluate if used with Blog, article and video information one can find online. 

YouTube.com Video's:  I watch all I could find and they differed somewhat but gave a consensus of information that added to my knowledge base. I much prefer normal people rather then travel agents of so called influencers.  

Conclusion:  I stick with my statements on post # 34 of this stream.  However, my further research gave me the confidence to move forward.  I booked a 8 day Caribbean Cruise on the Explora I for late January 2025.  My sister is all-in.  I look forward to the experience and appreciate everyone's feedback.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

 

Great choice Gary I look forward to seeing you on board as we are booked for the 8 night sailing as well

 Got off Oceania Vista in February and cruised EJ last October.  

 

Looking forward to sailing on EJ again. It was splendid 

 

Look forward to connecting with you both before and on board

 

All the best

 

David 

[vistaman]

On 5/21/2024 at 5:48 PM, English Tim said:

I agree with Gary.

 

The onboard service on virtually all the ships I’ve ever been on has been first rate. On Explora, they go to another level and some are very keen to offer top level service.

 

There is a fast difference between the level of service on board and what we often suffer from the shore service personnel.

 

I have had some interesting discussions with senior management and clearly all is not well. Hopefully they will find the optimum solution and will all be happy, or as I have explained if they don’t get it right for me, then I will vote with my feet.

i wish you good luck and take aa few bottles of your own wine with you !

[santos949]

We love Explora.  It is simply the very best...and we have sailed all of the luxury lines.  We have two more cruises booked on Explora and are waiting to see what new itineraries they add in the upcoming years.

 

We are not new cruisers...We have sailed over 85 times.

[Maggie 1008]

We loved our Hawaii cruise with Explora and will definitely book another cruise in January or February. I will look forward for more ships to come so more itineraries to choose from. 
For us Explora was the perfect fit. 

[Sthrngary]

16 hours ago, Waltershipman said:

Great choice Gary I look forward to seeing you on board as we are booked for the 8 night sailing as well

 Got off Oceania Vista in February and cruised EJ last October.  

 

Looking forward to sailing on EJ again. It was splendid 

 

Look forward to connecting with you both before and on board

 

All the best

 

David 

@Waltershipman David, I spoke to soon.  My sister changed the departure date to February 14-21, 2025.  Sorry, She is making me crazy.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[Waltershipman]

15 minutes ago, Sthrngary said:

@Waltershipman David, I spoke to soon.  My sister changed the departure date to February 14-21, 2025.  Sorry, She is making me crazy.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

Will miss you  sorry I did see that date as well. We like the Mayan exploration options 

 

Be well

[PaulMCO]

On 5/15/2024 at 1:28 PM, English Tim said:

What none of us know is what it’ll be like when the ship is full.

Except when they are full of TA's and you tube bloggers...

 

Hello Gary - nice to see you trying another cruise line....

 

It depends on what you are comparing the cruise line to.

1) No real special perks (that matter) for better cabins.  Yes you get a butler for a Residence.  But you do not get any more bookings in the specialties or can book reservations or excursions. earlier like on Oceania or Regent.  There is no real status for a better suite.  You do get a priority embarkation.

2) Bar list for stateroom is rather poor. Champagne has gone from premium to less than. Included Wine is $10 variety on Explora and $15 on O and Regent.

3) Entertainment better on Oceania (and Oceania is not known for good shows).

4) Gratuities are included, no need to have status or special OBC from your TA like on O

5) No loyalty program yet on Explora

6) Excursions were very well organized.  Destination Experience desk was very good and even arranged a special tour (horseback riding along the beach in Cartagena) at a reasonable price.

7) Everything is priced in Euro's

8.  Chairhogs at pools.  We saw a few on our cruise.  But Oceania seems to be the king or queen of lounge hogs.

9) Service is very attentive, I thought better than O

10) Coffee Explora uses Illy.  Oceania has discontinued their use of the brand.

11) WEB site on Explora is horrible, you will likely need to book things in advance via phone.

12) Food again subjective.  Some venues better and some worse than O.  No MDR/GDR on Explora. We prefer the food on Regent and Crystal, because we like a rotating menu.  The menus on Explora are fixed so on a long cruise we found them too repetitive.

 

Good to try new lines.  We have another booked in January on Explora II.

 

 

[Sthrngary]

12 minutes ago, PaulMCO said:

Hello Gary - nice to see you trying another cruise line....

@PaulMCO long time since we visited last.  This trip is for my sister and me.  I looked at Oceania Cruises, Crystal Cruises and Explora Journey.  I personally wanted to do Crystal again but the itinerary led to bad flights.  I also wanted to try something new. Oceania was also an option and the best value however it was a 10 day cruise.  I love my sister but being with her for 7 days is a stretch.  I am also on an Oceania cruise (Vista) for ten days in the Mediterranean Oct 2025 so I figure, try something new. 

 

I read your entire list and appreciate the time you took to list them.  It is clear you remember all the many questions I asked prior to cruising on Crystal.  You nailed every question.  Thank you.

 

Paul, as you know, I usually do a deep dive into details.  My approach is a bit different here.  I think it has to do with my getting a bit older and not needing the Mega Ships anymore.  The other consideration that we all make is the person that is joining us.  My (Older) sister who has never ever cruised requested quiet places, could care less about the food, may not consider getting off the ship, does not drink a lot and thought having a balcony was PERFECT.  Now once she is on the ship, some of that may change because she knows not what she will receive. In my minds eye I said, "OK, let's give Explora Journey a try".  Like chicken soup, it can't hurt. 

 

Again, your list is point on, very helpful and appreciated.  Thanks for the effort. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

 

[PaulMCO]

48 minutes ago, Sthrngary said:

@PaulMCO long time since we visited last.  This trip is for my sister and me.  I looked at Oceania Cruises, Crystal Cruises and Explora Journey.  I personally wanted to do Crystal again but the itinerary led to bad flights.  I also wanted to try something new. Oceania was also an option and the best value however it was a 10 day cruise.  I love my sister but being with her for 7 days is a stretch.  I am also on an Oceania cruise (Vista) for ten days in the Mediterranean Oct 2025 so I figure, try something new. 

 

I read your entire list and appreciate the time you took to list them.  It is clear you remember all the many questions I asked prior to cruising on Crystal.  You nailed every question.  Thank you.

 

Paul, as you know, I usually do a deep dive into details.  My approach is a bit different here.  I think it has to do with my getting a bit older and not needing the Mega Ships anymore.  The other consideration that we all make is the person that is joining us.  My (Older) sister who has never ever cruised requested quiet places, could care less about the food, may not consider getting off the ship, does not drink a lot and thought having a balcony was PERFECT.  Now once she is on the ship, some of that may change because she knows not what she will receive. In my minds eye I said, "OK, let's give Explora Journey a try".  Like chicken soup, it can't hurt. 

 

Again, your list is point on, very helpful and appreciated.  Thanks for the effort. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

 

Based on that Explora would be a great choice.  Ship is beautiful and cabins are large.  Friendly crew, decent coffees.. Perfect.

Edited May 27 by PaulMCO

[Waltershipman]

17 minutes ago, PaulMCO said:

Based on that Explora would be a great choice.  Ship is beautiful and cabins are large.  Friendly crew, decent coffees.. Perfect.

Agreed I'll be returning in 2025 as well 

[Dr. Cocktail]

Gary: I have really enjoyed your previous posts and your definitive Haven reviews.

 

As a long time and frequent Haven cruise - don't worry.  You're going to have a fabulous time!

 

I've been on two Explora sailings, have three more booked and am likely going to book a 4th in the next week!

 

As I found on my Celebrity sailing last week, there's no going back!

 

 

[Waltershipman]

7 minutes ago, Dr. Cocktail said:

Gary: I have really enjoyed your previous posts and your definitive Haven reviews.

 

As a long time and frequent Haven cruise - don't worry.  You're going to have a fabulous time!

 

I've been on two Explora sailings, have three more booked and am likely going to book a 4th in the next week!

 

As I found on my Celebrity sailing last week, there's no going back!

 

 

Great info Doc. Our last Celebrity Retreat was January 2023 last Oceania vista in January 2024 and last EJ October 2023. 

 

EJ is clearly and for many reasons our best choice for luxury cruising. While O Vista had excellent entertainment we found the ship too crowded and just not a peak experience.  While EJ is getting their back of house improvements the ship cree and food are stellar 

 

Enjoy

[Dr. Cocktail]

4 hours ago, Waltershipman said:

Great info Doc. Our last Celebrity Retreat was January 2023 last Oceania vista in January 2024 and last EJ October 2023. 

 

EJ is clearly and for many reasons our best choice for luxury cruising. While O Vista had excellent entertainment we found the ship too crowded and just not a peak experience.  While EJ is getting their back of house improvements the ship cree and food are stellar 

 

Enjoy

We have sailed on Celebrity 33 times with over 250 days onboard but had a civilized separation almost a decade ago. It was becoming apparent that the product had become Royal Caribbean with a bit of rouge applied.

 

We tried again 5 years ago and had a terrible experience but yet returned as their Norwegian Fjords itinerary was perfect for us. As I always tell friends, itinerary is always number #1 and you can usually suck it up for a week or two!  (ie get over yourself!)

 

But .... after having read soooooo much about the Edge Class ships (pro and con) I was unprepared for how it all just didn't work!  It really was like someone had floated a high-end mall to sea with a capacity of 2000 but loaded it up with 3000 instead for ... just because.

 

I know some people go between Carnival and Seabourn or the like but it just didn't work for us.

 

The noise!  The crowds! The lines!

 

I have yet to try Seabourn or Crystal (and will be on Seabourn later this year) but Explora is a good fit for me at this stage of my life.

 

 

 

Edited May 28 by Dr. Cocktail

[Host Jazzbeau]

3 minutes ago, Dr. Cocktail said:

We have sailed on Celebrity 33 times with over 250 days onboard but had a civilized separation almost a decade ago. It was becoming apparent that the product had become Royal Caribbean with a bit of rouge applied.

With the Edge class, you could change that to "a bit of rogue applied."  Still not appealing IMHO.