Hlitner

My understanding is that all the gelato and sorbet is made onboard.

I think this company has a degree of arrogance and naïveté when it comes to pricing. We see it with the premium wines, up charges for not so top shelf booze, cooking lessons, many excursions, and Anthology. It is almost like they think their customers are all fabulously wealthy and do not mind paying ridiculous mark-ups. EJ forgets that many folks who have money are also wise enough to seek value. Perhaps they can find a customer base happy to overpay, but we have our doubts. Many who cruise on luxury lines are quite savvy and easily move between various lines based on pricing and itinerary. Hank

We actually walked from the ship over to the Reversing Waterfall area (not waterfalls but really rapids) to watch at high tide. Total cost of OUR tour was zero :). The walk (from the port was slightly over 2 miles (each way) with much of it along a well marked sidewalk. It was our 2nd or 3rd visit to St Johns, but we had never previously spent our time looking at the tides. Having done it we thought it was somewhat akin to watching the grass grow :). Another couple (from Germany) also did the walk and had the same reaction. If you wait long enough you can actually see the direction of the water flow reverse! WOW! 🙂 Hank

Lol. But when it comes to excursions you cannot even consider a tour with which you are completely unaware.

So lets move on with some more Explora "differences." The communications onboard, is similar to the communications pre-cruise. That is to say, if you want to know about various things such as your onboard account, excursions, dining reservations, etc. you must find the appropriate desk/host and make an inquiry. Here is an example that happened to us this morning. We had booked an excursion in Saguenay, that was cancelled. Faced with all kinds of remaining OBC, we stopped at the tour desk for a friendly chat (the hosts are very friendly). When we mentioned about trying to book some excursions, they pointed us towards an excursion, tomorrow evening, in Quebec City. It is a combination walking an culinary tour that we were happy to book. But, the only way one can even find out that this tour exists is to stop by that tour desk. It does not show on the excursions listed on the TV, we have no excursion brochures in our suite, and there are no places around the ship where you can simply read about excursions. In a sense, you must ask to know! We did suggest that they might want to send excursion information to the suites and gather that this "innovative idea" is under consideration. It is just one more example of being so low key, that it can (and will) cause frustration among cruisers who want to know the options available. Another problem is the tendency of this line to hide prices of everything! You can read about Chef's Kitchen Experiences in the daily program, and the only indication there is a cost is "an exclusive experience fee applies." You will not find this fee listed anywhere! (it is 150 Euros pp). This afternoon we stopped by the "Chef's Kitchen" room and they have posted a short list of some upcoming chef experiences. At the bottom it says there is a fee and to find out more you must go to the Deck 4 Guest Services desk. Really? We inquired about booking a dinner in Anthology for next week. There is a current price for those dinners, but we were informed that the price may be "adjusted" between now and next week! I guess knowing the price a few days prior is not reasonable. They also do not have a menu for this dinner (which costs over $500) at this time. The Guest Chef does not come aboard until Quebec, and I suppose the powers to be must huddle with the chef to work out the final details. A very strange way to run a cruise line. No question this is a very low-key place where everyone is friendly and helpful...but simply does not have much information about anything happening more than a day or two in the future. After a week onboard, we have adjusted to how this all works, but we wonder how many other "customers" will have our kind of patience. This line may do a lot better with first-time cruisers than those of us who have lots of experience with other lines. I will end this post on a high note :). DW and I are really enjoying the cruise, ship, hosts (crew), and most of the cuisine.

There is also the gelato/crepe bar here, which is open all afternoon.

Might be difficult to blow up the details of the Crema photo. On the left are two kinds a madeleines. They also have a delicious custard pastry similar the Belam Pastries famous in Portugal. On the right are several kinds of small sandwiches and I think (not sure) they can put them in a panini press. Hank

Your wish is my command. This is at 1:30 pm.

Apparently, they don’t agree. Folks had complained that when they returned from tours everything was closed. On sea days, that is not an issue. I will mention that there are quite a few decent lunch items on the room service menu. There are also a few light snack items at Crema. I cannot help but compare EJ to Seabourn (we just got off a 32 day SB cruise, last month). Seabourn also closes the Colonnade (lido) at 2. The difference is that they have a pool grill that is open until 4. We previously posted that not having a pool grill was a mistake and stand by our assessment. Hank

The solution would be simple, for mere mortals, but apparently no decision making is easy for EJ. They merely need to extend the opening hours of the Emporium. They have already made an adjustment by keeping the burger area open(on port days) until 3:30. Management must always deal with crew working hours. And how to allocate resources for longer opening times. Hank

When you cruise in those waters, you will be well out of the sight of land until you near the ports. Hank

At this time, we are not booking any future EJ cruises. Given the right itinerary and price, we would happily come back on EJ. We already have future bookings with Seabourn, Oceania, Princess and Silverseas, and we will likely hold off with EJ until they demonstrate the ability to follow through on scheduled itineraries without constant changes. EJ is new and somewhat unique, and even some Senior staff admit it is a work in progress. There is a lot to like about this line, but there are still issues that will need to be resolved. Trying to offer a very classy product and maintain a high degree of onboard discretion ( for lack of a better term) can be a two edged sword. For example, offering an expensive and exclusive chef led tour might be nice, but does not work unless passengers are made aware that such a tour exists. Even basic signage is an issue. You will find no signs directing you to a guest relations desk, tour desk, etc. You either must ask or simply know. You could walk directly past the dining reservations desk and not have a clue as to its function. They want to avoid tacky signage, but then folks can be left wandering without any idea where to go. This is minor stuff that will get resolved, but at this price point they need to quickly get it right.

Unfortunately, ships that have some adults only areas do not always enforce the rule. The more upscale, and expensive lines, tend to have few children. Viking is certainly a great option to always avoid kids/teens. Hank

I do think some folks are posting their “wish list” instead of facts. My blog makes it clear that there is nothing “yacht club” about EJ1. This is a different company, different philosophy, and they do things their way… which is much different then the MSC Yacht Club. We have yet to meet a crew member who has ever worked on MSC much less in the YC. As to family oriented, that would be a stretch. Club Neptune is cute, but just a lone facility for kids. Consider that there is nowhere to get dinner until 6:30pm, which is quite late for many children. I think most kids would rather be on MSC, RCI, Disney or Carnival. We do know that they are expecting around 70 kids during the Christmas holidays and that will be a real test. Hank

This evening, we dined, for the first time, in the Mediterranean Yacht Club restaurant. Along with the Fil Rouge, it is the other non-reservation main dining venue that is always open for dinner along with some lunches on sea days. This might be the least popular restaurant on the ship and we think it has to do with their menu. That being said, we now realize the menu does have more to offer than it might seem at first glance. DW and I split two tapas dishes (potato bravas and an Iberian ham platter) which were both pretty good and typical of tapas found throughout Spain. For her main, DW had the mushroom risotto (she is an expert on this dish) and proclaimed it excellent. I had to the Osso Bucco and it was also quite good (EJ should provide a marrow spoon with this main). The surprise, for us, was the ridiculous design of the restaurant. It is a relatively large venue with a very attractive bar and two attractive large lounge seating areas (with nice sofas and chairs). The bar and seating areas takes up a lot of space....but for what? The bar is only open during dining hours (6:30-9), has no entertainment, is not mentioned in any onboard info, and seems to be entirely unused. According to two of the waiters, these areas have never been used by anyone! Ever! But they take up space that could have been used for at least another dozen tables (which might be needed when the ship if full). To my untrained eyes, this just seems like a terrible waste of space, and I would love to know what was in the minds of the designers and cruise line when they planned the venue. Nothing that will impact cruising, but just a simple observation. Another thing that is different on EJ (when compared to most other lines) is that, with the exception of the marine department (i.e. Captain, Staff Captain, First Officer, etc) nobody wears officer uniforms, On most lines you can tell a lot about the staff by simply noting the number of stripes (rank). On EJ, the hotel staff dress in black suits. A supervisor is dressed similar to the General Manager. I guess this fits with the philosophy of making this more like a hotel/resort than a cruise ship. Again, not a criticism but simply an observation. Hank

We don’t know, since it has always been closed. Hank

Another day at sea as we make our way towards Quebec. After 5 days aboard it is very clear that this line is all about decent cuisine, and we think the overall food here is the best we have enjoyed on any ship! This morning we decided to try the sit down breakfast in Fil Rouge. I had their “Signature” egg dish which is a poached egg on a bed of cream spinach covered with yuzu hollandaise sauce over a brioche and topped with caviar. A variation of eggs Benedict that really works. Also keep in mind that all the bread products are baked aboard. I decided to try their black coffee. It was “americano” and not the typical coffee enjoyed by many North Americans. A reminder that this is a euro-centric cruise line. Last evening we returned to Sakura for another wonderful meal. We decided to start off with a sushi lobster roll which was amazing. All the sushi, sashimi and like are hand crafted, to order, by two sushi chefs. Sushi (and many related items) are available for both lunch and dinner in Sakura (there also is some sushi in the Emporium) and it has all been outstanding. I had a simple main of scallops on a pea based sauce and topped With some caviar. Relatively simple, but also an elegant dish. Since we are having fun trying many different dishes, I also tried an interesting starter of duck confit served with watermelon, mint, cashews, etc. A fantastic dish that could easily be served in a Michelin restaurant. I suppose one could nit pick and find something negative to say about the cuisine. But the good completely overpowers the few faux pas. Hank

We have only requested one onboard Statement (to check on our OBC) and it was printed-out in Euros. The Television statements are not properly functioning and useless...for now. Hank

Somebody had asked for this small menu from the crepe place (at the gelato counter in the Conservatory

Have no clue. We did not bother to wake up for the 6am sail away.

Thanks for posting the Naming schedule. It actually sounds like an interesting, once in a lifetime day, and will feed our interest in the industry.. We are curious to see what it’s like, onboard, with some people 😝. At the moment I am enjoying cappuccino in Crema where there are only 2 other passengers. There are two waiters and a supervisor watching me texting. Creepy.

Just a few items tonight. We made our 2nd visit to Marble & Co and dinner was very good. DW and I both, again, ordered their signature starter of decent caviar over some potatoes (putting this into American English) because it is a very simple starter that is excellent if one likes cariar. DW had their filet which is simply a that!...I tried their version of surf and turf which is a very small lobster tail over a veal filet over truffled potatoes. I loved my dish. Many would complain that the lobster tail was tiny (more like a langostino) but the combination really worked in terms of flavors. The small tail had a wonderful lobster taste (that you can only get from a cold water lobster) and the veal was melt in your mouth delicious. Perhaps too small a main for some folks, but for me it was near perfection. I want to move on to some travel philosophy, There is no doubt that the EJ folks want to have a Euro-centric product that appeals to younger folks with money. Consider the salad bar issue (mentioned in earlier posts) where they only have 3 salad dressing (two of them vinegar based plus blue cheese). One poster has really blasted EJ for not adding more options (after he brought up the issue). But I suspect that in EJ's mind, the 3 dressings are perfect and very European. Americans expect things like Ranch Dressing, Thousand Island, Green Goddess, etc. These are just not accepted in most of Europe where the use of vinegar, oil. and mustard reigns supreme. Some europeans would call ranch dressing an abomination! When MSC first came to the USA, they had some resistance because of their Euro-centric attitude. MSC changed some things on their USA-based ships to make them more "Americanized" and have been doing quite well.......ever since. Will EJ also fall into this trap? I am not sure, but suffice it so say that we are on a 930 passenger ship with only 241 passengers! Enough said. Speaking of our magical 241 passengers (which does include one young child)! Tonight, at 9:30. we had an excellent guest entertainer singer. Total attendance at the show was no more than 50, which dropped to about 40 by the 2nd set! Where were the other 200 passengers? In bed, or at least in their suites. Kind of sad since the entertainment was truly excellent. I guess it is unreasonable to expect folks to stay awake after 10pm, having finished a difficult sea day. I thought about going out for a nightcap a little after 11, but realized that I would likely be alone with the bar tenders. Truly a swinging crowd :). One other comment which might be considered a negative. Whatever happened to hors d'oeuvres? There are no cute little buffets like in the MSC Yacht Club, no pre-dinner snacks like on Seabourn, etc. On EJ, you can certainly find plenty of bars to get a decent drink, and you can ask for a tiny dish with a few chips and nuts, but you cannot get any hors d'oeuvres...anywhere other than going down to the Crema cafe (which closes at 7 and has a few things in their case) IMHO, this is a faux pas for a luxury line. I remember the days when even mass market lines had hot/cold snacks at pre-dinner happy hours. Not on EJ? Tapas anyone? Hank

A quiet sea day left me with some time to go exploring the high outdoor decks. Deck 12, is the major outdoor space on the ship. The outside rails are covered with safety glass which helps reduce the wind on the open deck. There is a marked walkway/track that wraps around the vessel and ideal for walkers or joggers. The deck has lots of padded loungers which should be adequate in hot climates. The downside is the lack of shaded areas for those that prefer to relax in the shade. There is a higher deck 14) that has a pickleball court and adjacent small basketball court. There are also some outdoor fitness bikes. The lack of shade reminds me of a similar design faux pas on MSC ships. Deck 12 also has two outdoor bars. As others have posted, the ship has plenty of pools and hot tubs. I wonder if EJ has made a mistake with their few high end shops? We have not seen folks running to buy Rolex, Cartier, and Piaget watches. Time (a pun) will tell 😀

It’s fun posting in almost real time :). Just returned from lunch in the Emporium and it was all good. We both decided to try the pizza and the first word out of DWs mouth was “fabulous.” And the pizza is amazing quality and rivals the best pizza in Naples. The pizza chef makes small amounts at a time and they are constantly changing the toppings. I had a piece with prosciutto and later tried the yellow margarita (made with yellow tomatoes). I imposed some self discipline and ignored the inviting raw oysters, which I hope will be a daily offering. The pastas also looked inviting, but that is for another day. We do agree with a previous poster that the salad station lacks depth. Not enough add in options and only 3 dressings. North Americans expect more from a salad bar….but this is an easy fix for EJ. I should mention that service in the Emporium has been outstanding. Folks are helped to their tables, plates quickly cleared, drinks are served, etc etc. It is a Lido befitting a luxury cruise line. The highlight of lunch was the two ladies (I think they were Americans) who came for lunch in their EJ bathrobes. To our pleasant surprise, it was not long until a supervisor suggested they depart (DW heard them exclaim about being kicked out because bathrobes were not allowed). Hank

Not sure. We do get 3 devices per person for free wifi, which is good. But not sure you would be able to stream those services. It is possible to reach behind the cabin TVs to the ports, but one might assume they have been deactivated like we have seen on some other cruise lines. DW and I never watch TV in our suite, other than to turn on one of the news channels, so we have no first hand experience.